Apple’s iPod has been the must-have gadget for a few years now. Steve Jobs and his team keep making small changes that keep the device on the top of thousands of holiday gift lists. However, the latest tweak in the companies music player line is anything but minor.The newest iPod is no longer just a music player – it is a media machine, providing the ability to store and play thousands of video files in addition to music and photos.
Apple has made certain that owners of the video iPod will have plenty of videos to fill the thirty to sixty gigs of space by making deals with ABC and the Disney Channel to provide exclusive content to owners for as little as $1.99 per show.
Popular titles include “Desperate Housewives” and “Lost.” Purchasing the video titles is as easy as purchasing a song from iTunes – the video store is fully integrated with the popular music playing software. Apple’s new iPod is available now from apple.com.
A crank-powered laptop may sound like fiction, but it is becoming a reality.
The computer, which is being targeted at schooal children in developing countries, would cost less that $100 and could be powered by traditional rechargeable battery or a crank attached to the site that would be used to quickly charge the battery.
The proposed design of the machines calls for a 500MHz processor, 1GB of memory and an innovative dual-mode display that can be used in full-color mode, or in a black-and-white sunlight-readable mode.
The display makes the laptop both an electronic book and a laptop.
Nicholas Negroponte, the co-founder of the Media Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said of the project, “This is the most important thing I have ever done in my life. The idea is simple. It’s an education project, not a laptop project. If we can make education better–particularly primary and secondary schools–it will be a better world.”
Tech Tips of the Week:
My first tech tip can really save you some money.
Microsoft Office was once a must-have for college students, but it is no longer. A group of people from all over the world have created a viable, free alternative to the popular suite of tools. OpenOffice (openoffice.com) is compatible with the major Microsoft programs – PowerPoint, Word, and Excel. It runs on most major operating systems including Windows and Linux.
The programs of OpenOffice resemble simplified editions of Microsoft Office programs, but have as many, if not more, features. “Why is that such a great thing is free,” you ask?
The software is “open source,” meaning that anyone in the world can download the inner-workings of the application, its source-code, and edit it to their liking.
The reasons open-source software exists is twofold – first, everyone loves a good freebie.
Second, by allowing the entire software development community to work on a project like this as a whole, more errors are found, resulting in more secure software.
The open-source concept has created many successful software titles in the past, including the Linux operating system and the popular Firefox web browser, widely considered to be the final nail in the coffin to the outdated Microsoft Internet Explorer browser.
My last tip for the day… did one of the sometimes (Often?) annoying columns or editorials on the opinion page of our fine publication make you want to express your own opinion?
You can do so now by visiting hsuoracle.com.
Surf to the story that you want to comment on, and click the feedback button. It will be great to hear some feedback from you all on our work here at the Oracle.
“Tech Talk” is a weekly article discussing great websites, providing tips for using technology, and answering your tech questions.
Have a tip for me on something you’d like to see covered or a burning question about technology you’d like to have answered?
Email me at nelson.matt@gmail.com.
Appeared in the Oct. 17, 2005, issue of the Henderson State Oracle.
Filed in these categories: Apple, Technology, Gadgets, Cool Downloads, Print Columns, Sweet Deals
1 Comment
June 9, 2006 at 1:02 am
[...] Images of the $100 laptop. I first talked about this piece of hardware in this October 7th, 2005 print column. It is being targeted at kids in developing countries. Certainly a worthy project. read more | digg story [...]