Archive for November 24th, 2009

Atheros passed an 802.11 b/g/n card through the FCC today that makes reference to a mysterious Dell netbook called the P04T.  No current or announced Dell products have the P04T model number, so this suggests we will be seeing a new netbook from Dell in the near future.

Unfortunately, Atheros’ filing doesn’t give many details about the P04T at all.  One thing that is disclosed, however, is that the P04T will have a 10” display and 802.11 b/g/n WiFi.

An FCC filing yesterday by Atheros made mention of a Fujitsu netbook with a PineView processor, so hopefully the Dell P04T will also rock some PineView goodness.

If you don’t feel like carrying around a bulky GPS unit with a 3” + screen, perhaps the KapNav system from KAPTEN is for you.  The tiny KapNav unit fits in the palm of your hand, but packs in a ton of features including GPS navigation, voice recognition, MP3 playback, and more.  You can even use the KapNav as a Bluetooth headset.

You control KapNav by speaking commands into the included headset, while directions are read back to you by the unit.  That makes this device particularly useful for the blind.

Now, I’m not sure if I’d prefer the KapNav over a regular GPS unit in the car.  Voice commands seem like a pain, and visual maps are comforting.  But I can see KapNav coming in handy while hiking, or during other activities where lugging around a heavy GPS unit would be irritating.

You can buy KapNav online now, although the device isn’t cheap – it’ll run you around $500.

Insert your EDGE/GPRS or UMTS/HSDPA/HSUPA SIM card into the D-Link DIR 455, and viola, you’ve got yourself a wireless hotspot and a landline.  There are a growing number of 3G routers out on the market today, and the DIR 455 isn’t especially unique.  However, it is nice to see a big-name networking vendor step introduce what appears to be a comprehensive, yet simple 3G router.

No word on pricing or availability yet, but the DIR 455 passed through the FCC today so we should be seeing it on shelves soon.

This bizarre device passed through the FCC today.  Created by blobo, this device is actually a motion-controlled gaming console designed for the PC.

Like a Wiimote, you use the golf ball-sized blobo controller to control action on screen.  Each game requires you to do different things with the ball – for example you throw the ball in the air to simulate a basketball shot, and for running games you put the ball in your pocket and run in place.  The ball communicates with your computer via Bluetooth.

blobo has an interesting concept here.  The system has an edge over the Wii in terms of portability – all you really need is the ball and a computer with Bluetooth.  However, there aren’t that many games for blobo yet, and it seems a bit counterintuitive at times to control a game with a ball.

You can order blobo now for 54.90 Euros.  This package comes with 6 games, and other games will be available for purchase.