« Older Entries |

Engaging In Excessive Display Behavior

[ 1 Comment ]Posted on November 29, 2009 by admin in Technology

Sunday, November 29th, 2009

I’m a firm believer that size matters, but a 120 inch wide monitor might be a little excessive, in my opinion. Unless of course you’re Dr Evil or you’re running the Matrix or something.


This kind of behavior is probably okay
if you’re runnin’ The Matrix or somethin’

You may remember a time not too long ago when a 19″ monitor was quite adequate, and anything larger than 21″ was considered absolutely luxurious. Those days are clearly gone; the advent of widescreen laptops changed our expectations forever. And now it’s frankly getting a little out of hand. I can understand an extra monitor if you’re a music producer, movie maker, or designer that uses more than two or three applications at once, but personally, I think going beyond that is simply engaging in a sort of high tech display behaviour. I mean c’mon. Does anyone really need a 42″ wide monitor? Well if they do, they’re in luck. Although Alienware debuted the monstrosity at a trade show back in early 2008, the version that’s actually now available is made by Ostendo , and and is also being sold by NEC. If these numbers mean anything to you, it has a 32:10 aspect ratio, 2880 x 900 pixel native resolution, and for you gamers: yes, it’s fairly fast with 0.02 millisecond refresh rate. For the rest of you, that means it’s BIG. See the comparison images below. Of course, this already wasn’t big enough for some nerd, so you can always string three of them together (YouTube clip, also embedded below) for the ultimate pretend driving experience. And if you need this kind of silliness on the go, there are also dual screen laptops available. The Lenovo ThinkPad W700ds is probably not the way to go; at around 12 lbs, 2 inches thick, and a battery life of about an hour and forty-five minutes (if you’re using its crappy second screen), it’s hardly what you’d call “portable”. It also costs almost five grand. Perhaps a bit more on the mark is the Kohjinsha dual-screen netbook. You’ll have to pay for it in Yen for now though; it’s only available in Japan as of this writing. But if you’re still intrigued, Engadget has a hands-on look here. At least it actually exists; its only competitors are stylish pre-production concepts. One is the GScreen SpaceBook , the other is the Estari Canova. Of course, too much is never enough for some people, so if you’re looking for that “Dr Evil” impact try an industrial vendor like CGM, and if you need to run The Matrix or something, there are modular solutions. Read the rest of this entry »

Buying A Touchscreen Tablet PC: Mac, Android Vega, Or CrunchPad?

[ Comments Off ]Posted on November 16, 2009 by admin in Technology

Monday, November 16th, 2009

I’d love to own a Mac Tablet, but I’ll probably settle for any lightweight tablet PC that actually exists.


One thing I’ve noticed about these tablet
PC’s is that they all look better
with Dissociated Press on the screen

I don’t know why I’m so impatient. I mean, it was just a few thousand years ago that we were still picking bugs off of each other’s heads and grunting, but for some reason I expect the personal computer to be the size of a small legal pad, talk, accept voice commands, and have a holographic keyboard in the first thirty years of its evolution. But in my heart of hearts, I know that’s unreasonable, so I’ll settle for a decent tablet PC with a touch screen. And whine about it ’til I get one. Preferably a Mac, as I’ve said before, but recently I’ve considered lowering my standards. Especially after the last couple of weeks of hoopla about the mystery tablet that NVIDIA’s CEO used to taunt the tech press. In spite of a short-lived flurry of rumors that it had something to do with a Mac Tablet, it’s now pretty clear that it was an IDC Vega 15 inch tablet. And if it was, I’ll add this to the list of devices I’d consider buying, along with the the CrunchPad. I just want to get rid of my cellphone and laptop, and do it for less than a couple grand. Take your time, Apple. As much as I love you, personally I’ll probably settle for a tablet that actually exists in physical reality. Read the rest of this entry »

Forget That Mac Tablet – The Microsoft Courier Is Coming

[ 3 Comments ]Posted on October 4, 2009 by admin in Technology

Sunday, October 4th, 2009

All you fascist Mac-Addicted zombies are gonna be jealous when I have my cool gizmo before you have yours.

My interest in the ultimate iThingy, innovative laptop concepts, and the much-rumoured Mac Tablet borders on an unhealthy obsession. If somebody would just go ahead and MAKE one of the darn things, I’d be the first sucka in line to buy one. And now, I’m in real danger, because the Microsoft Courier may just beat the Mac tablet to market. I mean, when you’re talking about imaginary magic fairy gizmos, anything can happen, right? The impending Microsoft answer to the Mac hoopla is actually pretty intriguing. Watch the video below to see exactly how cool an imaginary Microsoft product can be. I’m just left wondering how a device that small can possibly run a Windows operating system. It must have a pretend fairy-powered CPU too. And since it’s a startlingly clever concept considering its Redmond origins, rabid PC-hating MacFreaks of course had to immediately dig up this video from 1988 showing that Apple was “already there”. Well, thank God Apple didn’t go there; if I had to look at and listen to that little bowtie-wearing dork in the video every day I’d stop using computers altogether. He’s more annoying than “Microsoft Bob” or “Clippy”. Well, maybe not Clippy. And just one last thought (swiped from Microsoft’s grinning robots or the Brotherhood of the Mac. Which is worse? ) to all you Mac-fixated zombies out there who are going to claim in advance that the Courier couldn’t possibly compare to a Mac Tablet: “Go back to your house. I know, you’ve got an iHouse. The walls are brushed aluminum. There’s a glowing Apple logo on the roof. And you love it there. You absolute MONSTER.” Read the rest of this entry »

Touchy Feely Lipstick Laptops

[ 2 Comments ]Posted on April 12, 2009 by admin in Technology

Sunday, April 12th, 2009

Cool laptop concepts, with something special for the ladies. Or guys like me, who wear makeup.

As someone who’s always a little disappointed with existing technology (give me anti-gravity travel and holographic computer interfaces, NOW!), I have a bit of a fetish for design concepts. My current reality-based fantasy is for the MacBook Touch to actually exist. It would also be fun, if it did exist, if it had a more three dimensional, tactile interface, something like BumpTop. While we’re dreaming of a more interesting mobile computing device, how about a “laptop” that rolls up so you can carry it like a purse? Or something like the HP Makeup, which has a screen that converts to a mirror, a built-in cosmetic tray, and a nail polishing port. There’s also a fitness model. Those two images are from a humorous piece created by a Russian designer for a women’s holiday feature. More info here, and if you speak Russian, here. And the closest we have to my dream of a holographic computer are apparently the Celluon Laser Keyboard and the i-Tech Virtual Laser Keyboard. I wait patiently for the future as I type this on my cute black MacBook. Read the rest of this entry »

iLong For The Ultimate iThingy

[ 1 Comment ]Posted on October 4, 2008 by admin in Technology

Saturday, October 4th, 2008

What’s the opposite of a Luddite?

For years I’ve endured Microsoft Windows for business reasons, claiming I’d buy a Mac when the price was right. Well, the price finally became right – thanks to my friend Eric – who hooked me up with a lightly-used black MacBook. My new gizmo then led me to fantasize about the perfect laptop. I’ve always dreamed of an “all screen” device that blends a multi-touch user interface, scanner, and projection device in one lightweight package. Things are getting closer. The device pictured at left is a One Laptop Per Child concept, but Mac addicts are claiming that Apple is about to announce something very much like it. Combine the flexibilty of that interface with this inspired, “holographic shadow” interface (vimeo clip) and a digital pen, and all that’s missing is the scanner.

« Older Entries |