Gadgets That Refuse to Die(engadget.com) |
Gadgets That Refuse to Die(engadget.com) |
The first PowerBook with WiFi was released in 1999. The Chumby in 2006.
Sony made very good hardware. But they are not good updating their software. Just like the Sony Xperia Play, they don't even upgrade their Android version when they could.
https://github.com/boxeehacks/boxeehack
The remote still works great too.
Next - old game consoles. My Nintendo DS and Sega Saturn consistently get the most use out of any console I've ever had, to the point where I've stopped buying new consoles. Best part - I turn it on, pop in the game, no waiting for updates. It's amazing. Not to mention top-notch games like Animal Crossing: Wild World, Scribblenauts, New Super Mario Bros, Sonic Rush, Metroid Prime: Hunters, Mario Kart DS, Panzer Dragoon, NiGHTS Into Dreams, Street Fighter II Alpha (which I am constantly playing with friends) - the list goes on and on.
I could turn on my Dreamcast if I wanted to bask in Crazy Taxi, Skies of Arcadia, Jet Grind Radio, etc...but there's enough great games for these systems alone I haven't played that it makes it completely irrelevant to buy a new system.
Because in 20 years since I bought my Dreamcast I have still yet to siphon all the value out of it I can get.
My first job was at an electronic hardware company started by the owner in his basement in the late 70's. I wasn't there at the time, but I heard he had about 15 people working in the basement until they finally moved to a rented storefront.
He wasn't billions of $$$ successful, but he sold the company for about a million or so in 1989. Last I heard from him, he was living on a Caribbean island.
Thanks god there is Droid48
archive.[is,ph,li,fo,vn,md,today] is like a condom for crappy websites like that.
This is a really bizarre decision tbh as "advertising.com" is not a well-known brand and not something their users would implicitly recognise or trust.
For other users saying it doesn't happen to them, I'm fairly sure the redirect is region-targeted to Europe.
I'm in Europe but I don't get this redirect when using a VPN.
For anyone replying with "you can just bypass it or block it", that isn't my point. We know how to do that but the majority out there will just accept the privacy invasion because they have no choice. My argument is that we should be blocking nasty behaviour to force sites to change if they want to keep HN's readership.
As in: others are doing the same, just in a more subtle, UX-friendly way that doesn't bother people as blatantly.
Three console generations later, Nintendo keeps re-releasing them.
I'm not sure why they don't lean in harder and embrace the design as the standard Nintendo controller. It is the most ergonomic and intuitive game controller I've ever used. The asymmetric layout and shape of the A, B, X, and Y buttons make it impossible to forget which is which. All the controller needs for a 2020 refresh is a ZL button, a true analog for the C-Stick, and a slightly larger D-Pad.
The electronics underneath are rock solid--a favorite for modders. Nothing has really changed except the cord length and the omission of metal braces in the triggers.
Sadly lithium batteries kill gadgets these days. I have an old gen kindle and I can't find a replacement battery for it. Seems such a waste for a device that is otherwise in excellent shape.
As a plus you can pick them up in e-cigarette shops, apparently vape units use them too.
They were £400 when I got them from HMV at the time, that was tough money to spend as a student, but to this date are probably the best investment in technology I've made. I've used them for my commute almost daily for almost the entirety of those 7-8 years. I honestly don't believe I have any other gadget that's lasted that long with that much use.
That said, I got out my original Moto 360 watch yesterday to see if it could be of use for my running during lockdown. That thing was useless the day it launched, and even less useful now. Probably one of the worst gadgets I've bought.
Keyboard rant: I'm appalled that it's so hard to find a good mechanical keyboard that is not meant for gamers with those RGB lights. Part of the problem is Europe, some options either don't get here or are usually out of stock. But even looking at the total market there are just not that many mechanical keyboards with quality switches, a simple backlight light and a USB hub with a couple ports in the keyboard.
These things are running on technology from the late 90's virtually unchanged. Even the most advanced ones are low end silicon with terrible thermal designs and horrible user interfaces (scrolling through pages of residents on a bad monochrome display one line at a time). Nothing competes with them. They have no high-failure parts and can last for decades. (And some have.)
It took them months to fix it (this is a new build block in London) and when they finally did, it was a simple reboot.
The engineer told me it had overheated in the summer sun. I mean, really? I found this hard to believe this piece of equipment designed to be outdoors, overheated in British sun.
I was furious, I could have rebooted the damn thing myself and saved us months of pain if I'd had access.
I've not encountered systems like this. How do they handle accessibility for the blind? Are the physical buttons still present?
I won't get back into wearables until they start slimming down.
Then, I'll unbox my backup Pebble and wear it until _that_ falls apart.
Hopefully they'll have something comparable by the time I run out of them?
I have my eye on the PineTime, but it has quite a while to go before it's usable.
My dream is to have a 2" impact printer (e.g. receipt printer) for to-do, grocery, etc, lists.
I really don't want to have a life of joy and pure bliss that relies on a thermal printer. I love the concept so much.
With the others, I've still got three Pebbles and I love them all equally. The two OG Pebbles needed a piece of paper between the vibrating part and the screen, but the 2HR has been perfect.
These concepts are all so great. Chumby is another I've always admired.
I'm kicking myself that I gave mine to a friend around 2012 when I got my first smartphone.I feel like the used price on them has actually gone up in recent years, as nearly all smartphones have since removed their headphone jacks, and battery life on smartphones can't hold a candle to dedicated mp3 players.
I hear new batteries get manufactured from time to time, and my parents have a Clip that they don't use if mine breaks.
As I tell people when they ask about them, I’m not a photography enthusiast, I’m a camera enthusiast, taking pictures is just what I do to find an excuse to use these exquisite pieces of machinery.
And on the other side, you have the clunky soviet cameras, which one wonders how they worked in the first place, yet they still do.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvvFI9XEW1w
Lengthy reviews of soviet consumer electronics, in one of the most ASMR sounding voices I've heard (subs available)
Still angry at Sony though for basically killing it from the beginning with all their DRM.
If it still worked, I'm probably still be using it as a comic book reader.
I'd don't understand where Casio is with cheap BT smartwatches that can just show texts/notifications.
I can tell you that by far, most people wanted the fitness angle with smartwatches. And all those features that you love about Pebble, while great, wasn't all that convincing for people after we ran out of die-hard fans like yourself.
Finally, when I turned 32 (16*2), I bought myself one off eBay and set one up as a SSH console with a WiFi card. I enjoy the experience immensely.
I think tools can survive more than gadgets. I have an old HP LaserJet 4l which I think was manufactured in '90s and which still works like a charm. I also have a Nikon D300 DSLR which still works. My car is 16 years old.
On the other hand, my more generic gadgets simply never die. My projector, my Bluetooth speaker, my headphones... they all do exactly what I bought them for. There might come a time when that's not enough, but that will be decided on my own terms. It won't be because of a dead server or a useless battery life.
As you say, tools last a lot longer, because they were designed to fulfill a simple role without any bells and whistles.
This is why I don't like the trend of pairing long-lasting tools to short-lived tech. A car or a watch will last a really long time. USB-C and Android 9.0 won't.
Peek was also created by a small company but doesn't have the community support that the Chumby or Pebble has now. Maybe that's a product of being connected only to a cellular network?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casio_F-91W#Usage_in_terrorism
https://www.amazon.com/Best-Sellers-Mens-Watches/zgbs/fashio...
Every single computer that was ever made is still out there, and a use could be found for them, somewhere in the world. We just don't have the resources to distribute 'old' computers for which find no use, to those who would find a use - so we throw them away, usually with the excuse 'archaic/outdated, consumes too much power, etc' - excuses that were as equally valid the day the machine came out of the box, but are only really issued when a human decision has been made.
You can still pick up a stone axe and use it to feed your family, even if its original user died tens of thousands of years ago. The same is true of every single tool ever made - its only the arbitrary decision making of humans which make an inanimate object useful or otherwise.
disclaimer: grumpy old retro computing enthusiast who really wants people to stop throwing functioning electronic gear in the landfill...
It's mostly used as a stand for other things (powered off, but has good case) left on top of it.
Although it runs, each of the two CPU's uses about 100w. And the whole thing running flat out is about as slow as an older model laptop.
There's no real use for this things computing power any more, except on the very rare occasion I need to spin up some OS and don't have other available computing gear handy.
So, the whole "all tools are useful" thing is only marginally true for very old computing stuff.
But there are tens of thousands of human beings within a few km's/clicks of you, I am willing to bet, who will find a use for that computer.
A lot of valuable things can be done with 100w, should a user choose to apply it.
Last weekend while I was putting the finishing touches on a Bionic Puppy install on my MSI Wind (purchased through a Linux computer company years ago), I started to realize I need to get more serious about active care for my devices or get rid of them. From the Cybiko Extremes to the N810 to the Casio pocket organizers.
For now I'm going to move to a basic stance and just start text files for each set of devices. That usually gets me moving in a more organized direction. It feels good to be taking care of (some) things from my past, and I can tell my kids all kinds of stories about how I courted my wife via Cybiko text chat in University classes, etc. :-)
Their existence was tested by the competition and found to have been commercial failures but can still live on as useful toys, like the Commodore Amiga days, BeOS days and the CHIP days and so on.
They are remembered and kept alive by niche communities around 'what if' they survived with open source alternatives, aftermarket additions or more additions. Very happy to see this and good luck to them.
Bluetooth adapter mod kit:
https://hackaday.io/project/165060-bluecubemod-bluetooth-gam...
Made my own "SwitchBird" using an 8bitdo gbros adapter:
I hope not; I've used it and a Switch Pro Controller and I much prefer the pro controller.
That doesn't happen for any other game, but there is just so much muscle memory for that specific game.
Also I still have a wavebird that is alive and kicking, shame it lacks rumble.
The octagon gate on the GC controller is advantagous for Smash and other games that benefit from precise directional inputs... It's to the point where there are Pro Controller mods to add an octagon gate. The Pro Controller analog seems to wear out faster than that of the GC controller and it's a tricky replacement to perform (on an already expensive controller).
It did for me.
Those were so satisfying to actuate. The PS2s felt like trash by comparison (and we're easier to jam / break)
Ultimate and Melee scenes are still alive and well. And even the 64 scene will cannibalize the analog sticks from GC controllers to replace the N64 controller sticks.
additionally I have these custom rules to block YouTube suggestions so I can better focus, has the added advantage that the UI looks better, autoplay can be controlled from the player and playlist can be accessed in full screen mode (which is the only time I really need access to them).
##ytd-compact-video-renderer.ytd-watch-next-secondary-results-renderer.style-scope
##.ytd-watch-next-secondary-results-renderer.style-scope > paper-button.yt-next-continuation.style-scope
www.youtube.com##ytd-compact-playlist-renderer.ytd-watch-next-secondary-results-renderer.style-scope
! Block the upnext video and the autoplay button
www.youtube.com###secondaryFeels like cross-site intrusive tracking... probably is.
I could whitelist in nextdns.io but it's such a dark pattern that I use the block page as a nice warning that I really don't want to go to any of these sites.
Content blockers putting in the work on this clickbaiting headline.
ergodox that usually put out a split ergonomic keyboard have recently released a cut down keyboard called the Planck that might interest you[2]. But to go from a gigantic beast of a keyboard to such a wee thing might be daunting.
The /r/mechanicalkeyboards dwellers might be able to help you out as well[3] as well as the mechanicalkeyboards website[4]
FWIW I happily used a Filco Majestouch for years before switching to an 'ergonomic' keyboard (ergodox). The Microsoft Ergo Sculpt is really good for me as well, I still use it on my secondary desktop.
1. https://www.pckeyboard.com/
2. https://ergodox-ez.com/pages/planck
I actually asked in /r/MechanicalKeyboards, but they didn't help much, just pointed me to Unicomp but that's not what I'm looking for as it's basically the same size as the Model M. It looks like Unicomp will be releasing a "Spacesaver" Tenkeyless model in the upcoming weeks [1], that might be an option.
The Filco Majestouch 2 Ninja TKL [2] is one of my top candidates right now, or a Ducky One 2 TKL [3] variation. I actually tried to get both in the past weeks: the Filco couldn't get shipped because of COVID-19; and the Ducky One 2 ran out of stock (the European market problem I was mentioning before). Very frustrating.
About ergonomic keyboards I don't want to go through the pain of relearning how to type. I have been typing on the Model M for 25 years now and my muscle memory is deeply engrained, I want a layout that is as similar as possible (so 80% Tenkeyless).
The Planck seems unnecessarily small to me. I'm not moving my keyboard so the absolute smallest size is not a requirement, I just want to get rid of the numpad to have the mouse closer.
[1] https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicalKeyboards/comments/frr2xh...
[2] https://www.keyboardco.com/keyboard/usa-filco-ninja-majestou...
[3] https://www.duckychannel.com.tw/en/Ducky-One2-Skyline-TKL or https://www.duckychannel.com.tw/en/Ducky-One2-White-LED-TKL
Try looking for a motherboard these days! It's all so ridiculous.
As for keyboards with lights, you can turn the lights off.
Thank you for the tip!
Also pretty ridiculous that the two USB ports are mini USB.
I don't really have a budget if I could find the right keyboard, but after searching extensively there is none that checks all the boxes. Either I need to give up the USB ports, go with full size or go with lower quality (Das Keyboard).
I thank you nonetheless for the suggestion!
The printing paper had very uncommon dimensions and was hard to find. You could buy them from Berg, but they charged a lot for the rolls. There would also be a lot of paper waste due to the "face" that needed to be printed after every job. Cute, but no practical use.
In the end, however, it did what it advertised, and it did so with remarkably few of the hiccups that were (and are still) common for the IoT devices of the time; it was a good "version 1" for an IoT device. It's unfortunate that they never got to make a second version.
After the project was shuttered I bought an Epson TM-T20II. It prints from the LAN, it prints extremely quick, and the standard paper dimensions that it uses are easy to find on Amazon. It doesn't print a cute face after every job, though, but you can buy a buzzer add-on to make it beep after every job if you want.
I had thermal printer for a while for another purpose and loved it. It was so handy to have --- but ultimately, thermal paper isn't great for the ol' environment.
Do you still use the thermal printer for lists and stuff?
IIRC you have to sign an NDA to get access to the documentation for the Epson ESC codes to do things like bold, inverted text, bigger fonts, print images, cut the paper, etc.
I used netcat to write bytes to a network printer 10+ years ago. It was pretty cool. You can also write to the serial port for serial printers, with the same bytes. It's very simple.
If you want an impact printer, you probably want to use the Epson TM-U220 series printers: https://epson.com/For-Work/Point-of-Sale/POS-Printers/TM-U22...
These sorts of projects are always on my mind. For a while I was looking into building what is essentially a Telex / typewriter output.
Thanks for this!
It would also be fun to have a thermal printer camera like that one that was going around a few years ago.
[1] https://www.adafruit.com/product/1289
[2] https://learn.adafruit.com/instant-camera-using-raspberry-pi...
My 12-inch MacBook (bought in 2017, but it's a low-power dual-core CPU) struggles on a lot of websites including YouTube - not for the video decoding but for the page rendering. I remember watching YouTube just fine a decade ago on a machine much less powerful.
Not so fast. Some are broke. Some have leaky capacitors that have eaten through PCBs. Others are destroyed, accidentally or purposefully.
Old machines never die - their users do!
Basically all 16-bit ISA PC Card(w/o bumped golden shield) can only handle WEP and 802.11b.
32-bit PCI CardBus card does WPA/WPA2 and 11g.
CF cards don’t seem to be bound by this but I haven’t tested.
your.ip.address.foo.lots.of.stuff.pixel.archive.<x>/pixel.gif
that gets by most blacklists including umatrix and others
and they have a new domain name dujour so that too.
Often you can get them with leads/connector pre-soldered (which is good for hobby electronics since you don't really want to be soldering straight to a lithium battery and not all electronics already have a cradle)
Any hints how to solder it better?
Another tip is to use plumbers flux and an old soldering bit to 'tin' the battery first, the solder will fairly leap onto it with such flux. :) Don't forget to clean the flux residue off as it's quite corrosive.
Anyways I turned them down and before May 2015 I started telling anyone who would listen that they were an amazing company full of smart people solving incredible problems that are completely unimportant to the world and FitBit would buy them sooner or later.
I imagined a more successful exit than they got, and I miss my Pebble dearly to this day. FitBit's products are garbage.
I really loved the way I could control my Pebble (time steel), with just 4 buttons, so smooth.
But, ok, out of all brands, Garmin seems nicest to me and they have a payment solution as well.
If you were to ask me whether I thought this was a good design concept, having never played any games on a Gamecube>>>Switch I'd say no, that seems wasteful and a cash grab on peripherals.
But I love it. Give me more ergonomic plastic things with buttons and games that use them.
Since I'm using firefox, I just forced the Reader view by typing this in my address bar:
about:reader?url=https://www.engadget.com/2020/03/03/undead-gadgets/This is the app that I use: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mc.miband1...
[0] https://codeberg.org/Freeyourgadget/Gadgetbridge/wiki/Amazfi...
That's just because Nintendo ruined the design of their newer analogue sticks, though.
For shield drops you take it a step further and notch the gate.
Octagon gate also provides good reference point for MSDI.
eg this thing burns 200w continuously when on.
A raspberry pi 3b+ is likely around the same computing power, and burns a small fraction of it.
So, I really, really doubt it.
Out of curiosity, what kind of things do you think people would use it for? Linux doesn't boot on it.