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      Popular Motion Technology “Leap” Reaches Deal With HP

      September 19, 2013 /

      Back in May of last year (essentially prehistoric times in technology talk) I wrote about the Leap Motion, a movement based control system for PCs that was rapidly gaining popularity in tech circles thanks to some impressive demos that had people wondering if it may just be the first viable motion based system. Fast forward to the present day, and the Leap continues to gain popularity for its non-invasive and highly functional design that not only amazes with its abilities, but its practicality as well.

      HP seems to feel the same, as they’ve recently unveiled a new model of their Envy laptop line that will come with the Leap Motion installed, a first in the computer industry.

      While most of the Leap’s functions are still focused on simple navigation tricks that are especially handy for the Windows 8 OS the Envy will sport, you’ll also get several specifically designed programs for the device pre-installed, such as a 3D modeler and five Leap based games when you purchase the $1,050 laptop.

      Of course, as with many motion devices, the idea of buying a Leap or this Envy is the idea that you are buying into a future where several thousand programs and applications exist either specifically for the Leap, or with available support for it. While the impressive amount of currently available apps suggests that is not a future without hope, its still technology that is far from standard.

      As such this Envy may be an early adopter’s buy, but it looks to be a pretty damn nice one. So while the Envy’s overall specs will probably be a better indicator as to the validity of the machine as an overall purchase for the average consumer, as Kinect owners will tell you, even when motion controls don’t always exhibit their full potential, they tend to still remain impressively entertaining.

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      New Walkman Model Aims to be the Only Headphones You’ll Ever Need

      September 12, 2013 /

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      The new trend in headphones seems to be turning them into all in one devices, and while it is a trend that is still developing and maturing, don’t tell that to Sony who’ve now unveiled a pair of headphones that just about maxes out the concept.

      The newly unveiled Walkman WH series features a built in music player with 16 GB of storage (or 4 GB  for the lesser end WH303 model) and 20 hours of play through a fully charged battery. Furthering their independent music abilities, are the playback buttons on the side of the earphones that provide your basic track controls. A USB port for uploading music, as well as a traditional audio jack, round out the wearable headphone features.

      The other big feature available for this model is the ability to turn use the speakers built into the headband. The idea of headphones that can be converted to speakers has been tried before with varying degrees of acceptance and success, but the use of Sony’s Xloud technology is an encouraging sign that this design may be the one to break the mold and provide an all in one alternative worth pursuing.

      That’s going to be the general goal for this new model, as they aim to challenge the image of headphones just being headphones. While the unknown price of these models will be the largest determining factor in their validity, if Sony can make them work in three equally high quality ways you can expect these to draw some kind of consumer interest, and certainly a lot of industry attention, when they release.

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      Apple Makes the iPhone 5 Irrelevant Too Soon With the New iPhone Unveilings

      September 10, 2013 /

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      Remember that old “Animaniacs” segment ‘Good Idea/Bad Idea’ where the narrator would show a similarly themed idea and the good idea and bad idea versions of it? Let’s play that with Apple’s newest iPhone announcement.

      Good idea; the iPhone 5S.

      The 5S looks to be the most powerful smartphone ever, and everything about it (including the gimmicky, but soon to be standard, fingerprint scanner) fits perfectly in line with the Apple model of releasing a new model that isn’t quite ready to be distinguished as the next build (i.e. the iPhone 6), but represents a nice leap forward when compared to what came before.

      Bad idea; the insulting, low down, no good, dirty rotten, laughably greedy idea now known as the iPhone 5C.

      You know how Apple usually lowers the price of a previous model of iPhone when the new one comes out? Yeah, well this time they’ve decided to release a “new” and cheaper version of the iPhone 5 called the iPhoneC instead. Though there are some minor differences between the iPhone 5 and the 5C, the biggest ones would have to be the extremely low price point ($99, no contract required), the all plastic body, and the shiny, shiny, colors it is available in.

      By itself it wouldn’t be such a bad idea (essentially a really cheap iPhone 5), but what makes its unveiling such a slap in the face is that Apple has also made the decision that they will discontinue the iPhone 5 starting immediately. That means that everyone holding an iPhone 5 right now is essentially dead to Apple, as they are clearly expecting all of their customers who want to retain basic service and be able to purchase accessories to either drop a fresh ton of cash on the 5S, or to purchase the near identical 5C model for an unnecessary $99 fee.

      This is simply inexcusable, especially considering that a 64 GB model of the iPhone 5C is not even available like it is for the iPhone 5. While Apple could have released the 5C as a cheaper alternative, they’ve instead chosen to enhance their nefarious image as the absolute greediest company in the tech world, by turning their most loyal (and recent) customers into nothing but suckers who will accept a financial reaming from a major corporation so long as the offending apparatus is in shiny new colors.

      In a way I feel bad for iPhone 5 owners, as they are between a rock and a hard place when it comes to the new releases given the discontinuation announcement. On the other hand, anyone that submits to this billion dollar cash ploy and continues to give their financial and spiritual support to Apple, deserves to receive the sub-human consumer treatment that Apple has started to package along with every iPhone sold.

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      The CURB Offers a Minimalist Solution for Laptop Overheating

      September 7, 2013 /

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      As someone who often works on their laptop away from a desk, let me tell you that it doesn’t take long for the bottom of even a modern well-built one to get hotter than the fires of a thousand suns, and actually make you feel physically uncomfortable for some time after you use one. While there have always been cooling pads available, they can often get in the way, and sometimes feature breakdowns of their own.

      A website known as Designed by M, known for their minimalist and innovative solutions to common tech problems, may have one for the overheating issue as well, with a little stand called the CURB, which lets you prop up your laptop and allow the internally designed fans of many models to function as they should.

      It may not sound like much, but that’s actually kind of the point, as the CURB addresses the main issue with overheating (the lack of circulation) in the simplest way possible, while actually propping your computer in a more accessible position. The makers of the CURB perfected it until it was comfortable to use in any position, and made additions that include a couple of different angles it can work at, as well as a hole in the design that lets you run a cord through the middle and prevent it from getting in your way.

      Available for pre-order at $12.99, this sounds like an ideal fix for laptop users who can’t take the heat, but it does remain to be seen just how effective and comfortable the CURB is when in use. Seeing as how this is the product of some serious development time, and working as described would be very welcome, even if you feel like holding off until some first impressions surface, keep the CURB in mind for its October release date.

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      New Jersey Will Soon Play Host to One of the Largest Theme Park Rides Ever

      September 7, 2013 /

      While the previous best reasons to visit New Jersey included hiding a body, and hiding two bodies, a new potential attraction to the garden state looks to emerge in 2014, and goes by the name of the Zumanjaro Drop of Doom.

      The Zumanjaro (as it’d probably like to be called) aims to be the world’s tallest drop roller coaster ride, as it rises up to over 400 feet in the air, and plummets the unfortunate strapped in souls who brave it back to the ground at speeds exceeding 80 miles per hour.

      As if that wasn’t terrifying enough, the ride will actually be installed as an extension of sorts to another of Six Flags Great Adventures most horrifying attractions, the Kingda Ka roller coaster. The Zumanjaro will rise to the top of the Ka’s tallest point, meaning that right before you speed towards the ground, you can actually enjoy the thrill of having other riders zoom over your head at over 120 MPH.

      The more I hear about this ride, the more it reminds me of some terrifying contraption I tried to build in “Roller Coaster Tycoon.” Only there, my virtual visitors all told me it was too scary to ride, and so it sat there unused until I took it on a test run one day, and it flew off the tracks and down to the ground where it killed the, rightfully, cautious guests below.

      Of course, if that happens with the Zumanjaro, the good news is you’re already in Jersey so….

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