Technabob » basic

Giant Button Cell Phone for Seniors (and Simpletons)

Technabob — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:19:57 +0000

Whether you have bad eyesight, an aversion to technology, or are just an imbecile, have I got a cell phone for you!

This generic-brand mobile phone offers oversize numeric buttons (1-cm wide) that you can read from several feet away – making phone calls nearly fool-proof. The phone was mainly designed for seniors with limited tech savvy, but it’s fine if you’re just looking for a really simple cell phone too. Let me go on the record now by saying If I lose my ability to use the latest high-tech gadgets when I’m an old man, please just put me out of my misery.

The 6380 Senior Mobile Phone ($75 USD) does actually have a few handy features, including a built in flashlight, and a giant “SOS” button on the back that can automatically dial a pre-set emergency number, and emit a loud warning alarm. It’s also got a minimal display with large on-screen fonts, and a whopping 128×60 screen resolution. Sign me up now!

Actually, the 6380 does hide a couple of modern features under the hood, including a digital phone book, SMS messaging, a calendar, alarm clock, games (I can only imagine how much fun those are on that screen), and an FM radio. FM? I wanted an AM crystal radio set and a Victrola built-in.

Oh, and I forgot to mention one thing. The 6380 phone only works on GSM 900/1800 bands, so it works everywhere in the world except the U.S. and Canada. Oh well, I didn’t want one anyway.

The 8-Bit Computer is Back, Ready to Hack, and Plays NES Games to Boot

Technabob — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 12:00:58 +0000

When you think of 8-bit computers, classics like the Atari 400/800, the Commodore 64 and the Apple II probably come to mind. But there’s a new kid on the block that hopes to bring 8-bit computing back – this time for the hacker community.

This bare-bones looking “TV Computer” is based on the same 1MHz 6502 processor chip that powered many of the great 8-bit systems of days gone by. And like the home programming movement of the 1980s, the guys over at Playpower.org are encouraging the use of these cheap imports for the development of homebrew and open-source apps, to spur computer-aided education in developing countries.

Not only can the system run simple programs written in BASIC, it comes with a cartridge pre-loaded with an 8-bit music application, a “Visual Theremin” (whatever that means), a sprite manipulation program and a Chinese language GUI. As an added bonus, the system can play old school NES games (with the use of an optional 60 to 72 pin adapter).

So if you’re ready to get to brush up on your BASIC skills, or just want to play some Mario Brothers, you can find the 8-bit TV computer over at the MakerSHED for just $49.99 (USD).

Video of the Day: Trs-80 Dancing Demon

Technabob — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 19:37:31 +0000

Here’s a blast from the past that I stumbled upon earlier today. I don’t know why I found it so entertaining, but I guess it just reminded me of when I was just a geektot. There’s something about the simplicity of computer graphics back in the day that just makes me all gooey. So with that said, I give you the TRS-80 Dancing Demon.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Dance demon, dance! You go! You can reminisce about Leo Christopherson’s Dancing Demon BASIC game for the old Radio Shack Trash-80 here. If you’re feeling really nostalgic (and ambitious) you can grab a TRS-80 emulator and try it out for yourself.