We all know there are a few issues with Windows Vista, it runs oh so slowly on a ’standard’ PC, the startup time and it, well, just makes your PC look like a Mac ;)

Fear not, the guys at SuperTalent have come up with the Exelerator, a ReadyBoost drive for your Vista disabled enabled PC. Nothing new, eh? Well the Exelerator sits inside your PC. Yep, no nasty dangly bits hanging from your USB ports, this sucker hides away inside your PC case.

Whilst there it makes use of the Vista ReadyBoost feature which speeds up Vista by using the drive to cache some data rather than the sluggish hard drive.

Now Tom’s Hardware goes into greater detail on how ReadyBoost all hangs together and indeed on how to set up a USB 2.0 ReadyBoost capable drive on your PC. Over at Legit Reviews they too have a great article specifically on how to set up the Execlerator in your PC. However they conclude that unless you have a spare ReadyBoost capable drive lying around then you are better off installing more memory on your PC to get the best RAM bang for your buck.

For the record my USB 2.0 1 GB thumb drive is NOT ReadyBoost capable, which I find quite ironic as I bought it as part of a package when I bought my Vista-shackled laptop. Go figure.

On Monday Western Digital announced the launch of a new range of 3.5 inch hard drives that consume up to 40% less power than a standard drive. Entitled GreenPower the new drives range in size from 320 GB to 1 TB with the first of the range to be the 1 TB Caviar GP shipping in July.

According to the blurb from WD

By WD estimates, in certain applications, the new GreenPower platform can save greater than $10 per drive per year in electricity costs. For example, a data center with 10,000 drives can save $100,000 in annual energy costs, and reduce CO2 emission by 600 metric tons - the equivalent of taking almost 400 cars off the road for a year.

However a data center may be more concerned with performance than power savings and/or the environment, but we shall see. Certainly for the individual user the GreenPower range may give them that planet-saving feel-good effect when the drive whirrs into action.

Source: Western Digital

Ever wanted all your home telecommunications needs bundled up in one little box, well you’re probably looking for the Fritz!Box from AVM. They have just released the Fritz!Fon Fon WLAN 7170, a ludicrously long name for a small device which packs in more functionality than you could wish for. Basically the box combines your standard wireless modem/router with landline and internet phone functionality.

The 7170 has three analogue phone sockets enabling you to hook up your landline phone, fax and err something else. It also boasts a connection for ISDN phones and of course provides standard wireless networking for your home.

Other bells and whistles thrown in for good measure include

USB port for network sharing of printers and drives
Child lock for internet access
An Eco mode to save the planet

Not bad for a little sucker which rocks in at 160 euros (US$220) and looks quite sexy too! Unfortunately for my US readers the Fritz!Box is only available across the pond. But if any European visitor has one of these puppies, add a comment and let us all what you think of the Fritz!Box.

Source: enGadget

Good news for all you wireless fans out there, a Georgia Tech press release states that scientists at the Georgia Electronic Design Center (GEDC) based on campus have already reached data transfer rates of 15Gbps (Giga bits per second) over a distance of one metre. Unfortuantely the speed is inversely proportional to the distance between transmitter and receiver so at a relatively small distance of 5 metres the speed degraded to 5Gbps. Still an impressive speed though.

This quote from the press release made my eyes light up

Wireless high-definition video could also be a major application of this technology. Users could keep a DVD player by their side while transmitting wirelessly to a screen 5 or 10 meters away.

The concept of total wireless data transfer around the home at speeds high enough for media files seems to be a closer reality. Anyone want to buy a bunch of HDMI cables?

According to an article on Reuters, Vodafone are concerned that the Apple iPhone does not operate on 3G networks. Vodafone’s CEO Arun Sarin said

It’s clearly a good, software-driven device, but we’re concerned about wideband area coverage so that 3G (third-generation) or HSDPA (upgraded 3G) connectivity with the iPhone is something that we look forward to.

Vodafone would obviously love to add the iPhone to the range of mobile devices on their network but do not seem to be prepared to bend over backwards (unlike AT&T) to strike a deal with Apple. Dare I say, the customer comes first in this instance - unfortunately probably more of a power play by Vodafone.

Also quotes like that from Vodafone’s CEO just fuel the rumours that the second generation iPhone is imminent, whether the new version has 3G or not is still unsure. Some sources report that the next version of the iPhone will be some sort of iPhone Nano, smaller in price and presumably functionality. However Apple must be keen to release their pride and joy into the European market, so hopefully a deal is brokered sooner rather than later.

Source: Reuters

The internet browser Firefox from Mozilla seems to be taking off in Europe, leaping from a 21.1% share to a 27.8% slice of all net surfers over a one week period at the begining of July in 2006 and 2007 respectively according to XiTiMonitor, a web analytics company. It claims that Microsoft IE usage has dropped to 66.5% from 73.3% in the same market over the same time frame.

Are European users breaking away from the MS vice like grip on browser users? I suppose it had to happen sooner or later, with Firefox features light years ahead of IE. However Mozilla will have to pull out all the stops with Firefox 3 or Gran Paradiso as the project is called. Software users can be very fickle and development laurels should never be rested on!

Some interesting figures came out in the ‘by country’ breakdown with Firefox usage at over 40% in Slovenia and Finland, yet notably the UK well behind the leading pack at a mere 18%.

Source: XiTiMonitor

Whilst perhaps not the sexiest phone in the world, RIM’s latest 8800 release the 8820 certainly has a lot of functionality packed into it. The lastest tech to be added is bulit in Wi-Fi connectivity and that combined with UMA support enables the 8828 to switch calls ’seamlessly’ between 802.11 a/b/g wireless networks and a cellular network. It’s cellular connectivity includes EDGE/GPRS/GSM networks.

Other funky features include the usual QWERTY board, with a trackball for screen nav, in built GPS, speakerphone and Bluetooth 2.0 support. But the one that caught my eye was the expandable memory slot, allowing the user to store as much 32 Gigs worth of music business data on this little sucker.

No news yet on a definitive launch date for the 8820 but expect it to out and about later this summer. Of course the question is, is the 8820 an iPhone beater? No touchscreen but sounds as if it will have more business functionality than the iPhone. So I would expect to see the execs of a company sporting one of these suckers whilst the junior wannabees play with their iPhones. Any thoughts?