Ryan and Ken
Ryan's Picks
Anker 5-port 25 watt USB Wall Charger
If you are like me you have more than your fair share of mobile devices and things that need to be plugged into USB ports to charge. Sometimes getting to a USB port is a pain in the rear or other times you just have run out of wall adapters. This Anker 5-port unit will fix those problems while offering up the ability to charge up to 2 amps on two ports and 1 amp or more on the other three. This means that iPads and tablets will charge faster than if you had them connected to your PC. The only downside is that this unit is for charging only and does not act as any kind of USB hub.
Nest Learning Thermostat with Wi-Fi
The Nest thermostat was the first device that I think put weight behind the idea of the "internet of things." By connecting to your home wireless the Nest is able to be controlled through your phone or computer which might seem useless until you actually have one and use it. Want to turn up the heat before crawling out from under your comforter in the morning? Or maybe turn off the A/C because you're going to be gone a few days and forgot to do it before you left? Not only that but the sensors on the Nest attempt to learn your schedule and anticipate your heating and cooling needs before you do.
Fluke 117 True RMS Multimeter
Every geek should have a multimeter and Fluke makes some of the best in the business. The 117 model is a true RMS unit to allow for measuring non-linear loads and offers the complete feature set that you need to looking at voltages, resistance, continuity and more. You can use it for commercial applications or just to test things that might be malfunctioning around the house.
Ken's Picks
Arduino Uno
As you may have noticed, I’ve been up to some hardware hacking this year. The development of the Arduino platform has been a great thing for introducing people to microcontroller programming, and the Arduino Uno is a great place to start. If you’ve ever had a project in mind involving some sort of hardware, like home automation or maybe a LED Matrix controlled over WiFi, Arduino can help you be up and running in a very short time on Arduino. Even if you don’t quite know how to program, there is plenty of documentation to get you up to speed on the basics you’ll need to know.
Also consider a package like the SparkFun Inventor’s kit to help familiarize yourself with the platform and provide some cool toys to play with using your Arduino. Happy Hacking!
Dremel
Listen, if you are going to start anything in the case mod world, or even the hardware development world, you’re going to need a Dremel. As we call know, sometimes you just need to “make it fit” and a Dremel is going to help you immensely in that process.
You don’t necessarily need to go all extravagant for your first Dremel, something like this kit being sold on Amazon will do. Let’s face it, when you learn how invaluable of a tool this can be, you’ll soon want to upgrade.
Pebble Smartwatch
I've had a Pebble for a few weeks now, and due to the limited support for iOS, I became pretty sour on the whole deal. However, with the 2.0 update that was recently issued bringing parity between iOS and Android in terms of functionality, I see the value in a Smartwatch.
Being able to see notifications without taking my phone out of my pocket seems like a small thing, but it has been very useful day-to-day. I can now push any notification that comes across my phone to my wrist, allowing me to things like screen the caller ID quickly without having to fumble for my phone. By allowing me to quickly decide if a notification is important enough to tend to, the Pebble can actually help maintain social order instead of tear it down.
Another $10 off + free Final
Another $10 off + free Final Fantasy game for the i7-4770K ($289) @ Newegg.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116901
Tis the season to go in debt! 😀
happy thanksgiving pcper! i
happy thanksgiving pcper! i hope you have a nice weekend 🙂
I can vouch that the T100TA
I can vouch that the T100TA is an AMAZING tablet. I heard Josh in a podcast a few months ago talking about how sweet Bay Trail would be when it launched, and it is indeed sweet.
>Quad core Intel Atom Baytrail CPU with 4.5x graphics improvement over previous generation
>64GB eMMC storage + microSD slot for expansion
>x86 architecture so it runs full Win 8.1 not that RT bullshit
>10.1 inch screen
>11 hour battery
>included keyboard dock with full size USB 2.0 port
>HDMI out
>Intel WiDi support (wireless display)
>free copy of Microsoft Office Home & Student Edition
….for $379.
9:21 PM seriously, this thing is amazing I have already played CS:GO, Minecraft, Braid, Half-Life 2, Fallout New Vegas, and edited in Photoshop with it. It’s like the surface pro for nearly 1/3 the price.
Here’s a picture of me holding the device while writing this comment about the advice. Oh so meta.
http://imgur.com/ZG1PIFB
Just as a heads up, the 64GB
Just as a heads up, the 64GB version of the T100 is $299 through the Microsoft store at the moment. I’ve been wavering over buying it for days, knowing that the new Atom chip is genuinely decent and has great battery life. I’m just leery about living with a keyboard that small. How’s the typing on it?
http://holiday.microsoftstore.com/store/msusa/en_US/html/pbPage.PDP/ASUS-Transformer-Book-T100TA-C1-GR-Touchscreen-2-in-1/productID.288728700
1. Swifttech H220 (NCIX
1. Swifttech H220 (NCIX US).
2. ASUS RT-N66U Dual-Band Wireless-N900 (Amazon)
3. Intel 530 Series 180GB for $109 (Newegg).
Im using it right now. Its not the fastest drive but never need to worry about reliability, its Intel.
4. G.Skill Ripjaw 8GB (2X4) 1600 for $49.99 (Newegg).
5. Cougar 140mm fans $15 (Newegg) They are cheaper if you buy in bulk.
When I saw Ryan and Ken, I
When I saw Ryan and Ken, I thought it said “Ryu and Ken”…maybe I DO need that GTX 780 Ti to Play MOAR Super Street Fighter 4 ULTRA.
PCper,
is the above link
PCper,
is the above link “Continue reading our selections for this year’s PC Perspective Holiday Gift Guide!!” supposed to go to this page or somewhere else – ie are there more gft items suggestions?
Adafruit would have to the
Adafruit would have to the most interesting piece of hardware on this holiday guide. Also like the Raspberry Pi and Arduino based kits but just don’t have time, maybe in the future if it’s still around. Don’t understand how to program so I guest it would be play around with other people code.
LG Nexus 5 Review
Google
LG Nexus 5 Review
Google launched its Nexus 5 smartphone globally and much to our surprise, the company redeemed itself for the mistakes it made with Nexus 4 in India by bringing the latest Nexus much earlier than last time around (almost one year).
The stock Android 4.4 KitKat version is the best way to differentiate between the experience on a Nexus device and other vendor branded devices. The latest Nexus 5 therefore is no different, and gives the experience that Google wants to offer to users on Android.
LG has flourished under the stewardship of Google for its Nexus devices, enabling it to iron out the flaws they’ve had in their previous smartphones. With Nexus 5, LG has taken the expectations to a whole new level.
Read More : http://kindleon.com/detail.php?id_detail=119