There's nothing new about pen-based computers and devices that upload handwritten notes to a PC. IOGEAR's Digital Scribe digitizes notes written on plain paper, but the device's usefulness is severely limited by the fact that it needs to be connected to a PC at all times. The LeapFrog FLY Fusion pentop computer does a good job of enticing youngsters to text a little bit less and write a bit more, but it's a bit bulky, requires proprietary paper, and is aimed squarely at kids.
That being said, the latter device is the closest anyone has come to making a pen-based computer useful, practical and fun. It's no surprise, then, that that Fly pen's creator, Jim Marggraff, has brought the pen-based computer to adults with the Livescribe Pulse Smartpen.
Like the FlyFusion, the Pulse records images of everything you write, so long as you write it on the company's proprietary Dot Paper, which allows the infrared camera in the pen's tip to always know where it is on the page. The company promises it will soon allow users to print their own paper from laser and some inkjet printers. In in the meantime, 100-sheet Dot Paper notebooks can be had from Livescribe's web site in four-packs, for $19.95.
The real innovation of the Pulse, though, is that it's also a voice recorder that records audio while recording images of your notes--and links the two together.
What will help the world's poorest children? A Microsoft-based operating system, of course! The One Laptop per Child (OLPC) organization's low-cost XO laptops will now be available with Microsoft Windows.
"The intention is to create a version of the XO laptop that provides the ability to host both Windows and Linux operating systems, giving users the ability to run either on the XO laptop," according to Microsoft.
"Today's announcement, coupled with future plans for a dual boot version of the XO laptop, enhances our ability to deliver on this vision," said Nicholas Negroponte, founder and chairman of OLPC. "In addition, OLPC will work with third parties to port its user interface, called 'Sugar,' to Windows."
The move is a shift in OLPC's original goal, which was to offer developing nations inexpensive laptops equipped with free and open-source software. "Free" and "open source" are not usually two of Microsoft's favorite words, but Craig Mundie, chief research and strategy officer at Microsoft, said the company's goal in joining OLPC was to "make technology more relevant, accessible and affordable for students."
Superman may no longer be the only person who can bend steel and lift thousands of pounds. In an effort to create a stronger military force, a robotics firm known as Sarcos, based in Salt Lake City and under contract with the U.S. Army, is currently building robotic suits that amplify human strength and endurance up to 20 times, according to CNN.
"Everybody likes the idea of being a superhero, and this is all about expanding the capabilities of a human," says Stephen Jacobsen, chief designer of the robotic suit. The new invention, in essence, provides a way for people to increase their mobility and lift heavy objects with ease.
According to a recent survey conducted by Clark, Martire & Bartolomeo on behalf of ad agency Prime Access and PlanetOut, Apple joins such companies as Bravo, Showtime, HBO, Absolut, and Levi's as the most "gay-friendly" brands. On the other end of the spectrum, Korean manufacturer Samsung joins WalMart, Dunkin Donuts, Cracker Barrel, and Exxon Mobil as the most "unfriendly" companies.
2,259 adults aged 18-64 were interviewed for the survey, including 1,502 "general population" respondents and 757 gay and lesbian respondents. The study found that nearly 68 percent of the latter group are "likely to buy from a company they considered to be gay-friendly, a perception they base largely on a company's advertising, followed by input from friends and the media."
"The survey reveals that gays and lesbians are fiercely loyal customers to brands they perceive as reaching out to them," said said Prime Access's CEO, Howard Buford. "A marketing communications program directed at the gay and lesbian audience can be a significant opportunity for brands to build business."
There doesn't seem to be a heck of a lot of information about Xziex on the Web beyond what the company and its supporters have seeded themselves, like this Craigslist San Francisco posting listed on the site's Classes section: "I would be very glad, if You start the warter business with me in May. The people all over the world need to have good water. Without drugs and so on."
There seems to be a lot of enthusiasm surround this thing, and why shouldn't there be? It is "the future of water," after all. It's just tough to find any that doesn't seem to be drummed up by the company itself.
A visit to Xziex's official site doesn't reveal much, though entering your name, phone number, and e-mail address does reveal a touch more information along with a fear-mongering infomercial-quality video that involves, among other things, the animated word "arsenic" floating around in a woman's drinking glass. Honestly, I didn't make it far enough into the video to figure out how to pronounce that jumble of Zs and Xs.
Beginning today, all passengers flying on Singapore Airlines A340-500 flights between Singapore and Newark, N.J., will get a little extra love for their iPods and iPhones.
The airline's in-flight KrisWorld entertainment system offers an integrated 9-and 30-pin connection, letting passengers charge their Apple devices and connect them to the 15.4-inch widescreen LCD display and noise-canceling headphones. Docked iPods and iPhones will mute for cabin crew and pilot announcements, just like standard in-air entertainment.
The service will expand to those traveling between Singapore and Los Angeles in August.
Because there aren't enough ways to imbibe caffeine in this fast-paced world of ours, Rudolph Foods has combined America's passion for not sleeping with its unquenchable desire for snack foods: introducing Engobi, the "love child of caffeine and snack chips." It's junk food for those who are lacking the precious time or the energy to get their empty calories and caffeination from separate sources. Referring to itself as a "functional food, a single 1.5-ounce bag of Engobi chips contains approximately 1.75 times as much caffeine as a can of your average energy drink, all for the low price of $1.29.
And really, what would a caffeinated snack food be without the appropriate video game tie-in and roving tour of scantily clad women? The company is running a "Girls, Guitars and Geeks City Tour," with a Guitar Hero-equipped van, giving gamers willing to leave their basements the chance to compete for Guitar Hero controllers and gear emblazoned with the name of everyone's favorite insomnia-inducing snack product.
Says the company's VP, Mark Singleton: ""If this contest, the Engobi girls, or our high-octane Engobi snack chips don't perk you up, I'm not sure you have a pulse. With
Engobi on the scene, couch potatoes just earned a place on the endangered species list." That's probably how I would talk too, if I were full of Lemon Lift and Cinnamon Surge. No doubt a plethora of "woos!" were tossed in for good measure.
For more info on the irritatingly titled "Don't Be a Piano Hero" promotion, visit Engobi's site. Woo!
Joining the mob of celebrities who endorse things, Dr. Dre has teamed up with Monster to create a headset worthy of his name: the Monster Beats By Dr. Dre. The headset, originally announced at CES in January, will be available for purchase in mid-July, says Monster.
A few folks from Monster visited our offices today to give us an audio preview of the headset (look for a review very soon on PCMag.com; we'll link to it when it pubs). Click through the jump for some initial impressions.
For anyone who wants to better understand the cosmos, Microsoft's WorldWide Telescope (WWT), now in its public beta, will bring the night sky down to your computer screen. It's scientific, educational, fun--and it's free. As someone who's used a number of astronomy software programs, Web sites, and Web apps over the years, my first look at the WWT, left my head spinning in awe.
WWT is a major effort, representing years of development by Microsoft's Next Media Research Group and assists their partners in the scientific and academic worlds--and it shows. WWT provides far more resources than the Sky mode in Google Earth.
There's a new little toy I've started throwing in my camera bag--a GPS receiver. It's not what you're thinking. There are no movings maps. In fact, there's no readout at all. This GPS receiver, smaller than a pack of Tic Tacs, doesn't tell me where to go; it shows where I've been. I'll explain how that enters into photography in a second.
Western Digital introduced the new My DVR Expander USB today, a 500 GB external hard drive verified compatible with DISH Network's ViP Series HD DVRs. The new My DVR Expander extends the recording time of the DVR by up to 300 hours of standard-def digital TV or 60 hours of HD TV. The device hooks up to the ViP series like a standard USB external hard drive.
My DVR Expander has a fan-less "passive" cooling system, reducing sound and using up to one-third less power than regular external hard drives. The expander is current only verified for use with DISH Network's ViP Series HD DVRs, but the company is expected to announce compatibility with other cable and satellite DVRs.
Japanese company Planex Communications Inc. just released a new external HDD called the "PL-35STU-500" equipped with a special software which has the ability to directly download YouTube videos into the device. The software is named "Dohga Bannou" which translates to "Video Versatility." As long as the external HDD is used with Windows Vista, Windows XP, and Windows 2000 operating systems, YouTube clips could be downloaded with a single click. Additionally, "Dohga Bannou" also mediates downloading of videos from YouTube to PMPs including the iPod Touch and the iPhone. And, connected to a DLNA-compatible media server, it could even be used to project any of the stored videos onto a TV screen.
Even if the "Dohga Bannou" software only works with select Windows operating systems, the HDD itself could be used with other Windows OS versions and even Mac Os X versions 10.3, 10.4 and 10.5. The PL-35STU-500 external hard disk drive uses a 3.5-inch hard disk with 500 GB storage capacity. It can handle a 480Mbps transmission rate for USB 2.0 and 12Mbps for USB1.1. The Planex HDD in question has a price tag of approximately $191 in Japan, although prices might vary depending on the region.
The comics fan in me doesn't know whether to excited by, or scared of, the upcoming cinematic adaptation of Alan Moore's legendary graphic novel, Watchmen.
For a small handful of burgeoning filmmakers, however, the movie's March 6th release could mean some serious wide-scale recognition--and some sweet new equipment, to boot.
The film's director Zack Snyder is offering some screen time in the upcoming feature.
Synder is asking users to create 15, 30, or 60-second commercials for the fictional Veidt Enterprises. Forty finalists will win signed movie posters, up to 20 will win $1,000, and the top five Canon Vixia HG10 HD camcorders, plus the chance to have their clips featured in the film.
In the tech world, geeks love their toasters. Maybe it's because they can be so much more than just bread-warming machines? Sure, we don't really need toasters to do more than just toast, but most products on the market today serve more than just one purpose. And I'm all for multifunction-type devices.
The Web abounds with gadget blogs. What makes this one different? Our posters are PC Magazine analysts and editors; we encounter an enormous amount of new products and announcements every day, and we know what you want to know about. Because Gearlog is the gadget blog written by geeks, for geeks.
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There doesn't seem to be a heck of a lot of information about Xziex on the Web beyond what the company and its supporters have seeded themselves, like this 
Beginning today, all passengers flying on 
Because there aren't enough ways to imbibe caffeine in this fast-paced world of ours, Rudolph Foods has combined America's passion for not sleeping with its unquenchable desire for snack foods: introducing Engobi, the "love child of caffeine and snack chips." It's junk food for those who are lacking the precious time or the energy to get their empty calories and caffeination from separate sources. Referring to itself as a "functional food, a single 1.5-ounce bag of Engobi chips contains approximately 1.75 times as much caffeine as a can of your average energy drink, all for the low price of $1.29.
Japanese company Planex Communications Inc. just released a new external 
The comics fan in me doesn't know whether to excited by, or scared of, the upcoming cinematic adaptation of Alan Moore's legendary graphic novel, Watchmen.
In the tech world, geeks love their toasters. Maybe it's because they can be so much more than just bread-warming machines? Sure, we don't really need toasters to do more than just toast, but most products on the market today serve more than just one purpose. And I'm all for multifunction-type devices.
