Arriving in the most ambidextrous form possible, the Mionix Avior 7000 has shown itself in the market for the first time this week as a lefty or righty best-in-class gaming mouse for the whole world. This is the newest in a collection of gaming accessories made by the company to conform to the smoothest and […]
Though we’re going to go ahead and call it: Kano wont ever be as simple as LEGO, but they’ve certainly got a good head start toward making that a possibility. Kano is a computer building system that allows the user – a kid – to create a machine using a Raspberry Pi Model B, a […]
Western Digital has outed its latest drive, the WD Black2, pairing a sizable chunk of solid-state storage with a more capacious traditional HDD for the best of both worlds. The 2.5-inch drive has 120GB of SSD capacity and 1TB of HDD space, and gives the option of greater control over which data is stored where, […]
Microsoft is aiming to cut Windows confusion by trimming its three-strong OS line-up for mobile devices to tow, streamlining some combination of Windows Phone, Windows RT, and full Windows. Windows RT, the little-loved version of Windows 8 that Microsoft cooked up for ARM-based tablets, was insufficiently differentiated from full Windows, Julie Larson-Green, Executive Vice President […]
The Raspberry Pi computing platform definitely has some interesting applications. This project is no exception, because it will allow users of all ages and experience to assemble a DIY computer. A Raspberry Pi is used as the brains of the operation.
The MAP Project Office collaborated with Kano to create this DIY computer kit. It’s a complete computer system that its makers claim is as easy to assemble as LEGO.
The system comes with a two-part bumper case for the computer board, as well as a custom wireless keyboard, with a built-in touchpad and color-coded buttons, making it kid-friendly. It connects to any monitor with an HDMI port, and comes with an 8GB SD card pre-loaded with the Kano OS and tools to help learn how to program. The open source computer can run pretty much any Debian Linux package, and will come with easy-to-use software for creating and playing simple games.
The KANO KIT DIY Computer is being crowdfunded via Kickstarter. You’ll have to pledge at least $119(USD) to get yours. With nearly a month of funding left, the project has amassed more than $560,000 against a goal of just $100,000. Needless to say, it will go into production.
[via Kickstarter]
The ol’ keyboard and mouse combo have proven nearly as versatile as personal computers themselves, but there are still cases when a more responsive or intuitive physical interface is needed. For example, many musicians today use MIDI controllers and sequencers. Palette aims to be that alternative interface to computers, and one that adapts to your needs.
Palette is a nearly infinitely expandable control interface. It has a power module that connects to computers via USB and control modules – buttons, knobs and sliders – that connect to the power module and to each other. Each module has two RGB LEDs that shine through its perimeter, and you’ll be able to customize the way those LEDs light up. Speaking of customization, the power module also has an OLED screen that displays the profile you’re currently using for your setup.
When it launches, Palette will support only OS X and a few programs – the Adobe Creative Suite, DJ software like Ableton and Traktor plus a few “basic web apps” – but its inventors are working on an SDK so that developers can make their programs compatible with Palette. That will be crucial to the success of this system. And if Palette does take off, we can expect more modules to come out, such as joysticks, jog dials and more. I think this has the potential to be revolutionary. It can help not just professionals but non-techies and perhaps even disable people as well.
Pledge at least $89 (CAD) (~$84 USD) on Kickstarter to get a four module Palette kit as a reward. Higher pledges get you more control modules, and there’s even a reward tier for modules with wooden cases. I’d love for Palette to be compatible with mobile devices. Imagine playing a light DJ set using only your tablet and your Palette setup, or playing Spaceteam with real controls.
[via Digital Trends]
Ad agency TDA_Boulder came up with Happy Hour Virus, a website that fakes computer problems. The idea is that you’ll be able to use the “problem” as an excuse to leave work. I don’t think it actually has a chance of getting you off of work, but you can use it to punk your non-techie colleagues for a few seconds.
As you can see in the screenshot above, Happy Hour Virus has three tricks. There’s the ol’ Windows nemesis, the Blue Screen of Death, complete with pseudo code cascading down the screen:
Then there’s the rare but dreaded kernel panic prompt from OS X:
Finally there’s the system agnostic broken screen glitch:
The hilarious thing about this fake malware is that it will disappear when you press the Escape button. Even the most clueless office worker is bound to stumble upon that “solution” and help you be productive again. But as I said, it can work as a harmless prank. Try out Happy Hour Virus here.
[via OhGizmo!]
Due to the less-than-stellar state of affairs in selling computers at Acer as of late, both the CEO and the Corporate President of the company have stepped down from their respective positions. To replace them, the board has elected the company’s founder Stan Shih as both CEO and Corporate President all rolled into one. This […]
Because of its size and form, Google Glass has a limited – albeit seemingly capable – user interface: touch gestures, head gestures and voice commands. Even though Glass’ display is visible at all times, there are times when it would be impractical, insensitive or downright impossible to interact with it. That’s why researcher Brandyn White came up with three alternative ways of controlling Glass.
The first method is via eye tracking, i.e. triggering commands just by looking at a particular spot. Brandyn achieved this using a modified webcam, a 3D printed case and a custom software. As Brandyn notes, future versions of Glass may have eye-tracking built-in so this hack may be rendered obsolete. But even if that happened Brandyn says he doesn’t want this to be used in public, probably because it’s distracting and can also be offensive if used when you’re with other people.
Brandyn also made a browser-based control interface for Glass with the help of a JavaScript-based platform called WearScript. As silly as it sounds, this interface will probably let you control Glass even if you’re not wearing it.
Finally, Brandyn used a MaKey MaKey and WearScript to enable alternative touch controls for Glass. For instance, he wired MaKey MaKey to his clothes so that he could control Glass just by touching his sleeves. He also used two bananas to play Super Mario Bros. on a NES emulator.
You should check out Brandyn’s full article about his hacks on his website. Brandyn and his colleague Andrew Miller also made a couple of Google Glass hacks designed to help the blind become aware of their surroundings.
[via Mike Elgan via The Future of Things]
It’s a big month for quantum computing. Earlier today we reported that scientists had sustained a quantum computer for 39 minutes at room temperature instead of having to cool it to near-absolute-zero first, meaning we are that much closer to Ludicrous Speed consumer computers. Now it has come to light that photons can be measured, […]
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