Hind sight is better than 20/20.  Where did some of our latest tech gadgets come from?  Where are they heading?  In order to understand the future, the past may provide secrets when revisited.  In the upcoming weeks, we’ll be looking at many different pieces of technology.  Some may be nostalgic – but some may also lead to greater ideas when ideas fuse together forming something new not of itself, but because of a new spin on things.

To spin things up, let’s look at a page preserved from Creative Computing, April 1980.  May we present to you, the world’s largest floppy disk drive!

The Past:

Engineers at Common Door, while working on the next version of the PIT computer, stumbled on a revolutionary principle. Cutting through the mathematical jargon and formulae, the breakthrough can be stated simply "that a bigger disk holds more data." The engineers then set out to find out if there is an upper limit to this principle. Computer simulations on the PIT computer indicated that disks would continue to hold more data as their size increased up to diameter of 32,767 millimeters but then the run abruptly blew up. Consequently, the engineers concluded that a physical prototype must be constructed. The photo shows the first prototype with a diameter of 32,768 millimeters (about 107 feet).

When revolving at the standard speed of 78 rpm, the outer edge travels at well over 55 mph. The California Highway Patrol picked this up in a radar trap but a liberal judge gave the engineers at Common Door the go-ahead "as long as you keep it off the road." Experiments with speeds of 30,000 rpm are now being conducted to see what happens when the outer edge exceeds the speed of light (and electrons). A Common Door spokesperson said, "At these speeds we expect some very high data transfer rates."

Common Door expects to release the consumer version of this product at the summer CES. In keeping with the high quality control and extensive testing of other PIT peripherals, Common Door would not promise delivery until "August 1980 at the very latest." Pricing was not announced.

Taken from: http://www.swtpc.com/mholley/Creative_Computing/Large_Disk.htm

Gone the way of the floppy disc include other magnetic storage media such as Iomega Zip disks (remember those during the Windows 3.11 days?) where it would fit 100MB which would be as large as some people’s hard drives, and later the Jazz which upped the potentials to 1GB.  Originally released to interface with the parallel port, the Zip drive introduced a new era of mobile convenience where one could move a large amount of data (based on yesterday’s standards) freely.

The Present:

Magnetic heads?  Only thing I know left that acts like a floppy still that uses magnets happens to be the hard disk drive (HDD).  Found in laptops, desktops, servers, and music players, the HDD has developed into faster and vastly larger carriers of information.  From yesterday’s floppy that spun at a mere 78 rpms, HDDs usually will spin at speeds of 4,200, 5,400, 7,200, and 10,000 rpms ranging from your slower laptop HDDs all the way of the lightning fast "Raptor” HDDs that are available in the consumer market. HDDs now go up to 2TB capacities and is sure to continue to grow to meet the demand for storage in our daily lives to hold all our music, videos, photos, and more.

The Future:

For  now, HDDs are assured to continue to live as they provide high capacity storage at affordable prices (probably a very long while too!).  People are shying away now though from using the traditional HDD for holding operating systems (boot drives) as with the larger sizes the seek times will increase.  The faster alternative for these boot drives is the use of solid state drives (SSD).  Not only faster because of no spin-up time, the SSD provides also for power savings as there are no moving parts.  Another benefit of the lack of moving parts includes data security should the drive suffer a physical impact from a drop. With SSDs, defragmentation also becomes a thing of the past.  Coming in SATA and now PCI-E flavors.  These smaller more expensive storage devices are sure to be the wave of the future and prices are sure to drop with continued market adoption. 

Perhaps sometime in the next decade or so, we may see the start of biotechnology for storage.  Certainly something out of Star Trek with the use of “bio gel packs” – but hey, much of science fiction really isn’t fiction anymore.  Dare to dream?  Dreams are the foundation of reality just as necessity is the mother of invention.  Until next time – this is TJ with Just Another Mobile Monday’s new series – “RetroVision”.

Welcome to the JAMM News Network, your source for the day’s tech news compiled for a single hard hitting dose.  Here’s what’s happening for Monday, September, 13, 2010:

Fun, Humor, and The Lighter Side

• Commercial For the Newsday iPad Application
• Tech Jargon to Avoid in the C-Suite
• iPod Comes Out On Top As Most Prized Possession

Gadgets and Apps

• Microsoft Zune HD2 More Than Just A Rumor
• Rumor: iPad Headed to Target in October
• RadioShack to Sell G2 for $149.99 with 2 Year Contract
• Archos 32 Android Tablet With 3.2” Touchscreen Now Shipping; $149.99
• Telmap Releases Telmap Navigator for Palm webOS

General

• Redmond Loses 2 Execs in As Many Days
• Mac Office to Get Sharper Web Hooks
• 802.11n Wi-Fi Making Huge Impact 1 Year After Standard Ratified
• HP Buying ArcSight for $1.5 Billion

Research and Development

• How Football (Soccer) Playing Robots Have the Future of Artificial Intelligence at Their Feet
• Electric Skin that Rivals the Real Thing
• CMU Researchers Work on Web Security, Access
• Mitsubishi Electric Unleashes ‘World’s First’ Large-Scale OLED Display
• Microsoft Experiments with ‘HomeOS’ and Home App Store Ideas
• Axel Technologies’ Second Fuugo to Merge Broadcast, Internet, and Mobile TV With Social Media

Security

• Upcoming Patch Tuesday for Microsoft (Tomorrow) to Have 4 Critical and 5 Important Updates
• Is Your Cell Phone A Router?

Social Networking

• Are Your Tweets Costing You A New Job?
• Gang Uses Facebook to Rob Houses

We have spent a lot of time here at JAMM with DXG cameras.  I still remember the first time Thomas and I reviewed their offerings, and came away less than impressed.  A lot has changed since then, and DXG has gone a long way toward putting the “WOW!” into their cameras.  Their latest offering is the Sportster, really intrigued me.  I love water sports.  Whether it is playing in the pool, boating on the lake, or even a fun afternoon at the water park, you will find me there most of the summer.  The problem has always been, however, that there is no easy way to document these activities.  Sure, you can buy a bulky plastic case in order to turn your camera into something fit for a scuba diver, but that is hardly convenient.  I want something I can take into the water without adding all that extra bulk.  And that is exactly what I found with the Sportster.  Although this one appears just like a regular camcorder, the casing is designed to be completely water tight, allowing you to take it on any watery excursion.  I took that claim quite literally, bringing the camera to the swimming pool, two waterparks (including blasting down the water slides), and even boating on the lake.  Want to know how it fared?  Keep reading for a complete look at this latest camcorder from DXG.

What’s In the Box: One thing I can say about DXG, they certainly to pack their boxes fool of goodies and accessories.  Unlike many gadgets, there will be no need to run to the store for that one cable which was left out of the box.  In addition to the camera (of course), you will find:

• a CD ROM with editing software
• a battery, with proprietary charger
• USB-AV cable
• HDMI cable for high definition videos
• a pouch-style case
• about 3 pounds of assorted manuals and guides

What really impressed me here was that other than a memory card, there was really nothing I wanted to do with this camera which could not be accomplished using only the items included in the box, including connecting the camera to an external monitor or camera.

Quick Look: As we do with most gadgets here at JAMM, before we get into the features and functionality, let’s just take a quick look around the device. 

Starting with the front view, you can see the lens…pretty much where you would expect it to be.  What is usual here is the heavy, watertight protective plastic which surrounds the lens.  This ensures that water will not damage the lens or the inside of the camera when you use it while swimming.  I have to say, this worked great!  Beneath the lens is a LED light/flash.

There is not a lot to see on top.  The microphone is located up here, which seemed odd to me.  This means the microphone is never actually facing the area or person you are filming.  While the microphone did a fantastic job of picking up my voice and directions, it did a fairly mediocre job of recording sound coming from the actual subjects of my videos. 

Additionally, you will find the zoom controls.  These are perfectly placed to fit right under your fingers when you hold the camera using the included strap.  You will also notice that the buttons are larger than you might otherwise have expected.  This is to allow for easy access while underwater. 

There is not much to see on the bottom of the camera.  There is a door which opens to reveal the battery and memory card (it uses a standard SD card to store your images).  You will notice the extra secure lock on the door.  This is to ensure that no water will find its way into this compartment.  The only other thing to see here is the tripod mount, which worked pretty much as you would expect.

The back of the camera contains your primary action controls.  Here, you will find a standard D-pad, which can be used to navigate through the menus.  Additionally, while you are in photo or video modes, this D-pad transforms into four quick buttons, which will jump right into the most popular settings. 

The big red button is the record/shutter button, which is used to snap all of your pictures and video.  Finally, the green button beneath the shutter button is the underwater mode button.  Don’t worry, nothing will go terribly wrong if you start filming underwater without using this mode.  It does not have any effect on how water tight the camera will be.  What this button does do is optimize all of the settings for underwater shooting, ensuring you get the best possible pictures and video.

The right side of the device (as you are holding it) does not have much to see, which makes sense since your hand will be covering much of this part.  There is a hand strap on this side, which will secure the camera to your hand. 

The only other thing here is the macro toggle, which will allow you to switch between macro for close shots and regular mode.

The left side pops open to reveal a nice viewscreen, which is how you will stage your photos and videos.  There is no viewfinder on this camera.  Normally, this would not be a really big deal.  I typically shoot from the screen these days anyway.  The problem, though, is that this is an underwater camera, and the natural forces of shooting underwater can force the hinge on the screen shut, which will automatically turn off the camera.  a viewfinder could have solved this problem.

In addition to just opening and closing, that screen can also swivel into just about any position, allowing you a great deal of control over the angle of the shoot.  Inside the screen are a few more buttons, which allow you to control the camera mode.  There is a power button in here, though I rarely needed to use that.  Opening and closing the screen automatically turns the camera off and on.  Display toggles the information on the screen.  The mode button will cycle through the three modes: video (which is the default), still photos, and system menu.  I did find it a bit annoying that there was no way to go from still photos straight to video without going through the menus.  There was plenty of room for separate buttons for each of these modes on this panel.  

Additionally, you will also find the menu button, which will display the appropriate menu for each mode.  Finally, there is the playback button, which is obviously how you will watch the videos and photos stored in your camera’s memory.  Hit playback from video mode to view your stored videos.  Hit playback from picture mode to view your stored photos.

 Video: Recording video could not be easier.  Just open the screen, aim the lens, and hit that red button near your thumb.  That is really all there is to it.  This is just was easy to use as any of the popular one-step cameras, like the Flip brand cameras, but significantly more powerful.

While the camera may not give you all of the advanced settings many cameras, it does offer control over many of the important settings.  From the menus, you can reset the white balance to better account for the light settings in your surrounds…or leave it on auto to automatically account for the light.   You can also control the color effects, night mode, and video quality.

But really, what you want to hear about right now is the video resolution setting.  There are four resolution settings, starting with QVGA, WVGA, and then moving up to 720P and finally true HD with 1080P video resolution.  I have to say shooting video in 1080P was absolutely incredible.  The only problem was that due to the resolution settings, there is no zoom when shooting in HD, which means you will need to get in pretty close to your subject…or shoot in a lower resolution.

I already mentioned that I have been following DXG cameras for some time, and reviewed several of them.  I have really been impressed by how far their cameras have come.  The quality of the HD video is absolutely outstanding on this camera, and the ease of use is just about the best of any camera I have tested.  In short, this camera makes shooting (and later viewing) HD video just about as easy as possible.

Photos: Traditionally, I have had hesitations about cameras which purport to take still photos and video from the same lens.  Typically, the results are mixed at best.  I have to say though, recently, I have been extremely impressed with the improvements in this technology, and DXG has really taken advantage with this camera.  This is one of the first cameras I have used which really does just as well shooting video as well as still photos. 

The only problem I noticed was that there was no steady shot feature, meaning an incidental jostling of the camera could significantly blur the shot, as you can see in the above image.  Most modern day digital cameras have a steadying feature to account for this, and it would be nice to see something similar from DXG.

Like the videos, there are a number of settings you can use to fine tune your experience.  For starters, I was quite impressed to find this processor goes all the way to 16 megapixels.  To be honest, five is really the maximum point at which I tend to notice a significant difference…but still, isn’t it nice to know that you can go that much larger if you wanted/needed to do so?

Otherwise, the settings for the camera are much the same as the video settings: white balance, color effects, white mode, and quality.  Additionally, there is a timer, so you can hop into the pictures yourself.

Underwater: The real main attraction in this camera is the underwater feature.  I tested this extensively, taking the camera to two different waterparks, the lake, and numerous trips to the swimming pool.  And I have to say that it performed admirably through all of these trials, even the waterslide and especially the giant buckets of water being dumped directly onto the lens (see the above video). 

Now, I will say that the camera is only rated for 10 feet of water,which means you should not attempt to take it scuba diving with you.  That being said, it was the perfect camera for the pool or waterpark.  I could even swim with it underwater while filming, which was really pretty cool (as you can see from my son’s face).

The only problem I had here was that there is no viewfinder.  The only way to frame your shot is by using the images on the screen.  This was problematic for two reasons.  First, it can be hard to see the screen underwater, and second because the water is constantly moving and pressing against the screen, causing it to close unexpectedly and turn off the camera.  A viewfinder, which would rest right in front of your eye would clearly solve both of these problem.  Nonetheless, my kids absolutely loved running around filming video in the water, especially on the water slides. 

Playback: I am not sure about your kids, but mine are the type who want to see a photo or video of themselves the second it has been taken.  No sooner have I snapped the shutter or finished the video, they are running toward me begging to see it.  Sometimes, they start to run even before I have taken the picture.  So, it is nice that the DXG Sportster makes it extremely easy to playback everything you just shot in an instant.

All you need to do is hit the playback button.  If you are shooting video, then you will be taken to the video playback.  Photos, and you will head to the photo viewer.  I did think it would have been nice if there was an easy to to switch between watching videos and viewing photos, but I could not find a way to do so.  In order to switch modes, you need to exit the playback viewer, switch from one camera mode to the other, and then reenter playback.  Once you are in the appropriate mode, just use the D-pad to scroll through the stored images.

In addition to watching your stored photos and videos on the built-in screen, you can also connect the camera to your TV using the included cables in order to watch them in full HD playback.  I was really impressed by how easy this was to do, and how well it worked.  Not only that, but DXG may be one of the last companies to actually include all of the necessary cables in the box.  You rarely see that anymore, and I certainly appreciated that final touch. 

Battery: There is nothing worse than whipping out your camera to snap a picture or video, only to find that your battery has run completely dry.  There goes that memory, now lost to the sands of time.  Well…almost nothing.  What is worse is what I did, brought a nearly dead battery and the wrong charger, so I had no way to recharge the battery for the whole vacation.  So much for capturing those memories.

After testing this camera extensively, I have to say that I was extremely impressed by the battery.  It lasts just about forever.  I lugged this camera around with me all summer and almost never had to worry about charging it.  That is absolutely fantastic.

What annoyed me, though, was DXG’s reliance on proprietary rechargeable batteries.  Meaning this is just one more charger (and a pretty bulky one at that) which I must lug around when I travel.  Not only that, but DXG perplexingly uses different batteries in many of their cameras.  As such, the chargers I have received with other DXG cameras will not even work with this one. 

I like to travel light, and that means as few chargers and cables as possible.  It would be really nice if DXG would simply allow this battery to be charged via a standard USB-type connection.

Conclusion: I cannot say enough how impressed I have been with DXG’s latest line of cameras.  They are really making great strides toward becoming an elite brand of camera.  Their latest offering, the Sportster, is exactly the camera I have always wanted: an underwater camera, which can snap both photos and videos, without the need for a bulky outer shell or case.  I had high expectations for this one, and it met every one of them..and offered plenty more.  This is a fantastic camera for all occasions.  Whether you are taking still pictures or video, on land, air, or water, the DXG Sportster is going to have a solution for you.

The DXG Sportster is available from DXG for $169.99

Hey there, guys!  Need help keeping track of your girl’s important information such as favorites, birthdays, and special dates?  (Seriously, you should remember all of these things), but for some guys who just don’t have the internal RAM to keep all this information, All About Her is a $0.99 app for your iPhone / iPod Touch that will help you smooth sailing with your special someone.  Find out how easy this program is to use with Just Another Mobile Monday!

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I have ADOSD – Attention Deficit…Oohh!  Shiny!! Disorder. 

When it comes to mobile devices, I can’t seem to last for more than 6 months on a single device.  I get bored quickly and start looking for the latest greatest and often get disappointed.  Why disappointed?  Simple. 

I be po’.

Like most everyone else with a family and other obligations – like groceries and the mortgage – (and little to no mad money or disposable cash just for me), I have long been a fan of cooked ROM’s for the devices I truly do like.  While putting a cooked ROM on a device can technically void your warranty (and certainly will if it gets bricked during flashing), leaving you with nothing more than a fancy paper weight and a monthly cell bill, if done correctly, a cooked ROM can go a long way to helping you get through the next two years on your contracted device.

Please note: This article does not recommend, suggest, condone, or imply in any way that you SHOULD jailbreak your device, despite the recent federal ruling regarding its legality. Jailbreaking your device is a personal choice and not without its risks.

With this in mind, the following is the experience I recently had while trying to root the MyTouch 3G Slide, a T-Mobile, locked,  Android 2.1 update1 device and a recent addition to the mobile phone stable in our house.  A full review of the device is currently in the works, so make sure you check back in a few weeks for it!

The MyTouch 3G Slide is an Android device.  And as Android is a Linux variant, the only way to get the MT3GS (or any Android device) to accept a custom ROM usually involves a 1 to 2 step process – Unlocking the bootloader (as in the Nexus One… though this is not required with every device) and getting root (or super user/ admin privileges… this IS required).

First things first… props and kudos to the authors of all the posts, tools and instructions I’m probably gonna site while I go through this. While there are a number of methods and tools out there that will help you root your device, this is by no means an easy task; and if you’re not 100% comfortable with working with a command prompt; or aren’t confident in your abilities to keep the Brick Faerie away from your device, then I wouldn’t recommend this.  Bricking your device is a VERY real possibility.  I actually thought I had done that with the MT3GS at one point, as it got caught in a boot loop near the end there, but I was able to work around it and got the device back.

1. Unlocking the Bootloader
   The first step you need to do is determine whether or not you need to unlock your bootloader in order to root your device. The Nexus One requires you to unlock the boot loader in order to root the device.  Thankfully, the MyTouch 3G Slide does not.
2. Rooting the Device
   Not all devices are created equal. Those of you that have been with me for a while will know that my device reviews tend to be very critical and often telling. Those that have had more than one mobile device within the last couple of years will also know that one may have been better than the other. This being the case, rooting one device may not be as easy as another device; and the same procedure you used to root one may not work on another.  Rooting the Nexus One was easy. Rooting the MyTouch 3G Slide took a great deal of persistence and furthermore, a great deal of patience.

   There are a great deal of posts out there trying to explain how to do this. I found the XDA Dev’s post near impossible to follow. It assumes you know a great deal about Unix or Linux and is written un uber geek speak. I’m a little light on the lingo, and really couldn’t follow it.

   There are a couple different methods out there that try to make the process somewhat automated.  SimpleRoot 1.3 simply didn’t work for me or my device. For some reason, and I don’t know why. When I contacted the author of the scripts about the problems I was having, he told me that there were other methods available. I tried following these instructions, as well as using the scripts and required support files, but all I did was ending up having to hard reset my device over and over.  The method just didn’t work for me.

   So, off I went, googling some more, trying to find the simpler, easier ways I was told existed. I bumped into the Universal Root, which offers one click rooting (and unrooting!) for select devices.  I got conflicting information information that indicated that the method worked for the 3G Slide.  It doesn’t. The app’s home page is here, and if you have a supported device, you can pick up the app and root and unroot to your heart’s content.

   So, again… off I went, searching some more, trying to find a method that worked for me, that I could understand, didn’t assume that I knew my way around the Android SDK, and provided complete resource files.

   I was finally able to find a method that worked. There are a few different posts out there that cite this particular method.  The thing that you need to understand is that it comes in two parts.  Once you root the device, in Step 1, you have to stop, leaving the device in the state that its in, and then move to Step 2 (via the link near the bottom of the article). I’m not going to recreate the steps here.  You can go take a look at both articles if you’ve got a MyTouch 3G Slide and read the articles. 

   The problem with the number of different rooting methods that are out there for any number of devices is that some of them don’t work with every device and every stock ROM out there, despite what some users say.  I had to try about 5 different methods before I found one that worked, and then, it was one that I had tried before and had fail. Not only do you have to have the right drivers, but you have to have the right OS and OS version. I was not able to root the device on my 64bit version of Windows 7 Ultimate on my MacBook. I WAS able to root the device on my 32bit version of Windows 7 Ultimate on my Fuji Lifebook.

   After you complete the permanent rooting via the flash of the engineering ROM, then you can flash a custom ROM.  There are a number of them at XDA Developers.  There’s even a version of CyanogenMOD 6.0.0 available for the MT3GS.  Its kinda cool to see a Nexus One styled image on the MT3GS.  Cool, but kinda freaky…

   Also, you need to know that if you don’t install the Clockwork Recovery Image and ROM Manager, after  you install your first ROM, installing a second ROM is going to require you to reflash recovery again and again.  According to the author of SimpleRoot, the custom recovery doesn’t "stick" like you would think it should.  However,using Clockwork Recover and ROM Manager, resolves this problem and makes working with your device a lot easier.  It also makes working with Nandroid a lot easier, automating the entire backup process.

3. Flashing my First Custom ROM
   Picking a custom ROM is not as easy as you might think it would be. Aside from finding one you really do like, not all ROM’s are created equal. Not all of them work like you would think they should. The first ROM I chose, wouldn’t boot.  The initial device screen came up, then the screen would go black, and then the device would reboot. I thought I had bricked the device. I hadn’t.  I pulled down CyanogenMOD for MyTouch 3G and flashed it instead. Thankfully, it worked and I soon saw a smaller version of my Nexus One, but with a slide out keyboard, staring back at me.

   Shortly after I did that, I installed ROM Manager.  With it I was able to pull down Clockwork Recovery and reinstall it to the device. That pretty much has automated most of the actions I’ve wanted to complete on it as far as custom ROM installs.

I am in the process of reviewing this device, and thankfully, I was able to find a rooted version of the stock ROM.  Now, I’ll  be able to take screen shots of the device screens for the review.