Jamie Shaw of Geeks-on-Wheels knows what’s new in computerland

3D Hobbits
JRR Tolkien’s The Hobbit (prequel to the Lord of the Rings) will be filmed entirely in 3D on 30 specially designed cameras. The camera used, called the RED ONE, are manufactured by The Red Digital Cinema Camera Company and are perfect for 3D work where two cameras are mounted on each 3D rig. The EPIC camera has a 5k resolution and can shoot up to 120 frames per second.

What Drives 3D?
Well it’s a curious fact that the Adult entertainment industry drives many new technological breakthroughs. One good example is the fact that the porn-biz was instrumental in the VHS victory over rival tape format Betamax.

Mac Apps Store Hacked
Some software for sale in the Mac App Store can easily be downloaded for free, according to reports. Copies of popular apps, i.e. notably Angry Birds, are already circulating the web, soon after the launch of Apple’s desktop app store. The trick apparently only works on some Apps, those that do not validate receipts from the store, letting multiple users run the same version of the software. “What does this mean? It allows people to reconfigure a paid application to run on other people’s Apple IDs without requiring them to purchase the app. That could lead to those too “thrifty” to pay for apps to head over to Google to search for free, pirated versions that could easily be tweaked to include malware.

COMPUTER ELECTRONICS 2011 SHOW (CES) SNIPPETS
Get Zapped – Taser International were demonstrating their new technology and offering to zap anyone crazy enough to volunteer. The highlight of its new range is a shotgun with self-contained bullets of electrical agony. As ludicrous as Tasers are, you can’t help but be drawn to the bright yellow guns and incredible electrical power. Most incredible is the Taser X12 shotgun, which can fire a projectile up to 82 feet (most Tasers can only be used from about 48 feet away) and doesn’t have wires attached to the gun itself. The cartridge is entirely self-contained, has little fold-out wings that keep it stable in flight, and is designed to puncture the target’s skin to deliver its electrical punch…ouch

3D Sound – LG announced a 5.2 home theatre system touting its “3D” sound with its HX996TS speakers. The system includes two subwoofers, a feature rarely seen on all-in-one package systems. LG also touted its “Cinema Dome Effect,” which is a digital sound processing mode designed to create a more immersive sound. LG has not announced a release date or pricing yet.

Samsung Cube – Samsung showcased many new products including their HT-D7100 home-in-a-box home theatre. The 2.1 audio system fits into a cube that includes a subwoofer and Blu-Ray player. The unit looks good, can be used to stream media and, being modular, the speakers can be separated from the Cube for better stereo. Again no pricing on this one yet.

iPad Monitor – Ever thought of using your iPad as a second monitor for your laptop? Probably not but DisplayLink have and for $1.99 (US) you can now purchase an app that turns an iPad into a second monitor wirelessly connect to a Windows PC. The application works with Windows XP, Vista, and 7 and requires an iPad with iOS 3.2 or later, the company said. It’s configured with the DisplayLink software that the company offers for its primary line of business, USB-connected display technology.
What is DLNA? – DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) is a standard used by consumer electronics manufacturers to allow entertainment devices in the home to share their content with each other across a home network.

HD Media Streaming – D-Link announced a new HD media router family of units that it claims offer much better audio and video streaming, even when dealing with large files. These routers are all DLNA certified and use technology that prioritises high-definition video streaming with services like YouTube HD. The new HD media routers all come with an SD card slot, Wireless-N and Gigabit Ethernet. Two of them come with a USB 3.0 port, which is a first among routers, and this likely means much better network storage performance. Expect the see these units start to appear on our market within the next couple of months.