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Computers
Computing with the more mature in mind
By Paul Ridden
18:02 July 1, 2009 PDT
The Designed for Seniors Go Computer has been developed for and extensively tested by those born before computers started tightening their grip on our everyday lives, and who are still trying to ignore or simply don't trust the computer age. The computer hardware is behind the monitor to save space and avoid clutter, the keyboard has over-sized keys and bright colors and the system comes with an ergonomic trackball mouse. But it's the user interface which will prove most beneficial to the seniors it was designed to serve. Read More
Wetsuit not supplied: Stealth WPC-500F waterproof PC
By Paul Ridden
01:16 June 25, 2009 PDT
It's absolutely vital for all life on the planet yet it can kill a computer with relative ease. Water, moisture, fluid, liquid - whichever way you look at it computers and wet stuff are not on friendly terms. Stealth Computers begs to differ however, and has recently announced the release of a completely waterproof PC. Incorporating a whole host of tough tech, the rugged new unit promises reliability and performance whatever you throw at it and whatever conditions you might find yourself in. Read More
Reboot takes a hike with Ksplice update software
By Paul Best
23:19 May 25, 2009 PDT
Rebooting your PC after updating software is one of the more tedious aspects of working on computers. New award-winning software, called Ksplice, however, addresses this by enabling important updates, like security patches, without the need to restart – at this stage – Linux-based computers. Read More
Lenovo announces IdeaPad S12 netbook
By Darren Quick
06:37 May 25, 2009 PDT
We were starting to worry that it had been a couple of hours since we'd heard news of another netbook launch, but Lenovo has put our minds at ease by announcing the IdeaPad S12 - a Nvidia ION-based netbook with a 12.1-inch LED display and full-sized keyboard. Read More
Acer extends line of Aspire One netbooks
By Darren Quick
00:21 May 20, 2009 PDT
It seems too many netbooks are never enough, with Acer extending its line to include two new models - the 11.6-inch Acer Aspire One AO751h and the 10.1-inch Acer Aspire One AOD250. The 11.6-inch unit boasts an HD screen and full-sized keyboard, while the 10.1-inch model is thinner and lighter than its predecessor. Read More
Putting the squeeze on crystals could see an end to computer boot stages
By Darren Quick
01:36 May 15, 2009 PDT
Nobody likes staring at a screen while they wait for their computer to boot up. Sure, you can spend those few minutes making a cup of coffee or ferreting the dirt out from under your fingernails, but if you’re raring to go those few minutes can be a frustrating waste of time. This could soon be a thing of the past however, thanks to a clever materials science technique that may allow a new class of electronic devices that remember their last state, even after power is turned off. Read More
Golden-i Bluetooth headset with virtual PC display
By Darren Quick
23:04 May 11, 2009 PDT
Mobile phones and laptop computers have made traditional 9-to-5 workdays a thing of the past for many workers. That ability to work from any location, however, can be a double-edged sword. The flexibility to be freed from the office also means that work is increasingly encroaching on people’s recreation time, as they find they are never really off the clock. That situation looks set to worsen, or improve, depending on your perspective, with the introduction of the Golden-i from Kopin Corporation. The Golden-i is a Bluetooth headset that provides a 15-inch virtual display with a hands-free, natural-speech-recognition interface for wireless remote control over a range of devices including mobile phones, PCs, company networks and wireless systems. Read More
MSi gx laptops get turbo boost
By Darren Quick
04:53 May 7, 2009 PDT
If there’s one button that could possibly be more tempting than “do not press”, it's the one with “turbo” written on it. Perhaps recognizing this MSi has included a turbo button on its new GX623 and GX633 laptops that ramps up the speed of the CPU when the laptops are connected to mains power. If instead you’re looking for reduced power consumption and longer battery life, MSi’s ECO Engine can cycle through a range of power setting tweaks at the touch of a button. Read More
Lip-reading computers can recognize different languages
By Karen Sprey
00:51 April 28, 2009 PDT
Computerized lip-reading technology for deaf people - and surveillance cameras - has taken a step forward with scientists from the University of East Anglia successfully teaching computers to recognize different languages from the shapes and movements of people’s mouths. Read More
Greener computers talk in their sleep
By Darren Quick
23:48 April 27, 2009 PDT
Computers are often left running so they stay connected to a network or the Internet – be it to ensure remote access, availability for virus scans and backup, maintaining presence on instant messaging (IM) or voice-over-IP (VoIP) networks, or for file sharing and downloading. Although such tasks mean the PCs are relatively idle, they remain in awake mode and draw more power than they really need. Now computer scientists at UC San Diego and Microsoft Research have created a plug-and-play hardware prototype for personal computers that induces a new energy saving state known as "sleep talking", which provides much of the energy savings of sleep mode and some of the network-and-Internet-connected convenience of awake mode. Read More
Samsung N120 joins Samsung’s mini notebook lineup
By Darren Quick
22:26 April 23, 2009 PDT
The flood of mini notebooks and netbooks that threatens to bury us shows no sign of abating, with Samsung announcing another addition to its mini notebook lineup. Joining the recently featured N110 is the N120, which includes most of the features found on the N110 in a slightly larger form factor. Read More
Researchers developing portable E-Bomb
By Paul Evans
23:24 April 22, 2009 PDT
High-power microwave (HPM) bombs that use an enormous electromagnetic radio pulse to disable computers, electronics, vehicles, guided missiles and communications while leaving people and structures unharmed have been under investigation in research labs for a number of years. Until recently these weapons have been impractically large at over 3.5 meters long, but researchers at Texas Tech University have now built a self powered device with U.S. Army funding that measures 15 cm in diameter and only 1.5 meters long, making it small enough to be considered portable. Read More
The Mobile Solar Computer Classroom: a complete classroom in the back of an SUV
By Karen Sprey
19:11 April 14, 2009 PDT
A mobile computer classroom powered by solar panels atop a modified SUV is providing computer training to 100 students a day in the east African country of Uganda. The Maendeleo Foundation, which runs the Mobile Solar Computer Classrooms (MSCC), hopes the project will help to launch a local computer services industry, creating jobs by outsourcing the new computer skills, boost the local economy and alleviate poverty. Read More
Glacier's W200 Wearable Computer
By Darren Quick
01:37 April 10, 2009 PDT
While laptops have ushered in the era of mobile computing, their form factor still dictates the need to use a desk, table, or at the very least, a lap. Other handheld units are easier to use on the move but would be even better if we had another appendage, given that one hand is rendered useless through the need to hold the device. The solution - wear your computer. This example for Glacier Computer - the new Ridgeline W200 wearable computer - combines the same features of a standard computer with a device that straps to the wrist to provide hands-free operation while retaining full access at all times. Read More
Shuttle X50 all-in-one PC
By Darren Quick
21:49 March 23, 2009 PDT
Shuttle’s new X50 is an all-in-one PC that features a 15.6-inch touch-enabled display with 1366 x 768 resolution and is designed to be versatile enough to suit a variety of settings including digital signage and kiosks. The unit also features a convertible stand that can be flipped upward to reveal a carry handle, or it can be removed completely for VESA mounting. Read More
Innovative ‘caseless’ computer housing concept from BMW
By Darren Quick
21:43 March 15, 2009 PDT
Although obviously best known for its cars and motorbikes, BMW also creates yachts, aircraft and trains, and has now turned its design expertise to a computer gaming tower with the ‘Level 10’ concept for Thermaltake, a manufacturer of computer housings and components for individually configurable high-end computers. Read More
PowerNap plan could save 75 percent of data center energy
By Karen Sprey
22:58 March 12, 2009 PDT
The average utilization for a typical industrial data center is as low as 20 to 30 percent - and the computers are still using 60 percent of peak power even when they're doing nothing. To combat this problem, researchers at the University of Michigan have put together an approach that could save up to 75 percent of the energy that power-hungry computer data centers consume. Read More
World’s largest virtual desktop deployment underway
By Karen Sprey
18:46 March 5, 2009 PST
In what's billed as world’s largest virtual desktop deployment, 356,800 desktops will be supplied to schools across Brazil using Userful Multiplier software, a system which effectively turns one computer into up to 10 independent PC workstations, reducing CO2 emissions by up to an estimate 15 tons per year per system and electronic waste by up to 80%. Read More
Lenovo touts rugged capabilities of Thinkpad range
By Darren Quick
17:43 February 25, 2009 PST
With the number of ruggedized computers hitting the market you’d think that people are running around treating their laptops like last night’s leftovers. Of course that’s not the case, most people use their laptops in pretty clean, stable environments and won’t ever need the rough and ready specs of a ruggedized laptop, but there is a section of the workforce that does. Particularly in the areas of public safety, utilities, construction and the military, and it’s these markets that Lenovo have in mind with their range of eight ThinkPad laptops designated for use in field and vehicle semi-ruggedized computing environments. Read More
Siftables: cookie-sized computer blocks for hands-on fun
By Jude Garvey
22:27 February 19, 2009 PST
It is believed that many children and adults learn best when they use their hands to perform a task, and for young children, play-based activities are essential for acquiring knowledge. This new design concept cleverly combines both hands-on and play-based learning in one very cool but tiny package. Siftables are small computer blocks with the capacity to interface with each other using a combination of neighbor detection, motion sensing and wireless communication. The user manipulates them by hand and with each process, whether it is sorting, grouping or even piling, the blocks continue to interact with each other. Read More
EU funds universal, future-proof video game emulator to protect the classics
By Darren Quick
20:09 February 16, 2009 PST
As the average age of gamers increases, so too does the number of older gamers with fond memories of classic games. Unfortunately as PCs evolve and with each new generation of gaming consoles many of these classic games become nothing but memories as the hardware required to play them is rendered obsolete. But it seems the cultural importance of these games is finally being recognized with the European Union funding a €4.02 million (USD$5.2m) project with the overall aim of facilitating “universal access to our cultural heritage by developing flexible tools for accessing and storing a wide range of digital objects.” Read More
MAINGEAR Remix Workstation for creative professionals
By Darren Quick
20:27 February 10, 2009 PST
Although Apple Macs are the most commonly used computers for creative professionals, there are still many IT departments which insist on a PC. Aimed specifically at this market that spend their days doing graphic design, video production or pro audio is MAINGEAR’s Remix Creative Workstation PC. The system features NVIDIA Quadro CX graphics card, which NVIDIA specifically designed and optimized to significantly enhance the performance of Adobe Creative Suite 4. Read More
Panasonic Toughbooks get upgrade
By Darren Quick
02:14 February 2, 2009 PST
Pansonic’s Toughbook 30 clamshell rugged laptop and its Toughbook 19 rugged convertible tablet computer have both received upgrades that include 1,000 nit LCDs, circular polarization technology and anti-glare (AG) plus anti-reflective (AR) screen treatments to enhance screen viewability as well as improved security and remote management thanks to Intel Centrino 2 with vPro technology, expanded memory capabilities, 40% longer battery lives, larger capacity hard drives, and optional SSDs. Read More
NewerTech offers cheap, fast wireless solution
By Darren Quick
21:19 January 29, 2009 PST
The MAXPower 802.11g/b Wireless USB 2.0 Stick Adapter from NewerTech is a Plug and Play 802.11g/b wireless adapter that enables owners of USB 2.0/1.1 equipped Macs and PCs that haven’t yet gone wireless to affordably upgrade to wireless home and office networking. The solution is designed for Macintosh desktop and notebook computers, such as PowerMac G4, iMac G4, PowerBook G3/G4 and iBook G3 models that didn't include built in wireless or have a non-working AirPort card. Read More
HP unveils 2009 line
By Kyle Sherer
19:48 January 12, 2009 PST
HP released the details of its 09 lineup at CES, outlining new notebooks, a desktop, a gaming keyboard, a server, and a photo printing app for iPhone. Among them, the inch-thick HP Pavilion dv2 weighs less than four pounds and has a high-capacity hard drive of up to 500GB. Read More
Celeste H Calabro
- July 5, 2009 @ 22:20 UTC
