Nifty Archive

  • How to use the Seagate Dockstar on a LAN without Pogoplug

    How to use the Seagate Dockstar on a LAN without Pogoplug

    Posted on May 6, 2010 | No Comments
    Our readers are awesome. They are always trying to help. For instance we just got an email explaining the process needed to get the Seagate Dockstar to work on a local network without using Pogoplug. Here, let me give you the back story. I originally reviewed the Seagate Dockstar a while ago an found it to be a nifty little device hampered by the fact that you must use the online sharing service Pogoplug. It's essetually a Pogoplug dock, really. You can use the dock on your local network with any USB drive, but only if you activate local network access on Pogoplug's website. Totally lame in my opinion. It truly limits the appeal of the device. Anyway, this is where reader Matt T. comes in. He has solved my problem and came up with a solution that unlocks the dock with the help of a little text file on a connected drive.

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  • Evernote: an iPad app update that makes sense

    Evernote: an iPad app update that makes sense

    Posted on April 5, 2010 | No Comments
    I was able to avoid most of the iPad hype this weekend by first sitting through the Henry Rollins Frequent Flyer tour, and then going to my in-laws for the Christian celebration of Easter. Along the way, I got a number of emails about apps that were updated for, or simply compatible with, the iPad. Most of these app updates were underwhelming. The only one that really caught my attention, though, was Evernote. I've been using Evernote on my iPhone for quite some time, and it's quickly become an indispensable addition to my life. The new iPad version -- still free -- offers at least one nifty new iPad-specific feature.

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  • Classic arcade tribute sculpture

    Classic arcade tribute sculpture

    Posted on March 29, 2010 | No Comments
    This rather nifty electronics sculpture was created by Artist Steve D’Angelo, as a homage to the classic arcade. This is what I think all synthesizers should look like. [Make: Online]

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  • The Century USB 3.0 2.5-inch HDD enclosure lets you test USB 3.0’s water

    The Century USB 3.0 2.5-inch HDD enclosure lets you test USB 3.0’s water

    Posted on March 29, 2010 | No Comments
    USB 3.0 hard drives are little on the expensive side right now. But there’s a new option in town that will let you give the faster interface a-go with a spare hard drive. The external enclosure has USB 3.0 interface and a screw-less design. Simply insert a drive you have laying around, snap together the case, and enjoy [...]

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  • Video: Samsung explains why their Super AMOLED screen is better than your normal AMOLED screen

    Video: Samsung explains why their Super AMOLED screen is better than your normal AMOLED screen

    Posted on March 9, 2010 | No Comments
    Samsung's pretty proud of their Super AMOLED technology - and why shouldn't they be? With next to no fanfare, they managed to knock out the readability issues that plagued AMOLED handsets any time they were within view of the sun. And if vastly improved readability wasn't enough, they went and slimmed the whole thing down into a package considerably tighter than the competition's not-so-sun friendly offerings. Samsung's compiled a nifty little video showing off all the reason why their Super AMOLED displays deserve their name.

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  • Video: HP has itself a Wall of Touch

    Video: HP has itself a Wall of Touch

    Posted on January 20, 2010 | No Comments
    What to make of HP's "Wall of Touch"? The Wall Street Journal has a nifty little write-up of the technology, and comes away like it just shook hands with Brock Lesnar's doctors. "Thank you so much, doctor!" The fact is, despite the fact that you don't actually touch the Wall of Touch, the idea of touchscreen interfaces is no longer foreign and exotic. We're several years after Jeff Han's big demonstration, plus there was that iPhone thing.

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  • Sprint says webOS 1.3.5 is hitting the Pre today

    Sprint says webOS 1.3.5 is hitting the Pre today

    Posted on December 28, 2009 | No Comments
    Well, lookie here: it's not up on Palm's support site yet, but Sprint is showing a release date of December 28 -- that's today, by the way -- for webOS 1.3.5 on the Pre. This is a pretty nifty little upgrade, you might recall -- nifty enough to get none other than CEO Jon Rubinstein to name-drop it during the company's most recent earnings call -- thanks to the removal of the platform's troublesome app storage limit, better performance, better battery life (particularly in weak cell coverage), and a host of bugfixes sure to put a smile on your pretty face. Let us know how those updates go, alright?

    [Thanks, Gon Kim]

    Sprint says webOS 1.3.5 is hitting the Pre today originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 28 Dec 2009 04:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • Pedal Brain’s Gadget Turns Your iPhone Into A Powerful Cycling Computer

    Pedal Brain’s Gadget Turns Your iPhone Into A Powerful Cycling Computer

    Posted on December 27, 2009 | No Comments
    For years, runners have been able to take advantage of Nike+, a nifty accessory that lets your iPod communicate with your shoes to turn it into a personal running coach of sorts. Soon, cyclists will have access to a tool that's in the same vein as Nike+, but far more powerful. It's called Pedal Brain, and it allows your iPhone or iPod Touch to receive and interpret data from a variety of exercise devices that use the ANT+ wireless protocol. ANT+ is used by cyclists (including many professionals) to accurately measure and analyze their performance over a ride, but until now there hasn't been a way to connect these devices to your iPhone. That's where Pedal Brain comes in. The bootstrapped startup is making a small device called the Pedal Brain Synapse that plugs into your iPhone or iPod Touch and allows them to receive this data, which is then interpreted by an iPhone app. The application shows you how you're performing in real-time (you'll want to mount your iPhone in plain view) and can also use GPS to show the position of your team members.

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  • The Qualcomm FLO TV is now available if anyone cares

    The Qualcomm FLO TV is now available if anyone cares

    Posted on November 13, 2009 | No Comments
    The Qualcomm FLO TV is a nifty little device. It plays TV content on a 3.5-inch screen, which could be great for some. But you have it's $8.99 a month for the service and pay the $249.99 initial cost. And it results in yet another mobile device for you to carry even though your smartphone can playback videos.

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  • Spooky Tesla Radio in a jar

    Spooky Tesla Radio in a jar

    Posted on October 30, 2009 | No Comments
    This fun little DIY device is labeled as a "crystal radio circuit in a jam-jar." But that description doesn't even to begin to do it justice. According to Tesla, this electronic wonder allows you to hear the disembodied, ethereal voices, of the, well, ether, I guess.

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  • Interview: A conversation with Larry Halff about the relaunch of Ma.gnolia

    Interview: A conversation with Larry Halff about the relaunch of Ma.gnolia

    Posted on September 21, 2009 | No Comments
    Many of you may remember Ma.gnolia—the nifty social bookmarking tool that unfortunately imploded at the beginning of this year. Founded by Larry Halff almost 4 years ago, the site had a different aesthetic and attitude toward sharing information. It was one of the more community-minded tools I remember from that era, offering features like the [...]

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  • Make your 5G iPod nano look like a camera

    Make your 5G iPod nano look like a camera

    Posted on September 18, 2009 | No Comments
    So you’ve got one of those nifty, new iPod nanos with a camera, eh? Good for you, kind sir. But what’s that? You have camera envy? Why? Oh, it’s because of your tiny lens. Gotcha. How about you slap this $25 skins from iLuv onto your new iPod/camera. This way everyone will be districted by a [...]

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  • The TC50 Backstage Interviews: Penn Jillette of Penn & Teller

    The TC50 Backstage Interviews: Penn Jillette of Penn & Teller

    Posted on September 14, 2009 | No Comments
    Seems I’ve also been roped in by Sarah Lacy to act as gopher and occasional co-host for her backstage interviews with some of the event’s more interesting experts and pitchers. First up was Penn Jillette, fresh off stage from pitching the Penn and Teller iPhone app. The application essentially lets you text Penn & Teller after which they’ll perform some magic over the air. The way they do it is by fooling users into thinking they’re using iPhone applications to contact the magicians, but what it really uses is an overlay that mimics the iPhone interface. Nifty, ey?

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  • Samsung patents crazy pop-out keyboard

    Samsung patents crazy pop-out keyboard

    Posted on July 9, 2009 | No Comments
    “Because the keypad is arranged at both sides of the touch screen, key input can be easily performed while viewing an image displayed on the touch screen.” You see, kids, there comes a time when you’ll want to operate a touchscreen phone, but need to see the entirety of the touchscreen while you type. Nothing allows [...]

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