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Posts Tagged ‘technology’

The Obama presidential campaign is again pushing the bounds of technology in politics by using Square mobile payments in its fundraising efforts. Square’s mobile payment device is a secure magnetic stripe credit card reader that can be attached to the headphone jack of iPhones, iPads, and Android devices to accept payments.

The company is obviously thrilled to have the publicity, and has sanctioned a special app for the campaign to use for donations. Currently, only staff have access to the Obama Square app, but it will be released to the general public soon. This is similar to the way Square … [Read More...]

A glasses-free 3D laptop

We have a term for technology like Toshiba’s Qosmio F755 laptop. It’s “demo cool.” It wows you in a demo, but after some serious testing, you’re not quite sure you’d want to use it day in and day out. Though we’re impressed by the technical achievement of Toshiba’s glasses-free 3D technology, it’s just not developed enough to earn our recommendation.

Unlike most stereoscopic 3D displays, which require you to wear a pair of 3D glasses, Toshiba’s lenticular display creates a stereoscopic 3D illusion with the naked eye. That illusion did impress us. Watching a 3D Blu-ray … [Read More...]

Space heaters have always struck me as inherently — how shall I put it? — low-echelon devices. They seem best suited to college dorm rooms, along with Simpsons VHS tapes and a Costco-sized box of ramen noodles. Relying on one is maybe one small step above warming your cold-water flat with the gas oven.

In other words, the thought of a “Cadillac of space heaters” seems a bit of an oxymoron.

But the Dyson of space heaters?

Having tackled vacuum cleaners, hand dryers and artificial summer breezes, Dyson is once again taking a mundane home appliance to task.

Meet the … [Read More...]

Samsung is taking its surveillance game to the next level by introducing a new series of Full HD analog video products. Included in the new lineup is the HD-SDI 1920×1080 box camera, HD-SDI 1920×1080 dome camera, and a four-channel HD-SDI digital video recorder (DVR). Samsung’s HD-SDI technology makes it possible to transmit uncompressed and non-packetized digital video signals with no loss of image data and zero latency, the company said.

The obvious benefit here is improved image quality, which is more than five times better than conventional analog technology, Samsung says. But it also offers a “more cost-effective and easier … [Read More...]

If you’ve never heard of Intellectual Ventures, get your confused face ready. This patent holding firm, which makes nothing but does hold about 35,000 patents, has filed suit against Motorola Mobility for patent infringement. IV says it has been in talks with Motorola for some time, but has been unable to reach a deal for licensing of the IV patent portfolio. Unwilling to allow “ongoing infringement,” the lawyers are gearing up.

IV has made name for itself acquiring patents from all over the country, and using them to extract licensing fees from organizations large and small. Many of the patents … [Read More...]

While I don’t have children, I do have a cluster of awesome nieces and nephews. I care about them immensely and think they are possibly the greatest kids in the world. That being said, I often wonder about their online safety especially because I spend my time immersed in the world of technology and social media space. I remember the first time I saw one of my nephews post a little too much information about his girlfriend. I called his mother right away only to be told that I was being a big mother hen and needed to calm down. … [Read More...]

In today’s video Ryan and I dig into AMD’s new “APU” (short for Accelerated Processing Unit) technology.  The short version of this is that AMD basically mashed together a high performance CPU and a high performance GPU into one tiny, fast, energy sipping chip.  That means great performance AND great battery life!

For more on AMD APU’s, hit AMD’s site, or watch the video I shot with AMD at CES 2011.

This article was written by Windows Experience (Source)

… [Read More...]

The next technology darling to head for an initial public offering (IPO) could be the stellar note taking service Evernote, Reuters is reporting. Evernote CEO Phil Libin told Reuter that an IPO is inevitable, but they were not rushing into anything. Considering the trouble Groupon has had, that sounds wise.

Evernote has upwards of 14 million users, 500,000 of which pay $5 per month for premium accounts. Evernote has an app for most mobile platforms, a web interface, and a desktop client. Users can upload plain text, images, and audio to keep their lives in order. The explosion in mobile … [Read More...]

Through a series of BIOS updates, Gigabyte last month announced it added native support for PCI Express Gen. 3 technology on over 40 of its existing motherboards, and along with support for Intel’s 22nm Ivy Bridge processors, it was a solid announcement for system builders looking to future proof. At least it should have been, only MSI is taking Gigabyte to task over its PCI-E Gen. 3 claims.

This isn’t some off-the-cuff remark being blown out of proportion by the media, either. MSI put together a multi-page PDF document filled with marketing slides explaining exactly why it thinks Gigabyte is … [Read More...]

Do you need gigabytes or performance? Laptop upgrades or a screaming new gaming PC? We walk you through what you need to know to pick the right storage solution for your PC.

Storage. Always needed, often overlooked.

Often lost in the buzz surrounding the latest DirectX 11 GPUs and hexacore CPUs is the ability to actually store and retrieve your stuff. Your applications, games, photographs, digital music and everything else lives on your hard drive. But that boring old rotating magnetic disk just doesn’t seem exciting or high tech – even though the technology in a hard drive is actually … [Read More...]

As an artist, I’ve always wanted some sort of one-to-one input when working in Photoshop or zBrush. I’ve used several of the traditional input tablets, but I’ve never been fully satisfied. I still ended up drawing on paper and scanning the results. It’s just more natural.

Input tablets have been constantly improving in the decades they’ve been around. But the technology remains imperfect. The pressure-sensitive pad sits on the desk, separate from the screen, which takes away some of that natural feel you get from drawing with a pen, especially when trying to add tiny details to your work.

So … [Read More...]

Razer’s gaming mice are taking a generational leap with the new 4G Dual Sensor technology, the company announced last week. Unveiled at the Electronic Entertainment Expo, the latest versions of Razer’s Mamba and Imperator mice are its first “4G” dual-sensor mice, which means that they feature both an optical and a laser sensor. 

Calling the 6400dpi dual-sensor system the “most precise and advanced sensor technology”, Razer USA president Robert “Razerguy” Krakoff said: “We worked closely with many pro-gamers to fine-tune the sensor under intense gaming conditions, ensuring it achieved a level of tracking accuracy that met their high-level demands.”

As … [Read More...]

By now, you’ve likely seen our favorite new Windows ads running on television with Julie who “never shopped for a new PC, because she didn’t think there was anything better out there.” To show her what she was missing, we built a PC store in her house and filled it with the newest, sexiest, and fashionable Windows 7 PCs on the market. While we can’t do this for everyone, we can help you to create a beautiful new space with a stunning Windows 7 PC.

Combining a technology makeover with a room makeover means that you can proudly … [Read More...]

According to Business Insider, Windows chief Steven Sinofsky will be at next week’s All Things D conference. All Things D is a huge platform for any technology exec, and all thoughts have immediately turned to Windows 8. Could we see the first official unveiling of Microsoft’s next operating system so soon?

The software giant is reportedly working to improve Windows 8 in a number of ways. One of the most often cited examples is the introduction of ARM CPU support. These are the chips that are found in most mobile devices. As part of this, Microsoft would also need to … [Read More...]

SeniorNet, a leading technology educator for older adults, is celebrating its 25^th Anniversary. SeniorNet’s  new initiative , "Helping Seniors Get Back to Work", will be announced at their 25th Anniversary celebration on Capitol Hill in Washington DC  on May 19th. The non-profit, which has been around since 1986, has empowered more than one million Baby Boomers and Seniors to explore new worlds via the Internet.

Nearly two years after becoming the first national pilot partner for the My PC Series of computer classes developed by Microsoft, SeniorNet will launch a new series of one-hour workshops in the My PC … [Read More...]

Thunderbolt to compete with USB 4.0 rather than USB 3.0

A Thunderbolt chip inside Apple’s newest Mac Book Pro (image courtesy ifixit.com)

If Intel thought that launching Light Peak would help tamp down the nervousness over its new I/O technology, it certainly isn’t playing out that way.

Light Peak, now dubbed Thunderbolt, was never without controversy but now that it’s finally here, the critics aren’t ready to put away the slings. After its launch, the New York Times opined: Is Thunderbolt Really a Thunderbolt? and questioned its consumer value. Slate wondered if it was a worthless grasp at the past? … [Read More...]

Ryan and I are proud to announce the start of a new video series on the Windows Experience Blog, one that we think will be a lot of fun, and really helpful for those of you in the market for a new PC.  Called “Ben and Ryan Explain”, the series will explain the technology that powers today’s computers in plain English and demonstrate what it can do in ways that anyone, even someone who’s brand new to computers, can understand.  Basically, our goal is to arm you with as much knowledge as possible about the tech inside your computer … [Read More...]