Chris Pirillo » OLED

Where is Technology Headed?

coupons — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 05:39:26 +0000

Where is Technology Headed? is a post from Chris Pirillo

This is Taylor Trevathan’s submission for the HP Magic Giveaway. Feel free to leave comments for this article as you see fit – your feedback is certainly welcomed! If you’d like to submit your own how-to, what-is, or top-five list, you can send it to me. Views and opinions of this writer are not necessarily my own:

As newer and better technology replaces the old, one may realize that the replacement gadgets tend to get smaller, and smaller, and smaller. Is there such a thing as too portable or too small? To what point do we say that we are unable to use a piece of technology because the screen is much too tiny to read or the buttons are too small for our fingers? Well, the folks at 3M® are working towards a solution.

Recently, 3M® has created an ultra-portable projector dubbed the MPro110 which weighs in at a light 5.4 ounces. The MPro110 is able to project a 10” screen in a brightly lit room and a whopping 50” screen in a dark room. The MPro110 is virtually the cheapest big-screen television on the market today and can be bought at most electronic retailers while setting you back a mere $360.

This technology was made possible by 3M® first, though it was a close race with other top companies trying to do the same thing: make a projector that can fit into your pocket. 3M® took the simplest route possible by just shrinking down the technology that works rather than completely altering it altogether. The projector actually has a tiny lamp and tiny lenses/prisms in it; so it is basically a projector that has been hit by a shrinking ray.

The idea is that either 3M® or other companies will refine the technology and make it even smaller so as it would fit into laptops, phones, or even pen top computers. 3M® has already announced that they are meeting with cell phone companies to do just that. For now, it comes with inputs for laptops, mp3 players, digital cameras, and anything else that you can run a video-out cable from. The screen displays in standard definition (640 by 480 pixels) which is still amazingly impressing considering its size.

Due to this ‘gadget’, technology may still be able to shrink while maintaining functionality. Screens becoming obsolete and being replaced by micro-projectors, keyboards going out of style with the new touch screen keyboards to take their place, and computers being slimmed down to nothing more than a stick containing all of the hardware, and infra-red keyboard and a micro projector all in one.

With the new development in OLED technology, screens can be as thin as paper and able to bend. One could just roll up their television in a digital-scroll and be on his or her way. Technology will continue to get smaller and smaller; even more advanced each year. The question “Isn’t it just too small to use?” will not exist any longer. Processors will become microscopic and the micro computer will be exactly that: microscopic.

With companies like 3M paving the technological world of tomorrow, it is a wonder where we will be a month, a year, or a decade from now. One thing is for certain though: we will never stop dreaming of the next best thing that can make our lives easier without worrying about size over convenience.

Optimus Maximus Keyboard Software

Chris — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 01:51:15 +0000

Optimus Maximus Keyboard Software is a post from Chris Pirillo

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After successfully restarting my computer and pulling up the Optimus configuration tool for OS X, it was able to recognize the keyboard and map everything. I want to show you something that is really interesting on the keyboard.

Can you see this? Look closely at the keys. When I press the Shift key, the letters and numbers shown on the keyboard change to their “Shift” equivalents. Isn’t that kinda nice? Or, let’s say you’re thinking to yourself “I can barely see that font”. You really want me to make it a little bigger for you? I can do that if I want to! You can change the font size on your keyboard, bold the text on the keyboard, and even change the entire font altogether. You can do this either for certain keys, or the entire keyboard. You can even change the color of the backlighting to pretty much any color in the spectrum.

The main features of this amazing keyboard are:

Revolutionary Keyboard Features a tiny OLED screen on each key. 113 screens total.
Each key can be individually programmed to perform a series of functions, open an application or run an Applescript (Mac only)
Various System Monitor functions can dynamically display on a key including CPU usage, CPU temperature, Network Speed, and Memory Usage
Play a GIF animation or Quicktime movie on a Key
Paint images across all keys at once in your image editor of choice
Key sets can be linked to an application, so whenever you open that app the appropriate keys come up
Powerful layer function allows you to combine existing key sets in different ways
Use any language with the appropriate key images including Cyrillic, Ancient Greek, Georgian, Arabic, Quenya, and Hiragana.
Display notes, numerals, special symbols, HTML codes, math functions or any other special symbol.
Any key (or to be exact, a unit consisting of a cap, a microchip and a display) can be easily removed by hands to be cleaned or replaced
Built in USB hub
SD Card Slot for Storing keyboard Settings

I’m really looking forward to importing styles that other people have set on their Optimus Maximus keyboards and trying them out. Be sure to send me links to what you’ve done. I can’t wait to really dive in to the software, and set things up based on my wants and needs.

If you get a chance, you truly need to get your hands on one of these. It’s definitely worth the cost in my opinion. It’s just… an out-of-body experience. That’s the best way to put it. THANK YOU ThinkGeek. I will name my first-born child after you for sending me this keyboard.

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Optimus Maximus Keyboard Control Fun

Chris — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 01:33:43 +0000

Optimus Maximus Keyboard Control Fun is a post from Chris Pirillo

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So the unboxing of my phenomenal new keyboard is complete, and it’s time to play. I turned off the lights in my office so all of you could see a bit better. I did this to show you a feature even better. The images that display on the OLED screens under the keys can be modal.

For instance, right now I don’t have an image programmed for my space bar. I set the software up so that when I’m in the Finder, there are different layers that will show up automatically. See? I can use the space bar for “quick view” at this moment. It also will light up keys, corresponding to different layers of things that I can do and open. If Caps Lock is turned on with Finder in the foreground, the color swatch across the entire keyboard changes.

Now that you’ve seen the functionality of what the Optimus Maximus can do, you’re about to find a World’s First… are you ready for it? Do you see the little icon? You’ve officially been RickRolled from a keyboard. See him dancing?

Yeah, baby, that’s what I’m talking about. That’s the Optimus Maximus from ThinkGeek. Tell em Chris sent you when you go to get one for yourself. You, too, can program a dancing Rick into your keyboard, and map the key so that when you push it… the YouTube video will open on your screen automatically. How’s that for bragging rights?

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Optimus Maximus OLED Keyboard Unboxing

Chris — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 01:10:43 +0000

Optimus Maximus OLED Keyboard Unboxing is a post from Chris Pirillo

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There were people waiting up to seven hours in my live chat room today. I FINALLY have gotten an Optimus Maximus keyboard, courtesy of ThinkGeek. I am completely stoked, since I’ve wanted this thing for like… EVER. I managed to let it sit on my desk all day, and build anticipation. People in chat ended up being as impatient and excited as I was for the unboxing.

Time to take a second mortgage on your home or break into your kid’s college fund. With the singing of angels and a ray of sunlight parting the clouds, the fabled Optimus Maximus Keyboard has descended from Russian design studio Art Lebedev like an orgasm of geekiness. As you should know by now this amazing keyboard features a tiny screen on each key… that’s 113 screens in all. What can you do with these tiny screens, you ask? Well, each key can change its image dynamically depending on what you’re doing. Hold down SHIFT and all keys go uppercase. Run Photoshop and you can set it so each hotkey has an image representing its function. Set a key to monitor your CPU usage or display what iTunes track you are currently playing. You can make a key into a tiny clock with moving hands and play animated gif files or even quicktime movies. Of course all this futuristic technology is going to cost you a pretty penny… but we figure you’ll just expense the Optimus and tout its “incredible increased efficiency when using PowerPoint hotkeys” in your expense report summary.

This thing is just… fricken AWESOME. From day one, I wanted this keyboard. Now that I have it, I’m in Geek Heaven. Every key is a separate screen. Look how shiny it is!!!! The keys don’t feel awesome, but that’s not the point. It’ll fit really well front and center on my desk.

After much hard work, I finally got the power run behind my desk, and was able to turn the keyboard on. Look at the secksay purple lights backlighting every key. The coolest thing is when it was plugged in. Before being plugged in, the keys on the keyboard had the Windows key, CTRL key, etc on it. You know, native Windows keys. However, when I plugged it in, it immediately recognized that I was using a Mac. Those Windows keys changed over to Mac keys!!! How fricken cool is that?! The OLEDs aren’t actually on the keys, they’re under it.

Don’t worry, you’ll get to see much more of my amazing new keyboard in upcoming videos. All I have left to say is… I HAVE AN OPTIMUS MAXIMUS!!!!.

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How to Handle Remote Tech Support

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 06:30:00 GMT

Using GoToAssist is the easiest way to view and control another person's computer online. Use it to provide instant technical support to family, friends and customers. Start a session with just one click, and instantly connect with the other party.

Network Tools for Windows

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VMware and Parallels for Virtual Machines

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:30:00 GMT

It doesn't matter if you're running on Windows or Mac OS X - every power user needs either Parallels or VMware (or both). There's never been an easier way to test software without destroying your primary operating system's stability. Think of how many times you wish you could press a 'reverse' button on your computer. Plus, there's no easier way to try new Linux distributions - see what all the fuss is about. Run Windows in OS X, run Linux in Windows, but the best way to do either is with VMware and/or Parallels.

Coupons for Online Shopping

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 07:56:13 GMT

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