Free Computer Recycling and Safe Monitor Disposal Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton

Free Computer Recycling and Safe Monitor Disposal Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton

I'm in the middle of cleaning out a bunch of computer junk so after a bit of googling I found Cubed IT, a company that does free computer pick-ups for recycling.

They pick up computers, monitors, printers, cabling, mice, etc. etc... Apparently there is a service charge for dealing with monitors, printers and UPS devices (anything that has an abundance of toxic materials to deal with).

I've just submitted a request to pick up 5 computers and a big old flatbed scanner. I'll report on how this works out. If you are in the GTA you should check out the site.

Dell Streak's Gorilla Glass screen: torture tested for your amusement (video) -- Engadget

Dell Streak's Gorilla Glass screen: torture tested for your amusement (video) -- Engadget

This is pretty amazing. I've got two tiny scratches on my ebookwise-1150 and it drives me nuts when I notice them while reading. This gorilla glass is beyond awesome. Click through to Engadget to watch the video.

10 Ways to Save Computing Power | Wise Bread

10 Ways to Save Computing Power | Wise Bread: "Here are 10 easy fixes to protect your wallet without reducing your computer's capabilities."

1. Upgrade
2. Downsize
3. Take a Nap
4. Kill the Screen Saver
5. Dim the Screen
6. Nix the Extras
7. Fight Phantom Power
8. Minimize
9. Monitor Energy Use
10. Create a System

New e-reader concept by Yanko vs. Readius

Nate the great at the The Digital Reader found this concept (ie cool photoshop work) by Yanko.


New e-reader concept | The Digital Reader

I came across this new e-reader from Yanko Designs. As you can see, it’s a flexible screen e-reader that rolls up into a tube when not in use.

 
It reminded me immediately of the (now defunct) Readius pocket eReader by Polymer Vision.

According to the feature page it had a 5" greyscale (16) e-Ink screen, 30 hour battery life, USB, 3G and bluetooth connectivity (supporting book and music downloads, RSS, and Email), and micro SD storage up to 8Gb. It runs an ARM11 400MHz processor. It weighed in at a shirt pocket-friendly 115g.

Unfortunately Polymer Vision went bankrupt before they could go to market. I haven't dug any deeper into their sad demise, but I'm sure someone must have bought up the designs and patents (and real working prototypes).

One Laptop per Child $75 tablet powered by Marvell, XO-3

ArsTechnica has a good article on the details behind the claims made by Nicholas Negroponte about a $75 OLPC tablet by 2011. I didn't realize how deep in a hole the One Laptop per Child project had dug for itself. The great part about the new non-exclusive partnerships (besides effectively helping 3rd world children) is that cheap tablet technology will be available on the North American market.

OLPC partners with Marvell, gets into tablet game with XO-3

Eken M003 - 8-inch Android tablet - $150 Cdn.

My original post about the Eken M003 listed the price as $230 US. While I still think its not the sexiest-looking tablet on the market I find myself a little more tempted, especially now that I can get one for $150 Cdn at merimobiles.com.

I also stated that the tablet runs Android 1.5. Apparently it runs 1.6 (Donut). Given the wide variety of phones and tablets out there running 1.6 there should be a few years of open source software support for this platform--even if there is no access to google market.

If your are looking for a semi-mobile internet device (SMID?) with a big screen this is the cheapest solution. I'm not crazy about using this as an e-reader; mostly because of the poor battery life, but also because of its unwieldy size and form-factor.

My biggest concern is that the battery life is pretty poor: Standby Time: 5 hours, Working Time: 3 hours.

P.S. The Eken M001 is now down to $115 Cdn (from $125 in April)

OLPC promises $75 tablet for CES 2011 | The Digital Reader

OLPC promises $75 tablet for CES 2011 | The Digital Reader

Nicholas Negroponte has made some wild promises in the past, but the OLPC laptop project is still going strong. Considering the wild rush to market of cheap Android tablets this year I would not be surprised if Negroponte was on the mark this time.

One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) founder Nicholas Negroponte has promised to PCWorld that he would demo the XO-3 tablet prototype at CES 2011.

“At CES we will show a tablet that can be and will be used for children probably in the developed world,” Negroponte said Tuesday. “It will allow us to start testing many of the things that combine a laptop, an iPad and a Kindle.”

How Lost Should Have Ended - The Daily What

The Daily What: Animated GIF of the Day: How Lost Should Have Ended

Sometimes the simplest things can make you laugh out loud.

7" Android tablet $73 US! (Bulk rates may apply)

The floor is going to fall out of the cheap tablet market. With no 3G phone contract to mess up a good deal its going to be possible to get a decent 7" wi-fi tablet running a current version of Android (2.1, 2.2)  by the end of the year. If you're not all that interested in e-ink like me then this is very good news for someone looking for an e-reader with some bells and whistles.

The cheap tablets out there running Android 1.5 and 1.6 are going to be heavily discounted if they can't upgrade.


Shanzai: Cheapest iPad clone, costs USD 73!:

Shenzhen based manufacturer Caszh is soon going to unveil the cheapest iPad clone yet for just USD 73. The clone will be Android based and feature an ARM9 processor based @ 400MHz with a VIA 8505 chipset. You can expect a 7-inch resistive touchscreen, 128MB of RAM, 2GB of flash storage, Wi-Fi and a camera; however, offline video playback on it could be a disappointment.

Key Device Specs:

• OS: Google Android
• Display: 7-inch resistive touchscreen @ 800 x 480
• Chipset: VIA 8505
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi
• Camera: Yes (resolution not known)
• Memory: 128MB DDR2
• Storage: 2GB flash storage
• Weight: 388 grams
• Price: USD 73
• Availability: June 2010.

http://besttabletreview.com/caszh-is-making-the-cheapest-android-ipad-clone-yet/

Now, typically that’s the bulk rate which means we could see an enterprising import company gobble some of these up and bring them to the U.S. for around $100-$140. Still, not bad considering what you’ll get for the price.
Expect a June release in China and (hopefully) a stateside release sometime thereafter.

he clone will be Android based and feature an ARM9 processor based @ 400MHz with a VIA 8505 chipset. You can expect a 7-inch resistive touchscreen, 128MB of RAM, 2GB of flash storage, Wi-Fi and a camera; however, offline video playback on it could be a disappointment.

Read more at Jacky

Shenzhen based manufacturer Caszh is soon going to unveil the cheapest iPad clone yet for just USD 73. The clone will be Android based and feature an ARM9 processor based @ 400MHz with a VIA 8505 chipset. You can expect a 7-inch resistive touchscreen, 128MB of RAM, 2GB of flash storage, Wi-Fi and a camera; however, offline video playback on it could be a disappointment.

Read more at Jacky

Acer LumiRead e-reader - hit and miss

Acer, who apparently had declared that they were not going to enter the e-reader market, have come out with a kindle-clone. With the explosion of e-readers and tablets being pumped into the market this year there are going to be some winners and losers. I get a sense that this is going to be an overpriced loser. The barcode scanner is the clue - why not just use a camera and some software?

Acer announces LumiRead e-reader Wif, 3G, qwerty | The Digital Reader:

"It also comes with an ISBN scanner (I’m looking forward to when this gets hacked) so you can scan the ISBN of a book you’re interested in and Google it."