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TRENDnet Launches GREENwifi Technology

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trendnetThe Consumer Electronics Show always grabs the attention of tech enthusiasts the world over, and this year is no different.  While not everything that is showcased is worth noticing, one can’t deny that some of the most interesting things can be found at the CES.  Take TRENDnet’s newest technology dubbed GREENwifiTM for example.  It holds the distinction of being the first embedded green wireless technology.

GREENwifiTM is part of TRENDnet’s already existing environment-friendly solutions, GREENnetTM. This networking technology is a wired switch-based solution that saves considerably on energy consumption by determining and providing the right amount of power to each connected device. When calculating the amount of electrical power to supply, the technology takes into consideration things such as the length of the Ethernet cable.

The new wireless technology is based on the same principles being used in the wired set up, with a few specific differences. The allocated power is significantly reduced in the following cases.

  • When the wireless device is not connected to another device (such as a wireless router not being connected to a laptop)
  • When the wireless device is connected but idle

Another consideration is the wireless signal strength.  For example, if a laptop is very near the router and is receiving a strong signal, the router will reduce its power consumption.

Based on tests that TRENDnet has conducted, the whole system can offer up to 50% on savings.  This is quite a feat, especially considering the amount of time that the average person spends on the Internet these days.

XToaster360: Putting That Old Toaster to Good Use

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Got an old toaster or two that is merely collecting dust in the corner? If you are a candidate for that reality TV series The Hoarders, then you might want to put one of those toasters to good use – just like what this guy who calls himself ncarouso11 did.

Basically, he got a four-slice toaster, took out its innards, and then replaced (carefully, I bet) them with the stuff that you find inside of an Xbox360. Here’s how it looks.
xtoaster360

In case you’re wondering how you get the game CD in, here’s the answer.
xtoaster360_2

Here’s a video of the toaster slash Xbox360 in action in case you need more convincing that it is for real.

You have to admit, there is something to be said about the boxy thing with glowing blue lights coming out of it. It may not be as sleek and sexy as the Xbox360, but not everyone can say that they own something like this and actually play games on it, can they?

If you can’t be bothered to create your own XToaster360, or you simply do not have the skill to do so, then prepare a couple of hundred dollars (US) and bid on this cool mod on eBay. The starting bid is $150 and as of this writing, there are 6 days 12 hours left to bid. If you win, you get the following:

  • XToaster360
  • Power cable/brick
  • AV cable
  • Ethernet cable
  • Xbox360 Controller
  • Xbox360 Headset
  • (Only has 256MB internal memory card but can easily be improved with the use of a thumb drive)

iPhone Skype Video Calling App Now Available!

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The guys at Skype have got a nice Christmas present for iPhone users – albeit a belated one. Skype just announced the availability of a new app for the iPhone that will allow users to do video calls – something that many people have been waiting for for a while now. There is FaceTime for the iPhone, yes, but that only works when both users are on Wi-Fi and not 3G. With this new Skype app, though, iPhone users do not need to connect to Wi-Fi and can use 3G to make video calls!

While the app does have its limitations, such as video calls only working with Skype-to-Skype calls, it seems to be ahead of FaceTime in many different aspects. For one, the amount of data used by Skype video calls is much less than FaceTime. Skype does recommend that the app be used over Wi-Fi for “best results”.

More good news – the app will work on the following devices:

  • iPhone 4
  • iPhone 3GS
  • 3rd generation iPod touch
  • 4th generation iPod touch
  • iPad

Of course, the other party will not be able to see you if you’re using the iPad, but with rumors about the iPad 2 coming soon, it shouldn’t be much of an issue.

You ought to be aware that additional charges may – and probably will – apply when the app is used over 3G.  Still, it should not be too bad since the data usage is not supposed to be that high.  Then again, you might want to take it easy when you first use it so as to avoid unpleasant surprises when your phone bill arrives.  For more information, visit the Skype Help Page.

Photo via Unwired View

Amazon Patents “Return-to-Sender” System

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bad presentChristmas is the time to give, but some people have a knack for giving inappropriate gifts. Inappropriate may be a relative label, but we know just how many people return unwanted Christmas gifts. We also know that this period after Christmas is the busiest time of the year for retailers when it comes to returning/exchanging items that are unwanted.

Now, personally, I don’t believe in returning gifts. I am a firm believer in the thought being more important than the actual gift, but apparently, not everyone thinks the same way; and due to this, shops such as Amazon have to deal with tons of requests after Christmas. In order to avoid this, the online superstore has reportedly come up with a system – patented, of course – that will avoid people having to return gifts (and Amazon having to deal with the issues).

The idea is simple: users can label people who have a knack for sending “bad” gifts. If these people send the user gifts, Amazon takes care of the “problem” even before it crops up. It does so by NOT sending the gift at all. More so, users will have options to customize the parameters as to what is a “bad” gift. For example, keywords such as “Hello Kitty” can be used – anything with this tag will not be sent to the user.

Now how do you deal with the sender who might get offended? It seems that Amazon has thought about this as well – users still know that they have “received” a gift and can thank the sender, without the latter knowing that the gift has not been delivered. (With everyone knowing about the system, though, wouldn’t paranoia just make things worse?)

I say it’s a nifty idea, technically, but poses a whole lot of potential complications (relationship-wise) that it simply isn’t worth it. If this thing pushes through, however, the face of online shopping might just change.

Photo via wfnx

Gorillaz’s The Fall Recorded Entirely on the iPad

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gorillazI don’t know about you, but the way I see it, the iPad is mainly to be used for playing that awesome game called Flight Control HD. (Try it once, and I’ll bet my bottom dollar that you will not want to stop landing those planes!) It also is a great e-book reader, and of course, one can’t forget the angry birds and the irritating green pigs.

If you were the band Gorillaz, though, you’d find something a little more productive to do on the iPad – such as record an entire album! The British group has never been on any of my playlists, but I am inclined to try out their new album simply because of this fact. Dubbed “The Fall”, the album was created simply by utilizing some iPad applications – a plethora of which is available. Some of these applications are Speak It!, SoundyThingie, Mugician, and Solo Synth.

Before you write this one off, watch the video of the first track in the album. You just might become a Gorillaz convert if you do!

Here’s another cool thing – the entire album can be downloaded for free at the Gorillaz’s web site. As long as you sign up for the newsletter, you can get your hands on this one of a kind production. Next year, the CD will go on sale, but why wait for that?

Technology: The Cheater’s Bane

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CheatingCheating (the kind that students do when taking tests) has existed for ages – perhaps the very day that man started to exist – and it seems that as time goes by, the methods used for this unscrupulous activity just gets more creative. Blame whatever you want for that, but technology does play a part.

Unsurprisingly, technology is also becoming a bane for cheaters. There is actually a company that specializes in technology that catches cheats. Caveon Test Security has been in operation for several years now and uses statistical anomalies to determine if students have been cheating. The algorithm that they use is not exactly public, but neither is it a secret.

As a matter of fact, using statistics as the basis for catching cheats is an age old trick – Caveon only makes it more advanced and accurate. The basic idea is that their algorithm checks for patterns that show up if test takers have been copying from each other (high number of the same incorrect answers). It also checks for illogical patterns such as people getting correct answers for harder questions and getting easy questions incorrectly.

It is easy to see that while those ideas do make sense, it may not be foolproof. Critics are actually pointing out that the methods used by Caveon may not be that accurate – and they may very well be right. Then again, it might be better than allowing cheating to go unchecked.

What do you think of Caveon’s premise? Is it logical or does it put too much faith in technology?

Photo via Instructables