Tag Archive for 'Desktop'

…It’s Things Thursday: Dell Inspiron Mini 9?

Published
by
Cory O'Brien
on September 4, 2008
in Computers
. 0 Comments

Dell Inspiron Mini 9

Dell calls it the “Ideal Internet Buddy for Surfing, Shopping and Chatting” (and “Your New Best Friend”, and a “Light, Highly Mobile Device Built For Easy Online Browsing and Entertainment” and an “Internet Companion” and a “Small, easy-to-carry device” that’s ready for “teens, tweens, travelers and Tweeters”, so I guess even Dell can’t figure out what this thing does or who it’s for), but if you’re in the market for a mini-notebook (or as many are calling them, a netbook) that’s perfect for on-the-go travel and/or anyone who doesn’t need a full, desktop capable computer sitting on their lap at all times, then you might just call it yours.

Weighing in at just 2.28 lbs., and with a price of just $349 (in Ubuntu flavor), the Dell Inspiron Mini 9 is designed to be the perfect computer for “surfing the Web, chatting with friends, blogging, streaming content, uploading photos or enjoying favorite online videos, music and games”.

It’s also meant to be a durable computer that you can toss in a bag and not worry too much about, with a fully sealed keyboard, and solid state drive (SSD) memory storage.

The 8.9-inch LCD gives you plenty of room for full-sized web browsing, and built-in Wi-Fi means you can connect to any hotspot for instant Internet access.

Options include a built-in webcam for video chat, Bluetooth for wireless connections, and even Windows XP for full software support.

Nifty touches include a free subscription to Box.net for 2GB of online storage, and a full range of colors in the coming months.

The Inspiron Mini 9 is definitely not for everyone, but with the success that Acer has been having with their EeePC netbooks, combined with Dell’s name brand and reliability, I think the Mini 9 is going to open up the world of netbook computing to a whole new audience that’s ready to embrace the change.

[Dell - Inspiron Mini 9]

…Your desktop wallpaper can help you be productive?

Published
by
Cory O'Brien
on July 24, 2008
in Hacks
. Closed

Desktop Wallpaper

Your desktop wallpaper is an often-overlooked tool to help you stay organized.

Simple Help has put together a list of five different wallpapers that will help you increase your productivity, and by switching to one of them, you’ll never have to stare at XP’s rolling hills or Mac’s swirly colors again.

[Simple Help - 5 Desktop Wallpapers That Will Increase Your Productivity]

…Folder art is getting advanced?

Published
by
Cory O'Brien
on April 18, 2008
in Art
. Closed

Folder Pig

I’m not sure who came up with the idea, but folder based desktop art is something that I’d like to see more of.

[Via: Gizmodo]

…PowerBooks can transform into Desktops?

Published
by
Cory O'Brien
on April 17, 2008
in Hacks
. Closed

PowerBook Desktop

When one Mac modder found himself in possession of a well-worn PowerBook that was having some screen problems, he decided to breathe new life into it by turning it into a Mac desktop. (MacTop?)

    Essentially, the case is made of two sheets of white acrylic, bolted together by socket countersunk screws. I’ve used 15mm chrome pipe as the four spacers between the acrylic sheet. The perforated steel was cut to my specifications by a very helpful chap found on eBay. Cutting the CD drive slot was a little tricky, as was drilling the power button hole, but once done they seem to function ok.

PowerBook Desktop Features

The trackpad now thinks the lid is closed thanks to a well placed magnet (so that it runs in external monitor mode) and the original laptop battery acts as an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS), so it’s now quite the machine.

Future plans may include an overclocking now that extra space is available for a bigger heatsink, but as it is, the creator seems rather happy with his creation.

[MacMod - PowerBook to Desktop]

…Kitsune Noir has begun The Desktop Wallpaper Project?

Published
by
Cory O'Brien
on March 12, 2008
in Art
. Closed

The Desktop Wallpaper Project

Kitsune Noir wants to go beyond everyday blogging, and has begun a project called The Desktop Wallpaper Project to do so.

Each Wednesday, one new desktop wallpaper from a collection of artists and designers will be released, and it will be free to download in a multitude of monitor sizes, as well as iPhone and PSP versions.

So far, over 60 artists are involved, and some have submitted multiple works, so if you’re a fan of creative wallpapers, then check stop by on Wednesdays and see what’s new.

[Kitsune Noir - The Desktop Wallpaper Project]

…NewsFire is now free?

Published
by
Cory O'Brien
on March 3, 2008
in Software
. Closed

NewsFire

After NetNewsWire decided to stop selling its program and to instead just give it away, NewsFire must have gotten jealous, because they’ve just announced that their program will be free as well.

Since NewsFire has no online component, and thus, cannot use your data in any way (NNW went free in exchange for your attention data) I’m not exactly sure how NF plans to make money, but where there’s a will, there’s a way, right?

Either way, there are now two fantastic players in the free desktop RSS reader game, and that’s fantastic!

[NewsFire]

…It’s Movie Monday: Mobile Desktop?

Published
by
Cory O'Brien
on February 25, 2008
in Fun
. Closed

Starbucks

Sure, Starbucks brings Wi-Fi to the masses, but most people who use it are either on a laptop or an iPhone.

What would happen then if Starbucks and their semi-public Wi-Fi had existed a few years ago?

Improv Everywhere wanted to find out, and decided to take a few old desktops complete with CRT monitors down to the local Starbucks and set up shop.

It’s a pretty funny idea, and the results are unexpected, so check out the Mobile Desktop:

[Improv Everywhere - Mobile Desktop]

[Starbucks]

…Sean Ohlenkamp is bored?

Published
by
Cory O'Brien
on January 14, 2008
in Art
. Closed

Once a day for 365 days, Sean Ohlenkamp took a screenshot of his desktop, and then made them into a movie.

I guess you’d call this productively bored.

[Via: Neatorama]

…Adobe’s icons are available for every app?

Published
by
Cory O'Brien
on May 25, 2007
in Software
. Closed

Adobe CS3 Icons

Adobe’s ‘periodic table of applications’ branding for their new CS3 suite is a definite love it or hate it design. For some, they’re too plain, but for others, they’re a perfect way to declutter the desktop. If you happen to love them, and want to extend Adobe’s icon simplicity to the rest of your dock, then I Can’t Fly is here to help with an entire set of icons for nearly every app, done up in the colored letter style. While I’m not necessarily a fan of the simple icon design, I do like the look of having everything unified, though it would make app identification a little harder at first. Definitely different though.

[I Can't Fly - Simple Icon Replacements]

[Via: TUAW]

…Macworld is great for bingo?

Published
by
Cory O'Brien
on January 8, 2007
in Apple
. Closed

Macworld Keynote Bingo

If a drinking game isn’t the way you want to celebrate the “just the beginning” keynote announcement, try some simpler fun with the Macworld Bingo board. Some of the descriptions are a little confusing, so half the fun is trying to figure out if something has actually happened, but it should be a great way to check out the announcements. One more thing, bonus points to anyone who yells out Bingo! during the actual Macworld keynote. I’d do it myself if only I had the opportunity. I think it’d definitely be worth the swift kick out of Mac Meca.

  • Mac Pro Octo - A Mac Pro model with eight cores (in any number of physical chips).
  • Leopard release date - The exact day that Mac OS X Leopard will be released.
  • Virtualization in Leopard - Any virtualization features built into Leopard. This includes the ability to run any other foreign OS within Leopard, including earlier versions of Mac OS.
  • New video iPod - Any new iPod that can play video, excluding storage bumps of existing video iPods.
  • New look in Leopard - Mac OS X Leopard includes significant changes to the look of the standards elements of the UI (windows, buttons, scroll-bars, etc.)
  • MacBook Thin - A new laptop with a screen smaller than any existing MacBook or MacBook Pro.
  • iPhone - Any new non-desktop/laptop Apple hardware product that can make phone calls. (VoIP counts.)
  • New MacBook Pro - Any new MacBook Pro model, including speed or storage bumps.
  • “One more thing…” - When Steve Jobs says there’s “one more thing.” A slide containing the phrase is also acceptable, even if Jobs does not actually say it.
  • Hardware product not presented by Jobs - A major new hardware product is presented by someone other than Steve Jobs.
  • New desktop Mac (not Mac Pro) - A new desktop Mac product that is not a Mac Pro. (New iMacs count.)
  • iPods with cameras - Any iPod with a camera in it or attached to it. (An “iPod Phone” counts if “iPod” is in the name.)
  • No iPhone - A new non-desktop/laptop Apple hardware product that can make phone calls is not announced.
  • ZFS mentioned - ZFS is mentioned by a presenter. Text on a slide does not count. The presenter must say it.
  • iTV named - The product previously discussed as “iTV” is officially named (even if the official name is “iTV”).
  • New displays with cameras - New Apple displays with built-in or otherwise attached cameras.
  • Illuminous - The word “illuminous” is spoken or appears on any slide.
  • “Otomatic” - When Steve Jobs says any derivative of the word “automatic”, which he pronounces in his own odd way with ah “oh” sound at the start of the word.
  • iTV does HD - The device known as iTV supports HDTV resolution (480p does not count).
  • iPhoto performance touted - The speed of iPhoto when dealing with large numbers of photos is touted.
  • “Boom” - When Steve Jobs says the word “boom” while demonstrating something.
  • New app added to iWork - A new application is added to Pages and Keynote in the iWork bundle.
  • Leopard != $129 - Mac OS X Leopard single-user price is not $129.
  • Universal Adobe or MS Office demo - Any demonstration of a Universal binary build of any Adobe product or any part of Microsoft Office. I’ll accept something less than a full-blown demo (e.g., just some screenshots or a marketing spiel) if you need this square to win, but it has to be delivered by an Adobe or Microsoft representative.

[Macworld Keynote Bingo]

[Via: Digg]

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