(Credit: Dong Ngo/CNET)I received this wireless mouse awhile ago, but as it comes in one of those clamshell packages that are impossible to open, I kind of ignored it until now.
As it turns out, the packaging is the only bad thing about it. Inside, I found what's possibly the coolest wireless mouse ever. It's a miniature replica of a Ford GT sports car. The two mouse buttons are the left and right side of the hood, and the scroll wheel is right in the middle (but kind of hidden as it's painted over).
The feature of the Fort GT wireless mouse I like the most is the head lights of the car that actually light up whenever you press on the mouse buttons. This is really cool when using the mouse in the dark. However, you can also turn this off with a little switch on the bottom of the mouse -- a nice design touch that comes in handy when you want to surf discreetly or conserve the juice.
The mouse is one of many car-shaped mice officially licensed to Four Door Media by Ford and other car manufacturers. At Four Door Media's Web site, you'll find many other car models, including Corvette, Camaro, Mustang GT, and even cop cars.
As a mouse, my Ford GT worked great out of the box. Like most optical wireless mice, it comes with two AAA batteries and a compact USB wireless dongle. Once the batteries were installed and the dongle was plugged in, the mouse worked flawlessly from up to 5 feet away. No software or driver was required. It also worked well in my tests with the latest Windows 7.
Despite the cheap plasticky look of the packaging, the mouse actually has a very solid build. My only complaint is that its wheels are not rotatable; otherwise, it would make a great toy car when not in use as a mouse.
The Road Mice cost $45.95 each, a decent price for a wireless mouse. If you're a fan of cars, it's totally worth it to have your ride literally accompany your laptop.
(Credit: Charge4all.net)This is not for everybody, but if you have more than one handheld device (like me), you'd probably find this handy.
It's called a Charge4All portable charging mat and it can charge up to four handheld devices at a time from a single source of power. This means you won't have to fumble around to find wall sockets, especially if you share a place with another gadget hoarder.
The mat supports a large amount of (if not all) popular electronic devices, including iPhones, iPods, cell phones, MP3 players, Bluetooth devices, PDAs, digital cameras, portable GPS devices, and so on. The charger comes with four charging ports and five charging plugs for the most popular devices, including: iPod/iPhone, Mini-USB, Micro-USB, Samsung SCH, and LG Chocolate.
In addition, the company offers up to 29 optional plugs that could potentially support the rest of the handheld devices on the market today. Each additional plug costs another $4.95. A car adapter is also available for charging devices on the go.
The charging mat is made of a soft silicon mat that can be rolled up for easy packing. It's powered by an included AC adapter.
Unfortunately, the Charge4All portable charging mat is not designed for charging laptop computers or other devices that require high voltage. It's available now for $39.95.
Yep, I had this poster on my wall as a kid, so eff the haters.
(Credit: Sony Music Entertainment)First up, Dong and I share of memories of the King of Pop. If you've had enough MJ for the last few weeks, then I suggest skipping 20 minutes into the episode as we don't really hold back on our unabashed adulation of the man.
Afterward, it gets all racial up in this piece as we discuss Dong's current obsession with black jokes and why everyone hates them. Also, since he's been in Vietnam for three weeks, he catches us up a bit on the goings on there.
BTW, yes I did say "teef," not teeth.
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I reviewed the QNAP TS-109 II NAS server a while ago and was happy with its Web interface, which is now about to get even better.
QNAP TS-109 II NAS server.
(Credit: Dong Ngo/CNET)QNAP announced Wednesday the latest upgrade of NAS management firmware that adds more functionality and ease of use to its NAS servers.
The new firmware version 3.1 includes two of new major functions: support for virtual disk and QNAP RAID Recovery that can recover a degraded or inactive RAID 1, 5, or 6 due to unintentional removal of drives. Other new features of the 3.1 firmware also include support for EXT4 file system (which allows for very large volumes and file sizes), SNMP support, and bitmap support for faster rebuilding of RAID volume after a crash or adding/removing a drive.
Other than than, other existing features also get enhanced. The Network Discovery Services now comes with new Bonjour support, offers zero-configuration networking for HTTP, SAMBA, FTP, AFP, and SSH based networks, and full UPnP support.
The new 3.1 NAS management firmware is completely overhauled with a new Ajax-based User Interface. This means novice users now can easily install and manage the NAS server on the network via simple wizards. The new Web-interface works with major browsers including Internet Explorer, Safari, Firefox and Google Chrome. It comes with three different color themes and supports instant switching between a long list of supported languages.
Starting July, new NAS servers from QNAP will be preloaded with the new firmware. Existing devices can be upgraded for free.
If you are the owner of the TS-109 II or any other QNAP NAS servers on this list, you can download and install the new firmware here.
The North American Eagle vehicle.
(Credit: Landspeed.com)If you haven't heard of North American Eagle, it's a program to break the existing land-based speed record of 763 miles per hour by reaching 800 mph, which is slightly faster than Mach 1 (768 mph).
There are a range of technologies incorporated into the NAE vehicle to make this crazy land speed possible, including those that provide communication between car and control center. This is where Tropos Networks comes into play.
The company announced Tuesday that its routers are being used in the latest NAE trial runs in the desert at Black Rock, Nevada, this week, where vehicle speeds exceed 500 miles per hour. Onboard the NAE vehicle during its high-speed test runs is a Tropos 4210 mobile mesh router that provides real-time communication and data monitoring.
While network connection at high speeds is not new, as Internet access on airplanes has been available for some time now, the main issue here is latency. The NAE vehicle is a very-fast-moving land-based testing object, and it's necessary that it has the capacity for true real-time communication.
To resolve this, Tropos system uses direct Wi-Fi links between the vehicle and ground stations to provide access to vehicle data with a delay of only one to three milliseconds. ... Read more
The Asus VH236H is mocking you.
(Credit: Corinne Schulze/CNET)Has there ever been definitive confirmation of the pronunciation of "Asus"? Some say "A-Suhs," or "A-Soose," or even "A-Zues." I myself have always been an "A-Suhs" type of guy, as I just can't bring myself to say "A-Soose" every time I talk about one of the company's products.
So it goes with the Asus ("A-Suhs") VH236H 16:9, 23-inch monitor, which I feel mocks me with the true pronunciation of its name. I reviewed it last week, and with the holiday and strange rash of celebrity deaths, you may have missed it.
According to a few e-mails I've gotten lately, you may not even know where other monitor reviews can be found or that CNET even reviews monitors at all. So this entire blog post could very well be a life-changing experience for you. Yes, I think I'll choose to believe that today.
If you're thinking of getting Sprint's Samsung Exclaim, the phone now comes with another cool function.
Scanbuy, the company that's been at work putting its ScanLife application on camera cell phones, announced Tuesday that its ScanLife 2D bar code reader application will now be preloaded on the Samsung Exclaim from Sprint.
(Credit: Scanbuy)This is the first wireless phone to be shipped in the U.S. with the ScanLife technology. The company expects additional models will ship with the application in the future.
ScanLife is an application that allows you to scan a 2D bar code with a standard camera phone to automatically launch a specific function associated with that bar code. For example, you could launch a mobile Web site or video, or get specific item information like company contacts or pricing. You can also view and share that information through social-networking communities, like Facebook and MySpace, with which the Exclaim easily syncs.
At Scanbuy's Web site, you can also create your own bar code that's associated with information of your choosing.
If your phone is not preloaded with the app, you can always install the application by going to www.getscanlife.com on your mobile browser. The app is available for free. I tried it with my iPhone 3G and it worked well. Note that once a bar code is scanned, the information will be directed to Scanbuy's server to determine the associated function. This means an Internet connection is required for this technology to work.
Nonetheless, this is a very useful and fun feature.
The iPhone 3GS during a talk time test. The "Watchmen" DVD is merely there to simulate a user holding the phone to their ear, thereby shutting off the screen. Music from the Zune is being played through both phone mics.
(Credit: Eric Franklin/CNET)Last year I had a bone to pick with Apple for not including a call duration feature on the iPhone. Not a big deal to most people I'm sure; however, when it comes to testing talk time here in CNET Labs, I can't think of a more useful feature.
With last year's iPhone 3G, I was able to circumvent this inconvenience by tracking the phone's "Time since last full charge" duration. This number, as you might have guessed, tells you the amount of time that's passed since the phone was last fully charged. So, all I had to do was charge the phone fully, start the test, wait until the battery died, plug it back in, and check that number.
This worked fine last year, but with the current round of iPhone 3G and 3GS testing, I'm getting extremely varied results--so varied, in fact, that I can no longer trust this method.
No matter, though, since the latest iPhone OS 3.0 added a call duration feature. I figured I'd just set up the talk time test--which involves taping earbuds from a MP3 player to the mic of the iPhone and a landline phone, calling the landline phone, and waiting for the battery to die. Then I'd come back several hours later and have delicious results waiting for me (kind of like an iPhone-testing-results Crock-Pot).
Once again, I'm slapped back to reality as, unfortunately, the couple of times I've tried using the call duration feature on the 3G and 3GS I've had little luck. Apparently, if the phone's battery dies in the middle of a call, the duration of that call isn't saved on the phone.--yet another roadblock.
... Read moreSynology, maker of the DS209+ that earned our Editors' Choice award, unveiled Monday the DS409slim, its first advanced NAS server based on 2.5-inch laptop hard drives.
There are a few other NAS servers that use laptop hard drives, such as the Buffalo LinkStation Mini (most NAS servers use the regular 3.5-inch desktop hard drives). However, the Synology DS409Slim is the first we've seen that offers advanced functionality, including a variety of RAID configurations.
The biggest advantage of supporting small hard drives is the reduction in size of the device. Measuring only 4.7 inches by 4.1 inches by 5.6 inches, the DS409slim is significantly smaller than other four-bay NAS servers that support 3.5-inch hard drives. According to Synology, the DS409Slim consumes much less energy than other NAS servers of the same performance.
Despite its compact physical size, the DS409slim comes with impressive specifications, including a 1.2GHz CPU, 128MB DDR2 RAM, one Gigabit Ethernet port, two USB 2.0 ports, and one eSATA port. The new NAS supports up to four 2.5-inch SATA hard drives with up to 500GB each, which is currently the largest capacity for hard drives of this size. The hard drives are hot-swappable and can be set up in a variety of configurations including JBOD, RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, and RAID 6.
Like the DS209+, the DS409slim is powered by Synology Ajax-based Disk Station Manager 2.1 firmware, which supports Windows ADS integration, cross-platform data sharing, several backup alternatives, and a vast amount of multimedia applications. Examples of these applications include a download station that supports BitTorrent, FTP, HTTP, eMule, and NZB; an audio station that supports Internet radio stations, and iPod playback with connected USB speakers; and support for a variety of media-streaming standards that let users stream multimedia files to set-top boxes or game consoles including the Sony PS3 and Microsoft Xbox 360.
Synology also announced at the end of June that its upcoming version 2.2 of the DSM firmware will be DLNA-compliant. Users will be able to update to this version for free when it's released in September.
The DS409slim is available for purchase now with a street price of about $400 without hard drives.
Jasper, my tour guide du jour, and a tracking device from his company, Skeye.
(Credit: Dong Ngo/CNET)Editor's note: CNET editor and Crave contributor Dong Ngo is spending several weeks in his homeland of Vietnam and will file occasional dispatches chronicling his adventures. To read stories from Dong's last visit, in December, click here.
HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam--Last December, I visited Ho Chi Minh City and discovered that while Wi-Fi was ubiquitous and the Internet was fast, it was incredibly hard to get across town.
Seven months later, the traffic here is still terrible. This time, however, I found that if you are in the right place, dealing with traffic isn't necessary at all.
The right place is District 1. Other than being the center of tourism with lots of hotels, famous landmarks, restaurants, and bars, D1 is also the site where you can get pretty much anything you need, especially when it comes to technology and digital entertainment. And it's all within a short walking distance.
I actually heard about this area during my last trip here. Jasper Waale, owner of Skeye, a GPS- and GSM-based tracking company operating in Vietnam and Laos--and an avid listener of the Inside CNET Labs podcast--insisted I check it out. I took a rain check till now.
Hung checks out my D80. (Just another example of how good I am with the iPhone camera.)
(Credit: Dong Ngo/CNET)We met at Cafe Centro, a trendy yet casual coffeehouse located in the middle of D1's most bustling section. According to Jasper, this is a popular place for ex-pats to hang out for both fun and business. It offers reasonably priced refreshments and, of course, free Wi-Fi.
(By the way, there are lots of cafes in Ho Chi Minh City, and pretty much all of them offer free Wi-Fi. My other favorite is Cafe Da on Alexandre De Rhodes Street. Also in D1: the best ice milk coffee and smoothies I've ever had. If you go there, make sure you try the "Dong Tim" fruit shake. It's so good, it has my name on it!)
"You'll find me at Centro at least a couple of times a week," Jasper said. Then, in a slightly show-offy manner, he pulled out his brand-new-looking Nikon D300 camera.
"I just got a good deal on this one. I traded in my D80 and got about 80 percent of new value to put toward this new one. You'll have to come see this place," he said.
I was intrigued, partially because next to his D300, my 4-year-old D80 looked somewhat pathetic. I've considered upgrading my camera for a while, but anticipating the whole hassle of selling my D80 on eBay or Craigslist has stopped me.
He then took me to Thuong Xa Tax, a mini shopping mall that's just a five-minute walk from the cafe. "Mini" here, by the way, is according to American standards; this is actually one of the bigger trading centers here in Vietnam, and it is indeed very large.
As in most shopping malls here, you can find pretty much everything, but we walked straight to the Vinh Hung Camera shop. The owner, Hung, a friendly 40-something man, greeted Jasper like an old friend. He then took a quick look at my D80 and said, "I'll give you $600 for this one, body and lens." ... Read more
Eric Franklin's colleagues once had the following to say to him: "Eric, you've been doing this performance testing thing for over 10 years now. How about you try something different?" To which Eric responded, "How about you shut the #%$@! up?" This candid attitude
allows him to go toe-to-toe with the most extreme of personalities, including that of Dong Ngo. This bio was written by Eric Franklin.
Dong Ngo is a knowledgeable, opinionated individual who wants to convince the world that he's just a normal person; but he hasn't had much success. According to him, this is because the world itself is abnormal. Dong loves traveling and is well-versed in several languages. He, unfortunately, is not so well-versed in English. Still, it's best to ask him questions. From networking and how to optimize your system, to turning a strange place into home or what the meaning of life is…most of the time, he has the answers. The question is: Will he make himself understood? Subscribe and find out!
