When it comes to entertainment, there are few
other media that feature the level of user interaction of video games.
Now, researchers at Stanford University are looking to make games more
interactive. They've developed a prototype controller that monitors the
player's physiological responses, then changes the gameplay to make it
more engaging based on the player's feelings. Read More
One of the biggest features hyped by Microsoft
about the Xbox One was the new Kinect. Now, Microsoft is bringing an SDK
for its improved motion and voice sensor to PC with Kinect for Windows
v2. This will allow developers to create Windows applications that use
features offered by the Kinect. Read More
Sony has revealed its prototype virtual reality
(VR) headset for the PlayStation 4 at the Games Developers Conference
2014, in San Francisco. Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios
president Shuhei Yoshida stated in a blog post that the Project Morpheus
device has the potential to "shape the future of games." Read More
Respawn Entertainment’s first-ever title is a
complex and engaging first-person shooter that adds parkour wall-running
and giant mech combat to the somewhat tired genre. Not only does the
title have a lot riding on it, but with so many gameplay mechanics vying
for position, the developer has given itself a significant balancing
act to perform. Read on to find out how it fares. Read More
From Pong, to 2D platforms and onto online first
person shooters, our desire for an increasingly realistic gaming
experience was always going to see platforms emerge where we combat our friends, foes and flesh-eating zombies
using our real-world bodies. Skirmos, the latest take on the laser tag
system, uses gun-mounted LCD display, radio-based dynamic scoring and
open-source programming in an attempt bring the complex and varied
experience of the modern multi-player shooter to life. Read More
Which is better: the PS4 or the Xbox One? It's a
question that's already been asked countless times before. And while we
won't pretend to have a universal, one-size-fits-all answer, now that
we've spent hours on end with both consoles, we have a few things to say
about the matter. Join Gizmag, as we take a closer look at the two big
next-gen gaming systems: Microsoft's Xbox One and Sony's PlayStation 4. Read More
Got rhythm? Harmonix developing music-driven Chroma FPS
By Paul Ridden
February 20, 2014
As with movies, the music running through a
modern video game can help define the pace, atmosphere and overall feel
of gameplay. The latest offering from the folks who brought us such
addictive free-time-eaters as Rock Band and Dance Central,
however, moves the soundtrack from a supporting role in the background
to become central to the game itself. Getting down with the beat in the
new Chroma First Person Shooter from Harmonix Music Systems
will be rewarded with faster movement or the chance to cause more
damage. The music can even change the very landscape of the battlefield.
Read More
Xbox One news: Updates, headsets and the leaked media remote
By Chris Wood
February 14, 2014
Microsoft has made a number of recent
announcements regarding its next-gen console, including an all new
headset and a pair of updates that aim to streamline the service. The
software fixes and hardware releases combined, should solve a number of
the Xbox One's early issues such as the lack of a storage management
utility and an inability to use third party headsets. Read More
QuadStick: The video game controller for quadriplegics
By Dave LeClair
February 10, 2014
A new device called QuadStick is designed to give
quadriplegics the ability to play video games without the need for a
traditional gaming controller. Instead, it uses a series of sip and puff
sensors, a lip position sensor, a push switch, and voice commands to
represent the inputs of a standard video game controller. Read More
The humble game controller has received plenty of
enhancements over the years, but most of the changes have been minor. A
joystick here, some shoulder buttons there, but the core elements have
remained pretty much the same. Tivitas Interactive is aiming for a
fundamental revamp of the traditional design with Sinister – a device
that it doesn't even look like a game controller at first glance. Read More
When Rocksmith was released in 2011, it had all the ingredients of a gaming pie capable of satisfying kings of Guitar Hero and Rock Band
controllers wanting to learn how to play a real instrument in a
familiar digital environment and new six-string slingers looking for an
entertaining, full-featured learning package. The platform has now been
refreshed for 2014, and Gizmag has spent some considerable time in the
company of Rocksmtih's infinitely patient, always available virtual
guitar teacher on Ubisoft's note highway to callus hell. Read More
OUYA,
one of Kickstarter's big success stories, is rolling out a new model of
its Android micro-console. While the bulk of it remains the same, it
has introduced a new color and increased the amount of storage for
downloading games. Of course, the price tag of this new model has also
seen a slight jump to US$130. Read More
The Ozobot robotic game piece is the latest in a growing range of products
looking to occupy the middle ground between virtual and real world
gaming. The pocket-sized device can be programmed to play a role in
various multiplayer games and aims to inject a dose of education into
the equation alongside good old fashioned gaming fun. Read More
Nintendo to stay in the hardware business – bring DS games to Wii U
By Chris Wood
January 30, 2014
Given the continued weak sales performance
of the Wii U, it's clear that Nintendo is a company in need of strong
new direction. Speaking at a financial results meeting yesterday,
Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has detailed the company's strategy for
the coming months, outlining how the console maker will renew its
efforts to communicate the benefits of the GamePad, while bringing
classic software to the system's Virtual Console. Read More
Sabertron takes sword fighting with friends to the next level
By Dave LeClair
January 30, 2014
Who hasn't grabbed a stick and pretended it was a
sword at one point in their lives? Now, with a bit of help from
technology, Sabertron swords are helping everyone live out that
sword-fighting fantasy, but with some actual score-keeping. Read More
Things are looking more than a little bleak for
Nintendo's home console, with the company cutting its 2013 sales
forecast for the system by almost 70 percent. With shaky third-party
supports, a lack of software and concerns about raw power, the system
has been plagued by issues from the start. Read on as we delve into the
system's problems, its current situation and its likely fate. Read More
Last year we reported that Google and Lego
had released a browser-based Lego building experience that sprawled
over real-life geography – well kinda, if you didn’t mind only placing
your models in Australia, where the location-based tool was first
released. Build with Chrome has now been released everywhere, in honor
of Lego’s anniversary yesterday of obtaining its first patent. With the
newer version we have an extensive building academy with promotional
tie-ins to the upcoming Lego movie, and you might see Lego models
popping up all over your virtual Google map. Read More
The months following a console launch are often a
defining period in the life cycle of a console, and there's one thing
that every platform owner dreads – the game drought. Nintendo's Wii U
suffered from a lack of quality software in the months following its
release, as did the PlayStation 3 before it. Luckily, things don't look
so bleak for Sony and Microsoft's new platforms, with a wealth of new
titles hitting current (last?) and next (current?) gen systems alike.
Read More
Many people of a certain vintage will have fond
memories of playing with Scalextric, pulling a trigger and seeing your
slot car fly around, or all-too-often off, the track. But
disappointingly, the game hasn't exactly kept up with the latest high-tech toys.
However, that could change with Scalextric RCS, an update which adds
smartphone and tablet game management, along with displaying live race
information. Read More
Sony's new console has enjoyed one of the most
successful launches ever. Having already shifted more than four million
units, the company will have to keep plying the fledgling system with
quality titles to carry the momentum well into 2014 and beyond, and
exclusive games are key to this. Luckily, we're already aware of a
number of promising AAA titles that you can only play on Sony's next-gen
console in 2014. Read More
Logitech has launched a new weapon to help gamers
scroll and click their way to victory. Its G502 Proteus Core gaming
mouse boasts advanced surface, weight and balance tuning and the world’s
first 12,000 DPI sensor. Read More
GIZMAG STORE
We’ve assembled a bundle of eight coding courses,
covering all the fundamentals of web and app development…and you get to
name the price. Read More
Dell has today announced two ruggedized additions to its Latitude
series. Comprising a 12-inch laptop-tablet convertible and a 14-inch
notebook, the Latitude Rugged Extreme series is built to withstand harsh
outdoor conditions and geared towards professionals working in
military, public safety and first response. Read More
Toshiba details Satellite P50t laptop with 4K display
By Stu Robarts
March 21, 2014
Whether 4K's time has come or not
is up for debate, but there's no doubt the technology is gathering
pace. Part of that momentum has been driven by devices unveiled at this
year's Consumer Electronics Show,
including the Satellite P50t, which, along with the Tecra W50, Toshiba
claimed was the world's first 4K laptop. The company has now revealed a
few more details about its UHD-capable P50t. Read More
ASUS has announced an update to its Republic of
Gamers (ROG) range, with the new models featuring recently announced
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 800M
graphics solutions. Though detailed specs are yet to be released, the
new systems are set to be powerful new additions to the angular
17.3-inch ROG G750 series. Read More
MSI has refreshed its gaming laptop lines with
the new GT Dominator and GE Apache laptop ranges. The GT Dominator
machines feature high-end, gaming-orientated specs and price tags to
match, while the GE Apache laptops offer more modest specs in a thinner
and lighter form factor. Both new ranges come in 15.6 and 17.3-inch
varieties and feature newly-announced Nvidia GeForce 800M GPUs. Read More
Razer has updated its Blade laptop for 2014,
significantly improving upon the specs of last year’s model. The new
system features NVIDIA’s latest notebook graphics solution and what the
company is calling “the highest resolution 14-inch notebook display on
the planet.” Read More
It would be more than charitable to describe
either of the machines here as truly portable, with both exhibiting
thick and heavy builds that are far more at home on a desk than your
lap. However, what they lack in true portability, they more than make up
for in raw power. Read on as we take a detailed look at two 17-inch
gaming laptops – the Dell Alienware 17 and MSI GT70 2OD. Read More
The term gaming laptop usually brings to mind big
and heavy machines that could only charitably be referred to as
portable, and while this is still true of many systems, there are some
products out there that break that mold. The Aorus X7 and Razer Blade
Pro are two such machines. Both systems offer some capable gaming specs
in a much thinner and lighter form factor than much of the competition.
Read on as we take a closer look at the machines to see which better
treads the line between form and function. Read More
Samsung, which along with Acer was the first to market with Chrome OS-based Chromebooks in 2011,
has announced the launch of its Chromebook 2 Series. The new machines
boast faster startup times, longer battery life and an easy-to-grip lid
featuring the faux leather stitched design found on the Galaxy Note 3. Read More
The Alienware 14 and Razer Blade provide two
distinct visions of what a 14-inch gaming laptop should be. The former
provides a classic portable gaming experience, while the latter breaks
the mold, offering strong performance in a thin and light package. Read
on as we compare the two machines, in an effort to determine which
system is more deserving of your attention. Read More
Lenovo targets rugged 11e series laptops at students
By Nick Lavars
February 2, 2014
Knowing that there are few places that pose more
of a hazard to laptops than a schoolbag, Lenovo has announced its
Thinkpad 11e series, consisting of four new ruggedized laptops designed
specifically to endure the rigors of the school day. Read More
Resizing multiple images can be a time-consuming
process. Lots of batch resizing tools, however, are badly designed,
drastically reduce image quality or simply aren't supported by their
manufacturers any more. Multiple Image Resizer .NET (MIR) avoids all of
these pitfalls. Here's a quick look at how to use it. Read More
AMD has revealed the Radeon R9 295X2, the
flagship card in its latest range of gamer-centric GPUs. The new card
features a powerful dual-GPU setup that utilizes factory-fitted liquid
cooling and boasts a full 8GB memory. The GPU is aimed to compete with
NVIDIA's rival Titan cards Read More
Speech synthesis has come a long way from the
days when computers sounded like a Dalek with a cleft palate, but
there’s still a lot of room for improvement. Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd.
in Kawasaki, Japan are working to move computers away from sounding
monotone or perpetually distracted by developing a new speech synthesis
system that can quickly produce high quality voices that can be tailored
to suit individual environments and circumstances. Read More
Printing from the traditional desktop environment
in Windows 8.1 is a relatively straightforward process, but what about
the new Modern UI? It’s definitely a new way of doing things, and
several Modern apps support printing. If you have a Surface
or another device that's running the RT version of Windows 8, you might
be wondering how to set up a printer and how to print from apps. Here’s
how it's done. Read More
Who would have thought that a button would have
meant so much to so many people? On Wednesday at its developers
conference, Microsoft announced that after bringing back the Start
button, it’s now rolling out a package of new features for Windows 8.1
Update and Windows Phone 8.1. Based on customer feedback, it’s part of
an effort to make 8.1 feel more like older versions of Windows by
stepping away from the touchscreen, cloud-centric version of Windows 8
that proved less than a hit with consumers. Read More
Pictures emerge of new USB standard connectors
By Loz Blain
April 2, 2014
Rejoice! The boffins in charge of USB standards appear to have settled on a design for the much-anticipated USB 3.1 Type C
connector. For starters, there’s no “right way up” – that alone will
trigger a sigh of relief from many of us. Both ends of the cable will be
the same, it’ll make an audible "click" when it’s connected, it’s about
the same size as a current micro-USB connector, and it can handle
device charging as well as 10 Gbps data transfer rates. Read More
Whether your thing is web design, vector
illustration or image editing, it’s probably a good idea to know Adobe's
apps well. Train Simple’s video courses are a great way to learn, so we’ve bundled all of them together for a big discount. Read More
While it may be getting easier
for humans to teach robots how to perform new tasks, there's still one
potential problem – when a new robot is introduced to a work
environment, its user may have to teach it the task over again, from
scratch. That might soon no longer be the case, however. Researchers at
Washington State University have devised a method by which computers can
teach each other, freeing humans from having to do so. Read More
AT&T, Cisco, GE, IBM and Intel are the latest
companies to band together with the aim of standardizing
interoperability across smart machines and ultimately, drive adoption of
an Internet of Things.
Announced last week, the Industrial Internet Consortium (IIC) is a
not-for-profit open membership group created to establish common
frameworks for development of inter-connected cyber and physical worlds.
Read More
TED Talks are known for being delivered in a
captivating, compelling fashion – that's why the events' organizers are
fairly picky when it comes to selecting speakers. With that in mind,
XPrize has teamed up with TED for its latest competition, in which an
artificial intelligence (AI) must deliver a TED Talk with no human
assistance. Read More
MSI, a company known for its computers and
components, has just announced two lightweight laptops aimed at gamers.
The two models, called the GS70 Stealth and GS60 Ghost, feature high-end
components to run modern games. Of course, a desktop will always be the
best solution for PC gaming, but for gamers who need portability, these
look like they should do the job ... albeit with a premium price tag.
Read More
Google has announced the roll-out of Google Now
for Chrome. Google Now users will be able to receive their automated
updates in their browser once it has been updated and if they are signed
into Chrome. The roll-out is expected to take up to a few weeks. Read More
The internet has connected and flattened the
world in ways previously unimaginable. Coupled with ever more seamless
translation tools, it provides the ability to communicate across borders
and languages. Now, a new instant messaging tool is looking to make
communication for speakers of different languages even easier. Read More
How to bypass country restrictions on video sites
By Stu Robarts
March 20, 2014
We're spoilt with high-quality film and
television nowadays, and there are an increasing number of websites on
which you can watch the content you're after. Sometimes, however,
websites and content are restricted based on the country in which you
live. This article explains how you can bypass these restrictions. Read More
Intel has announced a number of new chips,
including the fifth generation Intel Core "Broadwell" and the fourth
generation Intel Core "Devil's Canyon." The company also presented its
new Ready Mode Technology and demonstrated a portable All-in-One
computer. The announcements are all part Intel's claim that it is
"reinventing the desktop." Read More
FOR MORE SEARCH "Computers".. OR @GIZMAG
On April 8, Microsoft will cease all support to
consumers who are still running Windows XP. On the same day, the company
will also end support for Office 2003. If you're a procrastinator still
plugging away on an XP machine or working away in Microsoft's aging
productivity suite, it's high time you considered your options. Gizmag
provides a few suggestions. Read More
Rutledge BookBook case takes the MacBook back in time
By Nick Lavars
March 16, 2014
Apple accessory manufacturer Twelve South is
looking to give MacBook owners a ye olde world option for protecting
their shiny new devices with the Rutledge BookBook. Read More
GameBuddy promises PC game streaming with no discernable lag
By Dave LeClair
January 20, 2014
We've seen quite a few products with the ability
to stream games from one screen to another on a local network – the NVIDIA Shield
is one of the devices at the forefront, as is the PlayStation 4 along
with a Vita. However, the weakness of all of these is latency, an issue
that the creators of the GameBuddy streamer promise to address. Read More
Xbox One exclusives to get excited about in 2014
By Chris Wood
January 17, 2014
With the next-gen launch season out of the way,
it's time to look forward to what 2014 holds for the new systems.
Microsoft produced some solid exclusives at launch in the form of Dead Rising 3 and Forza Motorsport 5,
and will be looking to continue that success as the system's first year
progresses. Read on as we take a look at the most promising next-gen
titles coming to Xbox One in 2014. Read More
If you were to take a look at many publications'
"Biggest Fail of the 2013" award, it's quite likely that EA's SimCity
will be listed near the top. After all, the online-only game made one of
the worst launches in video game history with servers that were plagued
with problems, and a change to the SimCity formula that, by and large,
most players hated. Now, after almost a year after the initial release,
the company is finally doing away with one of players' biggest problems,
the online requirement. Read More
Hands-on: Oculus Rift "Crystal Cove" prototype
January 9, 2014
For the last few decades, gaming has basically
been the same thing. Sit in front of display, hold controller (or mouse
and keyboard), play game. But when you strap on Oculus Rift's virtual
reality headset, you realize that it's something truly different. Read
on, as Gizmag goes heads-on with Oculus Rift's latest prototype, dubbed
Crystal Cove. Read More
Sony today announced its cloud gaming service
Playstation Now, which will enable users to access Playstation titles on
demand via various consoles. While the road towards cloud gaming has
been an uncertain one at times (evidenced by OnLive's
near bankruptcy in 2012), today's unveiling at CES makes it a clear
that Sony sees a bright future for on-demand gaming. Read More
Having already modified an Asteroids arcade console
to add eye control capabilities, Swedish company Tobii is looking to
bring its eye-tracking technology to a wider gaming audience. It has
teamed up with Danish gaming peripheral and accessories manufacturer
SteelSeries to create a new controller that is able to detect where on a
screen a person is looking. Read More
It's been a big year for gaming. Not only did we see the arrival of the two big next-gen systems,
but we also saw developers squeezing some amazing technical and
artistic achievements out of seven-year-old consoles. Which titles stood
above the crowd? We polled our writers for their picks for the top
games of the year. Read More
Guitar Hero creators shift focus to "exergaming" with Goji Play
By Nick Lavars
December 17, 2013
Hoping to build on their success in bringing a
marriage of physical movement and arcade action to the mainstream with Guitar Hero,
RedOctane co-founders Kai and Charles Huang have formed Blue Goji and
are looking to gain a foothold in the rapidly-evolving world of
exercise-gaming. Their latest effort, Goji Play, uses two wireless
controllers and an activity sensor to turn a regular cardio machine into
a makeshift video game platform. Read More
While the Xbox One and PlayStation 4
have stolen the lion's share of hype surrounding next-gen gaming
consoles recently, Valve has continued working away on its own entry
into the console market. Last week, the company shipped Steam Machine
prototypes to 300 beta testers and made the first release of the
open-source operating system that will power it, SteamOS, available for
download. Read More
Following Microsoft's recent relaunch of SkyDrive
as OneDrive, Google has thrown down the gauntlet in the cloud storage
market by reducing the prices of its own platform. The drops are
significant too. Read More
There's a new player in the already crowded cloud
storage market. UK-telecoms provider Virgin Media has announced the
launch of Virgin Media Cloud. The platform promises a, "safe and easy
way to sync store and share your files." Read More
With the first Surface Pro,
Microsoft laid out its vision of the future: one mobile device with the
guts of a laptop that can replace your tablet, laptop, and maybe even
desktop. Unfortunately that first model also brought along some sketchy
battery life. But what happens when you improve on that by 75 percent?
You have the Surface Pro 2, a much less compromised hybrid PC. Read More
On March 12, 1989 Tim Berners-Lee, while working
as a contractor at the CERN laboratories in Switzerland, submitted Information Management: A Proposal,
which sparked the greatest advance in information technology since
Gutenberg invented the printing press. At the time, it was just a way
for CERN scientists to share data, but a quarter of a century later,
it’s grown from a curiosity into a necessity without which our world can
no longer function. Read More
NVIDIA launches all new GeForce 800M notebook graphics
By Chris Wood
March 12, 2014
NVIDIA has announced an update to its entire
range of laptop graphics solutions. Known as the GeForce 800M line, the
new GPUs provide a significant performance boost over the 700M series
cards, and offer a range of new, built-in functionality. Read More
LaCie, which is now part of the Seagate house,
has released a new version of its Little Big Disk storage unit that's
claimed fast enough to enable simultaneous plug-and-play RAW 4K video
editing and display. The device boasts a terabyte of onboard storage,
two Thunderbolt 2 ports, and near silent dual cooling performance. Read More
IBM's Watson supercomputer has been rather busy in recent years. When not triumphing over us inferior humans on Jeopardy, it has been trying its hand at customer service and offering its expertise in clinical diagnosis.
The kitchen, however, has been one domain where our mastery has so far
gone unmatched. Well, until now that is. IBM has put its cognitive
computing system in control of the menu at a food truck feeding
attendees at this week's SXSW festival and the appointment has resulted
in some particularly imaginative dishes. Read More
Facebook has discontinued support for its
Messenger for Windows Desktop client for Facebook Chat. The move follows
an abrupt announcement last week and will mean that Facebook no longer
offers a desktop instant messaging client of its own. Users can,
however, still use third-party applications to connect to Facebook chat
from their desktops. Gizmag takes a look at a selection of instant
messaging options that can be used to connect to Facebook Chat from the
desktop, some of which are recommended by Facebook itself. Read More
A new service promises to create virtual versions
of its users that their loved ones can interact when they have died.
Eterni.me plans to collect as much data as possible about its users on
which to base computer-generated avatars. The company says the
experience will be, "like a Skype chat from the past." Read More
Soap router features a touchscreen for easy configuration
By Dave LeClair
February 28, 2014
Generally, when a new router comes along, the
main featured touted by the creators is how fast it is. Soap is a little
different, instead focusing on its touchscreen interface for ease of
use and configuration. Read More
Following Microsoft's recent relaunch of SkyDrive
as OneDrive, there is a little more parity and competition at the top
of the cloud storage market. How do the options stack up against each
other though? This article provides a comparison of the main players –
Dropbox, Microsoft OneDrive, Google Drive, Apple iCloud and Amazon Cloud
Drive. Read More
We all know to look out for viruses that can be
spread over the internet, or by sharing files between computers. Now,
however, scientists at the University of Liverpool have shown for the
first time that special viruses could move between wireless access
points using existing Wi-Fi networks – as efficiently as the common cold
virus spreads between people through the air. Read More
According to a report from Yonhap News Agency,
South Korea has announced its intention to create a sophisticated
cyberwarfare virus designed to undermine North Korea's advancing nuclear
program. The Ministry of Defense in putting forward its proposal to the
South Korean Parliamentary Defense Committee, stated that it would
attempt to design the cyber weapon on the Stuxnet model. Read More
Microsoft has launched Office Online, a free,
online version of its Office productivity suite. It's not surprising
that it has been launched, as Microsoft continues to hone its cloud and
unification vision. What is surprising for many people is finding out
that Microsoft already had a free online version of Office available.
Read More
LaCie starts shipping industry's first 5 TB external hard drives
By Paul Ridden
February 21, 2014
Digital movies, music and multi-megapixel photos
have an annoying way of eating into your once ample external storage.
LaCie has responded to such storage woes by upping the top end of its d2
Thunderbolt Series single hard disk drive systems to 5 TB at 7200 RPM,
and its 2big and 5big Thunderbolt RAID units to 10 and 25 TB
respectively. Read More
Opinion: Still drooling over this LG HD monitor a month after CES
By Eric Mack
February 20, 2014
There were a few things that I saw last month at CES 2014
in Las Vegas that didn't really register in my head as big innovations
until I got back home. Chief among them is a 34-inch flat-screen 3440 x
1440 HD monitor from LG that most show attendees just wandered right
past without giving a second glance. Weeks later I increasingly covet
that monitor, better known as the UltraWide UM95. Read More
Whether you love it or hate it, Windows 8 keeps
moving forward. Windows 8.1 added a lot of features and interface
improvements to the first iteration. Now another improvement is coming,
which Microsoft is calling Windows 8.1 Update 1. It's like a service
pack that improves security and stability under the hood. But what's
most notable is how it makes the Start screen and modern interface
easier to use with keyboard and mouse on traditional computers. Read More
For those who play video games, a fraction of a
second, say, the time it takes to move your hand from keyboard to mouse,
can be enough to lose a soldier, building or entire army. For this
reason keyboard shortcuts have become an important weapon in the gamer's
arsenal, but what if our commands could be streamlined even further?
With this objective in mind, a US-based engineer and founder of Solid
Art Labs Eric Charlton has designed the King's Assembly, an input device
which allows control over a keyboard, mouse and joystick
simultaneously. Read More
Mathare is 500,000-resident slum in Nairobi
Kenya, where basic sanitation is non-existent, there’s no adequate water
supply and no school system, except for so-called street schools that
try to fill that gap. Only 10 percent of local youth will reach college
education. Most of the locals are part of the five billion people in the
world who are digitally excluded. Now, a new UK-based initiative called
Keepod Unite aims to reduce the digital gap in Mathare by providing an
OS that can be loaded onto a USB drive and plugged into just about any
shared PC. Read More
Historic Colossus computer marks 70th anniversary
By David Szondy
February 6, 2014
Sometimes the most important victories in a war
don’t occur on battlefields and don’t involve weaponry. On Wednesday, a
very unusual group of veterans gathered at Bletchley Park,
Buckinghamshire to commemorate an event that shortened the Second World
War and saved countless lives. They were the men and women who built
Colossus, the world's first programmable electronic digital computer,
and they and their families were at the National Museum of Computing for
a re-enactment of the day the famous machine began its code-breaking
operations against the Axis forces. Read More
For some office workers the task of locking and
unlocking their computer is a regular part of the job, while for others
it's frequency is dictated by the extent of their caffeine addiction.
Looking to automate this process is the team behind the GateKeeper
Chain, a key fob with a built-in proximity sensor which automatically
locks your PC when you walk away and then unlocks it when you return to
your desk. Read More
Asus reveals budget-friendly Haswell Chromebox
By Paul Ridden
February 5, 2014
The last of the Haswell-based Chrome OS machines announced by Google last September has now been revealed. Where Acer, HP and Toshiba
all opted to release notebooks built around Intel's 4th generation
microarchitecture, Asus has its sights on the classroom, home office or
living room with the launch of its compact-yet-powerful Chromebox
desktop computer. Read More
CODE mechanical keyboard aims to push all the right buttons
By Nick Lavars
January 28, 2014
Despite the advent of touch screens, speech recognition and eye-tracking, the keyboard
still reigns supreme as the input device of choice for many of us.
Somebody who places a lot of value on this intermediary is programmer
and prominent blogger Jeff Atwood who, disillusioned with the range of
mechanical keyboards on the market, set to work in producing the CODE
Keyboard. Read More
FixMeStick virus removal tool expands to Mac platform
By Ben Coxworth
January 27, 2014
Back in 2012, Montreal-based entrepreneurs Marty
Algire and Corey Velan released a product known as the FixMeStick. It's a
bootable USB device that detects and eliminates viruses in PCs ... and
now a Mac version is in the pipe. Read More
Tango PC promises desktop functionality in a pocketable package
By Dave LeClair
January 24, 2014
It seems like every single PC builder is looking
to make a device that works in the living room. Even PC gaming giant
Valve is trying with the introduction of its Steam Machines. A new entry is coming to the market called Tango, and as far as size goes, this thing is positively tiny. Read More
Eyes-on with Tobii's eye-tracking technology
January 20, 2014
We've been following the development of Tobii's impressive eye-tracking technology
for several years now, but it looks like consumers may actually get a
chance to try it out for themselves in the not too distant future.
Thanks to a partnership with SteelSeries,
an eye tracker specifically for gamers is set to hit the market later
this year, but that still leaves the question of what the technology can
actually bring to video games. Fortunately, we were able to catch up
with Tobii CEO Henrik Eskilsson on the CES show floor and try it out for
ourselves. Read More
myris personal iris scanner looks to replace passwords
By Stu Robarts
January 19, 2014
myris is a new iris-scanning identity
authentication device that promises to improve online security for its
users and eliminate the need to remember the myriad of different
passwords required for our different digital accounts. Read More
New object recognition algorithm learns on the fly
By Stu Robarts
January 19, 2014
Scientists at Brigham Young University have
developed an algorithm that can accurately identify objects in images or
videos and can learn to recognize new objects on its own. Although
other object recognition systems exist, the Evolution-Constructed
Features algorithm is notable in that it decides for itself what
features of an object are significant for identifying the object and is
able to learn new objects without human intervention. Read More
Different computing tasks can prompt us to open
our laptops or reach for the tablet, while there are some that leave us
somewhere in between. But what if you had a pocket-size device that
could turn its hat to all of them? ICE Computer has been developing its
xPC modular computer with this flexibility in mind. With the device's
ability to transform into a laptop, tablet, desktop PC and gaming
device, ICE believes it may have zeroed in on a one-size-fits-all
solution. Read More
Perhaps the hottest item of many on display at
Intel's huge booth at CES 2014 was a relatively non-descript convertible
laptop from Asus. The unique selling point for this touchscreen system,
dubbed the Transformer Book Duet, is that it not only runs Windows 8.1
but can also switch over to an Android 4.2.2 mode with just a few clicks
or taps. Read More
US gaming hardware company Razer has chosen CES
2014 to unveil plans for what it calls "the world's most modular gaming
system." Dubbed Project Christine, the desktop gaming PC promises to
unlock the upgradability and performance of a high-end gaming PC, to the
non-geeks among us. Read More
Acer is cementing its support for Google's
operating environment with the release of two new All-in-One (AIO)
desktop computers. Rather than extend its line of devices built around Chrome though, and go toe-to-toe with LG's Chromebase
perhaps, the new arrivals both bring the mobile OS experience to the
desktop with Android Jelly Bean running the show. The TA272HUL features a
high resolution WQHD touchscreen display for crisp onscreen action,
while the DA223 HQL packs its own battery for portability. Read More
Lenovo appears interested in making a splash early this year, with the recent announcement of a new LTE smartphone
and now this pair of displays – the ThinkVision Pro2840m, a high-end
28-inch pro monitor, and the ThinkVision 28, which Lenovo calls a
"smarter display" that doubles as an Android-powered entertainment
center. Read More
Following on from its collaborations with designer Neil Poulton on its Rugged Hard Disk
and Phillippe Starck for its Blade Runner disk, LaCie has looked to
France-based manufacturer of fine silverware, Christofle, to add a touch
of class to its latest hard drive offering, the LaCie Sphère Read More
LG continues to attempt to beat the usual
avalanche of announcements at CES by getting in early. After recently
announcing a 105-in curved UHD TV and some UltraWide monitors,
the company has revealed it will also have a new Ultra PC laptop, a
couple of second-generation Tab-Book2 hybrid devices, and a new 27-in
all-in-one (AIO) PC at next week's show. Read More
New MRAM technology promises memorable consumer electronics experience
By Darren Quick
December 30, 2013
Back in 2005, Professor of Physics Johan Åkerman
touted magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM) as a promising
candidate for a "universal memory" that could replace the various types
of memory commonly found alongside each other in modern electronic
devices. A team of researchers from the National University of Singapore
(NUS) and Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah University of Science and
Technology (KAUST) has now developed a new type of MRAM that could see
Åkerman's vision become a reality. Read More
Apple's 2013 was, as the old song goes, a very
good year. But it was also an unusual year, as CEO Tim Cook saved all of
his product announcements for the last seven months, with most of them
lumped right before the holidays. Join Gizmag, as we take a look back at
the tail-heavy year that was for Apple. Read More
Following Google's announcement last September,
Toshiba's Digital Products Division has now confirmed that the company
is joining the Haswell Chromebook party with a model of its very own.
The Toshiba Chromebook is the first to feature a 13-inch HD display,
offers dual-band Wi-Fi connectivity and promises day-long battery life.
Read More
2013 notebooks deserving of a place on your lap
By Paul Ridden
December 16, 2013
As I type this round-up of top laptops on my own
Windows portable desktop replacement, I can't help thinking that maybe
it's time for an upgrade. It seems like only yesterday that dual-core
processors, 500 GB hard drives, a couple of hours of portable use and
screen resolutions of 1366 x 768 were at the very tip of every
salesperson's tongue. But these days such machines would probably have a
hard time attracting flies. 2013 has been a year of high performance,
low power processors, long battery life, and stunning displays. Read on
for a selection of top performers that have caused Gizmag's heart to
skip a beat or two. Read More
After making a quick show and tell at Computex
back in June, MSI has now released what's claimed to be the world's
first 3K gaming laptop. The 15.6-inch GT60 features a 4th generation
Core i7 processor, GeForce graphics, combined SSD/HDD storage and
customizable color backlighting for the keyboard for after hours gaming.
Read More
Acer adds touchscreen model to C720 Chromebook line
By Paul Ridden
November 29, 2013
Acer has followed last month's release of its C720 Chromebook
with the launch of its first touchscreen variant. In addition to
supporting up to 10 simultaneous touch points, the C720P is claimed to
boot up from cold in just 7 seconds, has twice the built-in storage of
its slightly older cousin and comes with 100 GB of Google Drive storage
for two years. Read More
While smartphones, tablets, and ultra-portable
laptops have made it possible to work anywhere and everywhere, some
privacy has been lost in the process. La Fonction No.1, a briefcase
which transforms into a miniature mobile cubicle, is one attempt to
bring an element of privacy back to the new work-on-the-go ethic. Read More
When Google announced a new batch of
Haswell-based Chromebooks at last month's Intel Developer Forum in San
Francisco, HP was first off the mark with its Chromebook14. This was followed by the colorful Chromebook11
a few days ago, and now Acer has joined the Haswell party with the
launch of its third generation Chromebook. The thin and light C720
promises faster performance and longer battery life than previous models
and sports a daylight-friendly anti-glare screen. Read More
Google announces incoming Haswell Chromebooks
By Paul Ridden
September 16, 2013
During last week's Intel Developer Forum in San
Francisco, Google previewed a batch of upcoming Chrome devices based
around Intel's 4th-generation Core i processors. As well as revealing
new Chromebook models from existing partners Acer and HP, the Mountain
View-based multinational also announced two new sign-ups to its
cloud-based operating environment in the shape of Toshiba and Asus. Read More
Lenovo has taken the wraps off some new Windows 8
business class Ultrabooks ahead of an IFA 2013 debut. Though all of the
new additions take advantage of the performance improvements and energy
efficiency offered by Intel's Haswell processors, the new T and X
Series models also feature something called Power Bridge technology that
allows users to swap out the second battery without having to power
down first. Lighter and thinner than previous ThinkPads, the new laptops
all feature a large trackpad to support Windows 8 gesture controls, and
come in both touch-enabled and non-touch display panel flavors. Read More
In the Western world, we tend to take for granted
some pretty basic amenities, like reliable electricity. For people
living in those corners of the globe where electricity can be scarce,
WeWi Telecommunications, Inc. has developed the SOL, a rugged laptop
that doesn't rely on a power socket to stay charged. The Ubuntu
Linux-powered computer is instead equipped with a detachable solar
panel, which the developers claim will provide up to 10 hours of battery
life after just two hours in the sun. Read More
When it comes to gaming laptops, the era of
two-inch-thick, weighty monstrosities is truly over. Systems such as Razer's Blade
and Blade Pro have carved out a decidedly more pleasing form-factor for
the category, and with the GS70, MSI is ready to stake its claim at the
top of the market. The new system is particularly thin for its category
and packs some high-end hardware within its svelte body. Read More
0 comments:
Post a Comment