Hasta La Gadget!

With the advancement in technology these days, course materials handed out to students in university has transitioned from being physical copies to being directed to online blackboard portals where the slides and notes can be downloaded digitally. With such systems in place, it is not an uncommon sight to see students in classes take out laptops and tablets to take down notes and refer to course materials rather than the typical pen and paper setup, but apparently not everyone is a fan of such conveniences. In an interview with NYU Local, Professor Vincent Renzi, director of the MAP’s program’s Foundation of Scientific Enquiry, revealed his particular dislike of having laptops in classrooms.

He feels that laptops create a physical barrier between the student and the lecturer, preventing “immediate interpersonal communication”. Next he also feels that laptops allow for outright transcription as opposed to “real” note taking. To a certain extent we know what he means – since typing is a lot faster than writing, students are able to record word for word what the lecturer is saying, instead of taking relevant notes that they would personally understand. Last but not least Renzi feels that laptops give students the opportunity to mess around on the internet instead of paying attention in class. All valid points, but what do you guys think? Do you agree with Renzi’s sentiments?

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Tinkermite Tablet is a wooden toy that teaches your kids about technology, Apple reveals they sold twice as many iPads compared to Macs to the education sector,

Here’s another newly introduced ATX motherboard from EVGA, the Z75 SLI. Based on Intel Z75 Express Chipset, the board supports for Intel LGA1155 processors and features a 7+1 phase power design, four DDR3 DIMM memory slots (up to 32GB RAM), two PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slots, one PCI-Express 2.0 x16 slot and one PCI-Express 2.0 x1 slot. Connectivity-wise, it has four SATA 6.0 Gbps, four SATA 3.0 Gbps, three USB 3.0, eight USB 2.0 and Gigabit Ethernet. Unfortunately, there’s no word on pricing and release date yet. [EVGA]

Consumers’ tastes do change with the times, and it is the onus of the company to keep up with the latest trends – or be the trendsetter instead. Well, eBay seemed to have followed the footsteps of Microsoft by redesigning their eBay logo in order to better reflect marketplace shift. This new eBay logo was unveiled by eBay executive Devin Wenig, hoping to impart the sense that the company is no longer a digital auction house of sorts, but rather, will nudge consumers to see eBay as a full-priced, buy-it-now merchandise entity.

The famous red, blue, yellow and green colors of eBay’s original logo remains, although the letters will be thinner and arranged in a straight line instead of a slightly unaligned approach in the past. Expect the new eBay logo to be introduced across the company’s websites from fall onwards. Wenig said, “The eBay logo is known the world over, so changing it was not a decision made lightly. The time felt right. It’s eBay today: a global online marketplace that offers a cleaner, more contemporary and consistent experience.”

What do you think of the new eBay logo?

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Solitary Final Fantasy 2 NES copy goes for $50k on eBay, eBay to ban the sales of “advice, spells, curses, hexing, etc.” starting from September,

Mark down September 30th on your calendars, boys and girls, as the music social network from Apple will arrive at the end of the proverbial road then. This is in line with rumors that made its rounds earlier this May that Apple is looking to kill of Ping, and considering the lack of updates since Ping was announced a couple of years ago, it makes perfect sense not to flog a dead horse any longer.

Those who paid a visit to Ping’s home in iTunes will realize that from September 30th onwards, no more new members will be accepted no matter how much you beg, cry or wail. I guess there might be just some third party developers out there who could come up with an app of sorts to help you know what you are playing as well as what your mates are enjoying on their playlist. Are you happy or sad that Ping has reached the end of the road, or do you remain indifferent?

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Verizon enables cellular FaceTime use regardless of data plan, AT&T outs iPhone 5 this September 21st,

Here we have another newly launched slim desktop PC from PC Koubou, the Amphis bz Di SL5310. Powered by a 2.30GHz Intel Pentium G630T processor, the system is packed with an Intel B75 Express Chipset, a NVIDIA Quadro 400 512MB graphics card, a 4GB DDR3 RAM, a 500GB hard drive, a DVD Super Multi Drive, a 300W 80PLUS BRONZE power supply and runs on Windows 7 Professional 64-bit (SP1) OS. The Amphis bz Di SL5310 is available now for 69,980 Yen (about $898). [Product Page]