diy
Pixel Qi netbook display replacement kit finally on sale
You’ve waited and waited and, let’s face it, waited for this day to arrrive. Now Pixel Qi’s 10.1-inch display is available for DIY types looking to swap out their LCD for a dual-mode reflective Qi display capable of slipping into a power-sipping e-paper mode that’s visible even in direct sunlight. It’s only certified to work with Samsung N130 and Lenovo S10-2 machines but we’re sure you’ll figure out how to slide this pup into the Acer or ASUS netbook of your dreams.
Microsoft hints at touchless Surface combining camera and transparent OLED (video)
We’ve always wondered whether Microsoft’s multitouch table would actually ever arrive , dreaming of Minority Report hijinx all the while, but after seeing what the company’s Applied Sciences Group is currently cooking up — a touchless telepresence display — we’d rather drop that antiquated pinch-to-zoom stuff in favor of what might be Surface’s next generation. Starting with one of Samsung’s prototype transparent OLED panels , Microsoft dropped a sub-two-inch camera behind the glass, creating a 3D gesture control interface that tracks your every move by literally seeing through the display. Combined with that proprietary wedge-shaped lens we saw earlier this month and some good ol’ Johnny Chung Lee headtracking by the man himself, we’re looking at one hell of a screen.
White iPhone 4: early DIY edition, with a touch of black
Sorry, we couldn’t wait — having spent 11 hours on the streets waiting for the iPhone 4 , it’s only natural to give our precious new toy some extra special care. With the help of iFixit’s teardown guide , we decided to take the plunge with our steaming hot Chinese delivery — a white front cover (with a shiny proximity sensor area above the earpiece), a white back cover (with “XXXXX” marked as the model number, ergo a prototype), and a Retina Display unit
USB typewriter goes ‘clackity clackity clack DING’ (video)
You can keep your Optimus and Das Keyboard clickers: nothing compares to the pure, physical, carpal tunnel-inducing feel of a manual typewriter. If you want to bring that feel to your new-age gadget, Jack Zylkin can deliver it, able to convert your Royal Standard to USB standard, and plenty of other brands too. The system works by having the keys strike a board and create a circuit which is then piped out of a ubiquitous A-Type connector
Steampunk Arduino Watch tells time, plays Breakout, thrills the world
We’ve seen no shortage of homegrown watches in our lifetime, and the quantity of Arduino -based gadgetry that graces the web each day might just outnumber the quantity of humans incensed by BP right now.
Homebrew MIDI controller takes performance to a new, flashier level (video)
While programs like Ableton Live have truly democratized electronic music making , most hardware interfaces can’t hold a candle style-wise to traditional instruments (or even the MIDI gear of the Awesome 80s ). Rather than merely bemoan this depressing fact, however, a musician from Zurich named Zander has built his own controller — and it’s truly a thing of beauty.
