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Microsoft has released their fourth preview of Windows Vista, this one entitled the Enterprise CTP (Community Technology Preview). With the name change (the previous beta was called Partner CTP), Microsoft is trying to draw attention to the features of Vista that benefit corporate customers. Migration utilities, enterprise deployment tools, Windows System Image Manager and an updated Management Console are some of the items geared for use in a business atmosphere. It’s not all work and no play though, as this build (5308) also contains Windows Sidebar (which disappears/reappears just about every other build) and Gadgets (think widgets).
Considered a milestone, this build of Vista is the first to be called feature-complete. From this point on, there will be no new features added, and all testing will be geared for performance, bugs (removal that is), and tweaking based on user feedback. This is also the first release that is designed to be installable over an existing Windows XP installation.
The Enterprise CTP build is currently available on Microsoft Connect and reportedly will show up on MSDN today or tomorrow (at the time of this writing, its not on MSDN yet). The next scheduled release of Vista is 2Q 2006 and will be considered the end of Beta 2.
Read More 
| TechWeb
You’ve seen it before. A bike rack with a cut chaincable laying on the ground, or a locked up wheel being the only portion of the bike left behind. To combat this, people resort to different approaches. Some use the latest in super-duper, titanium-impregnated, hardened-steel locks, and others remove a seat or a wheel (or two). Whatever your method, if somebody wants your bicycle badly enough, they’re going to get it. Unless of course, they can’t reach it. The Bike Tree is a Swiss invention that lifts your bicycle overhead and stores it under a protective canopy. Not only is your bike now protected from theft and vandalism, but from Mother Nature as well. A non-contact smart card allows an authorized user to retrieve their bicycle and go about their merry way. The Bike Tree can also be utilized as a bike rental facility, and since it can be solar powered, is easy to implement no matter the location.
Read More | Bike Tree via Random Good Stuff
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Toshiba announced that their intended target of a Spring 2006 launch might have to be pushed back till 2007. In essence, because the technology is in it’s infancy, there aren’t enough of the required components for production. SED stands for Surface-conduction Electron-emission Display, and has the best features of traditional CRTs and LCD panels. SED displays operate in a similar fashion to CRTs and subsequently have better refresh rates and are able to reproduce the deep blacks that LCDs have trouble with. However, unlike CRT displays, they are as thin as your typical LCD so bulky TVs become a thing of the past. Delays are inevitable with new technology, but even so, Toshiba and Canon (who have partnered to produce SEDs), can’t be too happy.
Read More | Pink Tentacle
Latest Gear Live Videos
Of all the stupid
great ideas out there, the USB Air Purifier is one of the latest. One more USB device isn’t going to kill your computer, but it might help clean the air around it. There’s no mention of how it cleans the air, but since there’s not much room for a filter, we can surmise that it operates as an ionic model. If that’s the case, in exchange for supposedly cleaner air, your little air purifier will be sitting on your desk happily churning ozone into your immediate vicinity. Excess ozone is bad for you, but whatever it’s method of air purification, we can all use cleaner air, and for a small area this tiny critter just might do the trick. Priced around $27 USD.
Read More | Product Page
Gear Live Podcast 016: Warpdrive Patent Refused, Canon EOS 30D, iPod Privacy Filter
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Cameras, Features, Misc. Tech, Podcasts, Portable Audio / Video,
Today we had a few interesting items come into our radar that we wanted to talk about. In today’s episode:
- Warpdrive Patent Turned Down: We discuss the US patent office rejecting a patent request for a technology that is a far way off.
- iPod Video Privacy Filter: The Digital CowBoy iPod video filter sounds like a good idea. We discuss it’s pros and cons.
- Canon EOS 30D: Finally, we talk about the significance of the Canon EOS 30D camera.
Here’s how to get the show:
|Subscribe| - iTunes
|Subscribe| - RSS
|Download| - Enhanced AAC
|Download| - MP3
Voices: Andru Edwards, Sparky
Length: 10:23, 5 MB
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Doesn’t it just make you feel sad to see the ultimate in automove excellence - an Enzo Ferrari - cracked up on the side of a mountain road? Yeah, we thought so. Seems this genius figured he would see if the needle on the speedo could actually see 200+ mph. I guess he forgot that he was on the PCH and not the Autobahn. Way to waste a million bucks. Lets see…how many cool toys could be buy for that much coin?
Read More | LA Times
The Reveo MariVac Food Tumbler is bound to keep your canine friend entertained for
seconds as it sits on your kitchen counter, happily tossing a raw piece of meat around in it’s acrylic container. Of course it’s not intended to keeps your pets occupied, and a complete cycle only lasts 20 minutes, but it is designed to cram as much marinade as possible into every nook and cranny of your meat of choice. With only three buttons, On/Off, Vacuum, and Tumble, the MariVac is easy to use. Insert marinade and meat, allow the machine to create a vacuum inside the container, and tumble your way into marinaded bliss. Of course, such happiness comes at a price - $200 USD in this case.
RedRadio RelayTouch-UTMA In-Wall Touchscreen LCD
Posted by John Goulden Categories: Accessories, Home Entertainment, PC / Laptop,
So you’ve decided that the finishing touch on your home automation or home theater project is touchscreen control. However, you’re not content with just one touchscreen are you? No, you’ve got to have as many as you do rooms. Traditionally a stumbling block to your grand plan would have been that each touchscreen needed to be connected to it’s own computer. With the introduction of the RelayTouch-UTMA that problem is no longer an issue as each 12.1” LCD touchscreen operates as a thin client, and as many as ten can connect to your media/automation server. If you’ve invested in a Windows 2000 or 2003 server you can up that amount to a total of 30 touchscreens.
As with a traditional thin client, the touchscreens have only enough brains/power to connect to your server, and the server then provides the required applications and the necessary processing power. If you’ve used Remote Desktop, Terminal Services or VNC, then you’ve got a basic idea of how the process works.
If you’re looking to simplify or streamline your setup by reducing the required number of PC’s, then the RelayTouch-UTMA is certainly up for consideration. If you’re looking to save money, you might want to consider other options as the MSRP is $1095 (provided you pre-order before they ship sometime in March).
Read More | RedRadio via Automated Home
Digital Cowboy iPod video Privacy Filter
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Accessories, Apple, Portable Audio / Video,
It’s always an uncomfortable feeling when we are looking at our pr0n collection while using mass transit. Cupping our hands around the screen of the iPod makes it all the more awkward. This is why are are excited about the Digital Cowboy iPod Video privacy filter. All it is, is a layer of film you apply to the screen of your fifth-generation iPod. The result is a screen that can only be seen when looked at head on. The guy next to you trying to sneak a peek at your device will see nothing but black. Even better, when you buy the filter you also get an RCA cable you can use to display your iPod content on a television. Good stuff.
Read More | Akihabara News
After a few months of waiting, Canon has officially released the Canon EOS 30D. The 30D is an evolutionary upgrade from the EOS 20D and shares many of the same components/features such as the 8.19-megapixel CMOS sensor, shutter speed (1/8000), and autofocus system. New to the 30D is the 2.5” LCD with a greatly increased viewing angle as compared to the 1.8” LCD on the 20D. A deeper burst depth allows you to take more pictures in rapid succession before the camera writes to memory and is a welcome improvement when shooting in RAW mode. ISO speed is now adjustable while looking through the viewfinder and should make shooting with changing light conditions a much easier task. Changes to the Picture Style menu are abdundant, but one of the best is the ability to disable in-camera sharpening.
With a street price rumored to be $1399, the newest member of the EOS lineup is nicely priced. The question is, does it offer enough of a feature upgrade for current 20D users? Time will tell.
Read More | Rob Galbraith
