Who remembers MiniDisc, particularly the MDM-111? This internal MiniDisc (MD) Data drive designed for OEM use, primarily intended for integration into IBM ThinkPad laptops. Sony developed MD Data to replace the 3.5-inch floppy disk (1.4 MB) and compete with other removable storage media like Iomega’s Zip drive (100 MB), Imation’s SuperDisk (120 MB), and SyQuest’s EZ 135 (135 MB).
An E-Ink smartphone like the Mudita Kompakt may not be for everyone, and the same can be said for Evertop, a portable, open-source project that emulates an IBM PC XT with an 80186 processor and 1MB RAM, capable of running 1980s operating systems like DOS, Minix, and even Windows up to version 3.0.
Despite how it looks, the Razer Pro Click V2 Vertical Edition is a new ergonomic wireless mouse touted for both productivity and gaming, with a vertical grip that’s quite different from the typical flat mouse design. It’s built to reduce wrist strain by keeping your hand in a more natural, handshake-like position, which is great for long work or play sessions.
The 20,00mAh Baseus EnerGeek GP12 145W laptop power bank can charge most of your mobile devices at maximum efficiency, and you can get one for $44.99 shipped after clipping the 35% off coupon as well as entering promotion code: 145W4499, originally $89.99. It’s sufficient to charge a smartphone 4–5 times, a tablet 1–2 times, or provide a partial charge for most laptops. Plus, it’s flight-safe, meeting TSA’s 100Wh limit. Product page.
Back in 1993, Bill Gates shared some cool ideas about the future of personal computers on the BBC’s Horizon show, as part of their exploration of the “Electronic Frontier.” The internet was brand new to most people then, with only about 130 websites in the whole world, and personal computers were still growing fast.
Prime members can get a GMKtec M7 mini PC for $346.99 shipped after clipping the on-page $23 off coupon, originally $459.99. The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850H is a high-performance mobile CPU designed for gaming, multitasking, and productivity. Product page.
Photo credit: SCMP
Forget standard hard drives, the rice grain-sized Poxiao is being touted as the world’s fastest flash memory, developed by researchers at Fudan University in China. It’s capable of erasing and rewriting data in just 400 picoseconds (one-trillionth of a second). That’s 100,000 times quicker than regular flash memory, breaking speed limits nobody thought could be beaten.
Photo credit: Craig Fritz
Sandia National Laboratories teamed up with Maxwell Labs, a startup from Minnesota, and the University of New Mexico to try a new way to keep computer chips cool using lasers. This method, called photonic cooling, wants to make cooling systems for computers—like those in big data centers—work better, using less power and water than old technologies relying on fans or water coolers.
