The Evolution of Cellphones

If you want to see what it was like in the past to have a cellphone, you have to check this post on the evolution of cellphones. Simply spectacular!

Here's a teaser:

Avoid that cable clutter

While wireless energy is not available to the public, we have to worry about that cable clutter spread across our office's floor.

What if there was a simple way of avoiding this annoying problem? Check this out:




Uhh, my wife is gonna love this :-)

Source: Lifehacker

Turn your old tupperware back into oil

A US company is taking plastics recycling to another level – turning them back into the oil they were made from, and gas. All that is needed, claims Global Resource Corporation (GRC), is a finely tuned microwave and a mix of materials that were made from oil can be reduced back to oil and combustible gas (and a few leftovers).

Key to GRC’s process is a machine that uses 1200 different frequencies within the microwave range, which act on specific hydrocarbon materials. As the material is zapped at the appropriate wavelength, part of the hydrocarbons that make up the plastic and rubber in the material are broken down into diesel oil and combustible gas.

It looks like those old tupperwares at home finally have a purpose :-)

Source: New Scientist

500Gb in one DVD

European researchers (in a consortium including partners from Germany, Hungary and Italy) have managed to work out how to store 500GB of data on a regular HD DVD or Blu-ray disc.

The Microholas project developed a micro-holographic recording technique, using nano-structures inside the disk rather than on the surface as in conventional optical storage systems. This allowed for an increase of the storage capacity far beyond the limits of today's red-laser DVDs and next-generation blue-laser discs.

A single-layer Blu-ray Disc can hold 25GB. A dual-layer disc holds double this amount. Single- and dual-layer HD DVDs hold 15GB and 30GB of data, respectively. The 500GB prototype has 50 data-storage layers.

Source: The Register

10 days of the iPhone: news round-up

The first 5 days of the iPhone were interesting as some oddly enough news were coming up, so I guess it's a good idea to check how the news have evolved around Apple's phone experience:

• When everybody thought that the stocks of the iPhone were going to rupture down to a sellout, Apple stocks up all the retail stores
• Driven by the hype that the multi-touch sensor caused by the first iPhone users, Apple has already applied for a multi-touch mouse patent
• iPhone: the musical
• iPhone is picky when it comes to Bluetooth device pairing
• iPhone developer geeks join on summer camp to create 50+ new apps for the iPhone: the photo session
• Most interesting rumours:
• iPhone nano
• Phoneless iPhone: the new iPod?
  

Technology can be used for the strangest things

Check out some of the most strange inventions technology can bring to you:

• Electromechanical teenager repellent - a device that makes annoying high-pitched noise designed to be audible to teenagers but not to adults, thus aiming to solve the problem of unwanted gatherings of youths and teenagers in shopping malls, around shops and anywhere else they are causing problems

• Anti-flatulence underwear - airtight underwear with a replaceable charcoal filter that removes bad-smelling gases before they escape

• Alarm clock that runs away from you - an alarm clock that runs away and hides if you don't get out of bed on time. When the alarm sounds you can snooze one time. If you still don't wake up, Clocky will jump off of the bedside table, and wheel away, mindlessly bumping into objects until he finds a spot to rest. You'll have to get up and out of bed to silence his alarm.

• Software that detects cats walking across the keyboard - When cats walk or climb on your keyboard, they can enter random commands and data, damage your files, and even crash your computer. This can happen whether you are near the computer or have suddenly been called away from it. PawSense is a software utility that helps protect your computer from cats. It quickly detects and blocks cat typing, and also helps train your cat to stay off the computer keyboard.

You can check some more here.

PS3: price going down, sales going up

By lowering the price of PS3 by just $100 (74 euros), Sony was able to increase its sales rank on Amazon by 2500%.


Maybe Steve Jobs will take this "advice" and lower the price of the iPhone by $100 too.

Source: Engadget

5 days of the iPhone

The iPhone is out for 5 days now. Maybe it's a good time to check it out what's been going on during this time:

• The one-line reviews
• The complete Engadget review
• iPhone on Europe: T-Mobile or Vodafone?
• Unlocked iPhone?
• The first flaws and bugs
• 85$ and data backup to replace the iPhone battery
  
• How much will you really pay for an iPhone? 3515$ over 2 years
• The evolution of Apple until the iPhone
• How does a smashed iPhone look like? Not so cool...
  
• Basic tips to work around with the iPhone
• iPhone special Magic Edition
  

So the hype is stronger than ever... Let's wait a few more days and see what news appear.

AllOfMP3 out, MP3Sparks in

For those of you that use the AllOfMP3.com website to get (fairly illegal) MP3 tunes, you might have noticed that it is no longer available. Whether it was the pressure of copyright companies or just a willing shutdown from the owners, we can't know for sure.

However, the shutdown didn't last long as a new website (basically a mirror of the original one), MP3Sparks.com, is now up offering the same service.

How to keep your coke cold while on the computer

I know this is something that haunts some "computeraholics", so here's the solution for all the "cold-drinks by the keyboard" fans.

The USB mini-fridge helps keeping your can drink cool right where you want it - by your computer.

So, if you're too lazy to get up and pick up your drink or if you're afraid that those untrustworthy colleagues steal your favourite drink from the office fridge, go get your 33$ (25€) usb mini-fridge.

Source: übergizmo