Geek

Alice in Wonderland keycaps

UnAlice is a set of DSA, dye-sublimated keycaps inspired by Alice in Wonderland. The spindly Victorian type is complemented nicely by illustrated function and meta keys featuring the White Rabbit, the Hookah-Smoking Caterpillar, and other usual suspects. Unlock the door into the fantastical world of talking rabbits, mad hatters, and smiling cats. — Read the rest
Tags: Gadgets, Post, News, Alice, Caterpillar, DSA, Mechanical Keyboards, Keycaps

Popl tops $2.7M in sales for its technology that replaces business cards

If you’re spent any time on TikTok lately, then you’ve probably seen a number of Popl’s ads. The startup has been successfully leveraging social media to get its modern-day business card alternative in front a wider audience. Packaged as either a phone sticker, keychain or wristband, Popl uses NFC technology to make sharing contact information as easy as using Apple Pay. To date, Popl has sold somewhere over 700,000 units and has generated $2.7 million in sales for its digital business card tech...
Tags: Startups, TC, Gadgets, Facebook, Apps, Y Combinator, Instagram, Social Media, Linkedin, Tech, Software, Nfc, Salesforce, Social Network, HubSpot, Ucla

Colorful M1 iMacs and M1 iPad Pro announced

Apple today announced a redesigned range of inch-thick iMacs based upon its own M1 processors, offered in a range of bright colors (with matching TouchID keyboards, mice and trackpads) and sporting a 24", 4.5K retina display. Execs promised an 85% improvement on the last Intel-based iMacs' CPU performance, 2x faster graphics—games and video editing figured strongly in the presentation—and 3x machine learning performance. — Read the rest
Tags: Post, Apple, Gadgets, Imacs

Yes, bring back netbooks

The netbook reminiscing of late had me checking out what's offered in the world of small but typeable laptops, and I'm sad to say that there's not a lot to pick from. Most of the easily available options are either too large (like the 11" Asus L210 or various 11.6" chromebooks available on Amazon), too small (like the 7" GPD Pocket), too expensive (like the otherwise bill-fitting 10" One Mix 4 or 9" GPD Max), or blatant parts-bucket junk like the Goldengulf 10" Android Laptop. — Read the rest
Tags: Post, Computers, Gadgets, Netbooks

Old Thinkpad upgraded with Pixel Qi display for typing in the sun

Lenovo's Thinkpad X230 came out in 2012, putting it just a few months shy of vintage in the fast-moving world of tech, where any random guy's definition of vintage can prevail for the course of a single posting. Here's an X230 upgraded with a transflective Pixel Qi display, completely legible in full sunlight. — Read the rest
Tags: Gadgets, Video, News, Hacks, Lenovo, Laptops, Pixel Qi

A tiny spy-gadget audio recorder that isn't junk

It's nice to see Sony still making weirdly specific high-end gadgets such as the TX800 [Sony.com; Amazon has it in white], even if $240 is a lot of sticker shock for a voice recorder. It's tiny, about 4cm-square, and comes with a corresponding remote control. — Read the rest
Tags: Amazon, Gadgets, Post, News, Sony, Spy Gadgets, Field Recorders

Retrospective of netbooks, the tiny low-end laptops that lit up the late 2000s

Nilay Patel remembers the netbook, the small (9-11") power-sipping (Intel Atom) and cheap (sub-$500) devices that suddenly exploded in the late 2000s, only to vanish into the fog of tablets, ultrabooks and chromebooks. Within a few years, he figures, there were some 40 models of the popular but decidedly low-end Asus EeePC. — Read the rest
Tags: Gadgets, Post, News, History, Intel Atom, Nilay Patel, Netbooks

Collection of Macintosh death chimes

Stephen Hackett collects and presents the Chimes of Death, the intriguing melodies that used to herald the doom of a Mac. My favorite is the Macintosh LC's unsettling chiptune dance over the sharps. By the mid 1990s, it was all silly and infuriating car crash noises and such. — Read the rest
Tags: Gadgets, Post, News, History, Computers, Macs, Stephen Hackett

Watch Apple’s Spring Loaded event light right here

Today, Apple is holding a (virtual) keynote at 10 AM PT (1 PM in New York, 6 PM in London, 7 PM in Paris). And you’ll be able to watch the event right here as the company is streaming it live. Rumor has it that Apple plans to unveil a brand new iPad Pro. In particular, Apple’s tablet could get a big display update as the company could switch to mini-LED displays. You can expect some better specifications as well. But that’s not all, we expect to see a refreshed iPad mini. Apple could also b...
Tags: Apps, Gadgets, Mobile, Apple, Apple Event, Apple Keynote, Apple Spring Hardware Event, Apple Spring Hardware Event 2021

Apple brings Touch ID to the Magic Keyboard

Apple has unveiled a new, colorful iMac today with an Apple-designed M1 chip. But that was just part of the story as the company used that opportunity to release new Mac accessories. In addition to a Magic Trackpad and a Magic Mouse with multiple color options, Apple is bringing Touch ID to desktop Macs with a new Magic Keyboard. Touch ID on desktop works as expected. There’s a fingerprint sensor located at the top right of the keyboard. It replaces the ‘Eject’ key that you can find on existing ...
Tags: Gadgets, Apple, Apple Spring Hardware Event 2021, Magic Keyboard, Touch ID

Deep Science: Introspective, detail-oriented and disaster-chasing AIs

Research papers come out far too frequently for anyone to read them all. That’s especially true in the field of machine learning, which now affects (and produces papers in) practically every industry and company. This column aims to collect some of the most relevant recent discoveries and papers — particularly in, but not limited to, artificial intelligence — and explain why they matter. It takes an emotionally mature AI to admit its own mistakes, and that’s exactly what this project from the Te...
Tags: Artificial Intelligence, Gadgets, Robotics, Science, TC, Deep Science, EC Column, EC Enterprise Applications, EC Robotics

Amazon Echo Dot (4th gen) review: Alexa’s new small budget ball

Smart speaker ditches puck shape but keeps solid sound and function with or without LED clock displayAmazon’s fourth-generation Echo Dot has evolved from its predecessors’ puck-like appearance into a small ball, shaking up the idea of what a small smart speaker can look like.The new Echo Dot is priced the same as the last one, costing from £50, although it will be frequently available at a discount at various retailers, and looks like the full-sized £80 Echo hit with a shrink ray. Continue readi...
Tags: Amazon, Gadgets, Technology, Alexa, Amazon Alexa, Smart Speakers

Galaxy S21+ review: the big-screen Samsung phone for slightly less

Top chips, good camera and four-year support make for a lot of phone if bought at a discountThe Galaxy S21+ is Samsung’s cheaper flagship handset that tries to be a more mainstream big-screen option than its more expensive stablemate, the S21 Ultra.The new Android phone has an RRP of £949 – making it £200 cheaper than the top-of-the-line S21 Ultra – but shop around and you’ll find it for less than £750, which makes it much more palatable. Continue reading...
Tags: Android, Gadgets, Technology, Samsung, Smartphones, Mobile Phones