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Victorian

Steampunk laptop maker ready to take preorders

Now that you have the opportunity to own your own Victorian-era steampunk laptop, you can finally compute like it's 1899.

Richard "Doc" Nagy, who describes himself as a "steampunk contraptor, technical artist, and jackass-of-all-trades" first built a steampunk Windows XP laptop for fun nearly five years ago. Lately he's been busy shopping around his Victorian-era keyboards at CES and elsewhere, but now he says he's ready to make that sweet steampunk silicon action available to the public.

This week Nagy announced that he is ready to start taking preorders on a batch of steampunk laptops that will be updated and redesigned to reflect numerous technological advancements, both in laptop systems and in Nagy's own workshop.… Read more

Photos: The Victorian engine that could

Calling all history buffs: Charles Babbage's Difference Engine No. 2 is making its North American debut at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, Calif.

A forward-thinking mathematician and engineer, Babbage designed the Difference Engine in 1847. His intent was to create an automated computing machine, but he was never able to turn his vision into reality.

Fast forward 150 years, and an impassioned Babbage expert and wealthy financier have teamed up to build Babbage's dream via a new exhibit running through next April.

See the photo gallery and video on News.com for more.

Sony Vaios try to make a 'Splash'

Amid the parade of Sony products announced this morning, it might be easy to get lost in the crowd--unless you happen to be clad in floral patterns of bright pink and blue.

That's how Sony's Vaio laptops tried to stand apart, anyway, in the latest iteration of its "Graphic Splash Expression Collection." Despite the ornate names of the newest crop--which include "Victorian Lace" and "Flora"--it's actually quite subdued compared with earlier releases that boasted leopard prints and giant polka dots.

The patterns and colors can be mixed and matched, and … Read more