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If you're noticing that your Windows laptop runs slower and crankier the older it gets -- I'm talking about your laptop here, not you or me -- it's probably because it needs a bit of maintenance. Some tender loving care will take care of most old-laptop lethargy in much the same way a routine servic...

Bicycles have seen much in the way of technological advancement in the past 150 years, and that was widely apparent on the show floor at the annual Interbike trade show in Las Vegas this week. The modern face of cycling was clearly visible in the electric-assist motors that make bicycles an optimal ...

The 2013 Atlantic hurricane season is quietly underway. Gear is available, however, that can help mitigate potential office disruption as weather ramps up. Uninterruptible power supplies are sophisticated battery-containing devices that supply backup power to desktop PCs during grid electricity outa...

Sony announced the PlayStation Vita TV for release in Japan at Monday's Sony Computer Entertainment Japan press conference. This small set-top box, which measures 6cm x10cm, is designed to serve as a multimedia streaming device that connects to Sony's upcoming PlayStation 4 game console. It will all...

From programmable robots to robotic family pets, toy robots are pushing the limits of interactive technologies. "Robotics is definitely influencing toys, and there are plenty of robots to talk about," said The Toy Insider's Laurie Schacht. With its Mindstorms robot sets, LEGO is one of the leaders ...

Google's Chromecast dongle may be built primarily to stream content from the likes of Netflix and YouTube, but that hasn't stopped app developers from expanding its reach. On Sunday, however, one such developer said that a recent Chromecast update had blocked his Android application. "Google's lates...

MakerBot last week unveiled its Digitizer desktop 3D scanner, a $1,400 device that promises to accelerate the growth of 3D printing. The Digitizer allows scanning of physical objects weighing less than about 6.5 lbs. When an item is placed on its turntable, the scanner points a pair of lasers at it,...

CROWDFUNDING SPOTLIGHT

Emotiv Promises a New Window Onto Your Brain

You likely already know the things you like to do, like watching a sporting event, as well as the things that you don't like to do, such as sitting in traffic. We all experience feelings when participating in such activities, and those feelings form the basis of a personal body of knowledge that we ...

Ubi Interactive, a graduate of the Microsoft Kinect Accelerator program, has begun taking orders for software that will turn almost any surface into a 3D touchscreen when combined with a Kinect device and a projector. Numerous companies including Microsoft and Intel have already been testing the sof...

Competition heated up in the OLED TV market Tuesday as Samsung announced it was shipping its first production model using the technology and that it would sell for $8,999. That price will choke most TV shoppers, but it's being hailed as a new low price point for displays sporting the state-of-the-ar...

CROWDFUNDING SPOTLIGHT

RAPIRO: This Little Robot Likes Raspberry Pi

A variety of factors can propel a Kickstarter project to funding success, but there's no denying that the sheer seductiveness of the product is a big one. Case in point: RAPIRO. Short for RAspberry PI RObot, RAPIRO is a super-cute humanlike mini-robot now being offered as a kit on Kickstarter. When ...

Barbie's gone digital. She's wearing a new dress outfitted with programmable LED lights that let her change her look on a whim. "Today's girl is tech-savvy, and we created a Barbie doll that utilizes technology to provide a new way to play with Barbie," said Mattel. "Girls will like this doll becaus...

The creators of the Guitar Hero video game franchise are looking to put down the plastic guitars and get pumped up instead. Specifically, RedOctane founders Kai and Charles Huang are teaming up with OpenLink founder Coleman Fung to launch Blue Goji, a new interactive fitness company. Instead of crea...

CROWDFUNDING SPOTLIGHT

VuPack Camera Mount Puts You Back in the Picture

One of the most fundamental keys to garnering interest in a democratically funded project is to propose something that people are going to seriously want. Wishy-washy concepts won't cut it -- it's got to be seductive. The svelte Pebble smartwatch is a good example of this funding technique, and it r...

It was just about a month ago that Microsoft relaxed the rules for players of its forthcoming Xbox One, and on Thursday it made a similar concession for small game developers. Specifically, in a break with past policies, the company announced that it will allow small, independent game makers to self...

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