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Personal Computing
Belkin’s Easy Transfer Cable for Windows 7 makes upgrading smoother
05:11 October 10, 2009 PDT
Upgrading to a new operating system is a notorious mess — you need to find all of your data and user settings (often spending hours doing so), burn them to a DVD or other support and then copy them all to the new OS. Belkin's "Easy Transfer Cable" for Windows 7, a USB 2.0 cable with accompanying software aims to make the whole process much easier by guiding you through the transfer process, automatically finding your data and settings and streamlining the transition from XP or Vista to the upcoming Windows 7. Read More
Mouse 2.0: Microsoft's multi-touch mouse prototypes
05:01 October 10, 2009 PDT
It's been over forty years since the first computer mouse saw the light of day, and the fact that its basic design hasn't changed all that much is a testament to the original. But that doesn't mean there's no room for improvement. A group of researchers at Microsoft has come up with five new experimental designs that tie traditional mouse functionality to increasingly popular multi-touch technology on a single device. Read More
Kingston releases MobileLite Flash card reader, reloaded
03:24 October 10, 2009 PDT
Kingston recently released MobileLiteG2, the second generation of its portable Flash card reader. The 18.9g plug-and-play unit shows up as two separate devices on your system to make it easier to transfer data between Flash memory cards using only one USB port. Read More
Getac's resistive-type multi-touch technology works with or without gloves
By Darren Quick
02:34 October 9, 2009 PDT
Anyone who has tried to use a multi-touch touchscreen with anything other than their bare skin will know that it’s just not possible, no matter how hard you press. That’s because the capacitance technology used for the bulk of multi-touch devices doesn’t detect pressure, but measures the changes in electrical resistance caused by contact with a conductor – in this case, the human body. That might be annoying in cold climates, but is an even bigger problem in situations that require the wearing of protective gloves. Getac’s line of rugged Tablet PCs will be the first commercially-available rugged computers to solve this problem by offering a multi-touch screen that works with or without gloves. Read More
Pioneer BDR-205 12x Blu-ray disc writer the fastest so far
By Jeff Salton
18:59 October 5, 2009 PDT
The Pioneer Electronics BDR-205 Blu-ray Disc Computer Writer is the industry’s first and fastest model to feature up to 12x write speed for single and dual-layer Blu-ray discs, up from previous speeds of 8x. Pioneer says that when the unit is utilized with a properly configured PC, the drive’s Low Vibration Mechanism Design improves overall writing accuracy, especially for consumers and business people who need to preserve ever-increasing amounts of critical data, making it an ideal choice for authoring providers and system builders. Read More
Belkin's Conserve Surge helps reduce power consumption
By Jude Garvey
00:18 October 1, 2009 PDT
We first looked at Belkin’s Conserve Surge protector early last year. The company has just released a new version that includes a clever automatic timer to control power usage. The surge protector has eight outlets – two keep PCs and critical devices permanently on, while the other six outlets are automatically turned off after 11 hours. This allows you to power down non-essential office equipment at night and on weekends, saving valuable energy and money. Read More
Dell's Latitude Z: world’s first laptop with wireless docking and inductive charging
By Jeff Salton
00:55 September 30, 2009 PDT
Dell's latest addition to its Latitude series of laptops, the Latitude Z, has a number of ‘firsts’ the company is hoping will convince consumers to choose it over a plethora of other brands and models. Dell says its Latitude Z is the world's first 16-inch laptop that is less than an inch thick and also the first laptop with wireless docking and inductive charging (wireless power - no more cords to trip over or lose). The inclusion of Dell’s EdgeTouch allows users to operate commonly used applications and media controls through a touch interface on the screen’s bezel, while Dell’s Latitude ON technology delivers instant, interactive access to email, the Web, contacts, attachments and calendars. Read More
Microsoft patent multi touch screen keyboard
By Mick Webb
20:49 September 29, 2009 PDT
Up until now, touch screen keyboards have been problematic in that the user has had to look at the screen to navigate the location of the keys. That could all be set to change with news that Microsoft has filed a most interesting patent for a touch screen keyboard that uses multi touch capabilities to incorporate the user’s own hands as a physical point of reference. Read More
Cyber 'ants' patrol PC networks against computer worms and other threats
00:46 September 29, 2009 PDT
In looking for highly efficient ways to solve complex problems, we've often seen researchers mimic the solutions found by nature over billions of years: smart fabrics inspired by pine cones, spectrum analyzers modeled after the human ear and powerful search-and-optimization genetic and evolutionary algorithms, to name just a few. The latest piece of news comes from Wake Forest University, where the group dynamics of ant colonies have inspired security software to fight computer worms and other threats. Read More
Intel predicts optical future for consumer gadgets with 10Gb/s Light Peak interface
By Paul Lester
06:44 September 28, 2009 PDT
Though it may not make it into everyone’s ‘top ten’ list of most desirable technological developments, replacing the spaghetti-junction of wires that typically gathers behind a desk or workspace would undoubtedly be a welcome advance. Wireless peripherals are helping the situation somewhat and wireless power will be a massive boon once perfected but, in the meantime, we’re looking to technologies like optical cables to handle high-volume data transfer. Intel’s recent research in this area should be of particular interest, since it’s designed to replace or augment connections used in consumer-based electronics, such as USB2.0, HDMI, Firewire, DVI and the like. Read More
Up to six screens from one AMD Eyefinity graphics card
By Paul Ridden
04:39 September 28, 2009 PDT
Forget high definition, AMD claims its ATI Eyefinity multi-screen technology has up to 12 times 1080p resolution, breaking into almost true eye-definition video quality. It's able to power up to six monitors from one card, is Windows 7 ready and positively champing at the bit to unleash the power of Direct X 11. Users can look forward to a much improved immersion gaming experience, or to taking advantage of one huge desktop workspace for better multi-task management, or to being able to keep an eye on breaking Internet news while also playing a game or watching a DVD. Read More
Wacom's new Bamboo gets you multi-touching for under $100
01:56 September 27, 2009 PDT
Since multi-touch technology was popularized with the introduction of Apple's iPhone, many companies have come to realize its great potential in terms of improving the user experience. Wacom's second generation Bamboo input devices add multi-touch support to its standard pressure sensitive pen providing users with a cheap, cross-platform solution to experience both multi-touch and ultra precise pointer control on their personal computers with a single tablet. Read More
Intel Core i7 Mobile Processor - fastest ever laptop chips
By Jeff Salton
20:34 September 24, 2009 PDT
Intel says processing power that was reserved for desktop computing can now be conducted on laptops equipped with its new Intel Core i7 Mobile Processor and Intel Core i7 Mobile Processor Extreme Edition. Using its award-winning and super-fast Nehalem microarchitecture, along with the new Intel PM55 Express Chipset, gamers, photographers, digital music mixers, movie-makers, etc, will no longer have to be anchored to a desktop computer to access the processing power they need. Read More
Five new Alienware PCs invade the gaming market with aggressive looks and specs
17:40 September 24, 2009 PDT
Demanding PC gamers could soon see their wildest dreams come true with the five new Alienware gaming rigs — a laptop and four desktop PCs — recently presented by Dell. From overclocked, liquid-cooled Intel Core i7 processors to the latest-generation NVIDIA GeForce graphics, these machines combine the very best of the industry for blazing fast performance and an unprecedented gaming experience. Read More
Intel unveils world's first working 22nm chips
04:06 September 24, 2009 PDT
During the keynote address at the Intel Developer Forum recently held in San Francisco, Intel CEO Paul Otellini displayed a silicon wafer containing the world's first working chips featuring 22nm transistor technology, which include both densely packed SRAM memory and logic circuits to be used in future Intel microprocessors. Read More
Toshiba's Dynadock wireless docking station enhances your laptop's productivity
16:53 September 22, 2009 PDT
Toshiba has recently unveiled Dynadock Wireless U, a universal docking station that connects wirelessly to your Windows laptop and allows you to quickly gain access to a number of devices such as mouse, full-size keyboard and external monitors while featuring additional capabilities like two sleep-and-charge USB ports, automatic laptop connection and support for two additional monitors. Read More
World’s biggest and fastest desktop hard drive from Seagate
By Darren Quick
22:56 September 21, 2009 PDT
Hard drives aren’t just getting bigger, they’re also getting faster. And, for the time being, there's no bigger or faster desktop hard drive than Seagate’s new Barracuda XT. It's a 7200RPM drive that boasts 2TB of storage space and a blazing 6Gb/second SATA interface. This high performance, high capacity drive is aimed at gamers, digital video editors and other storage- and speed-hungry desktop computing applications. Read More
HP unveil sleek (and familiar looking) Envy notebooks
By Mick Webb
17:18 September 20, 2009 PDT
If ya can’t beat 'em, look like ‘em. That seems to be the ethos at HP with the unveiling of its slim new Envy line of notebooks, which take a fair few visual cues from Apple’s MacBook Pro – not that there’s anything wrong with that. Read More
Freeze your hard disk with the USB Windows Icebox
15:16 September 20, 2009 PDT
Almost every PC user knows about the importance of making regular data backups — often from their own, unfortunate personal experience. But, due to laziness and technical difficulties, only a small percentage of users actually performs regular maintenance other than updating antivirus software. The Windows IceBox is a convenient solution to this problem that plugs into your USB port and immediately freezes changes on your selected hard drive partitions, virtually eliminating the need for maintenance. Read More
Belkin Home Base: the box that does it all
By Paul Ridden
16:49 September 17, 2009 PDT
Wirelessly sharing devices such as a printer over a home network has just been made a mite easier with the introduction of Belkin's Home Base. This handy 802.11b/g/n compatible do-it-all box allows connection and access of up to four USB devices, can automatically back up files and share pictures on Flickr or Picassa accounts, and painlessly shares files between computers on an existing wireless network. Read More
A netbook by any other name: the VIA NetNote
By Paul Ridden
16:27 September 17, 2009 PDT
How do you punch a hole into the already over-populated netbook market and get your product seen by the buying public? You could just offer something that competitors don't have. But maybe that isn't enough. Perhaps you need to create a brand new device category for your new product to help it stand out from the crowd. Enter the NetNote from Taiwan's VIA Technologies which offers all the affordability and portability of a netbook and the high definition video capabilities and functionality of a notebook. Read More
A touchy subject: the new maXTouch chip from Atmel
By Paul Ridden
16:27 September 16, 2009 PDT
Atmel has just announced that its highly anticipated maXTouch mXT224 capacitive touchscreen controller chip is now ready for production release. Atmel representatives are positively bubbling with excitement about this product, which supports an unlimited number of simultaneous screen touches, looks out for unintentional touches and delivers smooth visuals with refresh rates of up to 250Hz - all on one tough, tiny, low-power chip. Read More
IEEE ratifies 802.11n amendment (at last)
By Paul Ridden
21:29 September 15, 2009 PDT
Seven years after starting to talk about it, and six years after introducing the first draft, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE) has finally ratified the 802.11n wireless local area network (WLAN) amendment to the base standard. This effectively means that the super-fast routers we've been using in our home networks and for internet access for the past couple of years are now amongst those officially recognized by the IEEE. Read More
Quirky ideas: Scratch-n-scroll mouse-pad allows you to write with your finger
By Paul Lester
15:37 September 8, 2009 PDT
Older Gizmag readers may remember the Etch A Sketch, a child’s doodling utensil that used aluminium powder and a glass screen to draw horizontal and vertical lines and the Magna Doodle, a similar product that used a magnetic drawing board. A cheap and cheerful version of the latter, often called the ‘magic slate’, consisted of a pad and stylus that allowed scribbles to be erased by lifting off and replacing a film of plastic. This concept has now been rather cleverly turned into a Mouse Pad called the Scratch-n-Scroll. Read More
Altec Lansing's 200W Expressionist Ultra MX6021 computer speaker system
By Jeff Salton
19:29 September 7, 2009 PDT
Some people like their PC gaming experiences big. They spend big money on big games, big monitors and big gaming accessories but suffer from SSS (small sound syndrome). Well, listen up! Altec Lansing has released the Expressionist™ Ultra (MX6021), a distinctively styled and powerful three-piece home speaker system for computers, MP3 players and more that delivers 200W RMS. And with this quality of sound, it won’t be just the gamers taking advantage of all that power. Consumers who keep their music on their PC will greatly benefit from these speakers. Read More
Barry J
- November 10, 2009 @ 00:59 UTC
