A Clever Plastic Brace Turns Long-Stemmed Flowers Into Their Own Vase

Source: http://gizmodo.com/a-clever-plastic-brace-turns-long-stemmed-flowers-into-509714046

Florists around the country, pay attention. If you're looking for a value-added reason for people to buy a dozen roses from your shop, then find a way to get this brilliant Crown Vase put into production and include one with every bouquet.

Designed by Lambert Rainville, a student at the Royal College of Art, the Crown Vase works as a support allowing flowers to stand via their own stems, like a simple shelter crafted by an experienced outdoors person. A shallow dish or bowl full of water is still needed to keep the flowers alive for more than a day, but when they eventually die everything can be composted and recycled, making cleanup an eco-friendly affair.

[Lambert Rainville via Notcot]

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Chrome OS updated with new panel window and launcher options, other minor improvements

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/24/chrome-os-update-stable-release/

It's fairly minor as far as operating system upgrades go, but Chrome OS users can expect to receive a new update in the stable release channel sometime in the next few days (if they haven't already). It brings with it some added panel windows for things like chat, along with a new positioning mode for the launcher, autocomplete in Drive search, a new three-finger gesture to move between tabs, and expanded support for wireless mice and touchpads, among other minor fixes and additions (including some promised memory management improvements). You can find the full rundown at the source link below.

Filed under: Software, Google

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Source: Chrome Releases

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Gigabyte introduces BRIX, a customizable mini PC powered by Ivy Bridge CPUs

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/24/gigabyte-brix-mini-pc/

The mini PC market isn't exactly a crowded one, but it's never a bad thing to have options. Well, if you're into the idea of adding an ultra-compact to your setup, Gigabyte's just announced its highly customizable BRIX. The palm-sized PC appears to be the very same one we saw back at this year's CES, but it's now taken on a more polished, ready-to-hit-shelves look. Gigabyte's providing interested parties the ability to load this itty-bitty thing with a vast selection of Ivy Bridge chips (Core i3, i5 and i7), plus their own SSD / RAM combo and operating system of choice. Ports-wise, there are two USB 3.0 sockets, HDMI and a Mini DisplayPort -- Gigabyte notes it can power up to two displays simultaneously. Naturally, the cost depends on the specs you choose, and the company only goes as far as to say that the BRIX covers "a range" of price points.

Gallery: Gigabyte BRIX press shots

Filed under: Desktops, Misc

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Via: Fareastgizmos

Source: Gigabyte

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CHART: Teens Are Sharing More Of Their Data On Social Media

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/teens-sharing-more-on-facebook-2013-5

This news note comes from BI Intelligence, Business Insider's research and and analysis service. The charts and data featured here are available for download in the BI Intelligence library. Please sign up up for a free trial here.

Teens are sharing more information on social media than ever before, according to a new survey from the Pew Internet And American Life Project. 

In 2012, 53% of teens said they shared their email address on social networks, compared to only 29% who did so in 2006. Further, ten times more teens shared their cell phone number on social networks in 2012 than in 2006. 

Other information, such as photos, school name, and locations are also being shared more frequently on social media by younger demographics, according to the survey of 802 U.S. teens.

In other words, despite all the attention on privacy issues surrounding social ! media, t eenagers appear comfortable with sharing more data. However, they also tend to calibrate that sharing.

According to Pew, 60% of teen users keep their Facebook profiles private (so that casual Web users and non-friends can't access their profiles). Among adult users, 58%, keep their Facebook profiles private.

It's a sign that teens are just as mindful of their privacy setting as adults, even as they share more data about themselves with friends within their network (and Facebook itself). 

Facebook remains by far the most popular site among social networking teens, with 94% claiming to have an account on the site. However, some teens are also using other sites: 26% of social networking teens used Twitter in 2012, up from 12% in 2011.

In contrast to Facebook, where only 14% of teens have public profiles, 64% of those teen Twitter users say their account is public. 

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Hisense Sero 7 Pro Hands On: A Promising Nexus 7 Clone

Source: http://gizmodo.com/hisense-sero-7-pro-hands-on-a-fantastic-nexus-7-clone-509516366

Contrary to some rumors, Google didn't announce a refreshed Nexus 7 at I/O a little while back, but up-and-comers Hisense just announced a pretty good alternative to the aging tab. Its new Sero 7 Pro—the companies first foray into the tablet space—is basically a Nexus 7, but at only $150.

The Sero 7 Pro has all the Nexus 7-y features you want. A 1200 x 800 resolution screen, a Tegra 3 quad-core processor, 1GB RAM, and stock Android 4.2.2. All for $150. The compromise is that storage is capped at a meager 8GB, but to ease the blow, the Sero 7 Pro comes with an MicroSD expansion slot. And, it even has the Nexus 7 beat by including a 5MP rear-facing camera, and HDMI output. HP's Slate 7 has been pushing in on the Nexus 7 a bit too, but it's a shade more expensive at $170, and doesn't pack in some of the perks that the Sero 7 Pro has.

We got a little hands on time and the Sero 7 Pro doesn't feel like a cheap tablet. It's got a solid build, remeniscient of the Nexus 7 it's trying so hard to app. The back is hard, textured plastic that feels less than premium, but not all out bad. The performance is smooth, thanks to Nvidia's Tegra 3, and running stock on pretty much the exact specs of a Nexus 7 delivers a pretty comparable experience. The OS does come with slight modifications via a customized launcher, with a few pack-in apps (like Walmart) but those are all easily removed. It's better than you'd expect for a $150 tablet.

We're due for a Nexus 7 refresh here sometime soon, and chances are it'll be a pretty nice overhaul of the existing model, but things like a MicroSD slot are very very unlikely to ever show up in a Nexus device. HiSense may not be the biggest name, but it's first tablet offering seems pretty damn good for the low end of the spectrum. It's rolling out to a Walmart (ugh) near you tomorrow.

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