replicator

A 3D printer in every garage? Not yet.

We awarded MakerBot Industries' Replicator a Best of CES award in the emerging tech category.

It's an exciting product. That doesn't mean you should go out and buy one.

Are you a product designer, or a mechanical engineer? Do you see yourself starting a small business selling some doo-dad? Maybe you're a passionate hobbyist, a crafter, or an artist. If any of those things describe your interests, the Replicator may be a good fit.

A more generalized consumer certainly could use a 3D printer like the Replicator, or 3D Systems' more affordable Cube. You could make holiday … Read more

MakerBot Replicator 3D printer beams in

LAS VEGAS--It was only a matter of time before a 3D printer manufacturer latched on to "Star Trek's" famous make-anything device.

Expanding its product portfolio, MakerBot Industries today unveils the MakerBot Replicator, one of, if not the, first with the ability to print objects made from two different colors.

The Replicator starts at $1,799 for a model with a single extruder, and $1,999 for the dual-extruder attachment, which allows for two-color-printing (or Dualstrusion, according to MakerBot Industries).… Read more

Add a port replicator via ExpressCard

If you have an ExpressCard slot in your laptop, here's one way to make better use of it. Targus has a nifty device called the ExpressCard Docking Station that works somewhat like a port replicator. But instead of proprietary connectors, it utilizes the ExpressCard slot.

In addition to four USB 2.0, Ethernet (10/100/1000) and serial ports, the dock comes with standard VGA and DVI connectors that are useful to hook up to an external display to a laptop. According to the specifications, the dock supports up to 1,600x1,200 video resolution. The presence of audio … Read more

Tubes: Simpler file sharing

Tubes, a new app going public Tuesday, is a peer-to-peer file-sharing and -synchronization system that can make it very easy to distribute files among multiple users and computers.

It's the application I've been looking for to solve this real-world problem: Every other year, my wife's family gets together for Christmas. This past December, her four siblings and their families gathered in her parents' house in Baltimore (the family doesn't believe in hotels, so it was cozy). There were eight digital cameras in operation. After the holidays, we all scattered back home, and the great photo archive … Read more

Dock without docking

Laptop docking stations have always been a bit on the awkward side, requiring you to slide your laptop into the dock, properly lining up the connectors. Usually, we end up banging the pieces together for a few seconds until they fit.

Toshiba showed us a new docking station for the company's Portege R400 Windows Vista convertible tablet that takes care of a lot of the limitations of traditional laptop docks. The wireless Ultra Wide Band Toshiba Wireless Port Replicator connects to the R400 automatically whenever it's within a few feet. It's not the first wireless dock we'… Read more