.::REALITYRECALL::.

When Windows Update installs certain types of updates, a reboot is required so that certain software components can be updated while they’re not running. Unfortunately, this means that many people will leave their PCs running, with open applications and unsaved data, and in many cases, they’ll wake up the next day to discover the PC was automatically rebooted by Windows Update. Here’s how to stay secure, but prevent the computer from rebooting automatically.

Roadside electronics that emit high-pitched whines and strobe lights could save deer from becoming roadkill.

ASUS just dumped Windows Embedded Compact 7 for Android for its lower-end tablet devices, and CEO Jerry Shen is passing along the savings. He’s pledging that the 10-inch Eee Pad EP101TC, due to ship in March, will cost under $399 — and if the Notion Ink Adam is any indication that means it’ll be $398. Then there’s the EP121, a 12-inch tablet running Windows 7 that’s positioned rather higher up in the market, as indicated by its $1,000 price tag. Shen says this high cost is due to that docking station able to intriguingly transform it into a laptop when it ships around December or January. Next is yet another Eee Pad due around January, one that will run Windows Embedded Compact 7 on a 10-inch screen and at a price somewhere south of $499. Finally, there’s the grayscale Eee Tablet e-reader thing, formerly rumored to be under $599 but now priced at a solid $300 and, supposedly, shipping in October. Surely we’re mere months away from tablet saturation at this point.

ASUS prices 10-inch Android Eee Pad under $399, 8-inch Eee Tablet at $300, other tablets too originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Aug 2010 07:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google Docs is a great solution for saving and sharing documents online, but browsing to the site every time is time consuming. Here we look at a Desktop Gadget that lets you upload files with a simple drag & drop.

Install and Upload Docs with the Cloud Drive Gadget

Head to the Cloud Drive gadget download site (link below), and click Download to get started.

This is a 3rd party gadget, so you’ll be asked to verify you want to download it.  Click Install to go ahead and download it.

Once the Gadget is downloaded, run and install it as normal.

The gadget should appear on your desktop as soon as you install it and you can add it from the gadget gallery as well.

You’ll need to add your Google account info before you can upload files.  Click the gear button to open the Options pane.

Now enter your Google account info, and click Ok.  You can also enter an Advanced Key for more features such as previewing your recently uploaded files and one-click access to the document you just uploaded; to get one, you’ll need to make a donation at the developer’s site.

You’re now ready to add files to Google Docs.  Simply drag any document you want to upload and drop it on the gadget.

The gadget will now change to show that it’s uploading your file.

The Gadget will let you know when the upload is finished.  Uploading most documents only took a few seconds in our tests.  Since you can just drag and drop the documents into the gadget, it’s almost as easy as saving a file on your computer or putting it in your Dropbox.

You’ll be able to see your document in Google Docs ready for you to edit online or share with others.  As usual, Google docs will lose some formatting from Word, but this is the same regardless of how you upload documents.

Conclusion

This little desktop gadget makes it very simple to add your documents to Google Docs.  It’s much quicker and easier than logging in to the Google Docs dashboard to upload files, so it should make it easier to keep your files online if you prefer Google’s web apps.  Since it’s just a desktop gadget, it’s also less resource intensive than many other desktop Google Docs solutions.

If you’re a command line geek, you might also be interested in our article about Using Google Services Via Command Prompt; you can even upload documents to Google Docs this way.  Or you could try Mounting Google Docs in Explorer so you can save files directly to Google Docs just like any other folder.

Links

Download the Cloud Drive gadget

Get More Info From the Developer’s Site

Continue reading Microsoft Adaptive Keyboard prototype debuts at center of UIST Student Innovation Contest

Microsoft Adaptive Keyboard prototype debuts at center of UIST Student Innovation Contest originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Aug 2010 16:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Android 2.2: Google’s taken its voice-to-text obsession even further with Voice Actions for Android. Rather than just searching or calling, you can send texts, pull up music or web pages and maps, or even set an alarm—all with your voice. More »

General Motors Co. has announced CEO Ed Whitacre will resign effective Sept. 1.

While most popular torrent sites are trackers with a more minimalistic search engine, newcomer Take.fm takes a different approach, focusing on the searching, browsing, and community aspect of BitTorrent. More »

Microsoft is planning to release beta 2 of Windows Live Essentials 2011 next Tuesday.

According to sources familiar with Microsoft’s plans, the software giant will be issuing a second beta update to address a range of issues found in the recent public beta. The beta will also include updated program icons…

Windows/Mac/Linux: It’s not on the official Mozilla servers yet, but a third beta of Firefox 3 is offered up at Softpedia, and likely on a few Mozilla mirrors. The most notable new feature is support for Windows 7’s touch interface, along with some JavaScript engine improvements. If you’re in need of extension support in this latest beta, here’s how to make your add-ons install anyway. [via Download Squad] More »

Over on the Apple Support forums, we’ve noticed a large amount of users saying that their car stereos are no longer working with Apples iOS 4. update. Users report that after updating an iPhone (or iPod) to iOS 4, plugging the phone into the cars integrated stereo create errors indicating…

Cito Gaston says he’s turned the page on the possibility of managing the Toronto Blue Jays in 2011 and doesn’t see a point in returning for another season.

We’d already heard that Samsung’s 7-inch Android-based tablet (apparently known as the Galaxy Tab) would be rolling out sometime in the third quarter of this year, and it looks like we now also know when it’ll be making its official debut. According to South Korea’s JoongAng Daily, an unnamed “high-ranking official” at Samsung has confirmed that the device will be officially unveiled at IFA, which kicks off September 3rd in Berlin. No more new details beyond that, unfortunately, but previous reports have suggested that the device will match its smartphone counterpart with an AMOLED display, and boast some decent specs across the board, including Android 2.2, a 1.2GHz Cortex A8 processor, 16GB of on-board memory, and both WiFi and 3G connectivity.

Samsung’s Galaxy Tab said to be debuting at IFA next month originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Aug 2010 18:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Whether you don’t have the time or just can’t stand to sit through another 15- to 30-second ad before your YouTube video loads, reader DannyBR points out a simple solution. More »