Man-Made Rainbow Machine

The awesome guy of the week has built his very own rainbow machine.  Michael Jone McKean, a college professor and artist at Virginia Commonwealth University has done something unique and cool.  Everyone likes seeing rainbows, and the professors machine produces two-story rainbows whenever he wants.  He has been researching rainbows since 2002 and now has developed this machine which is made of commercial jet pumps and custom nozzels.  It shoots a wall of water into the air in order to produce the effect.  He is going to put the machine on the roof of the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts in Omaha Nebraska this summer.  It will make rainbows for 15 minutes, two times a day.  It will also only use rainwater and solar power.  I think every building should have a rainbow machine.

via: gizmodo

Chrismas time! Last minute gifts ideas...

Last minute gifts. If your like me and you wait until Christmas Eve to do most of your shopping here are some last minute ideas that can show that special loved one that you care.

Top 6 reasons why I love my iPad

So I'm chillin at a friends house streaming an episode of Family Guy on my iPad through wifi that I'm tethering from my jailbroken iPhone. And it hit me. We are living in the future. I feel privileged to be living in such times and I notice it, and appreciate it. And now I'm going to appreciate my iPad. 6 reasons why I love it.

1. Mobility
• The iPad is a device that I can just throw in my back pack and be out with. It's the perfect size for a mobile computing platform. The 9.7 inch screen makes the device the perfect size for mobility.
2. Battery Life
• The iPad lasts all day like a porn star. I've left my iPad on playing music while I was at work all day and I came back and it only used 4% of the battery. Imagine doing that on a laptop. You wouldn't get the same result. You can do multiple things on it all day and never have to worry about a charge. With moderate use you could probably go out for a whole weekend without having to charge it. One of my favorite features.
3. Build Quality
• The iPad has a brushed aluminum back with a front made of Gorilla glass. It is one sexy ass machine. A simple look with only 1 button on the front of the device. Everything else is intuitively done by your touch. Apple has become the sort of fashion model in terms of how they aesthetically design their products. The iPad is no different.
4. Apps
• Not to steal a phrase but, if there is ever anything I want, there is an app for that. On a PC or Mac you can also download a program for just about anything you want, but it's not as streamlined or as easy to access as the App system Apple has created for there iOS platform. Which brings us to point 5.
5. iOS
• iOS for me is without a doubt the best mobile operating system ever created. It's smooth, intuitive, and simple. And after jailbreak, no other mobile OS can even come close to competing. To put it simply, iOS makes the iPad fun to use.
6. Storage
• New tablets coming out like the Notion ink have very little storage space and are only expandable through micro SD. My iPad has 64gb of internal flash memory store. Plenty for all the music, videos, and apps I want to put on there.

Toshiba Glasses Free 3D display is set to change the game

Toshiba has announced their glasses free tilt friendly 3D display.  The small tablet like device allows you to see around 90 degrees of an object just by tilting the device.  The display has a built in six-axis gyro sensor which controls the image movement.  Toshiba is targeting schools and stores with the device.

via: diginfo

The Ultimate 22-inch LCD?

You can file this under cool now, but could have been amazing 10 years ago.  Sony has made and released a 22-inch Bravia LCD, with a PS2 built into it's base.  It has a 720p resolution, with four HDMI ports, three USB, ethernet, two optical out ports, a TV tuner, and VGA in.  It is not wall mountable because of the base but it's small, compact and just awesome none the less.  I'm just curious why they don't just go head and do this with a PS3.  You would have a Blu-ray player, and a game console with streaming capabilities integrated into your TV.  People would do back flips for that, but I guess this is cool for now.  The TV is available for purchase now for around $312 US.  The model number is  KDL-22PX300.

via: ubergizmo

Dell Inspiron Duo Convertible Laptop

The Dell Duo is a unique device.  Looking like a device designed by Ben Heck, it is a 10-inch netbook that has a swivel touch screen.  With a simple twist it converts from a netbook into a tablet.  The Duo runs on the Atom N550 and costs $549, it runs Windows 7 Home Premium as well so you can get the full computing experience.  It is up for pre-order now, and it ships in December.  There is also a JBL speaker dock available for for $49.

Microsoft Store

Top 3 Ultra Portable Laptop Previews

Ok. So I've pretty much resigned myself to the fact that I'm getting one of the new Macbook Air's. But it got me thinking, there are definitely some other choices when it comes to the ultra portable laptop market. And some of them give Apple a run for their money, especially when it comes to price. So I've basically narrowed it down to 3 possible choices; the Macbook Air, the Lenovo IdeaPAd U260, and the Asus UL30Vt. Let the battle Royale commence.

New Yorker puts usb drives into walls, creates offline file sharing network

Aram Bartholl has installed 5 usb drives into walls in New York. He did so, so that people could anonymously share files.  It's like an offline New York only, wait your turn Limewire.  If you want to check out any of the 5 drives head to 87 3rd Avenue, Brooklyn, NY (Makerbot), Empire Fulton Ferry Park, Brooklyn, NY (Dumbo), 235 Bowery, NY (New Museum), Union Square, NY (Subway Station 14th St) and West 21st Street, NY (Eyebeam).  This is a really cool idea, if just not for fun, I wonder what kinda of files will be uploaded.  Next time I am in New York i will check out at least one of them for you guys.  Follow the link and check out Aram's blog for more info, or check out his flickr page for a picture log of the process.  datenform.de, flickr page

6 Cool PC case Mods anyone would want to have

Case modding is a cool way to distinguish your PC from everyone else's generic Dell box, and a nice way to get some Ooo's and Ahhh's when you have company.  Check out 6 of the coolest PC case mods to date like this one above, and follow the name links for more info.

Enable GameCenter and HDR Photos on your iPhone 3G or 3GS

Currently, HDR photos and the new GameCenter are only available on the iPhone 4. But you can get them both on your 3G or 3GS, here's how.

Dell Inspiron Flip Screen Tablet

Called the Inspiron Duo, this tablet/netbook is an interesting product.  Instead of having a removable tablet panel like many prototypes we have seen.  This 10.1 inch netbook features a dual core Atom N550 and is said to not just be a prototype, but a real product that is coming to market.  No pricing or release dates have been set.

Halo Reach and Call of Duty: Black ops special edition bundles.

Two of most anticipated games of the year are available in outrageously awesome special edition bundles. Here are the details:

The sexiest TV ever made

LG has certainly raised the bar with this one.  This 31-inch OLED TV is stunning.  OLED technology allows for superior contrast ration, brightness, colors, and sharpness over any other existing TV tech.  The problem is that it's super expensive, and still can only be produced in smaller sizes.  The largest OLED TV currently available being 15-inches.  This 31-inch however is being shown off at IFA 2010 this week and is actually set to be released to the public.  It measures 2.8mm thick, yes I said 2.8mm.  All of the connections along with the tuner are housed in the base of the TV.  Pricing and release date have yet to be announced, but don't expect to see this on the Black Friday sale list.

New iPods take center stage at Apple's press event

The new iPod Touch has been announced.  It has been updated, and is now basically a thinner iPhone that doesn't make calls.  It has the same A4 chip, and retina display.  The SD front and HD rear facing cameras are also there, along with Facetime.  It comes in three different capacities, 8GB, 32GB, and 64GB.  For $229, $299, and $399 respectively.  They are available now for pre-order on apples website.  They will be officially released next Thursday.  Follow the link to order.  Apple Store

The new iPod Nano has also been announced.  This is in my opinion the coolest device Apple has come out with in a while.  While being just slightly larger then the iPod shuffle it still has room for a 1.54-inch touch screen.  It comes in 8GB or 16GB capacities, for $149.99 and $179.99.    The Nano comes in 7 colors, red, pink, orange, blue, green, silver, and dark grey.  It features a clip on the back just like the shuffle, and an FM radio.  It is rated for 24 hours of audio playback.  This would be the perfect workout companion, even better then the shuffle because u can actually see your playlist.  To be honest, I'm not really sure why anyone would want a shuffle at all.  The new Nano will be available next thursday and is up for pre-orders now.  Follow the link for complete specs or to buy.  Apple Store


Pics:

via: apple

More cool jailbroken iPhone stuff!

So I've been tweaking my jailbroken iphone 3G the past couple of days, trying to get it to run a little smoother since all the ios4 features kinda bog down the little fella a bit. If jailbreaking your 3G, i suggest disabling multitasking and homescreen wallpaper. Now don't worry, you can attain both of these features later with 3rd party apps, and they use up a lot less RAM then the ios4 methods.

Windows 7 vs. iPad showdown

As you can see Windows 7 is nowhere near as bad or hard to use on a tablet as people tend to make it out to be.  There are plenty of advantages to owning a Windows 7 tablet like flash, USB, and instead of apps you can use full applications.  I am hoping to see more windows 7 tablets released in the future.

Blackberry "Torch" 9800 announced/reviewed

The long awaited new Blackberry has finally been announced, priced, and given a release date.  Called the Blackberry Torch 9800, and sporting RIM's new OS 6 this touchscreen slider has been on the top of peoples most wanted list since it was leaked months ago.  The Phone will be released on August 12th and cost the now industry smart phone standard $200 with contract from At&t.  It features a last gen 3.2" 480x360 display, with a 5 megapixel camera.  The processor is a 624MHz Marvell CPU, which is not quite up to the now industry standard 1GHz.  Check out videos below and follow the links for the RIM, and At&t product page and some early reviews. RIM, At&t

Here are some of the early reviews:

 Cnet review   Engadget review   Gizmodo review   Techradar review

End of July Gadget round-up!

Ahh technology is great. Take advantage and check out some of these new gadgets that are out or coming soon:

Play Video on Multiple monitors

If you have a multiple monitor set up, and you use your computer to play watch movies or videos this little trick might come in handy.  Instead of buying multiple graphics cards or paying for expensive software, this can be done in one the best and most importantly free media players available.  The program used is VLC player.  If you haven't heard of it, it's a lightweight player that plays just about any file type you would have for it.  So if you don't have it, get it and continue reading.

Step 1: Open preferences in tools drop down menu, select "all" in the bottom left corner box

Step 2: Select video, then filters, then image wall,

Step 3: Make the number of columns 2 and the Rows 0, adjust the aspect ration to 16:9 if you have widescreen  monitors.

Step: 4:  Click the Filter drop down again, and check both of the "Wall Video" boxes

Step 5: Save your settings, then open your video file

It should look something like this

Step 6: Adjust your aspect ratio to fit your screen (either 4:3 or 16:9) by right clicking on your video, and selecting aspect ratio

Step 7: Click the full screen button, and enjoy

Guide: How to Jailbreak and Unlock your iPhone 3G

 If you haven't been able to get your hands on an iPhone 4 yet or you simply like your 3G better but still want the iOS 4.0 features that are not available on the 3G such as multitasking and custom wallpapers, then follow this guide and you will have them all and more.

Iphone 4 Review

Apple's new Iphone is out, and according to them its slimmer, faster and better then ever.  However there have already been a bevy of issues reported.  Is the Iphone 4 the real deal?  Read on for the full review.

Toshiba's dual screen tablet looks impressive

This new dual screen tablet, looks pretty sick.  It takes a page from the now canned Microsoft Courier tablet.  The Libretto appears to be running Windows 7. Personally I love the design, you can use it as a book for ebooks, a traditional laptop, or one long tablet.  I also like the fact that you can fold a tablet designed like this to protect the screens and increase portability.  As the video states the price and release date have not been announced yet, but we will keep you posted.

iPhone 4 officially revealed!

The iPhone 4 has been officially revealed by Apple. Notable features are a new high resolution display, which is 960x640 on a 3.5 inch screen. This makes it the highest resolution on a phone ever. A 16% bigger battery which Apple claims will give you 40% more talk time. A better back camera with LED flash, as well as a new front camera too. Video calls with the new app Facetime, currently only over wifi however. And it sports the same processor that is in the iPad, which is much faster then the old iPhone processor. So basically what I'm trying to say is, Apple has created the best phone ever made.

Toshiba super thin LCD can be functionally bent.

Super thin LCD technology is still in it's infancy, but Toshiba has developed a monitor that can be bent to zoom in our out of applications like Google maps and what not.

Dell Steak (mini 5) to launch this summer

Dell's 5" media tablet/phone has officially been announced, and is slated to be released in early June.  It will first be released in the UK however with the US launch coming at an unspecified time later this summer.


Specs:

* Android platform complete with Android Market and Dell user interface enhancements

* ARM-based Processor: Qualcomm's powerful and efficient Snapdragon chipset and software platform with integrated 1GHz processor

* 3G + WiFi + Bluetooth

* UMTS / GPRS / EDGE class 12 GSM radio with link speeds of up to HSDPA 7.2 Mbps* / HSDPA

* 5 MP autofocus camera with dual LED flash. Easy point, shoot, and uploads to YouTube, Flickr, Facebook and more

* User accessible Micro SD expandable memory available up to 32 GB*. Store up to 42 movies* or 32,000 photos*, or 16,000 songs* with 32GB* Micro SD


This looks to be an interesting device, it has a large screen which should make it great for watching media and playing games, but also makes it rather large when compared to even the biggest smart phones.  Check out the video below and tell us what you think.

iPhone 4g has been leaked!

Gizmodo has somehow magically come across an actual iPhone 4G prototype in the wild. Apparently it was found lost in a bar, cleverly disguised as a regular iPhone 3G with its protective case by someone, and then finally made its way to Gizmodo. It appears to be real because shortly after the device was reported as "lost" Apple remotely deactivated the device (which was running the new 4.0 OS) before Gizmodo could get it. It's pretty much been confirmed by Gizmodo that this thing is real, and they dissected it thoroughly for us gadget heads. Here is a rundown of the features:

Super thin speakers, to match a super thin TV

Speaker Maker Definitive Technology has done it again.  Makers of the Mythos STS award winning speaker and a host of other, Definitive has come out with a new speaker designed to match the ultra slim profile of today's LED TV's.  The speaker is called the Mythos XTR-50, and it is just 1.5" thick.  As you can see in the above picture it is wall mountable, but also comes with both vertical and horizontal stands.  Each speaker comes in at $699.99.

Make the battery on your iPhone and other devices last longer.

The New York Times has an interesting article on how to increase the battery life on your everyday devices such as iPhone, Blackberry, laptop, etc. Some of them are pretty good tips. One thing they mentioned was that CDMA phones (Verizon) use more power than GSM phones (AT&T, T-Mobile) which I found interesting. I used to have Verzion and now have AT&T and already love them a lot more, I guess thats just one more reason. Read the article here:

Tricks to Keep Your Device's Battery Strong

Top 5 audio reference blu-ray discs

Following last weeks feature on the top 5 A/V receivers under $600 I've compiled a list of the 5 best Blu-Ray discs to test out your new sound system on. Now while testing a sound system you need reference audio that can accurately test the entire sound spectrum. From the highest of highs to the lowest of lows. These 5 blu rays will dazzle you with spectacular effects in a few or all areas that will make your ears orgasm.

Round Up - 5 Best AV Receivers Under $600

When looking for AV receivers, the amount of choices can be daunting.  Mid range receivers offer solid to sometimes great performance for a price that won't put you in debt.  I rounded up the top 5 mid range receivers so you don't have to.  You can thank me later.

Tek on Dek co head's workspace featured on Lifehacker

IMG_2564, originally uploaded by Tek on Dek.

Whoo! I submitted the picture of my humble unique workspace to Lifehacker's show and tell picture pool on Flickr and they chose it to feature on their site. Here is what they wrote: "Today's featured workspace is about as tiny as a workspace can get, short of calling a lapdesk and netbook a workspace. Lifehacker reader Tek on Dek has some serious space constraints to work with. In order to have room for a computer workspace as well as the rest of his life in his limited space, he opted to wall mount the whole affair and to do so with a focus on minimizing the footprint of the workspace." Check out the feature here:

Lifehacker Workspace on a Shelf

Review: Klipsch Image S4 Earbud Headphones

My second pair of Sony ear buds have failed me and I was in the market for a new pair of high end earbuds. I ran across an article on CNET that featured their top 5 best pairs of headphones. Two different earbuds made the list, the $450 Shure SE530s and the less expensive $80 Klipsch Image S4s. I chose to go with the latter as I couldn't bring myself to drop 450 dollars on a pair of earbuds I only use every now and then at work. Read the review after the break.

Sweet Laptop package

Looking for a affordable laptop package that still has some horsepower to get things done? MSI has got you covered. One of there new C series laptops, this puppy features a 15.6" lcd, an Intel Core i3 330M(2.13GHz) processor, 4gb of ram, windows 7, a 6 cell battery, and a Blu-ray drive just for kicks. All this for a the cool price of $699 (www.newegg.com).

Macbook pro tops Cnet's list of best laptops

Cnet recently composed a list of the best 5 laptops today and no surprisingly Apple's Macbook Pro tops the list once again. Macbook's have been highly touted for there solid aluminum construction, their fast respectable speeds, and excellent Apple exclusive software. HP mini also made the list twice with the HP mini 5102 and the HP mini 311. Check out the video here:

CNET Top 5 Laptops

Tek Dek Deal of the Day: PS3 Blu-Link Universal Remote (Expired)

Tek Dek Deal of the Day: PS3 Blu-Link Universal remote control made by InterWorks Unlimited. This remote features blue tooth capability for use with the Playstation 3 which is a rare trait by remotes, even the highly toted Logitech Harmony's. Has dedicated PS3 buttons like circle, square, etc. This remote has gotten high reviews and is a solid choice for anyone like me who uses a PS3 for their only DVD/Blu Ray player.

PS3 Blu-Link Universal Remote for $32.98 (next lowest price $39.99)

Software turns iPhone into portable hard drive

There is a cool application called iPhone Explorer that basically turns your iPhone into a portable drive that you can use to store anything. You can use your iPhone like you would a usb flash drive or portable plug in hard drive. Its compatible with iPod touch and the iPhone including the 3GS and newest firmare. It's 100% free and is available for mac and pc. Check it out:

iPhone Explorer

West Philly high creates 100 mpg gallon car for $10 million prize

Philly Auto Show 1, originally uploaded by Tek on Dek.

A few weeks ago the two heads of Tek on Dek went down to the Philadelphia International Auto Show at the legendary Pennsylvania Convention Center in downtown Philly. The usual big name auto companies made their usual splash with some beautiful additions to their respective lines of vehicles.

However one of the cars that caught my eye was actually made by the local West Philly High School automotive class. The team set out to create a car that was capable of achieving over 100 miles per gallon for the $10 million Progressive Insurance Automotive X Prize. They are competing with big names like Cornell University and Tesla Motors among others. They've even managed to beat out MIT in the voting so far.

They created 2 vehicles for the two categories in the contest, a 4 door economy car and a 2 door two-seater sports car (pictured above).

Tablet Computing Set to have a big 2010

For years its been either a Laptop or a Desktop, with laptops picking up more and more steam as of late. Now it appears there is another contender entering the ring. The popularity of touchscreen cell phones has helped push tablet computing into the mainstream. The announcement of the Ipad has officially cemented tablets into the lime light and soon into your hands. They fall somewhere between cell phones and notebooks. You know you don't really need one, but hey they are shiny and relatively affordable at around $500.00. So in a couple of months you will probably find yourself at an apple store handing your money to Steve Jobs (iSatan), and I will probably be right next to you. There are however some other very solid, and in some cases better alternatives to Lord Jobs' latest offering. Here are some of the top tablets coming out this year.





Apple Ipad- 1GHz Apple A4 chip, 9.7 inch capacitive touchscreen LCD, 10 hour battery, 16-64gb hard drives, 1024x768 vga resolution, wifi and optional 3G, Price: $499-$829





ExoPC- Intel atom N270 1.6GHz, 2GB DDR2 ram, 1024x600 screen resolution, 32gb SSD, Wifi, Bluetooth, 3 usb ports, runs windows 7, 1.3mp camera



Fusion Garage JooJoo- 12.1" 1366x768 lcd, 1 usb port, 1.6ghz intel atom, $499



Microsoft Courier- While specs and price are still unconfirmed, this dual screen folding tablet is one of if not the most promising of the lot to this point.


Archos 9- 1.1GHz Atom Z510, 60-120gb drives, Windows 7 Starter edition, 9" lcd, $550