While inconvenient to carry when it’s raining, I don’t think it’s possible for an umbrella to ever truly be hands-free. No matter what the good people at Hammacher Schlemmer try and tell you. This backpack umbrella they’re now selling definitely looks like it lets you carry groceries or box kangaroos while staying dry, but I can only see it working if you live on a deserted planet where the wind never blows during a storm. Because whenever I’m walking with an umbrella here on Earth, I’m constantly fighting to keep it stable in stormy gusts, and preventing it from banging into other people.
Most importantly though, if my critiques haven’t been convincing enough already, if you use a backpack umbrella you’re going to look exactly like this woman does. That alone should be enough of a reason to stick with a traditional model, or just let you and your groceries get absolutely drenched. But if my prejudice towards supposed hands-free umbrellas hasn’t dissuaded you so far, you can go ahead and order one from Hammacher for $39.95. I promise I won’t judge you. (NERRRRRRD!!)
We talk a lot about laptops on this column, but the fact of the matter is there’s still somewhat of a premium to pay for the portability. Sure the gap is closing, but some sacrifices have to be made in the name of miniaturization, sacrifices that desktops simply don’t have to live make. The Dell Inspiron 620 featured today comes in a configuration that would surely cost more than the $700 asking price were it portable, seeing as it has a Core i5-2300 2.8GHz Quad-core “Sandy Bridge” processor with 6GB RAM, 1TB HDD a 1GB Radeon HD 6450 video card and 2years warranty. Usually, this machine costs $893.
If you aren’t holed up in a log cabin without internet access today, and have at least a passing interest in technology, you’re probably already aware that Apple’s 2001 WWDC keynote just wrapped up. And while we don’t cover software that often, we do like it when firmware updates make an existing device even better. And the new iOS 5 looks to do just that. The biggest update, that users will be able to get their hands on later this year, is a completely revamped notification system. Current iPhone users know that getting a txt message or notification in the middle of playing a game or watching a movie can be rather annoying and jarring. But under iOS 5 those notifications will make a subtle appearance at the top of your screen, allowing you to see more on a central Notification Screen page with a swipe, or just ignore them and they’ll disappear momentarily.
Twitter is also now tightly integrated into iOS, allowing you to sign in on the Settings page (independently of the official Twitter app) so that you can post content from various iOS apps without having to jump around or copy and paste items. And speaking of apps, Safari is now getting tabbed navigation which is an extremely welcome addition. And the simple Camera app now seems a lot more like the third-party Camera+ with AE/AF lock, basic photo editing like cropping, rotating and red-eye reduction, pinch to zoom on the viewfinder and FINALLY, using the Volume+ hardware button as a shutter. Sorry, Red Pop…
Other updates that caught our eye include a new split keyboard for the iPad that makes it easier to thumb type when holding the device in two hands. Reminders which lets you create lists and to-dos which will probably see Simplenote’s popularity drop dramatically. And a new iMessage app that uses Apple’s new messaging service so it works between all iOS devices including the iPad and the iPod Touch. Like BBM it also provides delivery and read receipts, real-time ‘typing’ updates, group messages and of course the ability to share multimedia content like photos. And last but certainly not least, updating and syncing will finally be facilitated over wi-fi if you don’t want to keep tethering your device to your PC, or don’t have one to tether to in the first place.
We reviewed the original Fling a few months ago, and found the stick-on game controller to be more than just a novelty when it came to gaming on a touchscreen tablet device. But since the overall size of the original model would pretty much cover the entire display when used with a smartphone, Ten One Design has finally created a smaller version called the Fling mini designed specifically for compact touchscreen devices.
Like the original it uses conductive pads to translate your motions on the joystick to the display below, and a set of suction cups on each controller should securely keep it in place. (With a little dab of spit for extra measure.) Just keep in mind the Fling, and other touchscreen joystick accessories, will really only work with games where the onscreen controls are represented by a virtual joystick. Titles with more advanced touch control mechanisms unfortunately won’t be compatible.
A set of two Fling minis is available for pre-order now for $24.95, and they’re expected to ship sometime in mid-July.
If you’ve been on the hunt for an eco-friendly way to commute to work that includes all the thrills of riding a roller coaster, a team of mechanical engineering students from the University of Adelaide has got just the thing. EDWARD, or the ‘Electric Diwheel With Active Rotation Damping’ is the same idea as a monowheel, where the rider sits inside the wheel. But there’s two wheels instead of one so you don’t have to balance yourself. Hence the ‘di’ instead of ‘mono’. Do you follow?
Like most vehicles that are driven this way, EDWARD is susceptible to the gerbiling effect where the rider tends to rock back and forth during hard braking or fast acceleration. But the team has worked hard to minimize that with built-in dynamic lateral stability and slosh control, which can be switched on or off as needed. Those systems even allow the driver to control EDWARD while rotated upside down, though that seems more like a way to show how far the technology they’ve developed can be pushed, rather than a practical feature.
Sometimes my living room feels like it’s Christmas all year round. Besides the rotting carcass of a Christmas tree I refuse to drag to the curb, the various blinking status and power indicator LEDs of the components in my home theater make me feel like I should be listening to Burl Ives. On the other hand, they can be a little distracting. But distracting enough to warrant a page of blackout stickers? Actually yes.
Unlike tearing off pieces of electrical tape to dim them, the pre-cut LightDims stickers are going to look a touch more professional when applied. And since those various LEDs aren’t just for decoration, the LightDims are available in two versions. Original strength which blocks out approximately 50% to 80% of the light emitted so you can still see them, and a full blackout version which blocks out 100% of the glow. Each page of stickers includes enough to deal with even the most elaborate setups, even larger text panels, and both versions are available for just $5.99 each.
It’s not officially sanctioned by LEGO, at least yet, but in order to show off the latest version of their Inventor Publisher software, Autodesk has created a 3D interactive instruction manual for the LEGO Harry Potter Hogwarts Castle set. The software is used to produce documentation as traditional 2D manuals, or 3D interactive experiences, and while LEGO building instructions have always been brilliantly easy to follow, being able to see the model in 3D on an iPhone or iPad, and spin it around or zoom in on certain areas manages to make things even easier.
If you want to give it a go yourself you’ll need to first download the free Autodesk Inventor Publisher Mobile Viewer for your iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad, and then go get the actual manual files from the company’s Ellipsis blog.
Just because the majority of the things we write about come from massive factories and assembly lines, doesn’t mean we can’t appreciate a bit of hand made craftsmanship every once in a while. Like this Topographic Puzzle available from Etsy seller Artios. Made from solid mahogany in an 18×13-inch maple frame, the pieces of this puzzle come together to form a unique topographical mountain range. As puzzles go it actually looks remarkably difficult, and because it’s hand-made and unique, at $445 it’s also remarkably expensive.
It’s easy to get caught up in a game of one-upsmanship in the consumer electronics world. This manufacturer’s laptop is thinner than everyone’s. This one’s battery lasts longer than everybody. But there are folks out there looking for a good deal everyday and the Lenovo Essentials G575 15.6-inch Dual-core AMD Fusion Laptop (long name!) is pretty darn good. Coming in at roughly the same price as any offering from the netbook craze (remember that?), you get instead a full-fledged higher-end Lenovo G575 that packs a dual-core AMD E-350 processor, “1.6GHz dual core, Win 7 Home 64, ATI Mobility Radeon HD 6310 graphics, 4GB DDR3 RAM, 15.6-inch 1366×768 glossy LCD, 750GB 5400rpm HDD, DVD burner, 6-cell battery, b/g/n WiFi, and 1 year warranty.”
For a limited time (until June 8th) you can get it for $539 after a $160 rebate.
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