[ Filed under Technology & Gadgets or in the Art & Design category ] The future of transportation is undeniably green, but that doesn’t mean we’ll all be driving boring hybrid sedans. From electric cars with bizarre scales that pop up to gather solar energy to rental bicycles that harvest energy and use it to power buses, the transit of tomorrow is all about nixing fossil fuels, ceding control to computers and coming up with creatively compact designs
GetUSB Dealz: LaCie 350GB USB Hard Drive Only $60 Bones
Even at full price, the LaCie Petit 350GB USB hard drive is a good deal which is $79. For a limited time you can get the same drive for $20 less, or $60. The LaCie USB Hard drive is small and mobile with aluminum case to protect your data. Includes scheduled auto backup software and USB boost for a 33% jump in performance. Get the USBDealz now
Searches and indexing in Outlook can present a number of issues for end users. Administrators need to know how to correct problems as they emerge. One of the problems that can occur is if a user performs a search for text that they know exists but the search returns no results. One instance where this can happen is if after upgrading your Windows XP operating system to Windows Vista, you then upgraded your Office suite software to the 2007 version
ShowAnytime is an app with potential and for a few remaining hours is made a bit better by being on sale. If the ability to put Power Point presentations on your iPhone or touch is appealing to you, ShowAnytime is a basic way to achieve your goal. It does have its limitations, but the potential for Power Point portability coupled with a way to display the file directly from the device has appeal. ShowAnytime supports .ppt and .pdf files, and because the ability to wirelessly transfer .pdf files exists in several apps, it’s really all about the .ppt support. Coincidentally, I recently had an instance where ShowAnytime could have come in handy had I discovered it earlier.
N900 as a home media centre: Best Nseries TV-out experience
A major strength of the nearly all Nseries range is their ability to hook up to a TV screen via the 3.5mm jack [and CA-75U cable-included]. The N900 is the first Nokia tablet that allows this and amongst all other Nseries provides the best TV-out experience. This makes the N900 a serious contender as a home media entertainment system. CA-75U – 3.5mm jack one end, RCA the other. Connect to any TV with RED/WHiTE/YELLOW connectors or easily attach via adapter, e.g. scart
Brain Challenge 3: Think Again! is the most comprehensive brain training program on your mobile, providing a fully rounded brain workout. Train your brain in the classic brain exercise categories of Memory, Visual, Logic and Math, as well as innovative categories exclusive to Gameloft’s Brain Challenge series: Stress Relief, Focus and the never-before-seen Visual Training.
Creative’s GigaWorks HD50i Computer Speakers with iPod Dock
Sometimes companies should stick with what they know best. Creative is one such company who was always known for making great speakers for computers as well as sound cards, but then they sort of fell down the rabbit hole when they deviated to Vado and Zen. Well the Gigaworks HD50i is a good example of them sticking to what they know best. This speaker system combines high-definition drivers with Titanium supertweeters, built-in BasXPort which eliminates a third bulky subwoofer which takes up desk space.
The end of the year is upon us, and for most of us this means time off from work to celebrate Christmas with our families and take a much needed break. But before we shut down our computer and head out the door there are a few extra things that email admins need to think about. Patches and Security Updates Before taking an extended break is a good time to double check that your email servers are up to date with the latest security updates.
The best software for converting video to BlackBerry format
The BlackBerry has become a multimedia machine over the past few years, especially now that new models boast a high-res screen. Yet one of the most frequent complaints we get is how difficult (or convoluted) it is to transfer regular video files to the BlackBerry. The video on your computer sometimes isn’t optimized for viewing on your handheld
Peter Allan’s USB Hourglass, Also a Random Number Machine
Everyone knows that the key to faster-than-light (FTL) travel is in random number generation. Advances in Bistromathics just aren’t happening fast enough so folks like Peter Allan are racing to crack the random number puzzle. It isn’t the most interesting read for those not obsessed with number theory but it is an interesting project. This garage project uses an Arduino board as the base and a small motors and an optical sensor to measure sand through a tiny hourglass.
Active Notes steps into the breach, with a full multi-media friendly way of organizing your thoughts, media and even contacts. Although such a ‘rich’ tool isn’t going to synchronize to anything else, the content IS portable, by virtue of Active Notes storing all information within a standard HTML and folder framework. Which means that you can then move it across to any other computer in the known universe and view the content in more or less the same way. Let’s see how this works in practice
As I mentioned back in August, I’m of the opinion that the N900 is the most important Nokia device since the 7650. The smartphone was a pleasant way of getting a limited computing experience in the palm of my hand, but I wanted more and so I chose the iPhone as my main device. Does the N900 have what it takes to win me back over to the Nokia fold full time? Over the next couple of weeks I intend to ‘experience’ every aspect of the N900. This review is going to be a little different from the others I’ve posted here over the years.
Garmin BaseCamp is to the outdoors world as MapSource is to street navigation. Users will be able to browse topo maps, tracklogs, waypoints, and plan trips for their handheld Garmin devices through the software which will be compatible with both Macs and PCs. BaseCamp brings a whole new set of features to hikers, hunters, geocachers, and anyone else who wants to maximize their experience with their Garmin GPS. This new utility lets users view, organize, and transfer their data more quickly and efficiently – allowing them to make the most of their time exploring the great outdoors. Perhaps taking direct aim at DeLorme’s Topo USA program, BaseCamp will allow users to view topo maps in 2D as well as 3D views as well as changing the map orientation from the old method that was locked in North up
Bluetooth 4.0 Goes Green with Ultra-low Power Edition
The governing body of the Bluetooth specification has released the 4.0 guidelines in what promises to be a more widely adopted version of Bluetooth. Bluetooth 3.0 is not reaching wide adoption yet due to a number of factors, mostly economic. More speed requires more power and more battery power. Battery technology has not kept up with bandwidth. Bluetooth 4.0 promises to do more with less which may stimulate device manufacturers and starved R&D groups to employ it in their existing applications
Lockface USB Key Secures Contents with Webcam Facial Recognition
It looks a bit like a bottle opener but might actually be more useful (for some). The Lockface USB Key comes preloaded with encryption technology and a handy little piece of security software . Once you plug in this drive, the Lockface software takes over your webcam and uses your face to allow access to the data stored on your Lockface drive. The software only takes a few minutes to setup and stores the facial data on the drive so that it can be reused on other computers. In addition, the login information won’t be discoverable on your PC while you’re away
Does the Removal of Single Instance Storage Mean Less Efficient Exchange Servers?
The Register published an article describing the removal of Single Instance Storage (SIS) from the Exchange Server 2010 database engine. The comments on the article were largely critical of the change, declaring it a backward step in Exchange storage efficiency. Before I discuss this further it helps to go back in time a little and understand what SIS is and how it came to be a part of Exchange Server. Exchange Server Single Instance Storage The essence of SIS is the storage of a single copy of data that is shared among different users or computers. In the case of Exchange Server this meant a single copy of an email or file attachment is kept in the mailbox database, and then any user who received that item accesses it via a pointer to that one single instance of the item. SIS was introduced in the Exchange Server product line in version 4.0 back in 1996. Back then disk storage was very expensive compared to today’s prices. Disks were much larger in physical size, smaller in capacity, and slower in performance. Under those conditions SIS made a lot of sense to reduce the overall size of mailbox databases
PC vs Mac Laptop Decal Because I’m a Mac and He’s a PC
As much as I love my Macs, I happen to think that the “I’m a Mac, I’m a PC” commercials are obnoxious and I don’t like how they make the PC out to be a fool. Placing that gripe aside, this PC vs Mac MacBook Pro Laptop MacJac, vinyl sticker decal is actually pretty neat. On the left you have Mr. PC dude with a “He’s a PC” caption on top of him, and on the right you have Justin Long with the “I’m a Mac” caption on top of him. So despite how irritating those commercials might be, this is one laptop decal that really makes a statement.
The issue of “ethical malware” has raised its ugly head this week in the blogosphere, sparking heated discussions and soapbox speeches everywhere. As reported this week in LinuxInsider, a lengthy Slashdot discussion was sparked when a participant wrote, “I was fed up with the general consensus that Linux is oh-so-secure and has no malware. After a week of work, I finished a package of malware for Unix/Linux
Remember those HP Envy 13 notebooks we told you about? Well, we are in the middle of a contest where we are giving one away. Here’s your official reminder, because you don’t have much more time left to enter! Check out the video above for the full scoop, and then head on over to the official HP Envy 13 giveaway page for all the details on how to enter.
Smart Smartphoning – Did you remember to tidy your phone this morning?
Mobile phones now do more for us than we ever imagined they could. They serve as a hub of our personal information and communications, both written and spoken. Even though we’ve been taught since we were young ones about our own hygiene, a subject most of us neglect is smart phone hygiene. And just as we know we need to take care of both our bodies and our minds, our smartphone hygiene requires the same approach. Now as your mother would say… Clean It Up First, think carefully about the physical cleanliness of your phone
A Microsoft branded bulletin is offering bogus security updates. A bane of Microsoft Windows users is the constant patching of the operating system to deal with security vulnerabilities. These frequent events are irritating, not only because they disrupt productivity since they often require a system reboot after they’re installed, but a user never knows how Windows will perform after it’s patched. More often than not, a patch won’t disrupt the operation of a system, but once users have been burned by one of these updates, they’re forever on tenterhooks when they install them