Tag: 3-D Printing

Want To Buy A 3 D Printer? Staples Will Have Them Soon! Nook HD Becomes A Real Tablet & More On Aereo

Linda Reimer

Want To Buy A 3 D Printer? Staples Will Have Them Soon! You’ve probably heard a bit about 3 D Printers and how they will transform the way we life when they become available. And that day is almost here! Staples spokesmen have announced that in June it will begin selling the Cube 3D Printer for $1,299!

And just as a refresher in case you’re thinking the term “3D Printer” sounds familiar but you can’t quite recall all the ins and outs about it…3 D Printers aren’t really printers but instead can be thought of as entry level replicators (for all the Star Trek fans out there!). The “printers” will create 3 dimensional objects based upon information users send a 3 D printer via a computer. So if you need a new cover or case for your iPhone or tablet – and you’d like a bright blue one you’ll be able to create one at home with your 3D Printer. If you want to create a chess set, a new shirt, new hat, new action figures for your grandchildren or colorful jewelry to go with that new outfit you just bought – you can use your 3 D Printer to create those items!

3 D Printing is cool technology and will be available at a Staples near you very soon!

Here’s a link to a Verge article, titled Staples becomes first major US retailor to sell 3D printers with $1,299 Cube, on the subject:

http://www.theverge.com/2013/5/3/4297612/staples-first-major-us-retailer-sell-3d-printers-cube-3d-printer

And if you’d like to know more about 3D Printers or the 3D Printing process this link will take you to the tech site Mashable were you can learn more:

http://mashable.com/category/3d-printing/

Nook HD Becomes A Real Tablet: Barnes & Noble has just made the Nook HD a real tablet! And by “real” I mean that the tablet will now have access to the Google Play Store and be able to run all Android apps in the store. This new functionality does make the Nook HD a real tablet because previously you could only run select Nook tablets on it – which means you didn’t have access to all the apps in the Play Store. But now if you have a Nook HD, or  you get one for Mother’s Day (B&N is running a big sale on them this week) you’ll have access to the entire Play Store and be able to install any apps in the store like for example the Amazon Instant Video app or the Amazon Kindle app! Yes it is true for the first time ever you can now read Amazon Kindle e-books on a Nook! And that is something you cannot do in reverse – you cannot read Nook e-books on a Kindle — at least not yet but Amazon isn’t one on its laurels so I bet we’ll see that functionality added to the Kindle Fire HD series in the near future.  

More On Aereo: I came across a cool article on the Aereo TV services this weekend that pretty much sums up my reaction to the outrage the traditional media companies and networks are expressing over the success of to this television service company.

Just as a refresher Aereo made its debut last year and what it does is to assign an antenna to each customer; and that antenna then records the free over the air video transmissions that major networks have always sent out over the airwaves for free for people so that people who don’t have cable television can receive those signals/videos via rabbit ears or some other type of antenna. It is legal for people to use antennas to receive and record television programs over the air for their own use and it has been twice ruled as being legal for Aereo to provide a service to customers by offering the same service – assigning one antenna and DVR for each customer and those customers can then access recorded content on any tech device they own at any time – smartphone, tablet, PC etc.

So having finished with the refresher section I have to say I agree with Nick Mokey the author of the Digital Trends article on Aereo titled “Aereo’s quasilegal TV streaming is just what we need to slap big media awake.”

I too think that established media, network and cable companies want to hold on to their traditional status quo and would rather everyone pay them for an expensive cable package then to be able to watch the television shows, movies and other content they broadcast whenever they want to on any Internet connecting device that they own. So those same media, network and cable companies are dragging their feet when it comes to providing consumers with access to television shows, movies and e-books on all their devices and on demand – they could do so — they have the ability to do so – they could create a CBS, ABC & NBC, Universal, MGM etc. video store with accompanying app that would allow consumers to buy al la carte content on demand directly from them at any time – they’d make money hand over foot just not via their traditional business models. So I definitely concur with Nick Mokey that Aereo’s success is a very good thing because just maybe those media, network and cable companies will start to innovate and get on the bandwagon of allowing easy 24/7/365 access to content that their customers and many others want. I know I’d be happy to pay for episodes of television series that I want to watch and if back catalog content were available through Network stores I’d be thrilled I might actually get to watch seasons 4 & 5 of Hill Street Blues again – you can stream and buy season 1 & 2 but forget about buying a DVD or streaming seasons 3-7 they are not currently available in either format.

And I’m getting off my soap-box now! Thanks for reading & have a great day!

Linda R.

Here’s the link to the Digital Trends article on Aereo:

http://www.digitaltrends.com/home-theater/aereos-hellraising-is-just-what-we-needed-to-slap-tv-networks-awake/

Have a great day!

Linda R.

References

Bohn, Dieter. (2013, May 3).Nook HD & HD+ get full Google Play support for Android apps. Online.

Mokey, Nick. (2013, May 2). Aereo’s quasilegal TV streaming is just what we need to slap big media awake. Online.

Welch, Christ. (2013, May 3). Staples becomes first major US retailer to sell 3D printers with $1,299 Cube. The Verge. Online. 

3-D Printers An Emerging Technology That Will Change Our Lives

Linda Reimer

If you’re wondering what on Earth is a 3-D printer anyway?

You’re not alone!

This is a new and growing technology but it does sound at first listen like you should go out and get a pair of those flimsy red and blue cellophane glasses that used to be used to watch movies in 3-D before you attempt to do anything with a 3-D printer!

However, a 3-D printer doesn’t have anything to do with classic Sci-Fi films from the fifties or sixties! And if fact the term 3-D “printer” really is a misnomer because a 3-D printer doesn’t print at least not in the way we traditionally think of a printer printing with black or color ink on paper.  Instead a 3-D Printer can easily be considered a younger brother technology to the Star Trek replicator technology* as 3-D printers utilize metal, plastic and other materials to create physical items in 3-D based upon whatever information you input into them.  

For example, if you owned a 3-D printer and had a favorite picture of your cat – you can scan the photo and have the printer create a new case for your iPod that feature the photo of your cat on the back! Or you could create a fantasy figure on your iPad and then have your 3-D printer create a physical copy of that figure. The iPod and fantasy figure are both simple examples of what this technology can do. In theory you use a number of materials both organic and non-organic with these types of printers and create everything from clothing to houses to replacement organs. The organs part hasn’t come to fruition yet; however, clothing has been created via a 3-D printer there are already people experimenting creating building materials to be used in creating a house with a 3-D printer.  

And add to all of those previous items that the fact that the price of the technology has dropped drastically so a 3-D printer that would have cost $20,000 just a few years ago can now be purchased for $1,000 and you have an emerging technology that just may be the next big tech thing. Granted, $1,000 is a steep price for a printer and it doesn’t figure in the cost of the printing (creating) supplies but you can see how this technology has the potential to revolutionize the way we live and work.

Imagine creating a toy and then being able to print out copies of it and sell it or give it to all the kids in your family as a holiday gift. Imagine buying a clothing design online, or creating one yourself, and then being able to create a wearable version of it via a 3-D Printer. Imagine being able to create replacement car parts, plumbing parts and even chocolate figures of your own design at home via your 3-D printer. Or create a new handbag with a spring, summer, autumn or winter related design whenever you want to and then print (create) that bag via your 3-D printer so it perfectly compliments that new outfit you just bought. All of that is the tip of the iceberg as far as the potential of what people can and will create with 3-D printers in the near future. This is very exciting technology!

And here are links to two articles that offer a bit more information on the subject:

The first link is to a CNN article titled Obama’s speech highlights rise of 3-D printing – here’s the link:

http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/13/tech/innovation/obama-3d-printing/?hpt=hp_inthenews

And the second article is from the New York Times and is titled On the Fast Track to a 3-D-Printed Future. Here’s the link:

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/17/disruptions-3-d-printing-is-on-the-fast-track/

Have a great day everyone!

Linda R.

References

Bilton, Nick. (2013, February 17). Disruptions: On the Fast Track to Routine 3-D Printing. New York Times. Online.

Gross, Doug. (2013, February 13). Obama’s speech highlights rise of 3-D printing. CNN. Online.

 

* The Star Trek television series all feature replicator technology. For example, in the Star Trek The Next Generation series a character approaches a replicator station which features a  small high tech dumb waiter style sliding door and a voice command panel – the character then clearly speaks describing the food, or other item, he or she desires and presto the item is delivered. So Captain Picard can approach a replicator station and say “Earl Grey, hot;” and presto the replicator door slides open and a cup of steaming hot Earl Grey tea appears!