Posts Filed under: Slideshows

In an era when fanboys start throwing tantrums if the iPod hasn't been updated in a couple months, and new cellphone models hit the store every week, we find comfort in tech that is made to last long enough to get a little dusty. Granted, that's increasingly harder to do, what with the explosion of new digital technologies in the past few decades and that pesky Moore's Law breathing down engineers' collective necks. But it's still possible. We've collected the dozen greatest gadgets of the ages that were built right the first time and therefore continue to stand the test of time. All of them are still available for purchase as new products today, most completely unchanged or only minimally so since when they were first introduced -- and the oldest one is over 100 years old. Hit the comments section up with any others you think we missed!

Every year Time Magazine wraps up the year in science and technology with its list of the top inventions of the year. Last year it was the iPhone that topped the list, beating out host of more useful and, arguably, more important innovations.

This year, the Retail DNA Test (pictured above) beat out several electric cars (the Tesla Roadster, Chevy Volt, and Aptera Electric Car) as well as many other inventions we've cover here on this very site. Including the spy-centric social networking site, the Obama campaign, and space-based Internet.

The strangest entry however is clearly Dimitrij Ovtcharov and his odd-ball ping-pong serve on display at this year's Olympics.

You can check out the full list at Time's Web site, but we've created a little gallery below with some of our favorite tech-specific items on the list. [From: Time]

Used to be, animal lovers who were stuck at their office desks all day would express their admiration of critters by festooning their cubicles with bobble-head puppy dogs and that one ubiquitous poster of a kitten dangling from a limb with the caption: "Hang in there!" Thankfully, those days are over. Now, devotees of animals have the Internet and, thus, innumerable pictures and videos of animals at their disposal, which has been giving some of these four-legged folks their 15 minutes of fame. Without further ado, we now present -- in their funniest, freakiest and downright cutest forms -- the Internet's most popular animals.

Over the past couple of weeks, we've been attending showcase after showcase of cool new products that are either out now, or coming out in time for the holidays. We drooled at quite of a bit of new items, from compact, wood-covered laptops and sexy computer keyboards to mini-digital-SLR cameras and noise-cancelling headphones. Still, we had to narrow down the list -- it's not as if anyone has any money (or credit) left to buy us this stuff this year -- so take a look at our wish list as it stands now (subject to change, of course).

Most of you have looked and/or fretted over optical illusions at some point in your life. A select few have even had a sleepless night over particularly difficult ones. They come in all shapes and sizes and colors. Double meanings, motion-induced blindness, and mind bending perspective distortion just to name a few. Here, we have compiled a list of some of our favorite illusions on the Web. Some are simple and thought provoking. Others, well, they just make you thankful that you are sitting down. Now take a break and blow your mind.

There's perhaps nothing more essential to a happy computing experience than a great keyboard. Whether your machine is of the desktop or laptop variety, a solid, full-size clacker will make writing papers, designing flyers, or just getting around the Web significantly faster and more comfortable. Some keyboards take the "lighter is better" approach in terms of the keys, while in recent years, "clicky" models, reminiscent of those chunky IBM keyboards of yore, seem to be all the rage with more and more manufacturers. And nothing cleans up a cluttered desktop more than a wireless keyboard. Go with what feels best to you: As with a pair of eyeglasses, you'll be using your keyboard every day, so it's worth an investment. Your hands will thank you.

If you're a new mom or just expecting to be one, there's no question that you're going to need some help. Since it's probably been a long time since your own mother had a baby, sometimes you just need someone to turn to and thankfully, there are plenty of websites on the subject. From where to purchase the coolest clothes to what to do about diaper rash, we've listed the best resources available at the click of a mouse.


Babycenter.com:

With its wealth of information, this site can help you with pretty much anything pre- or post-baby. The timeline feature allows you to track your little one's development from conception to 9 years old, and the store carries all the toys, baby-proofing and clothing you'll need. If the articles aren't enough, head to the Community section where you'll find message boards, blogs, and chat rooms designed to answer all your questions. With its variety of features and information, Babycenter is truly a one stop shop for your baby needs.

'DOOM' (2005)

This was just a bad idea from the get-go. As a game, 'DOOM' really had no story to begin with -- shooting demonic monsters does not a narrative make -- and trying to turn it into a full-length movie was pretty much a hopeless endeavor. Unsurprisingly, it goes for the shlocky, brainless shoot-em-up thing, but just sorta falls flat (despite a decent cast including The Rock, Karl Urban, and Rosamund Pike). There is a moment worth watching, however: Towards the end of the film, the camera takes on the classic first person perspective of the game, and hurls you through its extended action sequence climax. So you can pretty much just fast-forward to that part.

Inspiration for a good business idea can strike anytime, but only a lucky few will ever see their brainchild become a smashing success. Even fewer have the guts to hold on to their idea in the face of skepticism and adversity while resisting change from outside forces. We took a closer look at some of the most successful tech businesses, and the figures behind them, that have stayed true to their original goals or persevered when it looked like they would fail. You'll either be motivated to pursue your own ideas or curse these guys for making it seem so easy.

Steve Jobs
For a while, it seemed that Microsoft would always be the top dog in technology. Nowadays, Apple is the hip brand that consumers flock to, mainly due to founder and CEO Steve Jobs' determination to come up with innovative and attractive products while Microsoft keeps churning out new versions of Windows. When Jobs took over Apple again in 1996, the company had suffered great financial losses but things began to turn around with the debut of the first iMac in 1998. Since then, the realm of online music has been particularly good for Jobs - when it seemed nobody would pay for songs again, iTunes succeeded, and the iPod crushed Microsoft's Zune. In addition to the jabs from the Mac versus PC ads, Jobs' quest for domination is evident in children's movies.

Cyber she-nerds of Geeksugar have spent hours culling the Internet for images of steamy Mac users in television. The result? 'My Favorite Geeky Mac Men,' a Julie Andrews 'My Favorite Things' moment -- only this time, instead of raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, it's Zach Braff with an iBook and Dexter (ew) with a MacBook Pro. The slide show features stills taken from popular TV shows wherein seven TV stallions are caught using Mac products.

Other choice elements include David Duchovny Californicating with his WonderCon and Neil Patrick Harris from 'How I Met Your Mother' concealing his Apple logo. This seems to happen a lot; Geeksugar wonders at many shows' cover-up of the fruity emblem:

"Dear Scrubs Props People,

Why do you cover that MacBook Pro's apple with a sticker? Don't you know Apple is never going to pay for product placement?"

Oh well. Our favorite Mac Man of the sampling, however, is definitely Nate (Chace Crawford) from the CW's appallingly amazing 'Gossip Girl.' OMFG. [Source: Geeksugar]

As anyone who has used noise-canceling headphones on a plane can doubtlessly confirm, they make the experience of flying a whole lot less unpleasant. While these sound-blockers can't do much to combat the shrieking baby in the seat next to you (or its shrieking parents, for that matter), they all but remove the low roar of the engines, the hum of the fans, and various (and usually) incessant noises coming from the other electronic devices in use around you as you fly the noisy skies. It sounds like magic, but it's actually pretty simple audio science: Basically, microphones in the headphones monitor the sound around you, and create sound waves which essentially cancel out the noise they pick up. On some flights, in business and first class, they now actually hand them out.

Most of us are economy-class-types, though, so we did our research accordingly and came up with a few options for airborne peace of mind. To boot, all of our picks cost less than the two or more months salary required to fly business class.


BOSE QUIETCOMFORT 2

You see these headphones everywhere – open up any in-flight magazine and you're guaranteed an ad. But Bose does its sound quality thing well. These cans do a great job canceling ambient noises, and music sounds extremely warm and full of bass. Movie dialogue was consistently crisp and clear, and overall sound is very consistent. Unfortunately, there's one major flaw: Unlike the other models featured here, the QuietComfort 2s don't let you listen to music without the noise-canceling tech turned on. When your batteries die, well, so do your headphones. Which is kind of a bummer...especially on planes, where they don't sell replacements. Price: $299.99

Summer's almost here, and with it comes Father's Day. We here at Switched think it's pretty safe to say that the vast majority of Dads are into gadgets of one sort or another, which is why we always have so much fun compiling our annual list of hot gadget gifts for Father's Day. This year, we've got a mix of high and low, state-of-the-art and newbie-friendly items that will appeal to dads both young and old. Take a look.

Sonicare FlexCare

Is your dad serious about his teeth? (Well, at his age, he should be!) Philips's newest electric toothbrush, the Sonicare FlexCare, is the latest and greatest in tooth-brushing tech. Both the handle and the brush head are smaller, which is more than just a nice aesthetic tough -- it actually helps brushers get deep down in there. And there's even an optional UV sanitizer for the brush heads, just in case dad's germaphobe. If he's a glutton for oral punishment, the new "massage" mode delivers a series of pulses to the teeth and gums (actually, it feels pretty good). Overall, this state-of-the-art electric toothbrush is a bit pricey, but remember: he may not have those teeth much longer. Might as well enjoy brushing them.

What happens when science catches up to all that cool technology we've seen in movies? Are bizarre Hollywood creations simply fiction or a sign of things to come? Here, Switched presents a collection of famous gadgets from your favorite films and tells you when, or if, you'll see them in reality. The answers might surprise you.

Iron Man Suit

In the recent blockbuster 'Iron Man,' Robert Downey Jr. plays Tony Stark, a billionaire defense industry inventor who builds a suit that gives him extreme strength, an array of weapons, and the ability to fly. Surprisingly, calling it standard comic book fare would a mistake.

According to an article from Popular Science, an inventor named Steve Jacobsen and his company, Sarcos, are working on an exoskeleton for the military that would allow soldiers to pick up hundreds of pounds without breaking a sweat. The XOS uses a series of sensors and hydraulics controlled by a computer that's designed to mimic and minimize the strain on the user's muscles.

In actuality, the suit resembles Sigourney Weaver's from 'Aliens' more than Iron Man's, and the drawbacks are that it can only run on batteries for 40 minutes at a time. But hey, it's one powerful step closer to real-life superheroes.

Summer is almost here and that means taking lots of snapshots, but making people look pretty in pictures is no easy job -- professional photographers get paid lots and lots of money to do just that (more than any other creative professionals, actually). Even so, you can improve the look of just about anyone (including yourself) with some basic photo-taking and -editing tips, the best of which we've compiled here. All of our suggestions can be executed using simple, inexpensive point-and-shoot cameras and free post-processing software: iPhoto on Mac, or Picasa on PC are our top choices. (Other apps, such as Adobe Photoshop Elements [PC/Mac] and GIMP [PC/Mac/Linux] are great as well, but the former will cost you a few bucks.)



1. Look younger

If you want to make your subjects look younger than they are, focus on the skin tone: Our number one tip is to use flashes in sunlight. It might seem counter-intuitive, but flashes override the shadows that overhead sunlight might cast on faces, making for pronounced under-eye and chin shadows. Also, putting anything white or translucent over the flash while indoors (or up close) will soften the light, making for much smoother skin tones through softer lighting. If you're in a bar, for example, just hold a napkin in front of the flash (in your camera settings, you might also want to turn the flash power up, if that's an option). You can also use the "brush" function -- usually indicated by a brush icon -- on most photo programs (such as those mentioned above) to virtually brush over age-revealing wrinkles, dark circles under the eyes, and blemishes.

This brand-new ultra compact from Samsung L210 boasts a 2.5 inch LCD display, as well as a 10.2-megapixel sensor with 3x optical zoom. It uses two forms of image stabilization -- both optical and digital -- meaning it's great for those moms who always end up with blurry photos (you know who you are...mom). It also incorporates face recognition technology: This detects the subject's face, automatically adjusting auto focus and auto exposure to ensure better composition and image quality in portraits. All of this is included with 10-megabytes (MB) of internal flash memory, and the ability to record MPEG-4 movies. Oh, and it comes in a variety of mom-friendly colors, including red, black, pink, and silver.