Hardware posts

What if every wall in your home was a digital display? What if your kitchen table would set itself and also be a touchscreen-enabled entertainment device. What if your kitchen counters were “smart” enough to know what items were on it and had the ability to react accordingly, keeping coffee cups warm and iced-tea cold? These are some of the questions that Microsoft asked when designing what they consider to be the “home of the future.” If it seems very much like Star Trek, only better in many ways, many would agree. The difference is that all of this is possible in the early 21st century, well ahead of…

Having the latest shiny new gadget is something that many people strive for. They are the ones who are willing to wait in line, get test samples or beta invites for new technology, and generally consider last year’s model an abomination. They are the early adopters and there are distinct advantages to being one. There are, however, costs as well. This graphic by our friends at SocialCast explores those costs and shows how people who are getting the latest and greatest may be getting a little ripped off in the process. Being an early adopter is often a status symbol, and as with most status symbols,…

There is a well-known transition of thought that has been singularly clear since the beginning of human existence: Data becomes information Information becomes knowledge Knowledge becomes wisdom It’s that simple. Over the centuries, the way we store and manage data has evolved in ways that have created a nearly-infinite improvement. What takes seconds to store now could have taken literally years to reproduce on stone tablets in the past. It’s an amazing technological world. This infographic by SocialCast breaks down that evolution visually. Click to enlarge. …

We’re not quite to the point where we can push a button and say, “Tea. Earl Grey. Hot.” Then again, we may not be as far off as most would believe. The amazing technology behind the 3D printer is mind-blowing. From scanning and understanding every aspect of a tool, even moving parts, all the way to the actual “printing” process are things that are clearly out of a science fiction book and not reality, and yet there it is. Watch the video. Be amazed. Dream about the future. …

As the roads fill with the quiet, environmentally-friendly hybrids, most people are now aware of the premise. The electric half of the hybrid starts the vehicle going, then the gas half kicks in once it gets to a certain speed. While the basic concept is easy to understand, there’s a lot more to it than that. This graphic by AutoMD breaks down the ins and outs of hybrids, giving us a glimpse of what really makes the engine go. Gas prices rising makes purchasing a hybrid a potentially valid option. “We thought that the interest in the Prius had hit its peak last year, but it’s gone beyond anything we could…

For the past couple of years, we have been waiting to see whether Research in Motion, the makers of the Blackberry, could rise to meet the challenge of iOS and, later, Android. And for a while, we were hopeful. Looking at RIM’s past and brand loyalty, there was much reason to believe they would succeed despite Apple and Google’s onslaughts. But yesterday, two news stories came out that were symbols of RIM’s (probably permanent) decline. The first was that Apple has enough cash to buy the entire mobile phone industry. The second was that RIM themselves have halved their internal projections for their…

There has been a ton of talk about the cloud, lately. Some think it’s the future, the place where everything will eventually reside online. Google is making computers that will be completely cloud-based. All of the data will eventually be out there, somewhere. That’s the premise for business as well, as our friends at FormStack relate to us in this infographic. “Instead of applications and data stored on a single computer terminal or network, cloud-based services (“cloud applications”) are accessible on the Internet in the same manner as online banking and shopping, email, and social networking…

In the market for a new computer? How does 25 bucks fetch ya? Cooked up by game developer David Braben, ‘Raspberry Pi’ is a PC he’s hoping to market to teaching children the joys (or horrors, depending on which camp you’re in) of programming. So, what do you get for $25? Well, howsabout a 700MHz ARM11 processor, 128MB of RAM, HDMI Out, and a single USB port, running Ubuntu 9.0.4? Yeah, that’s not much. But it’s pretty impressive once you’re told that this computer IS A USB STICK. No foolin’. Here, watch Braben wax lyrical about it for a few minutes. No, he doesn’t rap. But as mad fly as this device is, he really…

We all know that new tech gadgets are more expensive in the beginning when demand and expenses could bring a higher  price. With hard drives, it’s amazing to see just how expensive they are versus how much they used to be. Take a look at three shining examples of how 10- and 15-MBs looked in the past both in physical form as well as cost. Could you imagine paying that kind of money to get 10-MBs? Neither could I. Today, they’re much cheaper: …but they weren’t always that small… …and they weren’t always inexpensive. …

Communication is often the key to coordinating responses to disasters. From 9/11 to the Japan tsunami, keeping people on the ground in touch with the outside world can help to save lives and prevent further distruction. AT&T has released a “cell tower in a suitcase” aimed at corporate and government bodies to help first responders to be able to immediately set up their own phone coverage in disaster areas. Putting up a Remote Mobility Zone will allow up to 14 simultaneous calls and be able to transmit data at sub-broadband speeds. They will retail anywhere from $15,000 to $45,000. …