Thursday, November 19, 2009

iphonefolders

It’s surprising that this nifty little utility for Windows PCs (sorry, Mac users) has avoided our attention for so long, but not anymore. In case we weren’t the last ones that hadn’t heard about this, iPhone Folders by Bozhenov Artem is a great way to access the files on your iPod touch and iPhone from Windows. Because it hooks in as a Windows Explorer extension, there is no software to run once it’s installed: it just works. The iPhone or iPod touch just shows up like any other hard-drive, and the extension even includes support for displaying application icons for .app folders in thumbnail mode. It’s very slick, almost as if it was functionality that Apple forgot to ship.

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Google Chrome OS Detailed Launch

Google on Thursday will give a technical update on its Chrome OS.

The company is holding an event at its Mountain View campus. The event will be “a technical announcement,” but Google will be showing a few demos as well as detailing its launch plans for next year.

The Chrome OS is in its infancy, but there has been a lot of buzz around a potential launch. At the event, Sundar Pichai, Vice President of Product Management, and Matthew Papakipos, Engineering Director for Google Chrome OS, will be talking up reporters.

Garett Rogers has wondered if launching a bare bones preview of the Chrome OS is a concern. He noted:

The initial release of Chrome OS will likely be very bare-bones, bordering on useless — but depending on what kind of feedback they get, it may grow rapidly. The “release early and often” mantra adopted by many software companies that use agile practices can be extremely dangerous, however.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Eco plastic "Greenware"


You’ve heard of silverware and plasticware, but greenware or bioware?

That’s another story.

Green algae, the photosynthetic organism used as a biofuel, has now been put to use as sustainable bioplastic.

Sustainable plastic manufacturer Cereplast announced that it can turn algae into a sustainable bioplastic resin, to be put to use in water bottles, plasticware and other applications.

The company, which already manufactures plastic from corn, potatoes, tapioca and wheat, says algae-based plastic could replace up to 50 percent of petroleum content found in traditional plastic resin. That’s a big deal, since more than 15 billion pounds of plastic film are manufactured each year in the U.S. alone, a $12 billion industry.

The problem with all that plastic: it’s not biodegradeable and fills landfills, it relies on increasingly-depleted fossil fuels, it uses energy and increases greenhouse gas emissions. If a big company like ConAgra were to make the switch, the impact would be felt across the economy.

But algae must still be sourced. Cereplast plans to get it from companies that use algae to minimize carbon dioxide emissions from polluting smokestacks. In this case, the algae serves as a biopolymer on the opposite end of the manufacturing pipeline — instead of reducing pollution from the creation of traditional plastic, it’s helping create less-polluting plastic from the get-go.

“Based on our own efforts, as well as recent commitments by major players in the algae field, we believe that algae has the potential to become one of the most important “green” feedstocks for biofuels, as well as bioplastics,” said Frederic Scheer, founder and CEO of Cereplast, in a statement. “However, for our algae-based resins to be successful, we require the production of substantial quantities of algae feedstock.”

Cereplast’s algae-based bioplastic is still under development, but the company expects to make commercial algae bioplastic resin available by the end of next year. If a major company were to adopt the new material — which hopefully is at a cost that is competitive with traditional materials — you might find your beverages delivered in green, not clear, bottles.

[via] Pictured: Samsung’s E200Eco mobile phone, which is partially made of corn-based bioplastic.

Neat Flash Game

Here is an unsung game that we here at Computer Junkies love:
http://www.kongregate.com/games/Panasa/orb-blaster

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Microsoft's Project Natal

The rumor mill has been buzzing with a potential release date and price tag for Microsoft’s mysterious new gaming console: Project Natal. Announced at E3 this past summer, there haven’t been many definite details announced so far, but we think there is potential for natural interaction gaming systems. You won’t be able to see it on shelves until the next holiday season, but based on a report from UK games mag MCV, everyone’s pointing towards a November 2010 release date.

There’s a debate over the price, however, as several outlets (MTV, CNET, Stage Select) are reporting that it could sell for as low as $50 (sounds too good to be true, but maybe Microsoft will get desperate) whereas others (Gadget Reviet, PC World) predict it might be somewhere closer to $80. Think you might pick one of these up once they’re finally available?

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Nvidia CEO Reveals new tablet device & Love for Apple



In an interview yesterday, Nvidia CEO revealed two things: First, their sleek tablet prototype, which looks just like my wet dream Apple Tablet concept: Simple, thin, and omgIwantone. Then, he declared his enraptured love for all things Apple:

"[In my home we are] all Apple. Apple uses the best technology for their [computers]. Apple says to their customers: if you buy a computer from us you can be sure we have selected the best technology inside for you. That is their promise to consumers. Their promise to consumers isn't we've selected the best technology for you with the exception of what Intel allows us to use. That's not their promise. And that's why Apple uses the best technology where they want whenever they want. And that's why I'm all Apple! At home it's just Macs everywhere. It's Nvidia's technology in all of them but I use Macs. My son has two Macs, my daughter has a Mac, there's an extra Mac just in case and my wife has a Mac. It's just Mac, Mac, Mac! Because I know it's got the best stuff inside."

 

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