Sticky keys begone! The Logitech K310 washable keyboard

Logitech has released the K310, its first washable keyboard.

We’re not just talking about “splash proof” either — you can take the K310, immerse it in up to 30cm of water (12in), and give it a good scrub. The only limitation is you can only use standard washing up liquid — oh, and Logitech says you should try to keep the USB connector out of the water, too. Once you’ve washed the keyboard, simply leave it to dry. The user guide says it takes eight hours to air dry, and that you shouldn’t use a hair dryer. There are actually drainage holes on the backside of the K310, to help speed things along.

Beyond being washable, the K310  is a standard 104/105-key USB PC keyboard, with soggy rubber dome switches (boo). The switches are rated at five million cycles (yay), and the keys are laser cut so that the letters don’t fade — if only washing clothes was so easy. The specs don’t list Mac OS X as a supported OS, but in all likelihood the K310 works just fine. Don’t try putting your Mac in the sink, though — if it’s been at least 9 months, you’re probably better off just buying a new one.

Logitech is actually fairly late to the washable keyboard party. HP, Kensington, and Unotron have all had washable keyboards on the market for a while — but in general, these are dull, black, clunky units that seem more oriented towards industrial and medical settings. It also isn’t clear if these are open-air units (like normal keyboards), or if they’re sealed (like the keyboards you’ve seen in McDonald’s). The Logitech keyboard, on the other hand, is quite attractive and looks just like a normal, consumer-oriented keyboard.

So, there you have it — if you regularly spill Coke or other sticky and/or goopy fluids on your keyboard, or if you regularly shed a lot of body hair (like me), grab a Logitech K310. It goes on sale at the end of the month for $40. If you’ve never spilled Coke on your keyboard before, Logitech has provided a helpful, demonstrative video:

click here for more offer

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Mountain Lion May Be Hurting Your MacBook’s Battery Life

Mountain Lion broke all kinds of recordswhen it was released and is now on millions of Macs. It was only a matter of time, however, before somebody found a problem. Mac OS X is generally pretty solid, but a few little issues seem to always slip through.

One of those little issues reared its ugly head last week as MacBook owners began to find that their batteries were just not holding out like they used to. While it could be blamed on a hardware malfunction, the problem only appears to affect those who have upgraded to Mountain Lion. Unless thousands of people simultaneously ran into battery problems, it’s probably an issue with the operating system itself.

Ars Technica decided to run a few tests to see just how bad the battery life was under Mountain Lion. The test revealed that the new retina display MacBook Pro would lasts a little over eight hours on Lion. With Mountain Lion installed, the battery would never last beyond five hours.

According to a user on the official Apple forums, an Apple rep told him that the problem is indeed originating from the software. The company is currently creating a fix and will distribute it via patch on the App Store once it’s finished.

It’s a relief that it’s only the OS causing the problem. A hardware malfunction on such a massive scale would have embarrassing for Apple. If you find yourself not being able to wait for the release of the patch, you can try a few of these solutions: repair your disk permissions and access control lists, reinstall Dropbox or reset GateKeeper so that it allows apps to install from any source.

Nothing is worse than decreased battery life on laptops. We’ll let you know when the patch is available so that you can get back to eight hour marathons of Mac bliss without having to plug it into the wall.

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The Internet Is Slowly Getting Faster Around The World

With the advent of Google Fiber in Kansas City, we’re all now wanting a world with faster Internet. The traditional ISPs in the U.S. are slowly expanding their services, but some may think that they’re not moving fast enough. There’s also the issue of consumers in the U.S. paying way too much for much too little.

While there is little consolation for our Internet woes, there is some hope in the form of a new study from Akamai. The company published “The State of the Internet Report” and the findings are pretty interesting. The study looks at how the Internet has grown in the world, and in the U.S., in the first quarter of 2012.

In a bit of sad opening news, the U.S. is not even in the top 10 of global average Internet speeds. The average speed in the U.S. is a paltry 6.7 Mbps. South Korea is obviously the winner with an average speed of 15.7 Mbps. The U.S. shouldn’t feel too bad though as our average speed is actually up 29 percent year-over-year. South Korea’s speed is only up 9.4 percent year-over-year, and actually down 1.5 percent quarter-over-quarter.

The U.S. fairs much better when looking at the peak Internet speeds. The U.S. is in eighth place with a peak speed of 28.7 Mbps. Hong Kong takes the top spot this time with a peak speed of 49.3 Mbps. South Korea is not far behind though with a peak speed of 47.8 Mbps. It’s important to note that the U.S. is once again growing in this area with 35 percent growth year-over-year.

The best news for the U.S. is the growth of high broadband, which Akimai defines as having a connection of 10 Mbps or higher. Fifteen percent of U.S. citizens are at that high broadband mark which doesn’t seem like much. The growth tells an entirely different story, however, with 95 percent growth year-over-year. Unfortunately, South Korea has to win again with 53 percent of their citizens being at high broadband. Their growth is also higher at 97 percent year-over-year.

Things get really interesting when you look at the U.S. on a state-by-state basis. Delaware has the fastest average speed in the country with an average of 10.2 Mbps. That’s an increase of 58 percent year-over-year. Washington state brings up the rear with an average speed of 7.9 Mbps.

Delaware leads the pack again in peak connection speeds of 43.4 Mbps. It’s an increase of 44 percent year-over-year. Unlike the global peak connection speeds, there is no real correlation to the average connection speeds. Much of the peak connection speeds actually come from the Northeast with states like Vermont, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Massachusetts making up most of the list.

The Northeast wins again when it comes to the adoption of high broadband. Delaware is the winner again with 33 percent of its citizens having access to Internet at 10 Mbps or higher. The rest of the list is populated by Northeastern states except for Washington state bringing up the rear with 21 percent adoption.

As for regular broadband adoption of over 4 Mbps, the Northeast is the winner again. An amazing 92 percent of Delaware residents have Internet over 4 Mbps with the lowest being only 68 percent in the District of Columbia. The growth at this point is slower though with Delaware only seeing growth of 14 percent year-over-year.

So what does this all mean? The Internet is getting faster around the world. The U.S. is actually increasing its average speed by a lot, but there’s still a lot of work to be done. It’s pretty pitiful that nobody outside of the Northeast, sans Washington state, is represented in the state breakdown.

Regardless, it’s a good sign that the Internet and speed are both growing throughout the U.S. and the world. It may not be growing as fast as we want it to, but it’s there. If Google brings Fiber outside of Kansas City, the U.S. might be able to better compete with the world. It will at least be interesting to see if Kansas or Missouri shows up on this report once Google Fiber launches. A few thousand homes with 1 Gbps connections might help even the odds.

If you want to see the report in full with breakdowns of all the major global markets, check out the study on Akimai’s Web site. It should be pointed out that they do require you to register with them to check out the study.

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This Robot Worm Looks Like A Chinese Finger Trap

There are multiple robots out there that can perform a variety of functions. Just yesterday, we saw a robot that can perform Jewish mourning rituals. If a robot can perform religious rites, surely it can also move like a worm. Researchers at MIT, Harvard and Seoul National University must have thought the exact same thing.

Meet Meshworm, it’s a robot that’s encased in a “flexible, meshlike tube that makes up its body.” The inside of the robot is controlled by what the researchers call “artificial muscle” that’s made up of wire made from nickel and titanium. It moves by using heat to stretch and contract the wires. Here’s the meshworm in action:

While I think the robot looks more like a Chinese finger trap, the scientists say the design is meant to mimic the lowly earthworm. They say that earthworms, snails and sea cucumbers move through a process called peristalsis. By that, they mean that the worm moves by “alternatively squeezing and stretching muscles along the length of their bodies.”

What makes the Meshworm so unique, beyond its movement, is that its more resilient than a regular earthworm. You can step on Meshworm and it will keep on moving. The materials that make up the robot can’t be damaged so easily as they’re made of soft materials that are meant to bend under pressure.

So what could Meshworm mean for the future of robotics? It would make robots more versatile and able to stand more damage than their counterparts. The scientists at MIT specifically mention these robots as being able to “explore hard-to-reach spaces and traverse bumpy terrain.”

What may be the most interesting part about this robot is that the scientists say it’s showing signs of “body morphing capability.” For all the futurists terrified of a robot controlled future, this is where you start to get afraid. If a robot is suitably soft enough, it could potentially mold itself into any object. The robot might even be your next door neighbor – mild mannered Mr. Johnson. I bet you never thought he was a robot, but he never thought the cute caterpillar was a robot either until it was too late.

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Want A Cheap 3D Printer? Back This Kickstarter

3D printers are pretty amazing, but they have one weakness – the cost. A decent 3D printer is going to run you anywhere between $1,750 to $10,000. One of the best 3D printers on the market in terms of value is the Makerbot, but it’s still pretty expensive. A new Kickstarter aims to fix that.

Matt Strong of Pleasant Grove, UT, wants to start a company that makes TangiBot. He’s not ashamed to call it a Makerbot clone, but he says that his 3D printer will cost 33 percent less. He started a Kickstarter to raise the funds necessary to start a company that can begin selling the Tangibot.

Here’s how Strong describes the Tangibot:

The TangiBot is a Makerbot Replicator clone. It offers the same great performance and features of the Makerbot Replicator but it costs roughly 2/3 what Makerbot charges you for it. Depending on the model you buy that is anywhere from $550-700 off! TangiBot is 100% compatible with all Makerbot Replicator firmware upgrades, parts and accessories. The only difference between the TangiBot and the Makerbot Replicator is that the TangiBot is NOT made by Makerbot.

Strong says that the similarity between the two 3D printers will give the TangiBot a thriving community at launch. Since it can do everything that Makerbot can, it has the advantage of being able to pull from the preexisting Makerbot community for ideas, parts and models.

So how much is Strong wanting for this project? He estimates that he’ll need $500,000 to start the company. Since the company will only be making 3D printers, the rewards for backers are 3D printers. If you want to back the company, you’re going to need at least $1,200 for the first 3D printer reward tier.

If you find yourself not wanting to part with that much, you can still donate anywhere between $10 to $50 to become a donor. There are three levels for donors from bronze to gold. The silver and gold donors will have a 3D printed TangiBot medallion delivered to them. It’s not much in the way of consolation, but 3D printers are expensive. At $1,200, the Plywood TangiBot is a bargain.

If you want to get your very own cheap 3D printer or just help support the cause, you can head on over to the TangiBot Kickstarter. He only has 30 backers and has only managed to raise $15,400 since starting, but the project still has 25 days to go. If enough people show interest, he can easily raise the amount needed.

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Facebook Introduces The Payer Promotion API

Facebook has been playing around with Payer Promotion for a while now. It lets app developers on Facebook offer special discounts on in-game items to first-time players and other eligible users. Facebook claims that it helps to increase payer conversion and revenue. Now they’re making it easier for everybody to implement.

Facebook is launching the Payer Promotion API today. It will automatically look at a player and decide if they’re eligible for discounted Facebook credits or free items. Payer Promotion is subsidized by Facebook so you don’t have to worry about any hits to your own revenue.

The new API makes thing easier because the old Payer Promotion was implemented using a DeaSpot unit. Besides judging the eligibility of a player for the promotion, the API also allows the creation of custom units to showcase the offer. To show off the new API in action, Facebook provides an example from KIXEYE’s War Commander:

Facebook claims that KIXEYE saw an 18 percent growth in payer conversion and an eight percent growth in revenue since implementing the new Payer Promotion API. It’s easy to see why as people love sales. A lot of people play Facebook games without paying a cent. If you offer them a deal, they might just spend a few bucks to get that next item. After the initial payment, you have them hooked until they can pull themselves away from your game.

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Somebody Wants Anonymous To Hack The Curiosity Mars Rover

The Curiosity Mars Rover landing is one of the most significant engineering and scientific events of the year. The guys at NASA are super proud and we are all lucky to see the beautiful photos it’s sending back. It seems like nothing could go wrong, right?

PC Magazine is reporting that a rogue element is requesting members of Anonymous to join in on his latest escapade – hacking the NASA control center that’s in charge of Curiosity. Suitably, the person is going by the name of “MarsCuriosity” and has been asking Anonymous members in Madrid, Spain or Cabarra for help.

So what exactly does he want to do? For now, he wants to “isolate the huge control signal used for the Mars Odyssey/Curiosity system.” He needs the “base frequency and recordings/feed for the huge signal going out.” He says that the signal being sent to Curiosity can be “spoofed both ways.” That could either mean that he wants to send NASA bogus video footage or send bogus instructions to Curiosity. Either way, it wouldn’t be good.

As PC Magazine points out, however, MarsCuriosity may not even be a member of Anonymous. He could just be somebody looking to make a name for himself and he wants to enlist members of Anonymous into the operation. They also point out that it’s unlikely such a hack would ever take place even if he were to get help from a few members within Anonymous.

It’s still a strange what-if kind of scenario. Hacking is commonplace now and it’s only a matter of time before something big happens. The media coverage that the Curiosity has received thus far makes it a perfect target for a hacker hoping to get famous. Here’s hoping it doesn’t come to that though. I would like to think that members within Anonymous would have enough smarts to not mess with NASA or the advancement of science for something shallow like fame.

moderntricks

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Listening to Music Can Improve Your Health..HOW..??

In this 21st century, we have lots of advancements which are altering our ways of enjoying the basic things which get unnoticed now a day. One of them is the iPods and music players people have in their hands while ear buds in their ears. The way of enjoying music has become totally advanced and thus to get able to enjoy just about any example of recorded music.

According to medical professionals , listening music is good for the body and for soul too. Here, with that in mind, there are eight ways which can redefine listening to music that can  improve your health.

Increases endurance:

There’s a cause why your jazzercise teacher plays Lady Gaga songs at the same time as putting you throughout your paces. At the same time as exercising, matching your physical movement to the tempo of up-beat music builds up your endurance by dropping the feeling of physical effort. Music through a steady, up-tempo groove tricks you into forgetting how you’re working up a sweat. Your body in addition uses its energy more competently when it’s moving in time to the beat.

Lowers blood pressure:

Presently as music be able to help to obtain your heart pumping, it be able to also slow it down  ,lowering your blood pressure and relieving nervousness and even physical discomfort and pain. Music with the purpose of is slow in tempo, as well as some examples of classical or new age music, be able to have the same metronomic effect on the body as up-tempo music, promoting relaxation and lowering the level of cortisol, a stress hormone that can contribute to high blood pressure.

Calms Alzheimer’s patients:

Neurologist and author Oliver Sacks writes on the subject of the profound effect of music on patients suffering from Alzheimer’s and other neurological diseases. Alzheimer’s patients frequently become extra relaxed and fewer anxious at the same time as listening to music, but extra dramatically, some are capable to regain, organize, and clearly articulate their memories. Even if music therapy can’t reverse or make well the dementia connected with Alzheimer’s, it is able to recover the mood of a person with the disease and in some cases, temporarily lessen their wandering and restlessness.

Changes moods:

Music has a shortest and deep effect on a listener’s feelings. Time set sideways for listening to music is from time to time approved by doctors to help treat people with depression, as doing so can calm down and motivate a patient to speak more freely about their symptoms and probable causes. Listening to definite styles, bands, or not necessarily comforting songs help a patient face, process, and accept difficult or unpleasant reminiscences and emotions. Singing and performing music has also exposed to have a curing effect on people suffering from depression.

Improves stroke recovery:

Music is able to play a significant role in the revival procedure of victims of stroke and brain injuries. Listening to music can recover a patient’s ability to focus for the period of physical therapy. Singing music can aid in the revival of verbal memory and speech. Arizona congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who was shot in the head, was capable to sing before being able to speak. Gifford’s is just one case study surrounded by many where singing helped to make new speech pathways to a patient’s injured and damaged brain.

Reduces pain:

A number of learning shows that listening to music is able to reduce the experience of physical pain. Some hospitals employ a licensed music therapist to play or sing for patients before, for the duration of, or after chemotherapy or other correspondingly uncomfortable dealings, to help improve their anxiety and pain. Music therapy knows how to shift the patient’s focus away from their discomfort and encourage the body to struggle the amount of anxiety hormones it is producing.

Eases Parkinson’s disease symptoms:

Neurologist and author Oliver Sacks has expressed music as “very, very crucial” for patients with Parkinson’s syndrome, a degenerative disorder of the body’s central nervous system. At the same time as listening to music, some Parkinson’s patients, even those with extra advanced symptoms, experience progress in their motor skills as well as voice and speech functions. Sacks specially points to tempo in music as being in particular prevailing in treatment, as it can offer Parkinson’s patients with a secure, regular rhythm their body has lost.

Encourages healthy sleep:

It look like with the purpose of in our customs, the admired result to therapeutic be asleep disorders similar to insomnia is a drug, in particular a drug with plenty of side sound effects.

It’s exciting that in any case two admired instruction drugs for treating insomnia, Ambien and Sonata, are both named after a style and form of music correspondingly. Playing music an hour previous to bedtime, mainly softer types of music with slower tempos, has verified to be helpful in conditioning those who have a medical condition from insomnia to slowly but surely calm down and go down to asleep. Although what in particular should you listen to?

You may endeavor Insomnia, and folder of peaceful music by Erik Satie, Richard Strauss, John Cage and others, marvelously performed by violinist Gordon Kremer and harpist Yaoko Noshino. Nevertheless every insomniac experiences their symptoms in a different way, and music must be selected and introduced as treatment as a result.

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20 Best Free Sites To Send And Receive Large Files Securely

Online file sharing is a great concept in today’s world where everything is turning into cloud technology be it music, Cloud OS, Chrome app store etc. It helps you to store information digitally available to everyone you want in any part of the world. Everyone is spending their most of the time sitting next to computer rather than working in the market.

So, you have two options to proceed with the work : Email and online file storage. Due to small capacity to send large files in email, online file sharing comes into the limelight.Online file sharing allows you send large files such as CDR, PSD, AI, PDF etc, that you cannot send by normal email service. Files sent by these technology is speedy, reliable and secure.

Online File Sharing are free to use and gives a better option of saving and sending large file securely. So, in this article, I am sharing 20 best free online file sharing sites that allows you to share large files with your family, friends and colleagues. Some of these services allows you toshare large files freely while some had some restrictions with free accounts.

1. Yousendit

2. DivShare

3. MediaFire

4. 4shared

5. Sendspace

6. Box

7. Dropbox

8. Drop.io

9. Adrive

10. Sendthisfile

11. Pando

12. Transferbigfiles

13. Dropsend

14. Mail Big File

15. Senduit

16. Driveway

17. Streamfile

18. Wikisend

19. Bigupload

20. Files2u

Don’t visit

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5 Most Bizarre Gadgets for the iPhone

All right, the iphone Touch b*a and a characteristic a slot for the gadget which looks somewhat uncomfortable, especially if any category of physical activity is implicated.

With the purpose of it is just one of the many bizarre iPhone gadgets that are on the market today. I’ve gathered some of the most bizarre and unusual gadgets for the iPhone. Let us know which one do you like and which one is the most bizarre iPhone gadgets from the list below.

Ball Case

Need to protect your iPhone from everyday cuts and scrapes? Have a soft spot in your heart for testicles? Just feel like your iPhone needs betesticling?

Presenting phone balls…. maybe not a revolution in protective silicone cases, but we think a pretty fun way to show your support for those little fell as that give us so much.

Whether male or female, chances are you have been touched by a pair of balls in your life…. don’t you want to touch me back?

Besides being a real gas at social gatherings, these are great silicone cases. They really fit snuggly, they “nestle to the goods”…

Features

• Provides a little something to tug on.We play with ‘em all the time.
• Protects your data port from dirt and dust, yet easy to tuck back when you need to connect
• Soft, grippe silicone case doesn’t add much bulk (well, other than those bulky balls!)
• If they get dirty, just wash those dirty, sticky little balls with a little soap and water, they will come clean. You had better believe it!
• Have fun while doing a good thing. Remember, 10% of what we make here goes to fight testicular cancer!

Grassy Charging Station (Hide your rats’ nest of cables with scenic grass)

If you’re a true geek, every type of portable device on the planet is probably vying for the valuable electricity at your home. Unfortunately all those gadgets make a big mess with their power adapters and cables while they suck up life-giving electrical juice. Now you can hide that charging cable disaster with scenic grass.

The Grassy Lawn Charging Station provides you with realistic artificial grass to cushion your gadgets while they charge. A compartment underneath hides all of the power adapters and cables. Simply run a standard extension cable into the bottom of the base, plug in all your poweradapters, and then snake the charging cables up through the grass. Voila! Your gadgets will think they’re on a charging vacation.

Product Features

• Charge your gadgets and hide the unsightly cables with grass
• Artificial Grass on the top, compartment for holding your cables and power adaptersunderneath
• You provide the cables and adapters
• Works with any small device with a charging cable
• 11″ x 7″ x 4.35″

 Brick Phone Case

Remember Zack Morris from “Saved by the Bell”, and his infamous brick phone that he carried around, the one that made him the envy of all his friends? Well, now you can turn your sleekiPhone into one of those bricks, but sadly, people will probably just point and laugh instead of giving you a thumbs up.

Hand Case

The hand case may seem like a nifty idea at first, but having a hand always in your pocket isn’t the best of ideas, and could be awkward at times. I guess walking alone; hand-in-hand under a perfect moonlit sky really isn’t so bad after all, if you’ve got one of these.

Hugvie

The Hugvie is a cushion in a minimalistic human form. It contains a pocket into which you can put your mobile phone, transforming it into a physical communication medium. The shape of this huggable cushion is based on the Telenoid robot developed by Osaka University’s Professor Ishiguro.

It contains a micro -controller and vibrators which match the characteristics of the caller’s voice, so people can have a richer communication experience when talking on the phone with loved ones.

“The two vibrators produce a throbbing sound like a heartbeat. That pulse can get faster or stronger, depending on the volume and tone of the caller’s voice. We’ve used several rules like that to create the pulsing sound.”

“When we gave Telenoids to seniors, most people hugged them like this when they talked to the other person. The Telenoid has various capabilities, but in its simplest form, it could just consist of a cell phone and a soft, cuddly object shaped like a person. We think this could be used by families and lovers, as well as by seniors and children.”

The Hugvie is available for about US$60 from Vstone. The Vstone Robot Center in Akihabara is also holding the H. Ishiguro Design Show, from today until May 27, featuring robots and other items designed by Professor Ishiguro.

“R&D is important too, but we’d like to spread the message that, for robot researchers, it’s vital to think of new designs. That’s the purpose of this design show.”

“We’d like to develop this into a robot with an internal frame. We could build in lots of vibrators and special sensors, so that when you hug it, the other person’s robot moves as well. So far, I don’t think there has been a really soft robot. If we make this one a bit more complex, we could create something that really feels like a person while you’re hugging it.”

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