29 Jan 12 Chrome, SciCon and Vaya bags – Just in
Chrome, Vaya and Sci’Con messenger bags (Matt Pacocha)
View Thumbnail Gallery
While the days of ‘messenger bag cool’ are waning in some
places, there are still a host of companies putting out quality and in some
cases ‘craft’ cycling bags. Three recently landed in our office: Chrome’s classic Boris backpack, Sci’Con’s cool Solar
Genome and upstart Vaya’s recycled Medi Messenger.
Chrome and Vaya take the traditional approach in terms of
design and materials. Both use classic, messenger-approved, heavy-duty
vinyl coated fabric linings mated with robust structural fabrics like marine
canvas and high thread count nylon.
Sci’Con’s Solar bag isn’t the bombproof, waterproof,
workhorse that the other two are, being made from an uncoated heavy duty nylon
weave. But it offers a convenient solar recharging station for your mobile
device – pretty cool, if you ask us.
Chrome’s Boris
backpack
The US$120/£114.99 Chrome Boris fulfills the needs of those of us who
prefer a backpack, versus a traditional messenger bag. It comes down to this: if you spend any time lugging your pack on foot, you’re likely to prefer how a
backpack transfers the load. If you’re a messenger or find you’re continually filling your bag over capacity with odd shaped items, you’re likely to prefer a sling type bag. We found the Boris to be fine on a bike.
Boris has an EVA padded back panel
It’s constructed from materials traditionally associated
with messengers – 1000 denier Cordura with a waterproof 400 denier ‘truck tarp’ lining. Inside, two main pockets and five organizational pockets offer
plenty of storage, which is measured at 36 liters.
Sci’Con’s Solar Genome
The Genome is a messenger bag in style, but not a robust
workhorse piece. Rather, it’s slick 10 liter bag for short-haul commuters in sunny climates, where you can take full advantage of the solar
charging unit. This consists of a flap mounted solar panel, battery and quiver of adaptors.
Of course you pay for it: the bag costs a whopping
US$259. However, Sci’Con include all of the accouterments you’ll need to charge your
camera, phone or USB device; they even include a USB car charger with the bag.
The Solar Genome comes with a battery, to collect from the solar
panel, and USB charging adaptors
The Solar Genome lacks the other bags’ waterproof
finishes and liners but Sci’Con do include a cover, should you be caught in
a storm. Inside you’ll find four zippered pockets, a lightly padded laptop sleeve and a host of organizational pockets.
Vaya’s Medi
Messenger
While the Medi Messenger from Vaya is the most
basic of the bunch – no zippers here – it surely has the most soul, and in the
world of messengering, robust and simple almost always trumps feature packed and
fragile.
For US$165/£106 you get a bag crafted in Long
Island, New York by the designer, Tianna Meilinger, or one of her close family
members or friends. Like we said, soul – and that’s even before we mention that
the bag incorporates recycled bicycle tubes and canvas to bolster that warm and
fuzzy enviro feeling.
Hard not to appreciate Vaya’s ‘made by the designer’ construction
The Medi has a main pocket plus three organizational pockets
of various sizes, which make up the bag’s 23-liter capacity. The coolest feature is the oversize quick-release
buckle, which is mated to two metal D-rings. To
cinch the pack down to your back for riding, pull the end ring, and to quickly
loosen it, simply pull in the opposite direction. The system is super-fast and
super-secure.
You can follow BikeRadar on Twitter at twitter.com/bikeradar and on Facebook at facebook.com/BikeRadar.
Tags: EVA, Medi Messenger, Sci Con, USB
29 Jan 12 Chrome, SciCon and Vaya bags – Just in
Chrome, Vaya and Sci’Con messenger bags (Matt Pacocha)
View Thumbnail Gallery
While the days of ‘messenger bag cool’ are waning in some
places, there are still a host of companies putting out quality and in some
cases ‘craft’ cycling bags. Three recently landed in our office: Chrome’s classic Boris backpack, Sci’Con’s cool Solar
Genome and upstart Vaya’s recycled Medi Messenger.
Chrome and Vaya take the traditional approach in terms of
design and materials. Both use classic, messenger-approved, heavy-duty
vinyl coated fabric linings mated with robust structural fabrics like marine
canvas and high thread count nylon.
Sci’Con’s Solar bag isn’t the bombproof, waterproof,
workhorse that the other two are, being made from an uncoated heavy duty nylon
weave. But it offers a convenient solar recharging station for your mobile
device – pretty cool, if you ask us.
Chrome’s Boris
backpack
The US$120/£114.99 Chrome Boris fulfills the needs of those of us who
prefer a backpack, versus a traditional messenger bag. It comes down to this: if you spend any time lugging your pack on foot, you’re likely to prefer how a
backpack transfers the load. If you’re a messenger or find you’re continually filling your bag over capacity with odd shaped items, you’re likely to prefer a sling type bag. We found the Boris to be fine on a bike.
Boris has an EVA padded back panel
It’s constructed from materials traditionally associated
with messengers – 1000 denier Cordura with a waterproof 400 denier ‘truck tarp’ lining. Inside, two main pockets and five organizational pockets offer
plenty of storage, which is measured at 36 liters.
Sci’Con’s Solar Genome
The Genome is a messenger bag in style, but not a robust
workhorse piece. Rather, it’s slick 10 liter bag for short-haul commuters in sunny climates, where you can take full advantage of the solar
charging unit. This consists of a flap mounted solar panel, battery and quiver of adaptors.
Of course you pay for it: the bag costs a whopping
US$259. However, Sci’Con include all of the accouterments you’ll need to charge your
camera, phone or USB device; they even include a USB car charger with the bag.
The Solar Genome comes with a battery, to collect from the solar
panel, and USB charging adaptors
The Solar Genome lacks the other bags’ waterproof
finishes and liners but Sci’Con do include a cover, should you be caught in
a storm. Inside you’ll find four zippered pockets, a lightly padded laptop sleeve and a host of organizational pockets.
Vaya’s Medi
Messenger
While the Medi Messenger from Vaya is the most
basic of the bunch – no zippers here – it surely has the most soul, and in the
world of messengering, robust and simple almost always trumps feature packed and
fragile.
For US$165/£106 you get a bag crafted in Long
Island, New York by the designer, Tianna Meilinger, or one of her close family
members or friends. Like we said, soul – and that’s even before we mention that
the bag incorporates recycled bicycle tubes and canvas to bolster that warm and
fuzzy enviro feeling.
Hard not to appreciate Vaya’s ‘made by the designer’ construction
The Medi has a main pocket plus three organizational pockets
of various sizes, which make up the bag’s 23-liter capacity. The coolest feature is the oversize quick-release
buckle, which is mated to two metal D-rings. To
cinch the pack down to your back for riding, pull the end ring, and to quickly
loosen it, simply pull in the opposite direction. The system is super-fast and
super-secure.
You can follow BikeRadar on Twitter at twitter.com/bikeradar and on Facebook at facebook.com/BikeRadar.
Article source: http://www.bikeradar.com/news/article/chrome-scicon-and-vaya-bags-just-in-33019
Tags: EVA, Medi Messenger, Sci Con, USB
14 Jan 12 New Samsung Chromebook is a cheap, plastic MacBook
If you missed the new Series 5 Chromebook at Consumer Electronics Show 2012, there’s a reason. Samsung practically hid the thing, during an event of otherwise big, big announcements from the South Korean electronics giant. Disappointment is my reaction to the new offering, which, regrettably doesn’t temp me back to using a Chromebook.
I asked my colleague Tim Conneally, who got up close to the new Chromebook in this video, for his reaction. “My first impression: it looks like a plastic MacBook”. Ah, yeah, hasn’t Samsung been having problems with Apple, fending off accusations of imitating products. Judge for yourself, from the photo and link to Tim’s video. Doesn’t the new Series 5 Chromebook resemble MacBook but donned in plastic?
But there’s something more important than missing metal. My bigger concern is performance, to which Tim dismally responded: “The difference in handling is imperceptible”. The specs are largely unchanged from the original. System memory is still 2GB and the processor is less crappy. Not good, just not as bad. Samsung is unleashing an unworthy successor and one that makes Chromebook less appealing than the original — seeing as v1 isn’t enough and the new one isn’t much more than a new MacBook-like enclosure and speedier processor. Specs are otherwise the same, or seem to be based on the little info released by Samsung.
A Real Under-performer
For two months last summer, I used a Samsung Series 5 Chromebook as my primary PC in the first weeks and as my only one later on. I found the overall cloud experience to be refreshing, no liberating, but Chromebook grated on me the longer I used it. The problem: Performance. On the software side, Google continually updates Chrome OS, which got better with each of the many updates. But the hardware is steadfast. At the least, Chromebook needs 4GB of memory. But really the processor — and, more importantly, the graphics chip — simply aren’t good enough.
Living in the cloud doesn’t free Chromebook from daily computing demands. If anything there are more, because so much activity is conducted online and so many services require Adobe Flash, which still seems wonky to me on Chrome OS — that’s without the demands placed on CPU, GPU and Net bandwidth.
In early October, when writing about giving up Chromebook, I didn’t fuss much over what was for me sluggish performance. I’m a power user and, presumably, atypical of the type of person most likely to use a system running Chrome OS. But after getting back to a real computer, my feelings about performance lag are more pronounced.
Currently, I’m using the Lenovo ThinkPad T420s with: 2.5GHz Intel Core i5 processor (with 3MB L3 cache); 14-inch matte screen (with 1600 x 900 resolution); 160GB Intel sold-state drive; 4GB of DDR3 memory (1333MHz); DVD burner; WebCam; Ethernet; WiFi N, memory card reader; 3 USB ports, one each HDMI and VGA port; and Windows 7 Ultimate 64 bit. The original Chromebook — and, sadly its successor — isn’t in the same league. Chrome OS changed my computing habits, so I still largely do everything in the browser, but there’s real performance on ThinkPad T420s and none of the waiting common with the Samsung Series 5.
My Chromebook config: 12.1-inch LED display with 1280 x 800 resolution and 16:10 aspect ratio; 1.66GHz Intel Atom N570 processor; 2GB DDR3 memory (not expandable); 16GB solid-state storage; integrated NM10 graphics; ALC272 integrated audio; stereo speakers (which in my tests deliver surprisingly rich sound for the class of machine); internal microphone; 1-megapixel webcam; WiFi N; Verizon 3G (on higher-end model); headphone/Mic jack; two USB ports; 4-in-1 memory card reader (SD / SDHC / SDXC / MMC); and 6-cell battery (with stated life of 8.5 hours).
Specs are sketchy, but Samsung claims the new Chromebook has 3X performance from the dual-core Celeron processor, which granted is a step up from the single-core Atom processor on v1. But Tim’s assessment isn’t encouraging, since he has Samsung’s original Chromebook and has experience enough for spot comparison.
There’s no Samsung press release I could find about the new Chromebook, nor does Samsung’s Flickr account — loaded with photos of everything else. There’s plenty on Samsung’s Series 9 ultrabook, which design and features are jaw-dropping. As for Series 5 Chromebook, it’s a plastic MacBook with few of the benefits.
Article source: http://betanews.com/2012/01/13/new-samsung-chromebook-is-a-cheap-plastic-macbook/
Tags: Chrome OS, New Samsung Chromebook, Samsung Series, USB
10 Jan 12 Visio, Google Unveil “Chrome’-Plated Stream Player
January 10, 2012
Partners Vizio and Google today unveiled the Vizio VAP430 Stream Player, a device they say can “turn any HDTV into an enhanced Vizio Internet Apps Plus (V.I.A. Plus) smart TV that incorporates the latest Google TV.”
With the VAP430 connected to a HDTV over an HDMI cable, users can access content and services from their favorite apps and Websites using the included Bluetooth premium universal remote control with integrated touchpad. In addition to movies, TV shows and music on demand, the VAP430 lets users search the Web for even more entertainment options using the Flash-capable Chrome browser.
Users can also can download apps from the Android Market or access personal media like videos, photos and music that are stored on devices connected to the same home network as the stream player. Images are displayed on a connected TV set, and sound plays through the TV or a connected audio system.
Here’s how it works: Installing the VAP430 and connecting it to the Internet reportedly is a quick operation because of the built-in setup experience and 802.11n Wi-Fi connection. The VAP430 also has a HDMI pass-through that lets the user connect a cable or satellite box to the stream player and then pass the signal over to the TV. The smart TV interface overlays the live TV signal, allowing multi-taskers to search for the next thing to watch without completely stepping away from what they’re currently watching.
Bluetooth capability also allows smartphones to be connected to the TV wirelessly. With the USB input, connecting any USB drive directly to the VAP430 takes only a plug in.
“We’re excited about what Google TV brings to our new VAP430 Stream Player,” says Matthew McRae, Vizio’s CTO. “This isn’t just an ordinary streaming box that accesses a few predetermined video services. It’s a true entertainment portal that opens up everything the Web has to offer as well as all the content consumers already have stored on computers and hard drives.”
In related news, Comcast’s blog today notes the rollout of the MSO’s AnyPlay device that reportedly enables live TV on a variety of Internet-enabled displays in the home.
“With AnyPlay, you can watch the channels that are included in your linear channel subscription through the Xfinity TV app on the iPad, and very soon the Motorola Xoom tablet,” it writes. “This means that while someone else watches a program in the living room, for example, you can watch another show on your iPad from the backyard deck, kitchen or other places around the home.
According to Comcast, the AnyPlay device works the same as any other set-top box in the home but, instead of delivering the incoming channel lineup to a TV, AnyPlay delivers the lineup to the Wi-Fi router on the home network.
Right now, only Xfinity HD Triple Play customers in some areas of Denver and Nashville are getting AnyPlay at no additional charge. Other markets are in the works.
Article source: http://www.cable360.net/ct/news/thewire/Visio-Google-Unveil-Chrome-Plated-Stream-Player_50143.html
11 Dec 11 Chrome browser has thousands of free apps
If you use the Chrome web browser instead of Firefox, Safari or Internet Explorer, you probably saw an on-screen notice for the Chrome web store. It has thousands of free apps. We did a little shopping (can’t beat the price) and here are three we liked.
Having a large number of browser extensions can slow down your web surfing. But apps only use your computer memory while you’re using them. We just installed the free Marvel Comics app, for instance, which puts an icon on the screen but doesn’t add itself to your browser. After installation, we clicked “Free” and got an “Avengers” comic book and could have gotten dozens of others, including X-Men, Wolverine and Captain America.
The other apps we installed were a calculator and “RemindMe,” which plays a little tune and delivers a pop-up note when it’s time to do something. The calculator is just a regular on-screen calculator. But it’s free and handy to have. (There are many free calculators you can install, including some that do scientific and interest rate calculations.)
STILL APP HAPPY
Google Maps now come indoors as well as outdoors. You can get a map that’s the floor plan for an airport, a mall, or retail store. The maps come in on any Android phone or tablet. Just keep zooming till you get there.
Google Maps has had indoor maps before, but they were a bit fuzzy on details. The maps still don’t have a search function, so if you’re looking for a restroom, say, you have to zoom around. Not every store has uploaded indoor maps yet, but there’s a long list of those that have: Chicago’s O’Hare Airport, Macy’s, Home Depot, IKEA, Bloomingdales, etc.
OWN PRIVATE CLOUD
Storing information on the Internet makes some people nervous. It makes us nervous too. So how about having a private cloud?
A “cloud” in computer talk is a storage place for information. Commercial ones for corporations and government tend to be huge. The “my-Ditto” is a book-sized box that can act as your own private cloud. It can handle up to four terabytes of storage if you pay $370 for the maximum capacity. Less capacity costs appropriately less. It has its own Internet address, which means you can access it from any device that can connect to the Internet.
Four terabytes is a lot of storage, more than 4,000 gigabytes. For comparison, our laptop holds 219 gigabytes, which is less than a fourth of a terabyte, and we’ve never filled it up. The my-Ditto storage drive comes with a coded USB key. Instead of taking the box with you, which would be fairly heavy and mildly bulky, just take the key. When you plug that key into another computer it provides access to the box back home. Or use the my-Ditto iPhone/iPad app. You set your own user name and password.
My-Ditto, works with Windows or Mac and won an award at MacWorld 2011. If you supply the disk drives, my-Ditto sells for $110, otherwise, it starts at $150 for 500 gigabytes. (Note: In nearly any remote storage device of this type, you can supply your own disk drives to go inside it; they should be SATA drives.)
A similar device is called the iTwin, and won an award from Popular Science magazine. It can set up a connection between two computers, wherever they are, when a coded USB key is plugged into each one and they’re both connected to the Internet.
As files move between the two computers, they are encrypted. The iTwin is $99 and can access whatever you have on two computer hard drives plus any attached extra storage. However, unlike my-Ditto, both computers must be on.
PROTECTING YOURSELF
Many Facebook apps post items on your page as if they were you. That gets annoying. To stop it, go to Facebook and click the arrow next to the “Home” button. Then choose “privacy settings.” Scroll down to “apps and websites” and click “edit.” Click “remove” to get rid of anything you don’t want.
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Article source: http://www.telegram.com/article/20111211/COLUMN81/112119987/1002/rss01&source=rss
Tags: IKEA, Marvel Comics, SATA, USB
11 Dec 11 Chrome browser has thousands of free apps
If you use the Chrome web browser instead of Firefox, Safari or Internet Explorer, you probably saw an on-screen notice for the Chrome web store. It has thousands of free apps. We did a little shopping (can’t beat the price) and here are three we liked.
Having a large number of browser extensions can slow down your web surfing. But apps only use your computer memory while you’re using them. We just installed the free Marvel Comics app, for instance, which puts an icon on the screen but doesn’t add itself to your browser. After installation, we clicked “Free” and got an “Avengers” comic book and could have gotten dozens of others, including X-Men, Wolverine and Captain America.
The other apps we installed were a calculator and “RemindMe,” which plays a little tune and delivers a pop-up note when it’s time to do something. The calculator is just a regular on-screen calculator. But it’s free and handy to have. (There are many free calculators you can install, including some that do scientific and interest rate calculations.)
STILL APP HAPPY
Google Maps now come indoors as well as outdoors. You can get a map that’s the floor plan for an airport, a mall, or retail store. The maps come in on any Android phone or tablet. Just keep zooming till you get there.
Google Maps has had indoor maps before, but they were a bit fuzzy on details. The maps still don’t have a search function, so if you’re looking for a restroom, say, you have to zoom around. Not every store has uploaded indoor maps yet, but there’s a long list of those that have: Chicago’s O’Hare Airport, Macy’s, Home Depot, IKEA, Bloomingdales, etc.
OWN PRIVATE CLOUD
Storing information on the Internet makes some people nervous. It makes us nervous too. So how about having a private cloud?
A “cloud” in computer talk is a storage place for information. Commercial ones for corporations and government tend to be huge. The “my-Ditto” is a book-sized box that can act as your own private cloud. It can handle up to four terabytes of storage if you pay $370 for the maximum capacity. Less capacity costs appropriately less. It has its own Internet address, which means you can access it from any device that can connect to the Internet.
Four terabytes is a lot of storage, more than 4,000 gigabytes. For comparison, our laptop holds 219 gigabytes, which is less than a fourth of a terabyte, and we’ve never filled it up. The my-Ditto storage drive comes with a coded USB key. Instead of taking the box with you, which would be fairly heavy and mildly bulky, just take the key. When you plug that key into another computer it provides access to the box back home. Or use the my-Ditto iPhone/iPad app. You set your own user name and password.
My-Ditto, works with Windows or Mac and won an award at MacWorld 2011. If you supply the disk drives, my-Ditto sells for $110, otherwise, it starts at $150 for 500 gigabytes. (Note: In nearly any remote storage device of this type, you can supply your own disk drives to go inside it; they should be SATA drives.)
A similar device is called the iTwin, and won an award from Popular Science magazine. It can set up a connection between two computers, wherever they are, when a coded USB key is plugged into each one and they’re both connected to the Internet.
As files move between the two computers, they are encrypted. The iTwin is $99 and can access whatever you have on two computer hard drives plus any attached extra storage. However, unlike my-Ditto, both computers must be on.
PROTECTING YOURSELF
Many Facebook apps post items on your page as if they were you. That gets annoying. To stop it, go to Facebook and click the arrow next to the “Home” button. Then choose “privacy settings.” Scroll down to “apps and websites” and click “edit.” Click “remove” to get rid of anything you don’t want.
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Article source: http://www.telegram.com/article/20111211/COLUMN81/112119987/1002/business
Tags: Home Depot, Marvel Comics, Popular Science, USB
06 Dec 11 Try Chrome OS on a USB stick with Lime
Google is slowly trying to change the way we access the web and use online service by replacing the more typical operating systems we mainly rely on today with Chrome OS. The only official way to start using Chrome OS at the moment is to purchase a Chromebook, but they are a few hundred dollars.
Instead, you could download the open source project and attempt to build it yourself, but there is an easier way. Liam McLoughlin, otherwise known as Hexxeh, a hacker who has already had Chrome OS running on an iPad, and ported Android to Google’s Cr-48, maintains a version of Chromium OS that you can run directly from a USB stick.
The latest version of his version of the OS is called Lime, and it can be run from a Windows PC, Mac, or Linux machine. All you need do is download the image, load it on to a USB stick, and boot your machine from that stick.
Lime is actually the latest in a string of releases Hexxeh has made, with the last being called Vanilla. Lime is a much improved version though, adding a lot of extra hardware support. The OS is now compatible with a range of Wi-Fi solutions (various Broadcom, Ralink, Realtek chips), and introduces support for Nvidia GPUs series 6 and beyond. The need to have support for a PAE kernel has also been removed opening it up to significantly more machines, and Java is now fully supported meaning many more plug-ins will be made available.
Hexxeh admits that Lime has seen significant delays, but is the better because of it. A new image will be built every day that includes the latest hardware support, meaning staying up to date should be just a case of putting the latest image on your USB stick.
The best feature of Lime is the fact it’s completely free to use, and doesn’t require investment in new hardware. If you’re curious about Chrome OS, this is one of the easiest ways to give it a try.
Read more at Hexxeh, via Engadget
Article source: http://www.geek.com/articles/chips/try-chrome-os-on-a-usb-stick-with-lime-2011125/
20 Jul 09 Portable Google Chrome now available on OS X
The Mac version of Google’s Chrome browser, although not yet officially released by Google, is getting nightly builds in the form of Chromium. As Chromium adds more features that are already available in the Windows version of the Chrome, it makes that it would also get its own portable version. Like Portable Google Chrome for Windows, which we’ve reported on in the past, Portable Google Chrome for Mac is a version of the browser that you can load up from a USB key.
Tags: USB
