40Tech » Gadgets

My Daughter Ate My Stylus — So I Learned How to Make a New (and Even Better) One

Bobby Travis — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 14:08:26 +0000

My little girl is three. Three-and-a-half, to be exact — and before now, we never had to worry about her putting things in her mouth. I’m not sure what changed, really, but now we have to watch her like a hawk. And we do — but, unfortunately, it was already too late for my iPad stylus. For both of them…

The first one, she chewed on. It was pretty much a write-off. The second one, she decided it would be fun to see what the business end tasted like. Now I’m down two pens. They were the cheap kind, thank the tech gods, but that’s still about $40 down the drain! So I decided: the next stylus will be one of my own making. One that will cost me nothing to make, and that I can easily repair. And thanks to the wonders of the internet, making that happen was easy peasy.

There are several articles on the subject of the DIY touchscreen stylus. The ones that caught my eye were those talking about using a real pen. The basic touchscreen stylus isn’t exactly known for it’s ergonomic feel, so working one up from a real pen seemed like a good idea. I found a few iterations, but the basic concept can be traced back to a video on Make Magazine’s Makezine Blog. All you have to do is connect some light-gauge wire to some conductive foam — which can be found in the packaging of computer and electronic components such as microchips and CPUs — feed it through the empty body of a comfortable pen, and then wrap the wire around the outside, where your hand will come into contact with it. Trim the conductive foam tip to desired size and shape, and voila: instant iPad stylus.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The whole project can be done very quickly, and you can spruce it up a bit by drilling small holes to lock the wire inside the body of the pen, so that you don’t have to use tape. If you happen to have a pen with a metal body, even better. All you’ll need in that case is the conductive foam and you’re good to go! The wire method isn’t so bad, though. It’s not always pretty, but it works.

Here’s a (somewhat blurry) shot of my rough prototype:

I made this on a whim, entirely from things I had on hand. I was able to use the original stylus head for the conductive foam, which was nice — we caught her before she swallowed it. I also used some very light speaker wire (all I had, at the time), and the head of an old 1/4 audio jack to provide support for the tip. It fit snugly into the point of the pen, once the pen’s original head was taken off. Note that the wire is only on one side of the pen. I did that because speaker wire is ugly, and wrapping it all the way around would have been a total atrocity, potentially involving metal splinters. The way I hold a pen would have me almost always in contact with it, anyway, and the next round will be prettier.

Looks notwithstanding, due to the ergonomic grip of the pen, I’ve already found that the DIY iPad stylus is much more accurate than those that are up for sale. I’ll never go back.

Looking for a fun, easy project? Make your own stylus! Then tell us all about it. Post pictures, even!

Collin’s Lab: DIY iPAd Stylus [Make]

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Happy New Year — and Some Sweet Star Wars Awesome!

Bobby Travis — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 16:54:29 +0000

Bye bye 2011. We hope everyone had a great and safe night last night, and we wish you all a fantastic and prosperous 2012 — filled with happiness, good times, and 366 (Leap Year) days of awesome geekery.

To start you off, look below for some sweet geekiness. They’re not tech… but they’re definitely tech-inspired and will get you close to your nerdy heart!

Star Wars Cookie Cutters, Sandwich Cutters, and Pancake Molds from Williams-Sonoma!

They’ve got some Spider-man comic book and Marvel super hero cookie cutters, too!

Have a super-geeky 2012 everybody!

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What is On Your Holiday Gift List? Here Are Some Ideas

Evan Kline — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 02:00:00 +0000

‘Tis the season for giving, but also receiving. If you’re like me, then the holidays are always a time for getting a new gadget or two. With that in mind, what tech goodness do you have on your wish list? Any games, gadgets, or other geekiness? To give you some ideas, here is what I have on my list, in no particular order.

I certainly hope that my family doesn’t go crazy and buy all of this stuff. I’d feel bad if they did, because much of it isn’t cheap. When asked, I like to give a list with a variety of items, though, so that I’m surprised on Christmas. Of course, my wife is usually good for a surprise or two that she thinks up on her own.

1. Apple TV

We have one television where we haven’t succumbed to Comcast and installed an HD DVR. With a new baby in the family, though, my wife spends much more time in that room. With an Apple TV, we could stream content to that television from my iMac.

2. Vulkano Blast

My SlingBox started constantly dropping the signal it transmits, and I’ve since learned that my model has an internal component that frequently goes bad and causes that problem. As a result, I didn’t want to rush out and buy another Sling device. I still wanted the ability to watch my home television when I was not in front of the TV, though. The Vulkano devices are Sling competitors, with a few extras, such as the ability to act as a DVR. The Blast is out of stock, though, and I don’t think that it is available anywhere.

3. Apple 45W Power Adapter for MacBook Air

Working on my Air is so much more efficient for me than using a Windows machine, that I tote it between home and the office. I’m constantly having to reach behind my desk, though, to plug in my adapter, and then unplug it at the end of the day. A second adapter would allow me to leave one at the office.

4. Cables To Go 30504 USB 2.0 to IDE or Serial ATA Drive Adapter

One of my long term projects is to go pull the hard drives out of my old computers, to save them for posterity’s sake, and then discard the old machines. I have a Thermaltake BlacX eSATA USB Docking Station to read most of the drives, but it only works with SATA drives. I have a few older IDE drives, so this adapter would allow me to recover those.

5. Canon Vixia HV30 Camcorder Battery Charger

This charger seems handier than my current charger, which requires me to have my camcorder plugged in to charge the battery. That means that I can’t use the camcorder and charge the battery at the same time. This would solve that problem.

6. iTunes gift card

I’d put this towards apps in the Mac App Store, rather than towards music.

7. Razer Scarab Expert Hard Gaming Mouse Mat

Trying to fight a dragon in Skyrim is a challenge enough, without running out of room on my mousepad as I spin every which way. A large gaming mousepad, such as the Razer Scarab Expert Hard Gaming Mouse Mat, seems like it might solve that problem.

8. Western Digital WD Elements 2 TB USB 2.0 Desktop External Hard Drive

I have two internal drives in my iMac – a 256 GB SDD drive, and a 1 GB SATA drive. I’m only backing up to a 500 GB drive, though, so at some point I’ll run out of room if I don’t upgrade.

9. A shredder

My current shredder is on its last legs, and can only handle a couple of sheets at a time. Time for an upgrade.

10. Elgato EyeTV HD

I would use this in conjunction with the AppleTV, to record shows to my iMac, and stream them to the television.

There you have my list. What about yours?

Please note that the above Amazon links are Amazon affiliate links. These are items I’ve researched, and want for myself. If you buy through one of the links, we’ll get a small amount of the sale.

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LapGuard Protects Your Tender Parts From Harmful Heat And WiFi Radiation

Bobby Travis — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 08:31:49 +0000

Contrary to the current arc of techno-loving crazy flying about the internet, the laptop is not dead, and tablets — though awesome — have not yet taken over the world. In fact, millions of people are using laptops right now. They’ve got them sitting on (surprise!) their laps, whirring away, blasting their tender parts with heat and WiFi radiation. Apparently, recent reports are saying that’s a bad thing; that it can mess with your baby-having potential. Having just had another cute little baby, I can’t really speak to that — but I have been following reports that WiFi radiation can be harmful, and it’s well-documented that heat is no friend to the business of making tiny humans.

Whether you believe in the dangers of WiFi radiation or not, I think we can all agree that comfort is a good thing. That’s one of the reasons the lap-desk was invented, and — heat and WiFi blocking powers notwithstanding — Digital Innovations’ LapGuard is one of the best I’ve come across.

In the interests of full disclosure, this is the part where I tell you that Digital Innovations sent me two LapGuards (a regular and a Portable one), with a request that I take a look at them and give a fair and honest review. We did the same thing a while back, when we looked at their SkipDr disc repair and cleaning kits. As then, the contents of this review are unbiased and contain only my real, ever-so-honest opinions.

Functionality

The LapGuard scores well on three fronts: it’s comfortable, it’s quiet, and it’s pretty. It also has some nice features. For example, the Portable LapGuard has a nice spot underneath to wrap up and lock away the USB power cable. This makes storing and packing the thing around much less annoying. The regular LapGuard, which is a bit bigger, also handles the USB cable well — but it’s power cable is retractable. To make things more fun, the regular LapGuard also has a handy fan-speed control dial for the dual fans that can help you conserve battery power while still keeping things chill.

I’m not entirely sure why the Portable LapGuard doesn’t allow for variable fan-speed. It should be possible, considering that the only real difference between it and the regular LapGuard is that the regular one has an additional block of padding at the top that allows for some angled ergonomic comfort while working. Ergonomic comfort doesn’t slide into a backpack very well, though, hence the need for the Portable design.

The fans on both models are, as I said, pretty quiet, and I found that they did a good job of pushing the heat away from me, and keeping my Toshiba cool. And that’s saying something — anyone who has a Toshiba laptop knows that heat can be a problem.

WiFi Radiation Shielding

To be perfectly honest, the WiFi radiation shielding seems a bit gimmicky to me. Sure, sure, Digital Innovations is applying patent-pending technology here – but I have no way of testing to see if it works, and depending on what you read and who you talk to, it’s not even proven that WiFi radiation is a problem. However, if it is an issue, I admit I’d rather err on the side of caution — and if it isn’t… well, the things look pretty and currently only cost $29.99 (Portable) and $37.49, respectively. I’ve been using the LapGuards pretty heavily the past few weeks and I’m more than comfortable with those prices just for the basic use and the look of them. Unfortunately, though, those are just sale prices. The LapGuard is regularly $49.99 and $39.99 (Portable). My cheapness (and my wife) might have trouble reconciling the purchase at the regular prices.

To Sum Up

Pros

Retractable (or otherwise hidden) USB power cables
Comfortable
Variable fan-speed (regular model)
Pretty

Cons

No way to be sure if the WiFi radiation blocking is working or even necessary
No variable fan-speed on the Portable LapGuard

Would I buy it?

Yes — for myself or as a gift. Only at the sale price, though.

What’s your favourite lap-desk?

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A Rundown on the Top ‘Colorful’ E-readers in the Market

Guest Poster — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 02:56:22 +0000

Editor’s note: Today, 40Tech is pleased to present you with a guest post from Annabelle of Godot Media.

Pink seems to be the color on everyone’s minds, with men and women alike choosing fancy and cheap pink e-readers over the usual white, black or silver colored e-readers. Besides features and functionality, aesthetics is an important consideration for buyers of laptops, e-readers and other computing devices. Though not many brands have color options when it comes to e-book readers, there are a few manufacturers like Sony, Bookeen, Cool-er etcetera who do offer cheap e-readers in many colors including pink. For those who want to check reviews and compare deals on ‘pink readers’, here is some information on the different brands that have pink e-readers for sale.

Sony E-readers

Among the most popular electronic book reader brands, Sony has pink e-readers that are slim, light-weight and small enough to fit into your pocket easily. Available in rose-pink and silver color, this e-book reader has an easy to use touch-screen, a glare-free screen that enables hours of stress free reading, 12 built-in dictionaries, abundant memory space and long battery life that can keep you reading for almost 2 weeks with a single charge.

Bookeen E-readers

You can buy cheap pink e-readers from Bookeen, which is a less known French company offering eBook readers to users around the world. The e-readers offered by this company are available in seven different colors, including pink, black and white. Compatible with Linux operating system, Bookeen e-readers are available in grayscale, with a 5” screen that also enables daylight reading, a USB drive, G-sensor motion detector and a battery that can run for almost 2 weeks after charging it.

Cool-er

Cool-er is the brand name for an eBook reader by the UK based company called Interead. Marketed as the iPod of the E-reader world, this small, light-weighted pink e-reader is available in eight different shades including hot pink and cool pink. The cool-er is compatible with windows and MAC operating systems, can store up to 4000 eBooks with expandable memory, and supports many formats of electronic books including FB2 and RTF. The added benefit of a cool-er is that you can share e-books with up to five people for free.

Kobo E-readers

The Canadian based manufacturer Kobo Inc., may not have an exact pink e-reader computer but offers a closer shade of pink – the porcelain or pearlized lilac. Available only with grayscale display, this e-reader has Wi-Fi connectivity, expandable memory, long battery life and a built-in dictionary.

Other brands

Besides buying cheap pink e-readers from the above mentioned brands, the cheapest way to get a pink e-reader is by converting your existing black, white or silver colored e-reader to pink with the help of e-reader accessories. For the Amazon Kindle that is available mostly in black or graphite white, you can find silicon and leather cases in various shades of pink, while Barnes and Noble offers a ‘grapefruit pink’ silicon frame to make its ‘Nook’ even more attractive.

Although the original pink e-reader brands are a bit highly priced in comparison to the white or black models, you can get the best prices on pink e-readers from the many exciting deals and offers that are available in the market.

Author bio: Annabelle is a senior technology writer with content writing service firm Godot Media (Twitter Godot Media). She has interests ranging from latest gadgets to following web technologies and trends. She has also ghost written several eBooks as a part of the eBook writing service team at Godot Media.

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Nexus S and Android in Space

Bobby Travis — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 08:40:52 +0000

Back in October, I wrote a short post about a father-son DIY project that sent an iPhone into the upper stratosphere. In December, the geeks at Google did the same thing, but with more of a mind toward data (and cool picture) collecting. Well, NASA one-upped them all by taking not one, but two Android Nexus S smartphones into orbit with the final space shuttle mission. They weren’t used to phone home or anything quite so cliché (but cool!) — nope, these little robot-bearing phones were actually used to control other, more sophisticated robots: SPHERE satellites.

SPHERES (Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, Reorient, Experimental Satellites) are small, “volleyball-sized” robots that are used to capture video footage and record sensor data. Normally, the astronauts do this manually, but with the satellites and their fancy Android-powered phone-brains, these things can be controlled from the ground — via WiFi.

According to the Google blog, NASA decided that Android was perfect for them due to its configurable open source nature, as well as the handy app that some Google engineers built for logging sensor data (you can download the app yourself from the Android Market). Apparently, the multiple sensors and low-powered/high performance processor of the Nexus S was also a selling point.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Google’s been making a lot of big moves this past year, what with Plus, the redesign, the Chromebook, Chrome Web Store, and the purchase of a major cell-phone company (Motorola Mobility). Why shouldn’t they get some representation in space too? It only makes sense. And it’s only a matter of time until either Google or Apple carve their logo into the face of the moon for all to see. Am I right or am I right?

Android in Spaaaace Part 2 [Google Blog]

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Eyeborg: So This Guy Replaces His Eye With a Wireless Web Cam… [Random Tech Video]

Bobby Travis — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 04:01:10 +0000

It may sound like a joke — but it’s not. If you’ve been poking about on YouTube or TechCrunch today, you may have already seen this: an interview (and partial commercial for the new Deus Ex) with Rob Spence, a man who has successfully created a prosthetic eye for himself that is actually an endoscope turned wireless video camera. It doesn’t plug into his brain or anything (we’re a while away from that yet), only outputting to a handheld LCD receiver/viewer, but hey — that’s still good enough for a decent bit of spy-tech, right? At the very least, it makes for a good “neeeeeeat” or “oh-ye-gods-that’s-gross” story.

Check out the video, below. Yep, video — and you do get to see him install and remove the eye, so if you’re squeamish… well, you’ve been warned.

Click here to view the embedded video.

So who wants one?

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The Top Ten Electronics For the Car

Guest Poster — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 07:59:55 +0000

40Tech is pleased to present a guest post from Patricia.

There is a near infinite amount of electronic gadgets available for cars. Some are wacky and unnecessary, and some are truly innovative and useful. Here are ten electronic gadgets that will make life easier for any driver.

10. Interlock breathalyzer

For those who worry about drunk drivers, this device is a true lifesaver. It prevents a car from being turned on until the breathalyzer registers that the driver is not drunk.

9. Portable electronic air compressor

It’s a good idea to keep one of these in the trunk in case of a flat. They plug into the cigarette lighter and can save the day and allow you to make it to help in an emergency.

8. Engine light code reader

That nasty engine light can mean something serious or simply that the gas cap is loose. Rather than taking the car to a mechanic and paying big bucks to find out, check why the light is on yourself with one of these handy gadgets.

7. Radar detector

Not just for maniacal speeders, they help safe drivers avoid unfair speed traps in which speed limits drop abruptly with no warning signs. They are also a great help for those drivers who tend to lose track of how fast they are going.

6. Side mirror blinkers

These blinkers are a lifesaver for the driver that is changing lanes without noticing another vehicle in his blind spot. It allows other drivers to see the blinker without actually having to be behind the car.

5. Back-up camera

These not only help with avoiding other cars, they are great for detecting small children, animals, or other objects that the rear view mirror is not in a position to show.

4. In-car DVD player

For long trips, these are a great way to keep both kids and adults entertained. They also help keep parents focused on driving instead of dealing with tired and cranky kids.

3. A Hands-Free Kit

A kit that allows cell phone use without physically answering the phone is not only a convenience, but an important safety consideration. It allows the driver to keep hands on the wheel and eyes on the road.

2. GPS

Even though many phones and computers now have GPS in them, having a unit in the car is much more convenient. They prevent the headache and frustration of getting lost and are vital when driving in unfamiliar areas.

1. Car alarm

Nothing is so vital to a car as that which keeps it your possession. While most cars these days have electronic locks, there is still no substitute for a true car alarm. If your car is often parked in a crime-ridden area, a car alarm is essential.

Bio: Patricia knows nearly everything regarding vehicles. She assists people on the site CashforTrucks.com, rated as the number one car buying company.

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IBM Creates Brain-like Computer Chips That Learn and Remember

Bobby Travis — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 05:17:55 +0000

Remember IBM? They may not be the premier computer manufacturer they once were, but the world’s oldest computer company is still skating on the cutting edge of technology. Their latest achievement? Two DARPA SyNAPSE (Systems of Neuromorphic Adaptive Plastic Scalable Electronics) funded prototype chips that can learn and remember in a way that “begins to rival the brain’s function, power, and speed.”

Can you say Skynet?

Ok, so we’re nowhere near AI-driven world takeover, but thinking computer chips that require very little in the way of size or power to operate is definitely a step in the bright direction. What these chips really represent is a shift in the way computers process information. They move away from the traditional Von Neumann architecture that relies on processing and memory to work separate to each other. Both chips have 256 neurons, with one chip containing the programmable synapses, and the other, learning synapses that can “remember and learn from their own actions.”

IBM’s end goal is to create a shoebox-sized chip/brain that has some 10 billion neurons and 100 trillion synapses that runs on 1 kilowatt-hour of power (the human brain has 150 trillion synapses and needs about 20 watts). Eventually, they are looking to create cognitive computers that can take detailed input from multiple sources at the same time, process it and make a decision based on its own experiences as well as its programming. IBM has just finished phases 0 and 1 of the project and have already been experimenting with machine vision, associative memory, patterns recognition, navigation, and more.

Like I said, don’t take a hammer to your computer and networked devices just yet — the fun’s only just beginning. These brain chips could herald a whole new age of computing.

Thoughts?

New Computer Chip Modeled on a Living Brain Can Learn and Remember [Popsci]

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Credit Card Sized Tech Tells You if You Have HIV in 15 Minutes, for $1

Bobby Travis — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 06:08:45 +0000

This is one time when downscaling technology isn’t a cliché. None of that “cell phone implanted in your tooth” malarkey– the mChip is serious business. Serious, potentially game (and life) changing business.

Once upon a time, getting tested for HIV involved a trip to the doctor, a bit of blood-letting, and a rather tense wait. It was months, at first, then weeks, then days, and eventually it worked its way down to minutes. That’s all fine and dandy if you live in a developed country, but if you happen to live in Africa, where HIV is running rampant, then visiting your local doctor’s office could involve something of a trek. A trek you may not be able to afford or, due to fear of results, lack of time, or whatever other reason, may not be inclined to make.

Researchers at Columbia University have found a way to help.

Using nanoparticles and microfluidics, they have taken an entire laboratory and miniaturized it in the mChip. All it takes is a drop of blood and a cheap optical sensor and the chip gives results in 15 minutes that are plain as day and require no interpretation. It can test for HIV and/or syphilis and has a 100% detection rate. There is a 4-6% chance of a false positive, as well, but that is the same margin in a traditional lab test. A false positive may be scary, but it beats the hell out of a false negative.

The best part about the mChip is the price. It only costs $1, which is amazing for a new piece of technology meant to help people. Or maybe I’m just a wee bit cynical… Either way, the price is fantastic.

The mChip also has the potential to be instantly actionable. If the user has a digital medical file, the mChip can reportedly use cellphone or satellite technology to interface with medical files and include the new record.

This is a fantastic step forward in the fight against HIV in undeveloped countries, but it’s possible technology like this will find its way into your local Wal-Mart pharmacy at some point. It would only make sense, wouldn’t it? And dating could get just a bit safer — if a bit awkward: “Just put a drop of your blood here, please. If all goes well, we can get started in about 15 minutes.”

Side Note: There is also an mChip that diagnoses prostate cancer that has been approved for use in Europe.

What are your thoughts on the mChip?

(via engadget, DVICE, FastCompany, Nature Medicine)