Category: Computers (Page 32 of 33)

IE8 – What Goes Up Must Come Down

March 24, 2009 / Gary Fairchild

Don’t know if you noticed, but Internet Explorer 8 was released last Thursday. What’s that? You didn’t notice. We neither did most of the online world. Microsoft can’t get much right lately and according to InformationWeek, IE8 is no exception.

As of 8:00 am Monday, IE8 — released Thursday — held 1.86% of the browser market, down from a high of 2.59% on Sunday, according to market watcher Net Applications. The most likely reason for the decline is that early adopters of IE8 are switching back to the more familiar and –at this point — reliable Explorer 7 browser.

Ouch. That is not good. Now combine this bad news with the rumors that IE8 may be Microsoft’s last attempt at a web browser… and then add the fact that Windows 7 is going to have an option to remove IE from the operating system… then well, you have yourself a web browser on life support.

It’s sad really, though not entirely unexpected. IE, like most of Microsoft’s products, became so large, and so dominant, that innovation and creativity were no longer anywhere to be found. New players emerged from the ashes (Firefox from Netscape) that took enough of the market share to make others think they could do it too (Chrome, Opera, et al). And they did. These new browsers started with clean thinking and a cleaner footprint. Everything IE is… slow, large, un-customizable, resource hog… the new browsers are not.

To be honest, I hoped IE8 would be a game changer. I hoped Microsoft would push the other browsers to be even better. I hoped IE8 would be a sign that Microsoft was moving in a new direction. Sometimes we don’t get what we hope for.

So I guess the jury is still out on Microsoft. Maybe Windows 7 will help them recover from the Vista hangover. But if the trends from the article hold true, IE8 is going to need a defibrillation from Microsoft or else we, the general public, are going to pull the plug on IE8 for them.

Computers, News, Websites

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Browser Wars… con’t

March 22, 2009 / Gary Fairchild

Gadget Teaser’s take on the browser wars started here. As you know, we here at Gadget Teaser are loyal fans of Firefox, but it doesn’t take much for us to make a switch. Especially when news like this comes in from Pwn2Own:

A recent contest at CanSecWest, an event that brings together some of the most skilled experts in the security community, has demonstrated that the three most popular browser are susceptible to security bugs despite the vigilance and engineering prowess of their creators. Firefox, Safari, and Internet Explorer were all exploited during the Pwn2Own competition that took place at the conference. Google’s Chrome browser, however, was the only one left standing—a victory that security researchers attribute to its innovative sandbox feature.

Well isn’t that interesting. I never expected Google’s Chrome would be the last man standing. In fact, I expected all to go down but perhaps not that fast. This coverage solidified a few things for me.

Number 1: stay away from Safari. One of the hackers went after Safari and Mac OS X first because “he believes that it is the easiest to exploit.” Not a good sign for Apple.

Number 2: no browser is totally safe. When they allow the use of plugins on the second day of competition, I’m sure Chrome will go down as well.

And therefore Number 3: no matter which browser you do use, you need to take care and consideration of where you browse and the content you keep. Keep your cache clean and clear out your cookies and saved passwords from time to time. It’s your data the hackers are after, use a little more care and you should be safe.

So after all that being said, will I be switching to Chrome? I’m not sure yet. But I am giving it another look.

Apple, Computers, News, Websites

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SLAPPA BulkHead 4:1 PRO Laptop Travel Bag: the four-in-one for everyone

March 18, 2009 / Gary Fairchild

I’m a traveler. I travel 1-2 weeks per month, sometimes more. And when I travel, I usually take along 2 laptops, at least 4 external hard drives, jump drives, my iPod, several CD-ROMs, and all the cables and accessories to go along with those items. My needs are great, and my expectations from my travel bag are greater. This is why I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the SLAPPA BulkHead 4:1 PRO Laptop Travel Bag.

First, a more solidly built travel bag I am yet to find. While it definitely has a very comfortable feel, you can tell SLAPPA put a lot of thought into protecting your gear. And talk about space! It’s almost deceptive how much space you really have. To my surprise, I had no issue loading this thing up will all my gear. And the best part, it detaches into 4 separate compartments. Only taking one laptop on this trip? Remove the 2nd laptop compartment and you’re ready to go. And, that second compartment can act as its own laptop bag. It has its own shoulder strap. Very convenient. One complaint with the 4 separate compartments is the two in front are difficult to get back on once you remove them. I would suggest not taking them off unless you don’t plan on putting them back. Other than that though, this thing is sweet.

I was a little concerned with the weight of the bag, even before my gear was loaded in it. To my surprise, it was not an issue. The shoulder strap is very comfortable and easily adjustable. The bag settled in on my side and I saw little difference carrying it around compared to my old backpack. This impressed me as I was expecting to be uncomfortable carrying so much on one shoulder.

Finally, any concerns about taking this on a plane can be put to rest. It fits perfectly under the seat in front of you or in the overhead bin. Even if you carry two laptops.

So, to sum up the SLAPPA BulkHead 4:1 PRO Laptop Travel Bag in a few words, I would say sturdy, tons of space, comfortable, versatile, and reliable. How many bags out there can go from two laptops will all your gear, to one laptop with all your gear, to one laptop with no gear, to just your gear? All of that with an extremely sturdy frame and a very comfortable carry. There’s only one bag I know that does all that and it’s the SLAPPA BulkHead 4:1 PRO Laptop Travel Bag.

Computers

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SLAPPA Aura Pro-Tour Laptop Backpack: for all your gear

March 18, 2009 / Jamey Codding

I’ve owned a pretty dependable laptop bag for about five years, so when SLAPPA’s Aura Pro-Tour backpack arrived at my doorstep, it had some big shoes to fill. Not that my previous backpack was without its flaws, mind you; it just…worked. Well, the Aura Pro-Tour works even better, and my old bag has officially been retired to the basement.

This thing is solid, which is to be expected from a SLAPPA bag. Made of Ballistix water- and tear-resistant nylon, the Pro-Tour will keep your laptop and all your gear well protected, which is of course priority #1 for any quality bag. And with 1700 cubic inches of available space and six storage pockets, I had no problem fitting all my junk inside, with room to spare: 15-inch laptop, iPod, headphones and earbuds, network cable, more random chords and cables, some DVDs, two books, a notepad, a couple of magazines, and several pens and pencils. That may seem like a relatively short list for such a big backpack, but the Pro-Tour sets itself apart by offering a removable inner bag for digital gear and/or SLR camera storage. I loaded the bag up with my Nikon D40, additional lens, point-and-shoot camera, Flip video camera, extra batteries and memory cards, and two chargers, slid the bag into the backpack’s main compartment behind the laptop storage area, and I was ready for anything. I can’t tell you how cool this feature is, considering in the past I wasn’t able to bring my SLR with me on a plane unless I checked my suitcase, because I had to carry my laptop and the camera/accessories in separate bags. Having one bag for both makes the Pro-Tour a keeper for any photographer, aspiring or otherwise, plus it’s still small enough to qualify as a carry-on.

I should mention that, when I had my laptop and camera equipment both loaded into the Pro-Tour, there wasn’t a whole lot of extra room for some of the items I previously listed, since the removable gear bag fits in the area where those things would otherwise be stored. That, of course, isn’t a complaint, just a reminder that this do-it-all bag has its limitations. As purely a laptop bag, the Pro-Tour offers great protection and should be plenty big enough for all of your extra items. As an all-in-one travel bag for gadget geeks with a bunch of equipment to lug around, SLAPPA’s Pro-Tour backpack is unbeatable.

Cameras, Computers

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SLAPPA Ballistix Aura Black Shoulder Bag: perfect for carrying both your laptop and a small dog

March 17, 2009 / David Medsker

Since I am what one might call a low-tech computer guy – 14” laptop, no PSP, no crackberry, not even an iPod – I chose one of SLAPPA’s “smaller” bags — the Ballistix Aura Shoulder Bag — and I’m still pretty sure I can fit my two-year-old son in this thing. There are two spacious pockets in the main storage area, each of which could easily fit my laptop (they’re wide enough to fit one up to 17” in length), and just above it, at the joint of the flap, is a long rectangular pocket which is great for storing cables or a power cord. The inside front has one deep square pocket and two smaller pockets for the aforementioned PSP, iPod, or crackberry. There are two utility pockets on each side (my mouse fits perfectly in them), two zippers on the back that open into the same storage space (if someone can explain why anyone would use both zippers at the same time, I’m all ears), a handle and thick shoulder strap, and the case locks together through two hefty, metal clamps. This bag is so well padded that you could probably drop it from space and your laptop would emerge without a scratch. At present, I’m using roughly 50% of the space and storage options available to me. My old laptop bag looks positively pitiful by comparison.