kiwi

PLX Devices (manufacturer of the Kiwi fuel-saving device) has expanded its lineup of OBD-II readers. We've already seen the PLX Kiwi Wi-Fi iPhone adapter at last year's SEMA show; now, it has announced the PLX Kiwi Bluetooth for Android phones.

Both devices work in similar ways: users plug the Kiwi dongle into the vehicle's onboard diagnostics port (all vehicles manufactured after 1996 should have one), and connect their iOS device via Wi-Fi or Android OS phone via Bluetooth pairing. At this point, the PLX device will stream vehicle diagnostics information, emissions info, power train data, and trouble … Read more

A legal complaint seeking class action status filed in Houston on Friday accuses social-publishing site Scribd of egregious copyright infringement.

Scribd managers have "built a technology that's broken barriers to copyright infringement on a global scale and in the process have also built one of the largest readerships in the world," the attorneys representing the class wrote in the complaint. "The company shamelessly profits from the stolen copyrighted works of innumerable authors."

While this may sound like a generic copyright case, there's one interesting side note. The attorneys that filed the lawsuit are at … Read more

The elder member of Jammie Thomas-Rasset's legal team is a former U.S. Army Ranger. He doesn't say whether he's proud of that, but his voice does dawdle when he says the words "special forces."

"I like pain. I like fighting. I like conflict," says Joe Sibley. "Going to war was something I always wanted to do (but didn't)...later in life I discovered I was more capable of fighting and ending wars with my mind."

The younger member of Thomas-Rasset's legal team says, half kidding, that he spent … Read more

Among the many new devices promising to boost fuel economy during these times of high gas prices, the PLX Kiwi tries to improve the driver rather than the car. The PLX Kiwi is a training device that monitors driving habits and assigns the driver a rating based on how "green" it finds the driving style, with 100 being the best. For the most part, the Kiwi does just that, but issues with the way the device interfaces with the vehicle may leave some drivers scratching their heads.

Read the full PLX Kiwi review.

It only took the Gadgettes one minute to break the cardinal rule: do not talk about "the device that shall not be named." We learn our lesson and boycott "it" for the rest of the episode. So here's everything but.

Congrats Kelly! http://forums.cnet.com/5208-12544_102-0.html?forumID=130&threadID=299650&messageID=2802693

Get your cat whipped into a frenzy for your enjoyment http://dvice.com/archives/2008/07/get_your_cat_wh.php

Tenori-On http://reviews.cnet.com/audio-input-devices/yamaha-tenori-on-music/4505-3144_7-33107337.html

Got a lead foot? … Read more

Summer road trips are a bit less fun with gas over $4 a gallon and no peak in sight. But there are a couple gadgets to help make fuel go farther.

Named after the green fruit, the PLX Kiwi from PLX Devices is a small device (a little more than 2 inches by 3 inches) that attaches to your dashboard or windshield.

By plugging into a vehicle's diagnostic port, it can display miles per gallon as well as trip information and even the cause of engine problems.

But really it's designed to make your driving habits more energy-efficient. … Read more