Wednesday 31 March 2010

Toshiba readies 750GB & 1TB 2.5" drives


electronista reports: [edited]

The MK7559GSXP is the first 2.5", 9.5mm drive to hold 750GB. As such, it can provide the capacity expected of a desktop hard drive but fit into thin-and-light notebooks like the MacBook Pro as well as all-in-one desktops and digital media hubs.

Despite having about 17 percent more capacity, the new SATA II drive consumes about 14 percent less power than the 640GB drive it's set to replace and could extend the theoretical battery life. It spins at just 5,400RPM, but its very high density, two-platter design may compensate for the perceived drop in access speed.

In tandem with the thin drive, Toshiba is rolling out the MKxx59GSM line, which brings 750GB and 1TB drives but in a taller three-platter, 12.5mm (0.49in) profile more suited to desktop replacement notebooks and other computers where thinness isn't an absolute priority. Both rotate at the same speed but is slightly less energy-efficient.

All three of the disks are due to start sampling for system builders in April and should enter mass production soon afterwards.
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Monday 29 March 2010

iPad illustrations


behance.net reports: [edited]

Three illustrations for an article in best-selling Greek computer magazine RAM about the future of publishing and media in the new era of iPad, iPhone and the other new smart devices.

Made with Synthetik StudioArtist and Adobe Photoshop with custom developed techniques and scripts.

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Brett's 2p'orth: make sure to scroll down to the bottom of the article to check out the 'zoomed-in' images.
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Monday 22 March 2010

Flame


Escape Motions reports: [edited]

Flame is a painting program. You can change different brush settings and paint your own flame paintings. When you change background from black to white, palette changes from additive to substactive and the feeling of the painting is very different. It's not easy to explain all brush parameters, so I leave this for your experimentation.
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Thursday 18 March 2010

Free font - Sketchetica



Sketchetica is a Helvetica-like, pencil-drawn font, available in four styles: light, regular, bold and black. The light version is available free from MyFonts (registration required)
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Friday 12 March 2010

The future of publishing?



Wired reports: [edited]

Above, you’ll see a video that explains why the [iPad] is such a groundbreaking opportunity for magazines such as ours.

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Brett's 2p'orth: The prospect of being able to produce designs that are interactive and actually look better than printed material is both daunting and exciting. And if it means I don't have to use Dreamweaver, I am going to be very, very happy.

Thanks to Aaron for the link
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Thursday 11 March 2010

St John's Bible


saintjohnsbible.org reports: [edited]

In 1998, Saint John's Abbey and University commissioned renowned calligrapher Donald Jackson to produce a hand-written, hand-illuminated Bible. We invite you to explore this work of art that unites an ancient Benedictine tradition with the technology and vision of today, illuminating the Word of God for a new millennium.

The Saint John's Bible is a work of art and a work of theology. A team of artists coordinated by Donald Jackson in Wales and a team of scholars in Central Minnesota have brought together the ancient techniques of calligraphy and illumination with an ecumenical Christian approach to the Bible rooted in Benedictine spirituality. The result is a living document and a monumental achievement.

Thanks to Nick Mercer for the link
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Tuesday 2 March 2010

Western Digital My Passport Studio


Register Hardware reports: [edited]

Western Digital has introduced a trio of new My Passport Studio portable hard drives equipped with an e-paper storage status readout.

The use of E Ink technology means that the display can be read even when the drive is unplugged and unpowered. What it shows is up to you: the drive comes with software that lets you personalise the readout, which will also tell you how much free space you have available.

The drives sport both USB 2.0 and Firewire 800 ports, and come in 320, 500 and 640GB capacities. The HDDs within support on-the-fly 256-bit AES encryption and pre-formatted in the Mac's HFS+ file system.

In the US, the drives are priced at $150, $180 and $200 (£98-131) and are available now. UK-specific pricing hasn't been released.
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