Technolgizer has compiled a gallery of interesting vintage computer ads to bring in this holiday season, and we’ve selected our favorites for your viewing enjoyment. Continue reading to see them.

As you look through these ads, keep this in mind: When was the last time more than two people sat around your computer?

[via Technologizer]

More here:
6 Vintage Computer Ads You’ve Probably Never Seen

Though OraBrush doesn’t say exactly how its app detects bad breath, this piece of software will definitely be a conversation piece when out with friends. Plus, you can “easily post the hilarious responses of any breath test on Facebook or Twitter for other friends to enjoy.” Video after the break.

Original post:
Free iPhone App Detects Bad Breath

Hey, we are alive! In the end we didn’t need any escape pods: The Large Hadron Collider has smashed two particle beams together for the first time. However, the unknown is still ahead of us, as they ramp things up:

Next on the schedule is an intense commissioning phase aimed at increasing the beam intensity and accelerating the beams. All being well, by Christmas, the LHC should reach 1.2 TeV per beam, and have provided good quantities of collision data for the experiments’ calibrations.

1.2 tera-electro volts? Great. Hookai, so, until Christmas you have two options: One, you can keep going on with your normal beige life, not taking any chances or risks, typing away in your hamster wheel. Two, remember that life can end at any moment, and get out of the wheel. To a beach. Preferably with another hamster. One with a nice butt and a pretty smile.

These are the computer images showing the first collisions:

Two circulating beams bring first collisions in the LHC

Geneva, 23 November 2009. Today the LHC circulated two beams simultaneously for the first time, allowing the operators to test the synchronization of the beams and giving the experiments their first chance to look for proton-proton collisions. With just one bunch of particles circulating in each direction, the beams can be made to cross in up to two places in the ring. From early in the afternoon, the beams were made to cross at points 1 and 5, home to the ATLAS and CMS detectors, both of which were on the lookout for collisions. Later, beams crossed at points 2 and 8, ALICE and LHCb.

“It’s a great achievement to have come this far in so short a time,” said CERN* Director General Rolf Heuer. “But we need to keep a sense of perspective – there’s still much to do before we can start the LHC physics programme.”

Beams were first tuned to produce collisions in the ATLAS detector, which recorded its first candidate for collisions at 14:22 this afternoon. Later, the beams were optimised for CMS. In the evening, ALICE had the first optimisation, followed by LHCb.

“This is great news, the start of a fantastic era of physics and hopefully discoveries after 20 years’ work by the international community to build a machine and detectors of unprecedented complexity and performance,” said ATLAS spokesperson Fabiola Gianotti.

“The events so far mark the start of the second half of this incredible voyage of discovery of the secrets of nature,” said CMS spokesperson Tejinder Virdee.

“It was standing room only in the ALICE control room and cheers erupted with the first collisions,” said ALICE spokesperson Jurgen Schukraft. “This is simply tremendous.”

“The tracks we’re seeing are beautiful,” said LHCb spokesperson Andrei Golutvin, “we’re all ready for serious data taking in a few days time.”

These developments come just three days after the LHC restart, demonstrating the excellent performance of the beam control system. Since the start-up, the operators have been circulating beams around the ring alternately in one direction and then the other at the injection energy of 450 GeV. The beam lifetime has gradually been increased to 10 hours, and today beams have been circulating simultaneously in both directions, still at the injection energy.

Next on the schedule is an intense commissioning phase aimed at increasing the beam intensity and accelerating the beams. All being well, by Christmas, the LHC should reach 1.2 TeV per beam, and have provided good quantities of collision data for the experiments’ calibrations.

I’m happy it worked for you, people, because I’m for sure glad of not being sucked in by a Black Hole right now. Life is good, my dear boys and girls. Life is good.

Go here to see the original:
LHC First Particle Beams Collision Doesn’t Obliterate World, Universe [Science]

Keyboard

Logitech G110 keyboard: $80

Now, I haven’t used this keyboard specifically, but I did review its big brother, the G19. The essential difference is that the G110 doesn’t have the big, expensive LCD on it, which, while cool, wasn’t really adding much to what was otherwise a great keyboard. It’s comfortable, good-looking, and full of extra stuff like macro keys for games or frequently typed phrases, colored backlighting, and handy media controls. Logitech makes great keyboards, and this one is probably their best deal.

Product Page | CrunchGear Review (kind of)

Mouse

Logitech G500 Gaming Mouse: $70

Anyone who spends a lot of time with a computer likely spends a lot of time with their mouse. So why should they be stuck using whatever $5 piece of junk came with the computer, or whatever was in the impulse buy section at Radio Shack? There’s a world of mice out there for differently sized and shaped hands, and it can make a huge difference in terms of comfort and efficiency. The G500 is a great mouse with a proven and familiar shape, and at $50 (street price) it’s a bargain as well. Any gamer or big PC user will appreciate it.

Product Page | CrunchGear Review

Fancy Mouse

Razer Mamba: $130

The Mamba is the final word in mice at the moment. A revision of the Death Adder shape, which was popular for a reason, the Mamba adds two extra buttons and wireless operation to the mix. I found it comfortable, accurate, and extremely good-looking. If you’re willing to spend the dough, this is the best mouse you can buy.

Product Page | CrunchGear Review

HD Webcam

Microsoft LifeCam Cinema: $80

Chances are if you or anyone you know has a webcam, it’s either built into your display or a cheapie one that’s no better than that. Well, a new generation of webcams is coming out that support high-def video, and the first representative is Microsoft’s LifeCam Cinema. It’s got a nice wide angle on it, has more clarity than those pinhole webcams, and the clamp it uses is really convenient. One for you and one for a kid going off to college would be a great way to stay in touch; Microsoft’s video chat software is pretty decent. You can find it for around $60, which isn’t bad at all if you use your current webcam much.

Product Page | CrunchGear Hands-On

Rugged HDD

Lacie Rugged XL 1TB: $160

Lacie’s Rugged series isn’t so much rugged as merely protected from everyday life. While your average external hard drive would probably go belly up if you spilled on it or dropped it, the Rugged XL will take a (minor) licking before rolling over. I’d be much more comfortable bringing this on a long trip than any other drive. There’s a premium for the ruggedness (street price is around $140), but whoever get this will thank you later when the dog knocks it off a table.

Product Page | CrunchGear Review

Secure HDD

Lenovo keypad-secured USB drive (160GB): $150

For your loved ones that are security-conscious, or simply paranoid, I recommend this great drive. Spacious it’s not, and you’re paying a lot for the gigs you’re getting, but the built-in keypad is just too cool to pass up. Not only is it very secure, but it’s also very well-designed. Since you’re actually pressing buttons, there’s no need to worry about administrating it or security software — just set it up once (keep the instructions just in case) and you’re good to go. You can also get a 320GB version for around $200.

Product Page | CrunchGear Review

Read more from the original source:
Gift Guide: Peripherals

Keyboard

Logitech G110 keyboard: $80

Now, I haven’t used this keyboard specifically, but I did review its big brother, the G19. The essential difference is that the G110 doesn’t have the big, expensive LCD on it, which, while cool, wasn’t really adding much to what was otherwise a great keyboard. It’s comfortable, good-looking, and full of extra stuff like macro keys for games or frequently typed phrases, colored backlighting, and handy media controls. Logitech makes great keyboards, and this one is probably their best deal.

Product Page | CrunchGear Review (kind of)

Mouse

Logitech G500 Gaming Mouse: $70

Anyone who spends a lot of time with a computer likely spends a lot of time with their mouse. So why should they be stuck using whatever $5 piece of junk came with the computer, or whatever was in the impulse buy section at Radio Shack? There’s a world of mice out there for differently sized and shaped hands, and it can make a huge difference in terms of comfort and efficiency. The G500 is a great mouse with a proven and familiar shape, and at $50 (street price) it’s a bargain as well. Any gamer or big PC user will appreciate it.

Product Page | CrunchGear Review

Fancy Mouse

Razer Mamba: $130

The Mamba is the final word in mice at the moment. A revision of the Death Adder shape, which was popular for a reason, the Mamba adds two extra buttons and wireless operation to the mix. I found it comfortable, accurate, and extremely good-looking. If you’re willing to spend the dough, this is the best mouse you can buy.

Product Page | CrunchGear Review

HD Webcam

Microsoft LifeCam Cinema: $80

Chances are if you or anyone you know has a webcam, it’s either built into your display or a cheapie one that’s no better than that. Well, a new generation of webcams is coming out that support high-def video, and the first representative is Microsoft’s LifeCam Cinema. It’s got a nice wide angle on it, has more clarity than those pinhole webcams, and the clamp it uses is really convenient. One for you and one for a kid going off to college would be a great way to stay in touch; Microsoft’s video chat software is pretty decent. You can find it for around $60, which isn’t bad at all if you use your current webcam much.

Product Page | CrunchGear Hands-On

Rugged HDD

Lacie Rugged XL 1TB: $160

Lacie’s Rugged series isn’t so much rugged as merely protected from everyday life. While your average external hard drive would probably go belly up if you spilled on it or dropped it, the Rugged XL will take a (minor) licking before rolling over. I’d be much more comfortable bringing this on a long trip than any other drive. There’s a premium for the ruggedness (street price is around $140), but whoever get this will thank you later when the dog knocks it off a table.

Product Page | CrunchGear Review

Secure HDD

Lenovo keypad-secured USB drive (160GB): $150

For your loved ones that are security-conscious, or simply paranoid, I recommend this great drive. Spacious it’s not, and you’re paying a lot for the gigs you’re getting, but the built-in keypad is just too cool to pass up. Not only is it very secure, but it’s also very well-designed. Since you’re actually pressing buttons, there’s no need to worry about administrating it or security software — just set it up once (keep the instructions just in case) and you’re good to go. You can also get a 320GB version for around $200.

Product Page | CrunchGear Review

Here is the original post: 
Gift Guide: Peripherals

At Milipol, I was walking around FN Herstal’s booth, playing with futuristic-looking P90s, Five-Sevens and F2000s when I noticed a camera-toting tourist pretend-blasting with something very very cool: The Armatronics “Black Box” suite with Moving Red Dot Fire Control.

They’d taken a SCAR assault rifle, and put a “black box” inside the handgrip, networking it with the soldier (”with a kind of Bluetooth” according to the PR guy), and also to home base. The grip is a sealed, 10-year unit that logs the number of bullets fired and remaining ammo a la Aliens. They’re also working on pairing to specific soldiers, perhaps using biometrics. Deactivating it if the Taliban get it, for instance? “In the near future,” said PR man enigmatically.

The second part of the suite is the Moving Red Dot Fire Control Unit, which is a networked firing solution computer for the grenade launcher. You press a button next to the trigger to activate the laser rangefinder, then the computer calculates the solution, shows it to you in the LED display, then moves the red dot to aim it. That’s right—laser-guided grenades. You are your own air support. [FN Herstal]

Apoorva Prasad is a freelance writer and photographer based in Paris, France, who covered the Milipol 2009 military-police expo for us. He has a thing for holo-scoped assault rifles, and sounds disappointed when admitting he’s never been Tased.

Originally posted here:
Bitch-Busting, Ammo-Counting Aliens Gun Is Real, Scary [Guns]

We’ve teamed up with the HD Guru himself, Gary Merson, to publish the absolute best five TVs you can buy right now. As you’ll see (and might already notice above), there are some surprises on the list.

Panasonic Z1

Panasonic’s flagship HDTV is its thinnest 54-inch plasma HDTV ever, with only 1-inch depth. They did it by eliminating a third sheet of glass found in all other plasmas except Pioneer’s Kuro, and bonding the anti-reflective coating directly top glass. The Z1 employs SiBEAM’s 60GHz 1080p for wireless glitch-free images sent via the included transmitter/media box from up to 30 feet away. The Z1 has THX picture mode and a custom calibration mode, plus nice bonus features including VieraCast Internet connectivity for YouTube and Amazon VOD and an SD card reader for photos. The Z1 delivers amazing performance with full 1080 line motion resolution, accurate HD color, deep black levels and 96Hz for judder free movie viewing.

The sexiest HDTV of 2009, the TC-P54Z1 will set you back $4000.

Update: Many of you have commented that you prefer Panasonic’s excellent Viera V10 series, and to Gary’s credit, he gave the TV his highest rating, and is including it in his top 10 list, which he’ll publish next week. There’s nothing wrong with that TV, and if we indicated six here, it would certainly be shown. It has the same NeoPDP panel as the Z1, but it’s not the same picture, because it has the third separate piece of glass with anti-reflective coating.

Pioneer Kuro Signature

You know it’s been a weird year for TVs when not one but two of our top picks are no longer being manufactured, but are still being sold. Pioneer’s sweetest (and last) Kuro line is technically a monitor: There’s no tuner or audio. But the Signature models offer the deepest black of any high definition display on the market—without any white-letter-on-black-background halos occasionally seen on LED-based LCD TVs. The Signature models features hand selected parts, 2.5-in. depth, Custom Calibration, 72Hz refresh and control over the internet via its Ethernet connection. The Pioneer uses a single top sheet of glass to minimize internal reflections, with the anti-reflection coating bonded directly to the surface.

The Signature models are available at scattered retailers around the country in the 50-inch size (PRO-101FD) for about $3000 to $3500, and 60-inch size (PRO-141FD) for $4000 to $4800.

Samsung LNB8500

The 8500 series is Samsung flagship LED LCD TV. It feature packed with thin 1.6-inch depth, white LED local dimming backlights for improved uniformity, dual-chip 240 Hz plus a scanning backlight for excellent motion resolution and the best black level of any LED LCD observed to date. The 8500 features four HDMI inputs plus internet connectivity with Flickr, YouTube, weather, news and other widgets. It also has a PV+C input for connection to your computer or HTPC. This is a benchmark LED LCD to judge against every other make and model.

All this performance comes at a price. The LNB8500 series comes in 46-inch (UN46B8500) and 55-inch (UN55B8500) screen sizes, currently on Amazon for $2620 and $4020, respectively.

LG LH90

This LG has all the hot LCD performance features video freaks crave, including white LED dimming backlights for excellent black levels, wide viewing angle LCD IPS panel, accurate color, and 240Hz (120 refresh + scanning backlight) for excellent motion resolution. This LG also has all the tweaks anyone could ask for including ISF CCC mode for calibration, THX certification and LG’s “picture wizard” for user set-up without calibration discs or external test signals. The LH90 isn’t the thinnest LED LCD, but it more than makes up for it with its price.

The LG LH90 series is available in 42-, 47- and 55-inch screen sizes at street prices that are considerably lower than many competitors’ edge lit 120 Hz LED edge lit models. The 42LH90 is online for $1200 to $1500; the 47LH90 sells in the $1700 range; and the 55LH90 goes for $2200 to $2800. In case you couldn’t tell, the LH90 series is the value/performance leader of the pack.

Sony XBR8

A comparable model never replaced Sony’s 2008 flagship model in 2009. It is the only HDTV available with separate red, green and blue LED backlights (rather than all white), with local dimming for deep black levels. Though slightly thicker than other TVs in its class, the XBR8 has accurate HDTV color, enough brightness for a beach house, a non-glossy anti-glare screen coating (rare for 2009), 120Hz refresh rate and Sony’s Bravia Engine 2 signal processing.

You can still find the XBR8s—we spotted the 46-inch KDL-46XBR8 for under $2200 and the 55-inch KDL-55XBR8 for under $4000.

Gary Merson is the HD Guru, the industry’s leading HDTV journalist. He’s been reviewing TVs for well over a decade, and recently wrote a guide to choosing an HDTV.

Read more here:
The 5 Best TVs You Can Buy [TVs]

You may recall that back in early September, we brought you news of this steering wheel table. Well, the customer reviews on Amazon’s product page are pouring in and it looks like this may be the sleeper hit of the season!

Just take a look at what legions of fans are saying about the Laptop Steering Wheel Desk:

“Wow is this thing great! I use it as a “mini-bar” when the friends and I go out to the bars. I can quickly fix multiple shots of tequila for myself and the friends as we drive from one bar to the next. We also discovered that if you place a pillow on top of it and turn on the cruise control you can catch quick naps on the interstate.”

“This has been a total lifesaver. It allows me to prop my sheet music against the wheel, allowing me to play the guitar with both hands while driving.”

“My copilot and I both used these during our “daily grind” transcontinental flights from San Diego to Minneapolis. We had to modify them a bit to fit snug against the instrument panels (when we bought them we didn’t realize the planes we fly don’t have steering wheels!), but in the end it did the job. With our laptops firmly in place we were able to focus our attention on what really mattered, participating in raids with our WoW clan. During our last flight we were so immersed in trying to take down Eranikus that we overshot Minneapolis by a full hour and a half before some annoying flight attendant interrupted us, babbling something about ‘FAA and F16 fighters.’”

“The best usage of this product is that i’m allowed to make perfectly symmetrical lines of cocaine while driving. product.of.the.century”

“I collect bobble-heads, got ‘em all over my dashboard and behind the back seat — but I had run out of space to add my latest bobble-head additions to my amazingly decorated car! Where could I put my “Barack O-Bobble”? How would I display my “Jonas Bobbles”? Well, thanks to the Laptop Steering Wheel Desk, my collection can keep on growing!”

“Finally!! I don’t know if anyone else has small children that they drive with, but this has been a lifesaver for me. I get so tired of pulling over whenever my infant son soils his diaper. Now, whenever I smell that familiar stench, I just turn around, unbuckle him from his car seat and change him right on this desk. It is the perfect size for a newborn!”

“I am an OB-GYN and this has helped me take my practice mobile. It’s the perfect height for my patients to sit on so I can examine them while I drive. I highly recommend!!!!”

“I just picked uuyp my laptop hoder from the post offfice and I’m ddriving home now. It’s OK Iguess, but the bumpy road majkes it hard to type. And theree’s a lot of pedeestrians and traffi c that keep distracti9ng me fromm my computer.”

“Do you have any idea how hard it is to read Braille books while driving? Every time I’d hit something my book would slide off my lap onto the floor and I’d lose my place. Problem solved…Thanks Laptop Steering Wheel Desk.”

Needless to say, the item is in short supply. Hopefully Amazon will get more in stock soon.

Laptop Steering Wheel Desk [Amazon.com via The Register]

Read more: 
Rave reviews for steering wheel table!

You may recall that back in early September, we brought you news of this steering wheel table. Well, the customer reviews on Amazon’s product page are pouring in and it looks like this may be the sleeper hit of the season!

Just take a look at what legions of fans are saying about the Laptop Steering Wheel Desk:

“Wow is this thing great! I use it as a “mini-bar” when the friends and I go out to the bars. I can quickly fix multiple shots of tequila for myself and the friends as we drive from one bar to the next. We also discovered that if you place a pillow on top of it and turn on the cruise control you can catch quick naps on the interstate.”

“This has been a total lifesaver. It allows me to prop my sheet music against the wheel, allowing me to play the guitar with both hands while driving.”

“My copilot and I both used these during our “daily grind” transcontinental flights from San Diego to Minneapolis. We had to modify them a bit to fit snug against the instrument panels (when we bought them we didn’t realize the planes we fly don’t have steering wheels!), but in the end it did the job. With our laptops firmly in place we were able to focus our attention on what really mattered, participating in raids with our WoW clan. During our last flight we were so immersed in trying to take down Eranikus that we overshot Minneapolis by a full hour and a half before some annoying flight attendant interrupted us, babbling something about ‘FAA and F16 fighters.’”

“The best usage of this product is that i’m allowed to make perfectly symmetrical lines of cocaine while driving. product.of.the.century”

“I collect bobble-heads, got ‘em all over my dashboard and behind the back seat — but I had run out of space to add my latest bobble-head additions to my amazingly decorated car! Where could I put my “Barack O-Bobble”? How would I display my “Jonas Bobbles”? Well, thanks to the Laptop Steering Wheel Desk, my collection can keep on growing!”

“Finally!! I don’t know if anyone else has small children that they drive with, but this has been a lifesaver for me. I get so tired of pulling over whenever my infant son soils his diaper. Now, whenever I smell that familiar stench, I just turn around, unbuckle him from his car seat and change him right on this desk. It is the perfect size for a newborn!”

“I am an OB-GYN and this has helped me take my practice mobile. It’s the perfect height for my patients to sit on so I can examine them while I drive. I highly recommend!!!!”

“I just picked uuyp my laptop hoder from the post offfice and I’m ddriving home now. It’s OK Iguess, but the bumpy road majkes it hard to type. And theree’s a lot of pedeestrians and traffi c that keep distracti9ng me fromm my computer.”

“Do you have any idea how hard it is to read Braille books while driving? Every time I’d hit something my book would slide off my lap onto the floor and I’d lose my place. Problem solved…Thanks Laptop Steering Wheel Desk.”

Needless to say, the item is in short supply. Hopefully Amazon will get more in stock soon.

Laptop Steering Wheel Desk [Amazon.com via The Register]

Here is the original:
Rave reviews for steering wheel table!

Imation has always been at the forefront of things where storage medium is concerned, and their latest release is yet another first (and possibly another feather in the company’s cap) – the Pro WX wireless USB hard drive. Based on Imation’s platform of external hard drives, the Imation Pro WX drive – despite not being tethered to your computer, will still be able to offer the convenience of fast data transfer rates, speed and capacity required in today’s graphics and data intensive environments, maxing out at 1.5TB of storage space. Great news for everyone, but we can’t wait for the next generation device already which should be in the works to go along with the USB 3.0 when it rolls out.

The Imation Pro WX Wireless USB hard drive brings together a combination of speed, capacity and security in a convenient 3.5″ form factor, capable of hitting a Wireless USB data transfer rate of up to 15MBs/second at best – this translates to backing up a standard CD within 50 seconds. Apart from that, the Pro WX wireless hard drive also exhibits an innovative one-to-one connection which limits the possibility of signal interception while giving you a peace of mind as one can back up data securely within a 30 foot radius in a manner that is not too different from that of a direct attached storage device.

Each purchase of the Imation Pro WX Wireless USB hard drive comes with an integrated stand that allows you to place it in either a vertical or horizontal position. Apart from that, you can tell at a glance just how much storage space it has left within thanks to a low capacity/data activity indicator lights that makes it easy to identify data processes. Built-in sleep mode is thrown into the mix for energy conservation, while one-touch, backup sync buttons virtually makes it dummy-proof for one to backup the drive’s contents automatically. Compatible with both Mac and PC platforms, the Imation Pro WX wireless USB hard drive will retail for $449.99.

Press Release

More:
Imation offers Pro WX first wireless USB external hard drive