We just got a consumer electronics product in for review in Computing Unplugged Magazine and were quite disturbed to find that this product, quietly and without notification, installs a copy of Apache on the user’s computer. We’re looking for an Apache expert who’ll volunteer to look at the httpd.conf file the product generates and let us know if there are any serious flaws or concerns in the implementation (above and beyond the whole discussion about installing Apache to begin with). If you’re able to take a look at the file, please contact david@ZATZ.com. We’ll give you a mention in the article as a thank-you!

Here’s a short reminder. If you’re working on articles or photo collections to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of Powered Flight Special Issues, they’re due to us by December 5. Please be sure to send them in to editor@ZATZ.com.

The New York Times’ David Pogue asks if the technology industry were a traditional family, sitting down to a Thanksgiving dinner, what would those gathered have to be thankful for? He goes on to list several things such as Google, one-dollar downloads, and digital photography. Free registration is required to view this article.

Agilix Labs announced the delivery of the FranklinCovey TabletPlanner 3.0 to strategic partner FranklinCovey. TabletPlanner is a custom-developed software solution that combines Agilix note-taking, storage, and search technology with FranklinCovey’s productivity and planning methodology. With TabletPlanner 3.0, you can keep appointments, tasks, and contacts in sync with Microsoft Office Outlook 2003 or Microsoft Exchange 2003. You can also annotate, search, and store any document in a virtual document filing system, including Microsoft Office 2003 applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Visio,), Adobe Acrobat, Web pages, and email.

Proporta announced the latest addition to its leather case line-up, the Proporta Dell Axim X3 Leather Flip Case. The flip type case has been custom made for the Axim X3 following Proporta’s strict design policies, in order to fit all contours of the PDA perfectly. The Proporta Dell Axim X3 leather flip case also has space for credit, business and memory cards for multi-function use.

ZIM announced that three of its wireless products have been selected by Singapore’s fastest growing carrier, StarHub, for introduction to its customer base. The products, to be called StarHub SMS Office (Standard and Enterprise Editions) and StarHub SMS Mail, feature wireless email connectivity through SMS text messaging. StarHub SMS Mail allows email forwarding from any POP 3 account to a mobile phone with reply capabilities. StarHub SMS Office Standard Edition, designed for the Microsoft Outlook environment, allows users not only to receive, reply to and forward email, but also integrates reminders and calendar items too. The more advanced version, StarHub SMS Office Enterprise Edition, is designed for a networked environment.

Susteen announced that its DataPilot Universal Kit is now available for purchase in all Best Buy stores. DataPilot allows the transfer of contact information between your mobile phone, PC, Palm Desktop, and other PDAs. This software also interfaces with the contact management software running on your PC, such as Microsoft Outlook, Outlook Express and ACT!. It supports over 150 cell phone models including the most popular ones.

The New York Times says that as more consumers begin surfing the Web and sending email messages on cellphone and handheld devices, along comes a new worry: worms and viruses spread via Internet-enabled handsets. Free registration is required to view this article.

CNET Networks said it plans early next year to offer a music upload and download destination for independent artists on its newly acquired MP3.com Web site. CNET earlier this month agreed to acquire the online music site MP3.com from Vivendi Universal for an undisclosed price. According to Forbes, as part of that agreement, the MP3 site, which hosts music from 250,000 mostly unsigned artists, will shut down and the material on the site will be destroyed.

Techworld reports that British mobile phone developer Sendo has become the latest company to announce a one-piece smartphone. Due to ship during the first quarter of 2004, the Sendo X is based on the Symbian Series 60 operating system already used in phones from Nokia, Siemens and others, but with extensions. The Sendo X comes with synchronization software for a range of PC applications, including Microsoft Outlook, Lotus Notes and Lotus Organizer.