Jan 24
Apple is currently celebrating the 30th birthday of the Mac computer. That will probably make some of you feel old. The first Macintosh computer debuted in 1984 with what Apple … Continue reading
Jan 20
HP has brought back a Windows 7 option “by popular demand”, offering desktop and notebook PCs with Microsoft’s old OS amid patchy public support for Windows 8. The range of … Continue reading
Jan 20
As a tech company, Google has been known to branch out into different areas of interests, from self-driving cars to smart wearable technology and, more recently, to robotics. One thing … Continue reading
Jan 18
The last time we featured Bunnie Huang and Sean “xobs” Cross, they revealed that SD cards are computers too. If you look closely at one of the slides in their presentation (pdf), you can see that they used something called “Novena” to crack the firmware of the SD cards they tested. It turns out that Novena is a custom laptop that the two programmers built. It’s a work in progress that they hope will eventually be made of 100% open source hardware.
As with many hacking projects, Bunnie and xobs started working on Novena partly for kicks. Given that they’re also running Sutajio Ko-usagi, a company that specializes in open source hardware products, it’s not surprising that Bunnie and xobs also want to use Novena to promote open source hardware.
The current Novena laptop has an ARM-based Freescale iMX6 CPU, 4GB RAM, a 13” 2560×1700 LED-backlit panel, two USB ports, an Ethernet port, an HDMI port an SD card reader and a microphone and speaker port. But the Novena isn’t just a netbook with a high-res screen.
In a recent blog post, Bunnie enumerated a number of requirements for Novena, the first and foremost being, “All the components should have a reasonably complete set of NDA-free documentation.” Bunnie said that first commandment alone significantly narrowed their choices. They also decided that the laptop should be a viable hardware and security hacking platform, which meant it had to have parts not available in most consumer laptops, such as an FPGA circuit and two Ethernet interfaces. True to its concept the Novena’s internal components can be accessed by removing just two screws.
Still, as Wired notes, the current Novena’s “screen, keyboard, hard drive, power supply, and processor were all purchased off the shelf, and it’s powered by a hacked RC car battery pack.” In other words, it’s not fully open source yet.
As you can see Bunnie and xobs had a bit of fun with the laptop’s exterior. Aside from its aluminum enclosure, the laptop is wrapped in leather and has a paper laminate lining as well as 3D printed decorative parts.
Head to the Novena wiki page for more on the laptop’s specs, including its firmware and software.
[via Wired & Bunnie Huang via tech spotlight]
Jan 17
The past couple of years saw the launch of tiny computers meant to replace the traditional desktop setup. We have Android mobile devices that dock into larger devices, Android-on-a-stick HDMI devices, Windows 8 and its hybrid army and Canonical’s vision of a smartphone that’s also an Ubuntu desktop computer. A company called ICE wants to join the race with its xPC.
Like hybrid Android devices such as the ASUS Padfone and the Motorola Atrix, the xPC uses docks to change forms. However unlike those devices the current xPC prototype is not a smartphone and is thus useless by itself. It’s main advantage is that it can run the desktop versions of Windows. It houses an unspecified Intel Atom, Intel Core i5 or an ARM CPU, 2GB to 4GB RAM, 32 to 128GB SSD, a camera, an accelerometer, a gyro sensor and Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity.
ICE plans to launch three docks with the xPC: a tablet dock, a mini-HTPC dock and a mini-desktop dock. The last two docks both have a couple of USB 3.0 ports, an HDMI port, an earphone jack and a speaker, but the mini-desktop dock will also have a hard drive bay.
Pledge at least $259 (USD) on Indiegogo to get an ICE xPC and a mini-HTPC dock. I think the mass market will soon be flooded with cheap display-less computers like the xPC. But if I had to buy a budget work computer right now I’d still go for a cheap laptop.
[via Gadgetify]
Jan 17
Matias Ergo Pro Keyboard crams mechanical switches inside an ergonomic shell
Posted in: Today's ChiliMatias isn’t exactly a household name when it comes to keyboards and other computer peripherals, but the company has a number of offerings. Matias had several keyboards on display this … Continue reading
Jan 16
Robots that are made to perform certain tasks require a lot of processing power and lots of programming. If you bring in another similar robot, you have to complete that programming again. That may change in the future with a group of researchers testing out something akin to a robot brain based in the cloud called RoboEarth.
The test is the result of a project funded by the EU that has spanned four years. The researchers say RoboEarth is like the World Wide Web for robots. The idea is that robots could upload the steps needed to complete certain tasks to the RoboEarth platform and that way only one robot would need to be programmed and all others could get the steps from the cloud.
“At its core RoboEarth is a world wide web for robots: a giant network and database repository where robots can share information and learn from each other,” said Rene van de Molengraft, the RoboEarth project leader.
The RobotEarth system is being tested in a mock hospital room at Eindhoven University. One robot will roll into the mock room and make a map that will be shared with other bots via the RoboEarth system. The other robots will then navigate the room and give the fake patient drinks.
It all sounds really cool, and scary at the same time, like some sort of SkyNet precursor.
[via BBC]
Jan 15
The new Mac Pro’s case makes it look like a trash can, so a German’s PC enthusiast with a sense of humor decided to build a Hackintosh – a user-assembled computer made to run OS X – and put it inside an actual trash can. Tonymacx86 forum member Dschijn shared some of the computer’s photos.
The computer is inside a modified Lunar, a plastic trash can sold by Authentics. The similarity ends at that joke however, because this Hackintosh has modest specs. It has a Gigabyte Z87 Mini-ITX motherboard, an Intel Core i3 Haswell CPU, a Radeon 7750 GPU and an unspecified SSD and HDD. I’m doubtful the real Mac Pro has anything to worry about.
Creativity on an epic scale. Check out Dschijn’s thread on Tonymacx86 to see more of the casemod.
[via 9to5 Mac]
Jan 13
Portable gaming computers are nothing new. Micro-ATX and Mini-ITX motherboards let you create relatively light and compact rigs, though often at the expense of hardware specs. In an attempt to come up with a perfect compromise between power and portability, CyberPowerPC decided to emulate a briefcase for its upcoming LAN-ready rig, the Fang Battle Box.
The Fang Battle Box uses a Mini-ITX Z87 motherboard but is roomy enough to accommodate components that you’d normally reserve on your main computer, including powerful but bulky graphics cards. Like a briefcase, you can gawk at the Battle Box’s internals by unlocking its latch, although I’m not sure if you can easily swap its components as well.
CyberPowerPC will let you customize the specs of the Battle Box when you place your order, that much is certain.
Other neat touches on the Battle Box include two USB 3.0 ports placed near its handle –beside its power and reset switches – and large rubber feet on its underside.
I bet Ben Heck would love to put a screen on this and make the world’s fattest laptop. There’s no word on the base price for the Fang Battle Box, but it will be available for order from CyberPowerPC within the year’s first quarter.
[via eTeknix & MaximumPC via Mikeshouts]
Jan 13
At the 2014 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), voice recognition specialist Nuance unveiled Dragon Assistant, a voice-activated personal assistant for Intel-powered computers and laptops running Windows 8. It’s not as smart – or sexy – as Samantha from Spike Jonze’s Her, but it’s a start.
Dragon Assistant works a lot like Siri, Kinect and other voice-activated assistants. To start using it, you just have to say “Hey Dragon.” From that point you can then use everyday language to open applications, search online and of course dictate text. The program’s voice can be set to either “British Butler” or ”American Female.” Aww man, no German Shepherd?
See that? Now we’re all Dragonborn. Nuance says Dragon Assistant is already available on various Acer, Dell, HP and Lenovo laptops, ultrabooks, tablets and all-in-one computers, with ASUS and Toshiba computers to follow suit this year. Like other voice assistants, you’ll need an Internet connection to use all of Dragon Assistant’s features, although it can still execute certain commands even when you’re offline. Check out the Dragon Assistant support page for more on that.
[via Nuance via Gear Diary]
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