Tag: computer

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Technology

Ockel Sirius A shrinks a PC into your palm, adds a 6-inch touchscreen

editors-choice-300x96Some desktop computer users would carry around their desktop computer with them to get the same level of performance they’re used to while traveling … if only that desktop PC wasn’t so large and heavy, that is.

Ockel Sirius A is a tiny PC with a 6-inch touchscreen, Intel Atom x7-Z8750 processor, and battery that provides a full Windows 10 experience at any time. It’s small enough to fit in a pocket or the palm of the user’s hand, and it comes equipped with a full version of Microsoft’s Windows 10 Home or Pro operating system. The display offers full HD 1920 x 1080p resolution and also supports 4K.

Sirius A ships in May at future pricing of $699 for the standard A with 64 GB of flash storage or $799 for the A Pro with 128 GB of flash storage. But Indiegogo backers have been able to reserve them with a pledge starting at early-bird pricing of $549 for the A and $659 for the A Pro. Its makers are out to raise $100,000 by Nov. 9.

Its creator, Ockel Computers, already successfully crowdfunded the similar Sirius B that didn’t come with a display and was designed to be attached to a separate monitor. So, an even more portable version with a display seems to be a sensible option that could appeal to many potential buyers.

 

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Cell Phone Accessories Displays Input

Superbook makes your smartphone a super cheap laptop

Smartphones have become the one device that people don’t leave their homes without. But smartphones aren’t so hot when it comes to word processing and other productivity functions.

The Superbook is a laptop-like shell from Andromium that provides keyboard input and an 11.6-inch display for Android smartphones and tablets, basically transforming the small mobile device into a complete laptop with a larger screen at a low price. Superbook promises more than 8 hours of battery life. Other features include a multi-touch trackpad and phone-charging capabilities. When plugged into an Android device, it launches Andromium’s app that offers Microsoft Office suite compatibility.

Superbook ships in February 2017 at future pricing of $129-$139 for a basic version. But Kickstarter backers can order one at pricing that starts at $99. Early bird backers were able to order one at $85 for January 2017 delivery. Andromium hopes to raise $50,000 by Aug. 20.

There have been several hybrid products that combine smartphone and PC functionality, including Hybrx. But Superbook provides one of the best value and feature propositions, thanks to its low pricing and Office software compatibility. However, one’s Android device must be running Android 5.0 or later with at least 1.5 GB of RAM and USB-OTG support for it to work with Superbook, limiting the number of compatible devices. And, obviously, consumers using iOS or any other mobile operating system besides Android are out of luck, at least for now.

 

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Technology

Hybrx hybrid PC combines Android functionality, PC productivity

Smartphones and tablets have stolen a lot of the thunder from PCs in recent years. But many consumers still feel the need to have a computer in addition to their mobile device, in large part because productivity functions including word processing are much easier to do on PCs. Convertibles offer a good hybrid solution, but can be a little costly.

Hybrx is a sub-$100 Remix OS 2.0 laptop made by Azpen Innovation that uses an Allwinner A64 Cortex A53 64-bit quad core processor running the Android Lollipop 5.1 operating system. The slim laptop has an 11.6-inch screen with a 1,366 x 768 HD LCD display. It’s been optimized to run multiple programs and files at the same time without slowing down the laptop. In addition to promising high energy efficiency, it also offers system boot-up within seconds, according to Azpen. Hybrx also supports H.265/H.264 4K video decoding with 4K HDMI output. Hybrx starts shipping in September at about $140 for a 1-GB RAM version with 16 GB of flash memory and about $180 for a 2-GB RAM version with 32 GB of flash. Azpen hopes to raise $75,000 by Aug. 4.

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Video Games

GPD Win palmtop offers modern PC games and apps to go

Many people rely on PCs to get important work done wherever they are, but don’t necessarily want to drag around a laptop everywhere they go. After all, a laptop can’t fit in anybody’s pocket. Many PC gamers, meanwhile, would also like to carry around their computers to play games wherever they are, but face the same issue.

GPD Win is a 5.5-inch Windows 10 PC that includes a keyboard and traditional game controls, along with a 1280 x 720 HD display. The pocket-sized device also touts an Intel Atom Cherry Trail X5-Z8550 quad-core processor. It can be connected to a TV using a Mini HDMI cable and wireless controller (both not included).

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Input

Aerion mouse lets your fingers stick together through air travel

Gesture control continues to find its way into a wide variety of consumer electronics devices including TVs and videogame consoles.

Aerion Mouse is a gesture-driven computer mouse that’s somewhat smaller than traditional mice. It gets placed between the top of any two of the user’s fingers. The user then points the mouse at the display to operate it and, instead of clicking on any buttons, just leans to the left to achieve what a typical left click on a mouse would and leans to the right for a right click.

One main benefits to Aerion is that it allows one to keep fingers close to a typing position without having to grab a separate device when moving between the keyboard and pointing device. It also works even when there’s no convenient focus on which to set a mouse.

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Categories
Organization

Recoil Power Maze cuts the cord clutter

Life today comes with strings attached. And those strings are cords that plug into the wall. While some devices are going cordless, laptops, monitors, modems, and phones all need to be plugged into the wall. This leads to an unpleasant tangle of cords below the desk that no one wants to see or deal with.

The Power Maze gets the cords off the floor and organizes them on the top of a desk or table. It’s designed to fit a full-sized power strip and up to fifty feet of cords. Plug into the power strip as normal, then wrap the cords around the “Cord Lock Patches”. These spaces have alternating polyethylene protrusions that hold the cords in place. The Power Maze also has space in the sleek design to house the large blocks that come on many laptop chargers to protect from power surge. The campaign hopes to raise $40,000 by August 17, 2015, and is selling the Power Maze for $40, with expected delivery in October 2015.

The Power Maze is great for fixed objects like desktop PCs, but might not be very practical for anything you might need to charge on the go like a laptop given the amount of wrapping around that has to happen to fit the cords inside the small box.

 

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Technology

Endless targets emerging markets for affordable PCs

Despite the ongoing decline in global PC sales, many people in emerging markets still don’t own a computer due to factors that include price tags that are outside the reach of many consumers in those countries.

Endless Computers are targeted specifically at those people. To lower the barrier to entry for consumers in emerging markets, Endless has developed a low-cost desktop central processing unit that works with TVs, much like early PCs. That eliminates the need for a monitor, which typically adds some cost to the price of a desktop PC. Although many people in emerging markets don’t own even one PC, they do tend to have at least one cheap TV.

Endless also created its own operating system and software that it is similar to that of a mobile operating system. The computers feature apps that include office software, games and photo editing software –- all tailored to emerging market users. Endless was also designed to work without Internet access, so there are more than 100 apps that don’t require access to the Web.

An entry-level 32-GB computer costs $169, but pricing will vary by country and the company is also fielding a more expensive 500-GB model. Each version features an Intel Celeron N2807 processor, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and ships in August. The initial markets targeted are Mexico and Guatemala, and more of Latin America will follow shortly after that, with plans for Asia, the Middle East and Africa planned for later. Its maker set a goal of raising $100,000 by May 15.

The computer holds promise for the specific markets it’s targeted at. But it remains to be seen if at least some of the targeted consumers will prefer low-cost convertible PCs such as those from One Laptop Per Child or scaled-up smartphones, especially as pricing on those products continue to decline.

 

Categories
Safety Wearables

Ayefi provides personal safety in the form of a handbag, or so it claims

Most of us rely on smartphones to do everything for us, from sending e-mails to notifying us about special calendar events. However, we’re limited to apps to provide functionality and few offer options for personal safety.

Ayefi is a wearable open-source smart computer that promotes personal safety. When a special button is pushed, it triggers a message asking for help. It will take a video of what’s going on and send the video to help. Ayefi will also display images as well.

This device is, at best, very confusing. The campaign claims it has functions for education and fashion, but never really explains what that means. It claims Ayefi has a sleek look, but judging from the photos, it doesn’t. In addition, the personal safety functions don’t seem to do much more than simply calling 9-1-1 would. The campaign is selling messenger and handbags that integrate the device, but it’s confusing as to why. The handbag will go for $100 with deliver in February.

All in all, this device is trying really hard to be something innovative and cool, but it’s functions are too confusing to get excited about. Ayefi is hoping to raise a huge $79,000 goal on Kickstarter.

Categories
Input Technology

101touch keyboard gets rid of manual typing; uses touch instead

One drawback of traditional computer keyboards is that there are a significant number of keys some users need to use on a regular basis that are not easily accessible. Another negative is the huge number of shortcuts that must be learned on a traditional keyboard for each new software program.

The new 101touch keyboard from the Czech Republic-based company of the same name addresses those issues by replacing the traditional keyboard with a completely touch-screen based solution. The keyboard allows the user to shift around keys to whatever positions they want them to be in and add frequently-used functions so that they no longer require any shortcuts to reach them. Playing a computer game will be easier with the 101touch because of the keyboard’s customizable intuitive controls that do away with the need to use a mouse to look through menus or memorize short-cuts and hidden functions. Although it was built using Android, the keyboard is compatible with any computer operating system, including MS-DOS, Windows, Linux, OS X and BIOS. New keyboard layouts can be installed quickly, the company claims, whenever the user shifts to a new program. To help parents limit the amount of time that their kids are spending on a computer, there is a time lock feature that sets how long the keyboard will be active for and when that time is up, the keyboard shuts down and cannot be reactivated without a password.

The keyboard uses an emulator that makes it possible for users to connect the 101touch to a computer and have it immediately start working, without any installation. Keys that computer users don’t use regularly have also been replaced with the most commonly-used computer functions, including open, save, save as and print.  Although the keyboard presented in photos at the Kickstarter campaign website has two screens, that is only a prototype and the final version of the device will have only one display. Backers who pledge £99 (~$154) will get the keyboard when it ships in November. The company is looking to raise £180,000 (~$279,400).

One drawback of a touch-based keyboard is that the user doesn’t get the tactile feel of a traditional keyboard each time a key is pressed, unless the 101touch’s makers can come up with a way to duplicate that experience. Gamers and other computer users who want to get some of the same benefits of the 101touch, but without the touch keyboard, will find the customizable Optimus Maximus keyboard a more appealing option.

 

Categories
Technology

Librem 15 open source laptop keeps your digital life liberated with quality parts

Ever since revelations of spying corporate and governmental have become widespread, the tech scene has become a hotbed for the privacy issue. For the most part, though, everything is business as usual. There are choices, but they either treat privacy with the same attitudes, or don’t and offer hardware that isn’t up to snuff. Hobbyists can build their own computers, but even loose components can have shady links to the companies that made them.

The Librem 15 is letting users have their cake and eat it too. Each and every single piece of hardware is specially selected to make sure it is completely devoid of any unknown code, because the company believes in respecting the fundamental right to privacy people have. The Librem 15 combines an open source approach with high-end, quality parts. The laptop runs with the best of them, sporting a 15″ 1920×1080 screen, a 720p camera, an 8 core Intel i7, 4GB of ram, 500GB of storage, 3 USB 3.0 slots, an SDXC slot, and a CD/DVD-rom drive—and it all weighs in at 4.4lbs.

Compared to products like the Novena, the Librem 15 is the pretty much the sleekest, most powerful Linux-based laptop available, and its price reflects that. But as there’s a market for high-end Apple laptops, there is sure to be one for a high-end open source laptop, too. The earliest birds can grab a base model for $1,149, while those later on can spend upwards of $1,899 for the same. Purism is looking for $250,000 in funding to have the laptop shipped by July 2015.