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Dell XPS 700 Reviewed

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Aesthetically, the Dell XPS 700 is an industrial work of art — featuring (possible configuration) an Intel Pentium Extreme Edition Dual-Core 965 processor, 4GB Dual-Channel DDR2 SDRAM, 1.5TB multiple SATA HDDs, dual 512MB nVidia GeForce 7900 GTX graphics modules in SLI, and AGEIA’s PhysX physics accelerator. Product page here. Here’s the bottom line:

No doubt that the Dell XPS 700, is a very fine looking PC – easily the most impressive looking off-the-shelf PC I’ve ever seen, but the issues with it mean that we were a lot less enthusiastic about it at the end of the review than we were at the beginning

[via TrustedReviews]

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USB Battery Charger

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Finally, a useful USB accessory. The USBCELL will charge up NiMH batteries in just 5 hours and plugs into any standard USB port. Product page here.

These USB batteries work just like regular ones, except when they run out of power, you can just pop off the lid and recharge them via USB port. Now if we could add that new technology for making batteries last 100 times longer than today’s models…

[via SciFi]

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Elecom Gear-Driven Keyboard

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Elecom Japan announces a new kind of gear-driven keyboard, which supposedly prevents typos by “detecting and activating the keys on the corners.” Best of all, it’s priced at just $42.

Elecom’s TK-U09FG keyboards have gears mounted under each key, depressing evenly even if just hit on a corner. Apparently, the cause of typos is hitting a key on a corner and having the keystroke not register

[via Gizmodo]

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A Look Back: Apple G5 Supercomputer

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Virginia Tech (2003) built a supercomputer that “consists of 1100 Apple Xserve G5s, each with 4 GB RAM, and was previously upgraded from Power Mac G5s to Xserves.” Video after the jump.

The G5s will be clustered using Infiniband to form a 1100-node supercomputer delivering over 10 Teraflops of performance… estimated to be one of the top five fastest in the world

[via ThinkSecret – MacRumors]

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A Look Back: Microsoft Windows 2000

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A group of top-level Microsoft execs — including Steve Ballmer — take us back to the Windows 2000 days with this Tommy Boy parody. Video after the jump.

Windows 2000 is classified as a hybrid kernel operating system, and its architecture is divided into two modes: user mode and kernel mode…designed to work with either uniprocessor or symmetric multi-processor (SMP) 32-bit Intel x86 computers

[via Wikipedia]

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Dell UltraSharp 2407WFP Hands-On

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Dell gives us a hands-on look at their UltraSharp 2407WFP widescreen monitor. Just a quick refresher, this 24-inch LCD features 1920 x 1200 resolution, 6ms response time, 1000:1 contrast ratio, 450 cd/m2 brightness, and a 178-degree viewing angle. Video after the jump.

Vlog highlighting some of the key features of Dell’s 24″ widescreen flat panel display, including HDTV support, connectivity options, and the new on-screen menu system

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A Look Back: The Origins of Ctrl + Alt + Del

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Most PC users are all too familiar with Ctrl + Alt + Del, but how many of us know the origins of this button combination? Find out after the jump.

[David] Bradley originally designed Control-Alt-Escape to trigger a soft reboot, but he found it was too easy to bump the left side of the keyboard and reboot the computer accidentally. He switched the key combination to Control-Alt-Delete, a combination impossible to press with just one hand

[via Wikipedia – Helldesk]

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T.E.D.D.Y. – 2D to 3D Interface

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T.E.D.D.Y. is an innovative “Java-Applet Drawing Program that takes the 2D images you draw and renders them in 3D.” See it in action after the jump.

The alogrithm adds shading according to the strokes and connections between the lines. This is truly a cool program for anyone and everyone

(Thanks, Brian L)

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DIY Computer-Controlled Party Light

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Here’s a nifty DIY project: a computer-controlled party light. To build your own, you’ll need a Household bulb, CB280 Start Kit, and a SSR4 Board. Full instructions here. Videos after the jump.

Now since the SSR4 board supports up to 4 AC devices up to 250VAC, you are only limited to your imagination on how many household lights you can control. This probably can be applied to home automation, club scenes, robotics, and more

[via Zedomax]

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PlaydoCAM

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PlaydoCAM transforms any webcam into a “motion-tracking gaming device and places you at the center of a unique online gaming experience.” Video after the jump.

Many PlaydoCAM games are under development for both single and multiplayer action. PlaydoCAM is available for custom made entertainment and can also be used offline for a high quality fullscreen experience suitable for exhibition

[via FreshCreation]

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