November 09, 2005, 4:32 PM PST
Handheld traffic jams
Posted by: Wayne Cunningham

At the Intelligent Transport Systems show in San Francisco this week, the company TrafficGauge showed off its latest product launch for the San Francisco bay area region. The TrafficGauge device is a simple handheld that shows traffic conditions on regional freeways. Because there is no standard for traffic congestion monitoring, TrafficGauge has to develop products for each regional market. It launched traffic monitoring devices in Seattle two years ago, and Los Angeles one year ago. The device is very simple, consisting of a black and white LCD pane laid over a static map showing local freeways. When there is congestion, black bars light up along the various routes, static for traffic moving 20 to 40 mph and blinking for traffic moving under 20 mph. It doesn't show traffic on surface streets and the only control is a backlight button for night viewing. The device doesn't even turn off, but its two AA batteries last for two to three months, according to the company. Traffic information is delivered over radio frequency. The device sells for $80, with a $5 per month subscription.

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November 09, 2005, 4:00 PM PST
Samsung's new slim phone
Posted by: Kent German

It was bound to happen sooner or later. Since the phenomenal success of the Motorola Razr V3 has left Moto's competitors frothing at the mouth, we knew they would eventually introduce their own Razr imitators. And as expected, Samsung is first to market with the SPH-A900, a new cell phone that the company announced yesterday at a New York City media event. Destined for Sprint before year's end, the A900 flip phone measures a mere 0.57-inch wide (just a hair thicker than the Razr) and promises Bluetooth, voice commands and dialing, and a 262,000-color display. In a step above the original Razr, the Samsung SPH-A900 also promises a 1.3-megapixel camera, 3G EV-DO connectivity, and a media player for viewing streaming-video content. It all sounds like a sweet setup, but considering it's a Sprint phone, I wouldn't doubt it if the Bluetooth were disabled in some way.

Besides the A900, Samsung unveiled a handful of other handsets set for the U.S. market in the next few months. The Samsung SGH-D357 for Cingular offers an MP3 player and support for push-to-talk networks; the Samsung SGH-ZX10 for Cingular will have world-phone support and 3G UMTS compatibility; and the CDMA Samsung A920 promises Bluetooth, EV-DO connectivity, and high-end multimedia options. T-Mobile should get another Razr imitator with the Samsung SGH-T809. At just 0.6 inch, the T809 comes with a megapixel camera, a TransFlash memory card slot, Bluetooth, and an MP3 player. But instead of a flip-phone design, the T809 sports a cool slider form factor. Lastly, T-Mobile has already picked up the Samsung SGH-T309. Features on the basic T309 include a speakerphone, instant messaging, and a VGA camera.

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November 09, 2005, 2:51 PM PST
Poor little unloved Rokr phone
Posted by: Molly Wood

Cingular has cut prices on the Motorola Rokr phone by 40 percent. The formerly $249 phone is now $149.99. The phone has had disappointing sales and a very high return rate, in addition to its 100-song limit, difficult interface, and formerly steep price tag. Hm. Maybe free is the way to go.

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November 09, 2005, 2:32 PM PST
TransUnion: crack security all the way around
Posted by: Molly Wood

A computer stolen last month from credit bureau TransUnion contains personal information for 3,600 consumers. TransUnion says the risk might not be severe, since social security numbers on the computer are password-protected. Password-protected? Are you serious? Two words, TransUnion: retina scan.

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November 09, 2005, 2:29 PM PST
Microsoft takes a liking to the Web
Posted by: Molly Wood

In a couple of memos leaked onto the Internet, Bill Gates and CTO Ray Ozzie have laid out a bold new vision for Microsoft: get on top of that whole Internet thing. But is it too late for Microsoft to get back in the Web innovation game? Nah. Nothing a few bajillion of their dollars won't fix.

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November 09, 2005, 11:15 AM PST
I love finding new blogs
Posted by: Dorian Benkoil

This David V. Lorenzo blog has some thoughtful if fairly commonsense advice for small-business owners, a lot of it about marketing oneself. He says he'll launch a "Goliath project" next week. I'm all ears (or eyes) about what this member of the Gallup organization is going to do for humanity--while "changing careers"--in a blog about small business.

I guess this adds up to a post about why you do need a blog for your business (because some snarky CNET editor will find it and might post about it, and you'll get a few more eyeballs that could become customers). And so on...

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November 09, 2005, 11:14 AM PST
Palm: We'll keep supporting you
Posted by: Dorian Benkoil

If you're like me, your electronic organizer is your life. And if you're like me, you wondered just a teensy bit whether Palm would scrap its previous systems as it moved into its newfound world of cooperation with Microsoft and BlackBerry.

The answer, says Palm, is no. Palm's CEO says the company will continue to support its operating system. Meaning, I guess, I can continue to search the PalmOne support site and get koan-like advice that eventually leads me down a path to the right solution.

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November 09, 2005, 8:28 AM PST
Nikon recalls digital SLR batteries
Posted by: Will Greenwald

Nikon has issued a voluntary recall for certain lots of EL-EN3 battery packs. The batteries, used mainly in the D50, D70, and D100 digital SLR cameras, can short-circuit and melt. Nikon will replace any batteries included in the recall. To find out if your EL-EN3 battery is included in the recall and get instructions for having it replaced, go to Nikon's Web site. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, more than 200,000 EL-EN3 batteries are in use in the United States.

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