Are Those Laser Keyboards Finally Usable When Embedded In an iPhone Case?

Short answer: Nope, still not.

If you have even a passing interest in tech you've seen these types of contraptions before. A laser is used to project a virtual keyboard onto a flat surface, while a camera detects the position of the typist's fingers to register keystrokes.

If it worked as awesome as it sounds, laser keyboards would be a fantastic tool for doing long form writing on a portable device. Particularly when it's integrated into a $180-$190 iPhone case. But the sad reality is that they're almost unusable for any kind of real work.

Not only is the lack of tactile feedback a huge stumbling block for touch typists, but the hardware used to track your finger motions isn't accurate enough for any kind of real speed. 

Google Just Made Bing the Best Search Engine

I just switched the default search engine in my browser from Google to Bing. And if you care about working efficiently, or getting the right results when you search, then maybe you should too. Don't laugh!

Google changed the way search works this week. It deeply integrated Google+ into search results. It's ostensibly meant to deliver more personalized results. But it pulls those personalized results largely from Google services—Google+, Picasa, YouTube. Search for a restaurant, and instead of its Yelp page, the top result might be someone you know discussing it on Google Plus. Over at SearchEngineland, Danny Sullivan has compiled a series of damning examples of the ways Google's new interface promotes Plus over relevancy. Long story short: It's a huge step backwards.

A lot of people are crying foul, and even "anti-trust." Sure, it does seem pretty transparently designed to drive traffic and users to Google Plus, and to make Google Plus brand pages the go-to place for a company's social media presence. And it's true that results from Facebook and Twitter in particular have been noticeably kicked down.

But I didn't switch for political reasons, or as an act of protest. I don't care if Google hurts Twitter or Facebook—or even Friendster for that matter. Boo-hoo. I only care if it hurts me. And this does. Google broke itself.

For years, Google Search has been the highest quality web product I've ever used. It has remained consistently essential as an information-delivery mechanism. I typically hit it hundreds of times a day—on my phone, tablet, laptop and desktop. But with one update it wiped out all those years of loyalty and goodwill it had built up. Sure, I can opt out of social results with a click—but as with all things I don't want to have to opt out. I don't want to have to make that extra click. I want to enter a query, and have the most relevant results returned to me as quickly as possible. (And if Google genuinely doesn't think it's a big deal for people to take the extra step oft opting out, why has it focused so relentlessly on optimizing speed for so many years?)

The great thing is, of course, you can just switch. Hit up your browser preferences, and swap your default to Bing. I know, I know, but yes I'm serious. Sure, Bing had a rocky start. But if you haven't seen it recently it's worth another look. It has a super clean interface. It's fast. And operators work the way you expect them to. Best of all it's relevant.

In short, it's a lot like Google. Not the Google of today, but the Google you fell in love with, the one that put your search results above its financial ones. The Google that delivered.

Reddit is Having a Blackout on 18 January in Protest Against SOPA

The web's been grumbling and muttering about SOPA for a while now, but we've not really seen any big gestures made. That's changing: Reddit admins have announced a blackout to protest against the act.

On 18 January, visitors to Reddit's usual wonderfully chaotic home page will instead be greeted by "a simple message about how the PIPA/SOPA legislation would shut down sites like reddit", according to a blog post written by the Reddit team. The blackout will last 12 hours.

As well as that message, the page will link to resources where people can learn more about SOPA, and suggest ways in which people can take action. They'll also feature a live video stream of the House hearing where Internet entrepreneurs and technical experts will be testifying that day.

In the same blog post, the team said:

The freedom, innovation, and economic opportunity that the Internet enables is in jeopardy. Congress is considering legislation that will dramatically change your Internet experience and put an end to Reddit and many other sites you use everyday... There are powerful forces trying to censor the Internet, and a few months ago many people thought this legislation would surely pass. However, there's a new hope that we can defeat this dangerous legislation.

A blackout is a bold move on Reddit's part, and probably the biggest statement we've seen made against SOPA so far.

But I don't think it's enough. There's an element of preaching to the choir here: most Reddit users are tech-savvy and, probably, already oppose SOPA.

What's needed to make real impact is for some of the big boys, like Google or Facebook, which both oppose SOPA, to do something similar. The chances of that are very, very slim — but without it, the message just isn't loud enough.

Apple Has 250 Ninjas Spying the Competition At CES

Don't think Apple is not at CES. They are there, everywhere. You can't see them, but 250 stealth Apple employees are at CES 2012. They are not there to show things. They are there to voraciously analyze the competition.

Paid Content's Tom Krazit bumped into none other than Greg Joswiak, head of iOS product marketing for Apple:

Greg Joswiak, head of iOS product marketing for Apple, was just outside of Sony's booth. Joz, as he's known within the Apple community, grinned sheepishly upon being recognized by a reporter and stopped to chat for a few minutes.

 "A common misconception about Apple is that the company doesn't pay attention to the competition and remains aloof from what's happening in the rest of the industry." Sure, paying attention is one thing. All companies pay attention. All companies send scouts to other companies' booths and events. But sending a small army—according to Elgan, Apple registered 250 employees for the show—to comb the halls at CES is a lot more than just paying attention.

So yes, Apple may ignore CES for show and tell. But they are not ignoring what's cooking in Vegas. They are very interested in it. To see what's hot, what's wrong, where everyone else thinks things are going. If you are at CES, look into their badges.

Sony Now Makes a Portable Blu-ray Player. Why?

I'm sure there are 3.5 people out there who will put Sony's portable Blu-ray player to great use. It has a 9-inch screen, 4.5 hours of battery life, and 1080p output via HDMI. But for the rest of us, The Sony SX910 is an extremely niche-y, borderline unnecessary piece of tech.

99.99% of us would be better served with a tablet and a Netflix account, because Blu-ray's 1080p resolution is basically wasted on a screen so small. But I sort of get it. Hypothetically there is a Blu-ray enthusiast out there who also spends a lot of time on the road, and really doesn't want to waste their time obtaining digital or DVD copies of movies they already own.

The Portable Blu-ray player will be available this Spring.

The New Canon ELPH: Tiny and Cheap Just Got Faster

The ELPH 520 HS has a 10.1-megapixel CMOS sensor, and a 12x optical zoom lens packed into a skinny package. Those specs aren't anything mind-blowing for a $300 point-and-shoot camera, though. What's really exciting about this camera is that it's powered by Canon's new Digic 5 processor, which improves the camera's low-light performance and auto-white balance—all in addition to making the camera a generally faster, more responsive package. A scaled back Canon PowerShot ELPH 110 HS Digital Camera features 5X optical zoom, and 16-megapixel sensor. Both cameras shoot 1080p video.

Both units feature new additions to Canon's Smart AUTO, which detects 58 different types of scenes. The tech has a new parent-friendly face ID feature, which prioritizes between different people in the scene based on whether they are babies, children, or adults. When the feature is on, the camera will adjust to focus on and properly expose the youngest person in the scene.

The 500 HS will be available in March for $300, the 110 HS will be available in February for $250.

Ubuntu TV Will Be In Your Living Room This Year

The geekiest of the operating systems is branching out into entertainment. Ubuntu TV is the open-source answer to your living room set-up, and you could have a TV running the software by the end of the year.

Ubuntu TV is a TV-optimized version of the desktop OS, based around the Unity UI. It feature full-on media center and DVR features, including movie, TV and music stores, and a YouTube app. The idea is to make the OS free for manufacturers to package with their TVs, and Ubuntu says there will be TVs on shelves by the end of the year. There's a working Ubuntu TV at CES. More here.

People Flag Facebook Photos Because They Look Ugly, Not Because They’re Offensive

Oh my god! Is that a zit on my forehead? Where did that third chin come from? Why am I sweating so much? Was I that drunk? What is my boss going to think? What is my mom going to think? What do I think? I need to get rid of this photo on Facebook. NOW. Let's flag as offensive! Click. Unflattering picture, gone.

That's the internal monologue of most Facebook users when they click the Flag photo button on Facebook. Seriously, Facebook found out that the majority of photos that are reported as offensive weren't really offensive at all. In most cases, it was just people flagging pictures of themselves because the photo was taken at unflattering angles or compromising situations or just didn't make 'em look cool. We've all been there, right? How many times have you told your friend to pull down the picture of you half-naked, praising the toilet gods for mercy?

Facebook tweaked their flagging options last summer to accomodate these 'issues' people have with their photos. Which is to say, they included options to choose 'I don't like this photo of me', 'It's harassing me' or 'It's harassing a friend'. The complaints are meant to generate some sort of compassion in the poster to take down the ugly photo. I just say, make better friends.

Victorinox’s 1TB Flash Drive Makes It Easy To Lose a Thousand Gigabytes

You might think they only make knives, but Victorinox also makes some of the best flash drives on the market (they're certainly my favorite.) They're well-built, extremely fast, and in a few days might be available in one terabyte capacities.

Yeah, you read that right. One terabyte! In addition to more storage than you'll ever really need hanging on your keychain, the USB 2.0/eSATA II drives will include 256 bit AES hardware/software encryption, and what appears to be a built-in monochrome LCD display. Presumably providing details on the drive contents, and available capacity.

Of course what would a product from Victorinox be without some added functionality? So it looks like the drive will come in a version packing a knife and scissors, and one free of bladed tools so you don't have a terabyte of data confiscated by airport security. Availability should be unveiled once CES officially opens in a few days, including what will probably be a very hefty price tag.

Cook Anywhere You Please on This New Induction Range

Be it gas, electric, or induction, ranges have held onto a vestigial limb—a finite, unmovable set of areas to do the actual cooking. This new induction cooktop from Thermador, however, is smart enough to heat anywhere there's a pot.

The new Freedom cooktop bills itself as the first induction appliance whose entire surface acts as a heating element. Its "natural-mapping" interface allows users to add, remove, and shift pans around while they cook and should allow chefs a greater degree of flexibility in their meal preparation.

Induction cooking employs a copper wire running under the clear ceramic surface and a strong AC current to create a magnetic field which then transfers an electric current to the cookware. This heats the pot itself while keeping the range cool to the touch. It's more efficient than both gas and traditional electric methods.

The Freedom also includes a 6.3-inch display that recognizes the pot's shape and size, as well as controls the unit's power settings and cook time (begone, egg timer!). Its surface accommodates pans up to 21 x 13-inches and will retail for $5000 when it hits the market in July. More here.

Someone Is Paying $3,000 For This Computer With a 700MHz Processor and 128MB of RAM

What is this, the 1990s? No, not really. The computer in question is one of the first from Raspberry Pi. It's a tiny PC on a single circuit board – and the proceeds from its sale will help encourage kids to code.

The Raspberry Pi, not yet in full production, is supposed to sell for $25. It features a 700MHz ARM11 processor, 128MB of SDRAM, HDMI video output, a USB 2.0 port, and can run an OS like Ubuntu. It can even handle Quake III.

This $3,000 Pi, however, is one of the first ten pre-production units to be made, all of which are being auctioned on eBay in order to raise money for charity. The Raspberry Pi foundation plan to plough the money they raise into delivering the tiny computers to schools. The idea is to encourage kids to get to grips with coding and open-source software, which is an amazing idea. More here.

Instagram Now Integrates Even Deeper With Facebook

If you are a heavy user of Instagram and Facebook, good news! When you choose to share your Instagram snapshots on theSocial Network, photos now wedge themselves onto the site in better, more accessible, more meaningful ways than ever before.

Instagram photos will now appear in your Facebook news feed at full size, meaning your days of squinting are over. They'll also automatically pop up in your timeline, making the the new design that much more visually appealing. And finally, there's now a dedicated Facebook album for all your Instagram shares, which so that all your uploads can be viewed in one convenient spot.

Logitech outs C920 HD Webcam, Lets you Skype in 1080p

If you were impressed by Logitech's C910 back in June, you may want to take a gander at the newly unveiled HD Pro 920. While it's the first webcam to offer 1080p video chatting with the latest version of Skype, the C920 can also capture 1080p video while offering 720p for Windows Live Messenger. You'll be able to upload your full-HD clips and 15MP shots at warp speed at the hands of H.264 advanced compression technology -- making those YouTube uploads that much faster. 

Internally, the C920 implements Logitech's Fluid Crystal Technology, Carl Zeiss optics and a 20-step autofocus. For audio capture, two mics are position on either side of the shooter for stereo recording. If you're looking to snag one, it'll set you back $100 starting this month.

Android 2.3 Continues Soaring Upward, now Installed on 55 percent of Google Devices

Google's monthly Android distribution charts may be the most visual piece of evidence that the mobile OS is riddled with fragmentation, but at least Gingerbread has clearly become the dominant player -- and it continues to build momentum at a healthy pace (for now, at least). 

As always, Google reviewed which devices accessed the Android Market during a 14-day period of time in the month of December, and found that over 55 percent of those units were running a version of Android 2.3, a ten percent turbo boost from October and an increase of seventeen percent over three months.

Froyo devices -- many of which are likely older phones or tablets sentenced to a upgrade-less future -- numbered over 30 percent, and Honeycomb still amounts to a meager 3.3 percent. Cupcake and ICS are tied for last place, but it's expected  to climb rapidly as soon as it's, y'know, officially available on more devices.

Microsoft Celebrates IE6’s Death with T-Shirts

How do the people responsible for IE6—a slow, buggy, security nightmare of a browser—observe IE6's demise? With commemorative tees, of course. If only IE6 were as clever as the piece of clothing recognizing its overdue drift into oblivion.

The shirt, cooked up by the Internet Explorer team, almost makes me a little sad. And then I realize what death we're talking about, and that these people are probably glad the desiccated corpse is blowing away in the wind. Now let us pretend IE6 never happened and only think about IE9. IE9 is all there has ever been. Everything is OK. Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep. More here.

Ask Ziggy: Siri for Windows Phone

People love Siri. Well, unless they have anaccent or a slight speech impediment. What's important is that Apple really wants everyone with an iPhone 4S use Siri to schedule appointments and look up coffee shops. The Android Market is already filled with enough Siri clones to keep Apple's lawyers busy for years. It's time for Windows Phone to get in on the talk-to-your-phone-in-public fun with Ask Ziggy.

What's it do?

Ziggy is Siri for Windows Phone. Hell, the app even looks like Siri. In addition to using the app to call contacts, send tweets, solve math problems, and update your Facebook status, the app can switch from female to male. Like Siri, the app needs access to the Internet in order to fetch the information needed for your query.

Why do we like it?

If you can get Siri to work for you, it's actually pretty great. The same can be said for Ziggy. Need to call a friend but don't want to search through your contacts? Ask Ziggy. Need the weather in Wichita, Kansas? Ask Ziggy. Need to find a Mexican restaurant because you must have a taco right now? Well, you get the point.

Retrode 2 Retro Gaming Adapter Brings SNES / Genesis Support to your PC for $85

As the story goes, the product shown above is the result of some three years of toiling, with the second iteration handling cartridges for Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo. In fact, there's a pair of ports on here, enabling one cart from each console to be loaded up and carried around. Users need only to find and install an emulator on their machine, plug a cartridge and / or an associated controller into the device and then connect the Retrode 2 to one's computer via USB. Once you've loaded a ROM into your emulator, configured your controller and canceled every appointment on your calendar for the next 48 hours... well, you're in for quite a weekend of retro gaming nirvana. Get it here for $84.99, with shipments expected to begin on January 23rd.

Internet Explorer Holds Onto top Browser Crown While Chrome and Firefox Tussle Over Second Place

Both Net Applications and StatCounter have released their figures for browser market share for 2011 and it makes for largely unsurprising reading. Internet Explorer's full share has dropped but it still maintains the top spot -- a 52 percent share according to Net Applications and 39 percent according to StatCounter. Meanwhile, second place remains tantalizingly within reach for Chrome, which has made headway catching up with Firefox, whose growth had apparently stalled during 2011.

According to Net Applications, Firefox held a 21.8 percent share of browser users this month, while Chrome reached 19.1 percent, up just under 8 percent and capping off a second year of impressive growth. Meanwhile, StatCounter pegs Google's browser at second place for the end of the year, claiming 27.3 percent versus the 25.3 percent share grabbed by its vulpine rival. Unsurprisingly, the Windows Team Blog takes a different slant on recent browsing trends, trumpeting that its latest version, Internet Explorer 9, continues to grow on Windows 7. This is, however, balanced out by a corresponding drop in the users of its predecessor, IE 8. Better luck next year, eh, Microsoft?

This Is One Ridiculously Over-The-Top iPhone Camera Case

Made from 32 individual polycarbonate parts, the case includes an optical viewfinder, a shutter button that presses on the iPhone's volume button, a mock-lens with a mirror in the center for taking easy self-shots, a tripod mount, and even a non-functioning micro hot shoe. All so it looks the part. You can even swap out the included faux lens for some flat pancake glass, if you've got photographer friends to impress.

The case also provides a mount allowing you to use a miniature fisheye or macro lens with the iPhone's camera, so there's at least some level of added functionality when using it. But enough to justify the $65 price tag, plus $30 for a neck strap and $45 for the extra lenses?

Genius Scale Only Shows You How Much You’ve Gained Or Lost

When you're battling the bulge, your bathroom scale can either be your best friend or your worst enemy. So instead of displaying your actual weight, which can be discouraging, this scale only tells you how much you've lost or gained.

The first time you step on the $78 Quantum scale it registers your weight, but still keeps it a secret from you. And after that it simply gives you a plus or minus reading depending on if you've gained weight since your last reading, or lost some.

Admittedly it's not the easiest way to tell if you're making weight loss progress unless you're keeping tabs on your up and down measurements on a daily basis. But if you're dedicated to the cause, it should make the morning routine of weighing yourself a bit less dreadful. Get it here.