REVIEW: SOLO Vintage Leather Backpack

Reviewer: Andy Mason, aka Warthog 

Product: Solo Vintage Leather Backpack

Manufacturer: Solocases

Price: MSRP $84.96 (significant savings available online)

A year ago I purchased a laptop on eBay and the seller included a backpack with the transaction.  I carried my old laptop around in a briefcase and had never really considered a backpack until the “freebie” arrived with my new ThinkPad.  The backpack was spacious and very functional, but I was never a fan of the white cloth material and the black flap that overlapped the front of the bag.  It occurred to me one day that detachable pouch I was using for power cord/cable storage looked suspiciously like one of those travel make-up purses my wife uses.  My suspicions were confirmed through an online search that revealed I had, indeed, been carrying a woman’s backpack.  Ugh!  

I immediately began a search for a laptop backpack that could accommodate all my gear while, at the same time, restore my manly-man persona!  The kind folks at Solocases.com asked if I would like to review a backpack from their Vintage leather collection. The backpack is constructed in dark leather which, at first glance, reminded me of a WWII aviator’s jacket . . . you can’t get much more masculine than that!  Could the SOLO Vintage leather backpack handle my gear and reinforce my masculinity?  Take the jump and let’s find out . . .

[Read more]

Did you know?

If you right-click on the Windows desktop, there’s an option to change the default size of desktop icons?  You are able to change the size to either choose medium, large or the default “Classic” size.  But, is that enough for you?  Do you want more flexibility?

If you don’t want to be limited to the three default sizes, then try this:

Left-click anywhere on your Vista desktop, hold the ‘Control’ key and move the scroll wheel on the mouse.  You now can adjust the desktop icons to the size you want by changing the direction of your scroll.

via Digital Inspiration

Free Vista SP1 Support (until March 18, 2009)

Did you know that you can get free technical support on Windows Vista SP1 until 18 March 2009?  Free, unlimited installation and compatibility support is now available for all worldwide customers using Windows Vista SP1, until March 18, 2009. Telephone support is available worldwide.

Find out more and access the service here. 

 

This support for SP1 is valid until March 18, 2009. Availability of chat or e-mail support differs depending on your geographic location. For customers residing in North America or Canada, chat and e-mail support is available.

Some issues may require more advanced support for which there is a charge.

Dell’s New ‘Studio’ Brand Released

Dell today introduced “Studio,” a new consumer product line designed for self-expression and creative living. Studio products are highly expressive and personalized - inside and out – combining aesthetics and technology into a fresh approach to hi-def mobile lifestyles.

“People seeking stunning design, brilliant colors, and innovative new technology find inspiration in Dell’s new Studio brand,” said Michael Tatelman, vice president of Dell consumer sales and marketing worldwide. “These products are built for today’s digital nomad based on the millions of conversations we have every year on dell.com, Ideastorm and community forums. With Dell Studio we’re answering the call for personalization, connectivity and simplicity.”

The first Dell Studio products are two distinctively styled laptops, the Dell Studio 15 and Dell Studio 17. These laptops combine sleek designs, striking visual color elements and personalization options with features such as standard built-in webcam, capacitive touch media control buttons, slot load drives, and optional mercury-free LED displays and built-in mobile broadband. They are available today on www.dell.com/studio starting at $799 (Studio 15) and $999 (Studio 17) and will be available at Best Buy and Staples stores in the next few days.

[Read more]

NEW ‘DELL VIDEO CHAT’ APPLICATION

SightSpeed Inc. announced it has teamed up with Dell to deliver “Dell Video Chat,” an easy-to-use communications application now being bundled with Dell’s new Studio laptops.

Video chat is gaining acceptance as a great way to stay in touch with friends and family across the country or the globe. SightSpeed has been widely recognized by the industry for delivering best-in class video chat capability that works across multiple platforms including Windows, Apple and Linux. The application also includes instant messaging and Internet voice phone capability for a full suite of communications options.

[Read more]

Kojinsha launches 7-inch touchscreen mini notebook

I like this! 

Kojinsha has introduced a 7-inch touchscreen mini notebook that is powered by an Intel Atom processor Z520(1.33Ghz), 1GB of RAM and 60GB HDD.  What caught my eye was the S130 notebook has a touchscreen and supports a GPS module … very nice.  It is very light weighing in at 798g, but sadly for us in the US, it is only to be found in Japan, China, Hong-Kong and Singapore at this time.  There is a slew of pictures here at AVING USA if you have an interest.

Take Opera with you … on your USB Flash Drive

Opera USB has the same features as a normal desktop version where you can surf the web, write emails, use IRC while having your contacts, bookmarks and settings with you - anytime and everywhere. It is a pretty simple process to get going.  You just Extract the file directly onto your USB Device or Harddisk - That’s all !

- there are no unwanted effects on IE or other browsers
- existing Opera versions are not affected
- make no entries to the registry
- works with every Windows PC (company,Internetcafe, friends,..)
- leave no data on the host computer

So, what do i need for Opera@USB ?  A computer with an internet connection and a USB Flashdrive with about 15 MB space left.  Check it out; it is pretty cool!

Opera@USB : download your free version of mobile Opera:

That Voodoo You Do So Well

I know this unit may be a bit outside the normal fences of this site, but at about one and a half kilo and .7 inches thick with a 13.3 inch display, this laptop is certainly mobile. The newest fruit of the marriage between HP and VooDoo is the Envy 133 laptop and looking at the style and the specs of this unit, it will be my next laptop.

Just look at the highlights:

• Linux IOS over Vista for immediate internet access while the unit boots.
• A USB/eSata combo port
• ExpressCard Port
• Removable Battery (rare in an ultra thin laptop)
• Digital Array Mics
• Multitouch Touchpad
• Special Thermal Dissipation System
• Ethernet port/Wireless Access port in the Power Brick

Take a look at a video from notebooks.com featuring VooDoo Guru, founder and key technologist Rahul Sood.

Warner passes on some "hot" advice

It is HOT here today already and the temperature is expected to rise to the mid- 90’s.  Usually I leave my PC on and often have several mobile devices in my pocket (and car).  This is the kind of day when the humidity is high and the temp is rising that you need to give a little thought to those precious devices and Warner Crocker from GottaBeMobile has a little reminder up on how to “Keep Your Mobile Devices Cool In Hot Weather”

Heat is the enemy on many fronts for mobile devices. Just about anybody has felt the heat from a laptop or mobile phone that is running hot. But external temperatures on a hot day can make things worse. Here on the East Coast we are in our first (and very early) heat wave of the summer. Summer heat forces me to change up what I do in order to protect my devices, or at least let me play mind tricks with myself by doing so.

• Normally I will have several mobile devices stuffed in my backpack. In more moderate weather I don’t think twice about leaving the pack locked in my trunk when I’m out on errands. I also don’t think twice about leaving a GPS unit in my glove compartment. But in hot weather that all changes. I don’t leave anything in the car for more than a minute of two, and in fact I frequently don’t carry devices with me, if there’s a chance I won’t be using them.

• I change my overnight habits and don’t leave devices running overnight in order to save a bit on heat build up. Yeah, my home is air conditioned, but I think that this is giving them a little breathing room overnight.

• I’ll also shut devices down more frequently and also pull the battery for a bit when I do. Usually this happens overnight as well.

• I change up where I’m doing some of my mobile computing to avoid rooms that are hotter due to sunlight.

• Although not really a mobile solution, in my office, I’ll shut my printers down (I have two in my office) unless I need to use them.

• Even with air conditioned rooms, I keep a fan (celiing or otherwise) moving air in the rooms where I have devices turned on to keep air circulating.

So Warner is asking what precautions you take for your mobile devices during extremely hot weather.  Why not head over to GottaBeMobile and pass on your thoughts so others can share in your favorite “hot weather” tips.

Why Developers need to know about SQL Server Compact Edition (SQL CE)?

So you are a developer who works on applications that run on the desktop; or you are a project manager who has only heard of SQL Server Compact Edition… In any case, if you have hardly heard of SQL Server CE, or you are assuming that SQL Server CE runs only on portable devices, then you should read on to learn about some new powerful options available for your environment of choice.

Well, SQL Server CE in not only intended for devices who run on the Windows CE platform (Windows Mobile, Xbox 360 and many others among then) but also for PCs running XP and Vista:

WHAT? You didn’t know? Never mind, keep reading then…

While SQL Server comes in many flavors, SQL Server Express is not the smallest of them all. Yes, it’s free and it can run in your desktop if you want it… but do you really want to run a SQL Server on your desktop? Is that the smallest you can go?

[Read more]

Laptop GPUs Break Out

ATI has announced a new solution for laptops whose GPUs can’t handle graphics intensive games or applications. XGP is an external graphics enhancement device containing one or more graphics cards that will be housed in a separate chassis. According to ATI and their partner in the venture, Fujitsu, you simply bring your boring old work-a-day laptop home, plug it into the XGP using special cables, jack the XGP into up to four monitors and you have a high powered gaming machine or a professional video editing suite or a full featured home theater server…or all three.

The XGP is being announced now to coincide with ATI’s release of their next gen mobile GPU, the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3800.

Shane McGlaun at Dailytech said this about the XGP:

A specially designed PCIe 2.0 self-attaching cable connects the XGP to the notebook. The cable is designed by Japan Aviation Electronics Industry, Limited. The graphics muscle from the HD 3870 should allow users to buy a lower performance notebook including ultra portable units and then attach the ATI XGP for gaming.

UMPCs too? Dayum….

Technical details, laptop requirements, availability dates and price have yet to be filled in but I am VERY excited by the concept. I have coaxed every last bit of power from the 64MB of my Radeon Mobile 9600 and was beginning to despair of ever playing Halo at work. Hope, and rocket launchers, spring eternal apparently.

See more details on this story at Extreme Tech.

Gizmodo Is Confused but Warner figures it out

So Gizmodo is confused about the naming structure out there for UMPCs, ULCPCs, mini-notebooks, ultraportables, subnotebooks, and netbooks  They just don’t understand the difference between all of them but not to worry Giz, Warner Crocker from  GottaBeMobile has it all figured out.  Yeah we can probably blame the marketing folks for all the names but blame does not answer the questions “what is a ULCPC?” or “what is the difference between a Subnotebook and a mini-Notebook?”

So after a serious amount of time researching the meaning of each, Warner has come up with the Crocker Concise Definition Mobile Dictionary. In his first release of this soon to be time honored classic, Warner clearly defines the Subnotebook, Ultraportable, Mini-Notebook, Ultra-Low Cost PC (ULCPC, Netbook, Ultra-Mobile PC (UMPC)). 

So if you want to know the meaning of each, I urge you to head over to GottaBeMobile and find out the true meaning of each and urge Warner for the quick release of Revision 2

Free WiFi for Laptop Connect

The BGR had  some good news today for folks that have laptops (and possibly all smartphones later on) letting them know that effective tomorrow, May 20th, there will be FREE WiFi Access to over 17,000 WiFi locations throughout the U.S. if you are a Laptop Connect Customer with a plan that is $60 or higher. What will you get? Customers will have unlimited access to over 17,000 WiFi locations at no extra charge including locations in Starbucks and McDonalds. Customers will need three things for this free access:

• A laptop card. FREE WiFi for Smartphones is not available yet, but will be later in 2008.
• The latest version of Communication Manager (version 6.8). Once loaded this version will automatically log onto AT&T hotspots.
• A Laptop Connect plan of $60 or greater.

Huge Review - HP Pavilion HDX Entertainment Notebook PC aka The Dragon

Long time friend and fellow Microsoft MVP, Steven Hughes takes the Dragon for a spin. Unless you have been living under a rock, you will notice that there is a huge give away going on right now that includes this laptop. Well, Steve has taken his and given it a thorough spin and provides us all with an killer review of this killer laptop. Well, is it really a laptop? The damn thing is huge, I think I would rather call it a mobile desktop. It’s also more powerful than my Dell XPS desktop.

 

OK besides gaming, movie watching, web browsing and running office applications. This laptop can do a pretty good job as a nice rendering workstation for 3D Studio and Maya with no problems. It also makes a pretty good programmer’s coding computer. I installed Visual Studio 2008 and compiled some code that I know would take a while and it flew through those computations like a hot knife through butter. This is really the fastest laptop I have every used and can be seriously be used for both work and play as true desktop replacement. If you are looking for a desktop replacement with a large screen and need portability the HP HDX Dragon is for you.

If you’d like to check out the entire review, head over to Boston Pocket PC. Steve has more photos than you can shake a stick at and a wonderful review for you.

"Kinda Cool" … but certainly "Kinda Odd"!

With my recent trip to Seattle I was perplexed as to how I would take all that I wanted.  Usually I try to “go light” on long trips but I had a need to carry a few more items this time so I ended up carrying two gear bags along with my luggage. I suppose I could have packed “stuff” in my luggage but you hear those stories of folks finding things missing when they arrive at their destination.  Of course all the folks I met up with all had backpacks that allowed them to carry everything and it did start me thinking about the need but the truth of the matter is I don’t want a back pack that looks like a “kids” bag so I’m still looking.

In any event, I saw this item today that is “Kinda Cool” … but certainly “Kinda Odd”!  I’mm not sure if it is something I would care to use but I can see its usefulness especially if you are a bike rider and have the need to carry your laptop in a secure manner.  When you think of a laptop bag, you most likely think of the “traditional” bag.  Well this bag is anything but traditional, in fact it is absolutely unusual but I think for some, it may well be a perfect choice.

Made from lightweight neoprene and breathable air mesh, our new ultra-slim backpack streamlines the transport of your laptop and accessories. The main compartment accommodates and protects laptops from 12–17″ with room to spare for books, folders or other essentials. Two additional smaller compartments provide storage options for your other necessities; one conveniently located directly on the shoulder strap for easy access. With two sizes available to fit most people, an adjustable sternum strap helps tailor to your shape.

• SLIM DESIGN STRETCHES TO FIT A RANGE OF LAPTOPS
• MADE OF PROTECTIVE, LIGHTWEIGHT NEOPRENE AND BREATHABLE AIR MESH
• 3 COMPARTMENTS - LAPTOP, ACCESSORIES AND CONVENIENT SHOULDER STRAP POCKET
• WATER RESISTANT EXTERIOR
• ADJUSTABLE STERNUM STRAP
• 2 SIZES TO FIT MOST PEOPLE - MEDIUM AND LARGE
• MACHINE WASHABLE, DRIP DRY, STAIN RESISTANT

Check out the BUILT Laptop Backpacks here

via