Gadzooki

5 Problems Your Computer Can Have

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Almost everyone has a computer, but not everyone is a computer technician, which can mean serious problems can jam you up without you knowing what’s going on. And the first step, when it comes to troubleshooting, is understanding that you have trouble at all, and what might be causing it. Hence the famous troubleshooting line for when something won’t turn on – “is it plugged in?”

So, what are five problems that you computer can have, so that you know where to start fixing them? Consider these five common ones, including slow processing, overheating, issues with space, trouble with updates, and mechanical failure. [Read more…]

Follow NATS’s Lead and Adopt Flash

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The UK-based air traffic control organization, National Air Traffic Services (NATS) recently announced they were making the leap to flash storage for their cloud-based infrastructure. The big idea is that by moving data to a flash-based storage array system they can increase flexibility, scalability and efficiency of operations. According to a representative over at NATS, the cloud infrastructure would improve collaboration within their organization, and reduce system failures all across the board. The thing is, they’re actually right. Not just that, but many companies are following suit. Why? Flash storage is both lightning fast and becoming increasingly affordable for both large and enterprise-level companies to adopt. [Read more…]

The Plustek OpticBook 3800 Scanner makes digitizing books easier

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The world is slowly but surely adapting to a world where physical books are being slowly replaced by ebooks. Just recently, I’ve cleaned out almost half of the books on my bookshelves (and I tell you, it’s quite extensive) because I have almost all of them in my ebook reader. Reading an actual book is still a more complete experience but with ebooks you get to free up so much space in your home, it’s more environmentally responsible and you can bring your whole library with you if you want. [Read more…]

LaCie Cloudbox makes for safe online data storage

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The Cloud is where it’s at, if we’re to believe all of the tech articles flooding the internet espousing the virtues of cloud computing and cloud storage. While it really does have its benefits – being able to access your files wherever you are in the world even when you don’t have your own computer, and the safety cloud storage brings to your data in the event your hardware suffers a catastrophic failure – it’s understandable that a lot of people still worry about the issues of security. That’s why some people still think that remotely saving sensitive information through hardware they own is the way to go. [Read more…]

A Transforming USB mouse

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The Transformers have long been a part of the childhood of many grownups who were kids during the 80s. This was the time when the original Transformers cartoons were airing on TV. Flash forward to the Oughties and The Transformers are once again very popular thanks mainly to the smash hit movie adaptions. With the new Transformers movie – Transformers: The Dark of The Moon – coming out in a few weeks, Transformers fever has again gripped geekdom. [Read more…]

Minebea Flat Cool Leaf Keyboard

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Minebea Cool Leaf Keyboard
There is something about the feel of a “normal” keyboard when you use it. The tactile experience adds a lot to the ease of use and actually feeling the keys makes me feel more grown up. 😉 Then again, it might just be that most of us are used to the good old keyboard.

For those who use tablets and touchscreen devices most of the time, the issue may be totally different. When these touchscreen devices first came out, people struggled with the lack of tactile experience. Today, we hear about people asking for/wanting a computer keyboard that does not have the “real” keys anymore.

As they say, if there is a need/demand, someone will rise up to the challenge. And this is what Japanese gadget manufacturer Minebea has done with their new Cool Leaf Keyboard. This sexy keyboard gets rid of all the clunky keys that we have in the normal keyboard and provides an experience closer to what you have with your iPad (or any other similar device).

No one can deny just how gorgeous this keyboard is, but how does it work? Just like many other touchscreen devices (although this keyboard is not exactly a “screen”), the Cool Leaf Keyboard makes use of a multi-touch capacitive touch panel. Even better is the fact Minebea took great pains to ensure that typos are limited as much as possible. Fat fingers or not, this keyboard just might help you post more credible Facebook updates and tweets (typo-wise, that is).

If the image is not enough to convince you, check out this video.

I know this gadget is a marvel in terms of technology, but you know one thing that struck me as I watched that video? This keyboard will be such a breeze to clean! No more dirt or hair stuck under the keys. It seems to me that a few swipes on a flat surface is the best thing that has happened to keyboards!

The Cool Leaf Keyboard is going to be released in mid-May in Japan. Unfortunately, the current version is only compatible with Windows and is a Japanese keyboard. In the next couple of months, versions for the US English, German, French, and Italian markets will be released, along with something that works with Macs.

Via Akihabara News

Hello??? …..Are you there???? Hellooo…..

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n71Some call them mobile phones others cellular phones or cell phones for short(geez.. four letters???!!!??), whatever you’d want to call them they’re the best solution to our never ending need for communicating along with the lust for gizmos and gadgets. Analog phones started as mere telephones without wires that worked on closed networks with batteries as large as a suitcase. When it went digital, the magic began when Nokia unknowingly included a free service programmed within their phones called SMS or texting to some. People, the ever curious creatures we are, discovered this and went on texting sprees that topped calls these technological wonders were supposed to do.texting
Today, you can even get video or browse the net on the next generation smart phones that allows you to bring all the applications you used to use on your laptop or desktop, digital music player, PDA and digital still/video camera and all in one neat package that fits in the palm of your hand. Answering the call for A wonder of materials research and microelectronics that surpasses your laptop and most other digital devices they now allow us to play podcasts, video, music, text/SMS, blog, Twitter and many other denizens of the social internet making for one neat gadget indeed that puts you within reach all the time.

Goodbye, Old Printer

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The printer we have at home is almost ten years old. It is a pretty old model, but it is still working. I do not have anything against old printers, really, but as an object ages, it becomes more prone to damages and stuff like that. I do not think our printer had ever gone through repairs, simply because it has never been badly damaged. Problems with our printer have been put to a minimum, though one problem we face about it is that it would not print colors aside from black. I am not exactly sure if the problem is with the ink cartridges that we put in the printer, but the last time we have tried printing in color was so long ago that everyone else at home had given up on trying to print colored documents.
Another problem with our printer at home is that it takes a long time to print documents, especially when you switch the printing quality to ‘Best.’ I have friends who have the latest models of printers, and boy, their printers are really quick in printing their documents. Also, the quality of the printing is also very good. Honestly speaking though, I do not think we need to replace our printer with an A3 printer anytime soon. Aside from the fact that our printer at home is mainly used for printing research papers and school readings, it still works well, so I guess I would not be saying goodbye to our beloved old printer anytime soon.

Laser Printers Can Cut Paper

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Well, you would have thought that we’ve already reached the point where we can do just about anything with the lowly computer printer, right? I mean, we have all sorts of different kinds of printers, from the ubiquitous inkjet printer found in just about every home, to the laser printer everyone in almost every office is trying to get to first to print out their reports with, but that’s all we think of when we come across printers – just a tool to print out documents and photos.

Would you believe that French researchers have found another application for printers – laser printers, specifically? Apparently, laser printers are an excellent means to cut paper. If you’ve had to print out a bunch of labels, cards and other odd-sized media and spent hours in frustration later because you’ve had to cut out the parts one by one (I’m bad with scissors though, so is it just me?), this is probably is for you.

Of course we won’t be getting printers that cut out origami for you just yet. We need paper that’s pre-printed with light-absorbing ink at the points where the cutting should occur. Imagine the possibilities for your duplex colour laser printer. Imagine all of the time saved, too.

Okay, I don’t think we can use laser printers as weapons. Tough luck for you guys planning to strap their laser printers to the nearest shark or bear and going on a rampage – it just can’t be done. You would probably have to douse your enemies with the light-absorbent ink, and I think they won’t think kindly to you pouring ink on them. I’m sorry, but I don’t think that would be feasible.

That last bit of kidding aside, I think this is a fantastic new application for printers, and I sure hope I see consumer-grade laser printer/cutters in the future.

How to Scan Better Photos

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So you have your brand-new Canon flatbed scanner, and you’re happily converting all your old photos away without a care in the world, right? Maybe you’ve noticed that your pictures aren’t exactly in the best of conditions, and it shows up on your screen. Pfft, you say. You can Photoshop out the flaws later anyway. Well, there’s an easier way so you don’t need to do some major editing on your photos later on. Follow my tips, and you are going to save yourself some time.

This will sound really weird, but if you still have the negatives of your photos around, you are better off scanning them instead. The 35mm negative has surprisingly more resolution and better dynamic range than your typical photo – even if you scanned the largest possible print out there. And imagine if you’re working with a low quality print – the flaws of the photo will just become more visible. When you’re done, just invert the colors with your favorite photo editing equipment, and there you go!

Don’t go crazy on the resolution – you probably don’t need around 1200 pixels to scan your photo. You’re most likely good enough with the standard resolution provided by the scanner. If you need to blow up the photo to a higher resolution, just divide the short side of the original size and divide by the shorter side of the output size, then multiply it by 300. You’d get the needed resolution for your photos with that formula. So if you have a 4×6 inch photo and you need that to be an 8×10, just divide 8 by 4, then multiply by 300 – you’d get 600 dpi as the resolution.

It doesn’t matter if you have a high end A3 flatbed scanner or any other mid-range consumer scanner – using these tips to scan your pictures smart will lead to a better output!