3D Printing Goes to the Home Market

By Robert Sanborn

At CES last year, one of the coolest things was the 3D Printer or "Replicator" as some of us like to call them.  I saw one company passing out tiny key chain sized trinkets as samples but you should take a look at the following YouTube video to put it all in perspective: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQ-aWFYT_SU  

Granted, this video is not for the home user, the wrench they produce consumes about $250 in material, but the technology is starting to make it to the home hobbyist in the form of kits that sell for less than $1500. 

I remember my geeky friends paying far more than that in the late 70s for a computer home kit.  Tech Republic has put together a pretty cool review of these home 3D printers at their site: 3D printers: 10 machines for home manufacturing

iPhone 5 Problems

The iFruit company keeps having to deal with problem after problem with the iPhone 5. First there was the debacle that their new maps app created that forced CEO Tim Cook to offer a public apology. Oh yeah, and he recommend users download Google maps if they want a good app!!

Next are the problems many users have reported with the iPhone 5 cases denting and getting easily scratched because they’re too thin. And then there are the labor problems in China that everyone admits are occurring but they say they aren’t affecting iPhone production. Yeah, right.

The latest problem is purple color fringing in pictures. Apple posted an official solution last week. Here it is: "Most small cameras, including those in every generation of iPhone, may exhibit some form of flare at the edge of the frame when capturing an image with out-of-scene light sources,"  "This can happen when a light source is positioned at an angle (usually just outside the field of view) so that it causes a reflection off the surfaces inside the camera module and onto the camera sensor." The iFruit company has a simple solution: aim your camera in a different direction.

It reminds me of the old joke: I went to the Doctor and complained that every time I move my arm a certain way it hurts. The Doctor’s response was: don’t move your arm like that. He must work for Apple now.

Win8 Pains 'n' Pains- The Last Part

By Jan Fagerholm

I'm presently running the Windows 8 Professional version, and as with previous Professional versions you do not get any games be default. (I guess “Professionals” aren't allowed to relax.) This is fixed by going to the Store, where they now offer for download Microsoft approved versions of Solitaire and Mahjonng, as well as many others. The Store is beginning to look populated, though you can tour the entire contents of Store in about five minutes. It's no Apple store, though I'm sure that will change. (BTW, don't bother to rush to the store for the Microsoft applets if you are still running Consumer Preview or Release Preview – Store knows this and doesn't make the new Microsoft applets available unless you are running RTM.

One warning; If you happen to have one of those Windows 7 tablets and are looking to Windows 8 for improved performance, save your money. Most of these devices have screen resolutions of 1024 x 600 (this goes for a lot of Netbooks, too) and Windows 8 tile-based apps (nee Metro apps) will simply refuse to run on any screen that doesn't have at least 768 pixels of vertical resolution. Line up at the brick-and-mortar Microsoft store for a whole new tablet or netbook.

Final thoughts: this is not a casual upgrade for the desktop or laptop user. You are going to have to learn a whole new way to find and launch apps, for starters. Customizing the interface to your preferences requires a great deal of exploration, research and head scratching – for that matter, so does simply finding a lot of stuff. O'Reilly Books and others are going to make a lot of money selling third party manuals for Windows 8. On the plus side, optimizing Windows 8 for simpler hardware has forced Microsoft to streamline the system code considerably; this translates to a much snappier interface across the board. If you are running less-than-new hardware that is a bit pokey with Windows 7, you will welcome Windows 8 improved response. This goes triple for Vista users.

It's done. It's here. It's time to decide.

Win8 Pains 'n' Gains- The Last Parts

By Jan Fagerholm

Today and tomorrow will be the last in the Windows 8 reports. Windows 8 has gone gold, and the RTM (Release To Manufacturing) was released on Microsoft TechNet and MSDN (Microsft Developers Network) August 1st. This gives time for the OEMs to work out their installations and have machines ready to sell by the announced October 26th “official” release date.

Those brave enough (or foolish enough)to go ahead and download it can burn it to DVD and install it. Count me in that camp, though I'm not ready to move my Windows work applications to Windows 8 yet, as so far I haven't found any Windows 8 activation servers online yet.

Installation is simple enough, and if you install it on a machine with a working version of Windows 7. it will put that in the boot manager and give you the option of booting either Windows 7 or Windows 8 at startup. Once again, they have changed the boot screen colors and wallpaper at the login screen, and when you log in, you are presented with a new color scheme for Metro.

Oops, we have to stop calling it “Metro”. According to an internal memo that leaked to the Internet, somebody in the legal department didn't do due diligence in their name research. a German company, Metro A.G., presently holds the international trademark on the Metro name and has given Microsoft a cease and desist order to stop using the name Metro. So Microsoft held a big press conference and told everybody to stop calling Windows 8 “Metro”. They now bill the product as “Windows 8” and refer to the interface as “Modern UI” Oh, well, I suppose that's the best they can come up with on only two weeks notice.

Final changes in Windows 8: Say goodbye to Aero, the semitransparent window frame technology that has been with us since Vista. My take is that it is simply too hardware intensive for Windows 8 target hardware, tablets and the like. They lack the fancy graphics hardware because it uses too much power. After all, Microsoft's target audience is tablets and smartphones, and they have simpler graphics hardware that uses less power. Also gone is any sort of traditional menus. When you go where the Start button used to be, you are sent to to the Tiles screen (can't call it Metro anymore). Navigation is fairly simple on both multi-touch screens and with conventional keyboard and mouse. I use a mouse with a ball in place of a scroll wheel (this allows both vertical and horizontal scrolling with the ball) but the Tile interface does not recognize the mouse's horizontal scroll command, so I have to resort to the scrollbar on the bottom of the screen. This is just a mouse driver problem, so I am sure that this will be fixed soon. While the Tile screen works well with a multi-touch screen, the surprise is how well it is thought out for the mouse. If you don't have a multi-touch screen, try setting up mouse gestures. This will get you most of the same effects.
 

Behringer iNuke BOOM Junior

We received this press release and thought it would be of interest to our readers:

BEHRINGER, an award-winning innovator of professional audio and music equipment, has scaled down the world’s largest and loudest dock ever, the 10,000-Watt iNuke BOOM, and is bringing it to you. We’re excited to reveal the iNuke BOOM Junior - a 1:23 scale model of its powerful predecessor, packed with professional grade components and a 3-way active speaker design.  Now, anyone can have the chance to sit back or rock out while enjoying concert quality sound at home with thumping lows, sizzling highs and crystal-clear sound at any level.

“We wanted to shake up the whole i-device docking world with a product that brings home some of the magic of the original 10,000-Watt iNuke BOOM,” says Costa Lakoumentas, BEHRINGER Senior Vice President of Marketing. “If you make a little room for the iNuke BOOM Junior in your home it will pay you back with stunning sound clarity and enough bass to throw a party; or get thrown out of your apartment.”

If you “Love” the iNuke BOOM Junior, then “Like” Behringer on Facebook for a chance to win your very own! Behringer is celebrating the launch by giving away one iNuke BOOM Junior each weekday in October. Entering is easy-- the giveaway hopefuls only need to visit www.facebook.com/inukeboom, and hit the “Like” button to be entered in the daily drawings.

The iNuke BOOM Junior is available online exclusively at www.costco.com  as item number 671770 (or search for iNuke) for $179.99 including Shipping and Handling, and it is compatible with almost all mobile phones or media players with its included cables.

Follow BEHRINGER at @BEHRINGER or facebook.com/BEHRINGER for the latest news on the company’s complete line of consumer products and all of BEHRINGER’s award-winning pro audio equipment.

TaxACT 2012

TaxACT 2012 tax preparation solutions are now available for free use at taxact.com. Preview versions of TaxACT are launched in October to help taxpayers calculate federal and state taxes, uncover potential year-end tax savings opportunities and get organized.                
Although notable tax law changes are expected to be made in the next few months, taxpayers are advised to calculate their 2012 taxes under current law in order to prevent large balances or overpayment. As users answer questions, TaxACT calculates federal and state tax amounts, and alerts users of expired tax laws that may be extended or revised.

TaxACT Preview gives taxpayers several advantages, says 2nd Story Software President JoAnn Kintzel. "Besides showing how pending tax law changes could impact your bottom line, TaxACT identifies opportunities for savings that require action by December 31. Whether your goal is to maximize your refund or minimize your balance owed through adjusted withholding, TaxACT can help you do that. With TaxACT, you don't need to hire a CPA or pay any money for year-end planning or calculating your 2012 taxes."

And This Round Goes To..... Samsung

A Federal judge has lifted the ban on the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 that was imposed in June. The ban was put in because the judge anticipated the jury finding the product infringed on iFruit company patents but it wasn’t included in the finding.

“The Court agrees with Samsung that the sole basis for the June 26 Preliminary Injunction was the Court’s finding that Samsung likely infringed the D’889 Patent,” Koh said in her ruling. “The jury has found otherwise. Thus, the sole basis for the June 26 Preliminary Injunction no longer exists.” Koh could still impose a permanent sales ban on that and other Samsung products after a hearing in December.