Although MacBook Pro laptops have never been as powerful as they are today, there are still many performance limitations for serious power users that rely on desktop-class specs for working (or playing) efficiently. For many, this usually boils down to the lack of serious graphics card power. With today’s professional design software, video games and virtual reality platforms demanding more power than ever, what gives? Enter The Wolfe. Created in a dorm room by a trio of Harvard students (sound familiar?), The Wolfe is a portable desktop GPU that contains desktop-class power for connecting via Thunderbolt to supercharge a MacBook or any other compatible laptop computer. The result is a…

Time for another round of apps that cover the spectrum of your beloved mobile device, be it iPhone, Android or Windows! The Weekly App Smack is the best of new or updated design and productivity apps (and maybe a couple of fun ones, too) for the busy design or engineering professional and this week we have a list sure to make you more efficient. Do you have an app suggestion that has made your life easier or changed up your workflow? Let us know in the comments below or send it into tips@www.solidsmack.com. Hit it! Hash “Aggregating popular tweets about the day’s most topical stories, Hash is a simple, visual…

Although 3D printers have been hogging the bulk of the “printing” limelight within the past few years, 2D printing technologies have been quietly seeing their fair share of technological breakthroughs, too. That said, you’d likely have to be involved in the print industry to catch wind of them. Among others is the new Xerox Direct to Object Inkjet Printer for printing onto three-dimensional objects. And no, these aren’t paper sculptures –– the printer software has been tweaked to handle just about anything you throw at it including plastics, metals, ceramics, glass and other substrates of up to 1 cubic foot in size. With a resolution of up to 1200 dpi and…

The retail side of 3D printing has been a slippery slope for years now –– as evidenced by lagging 3D printer sales and waning consumer interest. While Bronies may have a thriving warm and safe space to create plastic unicorns over at Shapeways, other brands haven’t had as much success with venturing into this so-called “disruptive technology”. The latest to test the 3D printing waters is none other than big box home improvement store Lowe’s. Starting today, the company’s flagship store in Chelsea, Manhattan, NYC, will begin offering a full-service 3D scanning and printing station for customers to scan broken parts for making their own repairs or printing their own…

Everyone in my family knows the top requirement for when I go all old and senile is a large, freaking cane. Preferably one with a live rattlesnake wrapped around it. They all think that’s dangerous. So, in lieu of a live rattlesnake, a hand-carved one will do. One EXACTLY like the incredible hand-carved rattlesnake canes made by Mike Stinnett.

While it still hasn’t caught on for more mainstream applications, there’s no denying that generative design is both insanely cool and practical across many applications –– with many more to come. Among others who have already put generative design to use on a consumer product is Brooklyn-based artist and designer Che-Wei Wang. With backgrounds ranging from architecture and product design to sculpture and interactive installations, Che-Wei is no stranger to what happens when you converge design and technology. Using a combination of Autodesk’s Fusion 360 and Project Dreamcatcher –– the company’s own generative design system for advanced research –– Che-Wei created an optimized bike stem that’s the result of thousands of…