September 01, 2005, 3:12 PM PDT
Samsung's XM-enabled neXus MP3 player
Posted by: James Kim

Samsung and XM finally unwrapped official specs for their portable XM Satellite Radio-enabled MP3 player, which we commented on back in late July. Available sometime in the fourth quarter, the Samsung neXus will come in two capacities: one that will store and play up to 50 hours of music, the other 25 hours.

The neXus ships with a home docking accessory that has a built-in XM satellite receiver so that subscribers can listen to and record music and other audio content on the compact neXus device for mobile listening. The actual device does not have an XM tuner, but users may tag any recorded track and have the option to purchase it from the XM + Napster music service when they dock to their computer.

Our first impressions? It's a compact, tidy-looking device that also can play purchased WMA files. But unless you're a huge XM fan or, better yet, you spring for the optional car docking kit, you're essentially listening to prerecorded content--sort of like a glorified podcast. But if you do drive around and hear a great song, the ability to record it and the option to buy it later is nice. We're still waiting for a similarly compact MP3 device that also integrates a satellite radio tuner.

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September 01, 2005, 11:11 AM PDT
Tech's role in Katrina deluge
Posted by: Elsa Wenzel

BoingBoing's bloggers have posted comments from readers who want to pitch in tech skills and gear to help with the Katrina nightmare. Someone even suggested turning the Superdome into a massive Internet "cafe." The lack of electricity has created a communications meltdown, cell phones being useless without service or a way to charge. Community tech tools involved include the sobering Lost and Found section of New Orleans's Craigslist. Those who can are snapping digital pictures and posting them to photo-sharing Web sites such as Flickr. A Katrina wiki has sprung up, but so have scam donation Web sites.

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September 01, 2005, 10:30 AM PDT
E-mail fraud targets Katrina
Posted by: Robert Vamosi

Online thieves are taking advantage of Hurricane Katrina relief efforts, so be careful when responding to e-mail soliciations. The SANS organization yesterday issued a warning that phishers are creating domain names that might look like sites to donate money for relief efforts but may in fact be opportunities for criminals to steal your personal information. My advice: go directly to the Web site of a trusted relief agency and make your donation through that site. Do not rely on e-mail solicitations; you never know where you'll end up.

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September 01, 2005, 10:21 AM PDT
Tech's role in Katrina deluge
Posted by: Elsa Wenzel

BoingBoing's bloggers have posted comments from readers who want to pitch in tech skills and gear to help with the Katrina nightmare. Someone even suggested turning the Superdome into a massive Internet "café." The lack of electricity has created a communications meltdown, cell phones being useless without service or a way to charge. Community tech tools involved include the sobering Lost and Found section of New Orleans' Craigslist. Those who can are snapping digital pictures and posting them to photo-sharing Web sites such as Flickr. A Katrina wiki has sprung up, but so have scam donation Web sites.

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September 01, 2005, 9:47 AM PDT
Several thousand Creative Zen Neeons infected with virus
Posted by: James Kim

Creative issued a recall of more than 3,700 Creative Zen Neeons that shipped with the Wullik-B e-mail worm (a Windows virus that emerged in 2004). Luckily for us in the States, the colorful 5GB Zen Neeon is not available here--it's an Asia-only product, and the recall affects those players sold in Japan since July.

According to a Creative press release, serial numbers between 1230528000001 and 1230533001680 are affected. There have been no reports of users being affected by the virus.

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September 01, 2005, 9:31 AM PDT
Katrina: grim reminder to prepare for the worst
Posted by: Elsa Wenzel

The worst natural disaster Americans may have seen will strike Gulf Coast small businesses especially hard. Sadly, as Web CPA notes, "Somewhere among the people...wading through the debris of their home and work, there are a number of businesspeople kicking themselves, knowing they could and should have been better prepared."

But how can you anticipate the unthinkable? Most modest companies lack data-recovery plans, and even a vast backup system is useless when damaged. Using online backup services or burning discs to grab as a last resort may be the best options.

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September 01, 2005, 8:39 AM PDT
Dell Axim X30 series to retire
Posted by: Bonnie Cha

If you've been shopping around for the Dell Axim X30, you may have noticed that the mid- and the entry-level X30 have disappeared from Dell's site, signaling the end of the road for these Pocket PCs. We talked to a Dell representative, and she confirmed that the X30 series has reached the end of its life cycle. The high-end model will be available for another month or so but will also eventually be discontinued. So will there be new models to replace the X30? Most likely, yes, but we haven't seen anything official yet. In the meantime, Windows Mobile 5.0 CD upgrades will be available for the Dell Axim X50 series by the end of the month for $39.

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September 01, 2005, 8:34 AM PDT
Apologies...
Posted by: Molly Wood

...for all the late-breaking Daily Buzz and the long lag time between updates. We were suffering from a slew of technical issues that happen to even the best of Web sites. But we're back now. More to come.

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September 01, 2005, 8:30 AM PDT
Computerized lifeguard saves life
Posted by: Molly Wood

A 10-year-old girl was saved from drowning by a computerized pool-monitoring system that sent an alarm to human lifeguards when it sensed she had not moved from the bottom of the pool. Save our lives, mop our floors, replace our pets...this road leads to I, Robot, but how can you resist?

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