When Judie asked me if I was interested in reviewing the miniSDIO version of the Spectec WiFi card similar to her SDIO one, I was thrilled. My Treo has been pretty well perfect since I got it, except for internet access. Up until recently I have had to make do with only a 10MB data allowance, which is pretty small if I surf with pictures, especially on sites that aren�t designed for mobile devices. With a WiFi card I can surf as much as I like at home without having to worry about going over my 10MB. But therein lies the problem. WiFi isn�t very widespread, at least not here in Australia. 98% of the time I want to surf the web outside of my house I won�t be anywhere near a hotspot.

But anyway I am getting a bit ahead of myself. Lets look at the card itself before I lay out my problems. The Spectec miniSDIO WiFi card (SDW-822) comes in a small green box. You can see the WiFi card through the plastic window on the front.

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Here’s a timely review that Clinton at Clinton Fitch (Dot) Com! has just released, seeing as how my family just went bowling on Sunday. The game is Astraware’s Ultimate Bowling Fighters, and it is available for Palm, Pocket PC, Smartphone & VGA Pocket PCs. 

So if you don’t want to fool with the smoky bowling alley, obnoxious friends who can’t stop crowing about the strikes they throw every other turn, a sore arm from flinging a heavy ball, or spending $30 for your trouble, this may be the bowling game for you. Did I mention that in real life I am doing well to crack 100? Yeah well…it’s true! 

I’m much better at this particular game. Of course, beer and hot dogs are optional. ;-)

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…but this time it is for what the iPhone CAN NOT do, or things that other phones have been doing for years. Standing next to the Blackjack, the iPhone looks pretty feature light. No 3G. No Push Email. No 3rd Party Apps. Very Pricey…

This short comic strip illustrates a few of these deficiencies differences.

You can see the rest of the strip here at istartedsomething.

Reading MobilitySite this morning, I saw this video showing a full screen interface for the Pocket PC that very nicely mimics the new iPhone. The detail is quite amazing, with even the lock screen functioning like the iPhone. It’s a few minutes long, and it’s very neat to watch. Guess the iPhone interface isn’t so special after all.

I would love to try this on my own Pocket PC Phone, but alas for legal reasons it may never see a release. Still it’s a very nice piece of work, and considering all the guy has to work off is a couple of screen shots and a few demo videos, it pretty sweet

Vaja has long been considered a manufacturer of some of the best device cases in town.  I just got an announcement from them about a new case for the Zune.

Features

• Full access to main functions
• Removable front protector
• Access to hold button and headphone plug
• Cutout for charge & sync
• Several colors available
• Optional clip system
• Optional personalization

Cases start at just $50US, and are available at http://www.vajacases.com

I just received this notice from Alison with Astraware…

Leonard Maltin’s Movie Guide 2007 – 20% off at Astraware
The movie awards season has drawn to a close and many fantastic films have been honored and highlighted in the last couple of months. If you’re feeling like you’ve missed out then Astraware has a great offer that will help you catch up with the latest and greatest movies at the cinema and on DVD. For one week only they’re offering 20% off the regular price of Landware’s excellent Palm OS(R) and Windows Mobile(R) application, Leonard Maltin’s Movie Guide 2007. 

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What kind of mouse do you like to use when you are working at your desktop? Mine is a Logitech MX 1000 Laser which I’ve had for a couple of years, and it’s still going strong. I like it so much because it fits my palm, tracks exceptionally well, has multiple scrolling and button features, and it has a long-lasting rechargeable battery.

Today I am going to take a look at a mini laser mouse, also from Logitech. This one is the V450 Laser and it is specifically for notebook computers – although it will also work as a regular desktop mouse for anyone that thinks the larger Logitech mice are too big.

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G-A just sent this; Sarah and I had to watch it twice, we were so amazed…

Hopefully you will enjoy it, too.

Derek Snyder, the force behind MEDC, has started a new blog called moGadget. That’s not to be confused with his old blog ‘Sleepy in Seattle’, which has since been lost in cyber-space due to a long story about not backing up and something about squatting on someone’s server…ummm, yeah.

Anyway!

Tale a look at moGadget. Derek has a great perspective on the interior workings of a certain huge Seattle-based software company, and he is never one to shy away from telling what he really thinks about the situations he encounters. He has a unique sense of humor, and an evil gleam in his eye – I look forward to hearing about his escapades on the MEDC tour.

For those of you that were wondering about the outcome of my David vs. Goliath post dated December 6th, the verdict is in.

Vincent Nguyen IM’d me a moment ago with a link to his freshly drafted article concerning the Administrative Panel’s findings. Since I was one of the people that had helped edit his responses to the suit, he knew that I would be excited to learn the outcome…

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This week, I had my mother-in-law and neighbor call me with questions about their televisions. Both being in their seventies, the question was simple, yet bewildering; �My TV doesn�t work!�

One was the issue of the picture staying on after powering off the TV via the remote. The other was the inability to change channels or adjust the volume. Regardless of their age or issue at the hand, the familiar cry (and frustration) is, �It used to work just fine! What happened?!?�

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So let’s say that you haven’t exactly kept up with your New Year’s Resolution of doing 30 – 50 minutes a day on the treadmill, with a little bit of upper body weight lifting every other day. You didn’t think anyone would ever notice, right? Well, if you travel, you’ll now have a new reason to get your butt back on track…and as quickly as possible!

According to Yahoo News, “Sky Harbor International Airport [in Phoenix, AZ] became the country’s first to begin testing a controversial new federal screening system that takes X-rays of passenger’s bodies in an effort to find concealed explosives and other weapons.”

Here are four male and female images which were provided to Yahoo News by American Science and Engineering; they are supposed to show exactly what airport screeners “see” with the new machines. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to find a larger version of this picture, but you can still see that the details are pretty graphic. Never mind that your “privates” are exposed – look at how out of shape these figures appear!

Photo courtesy of Yahoo News

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I’ve mentioned before what a problem dust can be in my workspace, and nothing aggravates me more than watching it try to settle into the crevices of my keyboard. One of ways I regularly combat this unwelcome desktop addition is by blasting it with compressed air. When the folks at Digital Innovations asked if we would be interested in taking a look at some of the items on their site, for obvious reasons the Air Blaster CO2 was one of my first choices.

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