When it comes to computing, our general philosophy at Maximum PC is that bigger is better. More, speed, more memory, more power—as far as hardware goes, there's no such things as excess. Software, though… Software's a little different. Big, feature-packed utilities and applications are great, but we prefer apps that show a little restraint. More
Perhaps you’ve noticed that today is tax day in the US, and perhaps you’ve wondered where your taxes are going. As a breath of fresh air, the U.S. Government has posted a web site to calculate your payments and let you instantly see how your individual tax payment is being spent. More
A leaked copy of Windows 8 has had people scrambling to find new features and tidbits to gossip about—and it looks like there's a surprise hidden there for us, as we'll actually be able to run it from a USB stick. In fact, you'll be able to create copies using the portable workspace feature, though you'll need a USB stick of at least 16GB to do so. [MyDigitalLife via WinRumors] More
OLEDs were sold to us as being cheaper and better than traditional LEDs, but they hit a bottleneck on the way to market: The high price of production. Partly the big price tag was due to indium tin oxide, which is used as an electrode in these energy-saving lights – and which is added to them via a painstaking, expensive process. A new method could simplify that process, producing OLEDs in a way that “faster, easier and cheaper.” More
See that guy right there? His world is ending. Dragons are swallowing his neighbors, snatching his peoples up. Rather than make an effort to hide his kids, hide his wife or hide his husband (too), he’s celebrating uncontrollably. Why? Because his homeland is preparing to make the shift to plastic cash. You heard right — Canada is scheduled to introduce a polymer-based $100 bill in November, and in March of 2012, a recyclable $50 bill will follow. From there, smaller notes will be phased in over the next dozen months or so, providing citizens with legal tender that holds up better to Yellowknife’s winters. Sure, Australia has been doing something similar for over a decade, but have you ever seen a DinoPark Tycoon rise up and use only non-digestible money? Exactly.
Canada to introduce recyclable, polymer-based ‘plastic cash,’ dragons and PC users rejoice originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 15 Apr 2011 10:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
We’ve posted about the tiny Australian Peacock Spider before, but now you can see its amazing mating dance. A couple of minutes into this video, you’ll understand how it got its name. Read more about this spider at Catalyst. Link -via The Daily What
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The Peacock Spider Dance
An experiment designed to catch a few WIMPs, the particles that are meant to make up dark matter, has failed to detect any sign of them. More
Japan has all the fun stuff. iOS users abroad deserve this clever cable that charges an iOS device via USB while providing an HDMI port. Why didn’t you think of that, Cupertino? It’s awesome that the iPad can output video, but it does so through the Dock Connector, which is also the only way to charge the iPad meaning it’s one or the other. That is unless you have this ¥6980 (approx. $84 USD) cable that’s currently only available in Nippon. Or any Android tablet. [Thanko via AkihabaraNews]
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Japan Only: iOS HDMI/USB Cable Charges And Outputs Video
We got to feeling a bit curious about how exactly HTC’s latest Android superphone, the Sensation 4G, stacks up against its fellow dual-core competition, so we did what every geek does in such situations, we compiled a chart. Included in this list are the finest and brightest Android handsets from each of the major manufacturers that have gone dual-core so far: the Galaxy S II, the Atrix 4G, the Optimus 2X / G2X, and HTC’s own EVO 3D. As it turns out, there are quite a few commonalities among these phones (besides the benchmark-crushing performance). They all boast screens of either 4 or 4.3 inches in size, the minimum amount of RAM among them is 512MB, the smallest battery is 1500mAh, and yes, they all have front-facing video cameras. Basically, it’s the future of smartphones, reduced to a stat sheet. As such, it must also come with the warning that specs aren’t everything, and user experience will most often depend on the software available on each device and on the preferences of the human holding it. With that proviso fully digested, join us after the break for the data.
HTC Sensation versus the rest of the dual-core world: smartphone spec sheet smackdown originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 15 Apr 2011 09:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
A child’s coloring book, dedicated “to daddy” and mailed to a New Jersey inmate, included colored crayon scribblings made from a paste containing drugs, officials say.