Hasta La Gadget!

This article was written on January 09, 2008 by CyberNet.

Computer World is reporting that there’s a new development in the One Laptop Per Child computer program.  According to Nicholas Negroponte, chairman of OLPC, they’re working together with Microsoft to develop a dual-boot system which would make Linux and Windows available on the affordable computers being sent to developing countries. Negroponte said, “We are working with them very closely to make a dual-boot system so that, like on an Apple, you can boot either one up.  The version that’s up and running of Windows on the XO is very fast, it’s very, very successful.  We’re working very hard to do both.”

So which version of Windows would they be running on the computers? You guessed it, Windows XP.  That’s the version that Microsoft has offered for the project. While it sounds great to have a computer that can dual-boot two different operating systems, I’m wondering if they really expect that children from developing countries to use both? Mary Jo Foley over at ZDNet came up with another good question worth thinking about – “Will XO laptops even have enough horsepower to dual-boot Windows and Linux?

Microsoft is known for their charity work in developing countries.  In fact, they have a rather strong presence in certain countries and work with governments of those countries to build computer labs.  Getting involved with charity is just something they do, so in this situation, and they offering XP as a nice gesture, or is there an ulterior motive? At least it makes sense now as to why Microsoft gave 40 engineers the daunting task of getting Windows XP running on the OLPC.

Copyright © 2011 CyberNetNews.com

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This sleek socket will wake you any way you please

Here’s a great idea: why not put a pair of open, horizontal power sockets up on your nightstand, right next to where you keep that tall, cool glass of water for when you wake up thirsty. Now, if you accidentally tip over your bedtime drink, you’ll be in for a shock — quite literally.

Actually, apart from the Darwin Award possibilities, the Alternative Alarm Clock from Kihyun Kim is a pretty neat concept. The sockets remain dormant until the appointed hour, whereupon the juice flows into any gadget of your choosing. Kim’s suggestions are a coffee percolator and a fan, perfect to waft you gently from sleep to wakefulness with minimal distress.

Of course, you can rig this us from existing timer outlets from the hardware store, but Kim’s clock is actually rather elegant, even managing to make the standard British paranoia-plug socket look attractive. If I ever had need to wake up in the mornings (and if this were a real product), I’d probably buy one.

Alternative Alarm Clock [Kihyun Kim via Yanko]

See Also:

• Toaster-Like Alarm Clock Pops Up iPhones
• Alarm Clock Wakes You Up With Bacon
• Wake Up! Five Great iPhone Alarm Clocks
• LED Alarm Clock. Pretty and Confusing

Now you can — finally — adjust the look of the Kobo Touch’s display

Kobo has added a much-needed update to its Touch e-reader, bringing new fonts and layout options. Previously, the not-too-bad e-ink Kobo was limited to a choice of just two font, with no way to control the way these were represented on-screen. The free 1.9.5 update fixes this.

First up are the fonts. You can now choose between 7 typefaces — Amasis, Avenir, Delima, Felbridge, Georgia, Gill Sans and Rockwell. I picked Amasis, and not just because it’s the first on the list: to my eye it’s the least obtrusive when reading.

Next are the typesetting options. Now you can control font size, line spacing, margin size, justification (off, full or ragged-right) and something called “Kobo Styling.”

The margin setting is the big one here. The IR beams that detect your finger to activate the touch-screen mean that the screen is set farther back in the case than in, say, the Kindle. This a casts small but not insignificant shadows at the edge of the screen. Previously, the text ran right to the edge, into these shadows. It was a big distraction. Now, the shadows are still there, but the text can be moved out of the way.

You can also add your own fonts via the Kobo desktop software.

Finally, about that “Kobo Styling” option. I though I was going crazy, clicking it and seeing no effects. It turns out that it really doesn’t do anything. According to a forum posting by Kobo intern George Talusan, “The checkbox is vestigial. We’ll remove it in a future release but in the meantime have fun clicking it.”

The update is either already installed on your Kobo device, or will turn up soon, over the air.

Kobo Touch Edition Software Updates [Kobo]

Kobo Touch Firmware 1.9.5 [Mobile Read Forums]

See Also:

• Kobo Launches Touch-Screen E-Ink Tablet
• Why Borders' Kobo E-Reader Still Falls Short

For this week’s giveaway, we’re serving up the SRS Labs iWow 3D audio enhancement adapter for the iPhone, iPod, and iPad.

Pretty much the only thing stopping me from buying an iPhone to use as my next camera is the fact that I can’t shoot photos with a shallow depth-of-field, which throws the background into a distraction-free blur while keeping your subject pin sharp. The ridiculously impractical iPhone SLR Mount probably won’t change my mind, but if I had an iPhone already, I would be fingering my credit card right now.

The “mount” is actually more of a case. You slide in your phone, screw on the long cylindrical adapter and then snap on your SLR lens. The kit comes in Nikon and Canon flavors, so you can mount pretty much any Nikon lens ever made, or use any Canon lens manufactured since the 1980s (when Canon switched mounts).

You can’t remove your iPhone’s own lens, of course, so this adapter comes with its own focussing screen, just like the one in your actual SLR. The iPhone then just takes a snap of this screen, which results in a sharp, bright (but upside-down) images.

Like I said, I’d be fingering my credit card in anticipation. Once I saw the price, though, I might slide it back into my dusty, moth-infested wallet. The iPhone SLR Mount costs $250, or $190 if you choose the iPhone 3-compatible version. For that money, you could buy an actual lens for your real camera.

The iPhone SLR Mount [Photojojo]

See Also:

• 500mm iPhone Lens for Grungy Close-Ups
• Lens Turns iPhone Into Six-Inch Tablet
• Chunky Case Adds Lens and Mic to iPhone Video Camera