Tech Gadgets Reviews

by Nilay Patel, posted Oct 19th 2008 at 4:31PM

Toshiba’s R600 ultraportable got lost in the din of Tuesday’s MacBook announcements, but TrustedReviews got their hands on the 12.1-inch unltraportable, which replaces the crazy-thin-and-light R500 and goes up against some pretty tough competition like the VAIO TT. Not a lot of external differences here — it looks identical to the R500 — but the keyboard, screen, and overall fit and finish have apparently been much improved, and the bump to Centrino 2 and the corresponding 1.2 or 1.4GHz Core 2 Duo processors is certainly appreciated. Click on for a bunch of pictures of the new rig, including some teardown phoos.

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Filed under: Laptops

by Darren Murph, posted Oct 19th 2008 at 12:13PM

As much as we were hoping to see Steve Jobs and… well, anyone from Psystar settle things in the squared circle, we suppose we’ll have to live with a much more peaceful end to this madness. Rather than spending wads of cash on lawyers for no good reason, the two outfits have agreed to use alternative dispute resolution in order to wrap this scuffle up and move forward. As you may know, ADR is a private process where both parties meet outside of a trial in order to reach some sort of agreement, though we imagine the outcome will be pretty public depending on Psystar’s ability / inability to continue fulfilling orders. We’re told that the process will get going before February of 2009, and the full fling (PDF) with the US district court in the Northern District of California is linked below if you’ve suddenly found yourself with entirely too much free time.

[Via The Mac Observer]

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Filed under: Desktops

Sit down in front of my computer and you will find upwards of five Internet windows each with at least eight tabs, all open to different sites.  Pages just don’t load fast enough for me.  The moment it takes a page to load, I feel like I need to be doing something else or it is time wasted.

I am going be in trouble when they make things even faster than the cable Internet I have now.  It is in the works to increase Ethernet speed from 10 Gigabit Ethernet (”GbE”) to 40GbE or 100GbE (or 80 GbE,120 or even 160 GbE as the actual number is undetermined at present).  From the way it looks, I have about two years to figure out what to do about that and come off my multi-window addiction.

2002 is when the industry started buzzing about 10GbE, up from 1GbE.  Increases in the number of Internet users, streaming video, and websites with millions of simultaneous users (MySpace, Facebook, YouTube, etc.) create the demand for higher Gigabit Ethernet capacity.  The need for data centers has become a reality for all of us, whether we realize it or not.

We use servers in all kinds of unknown places to store our emails, photos, and videos, to hold websites and to transfer information.  The more of us who use and rely on such centers, the greater the demand is for them to perform to our desires: fast and flawless.

Data centers can only process as much data as their equipment allows.  A simultaneous rush causes a bottleneck.  Think about it like this: you are at a sold-out stadium event and the event ends.  You get up to leave.  Say the stadium has only one door (let’s compare this to our 10GbE). Chaos occurs as everyone tries to leave quickly.  Now, let’s say we make that door bigger and add three to nine more exits (increasing our 10GbE to 40 or 100GbE).  The flow would move much faster and smoother and we would be much happier.

This increase in Ethernet speed will open up our capacity for bigger downloads and uploads faster.  Pictures, video, and gaming will transfer more quickly.  Our intranets and home networks will work faster.  Moving around HD video on your network will be even easier. 

Of course, there are so many factors that go into how fast you can go.  Ethernet is only one part of the twisted web.  Your computer itself will play a big part in your realization of the Gigabit Ethernet increase. Your responsibility will be to keep current with an up to date PC.

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Usually if you’re using an umbrella for something besides to get out of the rain, then you’re probably using it to stay in the shade.  At least that is really the only other time that I have seen anyone sit under an umbrella.  Which makes this umbrella slightly odd, it’s an umbrella light.  So instead of hiding from the light, you’ll be seeking it out when you use this umbrella.  It’d be great for anyone trying to have a modern or contemporary home.

The umbrella comes in other colors besides the pretty chic white shown here.  It also comes in black, ice blue, plum, silver and of course white.  I wish the manufacturers had shown the umbrella in the other colors, because I’m curious how it would look in a color besides white.   The shade is made out of lycra.  You can purchase either the floor lamp, or the small or large table lamp.  The prices range from $110-$200, just depending on which one you happen to choose.

Source: CharlesandMarie

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Intel is not only content to offer you computer processors and integrated graphics as well, but they are now into the flash memory game with their latest offering, the Intel X-25E Extreme SATA Solid-State Drive. This is their top of the line solid state drive which will target server, workstation and storage systems. Since solid state drives do not have moving parts unlike mechanical drives, you will find it to be able to contain your data in a much more secure manner thanks to the 50nm single-level cell (SLC) NAND flash memory technology used. Any computer system that is equipped with this drive will not suffer from the performance bottlenecks associated with conventional drives. SSDs are also great at reducing the total infrastructure, cooling and energy costs, in order to lower the total cost of ownership for enterprise applications by a projected 500% figure.

According to Intel, their new X25-E SATA SSD is able to increase server, workstation and storage system performance by 100 times when compared to regular hard disk drives as measured in Input/Output Per Second (IOPS). It seems as though a storage model that utilizes SSDs will see a reduction in energy costs by up to five times, which is always plus point these days considering soaring energy prices that don’t seem to drop.

The product was designed for intense computing workloads which benefit primarily from high random read and write performance, as measured in IOPS. Key technical performance specifications of the 32 GB Intel X-25E SATA SSD include 35,000 IOPS (4KB Random Read), 3,300 IOPS (4KB Random Write) and 75 microsecond read latency. This performance, combined with low active power of 2.4 watts, delivers up to 14,000 IOPS per watt for optimal performance/power output. The product also achieves up to 250 megabytes per second (MB/s) sequential read speeds and up to 170 MB/s sequential write speeds, all in a compact 2.5-inch form factor. Intel achieves this breakthrough performance through innovations such as 10-channel NAND architecture with Native Command Queuing, proprietary controller and firmware efficient in advanced wear-leveling and low write amplification. The 32GB X25-E is capable of writing up to 4 petabytes (PB) of data over three-year period (3.7 TB/day), and double that for the 64GB version - delivering outstanding data reliability.

Intel will be offering the 32GB capacity drive for $695, with the 64GB version expected to be available in Q1 2009.

Press Release

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Pricing and Fade-Resistance Figured Out

Kodak recently introduced two inkjet printers to their All-in-One lineup: ESP7 and ESP9.  The announcement came nearly six months after they released the ESP5.

As a draw-in, Kodak claims these printers give us the lowest ink prices in the industry.  This is just like every printer they have ever put out, even going back to the first ones in 2004.  Even in 2007, when Kodak put out its first inkjet, they were singing the same song.

Ink: Cheap prices or cheap quality?

Last year, David Pogue wrote an article for The New York Times revealing calculations that HP black prints cost a tenth of a cent less.  I guess that was before these new and improved machines and ink were introduced.

We should question the quality to the ink.  In 2004, Wilhelm Imaging Research (WIR), print performance tester, proved Kodak’s fade resistance to 11 years.  At the same time, Kodak, having performed their own tests (accused of being much less realistic), was claiming a 162 year life on images.  Do we chalk this up to Kodak being a baby in the market at the time and now they have more experience under their belt?

Still, if Kodak does not watch it, with such a history, they might find themselves right up there with the boy in the kids’ story about the boy who cried wolf.  I hesitate to believe their claim for the lowest ink prices - maybe if they would say among the lowest or in competition with the lowest.  But then they might lose business from the naive few who buy into the sales pitch.  A promise is a promise.  What happens when promises are broken?

Making changes

It seems Kodak has made some changes and redeemed themselves.  At the beginning of 2008, WIR tested Kodak’s AiO products then and stated, “the Kodak’s Easyshare AiO printers and ink achieved the highest level of overall print permanence of any current consumer desktop printer system.” WIR says Kodak prints should now last over 125 years. 

QualityLogic also tests for Kodak, focusing on making good on the Kodak promise of having the best, most inexpensive ink.  QualityLogic affirms the claim that “consumers can save up to 50% on everything they print compared with similar consumer inkjet printers.”

How Kodak’s technology works

The secret to it all is Kodak’s own Kodacolor Technology.  The Kodak claimed results are supposed to happen with the combination of Kodak ink cartridges, Kodak paper, Kodak’s color and image science, and a print head technology vastly different than the competition.  From my understanding, the basic gist of it is that the ink is made with pigment instead of dyes like the competitions.  The pigment broken down in a milling process which then is able to pass through the very small hole of the ink cartridge.  The five color contains black, cyan, magenta, yellow and a clear coat.  The ink soaks into the paper while the clear coat remains on top as a protectant, aiding in the longevity of the print. 

That handles the fade-resistant issue and may give us a slightly cheaper cartridge cost, but the real cost savings for the cartridge comes from the print head being moved out of the cartridge and into the printer itself.  Unlike competitors who include that bit of technology in every cartridge, Kodak saw it unnecessary for us to continue paying for something that we could only pay for once. 

Kodak noticed a place in the market that needed improvement and stood claim to being the one to overcome.  Their proclamations were probably years too early, but they may have finally gotten it.  I might be sold enough on it to give Kodak AiO a chance. 

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Intel is not only content to offer you computer processors and integrated graphics as well, but they are now into the flash memory game with their latest offering, the Intel X-25E Extreme SATA Solid-State Drive. This is their top of the line solid state drive which will target server, workstation and storage systems. Since solid state drives do not have moving parts unlike mechanical drives, you will find it to be able to contain your data in a much more secure manner thanks to the 50nm single-level cell (SLC) NAND flash memory technology used. Any computer system that is equipped with this drive will not suffer from the performance bottlenecks associated with conventional drives. SSDs are also great at reducing the total infrastructure, cooling and energy costs, in order to lower the total cost of ownership for enterprise applications by a projected 500% figure.

According to Intel, their new X25-E SATA SSD is able to increase server, workstation and storage system performance by 100 times when compared to regular hard disk drives as measured in Input/Output Per Second (IOPS). It seems as though a storage model that utilizes SSDs will see a reduction in energy costs by up to five times, which is always plus point these days considering soaring energy prices that don’t seem to drop.

The product was designed for intense computing workloads which benefit primarily from high random read and write performance, as measured in IOPS. Key technical performance specifications of the 32 GB Intel X-25E SATA SSD include 35,000 IOPS (4KB Random Read), 3,300 IOPS (4KB Random Write) and 75 microsecond read latency. This performance, combined with low active power of 2.4 watts, delivers up to 14,000 IOPS per watt for optimal performance/power output. The product also achieves up to 250 megabytes per second (MB/s) sequential read speeds and up to 170 MB/s sequential write speeds, all in a compact 2.5-inch form factor. Intel achieves this breakthrough performance through innovations such as 10-channel NAND architecture with Native Command Queuing, proprietary controller and firmware efficient in advanced wear-leveling and low write amplification. The 32GB X25-E is capable of writing up to 4 petabytes (PB) of data over three-year period (3.7 TB/day), and double that for the 64GB version - delivering outstanding data reliability.

Intel will be offering the 32GB capacity drive for $695, with the 64GB version expected to be available in Q1 2009.

Press Release

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• Intel announces Z-U130 solid state drive
• Samsung to mass produce 64GB SATA II SSDs
• Samsung announces 32 GB flash memory drive.
• 2.5″ and 3.5″ SATA HDD Dock with Cooling Fan
• Toshiba Portégé R500-S5007V laptop

What looks like ordinary carbon paper is actually known as “buckypaper”, and this flimsy appearance of a material could potentially turn the way TVs and even aeroplanes are constructed if it fulfills its early potential. According to scientists and researchers, buckypaper is roughly 10 times lighter than steel whenever you stack sheets of it and pressed together to form a composite, but it despite the relative lightness, it is 500 times stronger than the aforementioned steel as well. When peered through a microscope, buckypaper is constructed from tube-shaped carbon molecules which are 50,000 times thinner than a human hair. The unique properties of buckypaper makes this an exciting prospect to construct future aircraft as well as automobiles, not to mention computers, TV displays and a great deal of other products.

While science is a very exact discipline, there are times where providence comes along and throws new light on a certain subject in a truly unexpected manner. The buckypaper is one of them, and its history dates back all the way to 1985 when British scientist Harry Kroto joined researchers at Rice University for an experiment to create the same conditions that exist in a star. In the quest to discover how stars create carbon, but along the way an extra character turned up in a totally unexpected manner in the form of a molecule with 60 carbon atoms shaped like a soccer ball known as buckminsterfullerene, or “buckyballs” as an abbreviation. Over the years, scientists and researchers have done their part in working on buckyballs, where Japanese physicist Sumio Iijima managed to develop a tube-shaped variation which would stick together when disbursed in a liquid suspension and filtered through a fine mesh, resulting in a thin film known as buckypaper.

Looks like buckypaper could eventually evolve into the fabled adamantium that we read about in X-Men comics one day, judging by how fast technology progresses.

Source: Wired

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by Paul Miller, posted Oct 19th 2008 at 4:55AM

We’ve accomplished many an hour of restful, mugger-prone napping on the subway, but there’s always the danger of missing your stop — a problem we’re usually too drowsy to consider at 2am in the morning. Not clever hacker Pyocotan, however. This resourceful fellow has built the Noriko-san sleeping mask for fashion-forward commuters, which broadcasts your destination to fellow passengers on a garish LED display, while you’re busy getting some shut-eye underneath the mask — in the hope that they’ll be kind enough to wake you up at the right stop after they’ve rid you of your ipod and wallet. With a cost of $200 in parts, and considerable impracticality to boot, this device isn’t quite ready for the commercial sphere, but that’s of little concern to Pyocotan — he’s just busy being awesome. Video is after the break.

[Via Make]

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Filed under: Wearables

by Paul Miller, posted Oct 18th 2008 at 11:21PM

The world of personal transportation, with few exceptions, has littered the earth with embarrassing paraphernalia. In-line skates, pogo sticks, the recumbent bike — all disasters to personal style. Mix in electricity and you get the Segway, or alternatively, Focus Design’s SBU electric self-balancing unicycle. The SBU can be steered by leaning left to right (like a regular unicycle) and uses Segway-style gyroscopes to power your lazy ass forwards and backwards. Not a new idea by any stretch, but Focus Design is actually crazy enough to be working on bringing this thing to market. Focus hopes to do a limited run of ten SBUs next month, at $1,500 a month. Peep the video after break to see if you can handle the shame.

[Via Hack a Day]

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Filed under: Transportation