Filed under: GPS

It’s been a hot minute since we’ve seen anything fresh from FineDigital, but the firm has just introduced the slim and seductive FineDrive X700 over in South Korea. Humorously, the company is asserting that this particular unit is the first of its kind to offer voice recognition, but even a light amount of research would help it understand such a statement is far from being true. Nevertheless, the unit does look to offer a spacious screen and a bundled remote, but details beyond that are unfortunately absent.

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Filed under: GPS, Portable Audio

If you were with us during the Pioneer press conference, then their new AVIC LINC system is old news to you tough guy. However, the details are new. Designed to integrate with any factory car audio installation, Pioneer’s new AVIC-F500BT system offers the ability to add in-car navigation and extended entertainment without modifying your existing car stereo. The primary feature is the VoiceBox Conversational Voice Search Platform — an advanced voice technology for control over Apple’s ubiquitous iPod and Bluetooth enabled devices. It’s sophisticated enough to analyze and then execute on commands as varied as “I want to hear the artist U2″ or “play U2″ or even a Foghorned, “Why I say, why I say boy, um, play U2.” It also features a 5.8-inch, WVGA touch screen, text to speech, and the ability to accept media via a USB bunged device or SD cards for MP3 or WMA playback. New POI’s can be added via SD cards and a rechargeable battery lets you take it on the go. Look for it this Spring for an undisclosed price.

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Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

We’re not certain why call center employees need even more reasons to treat customers condescendingly, but Siemens has announced that it’s developing tech that will “intelligently” assign reps to callers based on determinations of age and gender. No word on how the system makes the determinations, but we’re not going to be happy if we have to start doing Marilyn Monroe impressions just to get someone on the phone.

[Via The Raw Feed]

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Pudding Media, a California-based startup, is opening up a beta test of its internet calling service, and while calls are said to be completely free, there’s most definitely a catch. Users making the call will be presented with advertisements that actually relate to the conversation taking place, as the company’s speech recognition software picks out key words and beams in ads based on what you’re yappin’ about. Notably, the company actually seems quite interested in licensing its technology out rather than becoming “an independent provider of ad-financed internet phone calls,” and while we’re sure hordes of privacy advocates will be none too pleased with the setup, those without issue can head on over and give it a try today.

[Via Yahoo]

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!