Device keeps your gear cool, and does it quietly
I have never experienced problems with an always-on TV or an overclocked PC that I could attribute to overheating, at least not directly. (Boston Globe, 9/4/11)
Shoes to power smartphones
Innovations Several years ago, Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers pioneered conversion of the energy we produce by walking, through energy-harvesting footwear. That energy is usually lost as heat. (Globe Correspondent, 8/28/11)
Fun for DJs, but not so nice for invading lice
iOS apps Two interesting apps for Apple Inc.’s iOS were unveiled last week. One was for a download for real and would-be DJs, which will have you cutting and scratching on your iPad’s screen. (Boston Globe, 8/21/11)
Internet-era radio has vintage looks
Internet radios You have your first edition of William L. Shirer’s “Berlin Diary’’ on your lap, a mug of Ovaltine by your side, and a wooden radio set on the table. (Boston Globe, 8/14/11)
Classic styling adds appeal to SDI cones
Headphones Although I may not be an engineering expert with a master’s degree from MIT, I do listen carefully to determine whether a speaker is delivering enough thump and tweet. (Boston Globe, 8/7/11)
Machine adds new dimension to DIY manufacturing
3-D PRINTING You’ve seen the cliché beginning to a technology story a thousand times: “It sounds like science fiction . . .’’ (Boston Globe, 7/31/11)
Compact player fills the room with sound
Many folks trying out a restaurant like to explore the wine list, taste the beers on tap, or grill their waitresses about where their chicken was raised. I like to check out the sound system (Boston Globe, 7/24/11)
A gadget able to extract energy from thin air
Engineers are working on all sorts of devices that can scavenge energy for the mobile devices we depend on, and which drain their batteries all too quickly. (Boston Globe, 7/17/11)
Toe-taps operate programmable floor keyboard
Assistive tech A new substitute for the keyboard and mouse promises to get desk jockeys working their feet and toes instead of letting them go numb during hours bent over the computer. Designed by Keith McMillen Instruments (KMI), which also makes a USB/MIDI foot controller for music playing and recording, the SoftStep KeyWorx multi-touch foot controller might provide relief to ... (Boston Globe, 7/3/11)
Device, app put your blood pressure data online
Health Care For all of you hypochondriacs and good patients with iPhones, the French company Withings revealed last week that its Blood Pressure Monitor is now available in the United States. Withings, best known for its Internet-connected Wi-Fi Scale, says its Blood Pressure Monitor, also called BPM, will also work with the iPad and late model iPods. (Boston Globe, 6/26/11)
ViewSonic’s bargain offering has some virtues
The trouble with almost any Android device is that it can so easily be knocked, often fairly, as a poor competitor to the iPhone or iPad. (Boston Globe, 6/19/11)
Back to the future: tunes to go, via a boombox
Could this be the summer of the boombox? Just as over-the-ear headphones have made a comeback in recent years (fashion is proving to be cyclical in consumer electronics), Altec Lansing’s latest boombox for the iPhone and iPod might create the next generation of outdoor music. (Boston Globe, 6/12/11)
Tokyoflash’s Kisai RPM Acetate shines
Note to anyone mulling Father’s Day gifts: Guys dig watches. And no one makes timepieces like Tokyoflash (www.tokyoflash.com). The company uses unusual materials to make its watches, which display the time in the most curious ways, through colorful, funky LED lights and LCD screens. (Boston Globe, 6/5/11)
Too-small screen, keyboard make Veer a tough sell
Smartphones I thought it would be fun to swap the supersize Samsung Infuse for the HP Veer 4G. The Infuse, which I like, is a large smartphone that uses Google Inc.’s Android operating system and has a 4.5-inch touch screen and an on-screen keypad. (Boston Globe, 5/29/11)
Solar energy — as easily as unrolling a yoga mat
Yes, you have heard it before: In five years, solar panels will be super-flexible and incredibly efficient — capable of powering everything from smartphones to homes after a few hours in the sun. (Boston Globe, 5/22/11)
Bubble Drum exercise concept sounds healthy
When Jay Alan Jackson develops exer-games, one of his first aims is to do no harm. (Boston Globe, 5/15/11)
Sound systems for screens large and small
Now that you know the science fiction TV show “Fringe’’ has been renewed for another season, it is time to acquire speakers that will ensure you won’t miss the crackling and warbling of a vortex opening between two universes. (Boston Globe, 5/8/11)
For PC accessibility, Northeastern’s eye-tracking device subs for mouse
I suppose there are obstacles that can come between you and victory in the fantasy video games Darkspore and Diablo. If you are a young gamer, Mom and Dad might object to the violence in these titles. Or you might lack the patience to follow the storylines. (Boston Globe, 5/1/11)
Head-mounted display puts screen at eye level
Prototypes Recently, I was excited to tell you about the augmented reality app that smartphone users can employ to spy computer-generated aliens around Boston during the Cyberarts Festival this month. (Boston Globe, 4/24/11)
See aliens invade the Greenway — if you have the app
AUGMENTED REALITY Over the next few weeks, some visitors to the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway in downtown Boston will be able to see things through their smartphone cameras that the rest of us can’t. (Globe Correspondent, 4/17/11)