Apple worked closely with Frogdesign during the eighties, creating Apple’s early design language and charting the visual path of Apple computers from the Apple IIc to the Macintosh. Frogdesign founder Hartmut Esslinger’s fingerprints are all over those early, iconic designs, and in a new book, he reveals some concepts for Apple computers and tablets that never made it to market. → Read More
Originally a Kickstarter project, Ubi is a ubiquitous computing device. Designed to plug into your wall and remain dormant until you talk to it, this little computer can perform searches, wake you up, and even sense environmental conditions in every room. → Read More
Because we just experienced the one-year anniversary of Steve Jobs’ passing, I began to think about how technology has impacted my life, and how different it is for today’s children. I thought about my first computer, what computing was like back then and what it’s like now. And it hit me: stories where people recount tales of their first computer will become something only the old people talk… → Read More
I’ve been putting off writing about the Telikin because, arguably, any PC is suitable the older audience that the Telikin is aimed. I set my Dad up with a Linux machine and then a Mac Mini and he’s been surfing Drudge and listening to Polka like a champ for almost a decade now. Why spend $699 when you can feasibly hook Grandma up with a PC for $400 or so at Best Buy?
Well the Telikin is an… → Read More
It’s been a long time since I clacked away on a C64 but I remember that hunk of pure computing power like it was yesterday. The keyboard (complete with dingbats on the front surface), the power light that glowed like a monocular rat eye, the lines of dust that formed in the 80s-era case. It was a simpler time.
The Commodore 64 is 30 years old this week, appearing at CES in 1982 and ending up in… → Read More
Back in June, HP announced something very unusual: a plan to shift production of business notebooks for the Japanese market from China to Japan. The company then actually started manufacturing these devices in its plant in Akishima near Tokyo, in August.
It appears the US company is seeing some potential in the move, as now Japan’s biggest business daily The Nikkei is reporting that HP will… → Read More
HP caused a major splash (not only) in the technology world when the world’s biggest computer maker last week announced it plans to spin off its PC business. But one country, which has always been a unique market for many companies, is apparently getting a special treatment: Japan.
We reported back in June that HP will move over part of the production for notebooks from China to Japan, and it… → Read More
The joint venture NEC and Lenovo announced back in January is now reality: the companies today said they have finally set up “NEC Lenovo Japan”, which Lenovo holds a 51% stake in (NEC holds the rest of the shares). The joint venture is limited to the Japanese PC market at this point, but NEC Lenovo instantly gained the bragging rights to call itself the country’s biggest PC maker (about 25% market… → Read More
Intel is using the yearly Computex Taipei exhibition in Taiwan as a platform to pitch a new category of laptops. Dubbed Ultrabooks, these devices are supposed to have three distinct features: they are thinner (less than 20mm/0.8 inches) and lighter than most existing laptops, and they should be priced below $1,000 in order to become mainstream. → Read More
Toshiba’s Regza tablet wasn’t the only computer-related device the company introduced today: the dynabook Qosmio T851/D8CR is what big T says the world’s first notebook that can produce 2D and 3D images simultaneously, on one screen. The 2D images have 1,920×1,080 resolution, while users can view pictures in 3D in 1,366×768 resolution – no glasses required. → Read More
Commodore USA is now taking pre-orders for their modernized Commodore 64 keyboard PC; shipping dates are expected in mid-May or June. The base model comes with a 1.8 GHz Dual Core Intel Atom processor and 2GB of RAM, the Ultimate version gets 4GB of RAM with built-in WiFi and Blu-ray. While these aren’t the greatest for playing the latest games, it would be cool to own one and judge the… → Read More
Rather than throwing a bunch of toxic, sharp computer parts into the landfill, BRC designs did what any green design firm would do: make a coffee table. The frame of the table was made from the computer towers, bent to form the basic structure. From there, computer parts were placed one-by-one onto the structure until completely covered. → Read More
Here’s a fascinating privacy debate for y’all to chew on this Friday afternoon. A public official in Australia was sacked after it was discovered that he had searched for “knockers” on his work-provided computer. The computer had been running monitoring software, Spector360, that took screenshots every 30 seconds, so it found him looking for “knockers” even though he had deleted his… → Read More
The world gets yet another 3D device. Today, NEC in Japan announced [JP] a new 3D notebook, as part of the company’s spring line-up of PCs for the local market. It’s the last in a series of 3D-enabled laptops we’ve seen in the last few months. → Read More
Another day, another 3D-related news item. Today, it’s Fujitsu Japan, which just announced [JP] the ESPRIMO FH/99CM, a desktop computer that boasts a naked-eye 3D display. The screen is sized at 23 inches and produces full HD pictures. → Read More
Japanese PC maker Onkyo, which rolled out three Windows tablets in its home market earlier this year, has unveiled an Android-based tablet that will go on sale (again, in Japan first) this week. Dubbed SlatePad TA117 [JP], the device features a slew of nice features. → Read More
We reported back in August about how Japanese consumers reacted to the first 3D TVs Sony and Panasonic released this summer, and now the Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association (JEITA) has released the first detailed sales numbers. → Read More
BDXL is now entering the computer market, too. Pioneer Japan today announced [JP] the BDR-206MBK, the world’s first Blu-ray burner for PCs supporting the new format. The internal device is compatible to BD-R XL discs with three (100GB) or four layers (128GB) and BD-RE XL discs with 3 layers (100GB). → Read More
We can’t say we’re very surprised: Japanese business daily The Nikkei is reporting today that Sharp is to stop selling and producing computers from now on. The last time we reported on a Sharp computer was back in April last year, when the company introduced a netbook with an LCD trackpad (pictured). According to the report, big S will focus on the production of tablets instead. → Read More
We can’t say we’re surprised: after unveiling the world’s first glasses-free 3D TVs last week, Japanese business daily The Nikkei recently reported that Toshiba is currently readying naked-eye 3D PCs. While the TVs will be released in Japan as early as December, big T is planning to launch the PCs, which will be marketed under the dynabook brand, sometime next year. → Read More
A cluster of computers on Carnegie Mellon’s campus named NELL, or formally known as the Never-Ending Language Learning System, has attracted significant attention this week thanks to a NY Times article, “Aiming To Learn As We Do, A Machine Teaches Itself.”
Indeed, the eight-month old computer system attempts to “teach” itself by perpetually scanning slices of the web as it looks at thousands of… → Read More
We reported yesterday about Toshiba’s plans of bringing Android-powered tablets to the US next year, and here at CEATEC, big T gave all attendees the chance to try out the Folio 100, a Europe-only device. The Toshiba employee at the booth told me it will probably hit Japan and other markets next year though. → Read More
Among Japan’s PC makers, NEC seems to be betting especially high on 3D. Following the 3D PC the company introduced in Japan earlier this summer, NEC today announced [JP] another three 3D desktop PCs for the Japanese market. Here are all the details. → Read More
Among all major electronics manufacturers, Sony is betting especially high on 3D. And the two main areas for the future 3D-fication of the company are TVs and computers, it seems. Big S yesterday announced in Tokyo that by the end of 2011, almost all of their TVs sized 40 inches and larger will be 3D-enabled. → Read More
Panasonic announced [JP] two new models from their TOUGHBOOK series of extra-sturdy and durable notebooks today. And both the CF31 from the TOUGHBOOK 31 series and the CF19 from the TOUGHBOOK 19 series boast some pretty impressive specs. → Read More
The friendly folks at VSP Vision Care sent along this quick video explaining how our increased use of computers and smartphones have affected our vision. Remember when you were growing up and you were told not to sit too close to the TV? How many of you now spend nearly every waking hour inches away from a computer monitor, or glued to your iPhone? Mm. → Read More
It took a lot of time, but Toshiba is now ready to bring the Classmate tablet PC it created together with Intel to the Japanese market. Rebranded as “CM1″ [press release in English], the goal is to go after the nation’s educational sector. Both companies involved also announced they will launch initiatives to “foster ICT environments in schools” in order to boost IT literacy among Japanese… → Read More
Hot on the heels of the W100 dual touchscreen tablet, Toshiba also unveiled the AC100 today, a 10.1-inch netbook that runs on Android 2.1. One of the big selling points of the AC100, which is the company’s first Android machine, is that it can remain in standby mode for up to seven days (the eight hours of battery life aren’t too shabby either). → Read More
What’s better than a tablet with one touchscreen? A tablet with two touchscreens. That’s at least what Toshiba must have thought when they cooked up the Libretto W100 with its dual 7-inch multi-touch displays (1,024×600 resolution and LED backlighting for both). There’s no physical keyboard, but you’ll get a virtual one with haptic response. → Read More
We’ve shown you the LifeTouch [JP], NEC’s first stab at making a touchscreen tablet PC, on Monday, and now we got pointed to a video that shows the device in action. To recap, the LifeTouch is a seven-inch Android 2.1-based tablet running on an ARM Cortex A8 CPU (more info). → Read More
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