Once the system is set, moving the computer triggers the alarm, siren, flashing lights and all. It arms using the MacBook remote control, making a chirping noise just like a car alarm. This turns the motion sensor into a usable input device, like the keyboard or the mouse, which doesn't require you to pick up the computer to use it.Īnd for security, MacBook users can install iAlertU, a program that acts like a car's security system. I'm waiting for the video of someone dressed like Mace Windu accidentally flinging his new MacBook Pro across the room.Ī more practical motion sensor hack, called SmackBook Pro, allows you to switch between several virtual desktops by tapping the computer on one side or the other. Gentle movements create the low hum and more sudden movements produce the electric crackle of two light sabres clashing.įans of the program have, of course, posted videos of themselves on YouTube and Google Video swinging their computers around like Jedi masters. The coolest ("cool" being a relative term in a tech column) is MacSaber, a program that generates the sound effects of a Star Wars light sabre based on the movement of the laptop. When the MacBook Pro and MacBook came out there was renewed interest in programs that could be controlled by titling, swinging and smacking the Mac. A program called Stable Window creates a window on the desktop that remains level relative to the ground no matter how the computer is tilted. Bubblegym is a computer game controlled by tilting the PowerBook. Starting with the PowerBook, programmers began to use the data from the motion sensors for purposes other than saving information from a (literal) computer crash. (IBM/ Lenovo has included such a system, advertised as an "airbag" for your data, on some of its ThinkPad laptops since 2003.) The intended purpose for the motion sensor is to detect sudden movements, such as the computer being dropped, so that the read/write head of the hard drive can be parked to prevent damage to the hard disk itself. Like certain models of the PowerBook and iBook before it, the new MacBook line of Apple laptop computers has a motion sensor inside them. The Apple MacBook has been out just over a week and already people are doing silly things with it.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |