SearchBox

A while back, I tried out Google Desktop, and realized the only part of it that I liked was the search bar that popped up when you tapped the "Control" key twice.

After a while, I learned about AutoHotkey, a very simple programming language that could be extremely powerful if used to its full potential. So, I learned how to use it, and set out to replace the Google Search bar, making it better in the process.

My prototype for the bar was pretty good. It did the job well, but it was very simple and had a lot of room for improvement. So, I decided to rewrite it completely, taking inspiration from Chrome's Omnibar, and created something much more powerful than my original bar ever was.

Meet SearchBox. SearchBox is my tool to search or go directly to any website you desire.

Pick a site, and execute a search. Or, choose ".com" from the Engine menu, and type in a URL (without the "www" and the ".com") to go directly to a site.

I'll be updating this page (and the program) as my ideas and knowledge. If you have any ideas/feedback, contact me at alex.lafroscia@gmail.com!

If you want to try it out, please download it here.

Thanks!

The HP Slate

Ok, so the launch of Apple's iPad has caused quite a commotion. I played with one for the first time today, and that alone was just about enough to make me want to buy one. It has lots of cool features, looks beautiful, and has a 10 hour battery life. But what about those of us that want a bit more?

For those of you that haven't seen it yet, I am proud to introduce to you....

The HP Slate.

So, what's the big deal? It looks just like an iPad, right? Big screen, no keyboard, black edging... What's the point?

Although it may look the same, it is not even close. While Apple's iPad runs the iPhone OS, this baby's running Windows 7. Now, love or hate Microsoft, you have to admit, that's kind of impressive.

Imagine the possibilities. This isn't a modified-to-fit-in-the-palm-of-your-hand Windows 7. This is legit Windows 7. It'll do anything your computer does. iTunes? Check. Flash? Got it. That's an awful lot of possibilities for such a small device.

But how does all of this stack up against the iPad? As you can see, the screen is a bit more elongated than that of the iPad. Port wise, while the iPad only has the headphone jack and 32-bit connector port (the classic iPod port), the Slate can handle both USB and SD Card inputs, as well as headphones (audio out) and an HDMI out port (so you can watch all of your movies on your TV without having to buy the $30 cable, like you have to with Apple). While the iPad runs 16 GB of hard drive space at the minimum, and also offers 32 and 64 GB versions, the Slate comes with at least 32Gb, while you can upgrade to 64Gb. Price wise, a base line Slate will run around $550, while a baseline iPad is $500.

You are probably asking yourself a few things. One of which is probably "What is the downside to the Slate?" Well, the answer the that is its battery. While the iPad boasts 10 hours of battery life (which seems unlikely), the Slate only has up to 5. That'll still get you through a school day, but not much farther than that.

Your other question, as is mine, is probably when you can get your hands on one. And honestly, I do not know. But I'll let you know when I find out!

iPhone HD???

As you may (or may not) have heard, an iPhone was recently found in a bar in Redwood City, California. But, this is not just any iPhone. This is the NEXT iPhone. And as you can see, quite a few changes have been made...

And a few more pictures here....

http://www.core77.com/blog/object_culture/the_iphone_4g_leak_media_frenzy_and_a_request_to_sound_off_id_hitting_its_limits_16424.asp

As you can see, it's pretty different. Black on both the top and bottom, with silver sides, a flat back, front facing camera (yes, it's true, we now have VChat on the iPhone), as well as a high resolution camera on the back that now also has flash.

Other than the obvious, not much is known. Apple had the device wirelessly disabled soon after they discovered it was missing, although the guy that found it, who is still unidentified, reported that it was working when he picked it up, and was running the new OS, 4.0. From this, we can gather that it will have at least the RAM of the 3Gs, but we could have guessed that, anyway.

So, how does something like this happen? Do lots of people actually have an iPhone HD? Why don't we know about something like this sooner? Well, Apple's pretty smart. They know how to take care of their employees, so they give them the latest and greatest toys to try out. But they also don't want people to find out before they release it an kill their hype (What kind of Keynote would it be if everyone had seen the new device already?). So they disguised their new iPhone as an old one.

http://gizmodo.com/5522315/how-apple-conceals-prototype-iphones

Pretty impressive. Even up close, it'd be hard to tell this from an older version, except that there are now markings on the back. Very clever, Apple, very clever.

So what's next for the iPhone HD? Who knows? We'll just have to wait and see.