The open source community has been hard at work releasing a wide assortment of free linux based operating systems for almost anything. Linus Torvalds is known as the father of Linux after writing the first kernel in 1991, everything afterward is a result of his quest to be free. In fact, all these (linux) operating systems are free, and easily obtainable from sites all over.

Netbooks are nearly in every household these days, most of which are running Windows XP or the newly famed Windows 7. If your tired of Windows or ready to venture out into the world of Linux, you have quite a bit of options. I put together a list of some of the more popular versions of Linux specifically designed for Netbooks.

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I currently use a basket to hold my Wii Remotes and Nunchucks.  It generally works just fine, but then I have nowhere to put my games but on the same shelf as my DVDs. That will change with the Wii Pedestal Base, which has space for the controller, accessories and frequently used games. It is made from clear acrylic and is only $24.95 from newpcgadgets.com.

Last year I reviewed the BT-Q1000X Data Logger from Qstarz.  It was an interesting data logger which could fit almost anywhere in your gear.  Now Qstarz has a new data logger that is appropriate for NASCAR and local auto racing enthusiasts.  The BT-Q1000eX can log points up to 5 times per second, which is fast enough to get every subtle difference in how a driver gets around the track.  Drivers can use the data obtained from the Q1000EX to improve their lap times and more.  It also has enough storage to record up to 400,000 records, which is twice the storage of the Q1000X.  For more information, check it out on the Qstarz website.  Stay tuned to Gear Diary for a full review.

The iPad is making a unprecedented change, and instead of using a standard SIM like the iPhone does, they are using a 3FF or MicroSIM card.  This card is half the length of the normal SIM card, and it pretty much guarantees that you won’t be able to grab any old SIM and stick it in your iPad for some 3G goodness.

Adam Turner from Hydrapinion says that this is Apple’s and AT&T’s way to keep the iPad under their control when it comes to getting broadband on the go.  Also, you should consider that the frequencies the iPad deals with manage to exclude T-Mobile as well. Continue Reading

Image from Jitterbug.com

Sometimes you just want your phone to make calls.  That’s all the Jitterbug J does pretty much.  The other thing it does is make cell phone usage easy for those who aren’t at all tech inclined.  The Jitterbug J has nice big buttons and a big display that should be helpful for those whose sight is starting to deteriorate.  So if you have impaired vision or are getting up in years and don’t want to have the latest iWhatever, the Jitterbug J may just be for you.

Worth noting is that Jitterbug has donated $500,000 in support of the American Heart Association’s 2010 Go Red Campaign to raise awareness about hearth health for American women.  Because of this, they now have the Jitterbug J in a nice red color in support of the Go Red Campaign.

The Jitterbug J is available from the Jitterbug website for $147 with no contract; plans start at only $14.99 a month!

Having a lost child is never good.  The amber alerts that now go out can save precious time in the recovery of a child, be it a child who is just lost or a child who is abducted by strangers or people who know the child.  Part of what makes this work is accurate information given to law enforcement agencies.  One way for parents to make sure this information is with them is by carrying a My Child ID from AmberAlert.com.

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During the Gear Diary liveblog of the big Apple iPad announcement today, Joel and I both mentioned that while we love the idea of the iPad, it’s not exactly the eInk killer people are touting it to be–at least for us personally.  Continue Reading

Image from Phandroid.com

I was reading a story on Phandroid about the supposed HTC Supersonic which may be a future HTC made Android device, or may not.   They had a image that was from the suspect device’s about screen e-mailed to them trying to catch them into posting about it.  However, Phandroid was on the ball and they had someone create a image reporting a device as the HTC Phandroid running Android 3.1.  It was created by editing a file in the /system directory on a rooted device, rebooting it and creating a regular screenshot.  The point is, this screen isn’t valid as proof of a new Android device.  Even if it was just photoshopped, it’s SO EASY to make this kind of  screen on ANY device be it Windows Mobile, Android or yes, the iPhone — even with limited Photoshop skills.

The same goes about the bazillion images zooming across the web claiming they are images of the Apple product that we will all find out about tomorrow.  Even those that are very well done are suspect.   Continue Reading

Aperion has released a new product called the Home Audio Link.  With the Aperion Home Audio Link, you can stream audio from your computer, mobile phone, iPod, iPhone, MP3 Player or any audio source throughout your home.  The Home Audio Link can stream to up to 3 rooms. Specifications:

Uncompressed digital audio transmission: 14-bit depth and 48 KHz sampling rate when using up to three Aperion HAL Receivers SNR: 91 dB / 85 dB when using three HAL Receivers simultaneously Range: Up to 100 feet Frequency band: 2.4 GHz Auto-search/synch and dynamic channel selection Forward error correction coding, error detection, and audio-specific error concealment Diversity antennas for strong signals through walls and floors Low latency at 25.5 ms USB digital or stereo mini analog input Unit Dimensions: 13/16” H x 1 15/16” W x 1 ¾” D Individual Unit Weight: 2.7 oz Package dimensions: 3 ½” H x 9 5/8″ W x 9 ¾ ” D

The Aperion Home Audio Link is available now direct from Aperion for $149.00.

While at CES this year I had the opportunity to spend some time at the Blue Microphones booth.  One of the products which really “wowed” me during demo time was their “Yeti” microphone.

The Yeti is being touted as the world’s first THX certified Microphone.  The USB powered microphone is the perfect tool for for a wide range of projects including podcasts, vocals, live or event recording, interviews, broadcasts, instruments, bands and more.

Blue Microphones was kind enough to send both myself and Joel a Yeti for review and the following dual review contains both of our observations.

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Image from Mobilecrunch

I was reading through Techcrunch/Mobilecrunch this morning and came across Nokia’s announcement first unveiled in the UK that Nokia is launching free Ovi Maps with Navigation.  A US announcement is scheduled for later today according to Mobilecrunch. Continue Reading

To refresh your memory, the Touchbook is a ARM based device that has been released that has Linux installed on it.  It was their own version of Linux called AI OS.  However, today I noticed the Always Innovating site has been updated.

The Touch Book comes with an optimized home-made Linux-based OS. Guided by openness and wide support, we provide natively multi-OS boot on the device.

With a simple finger press at startup, the Touch Book will run either our AI OS, Ubuntu, or Android. Mer, Gentoo have also been adapted to the Touch Book.

Google Chrome OS and Maemo are on their way! Continue Reading

Sometimes you just gotta relax.  That is where the Panasonic EP-MS40 Massage Sofa comes in.  The EP-MS40 offers a full body massage and can adjust to the height of any user.  It also comes in two colors: Avocado Green and Latte.

Despite the low-profile design, the EP-MS40 delivers a balanced, full body massage without reclining and automatically adjusts to the height of the user. A precision-engineered, 7.2-inch wide massage head and 26-inch curved track allows the massage heads to be more precisely maneuvered in a smaller area and can easily conform to the user’s body delivering a centered massage covering the neck down to the lower back region.

So if you are in need of some massive relaxation, it’s going to cost ya.  The EP-MS40 will be a SRP of $2499.99 and it will be available the beginning of April.   There is nothing on the web site, but keep checking here for details from Panasonic.

I liked the Rogue 2 flashlight I reviewed a while back.  Well, Icon has brought out 2 more LED flashlights that are along the same lines, but have polymer bodies versus the milled aluminum bodies of the Rouge 1 and 2.  They have the 1 cell version called the Modus 1 and the 2 cell is the Modus 2.  They are also waterproof like the Rouge line as well.   The Modus 2 is on Amazon.com for $36.99.  The Modus 1 is $29.99 plus shipping from Radio Shack.

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Jaybird has brought out some good stuff in the last year. The last two things I checked out were the Tigereyes and Endorphin Rush wired headphones. I liked them a lot. This time, Jaybird sent me their new Bluetooth headset, the Sportsband. Is it as good as their original headset? In a word, no. Continue Reading