Geeks Blog » Laptops

The Flexible Laptop

Nick — Wed, 25 May 2011 09:06:57 +0000

Laptops like most consumer electronic goods are hard and sensitive to shock and even the most expensive ones which use some of the best technology can offer in terms of shock protection. Then comes the ability to produce electronics circuits onto flexible substrates that would allow them to bend and twist without damaging the circuitry and other electronics parts which could herald the age of the less sensitive electronic products. These products are already in use but the future holds more surprises such as the flexible laptop that won’t cease to function after you kinda’ sat on when you were on the bus.
These flexible gadgets and gizmos (OLED’s for example are just some of the exciting new fields of applications for these flexible electronics) would be better for you can’t fathom the amount of abuse we subject current gadgets nowadays. The cellphone that prevented your car door from closing, the iPod that fell out of your pocket while you were skateboarding and many other crazy stuff that would all fall as “out of the terms and conditions of reasonable use” that not only invalidates the warranty but utterly removes all hopes of future repair. Having flexible electronics would allow these gadgets to withstand the twisting and wrestling they undergo in out pockets as we scramble to stuff them full with all the other must have gadgets every time you step out of that door into the world.

Gadgets For The Beach

gecko — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 16:09:31 +0000

It’s time to hit the beach! I bet that many of you have been waiting for this time for the first half of the year. Some of the best times of my life have been spent at the beach, and I have to say that in addition to the surf and the sand, I love bringing cool gadgets to play with. If you are the same, you’d love to get your hands on these gadgets.

Flip Plus Waterproof Case
There are waterproof cases for most any kind of gadget these days. But if you want to take videos and stills without worrying about ruining your camera, I suggest that you get a Flip. It has been around for quite some time and it is quite cheap. Then get a waterproof case for it and you’re all set!

Atlantic Ego Ice Waterproof iPod Dock
What’s a beach party without music? Of course, you wouldn’t want your iPod to get ruined because of the water. With this waterproof iPod dock, you can play music even if you’re in the middle of the pool. You can use this dock with any kind of iPod, and it uses simple AA batteries!

Panasonic Toughbook
Okay, this one may not be as easy to get as the first two. It is the toughest laptop out there, no doubt about it, but it will also set you back almost $2000, even more. Still, if you have the cash to spare, this is the laptop to bring to the beach – or practically anywhere!

Any other gadgets you’d like to bring with you?

Of Airports and Laptops

Nick — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 10:34:02 +0000

The battle has long been raging since that fateful day when security became the scourge of all travelers may it be for business or pleasure. Business travelers hate to have to go through the good ole’ laptop bag they just spent half an hour packing cramming all those cables, power adapters, gadgets and gizmos into one neat package only to take them out once again as they go through airport security tangling the mess into something resembling a jungle landscape. Not anymore, according to the Washington Post with luggage manufacturers taking up the call talking to airport security experts on advice to come up with airport security friendly baggage that has all the gadgets and gizmos lined up neatly you won’t have to take them out of their short-lived places in your laptop bag.
Laptops and most other electronic gadgets and gizmos have to go through security equipment such as x-ray machines that have been finding it hard to see through all the cluttered wires and stuff crammed into laptop bags airport authorities had no choice but to require people to take them out so they can be scanned properly. Why all the fuss, laptops are sizable enough to conceal explosives and other banned electronic goods onto airplane. Imagine a laptop battery made out of C-4 plastic explosive with all the required electronics and control stuff built into a simulated battery (which is one of the most likely suspect part of a laptop) now that would cause quite a bang.
There never seems to be any cease to the amount of delays that we all have to go through each and every time we have to get onto a plane that is complicated more by the several gadgets and gizmos we lug around in our bags that may soon even need to have to be inspected electronically for contraband (pirated music and other copyrighted stuff), thank GOD that still has to go through deliberations or we may have to contend with a few more hours of delay as they not only scan through you, your luggage and other effects but check each and every gadget or gizmos for copyright violations

Roll That Keyboard Up!

noemi — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 01:54:00 +0000

Anyone who has used a netbook (which, by the way, some say are now the same as notebooks) would know that the convenience of a smaller keyboard can sometimes be offset by aching wrists and fingers. I know this for a fact – there are times when I have to resort to laying off on typing for an hour or so OR using our gigantic (at least that’s how it seems to me) desktop computer due to very painful wrists. I guess the portability of a netbook does have its price.

But what if you had portability with a full sized keyboard? That’s what the guys at ThinkGeek have come up with – a full sized keyboard that can be rolled up so you can take it with you anywhere you go! Netbook users who miss the ease of a full size keyboard can simply roll this baby up, put it in their bags, and then unroll it anytime! Gamers who are on the road a lot will also welcome this roll up keyboard as it will make their packs lighter.

This is nothing new, truth be told. We’ve seen and heard of keyboards like this one before, but according to user reviews, this roll up keyboard has amazing performance. While it may take some getting used to, the keys are quite responsive – thanks to the number of sensors built in. Even better, this keyboard is moisture proof and dust proof as well! The keyboard connects through the USB or PS2 port.

Get out $23.99 and order from ThinkGeek.

DVD to iPad Converter

dave — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 01:39:58 +0000

Are you a DVD fanatic? Wouldn’t it be the best, if you could watch any DVD you want without having to bring along the CD? Well, it is now possible to do that by purchasing a program that converts any DVD into your iPad. No need to rush home to watch your newly purchased DVD at home, you now have the chance of watching the movie anywhere you want, anytime you want.

The DVD to iPad converter rips the audio and video files from the CD to the iPad. It can convert MP4, MPEG-4, H.264 videos and MP3, AAC and M4A audios. When extracting the files from DVD to iPad, the file are ripped at the best resolution so that the you, the viewer, enjoys the same listening and watching pleasure you would get from watching the film on a DVD player.

This program has amazing editing features. If you want to watch the first half of the movie, you can split the DVD movie and convert the video segment into the iPad. In addition, you can capture movie stills, preview other DVD movies, and even customize conversion parameters so that that movie being converted doesn’t take up too much memory space. The actual converting of files from DVD to iPad can cover up multiple files in the movie at one time. In other words, you don’t have to worry about transferring each file from the DVD one at a time. The program allows you to do the transfers per batch.

Eleksen’s Wireless Fabric Keyboard

gecko — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 05:18:18 +0000

There’s been a lot of hype about the latest sensory fabrics to hit the market (see previous post on the couples-therapy sofa), and the latest thing of a more practical nature is Eleksen’s wireless fabric keyboard. Finally released through certified retail outlets and directly to lager companies such as those using mobile solutions with Smartphone platforms in the UK, the product is designed around the company’s ElekTex smart fabric touchpad technology. Light as a feather (just 65 grams) and designed with the term “compact” in mind, the keyboard is extremely portable, and easily rolls up to a nifty size to squeeze in to the smallest bags or pockets. Unlike traditional keyboards which have the annoying problem of gathering dust, coffee spills and biscuit crumbs from the average working day, Eleksen’s ElekTex smart fabric enables this clever device to offer easy clean-up and virtually water-damage resistant (spills are ok, but don’t take it swimming with you) through its absence of mechanical parts and fabulous wipe-clean capabilities. Once you roll out one of these babies, it magically becomes the size of most laptop keyboards, which makes it perfect for mobile devices and on-the-road work. The only hitch is its price and availability – around $73 – and you’ll have to get it through a certified reseller or one of the bigger companies.

Technical Aspect of Things

gecko — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 01:49:05 +0000

People would often have to cram and do immediate research to get a full understanding of a particular area of concern. People have to resort to doing search queries, resorting to periodical content and even reaching down to known reference books such as an Encyclopedia or the Almanac, to be able to get a full overview of what a particular topic or subject matter is all about.

While such is a given, there are people who can give their two cents worth of opinions and stored knowledge as well. This all stems from these individuals who have put emphasis on certain areas of interest that include electronics, travel and history. Not all people are expected to invest such effort and time since every individual would want to cater to a lot of things with nothing particular to specialize in.

Ideally, such knowledge from people which are tagged geeks at some time would go as far as holding technical information such as content, components and workflow processes. Such areas are not given much attention in the normal phase of life. But such are investments to which one day; such stored and solicited knowledge shall be of big use towards other people and big entities who seek better knowledge as well.

How to Choose the Proper DVD Writer Speeds for Burning

gecko — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 03:21:25 +0000

One dilemma that people would often face is that of determining the proper burning speed of DVD and CD writers that they own today. This problem often hits the areas of burning videos and music CDs since burned copies may not be immediately compatible with the DVD recorders or CD changers that are used independently today.

Software applications have little bearing on the burning output of a compiled project. Nero and Roxio, two of the better known burning software today, contains such features of CD burning. People would rely largely on the default setting, the default of which is the maximum writing speed of a DVD/ CD writer drive. The usual speeds offer 12X, 32X, 54X and 72X among others.

Compatibility once the project has been successfully compiled will always be the next area for consideration. A burned CD that fails to play would usually be over-burned or be linked to compatibility issues with the independent player being used. Ideally, the default speed for conservative burning is 12X or the maximum speed of the drive is capable of.

Turn Old Gadgets Into Cash

noemi — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 12:31:57 +0000

The busiest day of the year for a lot of people is almost over, and by this time tomorrow, I think that more people will be reeling from the expenses that they have incurred. I know I am already reeling! Of course, this means that I am thinking of all possible ways and means to make some extra dough. My only considerations are that they shouldn’t be:

-Illegal
-Unethical
-Embarrassing

That narrows it down, doesn’t it?

There is one thing that gadget hoarders like you and I can do, though: sell old toys! It’s not a novel idea but I am in serious cash trouble so I am willing to part with some stuff that I have gathered. If you’re thinking of the same thing, take a look at these web sites to get you started.

BuyMyTronics buys used gadgets such as mp3 players, iPods, Apple Desktops, gaming consoles, and mobile phones. It looks like a great site since you can immediately get a quote and they even buy broken stuff! Even if I will not get much for my old (and broken) PS3, it’s better than having a dead black box collecting dust.

Another site that looks like it has potential is Gazelle. From what I have seen so far, it has a wider range of acceptable electronics. Just like BuyMyTronics, you can get an immediate quote.

Here’s the deal though: I tried getting a quote for that PS3 of mine. BuyMyTronics gave me $65 while this is what I got from Gazelle: “Darn, this item has no cash value. We’ll be glad to recycle it responsibly.”

Free CellPhones for Everybody

Atasha — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 13:11:41 +0000

Yep, there are people and companies who are indeed willing to give away free cell phones, but there’s a catch. They are technically free for you don’t pay for the unit, you pay for the service. Got ya! This has long been practiced by service providers for sometime due to the many providers vying for the same market. As if they weren’t expanding even in this recession for mobile phones have become more a necessity than a luxury comparable to cars a few decades back.
Mobile phones come in all shapes, sizes and capabilities and one of the top selling brands, Nokia, has managed to keep a majority of phone unit sales due to their expansive models that caters to people from all walks of life. From basic budget phones that have digital cameras to more luxurious designer brand sponsored models, they have it all. Other mobile manufacturers have been following suit in that regard and have also been met with success partially due to the need for more and more new phones. For every unit bought, there are thousands being disposed of(hopefully recycled or donated to charities) creating a never ending cycle from the manufacturer to the consumer to the recycling bin.
Many fail to realize the amount of computing power these modern smart phones pack, with all the included functions, come circuitry and software that all comes in the small box. Like a Swiss Army Knife, you get an MP3 Player, Digital still/video camera, Web browser, SMS and of course the ability to make phone calls to anywhere on earth(just about).