Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Saturday, September 20, 2008

Averatec's 10.2-inch netbook just wants to be your Buddy

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/397241921/

Filed under: Laptops

We knew it was coming, and now Averatec's officially unveiled the Buddy, another 10.2-inch, Atom N270-based netbook. It's not straying far from that template laid down by the Eee 1000 and Wind, but the more recent photos we've dug up seem to show that it's not a straight up Wind rebadge as previously implied -- which could be a good or bad thing, depending on Averatec's attention to detail and / or OEM partner. The laptop manages 1GB of RAM, a 160GB HDD, Windows XP Home and WiFi for a reasonable $450, and should be hitting retail shelves and online stores soon.

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T-Mobile G1 (or whatever it's called) takes in some fresh air

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/397355933/

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Why wait for next Tuesday's grand unveiling? Well, the short answer is that most of us have no other option -- but a small handful of exceptionally lucky individuals are getting their Android on just a little early. This particular example of the G1 (or Dream, Nightmare, Slumber, whatever the hell it's going to end up being called) allegedly hails from a Google staffer, looking a little less... shall we say, "controversial" than other shots have made it out to be. Yeah, we're jealous, we admit. Anyone want to give theirs up for a few hours?

[Via Talk Android]

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Adapt's ADPP-100 pocket projector shown on video

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/397435683/

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Portable Video

Another week, another pocket projector sighting. In an attempt to get known before it gets buried by the hundreds of alternatives sure to pop up here in the coming months, Adapt has hosted a short video of its mX ADPP-100 mini projector. Said beamer features LCoS technology, a rechargeable battery, an SD card slot, inputs for "almost any device," and the ability to project a 50-inch image (however blurry) onto the wall. Not much else is known right now outside of that, but you can check it out in action just after the break.

[Via AboutProjectors]

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Friday, September 19, 2008

VMware Fusion 2.0 Officially Released [Virtualization]

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/394303595/vmware-fusion-20-officially-released

Mac only: Windows virtualization software for Mac VMware Fusion's version 2.0 has graduated from beta and is now officially available. In our test drive of Fusion 2.0 beta 1 and beta 2 we were impressed with 2.0's better multi-monitor support and integration of the Windows VM with OS X in Unity. The final highlight reel of Fusion 2.0 features include:

More Seamless with Unity 2.0: Application Sharing, Link Handling, Mirrored Folders, Driverless Printing, True Multiple Display Support, and Custom Keyboard Mapping

Safer Windows on Mac experience with AutoProtect automated snapshots and a 12-month complimentary subscription to McAfee VirusScan Plus security software for Windows XP and Vista

More Power with DirectX 9.0c with Shader Model 2 3D graphics, 1080p HD video playback, Multiple Snapshots, 4-way vSMP, and Better Linux Support (Unity & Easy Install)

More Mac-like, More Mac-friendly with all new Welcome Screen, Virtual Machine Library and Virtual Machine Settings, Cover Flow and Quick Look integration, and Apple Help

Mac OS X Leopard Server now is supported in a virtual machine on Mac hardware

A single license for VMware Fusion 2.0 will set you back $79.

VMware Fusion 2.0

Carry Your PC on Your iPhone or iPod Touch [IPhone]

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/394340075/carry-your-pc-on-your-iphone-or-ipod-touch

It'd be wonderfully convenient if you could take your important documents and applications with you wherever you go, but lugging a laptop with you every time you step out the door is far from convenient. That's where MokaFive's new cross-platform application called iPhone Sentinel comes in. By turning part of your iPhone or iPod touch into a portable hard drive, iPhone Sentinel and the MokaFive Player allow you to run virtual machines directly off your iPhone, so you can run anything from an entire operating system to standalone video games like Quake. Here's how it works.

The Nuts and Bolts

There's a lot of different components to MokaFive's solution, so let's break down each component to understand how it all works together.

First, MokaFive's main product is the MokaFive Player. It's a cross-platform (Windows and Mac) virtual machine software. MokaFive Player runs virtual machines named LivePCs. So the player is called MokaFive, and the individual appliances are called LivePC virtual machines.

You can run the MokaFive Player from a Windows or Intel Mac desktop or from a USB drive. If you just wanted to use the MokaFive Player locally to create and distribute LivePCs, you could just install it directly on your local computer. However, the MokaFive Player for USB drives can run any LivePC appliance portably from your thumb drive.

That's where iPhone Sentinel comes in. After you set up your iPhone with iPhone Sentinel, the iPhone works as a USB drive. Putting all the pieces together, then: You can run LivePC virtual machines with! the por table MokaFive Player from your iPhone using iPhone Sentinel.

Now that you've got a better understanding of where we're going, let's walk through setting it up.

Turn Your iPhone or iPod Touch into a Storage Device with iPhone Sentinel

To get started, head to the Project iPhone Sentinel download page and grab the version that fits the operating system you'll be installing it on. I've tested the app on both Windows and Mac, and it looks virtually the same on both.

Now run iPhone Sentinel. You'll be prompted to connect your iPhone, so go ahead and do that. Once you do, the app explains that it "allows you to use your iPhone as a portable disk drive" and prompts you to allocate disk space. I gave about 2GB to iPhone Sentinel (which I think was the default). Keep in mind that you can't give more space to your iPhone than you already have free without losing data, so I'd heartily recommend backing up your iPhone if you haven't already and making sure you have enough space. When you're ready to pull the trigger, just click the Format button. Once you do, go grab a snack or warm drink—iPhone Sentinel took about 10 minutes or so to format the portable space on my iPhone.

All done? You're halfway there, and actually already at a nice point: You can now use your iPhone as an external storage device—meaning you can actually put files on it and take it to different computers. There's a catch, though, which we'll discuss below.

Install the Moka! Five Pla yer on Your iPhone

Once your iPhone is set up for disk use, you're ready to install the MokaFive Player. Head to the MokaFive Player download page and grab the download that fits your operating system. Since we want to run the program from our iPhone or iPod touch, you should download the Mobility version for Windows or Mac. If you're hoping to run MokaFive Player on your Mac, you need to grab the Windows and Mac version and install it from your Mac. If you're planning on sticking to running the MokaFive Player on a Windows machine, get the Windows-only version.

Either route you take is a breeze. On Windows, just run through the installer and tell it you want to install the MokaFive Player to a portable drive. On OS X, you just drag and drop the contents of the disk image directly to your iPhone drive. In both instances, make sure your iPhone's drivespace is mounted with iPhone Sentinel. That's all there is to it.

How's It Work?

The iPhone Sentinel software is still very experimental, meaning that you can expect a lot of hiccups along the way. Right now the homepage says iPhone Sentinel only works with Windows XP SP2, though I was able to get it to work on OS X 10.5 as well as XP SP2.

Running the MokaFive Player from my iPhone, on the other hand, was another story altogether. MokaFive uses VMware's player to run its virtual machines; in fact, you need to have VMware pre-installed on a Mac if it's even going to work.

The first time you run it, you'll have the option t! o run pr e-installed machines, like the Fearless Browser or Linux XP (a flavor of Linux that very closely mimics Windows XP). You can also grab several different free LivePC appliances from the MokaFive web site, including business-oriented apps like OpenOffice.org and fun stuff like Quake or the One Laptop Per Child operating system.

My biggest complaint with MokaFive right now is that—as far as I can tell—you have to have iPhone Sentinel installed on any computer you want to use your iPhone as a disk with. That's probably going to be a major deal-breaker for some, since it presents a circular problem. Normally in this sort of situation you'd bring iPhone Sentinel with you on your portable drive. You could put iPhone Sentinel on your iPhone, but you wouldn't be able to get to it without using iPhone Sentinel to begin with. That's a problem. If you give it a try, I'd also recommend caching all of your virtual machines for offline use—otherwise you'll have to download them anew every time you plug in your iPhone.

If MokaFive is going to really wow, it'll need to tackle these problems soon. In the meantime, both the iPhone Sentinel application and MokaFive Player present some interesting and worthwhile functionality on their own. Right now MokaFive is a pretty cool app for running and distributing streamlined virtual machines, and—if the folks at MokaFive can get it all working well on the iPhone—your phone could turn into your all-in-one portable drive and operating system.

Until that happens, you may want to stick with iPhone Sentinel to enable disk mode on your iPhone, then grab some portable apps a! nd carry your life on a thumb drive. Alternately, if you just want to run Windows from your iPhone, check out the much more stable, robust MojoPac, and build your PC on a stick. I haven't tried this, but considering that iPhone Sentinel essentially turns a portion of your iPhone into a thumb drive, it should work just fine.

If you've got any experience with MokaFive or with dual-purposing your iPhone's drive, share your experience in the comments.

Adam Pash is a senior editor for Lifehacker who can't believe disk mode isn't available on the iPhone by default. His special feature Hack Attack appears every Tuesday on Lifehacker. Subscribe to the Hack Attack RSS feed to get new installments in your newsreader.

Triple Monitor Plus TV Synergy [Featured Workspace]

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/395095284/triple-monitor-plus-tv-synergy

University student tobywuk's ~~dorm~~ room triples as his living room, office, and bedroom—so he uses two monitors, one laptop, and one wall-mounted widescreen television to get work and play done. Plus he uses keyboard and mouse-sharing application Synergy between computers to save desk space. Tobywuk writes:

The TV is connected to my Xbox 360 and my MacBook pro to play movies. When the Mac is not using the TV it uses the 19" TFT. The other 19" TFT is connected to my server running Windows XP. Both systems/screens share the same mouse and keyboard using Synergy Virtual KVM.

Whether he's gaming, watching movies, or working, tobywuk's got the screen real estate to get it done. Here's how you can control multiple computers with a single keyboard and mouse using Synergy. For more workspace fun, check out the Backyard Shed Turned Home Office and more. Show off your swanky work or play space setup by adding it to the Lifehacker Workspace Show and Tell pool.

Uni Setup [Flickr]

Run Mac OS X on an Eee PC [How To]

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/395168840/run-mac-os-x-on-an-eee-pc

We've shown you how to build your own "Hackintosh", a computer running Mac's OS X system with PC parts. Now The Wired How-To Wiki goes even cheaper, detailing a process for installing the Apple OS on the ultra-portable (and pretty cheap) Eee PC. The method explained requires finding a suitably tweaked OS X image, an external DVD drive, and the patience to run through all the system configuration and terminal tweaks. Once you're up and running, however, the author says it runs decently swift, even with just the stock 1GB of RAM. Hit the link for a complete walkthrough.

Run Mac OS X on an Eee PC [Wired How-To Wiki]

Top 10 Right-Click Tools [Lifehacker Top 10]

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/395321897/top-10-right+click-tools

The right mouse button—beloved by geeks for its power, theoretically unnecessary on a Mac, and generally under-utilized on the average desktop. Right-clicking can be a powerful tool for automating file actions and saving yourself time and arm effort, but only if you've put your own stamp on the offerings of that secondary button. Today we're rounding up some of the best tools for adding power and precision to your right-click menu on Windows, Mac, and Linux systems, so check out what can be done from the other side of the scroll wheel. Photo by geobeo.

10. Add convenient actions to Nautilus (Linux)

The default file manager for GNOME-based Linux systems has a pretty sparse right-click menu when first installed. Install a few helper packages, however, and soon you're rotating and resizing images without an editor, popping open terminals for quick system work, and skipping the sudo command entirely with a "Run as administrator" link. Ubuntu users can install the nautilus-gksu, nautilus-image-converter, and nautilus-open-terminal packages for starters; users of other distributions should search their package manager for "nautilus" (or "konqueror" for KDE-based systems) to see what's available for quick right-click fix-ups.

9. Use two fingers for trackpad right-clicking

If you're new to Macs, or you just haven't dug deep into its configuration options, it's easy to miss this one. Mac laptops only have one button; instea! d of str etching your hands an octave-length to the Control key, put two fingers on the trackpad and click. To enable it, head to the Keyboard & Mouse section of System Preferences, under the Trackpad section, check this option: "For secondary clicks, place two fingers on the trackpad then click the button."

8. Get Google Map directions without a street address

You can know where "that restaurant with the good burgers" is (a few blocks over from the big intersection) without knowing an actual street address. Find the general spot in Google Maps, right-click, and click for directions to or from that area. You might find it helpful, or you might not truly appreciate it until you're on a scarcely-there Wi-Fi connection, trying to find a way across town and furiously Google-ing for possible addresses.

7. Make one-click FTP uploads with RightLoad

Anyone with access to their own web space, or with a need to do a lot of FTP transfer, should add RightLoad to their file-swapping arsenal. Set up your FTP servers in RightLoad's preferences, and sending files to the server is as easy as right-clicking and choosing a server. After you're done, RightLoad creates HTML-formatted links for quick web writing or friend-linking, and automatically renames duplicate files. Your overworked FTP client thanks you for the downtime.

6. Tweak Windows' Send To Menu

If you're not a fan of installing contextual applications or power toys on your system, Windows' built-in "Send to" menu on the right-click box can offer a lot of flexibility—you can create instant shortcuts, email ! or open a file, and much more. Lifehacker reader Howard Dickens explained the process for adding "Send To" actions and items in Windows 98 and XP; for the Vista method, check with the How-To Geek.

5. Customize the Mac Finder's actions with FinderPop

One of those apps that gives back the more that's put into it, FinderPop is a hugely customizable tool for cutting down the number of clicks needed to copy, move, or alias files between locations on your Mac. FinderPop can also launch applications or kill runaway processes, making the right-click (or Ctrl-click) menu a powerful launching pad.

4. Add or delete context items with ShellExView

Programs come and go from your computer, and even after they're thoroughly scrubbed, they can leave behind annoying traces in your context menu. ShellExView is where you get complete control over what shows up when you right-click a file, your desktop, or even Internet Explorer. You can add any program, delete useless links, and otherwise hook yourself up with time-saving shortcuts.

3. Roll your own right-click Mac actions with OnMyCommand

Let's face it—some of the work you do is creative, and some of it is just resizing a bunch of images to 400 pixels wide and converting them to JPEG. Automate those mand! atory ta sks with OnMyCommand, an AppleScript/command-line app that adds your own scripts or already-compiled offerings to Finder's right-click menu. Check out SimpleHelp's concise and clear guide for help getting started with OnMyCommand.

2. Create file-aware right-click options

Many of the tools listed above make adding custom file-wrangling options to your right-click menu easy, but only for every file or folder you click. If you want to get specific with certain file types, adding custom for-this-file-type-only actions isn't as hard as it might seem. Adam has explained the custom context menu process (pulled from a MetaFilter thread) for Windows XP; Vista users should check out FileMenuTools, detailed elsewhere in this list.

1. Combine lots of right-click tools with FileMenuTools

If you're a Windows user and only have time to try out one of the right-click tools we've gathered here, FileMenuTools is a safe bet for maximum utility. It doesn't get as in-depth as some of the utilities it rolls together, but it lets you create contextual file actions, improve your Send To menu, add super-helpful tweaks like "Run Command Line from Here" and "Copy Path," and generally geek out your right-click menu without touching the registry or hunting down obscure command line options.

Right-click menus are definitely a to-each-their-own tool, as the most useful tools depend on what you'! re tryin g to get done. So we ask our dear readers: What right-click actions, links, and tweaks help you act quickly and shuttle files more efficiently? Share your own tips in the comments below.

SpeedFan Monitors Your Hardware, Controls Fans [Featured Windows Download]

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/395411943/speedfan-monitors-your-hardware-controls-fans

Windows only: Free application SpeedFan monitors the fan speed, temperature, voltage, and more of the components inside your computer. That's all fine and dandy, but the marquee feature of SpeedFan is that you can actually adjust the speed of your fans by tweaking the desired temperatures on supported systems. Keep in mind that SpeedFan is a power-users tool, and the temp inside your computer isn't to be taken lightly. However, if you're comfortable tweaking hardware settings, an app like SpeedFan can help keep your computer running quieter and give you a little more control over what's happening with your computer's innards. If you've used SpeedFan in the past, share your experience in the comments. Mac users, check out previously mentioned smcFanControl.

SpeedFan [via MakeUseOf]

SemantiFind Clarifies What You're Searching For [Featured Firefox Extension]

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/395476596/semantifind-clarifies-what-youre-searching-for

Firefox only: Newly-launched search tool SemantiFind is out to deliver more meaningful results by helping you clarify your query, and putting user-assigned labels for pages across the web to good use. Download the SemantiFind Firefox extension, click the "Start Semantifying!" button, and go to google.com and type your search terms. Like Google Suggest, SemantiFind will drop down a list of possible searches that clarify your search (as pictured, in a search for "salsa," SemantiFind checks if you mean the sauce, the music, the dance or the film). On the results page, SemantiFind embeds its suggestions on top of your regular Google results, based on user labels on web pages. You can save or delete results to personalize what you get in future searches. When you're not on Google, you can use the SemantiFind Firefox toolbar to add and edit page labels. Lifehacker's current SemantiFind labels are "Web2" (huh?), "Lifehacking", and "Productivity." (Not terrible, but not perfect.) SemantiFind is currently a free download for Firefox and works with Google only, but other search engine support is in the works.

SemantiFind [via ReadWriteWeb]

Grow It

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheDieline/~3/394776023/grow-it.html

I like these tube-style carton sleeves for Gift Republic's "Grow It" line. (I saw them last month at NYIGF.) The colorful, but economical packaging system for the so-called "garden-inspired starter kits" makes a good impact all together, on display.

Southern Alps

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheDieline/~3/396608888/southern-alps.html

I came across Southern Alps while at the Fancy Food Show in July, and was immediately drawn to the packaging. The brand showcases the (excellent) product beautifully, letting the food itself attract the eye. Contrasting the earthiness of the product with a simple and cost-effective packaging solution and compelling copywriting makes this brand particularly striking.

Best Buy In Store Pickup 2, Would the Sequel Be Better than the Original (for Once)

insights about the importance of customer experience -- it's part of the product or service and it can lead to word of mouth -- both extremely negative (as for version 1) or extremely positive (as for version 2) of Best Buy's pick up in store program.

By: Glenn Gabe, Director of Search Strategy, MRM Worldwide

Best Buy In Store Pickup, The Second Chance

I'm a nice guy. Really, I'm not kidding… I don't want to complain about companies, products or services. Actually, I love coming across a product or service that I like and that I believe in. And, I'm the type of person to tell everyone I know. I'm definitely a word of mouth marketing machine for the products and companies I like. It's just in my blood. So, when I tried Best Buy In Store Pickup in 2006 (on a tight deadline), and the service bombed on me, you could imagine my frustration. It wasn't a pleasant experience, it wasted my time, and as a result, I let the world know about it on my blog. As I stated in 2006, great concept, poor execution. But again, I'm a nice guy. I believe in second chances, and this is a post about the second chance I gave Best Buy this past weekend. My hope was that Best Buy fixed the flawed In Store Pickup system that wasted my time in 2006 and pushed me to write about my negative experience. Let's start at the beginning with a brief description of what frustrated me in 2006.

continue reading...

Antec's open air Skeleton PC case is so breezy

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/396230272/

Filed under: Desktops, Peripherals

While the Acrylic Cowboy family of cases still has our hearts (okay, so maybe it's just the mascot that does it for us), Antec's latest offering is certainly worthy of praise. The aptly-dubbed Skeleton is wrongfully hailed as the "world's first open air case," but in reality, it is one of only a handful. Even with all that openness, there's still a 250mm fan up top along with a 92mm one up front, but we suppose there's no harm in being too careful. It also provides four drive bays, a layered tray design, seven expansion slots and a meager assortment of ports. You will have to provide your own power supply when the time comes, however, and you'll also have to wait a tick to find out a price and release date.

[Via BoingBoing, thanks Matt]

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HTC's Touch HD makes its video debut

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/396238412/

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

We've already heard the good word about the HTC Touch HD's performance and general excellence, but if you're like us you want something more. Specifically, something on YouTube narrated in French. That's just how we roll. Nothing in this video (embedded after the break) we haven't heard before, but make sure to tap that "high quality" button to really taste the magic.

[Thanks, Ghengis]

Continue reading HTC's Touch HD makes its video debut

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