Good idea but … Products that didn’t live up to expectations

Keith Shaw’s Cool Tools Alert

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Good idea but…

Keith looks at a couple products – Project-a-Phone and Soldius1 – that came to the Cool Tools Lab with a lot of promise, but didn’t live up to expectation.

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Testing Cingular’s 3G network

The main appeal of the Sierra Wireless AirCard 860 with Cingular Edge wireless service, is to obtain Internet connections in locations where other high-speed broadband options (such as wired or Wi-Fi) don’t exist. Instead of hunting around for a hot spot, the card gives you high-speed wireless access so you can download e-mail, Web surf and even connect to your corporate network.

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Gateway brings back ultraportable notebook

Gateway today launched two new notebooks, including an ultraportable notebook that marks Gateway’s return to this space, its first ultraportable since 2002.

Ruggedize your iPod speakers

I suppose if you’re going to be using portable speakers in an outdoor setting, you should make sure they are hardy enough to withstand normal wear-and-tear. That’s the idea behind Altec Lansing’s newest portable audio system – the inMotion iM9.

Dell launches new mobile workstations

A colleague has a Dell workstation that he does most of his video editing on, and he’s drooling at the possibility of testing one of Dell’s new mobile workstations.

Thomson launches portable media recorder

The portable multimedia player/recorder space got a little more interesting today with Thomson’s launch of the LYRA X3000 by RCA, a portable device that lets users record audio and video content from multiple sources without needing a computer.

Imation gets rugged with flash drives

For the on-the-go professional or even hikers who want to make sure they have all of their data with them in a protected fashion, Imation this week announced its Clip USB 2.0 Flash Drives.

Belkin flips for KVM device

Belkin’s new Flip device is a take on the KVM (keyboard, video, mouse) space that aims to let users connect two computers (such as a desktop PC and a notebook) while sharing the same keyboard, monitor and mouse.

Identify the files you’re storing

If you’re juggling a lot of USB flash drives and can’t remember which drive holds your architectural blueprints and which one holds your Yogi Bear photos, Royal Consumer Information Products has a solution.