Ipevo creates “experience over IP” – Upcoming Products (w/video) is a post by Adam Helweh from Notebooks.com.

Bags with Form & Function

The attention to detail, craftsmanship, and thoughtful design is apparent while watching Rickshaw’s Founder and CEO, Mark Dwight, tour the features of one of their custom made bags. The bags are designed to stand up straight when placed on a table or floor and sport a substantial handle to quickly grab and go. The PVC-free liner is waterproof as is the bottom of the bag which is a relief for those who occasionally wait for the bus or a cab in the rain. The flap comes in a variety of striking patterns and closes with the usual velcro, but has the distinctive addition of magnetic closures Mark dubs “The Silencer”. They cover the velcro and keep a crowded classroom or conference room from turning your direction as you rip your bag open to grab a pen or paper. Buckles seal the deal as added protection. Inside you will find a padded laptop sleeve that can be removed in the case that you purchase a larger laptop in the future. This option also provides the luxury of using the bag for other purposes. There is also plenty of room for papers, a couple magazines, and books. Usually covered by the flap are large pockets for carrying your usual gadgets and items such as your phone, keys (there is a tether for them), moleskine notebooks, and pens. The back of the bag features a large pocket with a zipper for quick access.

Customized to Fit Your Style

An incredible thing about these bags is that they can all be customized to fit your personal style. Rickshaw uses upholstery grade materials which are made for a high amount of wear and can be used to create the look and feel you want. Clean and simple or crazy and colorful can be achieved at your request. Their blog even features a number of custom bags created for individual events and organizations such as the 2008 TED Conference. They take a hands on approach to helping their customers find the right bag to fit their needs. CEO Mark Dwight can frequently be found posting videos for customers showing their bag being made or the finished product in all its glory.

Beyond the Bags

On their web site, Rickshaw acknowledges that their business means more to them than just the bags they make. They understand that their bags in addition to how and where they are made play a big factor in the company DNA. From their site: “In addition to our bags, we share a strong set of humanistic, environmental, and social values that guide the way we conduct every aspect of our business.” Now this may seem like marketing fluff at first, but by looking a little deeper you can see that Rickshaw walks the talk. They have managed to keep the making of their products almost entirely local and in their San Francisco factory. They strive to be environmentally conscious and even have a product line called “Bottles to Bags” with an exterior made from 100% post-consumer recycled beverage bottles. (Take a look at the video below to see how they create material from the bottles). They also frequently give back to the community and participate in things such as the upcoming Teens in Tech Conference and partnering with REDF to help at-risk youth find employment in the San Francisco area.

Rickshaw’s passion for their product, customers, and community is obvious. It is always great to purchase a product that is well made and fits your needs, but it’s quite a bonus to also support a company like Rickshaw Bagworks that understands that a business can contribute more to its surroundings than just a cool bag.

Rickshaw Bagworks – Beyond the bag (w/video) is a post by Adam Helweh from Notebooks.com.

Macworld 09: USB Hub & Card Reader Designed for the MacBook Air (Video) is a post by Adam Helweh from Notebooks.com.

Upek is the maker of the Eikon Digital Privacy Manager. This device works on the Mac and the PC and comes in two compact designs. If your looking for something small with no wire to deal with you can buy the Eikon to Go which is the size of your average thumb drive and plugs directly into your usb port. The full Eikon is really only slightly bigger and is beautifully designed to look great sitting on your desk next to you which is perfect for the Mac fans.

Upek are the leading provider of biometric fingerprint reading devices for the desktop computer and notebook industry. ASUS, Toshiba, and Lenova have all taken advantage of Upek’s expertise and thought out technology. Rather than create an image of your fingerprint, Upek uses the much more secure fingerprint “templates” in combination with high level encryption to keep your important files and accounts locked down. Even if someone else owns an Eikon and attempts to use it to try and compromise your system (which would be useless) you’re completely safe. The Eikon has a small chip inside which stores your fingerprint data so it goes where you go.

If your in an office or other high traffic environment and want to quickly secure and log back into your system this is ideal. The device even supports multiple users and the software can be configured to allow different levels of access and security per user. 

I was most excited to hear the recent news about Upek working with the developers of the popular Mac application “1Password”. You will be able to sign on to your Facebook, Twitter, or online banking account with your finger not to mention manage many OSX preferences and features.

From their site:

“The integration of the Eikon fingerprint reader with 1Password software has been developed in response to resounding demand from the Mac community. The award-winning Eikon Digital Privacy Manager, available in Apple online and retail stores, is a USB peripheral fingerprint reader bundled with Protector Suite software that allows Mac users to simply swipe their finger instead of memorizing and typing passwords when logging in, unlocking screensaver, switching users, modifying secure preferences, and accessing parental controls. 1Password, the most popular password manager for Mac OS X, keeps track of web passwords so that Mac users can use strong and unique passwords that they don’t have to remember.” 

The Upek website is full of great information about the securing your computer and using the Eikon. I got a first hand demonstration by Brian from Upek which you can watch below.

What other products out there can make you feel like a secret agent each time you use it while actually keeping your computer computer safe at the same time?

Macworld 2009: Eikon Digital Privacy Manager & 1Password (Video) is a post by Adam Helweh from Notebooks.com.

The 17-inch MacBook Pro It is available now for pre-order from $2,799 and will hit store shelves in a few weeks.

The all aluminum unibody design is sturdy and looks great. It weighs just 6.6 pounds and is thin for a 17-inch notebook.

It comes with a 2.66GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor or you can opt for a 2.93GHz version for an additional $300.

The standard 320GB drive runs at 5400RPM, but you can upgrade to a 7200RPM 320GB drive for $50. There are two SSD options available. The 128GB SSD adds $500 to the price tag and the 256GB version is $900.

The 17-inch MacBook Pro has an anti-glare display option, which is a must-have for many digital content creators. Apple should consider adding this option to the MacBook and 15-inch MacBook Pro.

Unfortunately, the new MacBook Pro does not have a removable battery. Apple claims the fixed battery will last for up to eight hours on a single charge and is good for up to 1,000 cycles. This is a big mistake on Apple’s part. Digital content creators, whom this product is intended for, use power-hungry applications such as Final Cut Pro. The 15-inch MacBook Pro takes an incredibly long time to recharge and if the 17-incher has similar circuitry users will have to wait 4+ hours to recharge their one and only battery.

Apple Introduces 17-inch MacBook Pro With Revolutionary New Built-in Battery That Delivers Eight Hours of Use & 1,000 Recharges

SAN FRANCISCO—January 6, 2009—Apple® today unveiled the new 17-inch MacBook® Pro featuring a durable and beautiful precision aluminum unibody enclosure, and a revolutionary new built-in battery that delivers up to eight hours of use and up to 1,000 recharges for more than three times the lifespan of conventional notebook batteries. The new 17-inch MacBook Pro has a high resolution LED-backlit display and the same large glass Multi-Touchâ„¢ trackpad introduced with the new MacBook family in October. In addition, the new 17-inch MacBook Pro includes state of the art NVIDIA graphics and the latest generation Intel Core 2 Duo mobile processors. As part of the industry’s greenest notebook family, the new 17-inch MacBook Pro is made of highly recyclable materials, meets stringent energy efficiency standards and is made without many of the harmful toxins found in other computers.

We’ve developed new battery technology that is better for the user and better for the environment,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. Apple’s advanced chemistry and innovative technology deliver up to eight hours of use on a full charge cycle and up to 1,000 recharges.”

Apple uses advanced chemistry, intelligent monitoring of the system and battery, and Adaptive Charging technology to create a revolutionary new notebook battery that delivers up to eight hours of wireless productivity on a single charge and up to 1,000 recharges without adding thickness, weight or cost to the MacBook Pro’s incredible design.* The longer battery lifespan equals fewer depleted batteries and less waste, which is better for the environment.

The new 17-inch MacBook Pro includes an ultra-thin, widescreen glossy 1920 x 1200 display with 78 percent more pixels than the 15-inch MacBook Pro and a 60 percent greater color gamut that delivers desktop-quality color in a notebook. The LED-backlit display has brilliant instant-on performance, uses up to 30 percent less energy and eliminates the mercury found in industry standard fluorescent tube backlights.

Measuring just 0.98-inches thin and weighing 6.6 pounds, the 17-inch MacBook Pro is the world’s thinnest and lightest 17-inch notebook. The 17-inch MacBook Pro is the most powerful Mac® notebook yet with the latest Intel Core 2 Duo processors available up to 2.93 GHz, up to 8GB DDR3 main memory and a graphics architecture that allows users to switch between the NVIDIA GeForce 9400M integrated graphics processor for better battery life and the powerful NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT discrete graphics processor for higher performance. The new 17-inch MacBook Pro includes a 320GB 5400 rpm hard drive standard with a 320GB 7200 rpm hard drive and 128GB and 256GB solid state drives as options. As with the rest of the new MacBook family, the 17-inch MacBook Pro includes a next generation, industry-standard Mini DisplayPort to connect with the new Apple LED Cinema Display featuring a 24-inch LED-backlit widescreen display with a built-in iSight® video camera, mic and speakers.

The new 17-inch MacBook Pro joins the aluminum unibody MacBook family in setting new standards for environmentally friendly notebooks with every model achieving EPEAT Gold status.** Each MacBook unibody enclosure is made of highly recyclable aluminum and comes standard with energy efficient LED-backlit displays that are mercury-free and made with arsenic-free glass. The new MacBook family meets stringent Energy Star 4.0 requirements, contains no brominated flame retardants and uses internal cables and components that are PVC-free. The battery in the new 17-inch MacBook Pro provides additional environmental benefit because its extended lifespan means fewer depleted batteries resulting in less waste. Depleted batteries can be replaced for $179 which includes installation and disposal of your old battery in an environmentally responsible manner.

Pricing & Availability

The new 17-inch MacBook Pro will be shipping at the end of January and will be available through the Apple Store® (www.apple.com), Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers for a suggested retail price of $2,799 (US), and includes:

* 17-inch widescreen LED-backlit 1920 x 1200, glossy display;

* 2.66 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo with 6MB shared L2 cache;

* 1066 MHz front-side bus;

* 4GB 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM;

* NVIDIA GeForce 9400M integrated graphics;

* NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT discrete graphics with 512MB GDDR3 video memory;

* 320GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm, with Sudden Motion Sensor;

* a slot-load 8X SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW) optical drive;

* Mini DisplayPort for video output (adapters sold separately);

* built-in AirPort Extreme® 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;

* Gigabit Ethernet port;

* built-in iSight video camera;

* three USB 2.0 ports;

* one FireWire® 800 port (FireWire 400 compatible);

* ExpressCard/34 expansion card slot;

* one audio line in and one audio line out port, each supporting both optical digital and analog;

* glass Multi-Touch trackpad and illuminated keyboard;

* built-in, 95WHr lithium polymer battery; and

* 85 Watt MagSafe® Power Adapter.

Build-to-order options for the 17-inch MacBook Pro include a 2.93 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 8GB 1066 MHz DDR 3 memory, 320GB 7200 rpm hard drive, a 128GB or 256GB solid state drive, anti-glare display for $50 (US), Mini DisplayPort to DVI Adapter, Mini DisplayPort to Dual-Link DVI Adapter (for 30-inch DVI display), Mini DisplayPort to VGA Adapter, Apple Remote, Apple MagSafe Airline Adapter and the AppleCare Protection Plan.

*A properly maintained Apple 17-inch MacBook Pro battery is designed to retain 80 percent or more of its original capacity during a lifespan of up to 1,000 recharge cycles. Battery life and charge cycles vary by use and settings. For more information visit www.apple.com/macbookpro/17inch-battery.

**EPEAT is an independent organization that helps customers compare the environmental performance of notebooks and desktops. Products meeting all of the 23 required criteria and at least 75 percent of the optional criteria are recognized as EPEAT Gold products. The EPEAT program was conceived by the US EPA and is based on IEEE 1680 standard for Environmental Assessment of Personal Computer Products. For more information visit www.epeat.net.

Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh. Today, Apple continues to lead the industry in innovation with its award-winning computers, OS X operating system and iLife and professional applications. Apple is also spearheading the digital media revolution with its iPod portable music and video players and iTunes online store, and has entered the mobile phone market with its revolutionary iPhone.

Apple Intros Unibody 17-inch MacBook Pro, No Removeable Battery is a post by Xavier Lanier from Notebooks.com.

It looks like the less than ideal news about the future of Macworld has not dampened the spirits of many of those who wanted to attend. Although I noticed a lot of people with signs or t-shirts saying “Bring Back Steve” the keynote by Phil Schiller was very well received. The lack of new hardware updates was a bit of a let down considering Apple did what was expected by announcing the new 17 inch Macbook Pro. Many had hoped for at least a new Mac Mini or the hopeful surprise. Although the new upgrade features to Apple’s iLife and iWork suite are significant and incredibly cool, one of the most talked about revelations is the death of DRM in the iTunes music library. We knew it would come someday.

Regarding vendors at the exhibit hall, there are plenty. I have been interviewing a number of vendors throughout the day and haven’t had the opportunity to see everything yet, but it seems like the vendors at this year’s event are better than ever. In previous years, many of the booths were reserved for the plethora of headphone, case, and accessory makers. Of course this was sprinkled in with the many Mac software companies and Apple themselves. This year I am seeing a lot of video related companies (both hardware and software), iPhone application developers, and other innovative products for the home and office. 

So far I have been pretty impressed with a number of companies like Ipevo, Microvision’s Pico Projector, and locally owned and operated Rickshaw Bags who has created a unique experience for customizing laptop bags. 

I am capturing plenty of video and will share more soon. Until then, I am interested what you have heard about the first day of Macworld and the “Jobs-less” keynote.

Macworld 2009: Day 1 First Impressions is a post by Adam Helweh from Notebooks.com.

Macworld 2009 is upon us and this years keynote is in a matter of hours, but some companies have decided to share their latest and greatest at the Showstoppers pre-event.

One of my favorite chat and VoIP services Skype announced their new release for the Mac. The Skype 2.8 beta should be available by the time this article is posted here and features a couple significant upgrades.

One of the most interesting and useful features is Skype screensharing. Mac users can now share documents, web pages, and anything else on their screen with other Skype users. Although this is already possible using iChat on OSX Leopard this should yield some interesting results for those who primarily use Skype and for Windows users when Skype adds this feature for them possibly later this year. Currently users can share from a Mac to a PC, but not vice versa.

Other new features include:

• Improved chat management: you can sort chats in the drawer and set priorities to chats
• Quick Add: it’s now much easier to add people to chats
• Mood message chat: see mood message updates from your friends as chat messages
• Large profile pictures: just like Skype 4.0 Beta 2 for Windows, you can now use images of up to 256 x 256 pixels
• Hidden avatars in incoming contact requests: a small minority of Skype users have profile pictures which others may find unpleasant, and so they’re now hidden by default in contact requests
• Add notes to contacts: you can add notes to a contact in their profile window handy for keeping track of who’s who.

Additionally, Skype has announced a partnership with Boingo Wireless to make it quick and easy for frequent travelers to access wi-fi hotspots around the globe and make Skype calls with one password at the rate of $0.19 per minute. I will have a more extended review of Boingo in the future, but for now watch the videos below with a demonstration by Skype.

Download Skype 2.8 Beta for Mac

Skype Beta Demo

Macworld 2009: Skype Updates & Partnership (Video) is a post by Adam Helweh from Notebooks.com.

The last few years have been great for Apple. At the beginning of each year they have kicked things off with CEO Steve Jobs unveiling something new such as 2007′s huge introduction of the iPhone. I did not attend the keynote, but I did get to check out the expo hall that year. I was amazed at the size of each hall (the expo occupies not one, but two of the Moscone Center’s huge expo halls) and the number of big name manufacturers and well known software companies that were present. I was equally excited to see a variety of unknown vendors peddling iPod accessories, Mac related gadgets, and Apple apparel. Don’t forget about the “show deals”. Some were posted and others you had to ask for, but you could get a nice little discount on things by taking advantage of various deals that were only available during Macworld.

I would have to say that the most awe inspiring part of the expo hall is when you approach the Apple booth. Gargantuan in size, it dwarfs all other booths at the expo and can be seen from almost anywhere in the hall. A giant black cube of sorts with action happening on all four sides. Dozens of new products displayed along the outside edge and two theater like areas for demonstrating software to the buzzing crowd on the inside. Mac Geniuses are there in force, available to answer most any question. This is all capped off of course with a giant, white hot glowing Apple logo.

Sounds cool huh? How can greatness like this every be experienced again if Apple chooses to pull out of Macworld? Will all be lost? Of course not. Why? Because Apple replicates this experience each and every day at a place they call the “Apple Store”. Although scaled down a bit, the retail store doesn’t require a pass to get in and is conveniently located in most major cities. Products to play with… check! Big screen with demos and Mac Geniuses at the ready…. check! Glowing Apple logo prominently displayed … double check!

You might also say “What about the keynote?”. Sure, the keynote is a great kick off to the expo, but once its over its really everything else that keeps the crowd moving along during the 5 day event. The previously mentioned vendors, the educational user sessions, and impromptu meet ups is where the fun stuff happens. The time I spent at the Apple booth pales in comparison to the time I spent exploring the rest of the expo. Would I miss Apple if they were not there? Sure. Would I stop attending? No way. Most who attend the expo have already purchased an Apple product in the past and are there to learn from the experts, play with new products, and bask in the glow of the community… not a backlit logo.

I sincerely hope that Macworld continues to be a place for debuting new products, asking questions, sharing answers, and rubbing elbows with others who enjoy all things Apple. I am looking forward to meeting new people and seeing new things at this year’s Macworld. WIll you be there? Have a product that you want featured on Notebooks.com? What are your fondest memories of Macworld?

Does Macworld need Apple? is a post by Adam Helweh from Notebooks.com.