In a world of texts and emails, handwritten notes are getting rarer and rare because they require that heinous thing called “effort.” Or at least they used to. A new iOS app called Inkly takes almost all the work out of it, except for the actual writing part. More »
This post sponsored by Lenovo® IdeaPad U Series Ultrabook™ laptops
With the advent of the IdeaPad Ultrabook™, portable computing has gotten faster, lighter weight and more stylish than ever before. These portable powerhouses have enabled a whole new level of creativity for users that was once reserved for the desktop and heavy laptops. With that in mind, I’ve assembled a list of some of my favorite applications and add-ons for IdeaPad Ultrabook users, to extend and enhance their usefulness in creative projects.
Whether you’re a budding artist or sell your work on Etsy, Art Rage 3 Studio Pro ($60 USD) is an incredible bit of software, letting you use your computer as a virtual canvas. It can simulate real media like oil paints, watercolors and charcoal, and colors mix together just like the real deal. It even can simulate paper textures and the variety of realistic brushes provides tremendous creative control. It also provides tools for tracing photos and stenciling, and supports the use of graphic tablets for added control and precision.
A perfect complement to Art Rage Pro is the Wacom Bamboo series of tablets ($79 to $199 USD). I’m a big fan of these compact input devices, which plug into your computer’s USB port and can be easily stashed in a backpack or bookbag. The Capture and Create models support both pen-based input and multitouch gestures, and can be used to draw, paint and manipulate images like a pro, replicating pressure and angle of your pen strokes. And there’s even a wireless option available, so you don’t have to lug a cable around with you.
If you’re more into motion images than still ones, you’ll want to check out Magix Movie Edit Pro 18 MX Plus ($100 USD). This powerful video editing application is optimized for fast performance, and lets you create professional quality video work on a budget. It includes support for full HD video editing, numerous transitions and effects, and even Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound and path-based animation tools. Also includes professionally-designed templates to get you up and running fast, and sharing tools to quickly publish to YouTube, Vimeo and Facebook.
Of course if you’re into music, there’s something for you too – the Novation Launch Pad ($149 USD) is a great creative input device for digital music composition. The compact (9.4″ square) device plugs into a USB port, and gives you 64 multi-color, backlit buttons for sequencing music, samples and controlling live performances. Comes with Ableton Live 8 Launchpad Edition, so you can compose tracks out of the box without any additional software.
While trackpads are great, some of us still move fastest with a mouse. Logitech’s M515 Couch Mouse ($50 USD) is the perfect gadget for pointing wherever life takes you. That’s because it works on any surface. Yep, you can even use it on your couch, or your pants leg and it’ll work flawlessly. It also supports “hyperscrolling” which lets you zip through long web pages at supersonic speeds, and an astounding 2 year battery life. It also has hand-detection technology, so your cat can’t accidentally move your cursor when you’re not looking.
For something a bit more whimsical, check out the L8 Smartlight ($69 USD). Recently launched through a successful Kickstarter campaign, this little programmable LED gadget connects via Bluetooth and lets you truly express your creativity. Display custom animations, use it for notifications, or just have it light up when somebody enters the room. Its onboard sensors can detect proximity, temperature and luminosity, and it’s fully programmable to your creative whims. If you didn’t get in on the initial Kickstarter batch, you’ll have to wait a few months to get one – but it’ll be worth the wait.
Last but not least is something that helps you quickly and neatly connect your mobile gadgets to your Ultrabook on the go. Instead of carrying around a bunch of long and tangled USB cables in your bag, the AVIIQ Ready Clip Kits ($20 USD/set of two) are just the perfect thing. These 5.5-inch-long cables are exactly the same length as a pen, so they fit into the pen compartment of backpacks and bookbags. They’re available in USB to Mini-USB, USB to Micro-USB, and USB to 30-Pin versions for connecting just about any gadget.
Armed with these add-ons and apps, you can take your Ultrabook laptop to the next level, providing new outlets for creativity and productivity whether you’re at home, school, traveling or at the coffee shop. And if you are in the market for a new computer, be sure to check out Lenovo’s IdeaPad U310 and U410 Ultrabooks, which weigh in at under 4 pounds, offer battery life up to 9 hours, and look great doing it.
See what you can do with the Book of Do, the IdeaPad® U Series Ultrabook™, at Lenovo.com.
Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a “sponsored post.” Technabob received compensation for writing it, however, we only recommend products or services we find interesting or have used personally, and believe will be good for our readers.
A collection of 6 new cables and adapters has been leaked today before the big Apple event including a new USB power adapter that’s up to 12W instead of the standard iPad 10. This update points toward a faster-charging iPad mini and/or iPad 3 refresh and a power supply potentially more powerful than the already massive component in the iPad 3. This listing comes from 9to5Mac where they’ve also got a showing of a 60W Magsafe 2 power adapter, this likely aimed at a new Retina MacBook Pro.
The listing also shows a Lighting digital AV adapter as well as a Lightning to VGA adapter, this likely preparing the iPhone 5 and new iPads for large-screen mirroring abilities. There’s a Lightning to USB Camera adapter also, this matching the USB Host abilities of the Lighting port on the iPhone 5 and likely the iPad 3 (and refresh) and iPad mini as well. The same is true of the Lighting to SD Card camera reader unit, this ready for SD card reading on your iPad and iPhone too – we shall see!
Apple will likely be placing this whole collection of adapters to the online Apple store later today after the main event. This event has been rumored to contain not just an iPad mini and an iPad 3 refresh (with Lighting port), but a new Mac mini and iMac as well, not to mention the first appearance of the MacBook Pro with Retina display in a 13-inch iteration.
Stick with us all day long for the big event that starts at 10AM PST. We’ve got our Apple portal ready for action and will have up-to-the-minute updates right here in the main news feed as well.
iPad refresh Lightning cables leaked in SKU listing is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
As much of a boon as Dropbox has been for iOS users, it’s been held back for shutterbugs wanting a one-for-one translation of their images. Any cloud photos saved for posterity were shrunk to iPhone 4S size and largely negated the point of a local copy. No more: an update to the app removes the resolution ceiling and shows whatever the iPad, iPhone or iPod can handle. While it still compresses the final image, all the basic nuances should remain intact. There’s a treat in store for those who want to see more of their files inside of the Dropbox app, too, with iPhone 5 support putting to work those 112,640 pixels of extra screen real estate. Just don’t expect to use Dropbox as a mobile viewer for your Hasselblad photos and you’ll likely be happy.
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Storage
Dropbox for iOS removes the photo resolution cap, stretches out to iPhone 5 size originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Oct 2012 10:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Samsung‘s latest iteration in its Galaxy Note series will be hitting AT&T stores on November 9. The Galaxy Note II is Samsung’s latest phablet-style smartphone that features a huge 5.5-inch display, and it can finally be yours in just a couple of weeks for the price of $299 after signing a new two-year contract with Ma Bell.
If you want to secure your own Galaxy Note II ahead of the official launch, you’ll be able to pre-order it starting this Thursday, October 25. Simply just head to AT&T’s landing page for the Galaxy Note II and off you go. The page isn’t live yet, but it will once they open up pre-orders for customers.
The Galaxy Note II features a 5.5-inch HD Super AMOLED display with a 1280×720 resolution. It runs off of Samsung’s own Exynos quad-core processor clocked at 1.6GHz and comes packing with 2GB of RAM. You’ll also have your choices of either a 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB model, but a microSDHC slot will be available in case you want to save some cash.
Samsung won’t officially have their launch event for the Galaxy Note II until tomorrow, but that hasn’t stopped the device from being announced, and US Cellular even put the new device up for pre-order last month with an official launch date of sometime in late October. Hopefully we’ll hear more details about the Galaxy Note II at Samsung’s launch event tomorrow.
AT&T Samsung Galaxy Note II coming November 9 is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
It is known by many names. Lugburz. Barad-dür. the Dark Tower. Some disgruntled Uruk-hai call it the worst apartment in all of Mordor. And henceforth it shall also be known as: CAKE.
Unfortunately we don’t know anything about this awesome cake except that it was forged by Cake Central member solociachef21. So for all we know it could be made of pure hatred.
[via That’s Nerdalicious!]
A multi-use pocket tool without a knife sounds like hardware heresy. But without a blade the cleverly named Get-A-Way Driver still manages to be more useful than most multitools. Don’t worry, though; it can still open bottles. More »
In the leadup to tomorrow’s Samsung Galaxy Note II event, AT&T has decided to make its pricing and availability known to the general public today. The 5.5-inch smartphone will be available in stores and online starting November 9th, and the cost for the LTE-enabled device will be $300 with a two-year commitment. Lest you fear having to wait an extra two weeks to waltz into a store, you’ll be able to head online on Thursday and pre-order it. The press release below has the details, so follow us past the break.
Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, Samsung, AT&T
Samsung Galaxy Note II to be available on AT&T November 9th for $299, pre-orders begin Thursday originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Oct 2012 09:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Between old Paro the robo seal and the original iteration of Keepon, we’ve seen plenty of adorable robots designed for therapeutic purposes. Romibo’s creators have no qualms admitting that their own creation is following in those cuddly footsteps, but what sets their furry ‘bot apart from much of the competition is a focus on (relative) affordability. For starters, there’s the fact that Romibo is being offered up as an open-source project online, letting do-it-yourselfers build their own versions and contribute custom designs.
The company’s also hoping families will get into the act, making sure that Romibo is “able to be assembled by a neurotypical child 10+ and a parent” — and then there are the plans to offer up workshops to let folks build robots to be donated to special needs facilities. Once built, Romibo can drive around, blink its eyes, speak and move its antennae. Crack it open and you’ll find WiFi, bluetooth, light sensors, an IR Proximity sensor, accelerometers and a big ‘ole Arduino Mega. There’s a certain amount of autonomous functionality (watch in the video below as Romibo’s handler warns about it driving off the edge of the table), or you can control the robot via an iPad app. You can also use an SD card to help teach it some new words.
Gallery: Romibo robot eyes-on
Continue reading Romibo therapeutic robot, eyes-on (video)
Filed under: Robots
Romibo therapeutic robot, eyes-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Oct 2012 09:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Digital Storm, maker of custom-built gaming computers, has just announced the Bolt, which is the company’s newest creation and is claimed to be the world’s thinnest and most powerful desktop gaming PC on the market currently, thanks to the custom-built computer chassis and top-of-the-line components.
How thin is it exactly, you ask? Surprisingly, it’s only 3.6-inches thick, and it stands 14-inches tall. Digital Storm says that they “found no chassis on the market that met their design criteria,” so the company ended up designing and building their own case that would fit their criteria to the letter.
The company says that no other thin form factor tower has as much power on the inside as the Bolt does. The computer can fit up to an Intel Core i7 3770K quad-core processor that can be overclocked to 4.6GHz, 16GB of RAM, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 graphics, 120GB SSD, and a 1TB hard drive with room for up to five drives total.
Of course, that model will cost you a pretty penny: $1,949. However, their base model weighs in at $999 and comes with a Core i3 processor, 8GB of RAM, GTX 650 Ti graphics, and a 1TB hard drive. All of their machines come with Windows 7 Home Premium. The Bolt is available now for purchase, so if you’ve been looking for a powerful rig in a small package, this might be your time to buy.
Digital Storm announces the Bolt gaming PC, claims it as world’s thinnest and most powerful is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
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