Today, Dash Navigation set free a wireless software update that brings a number of new features and fixes to its Dash Express GPS device. The June08 update will be delivered over the air to Dash owners, so there's no need to connect to a PC or purchase software DVDs; you'll simply receive a notification when you next start your device. But what exactly are you getting? In short, smarter routing options and hopefully, better performance. Here's the breakdown of features:

FasterFind: This should let the Dash Express get a faster GPS fix by using over-the-air GPS satellite position information powered by SiRFInstantFix technology. FasterFind will also help to pick up your position faster, even when you're driving through heavily wooded areas or in urban canyons with skyscrapers, which often cause portable navigation systems to lose a GPS fix. » Read the rest of the entry..

The PistolCam a device designed to fit onto regular pistols or even small rifles. When removed from the holster, the camera automatically starts to record video clips (with audio) at 30 frames per second for a maximum of 60 minutes. It can also capture 3.2-megapixel still images. » Read the rest of the entry..

Centrino is dead -- it's official. But don't worry. On 14 July, Intel will launch Centrino 2 -- codenamed 'Montevina' -- to stave off competition from AMD, and to cement its place as the world's number one choice for laptops.

But before we go any further, we can't help but wonder -- what's with the name? Until now, all the updates to the original Centrino brand weren't deemed worthy of a new public-facing name. Instead, they were given internal codenames: 'Carmel' (2003), 'Sonoma' (2005), 'Napa' (2006) and 'Santa Rosa', all of which were different, but still sold to the public as merely Centrino. » Read the rest of the entry..

On July 25, 2000, an Air France Concorde ran over a piece of titanium debris while taking off from Charles de Gaulle International Airport. Minutes later 113 people perished in a ball of fire.

Most airports rely on visual inspections to keep runways clear of foreign objects and prevent what happened in France, but Heathrow International Airport, the world's busiest, has now installed a permanent dual radar system called the Tarsier, which scans 3,658 meters of runway in search of junk 24 hours a day.

The Tarsier uses networked high-frequency, high-resolution radar and integrated digital signal processing to pinpoint anything from a pigeon to a cellophane sandwich wrapper (PDF). » Read the rest of the entry..

Kevin Miller, a contributing editor for CNET, was recently invited to Japan by Sony for a weeklong trip to show off some of the company's new HDTV technology. Among the highlights were Sony's new 4K by 2K projector, the SRX-R220, its new line of Bravia, and the XBR flat panel LCD HDTVs, a new proprietary wireless HDMI technology, called Bravia Wireless Link, and some updates on its new OLED displays. » Read the rest of the entry..

(Credit: Logic Instrument) Logic Instrument got FCC approval nearly two years ago for its "Tetra T-Pad" rugged smartphone, but not much has been heard about it since then. Perhaps the French manufacturer thought better of trying to sell a phone that costs about $2,600 on the American market.

That's the price tag Lussorian quotes for this steroidal handset, which it says has met U.S. military standards that require 25 tests involving the harshest conditions. Weighing just under 1.3 pounds, the T-Pad is dustproof, waterproof, and can withstand shock, vibration, and subzero temperatures. As for the phone specs, it has a 4-inch touch screen, a 400MHz Intel processor, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi.

Features aside, it's difficult to see how the price can be justified--especially when there so many other tough phones being produced, some of them bearing the National Security Agency's seal of approval. Those handsets, by the way, are made in the U.S.A.

Sitting beween the budget Inspiron and high-end XPS, Dell's new Studio line is personified by the Dell Studio 15. This desktop replacement is a colourful and customisable option for those looking for a good mix of features and reasonable performance without paying the Earth.

Parsing the intended markets for Dell's ever-shifting in-house brand names requires some tea-leaf reading. It's been easier lately, with the company stripping down its consumer brands to just the Inspiron and XPS lines.

Now the company is adding a new line between the budget Inspiron and the high-end XPS. The new Studio line, as personified by the 15.4-inch Studio 15, has the same tapered shape, slot-loading optical drive and rounded hinge as the Dell XPS M1530, but a similarly configured Studio system costs roughly £350 less than a similarly outfitted XPS.

The base model of the Studio 15 costs around £479. We've reviewed a model that includes an upgraded CPU, which costs around £540 from Dell. All prices were correct at the time of writing. » Read the rest of the entry..

Panasonic is the latest player to join the Mobile Internet Device (MID) market with something that looks like a giant PDA.

The ToughBook CF-U1, as it is to be known, is a handheld unit with a 5.6-inch, 1,024x600-pixel touchscreen. Below that, there's a full Qwerty keyboard, which looks like it will be difficult to type on while holding the device in your hands.

The face is littered with shortcut buttons and status LEDs, the most important of which are the zoom buttons -- given how high the screen resolution is compared to the size of the screen, we think you'll be getting plenty of use from these. » Read the rest of the entry..

If the question "Where am I?" is a recurring issue for you, Ricoh has added a feature to its GPS-ready digital camera that you may want to check out.

The Ricoh 500SE GPS camera now includes something called an SE-3 GPS module, a three-axis compass developed by Honeywell that nails down the position and direction (azimuth), then displays it on the camera's LCD.

The data, in the form of point coordinates, is embedded into an image as it is captured.

This gives the user a 3D "cones-of-view" perspective, indicating the direction the camera was facing. It comes ready to use with mapping applications such as Google Earth and ESRI's ArcGIS (PDF.) » Read the rest of the entry..

The Samsung R410 desktop replacement could be an excellent choice for anyone on a budget looking for a second laptop or even a student with shallow pockets. Kitted out with a good core specification that rivals more expensive machines, the R410 is great value for money.

The Samsung R410 -- not to be confused with the r410 mobile phone -- is a budget all-round laptop with a 14.1-inch display. It's the smallest in Samsung's R series, so in theory, it's ideal for anyone that wants solid performance in a chassis that doesn't weigh the Earth. More importantly, however, it's dirt cheap at around £499. Let's see what you get for your dough.

Design The R410 is very ordinary in its design. We've lost count of the number of times we've seen laptops with glossy black lids and matte black interiors -- particularly from Samsung -- so forgive us if we yawn momentarily. As with all laptops with this sort of design, the lid is prone to collecting smudges, so unless you're willing to carry the bundled felt cloth everywhere you go, it'll be permanently dirty. » Read the rest of the entry..