AccuWeather.com announced the launch of the redesigned and expanded Astronomy Center. This interest area features a wealth of astronomy-related content for beginners, experts, and everyone in-between.

The Astronomy Center was launched on the date of a total lunar eclipse which took place pre-dawn Tuesday between 4:51 AM and 5:32 AM EST. It is also available in time for the end of August when Jupiter, Neptune, and the annual Perseid meteor shower are most visible. Visitors to the site are provided with all the up-to-date information, advice, and news they need to observe these and other phenomena in the night skies.

Sometime life imitates art and it gives me the excuse to be insufferable and mock one of our readers. While I don’t always get to mock readers, I often feel that the best way to respond to a mock is with one of my own.

Read this Computing Unplugged article.

One of the fundamental functions of a network is the transfer of data packets from one location to another, or routing. The absence of a fixed infrastructure makes routing a challenge a mobile ad-hoc environment. In this article, Contributing Editor Humayun Bakht show you what causes routing problems and how you can overcome these challenges in a mobile ad-hoc network.

Read this Computing Unplugged article.

Sony has introduced its Vaio LT HD PC/TV, an all-in-one computer designed to appeal to users who want their computer to do double-duty as a TV. It will be available in October starting at $1,900.

The all-in-one design and widescreen 22-inch display is evocative of Apple’s iMac, but the Vaio LT sports some distinct differences. It can support a CableCard, for example, which allows the unit to work in conjunction with premium digital cable television service. An “HD” model is also available for $2,900 that adds Blu-ray Disc playback and burning capabilities.

Because it’s designed to work as both a computer and a TV, the Vaio LT sports an A/V power switch that lets you shut down the TV circuitry while still operating it as a computer. The system keeps wires to a minimum by including a wireless keyboard and mouse.

Power Hero is a new Treo utility from Hobbyist Software, makers of the Treo apps Butler and Phone Technician. Power Here is designed to help you get the most out of your battery life. It features automatic power-saving features, customised scheduling, auto-bluetooth, a power-use console and handy shortcuts to easily control the power-using features on your Treo directly from your launcher.

AppCloser is a light-weight, free utility for Windows Mobile 5 smartphones. Although designed for the HTC s620 and compatible phones, it should run on a variety of devices including Windows Mobile 6 phones. Essentially, every time the user returns to the home screen, the utility closes all programs in a set list to help free up memory. It does this transparently to the user. AppCloser attempts to close an application and if it does not respond, it forcibly terminates it. Once installed, start AppCloser from the file explorer. Then press the home key to return to the home screen. AppCloser is now running on your phone.

HTC Europe just released the next long awaited Windows Mobile 6 ROM upgrade for its current line of Windows Mobile Pocket PCs. O2 launched its Windows Mobile 6-enabled version of the HTC Herald (O2 Xda terra) back in April, now HTC is releasing the Windows Mobile 6 bits for its version of the Herald, the HTC P4350. HTC P4350 users can download the Windows Mobile 6 ROM upgrade exclusively from the “My Downloads” section of HTC eClub.

The Boxwave iPhone Charging Adapter is the ONLY charging solution on the market that can bridge the gap between a generic USB charger and your iPhone. For anyone who switched phones or devices to the iPhone and found themselves unable to use their mobile chargers, this is the only charging accessory that can allow them to use their previous chargers. Boxwave is practically giving these away for 50% off, that’s $3.98 a piece.

According to a new survey from the IBM Institute for Business Value, the amount of personal time that consumers now spend on the Internet rivals the amount of time they spend watching TV.

A total of 66 percent of the new survey’s respondents reported viewing television programs from one to four hours per day, versus 60 percent who reported the same levels of personal Internet use. Moreover, researchers said the traditional TV set is increasingly taking a back seat to PCs and cellular handsets among consumers between the ages of 18 and 34.

The HTC p3600i comes with Quadband GSM, Triband WCDMA (3G), high-speed WiFi (802.11g), GPRS, EDGE, Bluetooth 2.0 and it’s also 3.5G HSDPA ready. HSDPA will give you ultra-fast downloads on your p3600i. Accessing mobile services like email, the Internet and 3G content will give you a faster and ultimately a better browsing and downloading experience. The p3600i is able to access the Internet up to 5 times faster than current 3G speeds (subject to network conditions).