iSkin, one of the many producers of accessories for Macs and iPods, has announced that they are now offering their new iSkin ProTouch FX line of keyboard covers. The form-fitting protective covers come in various colors and the new FX line now has the key letters printed on them, making them easier to use if you’re a visual typist like me. The covers are made with a process which incorporates Microban’s patented antimicrobial capabilities. Prices range from US$24.99 to US$34.99, depending on model and they are available now.

written by Tyler Regas

As Macs continue to grow acceptance in corporate environments, the Macs need to support the network technologies in place. Enter ProSoft Engineering and the latest version of their NetWare Client for Mac OS X, offering complete integrated and contextless login functionality and a fully compliant print services interface. All that says you can turn off AppleTalk support on your NetWare network and still service Macs. Nice. Client cost is US$149 per seat.

written by Tyler Regas

No. Its not a lappy, but it is only slightly wider than a Sharpie™ is long. VIA announced their new ARTiGO Pico-ITX Builder Kit A1000, which is powered by VIA’s own C7 CPU running at 1.0GHz perched on top of their tiny Pico-ITX mainboard, when Microsoft announced their new Windows Embedded market push for hobbyists; Spark. VIA is pushing the ARTiGO as a project system for hands-on consumers, so it ships like a bare-bones. That means you need to supply the up to 1GB of RAM and 2.5″ PATA or SATA hard drive after you purchase it for US$299. You then get to assemble it. I certainly like the idea. I’m sure it will run OpenSUSE 10.3 quite well.

written by Tyler Regas

If you’re into Cricket, the UK’s classic sport game, then you’re in luck. Crickinfo, apparently a famous outlet for up-to-the-minute info on Cricket matches, has teamed up with Plusmo to offer an app for your mobile. It also very generously supports over 500 mobiles using Palm OS, WinMo, Symbian, Blackberry, Java, and Brew. Unfortunately there seems to be no way to tell it which are your favorite teams, so you’ll likely need to really dig Cricket. BTW, Bangladesh stomped Pakistan by 23 runs, after being beaten badly by Pakistan on the 8th. The Pakistan team took them then by 152 runs!

written by Tyler Regas

In an amazingly obnoxious explosion of yellow (you’ll see what I mean) MoGo Wireless has announced the immediate availability of their new CellRanger line of signal boosters. Available in Stix, sporting a magnetic antenna, 15′ cable, and powered by the cigarette lighter socket, and Port, a USB powered version, models MoGo claims they will boost signal strength, even in areas which don’t receive signal. Of course, I imagine these are areas which border directly on other areas which do receive signal. They work with GSM and CDMA networks which operate in the 800 to 1900 Mhz range, with exception to Sprint and Nextel. Pricing is set at US$149.95 for both models. MoGo Wireless will be unveiling an AC powered home version at the CTIA show, as well.

written by Tyler Regas

I don’t know how to say it any better. SyncWizard, a new service which is in free beta (what isn’t!) at the moment, securely syncs your data to its website, then makes it available through various specialized interfaces depending on which device you use to access it. They’re pretty progressive, too, as they claim to support both the ASUS Eee PC and Amazon’s Kindle ebook reader. The service works by using a range of services like Zoho Office for documents, Picasa for images, and ScheduleWorld for calendars. I created an account and clicked SyncIt, and it just started syncing… what I’m not sure yet, but it does work with existing accounts or it creates accounts for you on certain services. The jury’s still out at the moment, but this may turn out to kick some ass.

written by Tyler Regas

Cisco, like any other player in the market, has its own proprietary functionality which it offers up to customers as a bonus over their competition. In the case of wireless (802.11a/b/g/n/etc…) they have the Cisco Compatible Extensions or CCX, which have jumped to version 4.0 and offer a range of security options specific to Cisco WLAN installations. Admins like them because they’re easier to manage and work better than WPA (WEP isn’t a player any more). Socket Mobile has released their new Enhanced Wi-Fi Companion (e-WFC) for Windows Mobile 5.x and 6.x and Window CE 5.x which allows these devices to use Cisco’s LEAP and related wireless security protocols. For some reason, Socket isn’t indicating price or which Wi-Fi radio chipsets it will work with.

written by Tyler Regas

If you have ever used Adium X on Mac OS X, then its unlikely that you’ll be using iChat again anytime soon. Adium’s contact list modification capabilities are extraordinary, which makes iChat’s contact list look positively bloated. iChat Pro, a free list window mod for iChat, aims to fix that by trimming the fat off of the main contact list.

I installed it easily into Mac OS X 10.5.2 “Leopard” and started up with no problems. While it doesn’t make iChat work just like Adium, it does make the contact list far more manageable. Available free from Infinise Design.

written by Tyler Regas

LapWorks has announced a pair of new lappy stands for people on the go. Both essentially identical, the Envoy and Attache are designed to elevate both PC and Mac laptops to improve typing angle and raise the screen to eye level. The two stands feature integrated silent fans and four port USB 2.0 hubs. The Attache adds an aluminum faceplate which acts as a large heatsink.

The two are available now. The Envoy is ready at US$49.95 while the Attache goes for US$69.95. Take a closer look at the site, as well. It has a bevy if info on ergonomics. Don’t quibble. Just do it. Its your health at stake. The Dojo cares. We do.

written by Tyler Regas

If you don’t know anything about Nokia’s nerd-eriffic Internet Tablet series, here’s a quick breakdown. Nokia launched the 770 in 2005 as the first in a new category of devices, the Internet Tablet. Based on a version of the free open source software (FOSS) operating system Linux, Maemo was designed to provide a powerful user interface in a small space. The 770 sported an 800×480  touchscreen display and a 200MHz CPU. It could play music, video, and surf the web via Wi-Fi or a Bluetooth connection via your mobile. Later, Nokia updated the 770 with the N800 and has recently released the super slick N810. Each of these run a version of Maemo, at least until a nerd gets his or her hands on it.

Now we zip to the present to examine exactly what Nokia has done. First, however, you’ll need to understand that Linux folk prize new markets, primarily because a lot of companies won’t support it directly, instead opting for the safe Windows compliance. Of course, when someone like Nokia experiments with something like the 770 and its brethren, they tap into a rabid community of Linux devotees who are more than willing to snap up the devices as fast as they can, sometimes even several at a time.

One of these drooling nerds is yours truly, sporting my beloved 770. Another goes by the name PenguinBait and he took the time and trouble to re-compile a version of KDE (a complete Linux desktop environment) for the 770, N800, and N810. He even included the desktop applications, utilities, and toys. Wow! Take a look here for some video and some larger pics. If you have any nerd in you at all, this will spark an interest.

written by Tyler Regas