Retro

This week, we have a giant NES controller perfect for Donald's purely hypothetical furry party. Plus, the creepiest robot baby yet, a turntable that plays trees, and a uncut "Star Wars" along with a cut-worthy Stormtrooper cake. In Geek news, Eric confesses that Star Wars: The Old Republic may be his new World of Warcraft.

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This piece of computer history launched 1,500 tweets.

The man in the photo (my husband, Tim) is holding an IBM Type 706 Williams-Kilburn Tube Electrostatic Memory drawer that we found in my grandfather's pole barn. (What's a pole barn? Basically, a really big shed.)

Before I tweeted this photo, Tim and I did some rough, back-of-the-envelope calculations to guess how much memory this circa-1954 hunk of valve and metal contained.

4K of IBM memory found in my grandpa's pole barn, captured in a 692K photo. #mindblown twitter.com/lturrentine/st...

We estimated, based on what my grandfather could remember from his days as an IBM salesman, that the memory drawer stored 4 kilobytes of data.

Meanwhile, the tweet went nuts, going and going, and even making its way to the front page of Gizmodo. I'm not sure whether that counts as viral, but it's as close as I've gotten on Twitter.

So we decided to look for more information on the IBM 706, which IBM built in the mid-'50s to serve as a modular memory component for the IBM 701 computer, otherwise known as "The Defense Calculator" (a creepily Cold War name for a computer intended for scientific calculations).

The IBM 706 contains two so-called Williams Tubes, each handling 1,024 bits of memory adding up to 2,048 bits--roughly one quarter of the 1,024 bytes it takes to add up to a single kilobyte. (There are 8 bits in each byte of memory, bringing the 706 to a mere 256 bytes.) In other words, we were optimistic about the 706's capacity. The crazy machine in the picture held only one-quarter of a kilobyte of memory.… Read more

With retro designs the in thing these days, rumor has it Samsung has decided to milk the trend by launching an NX200 RS interchangeable lens camera (ILC) this weekend.

According to Photo Rumors, the NX200 RS is functionally identical to the original NX200. What separates the two is that the new RS variety would be fitted with a metallic-chrome top plate.

Although it does appear uniquely different, we hardly think it looks retro. Aside from aesthetics, we feel shutterbugs are also looking for more usability in the form of dedicated buttons, common in older film cameras, that simply the whole photo-taking process. … Read more

There's something magical about the 1980s and Apple computers. The fashions sparkled. The computers were lovably chunky.

Hop into the DeLorean of your mind and go back in time by inserting your iPad 2 into Thumbs Up World's Padintosh cover. It instantly transforms your svelte modern machine into a classic Macintosh, right down to the dingy off-whitish color.… Read more

Fresh from CES 2012, Eric, Donald, and Bonnie wrap up all the best CES tech they missed during their week in Vegas. On deck is a touch-screen window, an R2-worthy 3D projector, Kinect-controlled skateboards, toilet tech, zombie tech, and of course, Geek News.

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LAS VEGAS--Having hauled my record collection from state to state, I know that vinyl is pretty much the antithesis of portability. Ion Audio's LP 2 GO is making me think differently about my stash of Dylan and Stones records.

Ion has been spinning around in the digital turntable market for a while. The LP 2 GO takes that same tech and shrinks it down to something you can toss into a backpack. You'll still have to pack those big record platters around, though.

LP 2 GO has a built-in speaker and headphone output. You can blast your tunes or convert them to MP3 format via USB with the bundled software. It plays both 33s and 45s.… Read more

LAS VEGAS--Many world champion Tetris players claim to see falling bricks in their dreams (see: Tetris Effect), and now players of all skill levels can wake up to the puzzle game with their own Tetronimo wall graphics, thanks to a collaboration between Tetris and Walls360.

Walls360 is a start-up co-founded by Tavia Campbell, John Doffing, and Yiying Lu, the artist responsible for the famous Twitter Fail Whale. Their wall graphics first caught my eye when they hosted a kick-off event two years ago to launch the company, and since then they've partnered with brands like Star Trek and Paddington Bear to create high-quality adhesive wall images.… Read more

LAS VEGAS--USB mics aren't known for being fashion plates. Looks aren't tops on your list when you're Skyping or jockeying a teleconference. Blue Microphones is changing that with the new Tiki mic.

The Tiki portable USB mic has some pleasant specs like CD quality audio, a multicolored LED status indicator, and an extended docking cable. Also, it's less than 3 inches. … Read more

There are a ton of image-editing apps that add effects to your images, but what about video?

Anyone who uses an iPhone 4 or 4S knows the smartphone takes great-looking video, but your options are limited with the Apple app when it comes to adding effects. Don't underestimate the value of adding effects, either: a good effect can turn a mundane subject into a great video.

This week's collection of iOS apps is all about adding effects to your videos. The first two have social components that let you share your completed videos and follow other users. The last is more specifically for adding effects, but is lacking when it comes to social components (and that may be exactly what you're after).… Read more