Saturday, October 30, 2010

iPazzPort: A Tiny Keyboard and Touchpad For Your Pleasure



Want to control your devices from afar with something that looks like a mini-Blackberry? Want it to have a crazy name like iPazzPort? Man, today is lucky Friday because that’s what this thing is. Ready to have your mind blown? This thing also has a laser pointer! Want to pay only $43? Click on, McDuff!
53 keys handheld style keyboard with Touchpad
Backlight keyboard for convenient operation in darkness
Built-in laser pointer
Built-in rechargeable battery
On/Off switch
Operating Frequency: 2.4 DSSS Radio Transceiver
Operating Distance: 10 meters
Support Window 7 / Vista / XP, Mac OS X, Linux
Dimension: 60 x 100 x 10mm (approx.) (for Keyboard)
Weight: 44g

New Flexible AMOLED Screen Is A Tenth Of A Millimeter Thick





We’ve seen some thin, flexible displays out there (TDK, Sony, LG, HP, and others are working on them), but I do believe this one is the thinnest yet. The others have gotten as thin as 0.3mm, but this one from Taiwanese research company ITRI is a microscopic 0.1mm.
Who knows, that last 0.2mm could be the difference that makes a breakthrough device possible. Hopefully not literally breakthrough, though.
The technical advances that made this possible took its inspiration from Taiwanese crepes, of all things: ITRI included a sort of non-stick layer that allows… man, I don’t even know. Now I just want a crepe.

logo Lacie Rikiki USB 3.0 500 GB Hard Drive

Introduction

trans Lacie Rikiki USB 3.0 500 GB Hard Drive
With USB 3.0 and portable storage becoming more and more prevalent and most importantly cheaper, the game changes to getting the most for your money. “Most”, though is a relative term. What do you want the most of? Storage? Speed? Best speed per price? Best storage per price? Or just simply looks? Regardless of what your reasoning behind the decision, it is always good to get the best bang for the buck. Lacie offers a relatively large capacity(500GB) portable hard drive with a USB 3.0 interface enclosed in an aluminum casing. Join me as I find out what are the limits of the drive and leave the decision up to you.

thumbs rikiki usb3 9mm 3 4 left Lacie Rikiki USB 3.0 500 GB Hard Drive

Specifications

Item Number :301949
Capacity :500 GB
Interface :USB 3.0 (USB 2.0-compatible)
Interface Transfer Rate :USB 3.0: up to 5Gb/s (600MB/s)
USB 2.0: up to 480Mb/s (60MB/s)
Software :LaCie Setup Assistant; LaCie Backup Assistant (PC and Mac®),
10GB Wuala Secure Online Storage (1 year included)
Size :75 x 118.5 x 13.4 mm / 2.9 x 4.6 x 0.52 in.
Weight :176 g / 6.2 oz.
System Requirements :• Computer with a USB 3.0 or USB 2.0 port**
• High-speed internet for online storage
• Latest version of Windows® XP, Windows Vista®,
 Windows 7 / Mac OS X 10.5, 10.6
• Minimum free disk space: 600 MB recommended
Box Content :• LaCie Rikiki USB 3.0
• USB 3.0 cable (USB 2.0 compatible)
• Quick Install Guide
Comments :* 1TB = 1000GB. 1GB = 1,000,000,000 bytes.
Total accessible capacity varies depending upon operating environment (typically 5–10% less).
**For optimal performance,
 the drive must be connected to a USB 3.0 host port. Warranty: 2-year limited
Warranty :2-Year Limited Warranty

Swiftpoint Mouse Hands-on Review

Still remember about Swiftpoint mouse we talked about before? Finally I got the chance to review this cool device.
Though it was recommended to charge it fully before using, I couldn’t resist myself tearing the box and jump on my laptop with it. Inside the box, you’ll find Swiftpoint mouse, USB receiver/charger, parking accessory, and a user guide. The Rapid Charge feature of the mouse was quite impressive which let me use it for more than an hour by charging it only few minutes. That one hour of use resulted cramp on my hand due to the unusual size, shape and working process I guess, that disappeared with further use later on, giving me a feel that this mouse is actually meant for using on the go. Though the mouse is smaller than those we see around, it’s not too small to hold it as a pen, gliding easily on the laptop palm rest. However, as 10″ laptop user, I have difficulty using this mouse on the palm rest due to the lack of sufficient space.
Swiftpoint Mouse Review
Swiftpoint Mouse Review

Swiftpoint Mouse Review
No driver required to use the mouse, the plug-and-play simplicity enables the mouse to be operated quickly on any operating system. The sensor of the mouse is so powerful to enable precise and accurate operation. Scrolling over documents is super easy and stylish, just I had to tilt the mouse and slide the scroll wheel. Moreover, the Slide Scroll feature of the mouse enabled page through scrolling and zooming to get a closer look. The inclusion of Smart Touch feature made it energy efficient by stopping the movement of the mouse pointer when the finger grip doesn’t detect my finger on it. The customizable up direction is another feature that made me amazed which enabled me changing the up direction of the pointer according to my need.
Swiftpoint Mouse Review
Swiftpoint Mouse Review
Swiftpoint Mouse Review
The USB dock charging system is really a handy feature of the mouse that not only can receive wireless signal from up to 30 feet distance, it also charges the mouse docked securely with the laptop. This arrangement also gives users the freedom to move as they want, without worrying about misplacing the mouse. A full charge takes only around one and a half hour which enabled me using the mouse since last 4 days and still going on. The mouse LED as the battery status indicator let me know that further charging is not required yet. I am pretty happy with Swiftpoint mouse, however, I may only use it when traveling instead of using it as a general mouse at home.
Some features from the manufacture
  • Wireless, rechargeable optical mouse
  • Small, easy to use
  • Natural pen-like grip with padded thumb and finger grips
  • Lasts 2-4 weeks between charges
  • 30-second RapidCharge
  • Left-click and right-click buttons
  • Scroll wheel with SlideScroll for rapidly scrolling, zooming and paging
  • USB dock for charging and wireless operation
  • Plug-and-play simplicity
  • Parking Accessory for parking the mouse
  • Customizable ‘up’ direction
  • Customizable SmartTouch sensor
  • Designed for right-handed use

Saturday, October 23, 2010

FutureTech,

t’s time to move on and discard phone alarms and clocks! This is the new age people; we need cooler and hipper gear like this Alarm PilloIt’s time to move on and discard phone alarms and clocks! This is the new age people; we need cooler and hipper gear like this Alarm Pillow! It gently vibrates at the given hour, to wake you up with a buzz. And if you don’t get out of the bed, your head-weight acts as the snooze trigger. How awesome is that! The label-trigger is clever and fitting, I so need this for my sleepyhead daughter!w! It gently vibrates at the given hour, to wake you up with a buzz. And if you don’t get out of the bed, your head-weight acts as the snooze trigger. How awesome is that! The label-trigger is clever and fitting, I so need this for my sleepyhead daughter!

Designer: Seung Jun Jeong

Samsung Proxima Concept from Johan Loekito

Samsung Proxima Concept from Johan Loekito

June 14th in:  ConceptsGadgets,Industrial Design
7

This stylish concept isn’t so simple as it looks at the first glance. This is LED wristwatch and phone at the same time. It was created by industrial designer from California Johan Loekito. As it was noticed in description of device it is a collaborative project with Samsung Design America created in fall 2009. The slogan of this project – you’ll never lose your phone again. Open the post and you’ll know how it works.

watches
watches
watches
watches
watches
watches
watches
watches
watches
Proximity sensor detects the presence of the detachable unit. Never lose your phone again.
watches
Emits a warning tone when user moves away from detached unit. Press button to ‘call’ the detached unit.
watches
Allows user to locate contacts using the proximity sensor.
watches
Detachable unit features a color e-paper display and a dual OLED display.
watches
Detached screen. Calling mode.
watches

A Men’s Iron AND Sleek M10 Foldable Bluetooth Headset Design

A Men’s Iron by Nico Kläber
This iron has been designed to address male users. Common irons around are usually in round shape and white color, they only change the color into black to address male users. Nico Kläber tried to redesign our current iron into something more masculine. This concept is an example of how a real men‘s iron could look like – powerful, edged, metal-cool and no reason to hide it but much more to be proud of. It even has a practical novel functionality, users can reduce the size of the iron surface to precisely flatten shirt-sleeves. Simply use the lever to lift up the biggest part of the surface a tiny bit. Clever isn’t it?
Designer : Nico Kläber
A Men's Iron
A Men's Iron

A Men's Iron
A Men's Iron
A Men's Iron
A Men's Iron
A Men's Iron
  
Sleek M10 Foldable Bluetooth Headset Design
M10 is a bluetooth headset designed for easier usage. Do you realize a bluetooth headset is occasionally not too comfortable to be kept in your pocket due to its earphone part? That’s why M10 has been designed with a foldable earphone part. It offers you a possibility to fold / suppress the earphones when not in use. There will be no longer “bulging” problem in your pocket. When you receive an incoming call, just pull down the earphone, the bluetooth headset is ready to use.
Designer : Jeongmin Jo
M10 Folding Bluetooth Headset
M10 Folding Bluetooth Headset

M10 Folding Bluetooth Headset
M10 Folding Bluetooth Headset
M10 Folding Bluetooth Headset

Just What Kids Need: Scholastic Pocket Texting Devices



A company called Scholastic, presumably not thebook company, has released these odd texting devices that work wirelessly within 600 feet of each other. You can create a network of 24 of them and messages are truncated at 40 characters.
The keyboard looks sort of like the RIM multi-tap keyboard of yore and at $16 I can’t imagine these are anything but a close-out from some forgotten time when kids didn’t have cellphones.

The Harman Kardon 3rd Generation SoundStick Speakers Are Now Available In The States




Harman Kardon introduced the 3rd generation of its classic SoundStick speakers in Japan over the summer. Not much is different from the 2nd incarnation, just a few slight tweaks, but the US availability wasn’t announced. Well, the company just changed that. The speaker set is available to US customers for $209. The press release states it’s available now, although all we’re seeing on the official website is the SoundStick II system, but that will probably change shortly. What’s different? Well, friend, I’m glad you asked.
The changes are minor, partly because the original design is so iconic. The new speakers sport a white LED light and black speaker feet to better match the latest iMac design. The 3rd generation also has a 3.5mm input, which allows for connecting audio players and other devices along with a computer. The controls are still built-into the mini-tower speaker and the integrated amp is still rated at 40W with 20W for the sub and 10W per satellite. The tl;dr is that if you don’t need an AUX-in or color-matching accents, save some cash and get the older
 

10 Jobs Wrecked by Tech - Postal Worker - Slideshow from PCMag.com

10 Jobs Wrecked by Tech - Postal Worker - Slideshow from PCMag.com

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

10 Interviewing Rules

10 Interviewing Rules


In the current job market, you'd better have your act together, or you won't stand a chance against the competition. Check yourself on these 10 basic points before you go on that all-important interview.
Look Sharp
Before the interview, select your outfit. Depending on the industry and position, get out your best duds and check them over for spots and wrinkles. Even if the company has a casual environment, you don't want to look like you slept in your clothes. Above all, dress for confidence. If you feel good, others will respond to you accordingly. 
Be on Time
Never arrive late to an interview. Allow extra time to arrive early in the vicinity, allowing for factors like getting lost. Enter the building 10 to 15 minutes before the interview. 
Do Your Research
Researching the company before the interview and learning as much as possible about its services, products, customers and competition will give you an edge in understanding and addressing the company's needs. The more you know about the company and what it stands for, the better chance you have of selling yourself. You also should find out about the company's culture to gain insight into your potential happiness on the job. 
Be Prepared
Bring along a folder containing extra copies of your resume, a copy of your references and paper to take notes. You should also have questions prepared to ask at the end of the interview. For extra assurance, print a copy of Monster's handy interview take-along checklist
Show Enthusiasm
A firm handshake and plenty of eye contact demonstrate confidence. Speak distinctly in a confident voice, even though you may feel shaky. 
Listen
One of the most neglected interviewing skills is listening. Make sure you are not only listening, but also reading between the lines. Sometimes what is not said is just as important as what is said. 
Answer the Question Asked
Candidates often don't think about whether they are actually answering the questions asked by their interviewers. Make sure you understand what is being asked, and get further clarification if you are unsure. 
Give Specific Examples
One specific example of your background is worth 50 vague stories. Prepare your storiesbefore the interview. Give examples that highlight your successes and uniqueness. Your past behavior can indicate your future performance. 
Ask Questions
Many interviewees don't ask questions and miss the opportunity to find out valuable information. Your questions indicate your interest in the company or job. 
Follow Up
Whether it's through email or regular mail, the follow-up is one more chance to remind the interviewer of all the valuable traits you bring to the job and company. You don't want to miss this last chance to market yourself.
It is important to appear confident and cool for the interview. One way to do that is to be prepared to the best of your ability. There is no way to predict what an interview holds, but by following these important rules you will feel less anxious and will be ready to positively present yourself.

Monday, October 18, 2010

5 Things You Can Do To Silence A Noisy Laptop Fan



laptop cooling fan

I’ve had laptops for a good few years now, and never really looked back. The portability and masses of space I save outweighs my desire for a desktop PC and separate monitor.
The only thing that annoys me about my current laptop is the noise it kicks out when things start happening. This noise is my laptop cooling fan, which indicates that my laptop is hot. If it’s really loud then it’s too hot, and that’s not a good thing.
After years of dealing with this problem, I’ve learned that there are a few things you can do to silence that cacophony on your desk and hopefully stop your laptop from falling victim to heat exhaustion.

Buy A Laptop Cooler

Due to their nature, size and increasing amounts of power; laptops seem to just get hotter and hotter. As a rule, my old laptops would generally go for a year without getting too hot. Now they’re so small and powerful that a laptop cooler is pretty much a necessity from day one.
If you’re thinking of gaming, editing photos and video or just leaving your laptop on for hours with 30 tabs open then a cooler is a good start. They’ll differ slightly, but generally keep to the same format of being metal (of course) slanted or flat frames with a couple of fans inside.
Your laptop sits on top of the cooler which attaches to your laptop via USB, and just so you don’t lose that extra USB slot many even come with USB hubs built-in. They’re not ideal for on-the-go, but they’re a wise decision if you use your laptop for any great length of time at home or work.
Coolers should help control your laptop’s temperature, providing you with a chilled-out PC and little-to-no fan noise.

Kill Your Processes

The heat generated by the CPU is generally the main heat source within a laptop, and non-vital background processes only serve to make this worse. The processor is working overtime, generating lots of heat that a very noisy laptop cooling fan has to try and get rid of. By killing any unwanted programs, you’re doing your processor and your ears a big favour.
One solution is to kill the processes before they even start. You can manually configure what starts up in Windows using the Microsoft System Configuration Utility. Hit Start, find Run (you may need to search for it, depending on your particular version of Windows) and type inmsconfig and click OK.
laptop cooling fan
Navigate to the Startup tab and simply toggle the items you’d like to run when your computer first boots. Many update managers and system tray processes (like Quicktime, Java Update Scheduler, etc) are completely useless and simply sit there wasting your precious resources.
Another solution is to use a program like Soluto, which analyses your boot and lets you know what action is required and what’s not required.
silence a laptop fan

Open Her Up

Your laptop’s number one enemy is dust, so removing this dust not only cleans and safeguards your machine but also increases airflow which in turn will boost your fan’s efficiency. I wouldn’t recommend doing this if you’re not 100% sure what your doing (or if it voids any warranties, naturally).
You’ll need a can of compressed air (often known as computer duster), a screwdriver and patience. Turn your laptop off, remove the battery and find the screws that secure the case. Once you’ve exposed the filthy mess that is your laptop’s inner workings, set about cleaning it with the air.
Preserve the air and use short sharp bursts to remove any build-up around fans, heatsinks and vents. You might want to do this outside, especially if you’ve never cleaned your laptop in this way before, as it gets pretty messy. The above video relates to cleaning a desktop PC, but the technique behind cleaning a laptop isn’t radically different.
Whilst your laptop case is open, it may be worth fitting a powerful “silent” fan (though they’re never completely silent) which should keep your machine cooler and quieter.

The Software Route

If you occasionally find yourself in situations where your laptop cooling fan must be quiet at all costs then you might want to install software that controls the speed of your fan. By limiting the speed you can vastly reduce the noise produced, though your laptop may cook.
laptop fan
This isn’t the best idea if you’re having cooling problems, but freeware utility SpeedFan allows you to monitor and control your fans. You can turn them right down if you need to, just don’t forget to turn them back up again afterwards.

Use a Lightweight OS

I’m not suggesting you switch your primary operating system, but for when you’re on-the-go (and away from your laptop cooler) there’s a whole load of alternatives to resource-intensive Windows.
Personally I find Ubuntu (the desktop version) runs considerably cooler on my laptop than Windows 7. This could be because I have an anti-virusfirewall and other processor-hungry things going on in Windows which I don’t need on Linux.
Using UNetbootin, you can create bootable USB sticks with whole operating systems on them that you can use simply by sticking them in your machine and powering up. Some of these include Google Chromium OSJolicloud and mobile versions of desktop favourites.
Have you any other tips for quietening that noisy fan? Do you regularly clean your machine, or are you fond of the noise? Commenting is good for you, so drop us a tip in the box below.
Laptop Fan Image: Shutterstock