Google Maps for Sony Ericsson W850i

Rai    Gadgets     device, directions, google earth, google maps, gps, sony ericcson, w850i

My Sony Ericsson W850i phone is getting older by the minute. And now that I am so in love with traveling and going to different places, somehow I thought of buying a new GPS device, or a GPS-enabled phone, whichever is cheaper.

So I went Googling around and found out that there is no need to buy a separate device for GPS. My phone CAN be GPS device! Talk about the power of technology, specifically Java.

Google Maps for Mobile is free and available to all users who have colored Blackberry devices and some Java-enabled phones. I tried this on my W850i and it is working! My golly!

Take note that standard charges for Internet browsing apply since the app connects to Internet. Small price to pay for a handy GPS when you are lost in the middle of nowhere.

Okay, enough chit-chat. Here’s the download link:

http://www.getjar.com/products/15897/GoogleMapsformobilefeaturingLatitude

Tried this on your phone? Post your feedback.

Google Android: The First Open Source Mobile Platform

Rai    Gadgets     google android, htc, mobile, phone, qwerty, t-mobile, touch screen

Google Android is the world’s first complete, free and open source mobile platform developed by no other than Google. It consists of the main operating system, middleware and key applications – all free and open. Applications use Java programming language which runs on Dalvik, a custom virtual machine designed for embedded use. The applications run on top of Linux kernel.

To see the Google Android in actual usage, watch this video:

Google Android is partnered with T-Mobile as its carrier and HTC as the hardware maker. The phone has an intuitive touch screen and QWERTY keyboard all packed in a portable phone. But as always, first generation devices are as buggy as they always are. To add to the excitement that I might have flooded on you, here is another image:

DIY: Make A USB Smoke Absorbing Ashtray

Rai    Gadgets     absorbing, ashtray, cigarette, DIY, filter, smoke, usb, video

If you like smoking while working or using your laptop, then you ought to know that second hand smoke is dangerous to your health. I am not here to discuss the effects of smoking to our bodies but to share this video on how to reduce the smoke from cigarettes.

This is a simple how-to to create a simple yet effective way to reduce smoke from cigarettes. The ashtray is pluggable into a USB port so you can place it near your computer while it filters the smoke and turns it to a clean air. Enjoy the video

The voice was a bit sleepy but nevertheless, it is great to know that this kind of ashtray can be done in a few simple steps.

Secure Files with Your IronKey

Rai    Gadgets     flash drive, ironkey, password, portable, risk, secure, security, usb

Working as a system administrator requires a lot of memory power with all the servers that I am managing at work. Not to say the huge amount of passwords that go with it. And I must admit that my memory is not to be trusted (hey, even Einstein once suggested not to trust your memory!) with these credentials that if compromised or forgotten, will mean death to my career.

Anyway, my boss from our California office gave me a little piece of technology that I carry around with me and though I have read it a few times before, I never got the chance to own one. I am talking about the IronKey, a military-grade secure flash drive that is designed to protect the stored files.

This drive claims to be the most secure drive in the world. It’s design lies in its hardware-based AES encryption that resists any attempt to bypass the password, and provides a tight security for the drive. It also protects your encrypted data from brute-force attacks by initiating a self-destruct process if the password is typed in incorrectly after the tenth try. Any attempts also to tamper the casing will trigger the drive to self-destruct the data, making sure that no one will get the data even if physically tampered.

The bundled software also provides the security needed to access the files by asking for a password to unlock the USB drive. Locked drive means no read-write access whatsoever. Secure backup is also provided so encrypted backups of the contents can be created without compromising the data.

All in all, IronKey is perfect for confidential files and should be the standard of all USB flash drives.

The Warcart

Rai    Gadgets     geek, hotspot, warcart, wifi, wireless

When you think that sniffing wireless spots while driving a car or just plain walking with laptop on hand is plain and boring, then The Warcart might awaken the sleeping nerd inside you.

The Warcart is a simple device wherein an ordinary cart is used as a mobile WiFi access point sniffer. Before there was Wardriving which then evolved into something that is more flexible and cheaper. I then present to you now the Warcart:

If the image above baffles you on how exactly this device works, then watch this video:

Warcarting from Zack A on Vimeo.

The ultimate geek cart.

Image and video courtesy of Zack Anderson Projects