Launched in September by Rhode Island-based KVH Industries, TracNet brings the Internet to the installed screens in a car, truck, RV or boat. It also turns the entire vehicle into a wireless hot spot, so passengers can use their laptops to go online. While TracNet is still very new, KVH spokesman Chris Watson said there has been interest from owners of recreational vehicles and boats. He also predicted the service would be a hit with car services, which see it as a way to provide a new convenience for customers.

Employment lawyers are warning companies they could face liability or workers’ compensation claims related to employee injuries from personal digital assistants. The American Physical Therapy Association, and other occupational organizations warn that improper use and overuse of PDAs can lead to hand throbbing, tendonitis and swelling, a condition known as BlackBerry Thumb, named after the popular PDA.

In a sign that quality control problems at Google persist, the Google Video team sent an email to about 50,000 recipients yesterday that may have contained a virus. The email was sent to a discussion list focused on its Google Video blog.

KeyPoint Technologies has launched AdapTex, a revolutionary new predictive language software for Windows Mobile 5 and Pocket PC 2003 devices. AdapTex transforms the speed, accuracy and user experience of applications such as push email, text messaging, mobile blogging and even authoring documents on handheld devices.

The good people at Portelligent released a study this week comparing three big mobile email devices: the Motorola Q, Nokia E61, and the BlackBerry 8700c. It looks like an interesting read, and it raises a few questions. What exactly will happen now that Google, Yahoo!, and Microsoft are pushing portable versions of their Web email packages to mobile phones?

Has a software application “saved your life?” Has technology made you more productive or helped you to become a hero in your company? Basex, the technology analyst firm in the knowledge worker marketplace, wants to know, and is sponsoring The Office Worker Challenge to find out. The online contest, judged by Basex analysts, seeks the best examples of how office workers have adapted technology in creative ways. Entrants are encouraged to share success stories of how they were able to push the technology envelope, making an individual or company more successful, productive, agile and/or profitable. The three top submissions will win a brand new Palm Treo 680, Palm’s hip new quad-band smartphone. The best stories will be included in an upcoming book on office productivity; entrants can request a complimentary executive summary of the book.

Play hard, record everything, even underwater. Oregon Scientific announced the next generation of its action camera lineup: the ATC2K. Weighing in at less than a pound (with batteries), this hands-free, self-contained action cam delivers full color digital video in 640×480 VGA at 30 frames per second, nearly twice the video quality of its best-selling predecessor, ATC-1000. ATC2K shoots high quality video in up to three meters of water for the duration of the battery life. Expandable up to 2GB, with a built-in SD card slot and 32MB of internal memory, ATC2K mounts easily on helmets, bikes, race cars, dirt bikes and more. Wipe outs in a white out? No worries, ATC2K is also shock-resistant for extreme sports activity.

BoxWave has released the Designio Leather Sleeve for the BlackBerry Pearl, Designio Leather Case for the BlackBerry Pearl, and Armor Case w/cut out keyboard for the BlackBerry 7100t.

BoxWave has released multiple products for the Axim x50/x50v and x51/x51v, including the ElectraSpan High Capacity Battery, Desktop Cradle, Standard Capacity Battery, and Car Charger Direct. These products are in addition to the full complement of cables, screen protectors, and cases BoxWave already provides for the Axim x50/x50v and x51/x51v.

Alienware–manufacturer of high-performance desktop, notebook, media center and professional systems–is continuing to feed the needs of graphic-hungry users. The PC maker will equip its most powerful desktops with the new NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTX graphics processing units in single or dual-GPU mode with NVIDIA SLI technology. Customers purchasing Area-51 7500, Aurora 7500, and ALX desktops will be able to configure their systems with the industry’s first GPU to be fully compliant with next-generation DirectX 10 games and applications.