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.

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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.

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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.

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Today both Apple and Samsung have thrown into the ring two new 3G telephones that will be released to the public soon: the Apple iPhone 3G and Samsung’s new iPhone contender, the Omnia.

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OCZ has become one of the few companies to hop on the DIY notebook train with its OCZ DIY Gaming Notebook. Though the company famous for its gaming gear has yet to announce a release date or price for the barebones laptop, the specs are fairly decent. Included in the DIY kit one gets a notebook with a 15.4″ WXGA display, 512 MB GeForce 8600 GT, a DVD burner, integrated HD audio, and a motherboard that utilizes the Intel PM965 chipset. The portable computer also features a touchpad, fingerprint scanner, 2 MP webcam, keyboard, and 9-cell battery.

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The Sonicare is an electric toothbrush by Phillips that has been around for over four years now. Originally costing hundreds of dollars, the brush’s price has gone down considerably over the years and has brought the electric toothbrush in reach of the average consumer. With almost ten Sonicare models on the market and dozens of look-alikes from competitors, many consumers are often confused about which Sonicare toothbrush best fits their need and if they even need one. This review from a Sonicare user explains the benefits of the brush and provides an overview and comparison of the most popular Sonicare models. Anyone looking to buy a toothbrush or who simply wants to improve their dental hygiene should read it.
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Amazon has the Panasonic BL-PA100KTA (High Definition Over Power Line Communication) kit for a low $40.98. The set two powerline Ethernet adapters, which retails on Panasonic’s website for $150, allows you to get a wired Ethernet network connection through a common household power outlet. The Panasonic adapters boast speeds of up to 190 Mbps and come with AES 128-bit encryption to keep prying eyes away from your data.

Powerline Ethernet adapters are especially useful in that they can give you a fast connection without the need of wireless networks, which often incur signal issues and can be difficult for the average user to set up. Use them to get computers, media servers, and even game consoles on the Internet.

Link

 Taken by millions of high school students every year, the ACT is a college admissions test similar to the SAT. Scores for the test, which range from 1 to 36, are generally available four to six weeks after each testing, but can be viewed early on the Iowa-based testing company’s website for a fee after a set date. Unbeknownst to ACT, a group of cunning students have discovered a way to view ACT test results early for free, before they become officially available on the company’s site.

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Recent reports by the folks at AT&T indicate the upcoming 3G iPhone could come with a new $199 price tag. Normally priced starting at $399, the touch phone and iPod combo released by Apple nearly a year ago has proven to be a major success. If Apple does indeed lower the phone’s price to $199, expect the device’s already high sales to explode.

Personally, I don’t see the price drop happening. Maybe a cut down version of the iPhone similar to the iPod nano will be released for $199, but why would Apple release something they can barely keep in stock at a $399 price point for half as much? Doing so would not only jeopardize sales for the less expensive iPod Touch and traditional iPod Classic, which start at $299 and $249 respectively, but how could Apple even meet the heavy demand that would likely result from such a price decrease?

[Seeking Alpha via Low End Mac]

If you haven’t been living under a rock for the last month, you’ll know there’s a Miami outfit by the name of Psystar that has made the news recently for its offering of Mac clones. Dubbed the Open Computer, the machine is sold with your choice of Windows, Linux, or OS X Leopard. This has raised some heads, as not only may the installation of OS X on non-Apple hardware violate anti-trust laws, but other doubts have been raised about the company’s legitimacy. Now, PC Fastlane has found evidence that the Psystar headquarters shown on their website may not be same building as the one at their reported address.

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