Jul

15

2008

It’s been a crazy spring so I haven’t been writing much, but I finally got a breather from work and in a timely manner: The iPod touch Update 2.0 came out concurrent with the iPhone 3G release.  Like everyone else it was impossible for me to download it on Friday, but the next morning was another story.  A long back-up, update, and restore process followed, and some revelations: mostly good, mostly what everyone anticipated, but there are still areas were Apple clearly isn’t even trying.

(more...)
Categories:

Jun

2

2008

Ok, it’s not really a Difference Engine, but the Curta mechanical calculator is pretty cool nonetheless ... how often do you get to see the guts of a tiny mechanical adding machine?  Especially one that looks like a boutique pepper grinder?

(more...)
Categories: Computers

May

12

2008

Ok, it’s not really a Bat Cycle in the Batman sense, but it’s certainly unusual.  This is the Uno, invented by Ben J. Poss Gulak.  It’s a gyrostabilized motorcycle with the wheels side-by-side.  It seems very much like the Segway, and it also operates by leaning, but there’s no question about which device is waaay cooler than the other.

(more...)
Categories: Randomness

Apr

27

2008



I started skateboarding years and years ago and have watched the boards get bigger and bigger but, overall, the technology was pretty much the same.  Then I saw a Flowboard in a sporting goods store.

The Flowboard is unique to say the least: It has 14 wheels, 7 at each end.  The trucks are completely rigid.  Instead of pivoting against a spring or cushion as most skateboards do, the Flowboard puts a set of wheels along an rigid steel arc that is perhaps 60 degrees from perpendicular to the board.  This makes the each wheel have a slightly greater angle than the next as you move out from the center.  Instead of pushing against a spring to turn, then, you roll from one set of wheels to another.  The greater the tilt of the board, the greater the angle between the wheels and the sharper it turns.

(more...)
Categories: Randomness

Apr

10

2008

For most of the last week I have been talking about the e-book market and the design and day-to-day use of Amazon’s Kindle reader.  Today I’m going to wrap up my series on the Kindle by talking about the process of obtaining books for the thing, and touch on a few of its features outside of its main raison d’etre.

So, what is it like to get books for the thing?

(more...)
Categories: Entertainment

Apr

9

2008

Over the last several days I’ve talked about the publishing environment that the Kindle was introduced into, about the technologies that make it possible, and its physical design.  Today we get to the thing most people really care about: Is it nice to read with, or does it suck?  And how hard is it to load up with books?

(more...)
Categories: Entertainment

Apr

8

2008

Yesterday I spoke a little about the basic qualities that I thought can make a successful e-book reader, and why the Amazon Kindle does a much better job at it than anything else to date.  Today I want to talk about the actual design of the device and what it’s like to live with it day-to-day.

(more...)
Categories: Entertainment

Apr

7

2008

The Kindle is Amazon’s bid for the e-book market, and their first-ever consumer electronics device.  Yesterday I looked into the history of e-book readers to see what failed and why.  Today I am going to look at what Amazon did to overcome the challenges of providing a commercially successful e-book technology.

(more...)
Categories: Entertainment

Apr

7

2008

Back on the “cool robot” theme, here’s someone that did not consult with their legal department before reprogramming the factory robot.

My first thought was, “What could possibly go wrong?” I think I would have put a little more space between my head and the floor and walls....

(more...)
Categories: Randomness

Apr

6

2008

Over the next few days I’m going to be doing an in-depth review of Amazon’s Kindle, a device that has alternatively been described as hopeless, the future of reading, and even (I kid you not) “sexy.” The truth is, of course, somewhere between the extremes.

Unlike almost everyone else who has written about the Kindle, I bought one in the first five minutes after they went on sale.  Given the poor showing of previous e-book readers, and the $400 price tag, I was very surprised when it sold out in a matter of hours.  I thought I was going to me one of the few fools to spend that kind of money on it, especially given the poor showing of the superficially similar Sony Readers.  Despite many reviewers questioning the whole point of buying an e-book reader, the Kindle has remained on back-order for months.  This implies that there was considerable pent-up demand waiting for the proper product.

(more...)
Categories: Entertainment


1 of 2  1 2 >

Blog Description

This is a blog about gadgets that strike a geek's fancy. Computers big and small, accessories, silly toys, cameras, neat things I stumble upon around the net, and maybe even a few bicycle or motorcycle bits thrown in for flavor.

About Jim Frost

Jim Frost is a software engineer by trade, with expensive side-interests in photography, motorcycling and bicycling. From his earliest years his dad called him a "knob twister," a result of spending way too much time playing with anything that had knobs on it. That developed into a tinkering hobby, CB radio, writing code for all manner of computers, and eventually into a collection of many interesting and unusual gadgets.

About Jetdrop

Jetdrop is a community for gadget-loving people, people who are gearheads, technophiles, audiophiles, shutterbugs, early adopters, trendsetters, and other geeks. Be part of the community and express yourself!

Categories


Archives


Complete Archives

RSS