Mobile Computing News, Reviews, & Tips
News: Lenovo Recalls Notebook Batteries
Some ThinkPad batteries can overheat after being dropped, Lenovo warned recently, then recalled 208,000 notebook batteries worldwide. The company said five customers had complained that their batteries overheated after they had dropped or hit the notebooks. The defect caused minor eye irritation for one user and damaged the property and computers of the others, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
News: Dell and Lenovo Sell Linux-Ready Notebooks
Dell and Lenovo are quietly selling notebooks without preloaded Microsoft Windows, which appeals to those who'd rather install the Linux OS, according to Lincoln Durey, CEO of EmperorLinux, an Atlanta company that customizes, installs and supports Linux on the notebooks it sells. For example, many Dell Latitudes are now available without an OS.
News: Faster 3G from Verizon
Verizon Wireless has announced five areas where Revision A of its Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO) technology is commercially available: parts of Massachusetts, including Boston and its suburbs; Chicago; Gary, Indiana and suburbs; Salt Lake City and other cities in Utah; the Richmond and Hampton Roads, Virginia areas; and throughout the broadband coverage area in Florida. Verizon already has EV-DO in many places across the country. But that version offers upload speed of less than 100 kilobits per second. Revision A delivers between 300 kbps and 400 kbps upstream, the company says.
Shameless Plug: My New Travel and Tech Blog
Recently, I launched a blog, Traveler 2.0, dedicated to "technology news & views for people on the go." From time to time, I'll include photos, video clips, and other information related to articles I cover in this column. When you have a moment, please take a look at the blog and tell me what you think.
Suggestion Box
Is there a particularly cool mobile computing product or service I've missed? Got a spare story idea in your back pocket? Tell me about it. However, I regret that I'm unable to respond to tech-support questions, due to the volume of e-mail I receive.
Contributing Editor James A. Martin offers tools, tips, and product recommendations to help you make the most of computing on the go. Martin is also author of the Traveler 2.0 blog. Sign up to have the Mobile Computing Newsletter e-mailed to you each week.
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