GeekSugar

Weekend DIY: Touchscreen Gloves

Kelly Schwarze — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 09:09:28 PST

With the rise of smartphone popularity across wireless carriers, it's become pretty difficult to avoid a product with a touchscreen, and as the gadget enthusiasts we are, how could you now do without the swipe and pinch functions? Things get a little tricky come Winter when the heat of our touchscreen conducive fingers are hidden behind knit gloves.

You could go out and purchase texting friendly gloves or take about 15 minutes to make modified gloves of your own. CRAFTzine has a DIY that uses normal knit gloves for an at-home remedy that won't leave your digits in the cold.

Use conductive thread (which is available online) to hand sew touchscreen-ready bits directly on to the glove fingertips. See the full DIY and reference video on CRAFT's site.

Daily Tech: Samsung Releasing Transparent Laptop

GeekSugar — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 12:15:56 PST

Samsung plans to release a laptop with a transparent screen - Gizmodo
Brain scans let vegetative patients talk to researchers - Switched
Turn any room into a home theater - Unplggd
Because it's Friday: Star Trek LOLcats - io9
The Gesture Cube blows all other touchscreen devices out of the water - Dvice

Touchscreen Technology May Come to the Kindle

GeekSugar — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 15:45:00 PST

This is potentially very exciting: Amazon has purchased a startup company specializing in touchscreen technology. It plans to merge it with the Kindle hardware division, which leads one to believe that maybe the next generation Kindle will have a touchscreen. The company claims its technology can distinguish between a finger and a stylus, as well as support simultaneous touch points (oooh . . . more multitouch?)

As an avid iPhone user, I find myself trying to touch just about any screen to navigate it, including both my Kindle and my computer screen, and a touchscreen Kindle would be quite appealing. The Nook already features a color touchscreen navigation, and obviously the iPad is one giant touchscreen. While I doubt the technology will show up anytime soon, here's hoping Amazon jumps on the touchscreen train - I'd upgrade in a second!

Crazy, Awesome, Geeky Computers Spotted at a Live Concert

GeekSugar — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:05:26 PST

I'm a big live music fan, as evidenced by my love of websites for finding live music near me and my dislike of tech-related distractions like texting during shows. While at a concert last week, I stood behind the most impressive sound and lighting boards that I have ever seen!

The lighting computers on the left were operated with touchscreens. There were at least eight different screens, and watching the technician hop from computer to computer changing the lighting as the show went on was mesmerizing. Equally impressive: the sound board, on the right. I wish I could have gotten a tiny bit closer, but check out all of the knobs, switches, and colored lights. I can't pretend I know what any of them control (unless there's a master volume dial), it's interesting to watch. At times I found myself more captivated by the lighting and sound techs than the actual concert!

To check out my favorite stunning lighting scene from the show,

read more. Check out all of the different lighting elements - makes sense why there are so many controls!

Fingerless Gloves: The Cold Weather Touchscreen Solution!

GeekSugar — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 11:15:19 PST

Each week my coats seem to get a little thicker as the temperature drops, and soon it'll be time to bundle up. My pet peeve of the cold weather is trying to press buttons on the iPod and otherwise use my iPhone's touchscreen while keeping my hands warm in gloves.

A few Winters ago, I got used to just taking off my gloves when I needed to use the clickwheel (or, I'm not proud to admit, using a pair of gloves with a hole in the forefinger) on my iPod.

But this time, I'll be ready! I'm conquering the touchscreen/glove dilemma by getting into fingerless gloves. My faves are these Preference Gloves from Anthropologie that have a mitten attachment, so you're not constantly looking like a posh punk. Unless that's what you're going for.

Kashmere royal blue cashmere fingerless gloves - Sold Out	Juicy Couture Iconic Boxed Pop Top Mittens - Sold Out
Women's Convertible Mittens - Sold Out	Marc by Marc Jacobs Quincy Gloves - Sold Out
Military Fingerless Gloves - Sold Out	Unisex Acrylic Fingerless Glove - $12.00
Lauren Urstadt Knit Leather Fingerless Gloves - Sold Out	Preference Gloves - Sold Out

Do You Prefer a Physical or a Touchscreen Keyboard?

GeekSugar — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 10:00:24 PDT

When a new smartphone comes out, one of the first things I look for is whether it has a touchscreen keyboard or a physical keyboard. When T-Mobile's G1 came out, I was mildly surprised that it was physical, rather than onscreen, because I thought it may be closer in design to the iPhone.

Not to be outdone, it looks like Android will devise an onscreen keyboard for the G1 as well, leaving you with both options to type. Nice compromise!

In the meantime, tell me which one you prefer, since I know that becoming accustomed to the physical keys of a phone like the BlackBerry deterred a lot of people from the iPhone because of its touchscreen.

What do you like to type on?

CNN Goes High-Tech For Super Tuesday

GeekSugar — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 10:40:43 PST

Last night when I was watching all of the election coverage on CNN, I couldn't help but notice national correspondent John King tapping a touch-sensitive monitor to show election results across various states.

Described as the "Multi-Touch Collaboration Wall" by its inventor, Jeff Han of Perceptive Pixel, the multitouch display can to showcase animated maps, videos, photos, live streams of websites, and charts.

"It's a stupendous way to explain a lot of complicated data," says David Bohrman, chief producer of CNN's political coverage. This highly interactive display is said to cost around $100,000.

Source

Retro Radio With Touchscreen Controls

GeekSugar — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 13:00:19 PDT

We certainly expect something like the iPhone to have revolutionary touch capabilities, but what about a retro radio? Bush has just come out with this shiny black DAB digital radio with matching handle which features touch buttons instead of standard push buttons, giving it that perfect mix of vintage and modern tech.

The TR04DABBLK, which was displayed on engadget has ten DAB and FM preset stations and shows two line LCD scrolling text with a blue LED display. Each costs around $90.

You Can Never Be Too Thin: The LG Prada Phone

Kristy Korcz — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 10:35:21 PST

It's not unusual to see a designer smartphone with dumbed-down specs, but the latest entry to the designer gadget lineup seems to be packing both brains and looks. The Android-running Prada Phone by LG is a skinny one (naturally) at 8.5mm thick, and comes packed with a 4.3-inch touchscreen display, a 1.0Ghz dual-core processor for speed, 8GB of onboard storage, and an 8MP rear-facing camera so you can snap crystal clear photos of your daily outfits.

The signature Saffiano pattern on the backside adds a touch of class to the phone, while a whole range of Prada-branded extras, including a docking station, Bluetooth headset, and headphones, keep you accessorized. Unfortunately, for those of us stateside, the Prada phone will only be available in the UK for now (at a shockingly low price - free on a two-year contract), but you can fuel your dreams with a better look at the phone in the video after the break.

Hi-Tech Living at the Stovetop

Kelly Schwarze — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 06:30:50 PST

Want to add a futuristic edge to one of the more relatively primitive parts of the house? At CES, luxury appliance company Thermador introduced the Freedom Induction Cooktop, which is the first full-surface induction appliance to let you cook on any part of the surface. Position cookware of any size and shape anywhere on the stove, and get started on that complicated Winter soup you usually have too little space to make.

All those pots and pans now crammed on the Freedom Induction Cooktop are controlled with a 6.5-inch color touchscreen display that powers the heating level, cooking time, recognizes the location of each pot on the cooktop, and instantly updates as pans are moved around the surface. Now, a stove is the last place you normally want a touch panel, but the induction heating ensures the surface remains cool, while maintaining the same power as an ordinary gas stove.

The Freedom Induction Cooktop will be available July 2012, and with a $5,000 retail price, we'll list it among our luxury dream home must-haves for now. At-home chefs, would a hi-tech kitchen appliance like Thermador's new stove make it to your wish list?