Latest in Hardware Tips

A couple of weeks ago San Francisco-based Leap Motion announced a new input device called The Leap, an iPod-sized sensor that sits in front of your computer and provides a virtual 3D space that you can manipulate using your fingers. At present, developers are confidently predicting the technology will be available by the end of the year.
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Today, we are reviewing thinksound's ms01 in-ear monitors. Do they offer something that makes them stand above the rest? Or do they blend in with the pack? We'll also be giving 2 pairs of these $99 in-ear monitors away, so read through our review, make sure you like them, and join the giveaway for a chance to win a free pair!
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Pen tablets are an awesome invention. I don’t mean those tiny pads you use to sign electronic documents at the bank (although those are nice too). I mean the serious, professional models that artists use to create mind-blowing paintings and conjure Photoshop magic. We will be giving away a brand-new Wacom Intuos5 touch Small tablet to a lucky winner, so if you’d like to have a chance at winning it, just join the giveaway after the review.
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If, like me, you have a vast collection of music stored across antiquated formats, you might be wondering exactly what you can do to save space and get rid of these recordings. In the case of cassette and vinyl, it is relatively simple to record the albums with your computer, enabling you to either place [...]
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Upgrading your desktop computer is an excellent idea. You can extend the lifespan of a PC indefinitely by changing out components over time. Absolutely everything can be replaced. Computers are complex, however, and this can lead to headaches when trying to upgrade. Nothing is more frustrating than finding out that you have a compatibility issue.
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When I stumbled upon the Eton Mobius Solar Panel and Battery Case for the iPhone 4, three words crossed my mind: perpetual renewable energy. Wow, never having to charge my iPhone by plugging it in to a wall socket certainly is an enticing notion. In this review, I'll quickly run through the Eton Mobius, its strengths and weaknesses, so that you can decide whether it is something you'll want to use. Plus, we're giving away this $80 review unit to a reader. But first, let's take a look at the Mobius.
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Have you ever wanted to have those fancy picture styles from westerns and action movies for your own videos, made with a Canon DSLR? Have you actually tried to pull it off time and time again, only to fail? Well, let me tell you folks – to get these styles, you need to start with the shooting process.
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I’m aware that this might sound like the ranting of a man approaching middle age, jaded by years of iPods and MP3 players and OS updates and finding the right app to record with, but the MiniDisc really was a great format. It didn’t have all of that baggage – it was literally a “press play and enjoy” device.
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There have been numerous rumors of late concerning Apple's plans to release a smaller version of the iPad. In fact, there have been similar rumors ever since Steve Jobs first stood on stage and unveiled the original iPad. And yet Apple is still not ready to talk about this product that may or may not be in the pipeline.
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Computers seem to become slower as they age. Operating systems tend to become more resource-hungry over time, hardware ages, and the exuberance felt during the first months of laptop ownership fades. This is why some people buy new laptops frequently, but there are ways to make an older model feel new again.
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Technology ages at an alarming rate. There is always something new and shiny on the horizon, meaning that at some point the device you were once excited about getting your hands on is no longer fit for purpose. At this point everyone has to make a choice. There are a multitude of different things that can be done with old or outdated hardware.
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3D printers have been a reality for some time now, but if we're honest the majority of them are - let's say - for hobbyists. Although it's very impressive and meta to say that one RepRap printer can print off 40% of the parts for another, those parts still need a delicate hand and a good amount of geekery to produce another machine. Until now, these things have very much been out of the hands of consumers like you or me.
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Intel has just released its new line of laptop and desktop processors, but they’re not the only ones working on a new product. AMD has also been working hard to improve its laptop APUs and has now released them. These new feature both updated processor cores and an updated graphics solution, both of which are sorely needed.
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Even in the futuristic society we live in, it seems as though tech enthusiasts thrive on viewing the world through the eyes of the past. Take Instagram for instance – it simulates many older cameras right on your smartphone, right? However, consider the possibility of being able to do that for real, and instead of using a still camera, doing it with an old-fashioned movie camera. Fortunately, with the LomoKino from Lomography, you can! MakeUseOf was recently able to wrangle in this old-timey movie camera for a review. We're also giving 5 Lomokinos away -- you might want to stick around for this.
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A new study from Paragon Software suggests that most people do not properly protect the data found on old hard drives and a smaller number of people fail to backup data to a safe location. Paragon polled users of the company’s Hard Disk Manager to gain insight into their habits. About half of the respondents reported that they did not wipe data from old hard drives before discarding them or, if they did, only re-formatted the disk. Old drives that are discarded in this manner could become a privacy issue if they are recovered by another person.
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