Time Machines: Silver platters

Welcome to Time Machines, where we offer up a selection of mechanical oddities, milestone gadgets and unique inventions to test out your tech-history skills.

Time Machines Silver platters

It bears a passing resemblance to the vinyl record, but this futuristic concept was envisioned as more than just sound on a platter. The recording method involved electron beams and lasers; the base material was a coated, transparent plastic disc; and you'd get both an eyeful and an earful from the end product. Its intended goal in the market may have initially flubbed, but its core design has been patently embedded into a variety of successful formats ever since. Take a spin past the break to find out more about this invention.

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Distro Issue 45: a brief history of Motorola and WWDC 2012’s top stories

Distro Issue 45 a brief history of Motorola and WWDC 2012's top stories

Still recovering from last week's barrage of fitness gadgetry? Yeah, we are too. This week, we take a less active approach to the latest issue of our tablet mag. Motorola's influence on the tech that we all know and love extends far beyond flip phones and pagers. Our own Brian Heater takes a look at the history of the company in the issue's editorial feature, offering a glimpse into the timeline that led up to Google's $12.5 billion purchase. The folks in Cupertino had an event a few days back that offered a handful of juicy tidbits -- to say the least. If you fear you might've missed something or just need a quick refresher, we run down WWDC's 10 most important talking points. Speaking of which, the "Hands-on" section this week is devoted entirely to the next-gen MacBook Pro with Retina display -- in case you've been napping and haven't had a look for yourself. In terms of device reviews, we offer our thoughts on both the Sony Xperia P and Xperia U for your weekend read. If you're still reminiscing about E3, "Reaction Time" looks at Ubisoft's new title in a week that chock-full of sequels while "Eyes-on" takes a gander at the Nest thermostat and "Time Machines" visits the roots of the TI-30X IIS. The download links are just a click away, so hit yours to get started.

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Distro Issue 45: a brief history of Motorola and WWDC 2012's top stories originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 15 Jun 2012 09:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Distro Issue 43 has arrived with Thomas Dolby: TED talks, cell phone deals and the Floating City

Distro Issue 43 has arrived with Thomas Dolby: TED talks, cell phone deals and the Floating City

What's that? You've already worked your requisite 40 hours this week and you're ready to throw in the towel? Well, we've got something far more enjoyable for your Friday afternoon relaxation. Hot off of the e-presses, this week's issue of Distro is packed with a week's worth of leisurely readings. The focus this time around is on Thomas Dolby and our own Brian Heater details the '80s pop star's journey back to the stage with TED, cellphones and his own virtual world. As far as reviews go, we spend some quality time getting to know the latest Chrome OS arsenal from Google, ASUS Zenbook Prime UX21A and the highly anticipated Samsung Galaxy S III. Our hands-on section is still a young Padawan, but this week we breakdown Nokia 808 PureView sample shots and the recently outted Facebook Camera app. Do you have gaming on the brain with E3 less than a week away? If so, Reaction Time should hold you over with new releases and a discussion of the aforementioned gaming expo. Stat takes a look at copyright and piracy claims, we go eyes-on with the Lumia lineage, BAROBO's Graham Ryland stops by for the Q&A, Switched On tackles Cisco, IRL let's you get cozy with our gear and Rehashed looks back at the week that was in 140 characters or less. The days are winding down until it'll be too hot to enjoy that hammock, so don't waste any more time. Hit your weekly download link and snag a copy of our tablet mag.

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Distro Issue 43 has arrived with Thomas Dolby: TED talks, cell phone deals and the Floating City originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 Jun 2012 09:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Distro Issue 42 lands with the Engadget Summer Gear Guide, a handsome new look and more!

Distro Issue 42 lands with the Engadget Summer Gear Guide, a handsome new look and more!

Get ready, folks. We've got quite the treat for you this week. Not only do we have a brand spanking new issue of our weekly for your peepers to consume this weekend, but we've redesigned said e-publication as well. Of course, the real star this week is the Summer Gear Guide. That's right, our editors have painstakingly selected their top choices in all of the major categories to keep you blazin' the balmy trail with the best gadget arsenal possible. To go along with the refined digs, we introduce some new pages this week, too. Time Machines will test your geek cred by removing the easily identifiable logos from a classic device for your trivia pleasure. We'll also go eyes-on each week with some quite dapper offerings to satisfy the design nerd inside us all. Speaking of recent additions, we break down our recent hands-on impressions while Reaction Time offers some thoughts on next-gen gaming and upcoming releases. Switched On chats about what's next for Facebook, the Stat tallies the rise of mobile apps in the last year, Fusion-io CEO and Chairman David Flynn admits his love of Flowbee in the Q&A and Sean Pryor returns for The Strip. So, what are you waiting for? Hit the download link below that you fancy the most and you'll have a copy of this week's e-magazine before you know it.

Distro Issue 42 PDF
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Distro Issue 42 lands with the Engadget Summer Gear Guide, a handsome new look and more! originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 25 May 2012 09:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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