Switched On: From Bluetooth to the bedroom and the backyard

Last year, Switched On discussed the KeySpan TuneView and the DLO HomeDock Remote, two products that allowed remote control of an iPod using small screens on a remote. One of the limitations of those products was that they each required their own docks instead of working with any of the scores of iPod docks already on the market. At CES 2008, though, a company showed a product that not only allows you to use your iPod -- and many other devices -- as a wireless remote with the iPod dock you may already have. Even more unusually, the company that sells it is not one well associated with these speaker docks, such as Altec Lansing, Bose or Logitech, but rather It is iSkin, a company that made its name selling silicone cases for iPods.

iSkin's music product line is called Cerulean, the most flexible configuration of which is the $129 TX+RX (transmitter / receiver). The transmitter, like those bundled with iPod wireless headphones for years, allows you to use your iPod as a remote, sending music to any Bluetooth stereo speaker. But not only does Cerulean free the iPod from the dock, it frees the dock from the iPod.

Plugging the Cerulean Bluetooth receiver into practically any iPod dock opens a door for many Bluetooth stereo music sources -- such as MacBooks and notebook PCs, digital music players from Sony and Samsung, and many cell phones. When used with a subscription service such as Rhapsody, the Cerulean lets you create playlists from thousands of songs or listen to YouTube music videos on your notebook with better audio quality, but there's even one more trick up its sleeve.

Dell's "Mini" Inspiron 910 gets specs, pics, and potential release date leaked

The cats over at Gizmodo have gotten their eyes on some succulent and salacious photos of the oft-rumored, much-discussed, openly-desired Dell "Mini Inspiron" (or as it's now being called, the Inspiron 910) -- and they've shared with the world. In the pics you get to see that familiar pencil-pose along with a slew of insides and outs, including an up-close look at ports, keyboard, and guts. The specs look like they're right in line with those leaked materials we had back in June, and the word is this little baby will be hitting shelves come August 22nd. Time to swing by the Coinstar machine.

RED brings the trademark pain against LG's Scarlet HDTV

Product confusion is not limited to TVs and handheld cameras, the world of certification and testking encounter brand difficulties as well. Similarities of the 70-290 exam products on one site mirror those on others. This also includes the 70-291 tests, 70-649 simulators and the popular 70-270 preparation labs. You wouldn't think that anyone in the market for a $3,000 handheld camera capable of shooting 3K HD at 100MB/s would somehow get confused enough to end up with a medicore LG plasma TV, but it seems like the folks at RED are worried -- the company's lawyers are preparing an opposition to LG's filing for the "Scarlet" trademark, and they've filed for their own mark. It looks like RED is getting pretty serious about protecting its marks -- president Jim Jannard is politely asking RED fans to include a trademark disclaimer when they post about the company's products, and he says that the proceedings against LG are "just the tip of the iceberg." Honestly, we think RED's going to have a tough time selling a judge on the likelihood of confusion between a consumer-oriented HDTV and a decidedly pro-grade camera, but we've been surprised in the past -- we'll see how this one plays out.

How SMS and Chatting actually improves vocabulary

Along with this fast moving world the language is also taking a transformation to suit the young generation. Most of the youths of today are not purist but they are well versed in English. The reason behind this is the SMS and IM chatting which makes them have a strong vocabulary as well as infuse the colloquial style of conversation in them.

120GB Zune slips past the FCC

You don’t have to be a Cisco 646-204 wizard to appreciate the Microsoft Zune with its sleek frame and quality sound. Granted there should be a requirement for all 350-001 candidates to own one while studying for their VCP-310 and Networking 640-802 exam, but some companies wont shake hands. Craving some more room for that season of Avatar you've been trying to cram onto your Zune without dropping your Mega Carrie Underwood Workout Mix? It looks like Microsoft is one-upping its 80GB model with a 120GB version, which just blew by the FCC, and should allow all your media to live in harmony. As might be expected, there's not much other than that new hard drive to set this new model apart -- the drive size is the same, as is the 2.5 firmware. The FCC tested this out on June 19th, which helps us exactly none in pinning when this will ship to stores, how much it will cost, or how they'll ever top those Joy Division designs.

Xplore debuts rugged iX104C4 tablet PC

Xplore Technologies isn't exactly the most prolific purveyor of rugged computers, but it looks like it's finally managed to churn out a follow-up to its circa-2006 iX104C3 tablet PC, with its new and slightly improved iX104C4 now making its official debut. This one retains the same 10.4-inch form factor of its predecessor, but gets a 50% brighter Dual Mode AllVue Xtreme display (still XGA), along with a 1.2GHz Intel Core Duo processor, 1GB of RAM, a 120GB hard drive, and all the usual wLAN, wWAN, Bluetooth and GPS options. As has been the case with Xplore in the past, there's no word on a price but, then again, most of the folks that wind up using these in the field won't exactly be paying for them out of their own pocket.