Gadgets for Go Time

With Google Earth and
Google Moon and Google
Maps, you might be wondering where all of this is going ... and the answer
looks to be into the dashboard of a VW bug.

Volkswagen of America and Google have been spending some time together creating
an in-car navigation system which displays photo-quality (at least as good as
Satellites can get from orbit) view of the path you are following, rather than
the Vector Graphic comic book looking views generally given by the on-board
navigation systems.

Nvidia Corp has created a prototype graphics chip, which they showed off at
the Las Vegas Consumer Electronics Show, January. All three companies are betting
that drivers would rather see the buildings, signs and real landmarks of an
area they are trying to find their way through, than a yellow field with a red
arrow indicating the right spot.

If the project doesn't fizzle out, then a working prototype should be ready
for review in about 12 months.

Travel can be hard on the body, mind, spirit and our laptop. Just ask anyone
that has had his laptop case stacked under a few steamer trunks. Itronixs,
makers of Rugged Computers have come out with the GoBook.

“The GoBook VR-1 offers customers in the government and business/industrial
environment a uniquely tough, feature rich, powerful wireless notebook that
meets the needs of mission critical computing. As the toughest semi-rugged notebook
available today, the VR-1 is truly setting a new standard in this product category
with a highly durable product for today’s mobile professional,”
said Matthew Gerber, senior vice president, product line management, Itronix.

Tough: To best meet the needs of mission critical computing, the GoBook VR-1
notebook is designed to meet tough military standard (MIL STD 810F) for vibration,
humidity, and operating temperature range, and has outstanding shock and spill
resistance. Its rugged features include:

• Magnesium alloy casing with stainless steel hinge

• 12.1” shock-mounted XGA display

• Removable shock-mounted hard drive

• Spill-resistant keyboard and palm rest area

Vehicle Ready: Optimized for people on the go, the GoBook VR-1 is a vehicle-ready
solution. It’s tough enough to withstand day-to-day mobile, in-vehicle
use using a companion vehicle cradle.

If the Itronix GoBook still looks a bit flimsy, you can always go for their
special HUMMER Laptop, which is being billed as even tougher. Find out more
about those on their website : www.hummerlaptops.com.

For the person on the go, tough is not the only thing we need to worry about.
Light, fast and smooth are somtimes more important. The
Nokia 7280 Advanced Car Kit adds the advantages of Bluetooth wireless connections
to your traveling communication needs. It offers convenient, easy-to-use hands
free communication in a vehicle, and allows you to connect your phone via the
Pop-Port™ connector or wirelessly via a Bluetooth connection.

This really is a very cool set up. While it may seem a bit gadgets at first,
the features become essential to lifestyle and road safety in a very short time.
An automatic radio mute turns down the tunes while you're on a call, and with
a single button you can activate name dialing, answer and end calls, and adjust
the volume.

The Nokia Advanced Car Kit is compatible with a broad range of mobile phones,
so you don't necessarily have to have a Nokia phone for this system to work
for you. If your phone has Bluetooth connection capability or perhaps the Pop-Port
connection, then you can use this system.