TechBlog- things that confuse Windows users who switch

Macs are not like Windows machines and anyone who switches immediately runs into a few things that are different that take some getting used to.  Dwight Silverman is a true bi geek who knows both platforms as well as anyone on the planet and he's written a new article on TechBlog- 6 things that confuse Windows users who switch to a Mac that all switchers should read.  I haven't switched but I do use both platforms every day, at least when I have a working Mac, and I run into these almost daily.  It's a good read and one that shouldn't be missed by you switchers.

Nokia Mail for Exchange 2.3 released

Not only does Nokia get a pat on the back for licensing ActiveSync, but kudos to them for getting another Mail for Exchange update out. Not much in this update that I can see in the release notes though; it appears to mainly be a synchronization fix:

"When trying to synchronize with a server that has an expired certificate, the user is now given the choice of continuing the synchronization. Previously, the scenario resulted in an error and the synchronization was stopped."

Might be worth the 1.56 MB download for you Nokia device owners connecting to an Exchange server.

(via Eseries)

Kingston adds 16 GB Class 4 SDHC card to the family

Kingston just boosted the capacity of their SDHC card family by doubling the storage over their 8GB SD memory card. MSRP is $231 for the Class 4 card, which is capable of moving data at a minimum of 4-Megabytes per second. Of course, you'll need an SDHC-compatible slot on your device to use one of these 16 GB cards. Since I'm not buying an Eye-Fi card for my camera just yet, I'll have to check if it can take an SDHC card or not. I'm certain my Asus Eee PC could benefit from this card though... hmm...

Eye-Fi Smart Boost feature drops computer from the picture

I've held off on buying an Eye-Fi SD card for my Panasonic Lumix because there were a few first-generation compromises to deal with. One of those looks to be addressed based on a new feature called Smart Boost. The new feature will be available on February 12th and can be used with existing Eye-Fi cards. Smart Boost removes the requirement to have a computer on when sending photos from the SD card. If your computer isn't powered on, your photos will automatically go to the Eye-Fi service, which can in turn shoot your pics to various photo sharing services like Flickr, Picasa, Shutterfly and more.

The option to cut the computer out of the loop is definitely a step in the right direction, but there's still a few more features I'd like to see before I grab one of these innovative SD cards; namely, the ability to use any open WiFi network and the ability to pick and choose which photos I want wirelessly transferred.

Palm Treo 755p for Sprint updated with... something.

I wish I could tell you more but sometimes Palm makes it a bit challenging. There's a new update available today for Treo 755p owners on the Sprint network running firmware 1.04 or less. You can find the info right here on the Palm support site.

Actually, I should re-phrase that. You can find the download there. If you're looking for information, you'll have to make do with the official upgrade description: "This software update is a tune-up that improves audio, stability, software quality and device usability." And don't we all want those features in our smartphone? ;)

(via PalmInfocenter)

It's a car, it's a boat, it's a Splash

What does 120 mph on land, 45 knots on water and runs on natural gas?  Why the Rinspeed Splash, of course.  The Daily Mail has a cool look at this amphibian car that is produced in Switzerland and has been wowing visitors to the Geneva Motor Show.  Head over to the Mail for more photos and a cool overview of the Splash.

Everex will supply Windows XP drivers for CloudBook

Including Windows XP drivers with the Asus Eee PC has been a big hit, so I'm not completely surprised that Everex will be following suit. CloudBooker has confirmation from Paul Kim, the Director of Marketing at Everex, that XP drivers will be available at Everex.com for download. The CloudBook is probably better suited to run Windows XP than the 4G Eee simply because it has almost eight times the on-board storage capacity: 30 GB vs. 4 GB. However, you can easily run a full installation of XP on the Eee and have 1.5 GB of storage left; more if you slim down your XP installation with nLite.

The CloudBook release date still appears a little foggy. The original January 25th date brought us news of a delay to the end of February even though other sources indicated February 15th. All signs still point to the end of February, apparently due to changes in the gOS Rocket operating system. The gOS home page indicates that Rocket is still in beta, so I'm still leery of the dates we have. We met with Paul Kim from Everex earlier this month, so I'll dig out his business card and see if I can find any additional details.

(via UltraMobileLife)

CES Interview with Ian Dixon: UMPCs, MIDs, and WiMAX

One of the CES highlights we previously mentioned has a nice follow up today. James and I had the pleasure of sitting down in the Press Room with Ian Dixon to talk tech earlier this month and the interview is available today. Our history with Ian goes way back to early 2005, nearly three years ago, when we were involved in one of the first commercial podcast ventures together. We've all since gone our separate ways, and it's been real treat to watch Ian's continued successes such as his book, his MVP Award and his popular podcast. In short: he's fun and personable, not to mention passionate about technology.

In his CES wrap-up, we chat about our various mobile devices with Ian (who's also a Samsung Q1 owner) and discuss our take on the coming year for UMPCs, MIDs and WiMAX. You can also catch CES opinions of many other great folks like Stephen Hughes, Chris Lanier and more. Thanks again Ian; always a pleasure to meet with you!

PCMobilizr takes on LogMeIn, GoToMyPC; offers WinMo and BlackBerry support

LogMeIn and GoToMyPC have been remote desktop access staples for some time, but there's a new kid in town. Rove Mobile is showing off their PCMobilizr product at DEMO and while it has the same general functions as the older, established competitors, it offers one feature the others don't: support for BlackBerry devices, which is a huge boon for the enterprise.

With PCMobilizer you can remote back to a desktop using your Windows Mobile or BlackBerry handheld. The company touts a simple, three-step configuration process and then you're in control. Rove says the mobile goodness doesn't stop with these two platforms either. They've got plans to support the iPhone, Nokia handhelds and Android devices too. The service currently offers a free 30-day trial and the monthly fee is $9.95. I'm betting a remote desktop would look right purty on a large-screened VGA device like the HTC Advantage James is using. Anyone else interested?

Find lost objects with Loc8tor Lite

Can't find those keys you just had in your hand? How about that billfold you swear was on your dresser? You might be interested in Loc8tor Lite to help you find lost objects. For just under $80, you'll get a small handheld unit and two locator tags that you can attach to things around the house. The main unit supports up to four tags and offers up audio and visual clues on if you're getting closer or further from your tagged items. Range is pretty good too: in a best-case situation with a good line-of-sight signal, the Loc8tor Lite works up to 400-feet.

Each locator tag is reasonably small: just 30.5 x 19.5 x 8.5 mm and only 5 grams in weight. Of course, if you lose the handheld finder, you're SOL. Maybe you could attach a locator tag to it and... hey... wait a second.