Motorola, now a Google company, and their USA-assembled phone has been in the news lately, as well as Apple and their tentative plans to assemble select products in the USA.
WD “My Passport” 2TB Portable External Hard Drive Review
Over the years I have created a lot of files, taken thousands of photos, saved countless images and PDFs, and bought or converted dozens of music albums. I have several internal hard drives, but wanted a compact high-capacity external hard drive for backup purposes. Western Digital’s My Passport hard drives are compact enough to travel, but […]
Dell UltraSharp 27″ Monitor U2713HM Review
There’s nothing wrong with my old 24″ Samsung monitor, other than it being slightly too small for my current computing needs. I have been using it as my primary display alongside a 23″ Dell display for two years, and before that it sat next to a 19″ display for about four years. But I was […]
New Official Arduino Starter Kit
I first wrote about the inexpensive and versatile Arduino microcontroller about a year ago. Since then I have worked with it a bit more, and have seen tons of interesting and innovative projects based off it. There are many ways to get started with Arduino, but until now there have not been any starter kits […]
Canon EOS-M 18MP Mirrorless Camera
Canon has just announced their first EOS-M mirrorless camera system, due for release in about 4-5 months. Read More
Verizon Samsung Galaxy Nexus!
My Verizon Wireless contract was up for renewal and smartphone upgrade back in July, but none of the phones seemed suitable at the time. Then there were rumors that the hugely popular Samsung Galaxy S2 would be coming to Verizon. The Galaxy S2 came to the USA, but to every carrier except for Verizon. Soon […]
Lockheed Martin’s Bio-Inspired Samarai Micro Flyer
Lockheed Martin’s engineers, inspired by maple seeds (you know, the ones that twirl as they descend to the ground), created the Samarai Flyer, a micro-aircraft that features a single asymmetrical wing. The Samarai weighs less than half a pound and can take off vertically, hover, and land, all the while streaming video from a rotating […]
Google Whips Out Wallet, Buys Motorola Mobility
Google announced early this morning that they are acquiring Motorola for $12.5 billion. This move appears to be primarily motivated by Google’s need to strengthen their patent portfolio in the face of anti-competitive threats from Microsoft, Apple, and other companies. Major companies, such as Microsoft and Apple, seem to be doing this a lot these days. […]
Panasonic Lumix TS3 Rugged Digital Camera
A while back I talked a little about Panasonic’s TS2 toughened digital camera, and how it looks perfect for jobsite use. When looking to pick one up for myself, I found that the new TS3 had come out. Like the TS2, the TS3 is shockproof, waterproof (down to 12m/40ft), dustproof, and freezeproof. Looking at its IP6x […]
FYI: New Internet Explorer 9, Chrome 10, and Firefox 4 Web Browsers Available for Download
Just an FYI for those of you that care about this type of thing – there are new versions of Internet Explorer (IE9) and Firefox (v. 4) available for download. Chrome was also updated recently as well, and is up to version 10.
Getting Started with Arduino Microcontrollers
The Arduino microcontroller system, in its developers’ words, is an open-source electronics prototyping platform based on flexible, easy-to-use hardware and software. It’s intended for artists, designers, hobbyists, and anyone interested in creating interactive objects or environments. At the minimum, an Arduino can be used to control lights, motors, and servos, and react to different conditions such as light, […]
How to Build a Solid Home Theater Computer (HTPC or DVR)
This week I decided to add a home theater computer in my living room for DVR (digital video recording) use. I’ve had one running in the bedroom for about 5 years now, and it’s due for an upgrade as well. The two computers will mostly be used to record TV shows for future viewing. Following is […]
Looking for a Good Read? Check Out Project Gutenberg
Project Gutenberg is a database of free e-books that you can download and read on your PC or e-reader devicse such as the Kindle. Most of these books are classics whose copyrights have expired. Here are some titles we intend to download that you may also be interested in: The Art of War by Sun […]
Constrained Ball Pen and Pencil Attachment for Accurate Drawings
Giha Woo’s Constrained Ball device is a simple pen and pencil attachment that constrains the writing instruments to move in only one direction. This allows for quick, easy and accurate freehand (well, near freehand) straight lines. To sweeten the deal, the attachment has sensors that measure the length of the drawn line in real-time. Right now it looks […]
Awesome Arcade Racing Game & Radio Controlled Car Combo
Check out this video which shows how a team of hobbyists combined their passion for RC cars and racing arcade games. These guys put together a cardboard track and remotely control a scale RC car with Wipeout-style arcade controls. Video Link Additional Info, Videos, and Pics, via Sputnic