Microsoft’s InstaLoad to revolutionize battery compartment

July 11, 2010

This is a genius idea, making it impossible to put batteries in the wrong way round!

Most battery compartments have a single contact on either side: one positive and one negative. For any device to work, you must insert the batteries in very specific directions.

Instead of one contact at either end, InstaLoad compartments have two contacts: a flat contact for the negative end of the battery and a recessed contact for the positive end. If the positive end of a battery is inserted against the contact, its narrower, protruding end only touches the positive contact. If the negative end is inserted, its flat end only touches the negative contact. It’s a remarkably simple design that forces us to ask why nobody has thought of it before.

via Microsoft’s InstaLoad Tech May Revolutionize Battery Use – Tested.

25 Years of the Model M IBM Keyboard

July 11, 2010

A detailed look at this design classic from IBM…

The very notion that computer hardware that began its tour of duty in the mid-1980s is still useful today seems improbable. It seems even more improbable that such surviving hardware would have moving parts. But it is, and it does. You can plug a Model M from 1987 into just about any modern computer with a PS/2 port, and it will just work.

The Model M keyboard is terribly fun to use, chiefly because it makes an astonishing racket while you’re using it. Each keystroke of a Model M is famously loud, to the chagrin of at least two generations of spouses and coworkers.

And for all you angry typists (you know who you are), check out this sample of how loud the M keyboard can really be. More details over at the plope blog

Meteor, Media Center remote control for Windows Phone

July 11, 2010

Now this looks like a great little tool for users of Windows Media Center. The Meteor app is designed to give users a local presentation of content that exists on their Windows Media Center, for remote control, really useful for music and entertaining, where you don’t need to be in front of the screen to have control over the selection.

Now Playing
The Now Playing section is the go-to section of the Hub. Here the user will be able to easily manipulate the currently playing media item; be it a song, an album, a podcast, a TV show or a movie. The user is able to easily change track and scrub to a specific position in the media item.

Recent
The Recent section is where the history of what the user has played on their media center is displayed. It currently shows the last 7 media “filters” that have played. Filters is a concept we’ll get into a little bit later, but is core to the way that Meteor works and how smart it can be with your media.

Library
The final section here is the user’s media library. Here the user can easily jump to different areas of their media and browse to them in an integrated and intuitive way.

via The Land Dolphin.

How network cables are set to replace HDMI cables

July 11, 2010

I can’t wait to see video over ethernet, such a flexible connection technology, if this takes off it could be an awfully long time before something new takes it’s crown…

This week, a consortium of manufacturers from Samsung to LG finalized the specification for what they call HDBaseT, a new ethernet-based standard that aims to be the future of connectivity for our digital devices. While current offerings from HDMI and DisplayPort do a great job at sending audio and video to our HDTVs, the new standard goes where today’s cables fail to tread, pushing internet connectivity, uncompressed content and even power over a single, unified cable — with a familiar connection we already know and love.

via How Network Cables Will Replace HDMI, DisplayPort – Tested.

4chan prank means Justin Bieber must tour North Korea

July 11, 2010

You gotta do what you gotta do…

Justin Bieber’s “My World Tour” Twitter voting contest asked fans to vote on which country he should tour next, without restriction on which countries could be included in the vote. 4chan smelled opportunity: Anonymous nominated North Korea, then the boards clickswarmed. At the time of this blog post, more than half a million votes now demand the Canadian singer go do his thing on Kim Jong Il’s party train.

via Boing Boing.

Bluelounge CableClip

July 10, 2010

Love the smart little widgets from Bluelounge, this time they’re organising cables with the help of the simple cable grips…

Cable management  is essential in our modern day lives. These multi-purpose clips keep all sizes of cables tidy and untangled. For the home, office, workshop and traveling, CableClip manages your cables in a simple and fun way by keeping cables accessible and organized. Perfect for stowing away all surplus cables.

via Bluelounge

The phone for fewer features

July 10, 2010

I love the simple bold design of this basic phone designed for the elderly or visually impaired, but details like the bold typography and silver edge really give it a touch of class too…

Just5 phones boast big buttons. They can be turned up louder than the average celly. An emergency SOS button can be preset with five phone numbers (i.e. 911, doctor, relative, etc.). It can send and receive calls and text messages, and it has Bluetooth and an FM radio. And that’s about it.

via CNET.

YouTube updates to support 4k video sources

July 10, 2010

Here’s an interesting, if possibly unimportant change at the moment to YouTube…

YouTube officially announced support for videos shot in 4K (a reference resolution of 4096 x 3072), which means that the famed online clip portal now supports “resolutions from 360p to 4,096p” (their words, not ours). Granted, only a handful of humans even have access to a 4K camcorder, and 4K projectors aren’t exactly simple to find (or afford), but we couldn’t be happier to see YT staying way ahead of the curve here.

via Engadget.

Lewis & Jenson, one car, no team

July 9, 2010

What happens when Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button try to build their own car without their team?

via YouTube

Quick review: Sony Ericsson MW600 stereo bluetooth adaptor

July 6, 2010

This is my new favourite toy, it’s a serious upgrade on the previously excellent Sony stereo bluetooth headphones I have previously used.

The new generation has developed a OLED screen, which when partnered with a suitable platform (say my Windows 7 laptop) can display the time, track name or phone number).

Controls include a volume slider, track play, pause and forward and backward skip. It includes the ability to switch between two bluetooth devices, and even has a built in FM radio!

Overall, it’s brilliant, only £40, and can use any pair of headphones you want to try (also quite useful for occasionally hooking up to a hifi).

Salt Spring Island Cabin

July 6, 2010

Set on an island north of the San Juans, the exterior metal skin of this single room cabin will be allowed to weather naturally. Inside, wood-finished surfaces create a cozy refuge. A large, weathered steel panel slides across a window wall, securing the space when the owner is away.

via Daily Icon.

They Draw and Cook by Rebecca Bradley

July 3, 2010

Why not show off your illustration style and make it useful at the same time like They Draw and Cook by Rebecca Bradley.

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