The Technology & Gadgets Blog » Computing Tech http://www.the-technology-blog.com Scientific Concepts, Interesting Developments and Cool Gadgets Tue, 22 Jun 2010 21:19:02 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 en hourly 1 DiskGO™ Secure GUARDIAN™ Flash Drive http://www.the-technology-blog.com/2008/06/05/diskgo-secure-guardian-flash-drive/ http://www.the-technology-blog.com/2008/06/05/diskgo-secure-guardian-flash-drive/#comments Thu, 05 Jun 2008 21:19:11 +0000 Administrator http://www.the-technology-blog.com/?p=157 DiskGO Secure GUARDIAN Flash Drive

I was recently directed to look at the DiskGO Secure GUARDIAN Flash Drive from EDGE Tech. It actually looks like a pretty sweet product. The two key features that they promote about it are it’s durability as well as the hardware based 256-bit AES encryption. Not bad for up to an 8 GB flash drive.

Read and write speeds seem decent at 25 MB / second and 16 MB / second respectively. It’s built for USB 2.0 but backward compatible to USB 1.1. The flash drive also comes with a Lifetime warrenty and free tech support.

Unfortunately for those of us who run Ubuntu Linux or Mac’s, there is no mention of support for operating systems other than Windows 2000+. As I have not actually received one to test, I can’t speak to how it would function on these systems.

You can find more details here on the DiskGO™ Secure GUARDIAN™ Flash Drive product page

]]> http://www.the-technology-blog.com/2008/06/05/diskgo-secure-guardian-flash-drive/feed/ 1 GumStix NetStix http://www.the-technology-blog.com/2006/10/29/want-a-small-computer%e2%80%a6-how-about-5-inches-%e2%80%a6-gizmowatch/ http://www.the-technology-blog.com/2006/10/29/want-a-small-computer%e2%80%a6-how-about-5-inches-%e2%80%a6-gizmowatch/#comments Sun, 29 Oct 2006 21:59:18 +0000 Administrator http://www.the-technology-blog.com/2006/10/29/want-a-small-computer%e2%80%a6-how-about-5-inches-%e2%80%a6-gizmowatch/ GumStix NetStix Computer

The GumStix NetStix is one seriously small computer. Measuring a mere 1×5 inches, the machine has a 400MHz Intel processor, 64 Megs of internal memory and a CompactFlash slot for expanding the memory. The coolest part? It’s Linux based.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t find much more info on this thing, so I’m not sure how one might interface with it, or what use it would be, but it’s still VERY cool.

Found on: Gizmowatch

]]> http://www.the-technology-blog.com/2006/10/29/want-a-small-computer%e2%80%a6-how-about-5-inches-%e2%80%a6-gizmowatch/feed/ 0 New LCD Keyboard http://www.the-technology-blog.com/2006/06/21/new-lcd-keyboard/ http://www.the-technology-blog.com/2006/06/21/new-lcd-keyboard/#comments Wed, 21 Jun 2006 08:01:42 +0000 Jonboy http://www.the-technology-blog.com/2006/06/21/new-lcd-keyboard/

Every key is a small colour LCD screen which can be customized for different applications. It even has blank keys that can be cutomized for individual applicaitons (shown above).

Found on: http://www.artlebedev.com/portfolio/optimus

]]> http://www.the-technology-blog.com/2006/06/21/new-lcd-keyboard/feed/ 0 Windows 98 too broken to fix? http://www.the-technology-blog.com/2006/06/20/windows-98-too-broken-to-fix/ http://www.the-technology-blog.com/2006/06/20/windows-98-too-broken-to-fix/#comments Tue, 20 Jun 2006 08:01:20 +0000 Jonboy http://www.the-technology-blog.com/2006/06/20/windows-98-too-broken-to-fix/ Christopher_G_Lewis writes “Today Microsoft announced that it is ‘not feasible to make the extensive changes necessary to Windows Explorer on Microsoft Windows 98, Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition (SE), and Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition (ME) to eliminate the vulnerability’ to fix Security Bulletin MS06-15. Granted, the vulnerability is easily prevented by basic firewalling, but this basically is the first time Microsoft has admitted that Windows 98 is so broken that it’s crazy to be running it on today’s Internet.” ]]> http://www.the-technology-blog.com/2006/06/20/windows-98-too-broken-to-fix/feed/ 0 100% Click, 100% Faster and 100% blank http://www.the-technology-blog.com/2006/06/19/100-click-100-faster-and-100-blank/ http://www.the-technology-blog.com/2006/06/19/100-click-100-faster-and-100-blank/#comments Mon, 19 Jun 2006 15:13:42 +0000 Jonboy http://www.the-technology-blog.com/2006/06/19/100-click-100-faster-and-100-blank/

No more looking down at your keyboard to find the right key. You can’t because it’s blank! It’s supposed to force you to type by feel rather than by sight, and that (they claim) can make you type up to 100% faster. And for those who like the old IBM style “CLICK” keys, this one’s got em.

http://www.daskeyboard.com

]]> http://www.the-technology-blog.com/2006/06/19/100-click-100-faster-and-100-blank/feed/ 2 Laptop Runs 500 Hours on a Single Charge http://www.the-technology-blog.com/2006/06/17/laptop-runs-500-hours-on-a-single-charge/ http://www.the-technology-blog.com/2006/06/17/laptop-runs-500-hours-on-a-single-charge/#comments Sat, 17 Jun 2006 08:01:00 +0000 Administrator http://www.the-technology-blog.com/2006/06/17/laptop-runs-500-hours-on-a-single-charge/ Laptop gets 500 hours of battery life.
Elitegroup has developed a laptop that will run for 500 hours on a single battery charge. Demonstrated at Computex 2006, the laptop has an additional built in 2 inch LCD screen which works while the machine is not even turned on. It seems that the small LCD is run by it’s own processor, the same one as is used in Apple’s video iPod, along with 128 megs of flash memory. The LCD allows you to browse through important data on the computer, while not powering up the whole thing. Hence the 500 hours of run time.
Found on: Gizmowatch

]]> http://www.the-technology-blog.com/2006/06/17/laptop-runs-500-hours-on-a-single-charge/feed/ 1 “The vOICe” http://www.the-technology-blog.com/2006/06/15/the-voice/ http://www.the-technology-blog.com/2006/06/15/the-voice/#comments Thu, 15 Jun 2006 08:01:58 +0000 JackTheVideoGuy http://www.the-technology-blog.com/2006/06/15/the-voice/ This is a simple but ingenious computer program that translates an image into an audio “code” that, with practice, the brain is capable of translating back into an image. It can be used by a person who is completely blind to “see” again in a rudimentary way.

How it works:

For reference, think about the way a gray-scale image looks on a computer screen. Each pixel in the image has an (x,y) coordinate and also a brightness. The vOICe samples vertical lines of the image, going from left to right, producing an instant of sound for each line. Brightness is represented by volume, the lounder the volume, the brighter. The y coordinate is represented by pitch, the higher the pitch the further up the pixel is. The x coordiate is that of the line, which is easily represented direcitonally by use of stereo sound. Keep in mind that you can have a varying range of pitches and volumes in any moment of sound, so an entire vertical line can be represented at once.

Perhaps a diagram would help those of us who use our actual eyes to see.

How the vOICe generates audio.

But to really understand how this technology works, you’ll have to hear it for yourself.

Visit http://www.cbc.ca/quirks/archives/04-05/apr02.html to listen to the recording of the CBC radio broadcast show “Quirks and Quarks” to hear the story of how “The vOICe” is helping a woman see again.

After that, you can visit http://www.seeingwithsound.com/winvoice.htm to download a free copy of the program.

(I have practiced with the program for several hours now, blindfolded. There is a practice exercise where you play a game of tic-tac-toe, while all the time the vOICe is producing the audio for the image. It takes quite a bit of practice to use, but it feels neat to be able to know what’s going on in the game by using your ears to see it, rather than your eyes.)

]]> http://www.the-technology-blog.com/2006/06/15/the-voice/feed/ 0 New USB Connectors to Provide 12 Times More Power http://www.the-technology-blog.com/2006/06/12/new-usb-connectors-to-provide-12-times-more-power/ http://www.the-technology-blog.com/2006/06/12/new-usb-connectors-to-provide-12-times-more-power/#comments Mon, 12 Jun 2006 08:01:58 +0000 Administrator http://www.the-technology-blog.com/2006/06/12/new-usb-connectors-to-provide-12-times-more-power/ usb_connectors_.jpg

Sweet! Now I’ll be able to get that USB hair dryer I always wanted! … er … yeah….

A new USB connection is being developed to deliver approximately 12 time more power than conventional USB connections. This opens up a whole new realm of USB connectable gadgets, not to mention a need for yet more powerful laptop batteries.

Found on: Gizmowatch

]]> http://www.the-technology-blog.com/2006/06/12/new-usb-connectors-to-provide-12-times-more-power/feed/ 0 Your Personal Supercomputer http://www.the-technology-blog.com/2006/06/08/your-personal-supercomputer/ http://www.the-technology-blog.com/2006/06/08/your-personal-supercomputer/#comments Thu, 08 Jun 2006 22:40:46 +0000 Administrator http://www.the-technology-blog.com/2006/06/08/your-personal-supercomputer/ Your Personal Supercomputer

Very soon you will be able to purchase your own personal supercomputer. Taiwan based company Tyan is planning to ship this “deskside personal supercomputer” in August. The Typhoon will “blow you away” according to Tyan CEO Symon Change.

The supercomputer is powered by 8 Intel low voltage ‘Woodcrest’ Xeon processors on four removable motherboard units. Each motherboard also holds up to 12 GB’s of DDR2 SDRAM for a total of up to 48 Gigs of memory. You may need to start saving now though if you’re wanting it to be your next gaming machine, as the price starts as $10000.

Found on: Gizmowatch

]]> http://www.the-technology-blog.com/2006/06/08/your-personal-supercomputer/feed/ 0 Buffalo’s 8GB USB underway http://www.the-technology-blog.com/2006/06/08/buffalo%e2%80%99s-8gb-usb-underway/ http://www.the-technology-blog.com/2006/06/08/buffalo%e2%80%99s-8gb-usb-underway/#comments Thu, 08 Jun 2006 08:01:01 +0000 Administrator http://www.the-technology-blog.com/2006/06/08/buffalo%e2%80%99s-8gb-usb-underway/ usbbuffalo.jpg

According to the very little information known, Buffalo will be launching an 8GB flash drive by the end of next month – only in Japan. Called the RUF2-R-S, this high storage drive is 19×91×14mm and weighs 20g.

Found on: Gizmowatch

Picture Credit: Akihabara News

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