Ok.. Calm down. That "buy now" button does have some fine print; the MSI Wind won’t actually ship for another 3-5 weeks, but when Amazon says you can  pre-order, it means that the product is actually on its way to their warehouses.

MSI actually announced that their machines would be in the US on July 7th, so Amazon might just be messing with us.

The MSI Wind is an Intel Atom powered Netbook with an 80Gb HDD, gigabit Ethernet, Bluetooth, 1Gb of RAM and an LED backlit 10" display capable of a pretty decent 1024×600 resolution.

It could be yours for just $499.  - Amazon.com product page.

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Oh Asus…this is just getting silly.

What started as the prospect of a $199 laptop has now evolved into lineup of overpriced machines that get upgraded every month. That $199 PC is about to pass the $700 mark.

The successor to the original Eee PC was the Eee 900, and it was available for less than 3 weeks. It got replaced by the 901 last month.

And now the 901 is about to be replaced by the 903, 904 and 905 (in addition to the already announced Eee 1000). Whatever goodwill Asus generated for themselves with the original Eee PC, will soon be gone if they keep this up.

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If you have ever found yourself stuck in a hotel with no mobile phone signal AND are a Sprint Customer, then this product might just brighten your day.

The Sprint AIRAVE (made by Samsung) is a portable cellular base station with a network port.

Simply plug it into an Internet connection, and hey presto; instant Sprint signal.

Coverage is about 5000 square feet, which should be enough for even the largest hotel room. The device is secured, which means only the phones you register to it will be able to access the signal (up to three at a time).

The AIRAVE should be available from July 15th, and will cost $99 plus $15 per month for a currently unknown calling bundle.

When connected to a cable or DSL line, the AIRAVE will support voice and data signals, as well as provide location based support thanks to an included GPS antenna.

The Sprint FAQ’s don’t mention anything about using the device abroad, but chances are it’ll work just fine; though it may not be legal…

Sprint AIRAVE

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We’ll file this one in the "still has to prove itself" folder. Earthcaller is a web based (Activex powered) application that promises 100% free calls within the United States.

The couple of times I tried it ended in complete silence and not a ringing phone in sight.

The service is still in an early beta, so I can forgive them for not having enough capacity. Time will tell whether they have what it takes to deliver a working service, or whether I’m stuck using Skype and Magicjack for my free calls. The best part of this application (if it works) is that you don’t have to install anything on your laptop, which is great for corporate machines. Though the installation of an Activex applet might still be blocked by your IT department…

Try it out for yourself. Did it work for you? Leave a comment!

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Dash just released the first major update for their Express GPS unit. What may seem like a minor event, is actually quite impressive because it is the first over-the-air update on any GPS unit.

Usually an update requires you to download an update package, remove the unit from your car and plug it into your PC. But Dash Express users will get the update "pushed" to their unit as soon as they are in range of a suitable Wi-Fi connection.

In addition to some performance enhancements, the update adds several new features:

MyRoute – Maps and traditional GPS devices are great navigation tools, but they will never replace local street smarts. Drivers often know the best shortcuts to and from the places that they frequent, but what they really want to know is whether their route is the smartest route today based on current traffic data. Dash is the only GPS that learns routes automatically based on user behavior. With Dash’s new MyRoute feature, as drivers travel from one point to another, the device automatically learns their preferred route. The next time that they drive between the same origin and destination, the first route choice will be a MyRoute, complete with traffic-based arrival time data. Drivers can compare their MyRoute to the computed Dash routes, including traffic detours, and decide which one is optimal.

· Search Along Route – Finding whatever drivers need on the road using Yahoo! Local search just got even easier. With the new Search Along Route feature, Dash drivers can now search for virtually anything they need along their selected route, shortening diversions on the way to their destination. Want to grab a latte on the way to a meeting? Simply do a Yahoo! Local search for “Starbucks” and select “along route” to be presented with the stores that are most conveniently located. Results are displayed with the distance from the current location, the distance from the route and the direction of the destination relative to the selected route. 

· FasterFind – With FasterFind powered by SiRFInstantFix technology, Dash Express uses additional over-the-air GPS satellite position information to get a fast GPS fix so Dash drivers can be underway in seconds. Since the Dash Express is connected, the FasterFind file is automatically and wirelessly downloaded at regular intervals providing users with the most accurate GPS satellite position information available. There is no need to connect to a PC or wait to get a GPS fix. FasterFind not only helps drivers get a quick start every time the device is turned on, it also enables a fast GPS fix under difficult conditions such as beneath tree cover and near high-rise buildings.

The Dash Express is available for the new low price of just $299. A subscription to their service starts at $9.99 a month (on a 2 year prepaid plan) or $12.99 on their month-to-month plan. Each unit comes with 3 months free service.

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I’ve been running a  beta version of the Blackberry OS on my device for a few months and it has been quite impressive so far. But things just got better when RIM updated their BIS (Blackberry Internet Service) servers over the weekend; I can now receive and view HTML emails.

This finally puts an end to emails telling me to visit their site to view the message, and it adds some color and images to my emails.

To get the feature you’ll need to find a beta version of the "4.5 firmware" for your device, and you’ll need to login to your control panel and resend your "servicebooks".

Of course, none of this applies to users on a corporate (BES) Blackberry server and if messing around with your device isn’t something you fancy, then be patient, because RIM have announced that everyone should be able to get an official version of the newest software by September.

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OpenTable has always been my preferred way of making a restaurant reservation; I can instantly see all open slots, I get an email confirmation, and I can send myself a reminder. It also means I don’t have to deal with someone in a loud restaurant who seems incapable of spelling my name.

So it’s needless to say I’m happy with the new OpenTable mobile site. I tried it on several phones and it worked as it should.

There are several features I do miss though; it doesn’t look like you can search for a restaurant by name, so you’ll need to know the exact neighborhood for the restaurant (which can be quite annoying if you are not familiar with the city). It also lacks a favorites option for adding places you regularly visit to a list. But I’m sure that over time OpenTable will keep adding new features.

Check it our for yourself here.

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If you consider yourself a fountain of useless knowledge, then this new pocket version of Wikipedia is just for you! It is great for starting totally useless and uninteresting discussions with your seatmate, or for proving a colleague wrong, as we all know just how reliable Wikipedia is.

There are three versions available to download for free: Pocket Wikipedia for Windows Mobile, Windows and Linux. Each version is around 180MB and contains over 2 million Wikipedia articles, with 25,000 images.

Of course, you can also use the online WAP version of Wikipedia, but unless you are on a flight with Internet access, you’ll need something stored locally on your device.

Pocket Wikipedia (via Lifehacker)

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AOL just released a beta version of their AIM client for Windows Mobile. The previous version was almost 5 years old and never worked right on current devices, so this new version is a welcome update. When I took it for a spin it seemed to work fine, but on my device the enter key did not act as a "send message" button, so I had to tap my screen to send the IM.

The AIM client for Windows Mobile is free, and is a great way to stay in touch with folks back home using limited data. Just keep in mind that is is a beta release, so don’t blame me if something bad happens to your device.

You can find the client here: AOL beta central

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The press have been covering in-flight broadband trials by Aircell for some time now. They even managed to get Walt Mossberg on a flight to test the service. But in-flight broadband is not new, and the service being offered here is (on paper) quite similar to something that was launched back in 2004; Boeing Connexion.

The Boeing system was first put into service on a Lufthansa flight on May 17th 2004. Services included Wi-Fi Internet access, streaming video to the in-flight entertainment system as well as streaming video to laptops.

Connexion ceased operation In August 2006 due to a lack of commitments from major US operators. The Connexion network still exists, but is only being offered to the US government and has been renamed the “Boeing Broadband Satellite Network”.

So, why could Aircell succeed where Connexion failed?

Read the rest of this entry »

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