Gadgets Blog

Phoenix Technologies has just announced the release of Phoenix Freeze, a patent-pending solution for laptops and netbooks that helps increase data security by providing users with a convenient, always-on Bluetooth proximity system which will lock down a laptop automatically whenever the user walks away from it. It will require a (naturally) Bluetooth-enabled cell phone and a Bluetooth-enabled laptop, and will be so easy to setup that you don’t have to worry about anyone snooping around behind your back on your computer anymore whenever you go off for a toilet or cigarette break. In addition, there is no need to waste time (hey, those few seconds add up over the years as a cubicle drone, you know) in constantly locking and unlocking the PC with passwords or finger swipes.

The Freeze laptop proximity lock need not be a standalone security detail for your laptop though, as it can always be use to augment the current setup by being part of a multifaceted authentication process. Those who are interested will be able to download Freeze, while PC OEMs have the choice to incorporate it into new laptops. Freeze, in essence, introduces a second level of laptop security to FailSafe, a true embedded and innovative theft deterrence and data loss protection technology. Should your laptop go missing due to carelessness or theft, FailSafe allows you to lock down your hard drive, erase all data within and disable and trace the location of their laptop completely. When coupled with Freeze, this results in what some might tout to be a comprehensive security ecosystem on their laptops that safeguards their digital lives.

So far, Freeze has proven to be a worthy servant on Windows XP and Vista-powered machines, so it remains to be seen whether it will play nice with Windows 7 or not. Nice to know you can even set the length of the proximity zone, making sure you can lock down the laptop before it even gets out of your sight.

Press Release

Panasonic has finally announced the pricing of its new Micro Four Thirds digital camera, the LUMIX DMC-GH1, where it will hit retail stores sometime early this June for a rather expensive $1,499.95. Well, at that price point, you not only get full High Definition video recording capability, you will also benefit from the inclusion of the LUMIX G VARIO 14-140mm/F4.0-5.8 ASPH/MEGA O.I.S. lens as part of the kit. This new lens will boast a silent motor and continuous auto focusing (AF) capability, making it fundamentally different from standard DSLRs.

For folks residing in the US, they will be able to pick up the LUMIX GH1 in the very same color that Henry Ford allowed the Model T to be available - black. Well, as mom always says, never judge a book by its cover, so let us put aside thoughts about black being the only color choice and concentrate on what else the LUMIX DMC-GH1 has to offer - the ability to record AVCHD 1080p/24p High Definition video, Panasonic’s iA (Intelligent Auto) mode, shutter speed adjustment during motion recording, aperture control that makes it convenient whenever there are several subjects at varying distances, letting one shoot both videos and photos that focus on the foreground and blur the background or vice versa in a jiffy.

According to David Briganti, Senior Product Manager, Imaging, Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company, “Since redefining the traditional DSLR category last year with the LUMIX G1 — which eliminated the internal mirror and thus dramatically reduced size of the camera body and lenses — Panasonic has been working to expand its award-winning LUMIX G Micro Four Thirds System line. Panasonic wants to offer increasingly innovative products and features that make photography fun and easy. The introduction of the LUMIX GH1 allows photographers of all levels to take superior quality photos and shoot HD video with a more compact, easy-to-use camera that provides increased creative capabilities.”

Press Release