Clean Your Keyboard: The Virashield UV Sanitizer

Tech Light — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 19:00:00 -0700

We've all seen the studies- keyboards and cell phones generally contain more germs on their surface than a toilet seat. Kind of a disturbing statistic, if you think about it. I mean, we're putting our hands and faces on and against these things for what sometimes amounts to hours at a time. The potential number of illnesses you can pick up in this way is staggering, to say the least. And the fact is, disinfectant wipes can only do so much. Sure, they get rid of bacteria, but...there's more than just bacteria lurking on our electronics.

A company called Virwall Systems believe it has the answer.

Five Innovations That Changed Video Games

Tech Light — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 14:54:31 -0800

One can't argue that the gaming industry has produced its fair share of innovative products. Video games have changed a lot since the days of pong - the technological advances on this list are among the chief innovations that have propelled us from Pac Man to Crysis, and beyond.

The World's First Computer: The Antikythera Mechanism

Tech Light — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 20:30:00 -0700

If someone were to ask you to name the world's oldest computer, you'd probably mention The Babbage Engine, Konrad Zuse's Z3 or The UK's Colossus. If you were asked when humanity built the first computing device, your estimates wouldn't go higher than a few hundred years or so.

What if I told you that there exists a computer system that was operational almost two thousand years ago?

The Five Coolest Computer Mice

Tech Light — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 22:35:25 -0700

It seems like the design of computer peripherals has evolved beyond a simple business process into a form of art all its own. Unless you're scraping about and buying the cheapest stuff on the market, virtually everything's become stylized in some way- particularly computer mice. Here's some of the coolest I've seen while wandering about the internet.

Quiet Dignity: Asus's Geforce GT520 Silent

Tech Light — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 22:56:38 -0700

Some pretty cool news from Asus this week, in the form of a new Nvidia card. The Nvidia GT520 Silent is a passively cooled graphics card, meaning that, as the name suggests, it's completely, well, silent. Not that graphics cards generally make a great deal of noise to begin with- or maybe I'm just desensitized to the sound of a computer's cooling system kicking in. I'd also venture to guess that the passive cooling system also means that the new piece of hardware ultimately consumes less power, as well.

Now, we've but one question left to answer- what can this new product do?

What Makes The Razer Switchblade Awesome

Tech Light — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 10:57:17 -0800

If you're into PC gaming, you've probably heard about Razer. Founded in the 1990s, Razer USA is responsible for designing and producing some of the best gaming mice on the market. In 2009, they started making peripherals, as well- these too were met with positive reception.Fact is, these people know what they're doing when it comes to computer games.

Recently, they've announced plans to design a gaming laptop.

The Fastest Blu Ray Burner Ever, By Asus

Tech Light — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 22:29:01 -0700

Far as Blu Ray goes, there's a new kid on the block. Asus recently launched a USB 3.0 Blu Ray burner, and it's looking like this handy little device is going to crush the competition in terms of both speed, and...well, just plain looking good. Don't believe me? Have a look at what it can do.

Microsoft To Bring Kinect To The PC

Tech Light — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 11:41:45 -0700

It should come as no surprise that with the way tablets have been dominating the computer market, traditional PCs are suffering. Really, it's kind of been happening for a while, particularly now that mobile computing is beginning to catch up to desktop computing in the one area desktops have always dominated: power. Fact is, the traditional desktop just doesn't carry as much clout as it used to, and the devs know it. Many are wracking their brains, asking "how can we revitalize the floundering PC market?

Microsoft thinks it might have the answer.

The Acer Iconia Tab A500

Tech Light — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 23:36:32 -0700

Seems like this summer, tablet computers are all the rage. We've got another recently released product to look at today, this one made by Acer. The Iconia Tab A500 hit the markets this past week at a very reasonable price. It's only $450.00, a full fifty less than the starting price of the Ipad 2.

But what exactly does that $450.00 get you? Let's find out, shall we?

Dell's 2011 Tablet Roadmap

Tech Light — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 23:25:37 -0700

On Friday, Dell's 2011 Tablet Release Roadmap was leaked- and it contains some rather interesting information: namely the specs for the Dell Streak Pro, Dell Latitude XT3 and Dell Latitude ST...and the release dates for all three. Now, I'm sure you're all wondering if you should really care- I mean, the Dell Streak was a flop, right?

Well, from here, it looks as though Dell is planning on making up for that.

Lenovo's Android Thinkpad Tablet Leaked

Tech Light — Sun, 24 Apr 2011 20:19:58 -0700

For those of you who are fans of Lenovo, I've got good news, and I've got great news. The good news is that Lenovo's Lepad and Ideapad U1 are still releasing this summer; they're likely slated for an international release in July. The great news is that the Lepad isn't the only Tablet Lenovo's got in the works. Very recently, the specs and release date for a new Android 3.0 tablet have been leaked.

It's looking pretty decent so far.

Toshiba's New Laptop Offers Glasses Free 3D

Tech Light — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 19:27:10 -0700

Toshiba's got a very cool notebook on the horizon. They've christened it the Dynabook Qosmio T851/D8CR, and it may well be one of the most unique Toshiba products I've seen to date. What's so unique about it? It's the first laptop that allows for glasses-free 3D viewing. Sounds pretty awesome, no?

Let's take a closer look.

The Razer Hydra And Portal 2

Tech Light — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 08:39:33 -0700

Like it or not, motion control's been kind of a big deal in gaming lately. We've got the Nintendo Wii, Sony Move, and the Microsoft Kinect. I suppose there's just something about being able to game with a gesture that enchants us. Two days ago, Razer announced that motion control is finally coming to the PC, via the Razer Hydra. If that's not enough to grab you, it's going to come bundled with Portal 2.

Shall we see what Razer's got in store for us?

The Toshiba Regza AT300

Tech Light — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 23:41:31 -0700

For those of you who keep up with tech news, you'll remember Toshiba saying something about a new tablet they had in the works way back in January some time. Well, they've now announced a price, a release date, technical specifications, and a name: They've christened their tablet the Toshiba Regza AT300.

Shall we find out what Toshiba's got in store for us?

Dell Reconnect Breaks An Ecycling Record

Tech Light — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 20:54:15 -0700

And now, for something completely different from my usual fare. It's always nice to see people making an effort to reduce our ecological footprint- and through a partnership with Goodwill Industries, that's just what Dell's been doing.

The Blackberry Playbook

Tech Light — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 20:27:27 -0700

Nowadays, seems like the tablet market is the place to be. Every company that's even remotely involved in mobile computing is making one, and RIM(the company responsible for the Blackberry line of products) is certainly no exception. They've got a product in the works known as the "Blackberry Playbook".

Can it take on the current market king, the Ipad 2?

Alienware M14X and M18X: Landing Very Soon

Tech Light — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 21:43:05 -0700

Alienware fans, rejoice. Dell's in the process of planning the launch for the Alienware M14X and Alienware M18X, which will likely be happening very, very soon. It won't be long until you can actually get your hands on one of these two beastly machines.

Razer Switchblade To Release First In China

Tech Light — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 15:36:42 -0700

For all you Razer fans out there, I've got a spot of good news. Remember the Razer Switchblade that was first previewed at CES 2011? Well, Razer's in the process of planning the product's launch.

The Asus Eee Pad Transformer

Tech Light — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 21:49:15 -0700

For those of you who don't know, Asus has had a pretty nifty looking tablet PC in the works for a while now. I'm sure that's rather old news for most of you, however- it was given an official launch on March 25. So why am I revisiting it now?

Well, for one, Asus has announced an official release date.

The Alienware M18X

Tech Light — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 22:29:09 -0700

For those of you who like your laptops to be larger than life, Dell's added a new big brother to the Alienware family. The behemoth M18X boasts an 18.4 inch screen, making it one of Alienware's largest desktop replacements to date. Now, I know what you're thinking here: That sort of size comes with a lot of power, doesn't it?

Oh yeah.

Share And Share Alike: The Open Compute Project

Tech Light — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 17:44:24 -0700

Facebook's become a social media giant since its inception in 2004. Nowadays, it seems nearly impossible to find someone who hasn't at least heard of it. But CEO Mark Zuckerberg isn't content with just social media. Facebook's going to expand into computer hardware.

Yes, you read that right.

The Phone That's A Laptop: The Motorola Atrix

Tech Light — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 23:21:54 -0700

That looks like an ordinary smartphone at first glance, doesn't it? Sure, it's probably got a few nifty features, but it's nothing reallly unique, is it? Guess again. The Motorola Atrix is actually a phone, laptop, and media server all bunched into one pocket-sized package.

And it's got some pretty nifty features.

The Stealth LPC-670

Tech Light — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 12:00:00 -0700

That picture looks more like a router than a PC, doesn't it? Well,it's definitely a computer, make no mistake. That device there is the Stealth LPC-670: the latest in Stealth Computer's line of "little pcs" . And it's proof that big things do indeed come in small packages.

The Asus Lamborghini VX7: Now With Sandy Bridge

Tech Light — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 18:50:03 -0700

When you think of a Lamborghini, what's the first thing that comes to mind? The Italian line of sports cars, most likely. Why not a computer? First announced in 2006, Asus's line of Lamborghini laptops have done the names of both companies justice- delivering high performance and power along with top quality aesthetic design. Recently, Asus has upgraded their Lamborghini VX7 model with Intel's new Sandy Bridge microarchitecture.

What does that mean for the VX7?

Feeling Sick? IBM Could Help

Tech Light — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 19:27:54 -0700

If any of you have ever played the Metal Gear Solid series, you'll remember that a lot of the soldiers had microscopic robots known as nanites in their bloodstream, which served to keep them healthy-recycling waste, destroying bacteria, all that fun stuff. That sounds like some absurd pipe dream from the realm of science fiction, doesn't it?

Tell that to IBM. They just took the first step in developing the technology.

The Sapphire HD 6790

Tech Light — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 18:00:00 -0700

Sapphire's new video card, the HD 6790, released yesterday. People are buzzing all over about it, and a lot of people are positively enthralled. Personally, I can't really blame them- Sapphire Technology is the largest manufacturer and supplier of graphics hardware for a reason. But then, even the best can make mistakes, and talk is cheap. How does the new graphics card actually stack up?

Dell's Alienware M14X Specifications Leaked

Tech Light — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 10:59:57 -0700

Recently, some of the specifications for Dell's new Alienware M14X gaming laptop were leaked onto the 'net. So far, it's sounding like a pretty sweet deal.

Commodore Recreates the C64 For A New Generation

Tech Light — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 23:45:00 -0700

The Commodore 64 was more than a computer. It was the symbol of an entire generation, and still tops the charts as the best selling PC of all time. Many who lived and gamed in the 80s will have fond memories of the device, and it ran thousands of games- a lot of those games are still being played today.

Enthusiasts will be happy to know that Commodore plans to bring the old machine back.

Douglas Engelbart: Inventor Of The Mouse

Tech Light — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 21:30:00 -0700

Today, we're taking a look at Douglas Engelbart- one of the forefathers of modern computing. One of his most famous invention is a mouse. It's pretty clear to anyone who's used a computer what sort of influence that device had. Truth is, if it weren't for Engelbart, computers would likely have evolved in a very different direction.

Five Reasons To Use A Solid State Hard Drive

Tech Light — Sat, 02 Apr 2011 15:00:00 -0700

SSDs- Solid State Drives-are here to stay. And while they may not quite have as much storage space as standard hard drives yet, they're certainly catching up fast. But why should you bother using one over more traditional hard drives?

There are actually quite a few reasons why Solid State is the better choice.