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There should be even earlier examples of prior art, e.g.
a gamepad for a PalmOS PDA from 2000.

Check out Code Project - lots of great articles on Palm programming: http://www.codeproject.com/sea...

Go to Sourceforge - it may take a while to pick through the weeds, but you should find some useful projects to examine the code:

http://sourceforge.net/directory/os%3Apalmos/?q=palm&sort=update

C programming for Palm: http://onboardc.sourceforge.ne...

http://www.vb-helper.com/review_palm_ides.html -- a review of Palm IDEs - may give you some ideas

http://porganizer.sourceforge.net/ -- Palm Organizer has the essential files for creating a Palm program if you look at the bottom of the page

Try the 1stSource forums, check out the menu on the left for various Palm models and you'll be sure to find some useful info:

http://www.1src.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=156

For some fun - and perhaps some code to review:

http://sourceforge.net/projects/phoinix/ -- Gameboy emulator for Palm

http://sourceforge.net/projects/palmapple/?source=recommended -- Apple II emulator for Palm

More emulators to consider: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2004/...

http://www.codejedi.com/shadowplan/castaway.html -- Atari ST emulator

http://frodopalm.sourceforge.n... -- commodore 64 emulator

Good luck and have fun!

You can get panoramic mirrors for your iphone and many other applications now. No BeOS required.

he can turn it off (which he did) but he can't turn it away.

Yes, he can - he could have put the glasses in his pocket and sat a few rows closer... But I can't expect you to know that, it was stated by the "victim" in his own narrative of what happened.

I asked if they thought my Google Glass was such a big piracy machine, why didn’t they ask me not to wear them in the theater? I would have probably sat five or six rows closer to the screen (as I didn’t have any other pair of prescription glasses with me) and none of this would have happened.

Source: AMC movie theater calls FBI to arrest a Google Glass user

Imagine that. A watch with switches. It's a bit harder to find watches with plastic-insulated wires, although there are plenty with uncoated wire or maybe even magnet wire.

If you do not know by now that the GED holding "Security Professionals" of the TSA would freak the fuck out over this then you are too stupid to be free.

But if your freedom subject to the whims of dumb goons, then you're not truly free in the first place.

Rectangular devices with a touch screen and no keyboard of approximately similar dimensions existed AT LEAST A DECADE BEFORE THE iPHONE - nice of you to keep spreading the lie that Apple invented the form factor. Quite frankly, I think sticking a GSM chip in one was a dead obvious evolution, not a revolution.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PalmPilot

Also here's a device similar to that one with a colour screen running a web browser. 4 years before the iPhone

http://the-gadgeteer.com/2001/11/02/compaq_ipaq_3835_3850_pocket_pc_review/

Yours,
A. Psion Fanatic

.. and you guessed it.

Comes in a nice cardbox box : http://the-gadgeteer.com/2009/08/10/zipit-clamshell-package-opener-review/

Kodak could had survived the same way as Canon and Olympus have so far, if they had not been overburdened by sustaining a dying film business (and axing that business was not acceptable at the time.)

But donâ(TM)t take Canon or Olympus side yet. Cellphone cameras are killing the point and shoot camera market and all current manufacturers are feeling that. It wonâ(TM)t be long before those are also gone.

DSLR may survive until someone starts making zoom lenses for cellphones, and that is already starting to happen.

Not necessarily. For example, here's a different analog of a physical sliding switch.

That's an analogue of a different type of sliding switch. And one which would be just as ridiculous to hold a patent for.

Secondly, take a look at the claim:

1. A method of unlocking a hand-held electronic device, the device including a touch-sensitive display, the method comprising:

detecting a contact with the touch-sensitive display at a first predefined location corresponding to an unlock image;
moving the unlock image on the touch-sensitive display in accordance with movement of the contact while continuous contact with the touch screen is maintained; and
unlocking the hand-held electronic device if the moving the unlock image on the touch-sensitive display results in movement of the unlock image from the first predefined location to a predefined unlock region on the touch-sensitive display.

Well, that's just a straight-up definition of what a lock switch would look like on a touch screen. It's a sliding switch that slides if you slide it. Whoopdeefuckingdo.

Last time I looked a physical sliding lock switch, it didn't have an image on it that moved when I touch it. Same thing with my portable radio, or even the sliding lock switch on an iPod. Plus, they tend to lock or unlock when a switch makes a contact, not when an image moves from one predefined location to another one.

That's because your physical switch is a physical switch. On a computer with a flat screenm you need to use an image if you want to graphically represent something, including a switch.

And, as I said, that is not a patent on "a sliding lock switch". You may describe it that way generally, but it's a patent on a very specific implementation of a method of unlocking a hand-held electronic device. The sliding lock switch on a bathroom stall, for example, does not infringe that claim. Therefore, the claim is not on "a sliding lock switch".

I already went over the claims. I didn't say it's a patent on *all* switches; it's a patent on an analogue for a specific type of physical switch. But that specific type of switch has been used on electronics for years.

No, it does help... in that Apple couldn't get a patent on "a sliding lock switch." The claims at issue have several specific limitations, however, which aren't met by a physical sliding lock switch - images sliding between two locations, etc. You could potentially combine the physical sliding lock switch with other art to show obviousness, but the sliding lock switch alone doesn't show everything in the claims.

No, that's exactly what they got a patent on. They got a patent on an obvious touchscreen analogue to the physical sliding lock switch that already existed on several electronics previous to this. My portable radio has one. My old MP3 player has one. Apple's claims are exactly what you'd need to do to implement an analogue for that type of switch. There's nothing original or non-obvious in them at all.

Not necessarily. For example, here's a different analog of a physical sliding switch.

Secondly, take a look at the claim:

1. A method of unlocking a hand-held electronic device, the device including a touch-sensitive display, the method comprising:

detecting a contact with the touch-sensitive display at a first predefined location corresponding to an unlock image; moving the unlock image on the touch-sensitive display in accordance with movement of the contact while continuous contact with the touch screen is maintained; and unlocking the hand-held electronic device if the moving the unlock image on the touch-sensitive display results in movement of the unlock image from the first predefined location to a predefined unlock region on the touch-sensitive display.

Well, that's just a straight-up definition of what a lock switch would look like on a touch screen. It's a sliding switch that slides if you slide it. Whoopdeefuckingdo.

Last time I looked a physical sliding lock switch, it didn't have an image on it that moved when I touch it. Same thing with my portable radio, or even the sliding lock switch on an iPod. Plus, they tend to lock or unlock when a switch makes a contact, not when an image moves from one predefined location to another one.

And, as I said, that is not a patent on "a sliding lock switch". You may describe it that way generally, but it's a patent on a very specific implementation of a method of unlocking a hand-held electronic device. The sliding lock switch on a bathroom stall, for example, does not infringe that claim. Therefore, the claim is not on "a sliding lock switch".

If that isn't enough, take a look at every chinese trinket toy which is sold on ebay. I'm referring to stuff such as MP3 players, media players, tablets, video game consoles and all of the sort. You can't fiddle with their software, you can't tweak their OS, you can only use them until it gets bricked. I personally have purchased a cheap, 20 dollar MP3 player with a neat color display which, at the time, put my cellphone to shame, and the damned thing could only be used to display song names and play tetris. And it was a full blown computer, which had a SD card reader.

Oh, it's "anectode time", is it? Well... PERSONALLY, I bought a few years ago a Dingoo A320 online, from one of those Hong Kong shops. It's a portable video game console: in fact, it's the best portable video game console I ever had.

"Yeah, but does it run Linux?" - Yes, it does. Now it does. Dingoo has a very thriving homebrew community that is only possible because (despite sometimes being less than 100% supportive and competent towards customers and devs, and often not caring about infringing on someone else's IP) these companies don't really CARE if customers modify their hardware/software. In fact, they realize that, by keeping these people happy and letting them do what they want, they end up with a better product that's more valuable by having developers that basically work for them at no cost.

Notice that this only works because the company that makes these puppies isn't a media company. They make the money off of selling the devices, not the software/media/games. Contrast with companies like Amazon, Apple, Sony and Nintendo. These companies want you to buy the media (software/games/ebooks/music/videos)... the hardware is just a specialized (and often _very well_ polished) platform to make it easy for people to buy and consume such media.

This is only an example (and a very successful one, I'd say), but the tendency is for these type of devices to proliferate, as purely tech/manufacturing companies realize they ARE what lots of people want. More recent examples of this trend include full-blown Android portable consoles, with all the smartphone functionalities (including touchscreen), but also with decent portable console buttons (for proper gaming).

tl;dr: Tech companies aren't evil. Tech companies that work in media and advertising are evil. You're probably going to rely on asian tech companies to provide you with decent tech in the future, so don't be so fast dismissing them.

http://the-gadgeteer.com/2000/08/30/cat_eye_finring_review/

http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/08/genius-ring-mouse-slips-around-your-finger-cues-up-beyonce-jams/

These guys offer various alternative pointing device solutions:
http://www.adapt-it.org.uk/browse_category.asp?id=40&item=Mice

And there are solutions like these out there too:
http://www.fentek-ind.com/nh-mouse.htm

For example from 2000:

http://the-gadgeteer.com/2000/12/10/gamepad_for_palm_iii_and_vii_series_pdas_review/

And

http://the-gadgeteer.com/2002/01/31/snapnplay_visor_game_pad_review/

You can probably find earlier examples.

For example from 2000:

http://the-gadgeteer.com/2000/12/10/gamepad_for_palm_iii_and_vii_series_pdas_review/

And

http://the-gadgeteer.com/2002/01/31/snapnplay_visor_game_pad_review/

You can probably find earlier examples.

This does get talked about, actually. The Gadgeteer ran an article two days ago (making that one day before this article or its source material) that brings up this exact issue.

http://the-gadgeteer.com/2008/11/06/tom_bihn_checkpoint_flyer_laptop_bag_review/ Its great, It fits UBUNTU ! i believe its scary that anyone can write so many words about a bag.

Here's a link I found recently to a couple of magnet sets that look like they might be a lot of fun:

NeoCube and CyberCube Neodymium Magnet Sets review

Both the NeoCube and CyberCube sets are under $50, and there are videos online you can check out to see the sort of things you can do with them...

This is not a toy. It was actually designed by the same guy that created those professional star machines that look like some weird alien thing.

It uses an LED so its efficient. It will run you about 300US on ebay. I don't have one, Have never used one. But as a real amateur astronomer I am extremely interested because unlike the cheap "star projectors" the homestar puts white stars on a black background instead of the other way around like most of the cheapies.

It also has timer settings and can do a shooting star if you wish.

Obligatory YouTube Link
gadgeteer review
I have also read that there is a new version coming out soon that will have stars in the correct colors for stars brighter than magnitude 4

I tried using a PDA as a laptop replacement. The keyboard is the big problem: anything less than a latop keyboard with a full set of physical keys is a pain in the neck (as well as fingers, wrists, forearm, elbow, and shoulder).

The best one was the stowaway portable keyboard, unfortunately when they came out with a bluetooth model they abandoned this almost-full-sized keyboard and replaced it with one that didn't have a full set of keys, and even though it was slightly smaller it more or less failed to serve the intended purpose.

Of course most of these "laptops of 2005" have appallingly bad keyboards as well.

What I'd really like is what I asked for in 2000... the computer itself has a minimal display, PDA sized or smaller, and larger displays and better input devices are connected as needed. Give it a USB device+host port and a video-out port, in a form factor so you can plug it into a standardized layout of a video-USB-power socket in a "docking station" or mix and match.

The whole thing shouldn't be any bigger than a thin CDROM drive or a paperback book. and potentially as small as a pen or keychain fob.

You can buy a bunch of usb dongles, usb 2.0 pci adapters, and some duct tape, you can build a kick ass freenas server.

While it's not perfect, the mac mini is certainly an easy option for those who want to reduce power consumption. We use ours as the home server, and it draws significantly less power than its predecessor, a mac g4.

Through the magic of the kill-a-watt, I measured the draw of the mini under its usual workload (which was near idle, as this is a home server that doesn't really need much horsepower to run its processes, but does need to run them 24/7) and found it to be around 35 watts. Which is roughly equal to my laptop, which makes sense, since it's all laptop parts anyhow.

I don't think you should call it a 'green' option, but it might be a 'greener' option than what you're using now. And it comes all nicely pre-built, with lots of warm friendly mac-y goodness inside.

If that's what you're into.

I'm sure someone has noted it by now, but it's worth pointing out that turning off the power using a power strip (or just unplugging from the wall) is also a good idea. The old g4 server I mentioned earlier actually drew 10 watts when turned off, due to some weirdness with the power supply. Also, if you don't need it, pull the discrete video card - those suckers eat electricity like it's going out of style.

I'm pretty sure it's a revoke. Part of being a nerd is knowing that something can be potentially harmful (to self or inanimate object) but going ahead anyway. Trial and error ... the true force that binds the universe together.

Of course, you could always be the true engineering nerd type and use one of these (http://the-gadgeteer.com/review/kill_a_watt_electric_usage_monitor_review) instead. Either way, warning label is never taken seriously until after the fact.

If you wanted to do that couldn't you just buy something like a Kill-A-Watt, and measure it simply like that. Sounds like a much better option that going to the trouble and expense of embedding a web server and wifi connection into each appliance, without any guarantee that said embedded web-server would even be able to monitor power usage.

(Even the stability issue isn't a big deal - I let the kids watch movies on it, and something they do makes the thing reboot when I leave TCPMP. Ah, well, I can deal with that.)

A modern version of the Philips Velo would be my desire.
http://the-gadgeteer.com/review/philips_velo_500_hpc_review Still use mine for the occasional serial console into a sun machine.
Nothing like it on the market today in terms of screen size, keyboard, apps (WinCE) and ruggedness.
Take a palm tx, mush in a Zune, a larger sceen, some decent apps, expandability.
The so called smart phones only seem to be about sucking people into to extra fees from the providers.
Saw a couple things from hp and nokia but they seem to be lacking pda applications.

In case anyone is wondering how to estimate the cost of power for running a server, I've found that simply plugging the server into a Kill A Watt EZ is quite effective. Just enter the cost for power and let it measure the power usage for a few days to get a good average, and it will calculate the cost for power per month or year automatically. To account for the cost of cooling, you may need to double that amount.

I know that it's not CF but I was talking about adapters. You would be surprised at what one can stick into a CF slot.

On my first page of a Google search, I found this page.

I have a shortlist of requirements which, to me, are pretty simple, but which seem to be confounding the mobile phone industry:

• a decent-ish qwerty-like keyboard
• simple spreadsheet/database/document apps as well as calendar/address book
• compatibility with Mac iSync
• no vendor or application lock-in

I was looking at the Nokia Communicator machines (9300i particularly), only to see them withdrawn from the market the week I attempted to order one. Since I want a Windows Mobile device like I want a hole in the head, all that's left is the Treo.

I'm not a great fan of Palm OS - in particular, I've never liked the handwriting recognition and the stylus interface - but I'm hoping that a qwerty-enabled Treo will address points (i)...(iv) for a while, until we get to see how the iPhone works out (hint: wait for second generation, people), or until Nokia get their new communicator platform (E90) up and running.

But: I'm British, so of course I mourn the Psion Organiser; I would so love to see a small, modern, equivalent.

My ignorance it palpable? Jesus, not only don't you know what you're talking about, but your an ass about it too!

Remember the Tandy 102?

It had a reflective LCD screen. Low res but VERY easy to read. Very low power. Very cheap. 1983 technology! And that's what I was talking about.

I also used a sinclair Cambridge z-88. Once again, easy to read screen, if too small. I burned an eprom to make a dvorak keyboard for one of those.

... Has a review of this clock:

http://www.the-gadgeteer.com/review/clocky

its a kill-a-watt.

Right about the people. I went to Europe in HS and took tons of photos. The only ones I care about now are the people.

For electronic tech, I suggest a palm treo with wifi sled, or similar. Lets you cover the basics of connectivity (email and phone) but also does mp3s, crappy photos, and text if you want to keep some journal. Small and good battery life.

SD cards are getting so cheap, maybe you just get a few of them? Maybe an iPod plus a SD card reader thing? http://www.the-gadgeteer.com/review/atech_flash_te chnology_iduo_ipod_dock_and_card_reader

For wilderness backpacking, I suggest very flexible clothes. REI makes some nice pants that convert to shorts, I suggest you find some that fully zip on the bottom part so you can convert them without taking off your boots. Low gaiters came in handy on the AT to keep low grass from dropping crap in your boots when wearing shorts. I made my own polar fleece sweats with a zipper along each leg so you can take them off without removing boots or sitting down. A rain suit, waterproof breathable and light if possible. And a bandanna or a hat to give you a clean look even though you have not showered in days.

If you have iPod - this here thing is perfect. I traveled 6 month in S.America with it and had it stolen (ze bastards). When I skipped to Thailand I couldn't find it there - lots of other iPod speaker setups but nothing that comes even close. Ended up buying JBL's but it's nowhere near as versatile.

http://www.the-gadgeteer.com/review/sonic_impact_i _fusion_ipod_speaker_system

I wouldn't take laptop with me - unless its a really lightweight one, but ipod (or some sort of other mp3 player) is a must, IMHO
If you have digital camera, get one of those card-readers that convert the card straight to usb, so you can plug it in any internet cafe and upload/send pics from it. It's also a good idea to get a website that can take some gigs of space and upload your pics - that's what I did, so no matter what is stolen/wet/broken, you got your pics.

anyway, have fun!

For IT-related stuff, it's Google or your favorite industry-specific newsgroups.

For general "gadget" related items, I typically check out The Gadgeteer first, then Google.

For digital cameras, it's Steve's Digicams all the way, then Google.

For cars, it's AutoTrend or Consumer Reports Autos, then Google.

For general household stuff, it's Consumer Reports, then Google.

And in pretty much every case, I check Google.

I have to believe a lot of /.ers use woot.com. If so, you should be familiar with the Leakfrog, a small plastic frog that sounds an alarm when it gets water. Basically, it watches for leaks, then blares if one occurs.

http://www.the-gadgeteer.com/review/ideative_leakf rog_water_alarm

http://www.ideativeinc.com/leakfrog.cfm

Obviously, you'd need more than this, like a neighbor to be checking every couple days, or an internet connection to the house, but it's certainly a part of a solution.

I used to sell these things at the electronics/computer store I worked at called (review) I-GO Juice. There were a few different models out at the time, but one had pretty much any proprietary plug I had ever come across (believe me I've seen some odd ones) as well as adapters for foreign outlets and car outlets. It also auto-sensed input and output voltages and wattages/amps. Neat little thing and my customers always came back to tell me it did everything they wanted anywhere they were, and it's not often you get that. Hope that helps, I'm sure there are other companies that make a similar product, but this is the only one I've seen. Cheers, Phil

how long will it be before The Machines start using us to produce electricity?

Already hapening..

http://www.haimei.com/mobile_phone_accessory/manua l_charger.htm

http://www.the-gadgeteer.com/review/shakelight_nig htstar_led_flashlight_review

http://www.jakeludington.com/gadget_envy/20050707_ hand_crank_led_flashlight.html

http://www.ambientweather.com/emra.html

Hey! I used to own a Newton back in the day. Then I owned a series of Palm and iPaq deals that left me scratching my head and never really satisfied. But I couldn't go back to the Newton - simply too old. Then I got me a mint-condition Jornada 720 with a memory expansion card, CF 10mbps network card and Orinoco wireless... I've been happy for three years. But I do miss my Newton.

Ooops, I ment to say LCD monitors not LED monitors. Keep in mind that I am not a tech or an expert on the different types of monitors.

I recently read a review of a computer that uses the EE (energy efficient) versions of the AMD Athlon 64 X2 processor which only used 54 Watts. Another alternative for someone doesn't need to run Windows XP or Windows Vista might be the NorhTec MicroClient Jr.which is a tiny PC that draws 8 Watts and is capable of running Puppy Linux. Puppy Linux is an extra-light weight stripped down version of Linux which has less impressive graphics than most other Linux distros. You could browse the Internet, send email and do word processing with it. I have never actually tried one of their computers. Perhaps it could be hooked to a small efficient LCD monitor (or whatever is most efficient). Just using a laptop would probably be an even simpler solution. A person could charge the laptop's battery for a few minutes ahead of using it.

The Watt-meter that I used on my computer was the $39.99 Kill-A-Watt meter.

In the article I just noticed that the photo shows a woman dressed up in nice clothes leisurely peddling in front of an inefficient CRT monitor. She isn't even sweating but then, apparently she isn't really powering the computer.

One of these?

"... all TV and VCR that are turned off cost Americans nearly a billion dollars a year in electricity."

"[One study estimated] that the phantom load from TV's alone was equal to the output of a Chernobyl sized power plant. "

"There is no question that rolling blackouts could have been avoided if Californians cut their dryer use in half. Heck, it would only take something like a 10% reduction in electrical use across the country to shut down half of the nuclear power plants."

I had that type of mouse for several months. It was great while it lasted. Not truly wireless since the mousepad was corded.

Since there was no battery, the mouse was very light. Also, the special mousepad gave it a very smooth glide. Not sure how high the dpi was but it felt very accurate and responsive for FPS games.

Downside: after a while, the surface got damaged and the smoothness suffered a lot. Also, the left click button started malfunctioning, turning single-clicks into double-clicks sometimes.

Mine was a different brand but other than that it looked exactly like this one: http://www.the-gadgeteer.com/review/a4_tech_nb30_b attery_free_wireless_optical_mouse_review

Oh that's right. $800 back in 1997. By Moore's law, that should be about $25 now. So with a color screen, USB, and wireless, $100 isn't bad. Lost the touchscreen though. :-(

http://www.the-gadgeteer.com/stowaway-xt-review.ht ml

However, the vgn u70 and u71 never took off. These Vaios are lovely machines in a lot of ways, but the keyboard is rubbish, and there is no way to place the screen in a comfortable position on a table unless you bring the bulky dock station.

There never was a Palm VII.

buh? I'm pretty sure there was a Palm VII... http://www.the-gadgeteer.com/review/palm_vii_revie w

The Reveal watch is quite unique:
http://www.the-gadgeteer.com/review/reveal_watch_r eview

Some things I've tested recently:

My PC speakers use 40 watts, even when "turned off". Result: they're on a power strip with a switch.
My HP Laserjet 2100N uses 12-16 watts (depending on the fan), when in Power Saver. Result: it gets turned off when not in use.
My PIII-650 desktop server consumed about 50 watts when idle. Result: replaced it with a Toshiba Tecra PIII-650 (with a broken screen, cheap on eBay), which draws 14 watts when idle.

I also realized that my Powerbook power supply consumes less than 1 watt when plugged in but no laptop is connected, or about 2 watts when the laptop is plugged in and fully charged, so I'm not as concerned about unplugging it anymore.

My next checks: the TV's, older transformer-based clock radios, wall warts and the deep freeze. I will also take running "baseline" checks of my major appliances (fridge, furnace, washer), so I can recheck them once a year and identify when an appliance is running too hard (bad motor bearing, etc.)

I used a P3 Kill-A-Watt:
http://www.the-gadgeteer.com/review/kill_a_watt_el ectric_usage_monitor_review

Here is a review of the watch from The Gadgeteer website:

http://www.the-gadgeteer.com/review/sleeptracker_w atch

She said it didn't really work well and the watch itself is quite bulky.