Archive for January, 2009
Lenovo has been teasing a dual screen laptop for some time, and now we finally have a confirmation on the machine. The Lenovo ThinkPad W700ds features a 17 inch primary display with a 10 inch slide-out secondary display. Details are scarce, but sources say that the system will make use of high-end Intel CPUs, optional RAID HDD/SSD setups, NVIDIA Quadro FX graphics acceleration, up to 8GB of DDR3 RAM and dual-link DVI/Display Port/VGA support. (more…)
This handset is creating a lot of buzz, and could be the big comeback product Palm has been looking for. The Palm Pre is a touchscreen phone with a slide-out full qwerty keyboard. The Pre includes a web browser which is based on Webkit, like the T-Mobile G1 and Apple iPhone browsers.
Besides the touchscreen and the full qwerty keyboard, the Pre also features a trackball similar to the one on Blackberry handsets. (more…)
One of the major developments that came out of 2008 was Netflix’s announcement that they would stream movies directly to your home via a set-top box or PC. Amazon and Apple followed suit with this advancement and offered similar services as well. What makes this new service different, however, is that Netflix will stream the movies directly to your TV without filtering through a set-top box or PC, meaning the service will be specially built-in to the television itself. (more…)
With spring coming around the corner, it will soon be warm enough to spend time outside and enjoy the weather once again. Maybe go for a bike ride, or lay out on the beach. On these kinds of outings, it is very common to bring along some kind of gadget with us, be it a cell phone, iPod, digital camera or laptop. Whatever the case may be, our gadgets use batteries, and if we plan on being out for a long time to enjoy the day, chances are those gadgets are going to run out of juice.
This handy pair of sunglasses can act as solar panels to absorb sunlight and convert it into energy for your devices. (more…)
There are handy gadgets on the market these days that serve as a benefit in one way or another, and then there are the gadgets that satisfy some aesthetic but serve no other purpose at all. There are dozens, if not hundreds or even thousands, of gadgets out there that provide no benefit other than being cool, or funny, or even oddly disturbing.
Below we’ve got a list of gadgets that are superfluous in function, yet fun and entertaining. We present to you 19 weird and wacky gadgets that you will probably never need.
- RSStroom Reader
The RSStroom reader by Yi Tien Electronics is a news ticker style printer that will print your selected RSS feeds directly onto rolls of toilet paper. Read your news while you’re in the restroom, and then put your news to good use when you’re done.
- Rubiks Cube MP3 Player
The Rubik Cube Mp3 Player has the appearance of the classic Rubik’s cube puzzle, and even has a similar function, requiring that you solve different parts of the puzzle in order to operate the player. Each layer you solve has different functions, such as play, pause, and skip. You must completely solve the puzzle in order to turn off the player. Impractical? Yes. Entertaining? …Maybe.
- Ashtray Smoke Sucker
In order to accommodate non-smokers, smokers could make use of the ashtray smoke sucker, a small USB powered device that acts as an ashtray but also contains an internal fan that sucks in cigarette smoke, running it through a carbon filter.
- Aquaduct Bike
The Aquaduct bike by IDEO is a fully functioning tricycle with a built-in tank of water. Once you fill the tank and operate the bike, it will begin to purify the water. It’s handy for outings when you have to fill up the tank at a questionable public water source.
- Anti-Theft Car/Bike Stickers
This sticker set is designed to be used to make your vehicle appear rusted and undesirable, so as to prevent theft. How effective that is, I don’t know, but it sounds pretty weird and wacky. (more…)
A team of scientists at the University of Glasgow in Scotland are currently conducting research in the advancement of digital imaging. This endeavor has been supported by a $740,000 grant from the Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council of Scotland. The research will focus on a phenomenon known as surface plasmon resonance, which is “an effect exhibited by certain metals when light waves fall onto their surfaces.” (more…)
All-in-One desktop computers are all the rage these days, and Lenovo’s entry into the market is definitely a heavy hitter. It’s curved, seamless design is very aesthetically pleasing and has a very clean and modern appearance, though it seems to borrow a bit from the iMac. Overall, it is a fairly standard desktop unit with fairly standard components. Some of the more favorable features are optional, so the starting price of $999 may quickly escalate depending on what features you decide to add. (more…)
A research team at Hanyung University in South Korea, led by Professor Cho Jaephil (pictured), have made a breakthrough in battery technology that has the potential to extend the life of a lithium ion battery by 800%. This is made possible by the use of a three-dimensional porous silicon core to replace the graphite cathode material in standard lithium ion batteries, which can store eight times the amount of lithium ions. (more…)
T.V. Raman, a Google engineer and computer scientist who lost his eyesight at age fourteen, is working to develop a touch screen cell phone that can be used by the blind.
Raman has contributed to many blind-accessible computer applications, and the development of a new cell phone is only the next logical step. Touch screens are the latest tech trend to sweep the cell phone market, but with no buttons to guide the fingers on its glossy surface it can be particularly challenging for someone who cannot see the buttons to use it properly.
Rather than having the keypad appear on the screen in its standard configuration, Raman’s touch screen instead places the numbers in relative positions. The center of the keypad will be associated with a specific number, and then each of the other numbers will be dialed by sliding the finger in a specific direction relative to that center point. Up and to the left for 1, down and to the right for 9, etc. A mistake can be undone by shaking the phone, which will also make use of motion detection. (more…)
Clickfree has introduced the new Transformer Cable which, as the company stated, is “the first and only USB cable that turns ordinary external hard drives into truly automatic Clickfree backup solutions.”
To use the functionality, users just simply connect their external hard drive to their computer using the Transformer Cable without any need for any software installation for quick and easy backups.
The cable itself uses built-in software to automatically scan, organize, and backup your data onto the external hard drive for a truly “click free” backup solution.
(more…)
