Planning on getting in a car accident soon? Most people never think it will happen to them, but tragedies on the road are an everyday occurence. Many of these tragedies are the result of a person becoming trapped in a burning or flooded car. One product, however, hopes to change the lot of many accident victims. Known as the Life Hammer, it is designed as an escape tool for motorists stranded in their cars. Weighing just a few ounces and built of the high quality materials in Europe, the Life Hammer can break through car windows and seat belts quickly, a feat few tools by themselves are capable of.

Though I don’t own a Life Hammer myself, friends of mine who have bought one have yet to regret their purchases. One told me he felt much safer about crossing a certain bridge to work everyday, while another explained that while the Life Hammer set him back a few bucks, it’s a small price to pay if it saves his life or the life of a fellow motorist.

The Life Hammer can be had for $14.95 at Amazon. A few dollars from your wallet is easy to replace, but the life of a loved one isn’t.

Employers who have their Internet and cellular access outsourced will now need to have clear contracts governing privacy expectations when it comes to employee text-messaging and e-mails.

A new ruling by a 3-judge panel in the U.S. 9^th Circuit Court of Appeals has established new privacy rights for employees who use employer-issued cell phones, computers, and pagers to send personal test messages.

The judges’ upheld the verdict in Quon vs. Arch Wireless, which concluded that if an employer contracts with an outside provider for messaging, it does not have a right to ask the service provider to hand over transcripts of employees’ text messages. The same verdict can apply to e-mail if the employer outsourcers Internet access.

The case is a win for privacy rights advocates. In the past, courts have established that employees should have no expectation of privacy when sending e-mails from employer’s computers. Now with this new ruling, this is only an option for companies that use internal servers.

This new ruling is also a bit of a trend setter; it is the first time that the Fourth Amendment – protection against unreasonable search – has been applied to electronic communications.

In Quon vs. Arch Wireless, Jeff Quon, a police sergeant for the city of Ontario, California, and three other officers (including his wife), sued Arch Wireless because it handed his over text messages to his supervisor. The supervisor, who was tired of Quon going over the 25,000 character limit set up in the police department’s contract with Arch Wireless and having to  pay over-limit fees as a result was eventually ordered by the department to collect transcripts from the wireless provider to see if Quon sent the text messages for personal reasons.

The Intempo Rebel not only lets you listen to music over the radio, but it also downloads it straight to an SD card and removes unwanted intermissions and commercials. Read more about this interesting new gadget after the jump.

The first product that works as a radio sampling device, the Rebel is revolutionary. It records the most-played tracks on any FM radio station and then saves it in MP3 format. It also cuts out DJ chatter and advertisements, a task many pieces of software can’t do. After recording with the Rebel,  the music can be transferred to iPods, mobile phones, MP3 devices, and more.

The other features of the Intempo Rebel aren’t exactly earth shattering. The device isn’t small enough to carry around in your pocket, and it only records 40 songs. When I think about this product, it reminds me a little of the days as a child in the ’80s when I would sit by the radio and record music to cassette tapes.

I also have to wonder if anyone actually listens FM radio anymore. Is it really worth all the fuss of buying this product to hear something that can easily be downloaded for free through file sharing? Even if you do like listening to FM radio, a large amount of the songs are edited, and these MP3s that will be downloaded are not going to be CD quality.

It could be useful if you want to know what the latest hits are in music, before you buy a new CD, but there are much better ways to go about it. Even if you are interested in filling your iPod with the latest music, you still are only going to get 40 songs in a single go.

I can, however, recommend something better and cheaper. Internet Radio Grabber, which I have used from time to time, downloads music played on Internet radio stations. Although not as precise, it is much easier on the wallet (€18.95).

It all seems like one giant anti-climax. Firefox Download Day reminds me of the countless New Years Eve parties I have been to where one expects the best party on Earth, and it turns into some mediocre dinner party where everyone is waiting for midnight. So seems to be the hyped release of Firefox 3’s Download Day.

Download Day has been hyped on just about every single tech blog out there this past week, and today it has been mentioned just as much, but today errors and server crashes that have prevented users from downloading.

One user writes on the Spread Firefox website that they are having problems installing the browser, needing three tries to get it running. The solution: they stopped trying to import files into the new browser.

Could Firefox be an over-hyped browser? As cute as it is, they are even offering certificates saying you were part of the big day. I think a lot of it could have to do with the server problems that Firefox has had to endure today. According to just about every new outlet out there, the servers crashed often and throughout the day. It seems to have been tough to get Firefox 3 without having a lot of hurdles.

If you are preparing to break a world record, would you not have a lot of servers and various links to get this thing running with ease? Maybe so, but it seems even Firefox was overwhelmed. According to the website Firefox achieved it record mark after just 5 hours, and is going strong at rate of 9000 downloads per minute.

Despite the hurdles of getting to download Firefox 3, Mozilla has had over 500 entries in Google News today and has made the news of major newspaper’s such as the New York Times and the UK’s BBC online editions.

Everyone seems to be on board for the celebration. Even Microsoft sent Mozilla a cake! Too bad they were busing planning that cute little PR stunt when instead they should be trying to make their browser better.

Kensington Computer Products Group announced that at the end of this month they will be releasing ShareCentral, a USB peripheral sharing device that will allow sharing of up to five USB peripheral devices between any two computers.

The ShareCentral devices will come in 3 models. All three of the devices promise to provide instant and effortless device sharing with just the flip of a button. The units are also supposed to eliminate cords and cables and be much easier on the eyes by integrated all parts into an attractive desktop or wall-mounted unit.

All three units will also have no need for network software (everything is plug and play). ShareCentral 2 and ShareCentral 5 will have automatic print sharing in which the device will automatically detect and switch to any computer on the network requesting a print job.

In a press release, Kensington revealed that over 40% of all households contain 3 to 4 computers, and that a staggering 70% of these have only one standard computing area for their needs, 50% of them alone only a single printer. Obviously, Kensington sees a need for a product like the ShareCentral.

ShareCentral 1

The ShareCentral 1 is the most basic of the three devices. It contains one USB port and offers the Plug-n-play features offered in all models. It can be had on Kensington’s website for $39.99. It also can be pre-ordered on Amazon for $31.99.

ShareCentral 2

ShareCentral 2 is a 2-USB port device that offers the basic features plus automatic printer sharing for computers running Windows XP or  Vista. It retails on the Kensington website for $59.99 and on Amazon for $46.99.

ShareCentral 5

The only difference between the ShareCentral 5 and the ShareCentral 2 is the number of USB devices that can be plugged in. As the name implies, it can handle 5 devices instead of 2, which can be handy if you have a lot of hardware. This model could be great, however, if you are using two computers in the same workspace and do not only want to have a printer set up, but also a mouse and keyboard. I know when I am using more than one computer at the same time, it is annoying when I have to have 2 different sets of mice and keyboards in the same workspace. This is probably the best one out there for us tech junkies who have more than a few USB gizmos. It retails on the Kensington website for $79.99, but can be found on Amazon as well for $62.99.

All of the models also come with a 2-year warranty.

According to Reuters, Microsoft has offered to pay $1 Billion to Yahoo for its search business, a move that would have given the Internet giant an additional $1 Billion extra in annual revenue. Instead, the long-time search engine and email provider has opted to parter up with Google in a relationship that is going to permanently change Yahoo.

Instead of taking full acquisition in Yahoo, as Microsoft had tried before, the company was interested in replacing Yahoo’s Panama advertising system with its own. The Panama system is unique in that it changes advertisements shown during user searches with those that pay the most and are most likely to be clicked on.

Microsoft also offered to take 16 percent of Yahoo with a $8 Billion price tag. This would have valued the stock at $35 dollars a share. Talks between the two companies however fizzled, and a new deal was struck with Google, which will allow the Mountain View company to place their advertising on Yahoo.

With the situation at Yahoo looking a bit dismal due to the freefalling of stocks that has been ongoing since October (Yahoo’s share price went from $33.63 to $19.18), cofounder and chief executive Jerry Yang has been under pressure to raise the company’s stock value and generate more ad revenue.

Yahoo’s decision to join hands with Google could end up being a windfall, however. With the additional help from Google, Yahoo could possibly benefit from the search engine giant’s success in technology and online advertising. Only time will tell if the decision to feign off Microsoft was a wise one.

Just when I think I have seen it all, something interesting struck me in the news about Google. In a recent article in Slate, there is a discussion going on about how some conservative groups and websites are angry that Google has chosen to ignore holidays such as Memorial Day in its logos, instead giving attention to events like the Persian New Year.

I wonder myself many times how the same Internet that can be used to bring all of us together can be seen as a bad thing. Apparently there is a line drawn on an issue of what is a corporation’s responsibility and if they are not allowed to express their own political agenda or not. Conservatives are angry because Google picks and chooses what events they have chosen to celebrate by changing their logo, but is that not their right?

One of the biggest controversies has been over last year’s Independence Day logo, where instead of the traditional American eagle clutching arrows, it was portrayed clutching olive branches. The National Review Online writer Kathryn Jean Lopez posted a user comment to the site’s Corner blog section, which stated that Google could not “bring themselves to do something ‘American’ without making some kind of signal about current policy.”

When did it become such a bad thing to promote peace? How is that promoting any type of agenda? Many believe that because Google is such a popular site world wide that they do not have the right to express any political agenda at all, but are they really fair at all to say? In a nation where most American’s are currently against the current policy of our government, Google is not promoting a current agenda, but more so expressing the views of the majority of the world.

Celebrating events from other parts of the world such as Bastille Day in France or the Persian New Year is a great idea. It brings the world closer together. What Google will place in its homepage logos  this year is anyone’s guess, but it should not really matter anyway. Google has the right to celebrate whatever events they wish to. In fact, it is written in the Constitution. It is not hard to find, just look in the first part of the document.

Although very little is being reported on it in international news, Sweden is currently proposing a new wiretap bill that could effect wire based communications around the world. The bill gives the National Defense Radio Establishment (or FRA in Swedish) the right to monitor all wire based communications in and out of the country, including packets of data which can be transmitted through multiple geographically dispersed hops before reaching their final destinations.

The National Defense Radio Establishment, despite its name, is actually a civilian agency, which according to an article in Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter, has been around since the Second World War. Its primary job was previously to monitor atmospheric traffic in and out of the country. With currently over 98% of all communications traffic being wire based such as the internet and VoIP the ruling and more conservative alliance in Swedish Parliament thinks it is a good idea to start monitoring net traffic as well.

The bill is close to not being enacted into law by the Swedish Parliament, requiring only 4 “no” votes from majority alliance members to not pass. Even the state-run telecommunications company Telia is concerned about the prospects of the new law. They have relocated their service out of the country to protect their Finnish customers.

Google’s global privacy counsel Peter Fleischer last year fired one of the first shots at the law by stating “The proposal stems from a tradition begun by Saudi Arabia and China and simply has no place in a Western democracy,”

Not only are telephones and e-mail at risk, but one other factor has not received much attention at all and that is file sharing. The well known torrent sharing site The Pirate Bay is operated by Swedes.

Could this be the end of one of the world’s largest torrent sharing sites? After all, it could mean big risks for those of us who like to download from the site. With the large amount of torrent sites being shut down, The Pirate Bay is one of the few who has dared to stand up to large corporations who have tried for years to shut them down. Take a look if you have the time, some of them are quite entertaining.

With vacation season starting to get underway, the latest buzz is about CradlePoint’s CTR500 3G travel router. The router, which is touted on the companies website as being “the most compact…in the world,” is unique in that it accepts both Express Card and USB-style Cellular Modems, and supports most of the popular modems and handsets of the major carriers. PC Perspective did a recent review of the device, the lowdown of which you can read after the jump.

The CTR500 is a handy product that can act as a tool to turn a normal cable or DSL line into a wireless system for both home and office. The uniqueness of the product, however, is that it can also use USB or Express Card-based 3G wireless modems to create a wireless access point. This option gives users the freedom to use the Internet on the go at places such as job sites and on vacation.

Extras that come with the CradlePoint include a wide variety of international adapters. The device is also great for travel because of its size, measuring 4.75″ long, 2.75″ wide and 0.75″ tall and weighing between under 4 ounces.

The software that is included with the device is similar to that of any wireless router. The setup is supposedly easy, and WEP, WPA and WPA2 are supported as well.

The CTR500 also sports many of the same features found on standard routers such as support for virtual servers, port routing, static IP addresses, and a firewall. A failover feature is also available which allows easy transition from DSL/cable to cellular device is your primary connection goes down. One hidden jewel of the CTR500 is the included GPS system, which can send data to Google Maps, Yahoo! Maps and Map Quest.

Like all devices, this one has some downfalls as well. Not all USB or Express Card modems have been tested with the device, so they are not guaranteed to work. On the bright side, a compatability chart is available from CradlePoint’s website. The price is also a disadvantage of the device, which retails for $179.99 on the CradlePoint website. However, it can be picked up on Amazon for $169.99.

You have probably never heard of it. I know I never have, but as of the end of next month Windows Live Expo, Microsoft’s answer to Craigslist, will no longer exist. In a David and Goliath like battle, it looks like the little guy has won.

When signing on to the site, instantly a window pops up notifying users that the service will discontinue on July 31st and that new accounts are no longer allowed to be created. The site also states that current listings will remain on the site until they expire.

Microsoft released the beta version of the site in 2006. In a press release, Microsoft touted the success of it’s own service by stating “In a recent beta test among Microsoft employees in the Puget Sound area, more than 25 percent of employees used the service, listing more than 3,000 items.” The new site promised integration of such products as Live Messenger and Windows Local Live Mapping. It also offered security by having a feature that one could limit the listings to members of their Windows Live Contacts.

The site listings were similar to Craigslist, but offered all listings by zip code instead of city or regions. In further releases Live Expo also tried to step up user interest by adding integration with popular social networking site Facebook, communities, and image preview. All of which came to a dismal failure.

What was the downfall to Live Expo? Could it be that everyone is getting tired of Microsoft’s constant claims that integration of their products with each other makes using these services easier? Is it that people perhaps just want to sell their items without all the fluff and hassle? Perhaps it was just the fact that consumers are a little tired of having things shoved down their throats.