Today Indiana became the 32nd state to legally ban texting while driving. The bill was signed by Mitch Daniels, the governor of Indiana. The law will go into effect on July 1.

Coby Electronics has announced a recall of nearly 20,000 rechargeable batteries sold with its portable DVD players between January 2007 and September 2009. The electronics manufacturer says they may overheat, creating a fire hazard. So far they have had 10 reports of such an incident and 8 of them resulted in fires. Fortunately no one more »

If you didn’t know, I was running an experiment for the month of May where I would run two Windows XP machines. Neither one would have anti-virus or anti-spyware running. One machine was dubbed “Win Idiot” and was used in a way an idiot would use their computer. The other machine, “Cautious Windows,” only visits “safe” sites. Let’s see where we stand at the end of the experiment.

If you didn’t know, I am running an experiment using two Windows machines. Both are not running any antivirus or anti-spyware. One machine will be used in a limited fashion—going only to “safe” sites and being very cautious. The other machine is being used as if the user was an idiot. Week 1 went without a hitch. How about week 2? Keep reading.

If you didn’t know, I am running an experiment using two Windows machines. Both are not running any antivirus or anti-spyware. One machine will be used in a limited fashion — going only to “safe” sites and being very cautious. The other machine is being used as if the user was an idiot. So how are the machines faring? Keep reading.

Today, I will be starting an experiment that will last all of May, 2009. Here’s the setup: two machines, both running Windows XP that will be using Windows Updater (so the OS will be patched). Neither will have anti-virus or anti-spyware software running. With one machine I will only go to designated “safe” download sites and well known websites. With the other, I will act like an idiot.

I will provide weekly updates on Fridays and eventually at the end of the month will find out how screwed up each machine is using scanning tools. Are you ready for the experiment? More details to come.

Like David Hasselhoff, Amazon’s MP3 store will become huge in Germany according to a new survey. The survey asked which company would broadband users want to download music from. Choices included Amazon, Apple, and Microsoft. Those surveyed were all about Amazon. Also, if you bought an Insigna television, you may be affected by a recall. Faulty power supplies could lead to fires.

The model that I tested was the Cobra XRS 9960G Digital Radar and Laser Detector with the GPS Locator, it is currently available and retails for $389.95. The unit also comes with a lifetime subscription to the AURA Database which allows you stay up to date with the latest information including the locations of speed traps, speed cameras, red light cameras and dangerous intersections. The setup does take a few minutes, it is not hard by any means, but due to the GPS Locator it does require a little more effort than just sticking it on your windshield and plugging it in. Of course, you could simply use the radar detector by itself, but the GPS Locator is what really makes this unit special. Without getting super technical, I will say that using the XRS 9960G was a pleasure.

A new service focused around the use of cell phones has been announced, it’s called “My Mobile Witness.” Upon first seeing the name, I immediately felt like I wanted to bash it for being some sort of invasion of privacy-enabling service. Turns out that isn’t the case. My Mobile Witness is actually what it calls “a personal security device.” It actually sounds a bit useful if not hard to anticipate when to use it.

The service works by the user taking a picture of the area they are in, a license plate, a suspicious person, or something similar. The picture (or text message) is uploaded to a server that is apparently only viewable by police. The situations the press release describe would prove the service to be useful: taking a picture of a street sign in an unfamiliar area, taking a picture of a marker on an unfamiliar hiking path during a storm, among others. The information, if used for a crime, can apparently be used in court as well.

So, Junior just got his license and you’re worried about how fast he’s going to be ripping around the neighborhood, huh? Well, Ford just may have the solution you’re looking for. They’re coming out with the new MyKey and it is aimed to help parents both monitor and limit certain areas of their children’s driving habits.

With MyKey, drivers won’t be able to go over 80 miles an hour, and a warning chime will go off at 45, 55 and 65 miles per hour. Kids won’t be able to turn on the radio until they are nice and safe and secure by fastening their seat belt. Even once they can turn the radio on, there isn’t much danger of them blasting it, since the volume is limited to 44 percent of the maximum allowed.