Tag Archive for ‘Wi-Fi’ at Didnt You Hear…

Tag Archive for 'Wi-Fi'

…The Xbox should be slim?

Published

on October 14, 2008

. Comments

Xbox Slim

Since Microsoft went straight from the Xbox to the Xbox 360, they didn’t stop to do any revisions to the original like Sony did to the PlayStation 2.

However, this didn’t stop one crafty modder from making his own “Xbox Slim” project, and using it as a media center that can play games.

Xbox Slim And Xbox

The Xbox Slim cuts more than half the weight from the original, weighing in at just four pounds, and adds in advanced features like a DVD/CD-R combo drive, 60GB of onboard storage, a built-in Wi-Fi receiver, and a built in receiver for the Logitech wireless controller.

Xbox Slim Details

Along with the hardware revisions, XBMC has been added for media center capability, and SNES, Sega, NeoGeo, and other emulators have been added for classic gaming goodness.

It might not be certified by Microsoft, but chances are, that isn’t exactly a bad thing.

[Xbox Slim]

[Via: Technabob]

…New gadgets are just a hack away?

Published

Cory O'Brien

on October 9, 2008

in Hacks

. Comments

Depression

Has the damaged economy managed to crush your new gadget budget?

Instead of sitting around and complaining, why not make your old things new again with a few “creative” hacks?

To help you along the path to recycled gadget goodness, Gizmodo has put together a guide to Zero-Cost Gadget Upgrades, including turning your Xbox, PC or Apple TV into a genuine media center, hacking your iPod with Rockbox, converting your PC into a Mac, flashing your crappy router’s firmware with DD-WRT to turn it into a top-of-the-line piece of hardware, downloading new maps for your old GPS, jailbreaking your iPhone for Wi-Fi Internet tethering, and modding your Wii to create a free emulation machine.

Who said the next great depression had to be so depressing?

[Gizmodo - Zero-Cost Gadget Upgrades For The Next Great Depression]

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

Published

Cory O'Brien

on September 4, 2008

in Computers

. Comments

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]

…You can get free wi-fi from AT&T?

Published

Cory O'Brien

on May 12, 2008

in Hacks

. Comments

Free ATT WiFi

AT&T will soon offer free Wi-Fi to all iPhone users at their more than 17,000 Wi-Fi hotspots in the U.S., including all Starbucks stores.

If you’d like to get in on that action, but don’t yet have an iPhone, then check out UNEASYsilence for a guide on how to use Firefox’s User Agent Switcher to trick hotspots into thinking you’re on an iPhone, and then granting you full access to their tubes of Internet.

[UNEASYsilence - Trick AT&T To Give You Free Wi-Fi At Any Of Their Hotspots]

…It’s Movie Monday: Mobile Desktop?

Published

Cory O'Brien

on February 25, 2008

in Fun

. Comments

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]

…Your Starbucks coffee comes with music?

Published

Cory O'Brien

on September 25, 2007

in News

. Comments

Apple - iTunes - Starbucks

To get folks to try out the new Starbucks-Apple iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store, Apple will be giving away $50 million in “Song of the Day” cards to coffee customers from October 2 to November 7.

The cards will be good for a hand-picked song from the iTunes library, which might sound limiting, but with artists like Bob Dylan, Joss Stone, Dave Matthews, Bebel Gilberto, John Mayer, KT Tunstall, John Legend, Annie Lennox, Joni Mitchell, Keith Urban, Paul McCartney, Sia, Band of Horses, Hilary McRae, Frederico Aubele and Sara Bareilles, it’ll probably be something worth hearing.

It might not pay for the $5 coffee, but at least you get something with your daily caffeine fix.

[Apple - iTunes - Starbucks]

[Via: Apple Insider]

…It’s Stockpile Saturday: Link Fest #2?

Published

Cory O'Brien

on April 7, 2007

in Links

. Comments

Last week’s Stockpile Saturday was a success, so this week, I’m bringing you 20 more links that I’ve been saving for some time now. Enjoy.

The Amateur Gourmet is a great food blog that does the occasional review in comic book style. It’s a refreshing look at alternative ways of displaying content.

[The Amateur Gourmet: Chutzpah, Truffles & Alain Ducasse]

[Via: How To Change The World]

OwnYourC is a beautiful flash driven site that was created by the Colorado Teen Anti-Smoking Initiative to force teens to make tough decisions.

[OwnYourC]

[Via: Josh Spear]

Pickleball is a sport that combines ping-pong, tennis and badminton, and uses a simplified combination of tennis rules and strategies.

[USA Pickleball Association]

[Wikipedia - Pickleball]

Locksport International has put together a Guide To Lock Picking that serves as the perfect primer for anyone that’s looking to get into the sport. It’s done in graphic novel form, and gives great step-by-step information about lock picking, re-pinning, making tools, and more.

[LSI - Guide To Lock Picking]

[Via: Popgadget]

To promote their new Qashqai, Nissan has created a new extreme sport called the Qashqai Car Games. Looks like fun.

[Qashqai Car Games]

Jeff Thomas loves Nixie tubes (glass tubes that are filled with gas and can display numerals or other information). Most people are content with clocks that feature the technology, but Jeff wanted a watch, so he designed his own. Sadly, he only made 20, and they’re already sold out, but hopefully another company picks up where Jeff left off.

[The Nixie Tube Wristwatch]

Nabaztag, the Wi-Fi rabbit from Violet, is an ambient device that connects to the Internet and can give you selected information.

[Nabaztag]

Extra Tasty is a site devoted to inebriation, thought the design is clearly attributed to the more sober, as drink recipes, drink possibilities, tips and tricks, and a soothing color scheme are all easy to access. Get your buzz on.

[Extra Tasty]

Su Blackwell cuts amazing sculptures right out of the pages of well-known books. Each design ties into the plot, and the results bring the story to life.

[Su Blackwell]

Toss ‘N’ Track is a Frisbee that can be tracked on the Internet. Each disc has a unique number printed on it, and after playing with it for a while, you simply toss it in the disc’s intended direction, and let someone else find it. They can then log the disc into the site, and you can see how far it travels.

[Toss 'N' Track]

Steve ‘The Grape Guy’ Spalding is currently The World’s Fastest Grape Catcher with his record 67 grapes in one minute from 15 feet. And you thought your talent was worthless.

[Steve The Grape Guy Spalding]

Reuters has an amazing video of the current world record for most dominoes toppled, 4,079,381, being set by an international team of 90 builders from 13 countries. I’ll bet they were glad no one sneezed.

[Reuters]

The Tooluxe shop puts you in control of some very promiscuous store clerks for a series of highly interactive advertisements with Matt and Angie.

[Virtual Tooluxe Shop]

My Monopoly lets you create your own unique and personalized Monopoly game. You can choose a theme, and then add your own names to all of your favorite places. Want to call Boardwalk ‘Your Mom’? Go ahead, the world is yours.

[My Monopoly]

Dangerously Fun is a web site dedicated to how-to guides for projects that could potentially hurt you. No pain, no gain, right?

[Dangerously Fun]

[Via: bookofjoe]

Evere wonder what words your bartender hates hearing? Thankfully, Jeffrey Morgenthaler, bartender extraordinaire, has created a list of the Eight Things You Should Never Say To Your Bartender. If you want to get served up right, make sure you follow the list.

[Jeffrey Morgenthaler - Eight Things You Should Never Say To Your Bartender]

9 to 5 Paintings record what you do on your computer during the day and turn it into art. The site gives examples of the final result, as well as a tutorial for setting up your own double mouse feature so that you can make 9 to 5s of your own.

[9 To 5 Paintings]

Internet Hitchhikers Scotty and Fiddy used the power of the Internet to hitch their way to 50 states (and their capitals) in 50 days. Impressive.

[Hitch50]

If you’re a blog writer, there’s no better place to go for advice than ProBlogger; which is why the list of ProBlogger’s best posts for 2006 is an indispensable resource for all online authors.

[ProBlogger - Best Of 2006]

With a little subtraction, the number 6174 takes on some amazing properties. Read on to discover why.

[Mysterious Number 6174]

…Apple gave the world a shocker?

Published

Cory O'Brien

on January 9, 2007

in Apple

. Comments

iPhone

Though I didn’t expect any of my predictions to actually come true (I hoped they would, but didn’t expect they would, and I think I ended up with 0 out of 8 correct), Apple dropped a bomb in the form of the iPhone that caught everyone by surprise. I even got a few Apple fanboy goosebumps when the full specs were announced. Combining “a revolutionary mobile phone, a widescreen iPod with touch controls, and a breakthrough Internet communications device with desktop-class email, web browsing, maps, and searching”, the iPhone will do it all and then slip away into your pocket. Features include:

3.5-inch widescreen display
Multi-touch input
OS X based operating system
Bluetooth 2.0
Wi-Fi
EDGE/GSM
5 hours of talk/video/browsing time
16 hours of audio playback
Weighs in at only 4.8 ounces
Comes in either a 4 or 8 GB versions
There’s also a sensor to know when you’re rotating it so it can change the orientation of the screen, a sensor to know its proximity to your face so your cheek doesn’t make any unintentional phone calls, and a sensor to turn up and down the brightness depending on how much you need
Oh yeah, and it’s beautiful

Since this thing is already clogging all of the Internet’s tubes, I figure I’d give the readers of DYH a little something different. First off, let’s see how the 10 people whose reputations relied on the iPhone did.

Kevin Rose got the January launch date right but missed out on the Cingular exclusive, was definitely wrong on the size, number of batteries, and slide-out keyboard; but he was right on the number and size of the models, and somewhat right on the touchscreen.
Rebecca Runkle from Morgan Stanley got the number and size of the models right, dimensions right, colors wrong, Cingular right, virtual clickwheel wrong, and full screen LCD right.
Think Secret got the fact that their would be a camera right, EDGE/GSM right; but got the megapixel count and the display size wrong.
The rest of the 10 just put their money on their actually being an iPhone, and though they were right, though it wasn’t too hard to figure that one out.

What I find interesting is that if you combine everyone’s information and pick and choose the good stuff, you could have had a pretty good idea of the specs of the actual iPhone. Most got the fact that there would be two models in 4 and 8 GB form right, Kevin predicted the January launch date and the touchscreen, Rebecca got the pricing very close, the size close, the Cingular exclusivity right on, and the LCD screen size right on, and Think Secret got the GSM/EDGE thing right as well as the inclusion of a camera.

Apple TV

Besides the iPhone, Apple (as they’re now officially being called after they announced they’ve dropped the word Computer from their name) finalized the specs on the Apple TV (the now official name for the iTV). Designed to bridge the gap between your iTunes and your TV in a wireless way, the Apple TV features its own Intel processor, a 40 GB hard drive, 802.11n networking, and does 720p high def video. Plus, it’s scheduled to ship in February.

Airport Extreme

Lastly, Apple secretly updated their Airport Extreme Base Station to 802.11n specs and changed the form factor to a more Mac Mini style. Very sneaky.

Overall, some great stuff, though some definite shockers. No iLife update? No cameras in the monitors (Is that one really that hard to include)? I did like what I saw though, and Apple definitely managed to show that the first 30 years were just the beginning.

[Apple]

[Keynote Via: Engadget]

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