End User

Hands-On With the ioSafe Solo

For the uninitiated, the ioSafe Solo is really the Helm's Deep of external hard drives. For those among us with the desire to preserve data in the face of total meltdown, ioSafe does just that: according to the company the ioSafe Solo can withstand temperatures of 1550F for a half an hour and can be fully immersed in 10 ft. of water for three days (with their DataCast and HydroSafe Technologies respectively). Coming anywhere from 500GB ($149) to 2TB capacity (around $280), the ioSafe Solo isn't too shabby with storage space, either.

Other features include USB 2.0 data transfer, up to 480Mb/s, and total compatibility with Windows, Mac, and Linux alike. It also utilizes what they call "physical theft protection", i.e. the ability to physically bolt and/or lock the unit to a table or wall.That, and it's really, really heavy, which I'm sure is a decent deterrent for theft.

Yes, the ioSafe Solo packs a punch—literally. It weighs 15 pounds. Had I looked at the details a little more closely I might have been a less surprised, but removing it from the packaging was an amusing experience to say the least. As someone accustomed to relatively flimsy technology, setting up the ioSafe does indeed give a feeling of solidity, permanence, and presence.

Setup was a cinch, easier than some of the external hard drives I've used in the past. Though it needed a quick format in order to make it play nice with Snow Leopard, I didn't run into any problems (save that initially I forgot to plug in the USB… and couldn't figure for the life of me why the drive wouldn't mount). User error aside, everything spun up perfectly, and before I knew it, Helm's Deep--as I lovingly named it--was ready to go, fully fortified. Bring on the Orcs.

In spite of its size, and my assumption to the contrary, the ioSafe is extremely quiet. It may have something to do with the physical size of it, but it hardly makes a noise in comparison to my old MyBook, which would often send the whole desk to shaking when it revved up. The glowing blue LED lights are a nice touch, and the surprisingly sleek and almost retro styling prevents it from being an eyesore which, with so many hefty specs for its fireproof and waterproof design, is quite an accomplishment.

My only criticism of the unit is that it doesn't yet allow for home networking (NAS), which is a significant drawback for me. Since we live in a three computer household, it would be excellent to synthesize all the data into one nigh near indestructible unit, especially considering my laptop isn't exactly media central. Not to mention that wifi capabilities would be really sweet, too, just to make it that much easier. Hopefully the makers will include such integration with future models.

But as it is, ioSafe certainly has a good grasp on their own market niche. To set the minds of those of who worry about the worst case scenarios, the ioSafe is a very solid, easy-to-use, high-performance hard drive. It may not be at the front of the class in regard to networking and wifi, but it certainly is heads and shoulders above the rest in terms of durability and resisting destruction.

However, while most reviewers out there are in agreement with me about the impressive performance and ease of use, the current trend appears to be a little more experimental than I'm willing to get with my unit. Be it fire, flood, or flame throwers, these reviewers have really put the ioSafe to the test. Apparently, it can even fry eggs at blistering temperatures. Now, only if it had slots for toast...

• ioSafe on fire: via Gear Diary
• ioSafe with eggs: via Gadgeteer
• ioSafe torture tests: via Macworld

Are There Really Alternatives to the iPod Touch?

Donald Bell of CNET recently profiled some solid iPod Touch competitors in the MP3 player market, especially for buyers interested in moving beyond Apple territory. And he's on the money for the most part: if you're looking for an MP3 player with excellent performance and a fantastic media experience, then you have many choices, including the Zune HD, Sony X-Series, and Samsung P3. This is especially the case if you're a music aficionado, and are looking for the absolute best sound quality available in an MP3 player; as many sites have pointed out, the iPod has never ranked particularly high. But, as with many of Apple's products, it's not just about one thing.

It's proven quite difficult to construct a true iPod Touch killer, just as phone companies have been running themselves ragged to do the same with its iPhone cousin. Apple's technology, in both cases, has moved far beyond media and music—just as the iPhone's phone nature often takes second seat to its applications and malleability. In its way, Apple has created a niche for both of its products, a niche which few companies have been able to wiggle their way into, if at all. And now with its $199 price tag (for the 8GB model), the iPod Touch is priced rather moderately in comparison to its competitors—in many cases, it's even cheaper, considering everything you get for the price.

Yes, the touch screen component is important when looking at its competitors, but the iPod Touch goes far beyond usability and playback. In fact, having been using the iPod Touch for the better part of the last two months, I've found that I think of it far less like an MP3 player and more like a netbook. Up until I started carrying around the slender little gadget, I was mooning over notebooks in spite of the fact that I already had a MacBook. The primary reasoning for wanting a netbook simply had to do connectivity. Whenever I went out in the wide, wide world, I was cut off from email, Twitter, and browsing capabilities. I wanted something lightweight and low profile that I could just slip into my bag. And for that, the iPod Touch has become absolutely indispensable.

While a netbook would be great for writing on the go, the truth of the matter is that there are very few instances where the MacBook won't suffice. So with the iPod touch, so long as there's a wifi connection, I can maintain that sense of connectivity and keep myself entertained with zillions of apps. That it happens to play music and has become central to my gym routine is an added bonus at this point.

Certainly Apple has always been at the forefront of the MP3 market, but the iPod Touch really goes far beyond its other iPods. Sure, it's basically an iPhone without the phone (though with Skype capabilities, that line is blurring increasingly; and without a contract, no less). Add to that, the third generation has video capabilities, too, we're really talking about a pocket computer. With full access to the App Store, and continually improving keyboard usability, I wouldn't be surprised if the iPod Touch could indeed work well as a writing platform. As it is, it's great for writing down notes or ideas for later. Not to mention the games and child distraction value, which it has in spades.

But back to the competitors. As Bell suggests, if you're looking for an app-rich internet browser, there is the Archos5, an Android-based tablet starting in the neighborhood of $379.99. And while it's certainly larger than the iPod Touch, there are certainly a number of drawbacks. As the CNET reviewer sums up: "The Archos 5 is a great video player, but it disappoints as a premium Android Internet tablet and GPS unit." At that price, you'd probably be better off just getting a netbook.

When it comes down to it yes, there are better MP3 players out there, if you're talking about sound and sound only. But for a gadget that keeps you connected and entertained, there really is no other substitution.

Interview with Pejman Hafezi, Engineer of the Philips Wireless HDTV Link

I recently had the chance to interview Pejman Hafezi, one of the engineers at Philips, about their new Wireless HDTV Link--a device that allows you to wirelessly transmit full 1080p HD video to your HDTV.  Although there's been a lot of talk about wireless HDMI, Philips has been one of the first to hit the market with a fully functional device that allows you to move your home theater equipment out of the living room in order to get a clean, less cluttered home theater.  Today Hafezi talks to End User about some of the challenges and benefits of transmitting a true HD signal without wires.

End User:  A lot of companies have been trying to crack the nut of wireless HDMI, and a lot of companies have failed.  What makes wireless hi-def so difficult?

Pejman Hafezi: In one word: quality. To deliver quality wireless hi-def video three main challenges have to be met: picture quality, link robustness and cable like control behaviour. Many technologies that have tried to achieve wireless high-definition video streaming have approached it from one angle only. The technology deployed in Philips’ wireless HDTV Link takes the approach from a dedicated wireless video modem perspective. It combines picture quality and wireless robustness at the core of its design.

EU:   What is “Ultra Wideband”?  How does it compare to the capabilities of a conventional 802.11x signal?

PH:  Philips’s SWW1800 wireless HDTV Link is not based on either of these technologies. It is based on a proprietary radio technology operating at 5GHz. The only common factor with the 802.11a/n systems is that it uses the same frequency band and radio channelization. The difference is that it uses a dedicated video modem. This has the advantage that quality of service can be achieved for the supported distance. In this respect the quality of service is what sets this approach apart from the existing video streaming solutions offered over the 802.11a/b/g/n radios (which are data modems by design) and the range and robustness is significantly superior to that which can be achieved using available ultra wideband based solutions.

EU:   What are the benefits of wireless HDMI to the consumer?  Will the products need to be in the same room, or can you hide all your gear in the basement? 

PH:  In short, freedom of placement and ease of use.

We know that the trend in TVs is moving towards thinner and lighter with larger screen sizes. This makes the option of hanging the TV on the wall both attractive and a real possibility for many users. However cable clutter will still be a major obstacle in doing so without having to go through significant cost and effort to hide those cables connecting the TV to all sorts of source devices. Philips’ wireless HDTV Link allows the user to do just that: to offer the user freedom of placement of the TV and the source devices anywhere in the living room. At present there are no guarantees that the signal coverage can be extended to a different room or floor. However within the same room there are no requirements for the transmitter and the receiver to be within the line of sight of each other. The receiver can be completely hidden behind the TV and the transmitter unit can be placed in a non-metallic cupboard.

Another significant advantage of the SWW1800 wireless HDTV Link is that it’s really simple to experience. It is ready to use out of the box without any complex installation procedures to be followed. More notably, it is fully compliant with the HDMI-CEC specification. This is where simplicity is truly experienced by the user: CEC (consumer electronic control) is a feature that allows HDMI devices connected to the TV to be controlled by a TV's remote and using its user interface (one touch play, one touch standby of the whole system, switching between HDMI devices are examples of this simplified control behaviour without the need for multiple remotes). Of course, the HDMI source devices and the TV need to support the HDMI-CEC feature for this to work (just like the wired equivalent). HDMI-CEC is supported by all major CE brands under various marketing names such as Bravia link, Easy Link, Anynet, etc.

Philips’ SWW1800 wireless HDTV Link is one of the first products of its kind that supports HDMI-CEC features.

EU:   I’ve tried a number of wireless solutions for music, and some were better than others but most all of them had problems—the signal would intermittently drop, it would randomly unmount remote drives, etc.  What keeps that from happening in this product, especially since there’s so much more information in the signal?

PH:  Most commercially available wireless solutions for the applications you mentioned currently operate around the 2.4GHz frequency band and as there are not many non-overlapping frequency channels available at 2.4GHz for these devices to operate. This frequency band has become very congested. Philips’ wireless HDMI switch operates at 5GHz band which is much less polluted and also has many more non-overlapping frequency channels available for various devices to operate in without interfering with each other. The system also employs an intelligent frequency selection mechanism that ensures selection of the best frequency channel at any time.

Also,  practically all wireless systems experience fluctuations in the bandwidth available to them depending on the environment in which they operate and the quality of the radios communicating (like the quality of AP and the client solution used in case of WiFi operation). The SWW1800 wireless link has a stand-alone transmitter and receiver architecture and also is designed with such variations in the wireless medium already taken into account. This enables the wireless video modem to be responsive to these changes and avoid interruptions to the video streaming within the supported distance.

EU:  What’s the potential for signal interference?  What can disrupt the signal?  Is there a best way to position your equipment to optimize the wireless connection?

PH:  Any wireless device is potentially subject to interference. There are no exceptions to this. However, the SWW1800 has a number of advantages in this respect. By operating at the 5GHz frequency and using the same channel bandwidth as those used in WiFi devices it is ensured that a large number of radio channels are available for the operation of the wireless switch. Furthermore, by deploying an automatic frequency selection technique, the device is capable of monitoring other devices activities in each of the available channels and selecting the cleanest channel to establish the link. Even during active operation, the device is capable of regularly monitoring the channel and if there are interfering devices detected, it will switch seamlessly to a “quieter channel”. All this is done in real time and without any visible effects to the user. 

The Philips Wireless HDTV Link has an MSRP of $799.99 and is available now.

--Aric A.

Hands-On with the Altec Lansing RM3010 Stage Gig Speaker for Rock Band/Guitar Hero

If you like to rock out in your living room to Rock Band 2, Guitar Hero, or another rhythm game, you may sometimes wish you had a little more oomph in your sound than your TV's standard speakers.  But you can't hook up a real montior/PA system like an actual band, either (and who could afford it?).

In between these two extremes is a great-sounding, handy little speaker: the Altec Lansing Stage Gig.  Shaped like a traditional stage monitor, it's self-amplified with 40 watts of power with a horn-loaded tweeter, two mid-range drivers, and a subwoofer for full-range sound.  Connection is via RCA component cables and multiple Stage Gigs can be daisy-chained using the existing outputs.  Volume is controlled via an analog knob on the side--I checked and there's no setting for "11"--and there's even a hard switch to configure whether you want it to handle both stereo channels or an individual one (useful when you have more than one).  It also has a carrying handle if you want to be your own roadie and haul it to a party or friend's house.

And for the record, you probably don't need more than one.  This thing is loud.  It sounds way bigger than it actually is.  Connecting it to an XBox360 with Rock Band 2, the sound completely filled the apartment we were playing in.  Said setup was unhooked from a Boston Acoustics MCS100 5.1 speaker system in order to connect the Stage Gig...I was worried the Gig would sound a bit wimpy in comparison.  I shouldn't have.  It rocked.

Now, audiophiles might acknowledge the horn tweeter's crisp highs but nitpick about slightly muddy bass at high volumes.  Remember, this is essentially a karaoke speaker for a video game with a street price of under a hundred bucks.  It's not meant to complement your brand-new Blu-ray system.  If you already have your console connected to a complete 5.1 or 7.1 surround system that you love the sound of, you don't need this speaker.  But if you're still rocking your HDTV's dinky stock speakers, or you play games in a different room than your main system, or you want something to carry to friends' houses for Rock Band Night, this type of accessory can really amp up the experience (sorry for the pun). And for its specific application, you can't do better than the Stage Gig at the time of this writing.

The Altec Lansing Stage Gig has an MSRP of $99.95 and is available now.

--Aric A.

Hands-On with the Altec Lansing iMT260 inMotion Classic Dock for iPod/iPhone

It turns out that the iMT800 Mix wasn't the only trick up Altec Lansing's sleeve this quarter.  The new iMT620 inMotion Classic is a more conservative take on the recent spate of iPod docks that play well with the iPhone.  The "Classic" moniker comes from its styling cues--with its grey, angular styling, amber LCD display, and large, simple function buttons on top of the unit, the iMT620 is pleasantly reminiscent of the retro tabletop desk radios of yesteryear.  But make no mistake, the technology is all up to date.

Its key benefit is that the iMT260 is shielded against GSM signals, so it'll work with any iPhone without having to switch it to airplane mode.  It'll charge your docked iPod/iPhone as well, of course.  The inMotion Classic draws power from a standard AC adapter, and also has a rechargeable lithium-ion battery--a nice touch, since the recent Mix still requires an armload of D-cell batteries.

Simplicity is the name of the game here.  Its no-brainer control scheme consists of only six large buttons across the top of the unit: power, source, volume up and down, and next/previous track.  Forward and back serve as seek/scan buttons when the FM radio is selected; press repeadetly to seek, press and hold to scan.  Information is relayed from a small amber 7-character monochrome LCD display on the top right of the face of the dock and has a battery charge indicator.  Track information scrolls across the display when the iPod is selected as a source.

The swingarm handle also serves this philosophy of simplicity.  The handle on the iMT620 has three positions to let you carry it, fold it down to hold up the unit, or fold into a stowing position that prevents the unit from being able to be turned on.  The angles of the casing match the handle's positions, so when it's folded into a sitting position for your desktop, the angles of the case and handle lie flush on the desk surface.

The iMT620 has a small, flush footprint with the handle in a sitting position

If you want more fine-tuned control, the IR remote provides full menu navigation for the docked iPod/iPhone.  You can use it to browse artists, folders, and playlists in addition to standard play/pause/next track controls.  There are four preset buttons on the remote that switch between FM presets in radio mode and switch between playlists in dock mode.  The remote itself slides into place securely into a slot on the back of the unit. 

There are two things you need to know about the remote, however, and both involve the iPhone:  first, although the menu navigation works, you'll need to swipe and unlock your docked phone in order to actually see the navigation--there's no "unlock" button on the remote.  Second, you'll also need to manually select "iPod" on your Home screen in order to see the navigation, as there's no button on the remote to switch to iPod from the iPhone's Home screen (although navigation does still work). 

If your friends also brought their iPods, there's an auxillary 3.5mm jack you can use to let them get in on the fun, although of course it won't charge the auxillary-attached player and the remote won't work for it except to switch to and from it as a source.

Sound is solid for a dock of this size and in this price range; that is to say, it won't blow you out of the room like Altec's Mix will, but the audio is nicely balanced and clear and doesn't disappoint compared to Altec's previous inMotion models.  It's ideal for a cubicle or home office, bedroom, kitchen, or garage--its lightness, portability, and small footprint make it a versatile player.

The Altec Lansing iMT620 inMotion Classic has an MSRP of $149 and is available for pre-order now.

--Aric A.

Hands-On with the Altec Lansing iMT800 Mix Speaker Dock for iPod/iPhone

Altec Lansing has been making iPod docks for a while, but the new iMT800 Mix should grab your attention for two keys reasons:

It docks, charges, and controls the iPhone--even the latest iPhone 3G S--without the need for Airplane mode.

It's loud.

The first point alone makes the Mix stand out. iPhone users have been left out in the cold for a while when it comes to iPod docks; with hundreds of choices available on the market for regular iPods, only a few have been able to work with the iPhone and then usually only in Airplane mode. The Mix, however, welcomed my 32 GB iPhone 3G S with open arms. It controlled perfectly, with none of the chirping or buzzing that may sound familiar to you if you've left a cell phone near a pair of speakers for any length of time. Finally I can stream Pandora or imeem Mobile while charging my iPhone in an iPod dock, and let me tell you, it's sweet.

Second, this thing is built for volume. Barring notable exceptions like the B&W Zeppelin, many iPod docks tend towards the small side, geared toward a desktop or cubicle. The Mix is a full-fledged boombox, with two 5.25" woofers, two 3" mid-range drivers, and two 1" horn tweeters. During my first dry run, with both the Mix and the docked iPhone at 50% volume, it more than filled the medium-sized room we were testing in. The mids and tweeters are forward-firing while the side-firing woofers angle slightly to the rear, so sound dispersion is huge.

The Mix features three ways to listen to music: an FM radio, the iPod dock (of course), and there are two auxillary slots on top of the unit through which you can attach anything with a 3.5mm jack. Two male-to-male 3.5mm cables are even included in the box. Also included are a large number of interchangeable trays to fit whichever version of iPod or iPhone you're docking. So if you bring the Mix to a party, say, you can switch back and forth between the radio and three of your friends' MP3 players for a huge selection of music.

 

Switch between FM radio and multiple attached MP3 players with ease

There are several options for controlling a docked iPod/iPhone. You can, of course, simply use the controls on the docked iPod itself, or you can use the control buttons on the top front of the unit, or you can use the included IR remote. The slim remote sits in its own slot in the top rear of the Mix when not in use, and features a caribiner-style clip to keep on a belt loop or bag. The remote will control the radio and a docked iPod/iPhone, but can't control an auxillary-attached MP3 player (although it can switch to and from it as a source). There's an LCD screen on the front above the dock for album and artist information, system status, and for the 7-band graphical equalizer. You can even customize the power-on message with custom text--not a crucial feature, but a nice touch nonetheless.

 

The IR remote slides into its own housing when not in use

Another nice touch is the bracer around the iPod dock. The Mix is clearly intended to be moved around, thanks to the grab handles on each side of the unit, and the recessed position of the dock plus the bar means you can be reasonably assured that it'll stay secure while moving around a party or heading to the beach. Speaking of moving around, it's worth mentioning here that for a boombox with a class D amplifier in it, the Mix is pretty light for its size--I had no problem carting it around with one hand, though to be fair I didn't have the 8 D batteries in it required to run it without AC power either.

 

The bracer bar along with included matching dock trays keeps attached iPods/iPhones secure

The one thing I'll say about the grab handles: don't be too casual with them. Even though grabbing one of the side handles means carrying the Mix vertically, it's not designed to stand on its side. The woofer grilles protrude a little from the sides, and there are a lot of sharp angles, so either use the handle on top or be sure to take care when setting the Mix down. The Mix is not fragile, but it's not ruggedized either. (Maybe they should rubberize the Mix's corners on the next iteration?)

So how does it actually sound? Pretty darn good. In particular, the horn-loaded tweeters and mid-range drivers deliver incredibly crisp highs and mids that don't get harsh or sibilant at loud volumes. Bass is huge, especially if you have a wall or similar to reflect sound from the side-firing speakers off of, and will be more than enough to please an entire roomful of partygoers.  I did notice that bass does start to muddy a bit at volumes above 65% or so; room acoustics will matter a lot here. At volumes 50% or below (which is more than loud enough for a room with a few people in it) the sound is rich and full. Even streaming Pandora on my iPhone, which uses compressed audio when streaming on AT&T's 3G network, sounded warm and clear and was very forgiving of compression artifacts.

In addition to the obvious party applications, the Mix makes perfect sense for a dorm room, kitchen, small office, poolside, garage, or anywhere else people might be congregating with their own MP3 players in hand.

The Altec Lansing iMT800 Mix has an MSRP of $299 and is available for pre-order now.

--Aric A.

Get More Done with Alternative Web Browsers: Flock, Lunascape, SeaMonkey, and Avant

The big players in the browser wars are well known: Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, and Chrome.  [Ed. note: Opera, while excellent, currently accounts for less than 2% of the browser market.] For most people, that provides more than enough choice for anyone wanting to get things done on the web.  But there are dozens and dozens more browsers out there.  Most are just small projects based on one of the Big Four's rendering engines and don't really add many features, or are intended for very specific applications (such as pure text browsing or debugging).

But there are a few standout alternative browsers that bring innovative new features or faster ways of doing things.  Flock, Lunascape, SeaMonkey, and Avant all have unique aspects that can help you get certain things done faster, depending on what you need.  And they're all completely free, so feel free to experiment and find something to fit your needs.

 

The "Social Media" Browser -- Flock

Flock is a browser based on Mozilla's Gecko engine, and was created to be almost a pure portal for social media.  Plugins integrating Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, Livejournal, RSS, and more allow you to log in to these services and loads them dynamically into a custom sidebar that constantly updates these feeds.  In addition to real-time updates from social media feeds, you can also use the built-in blog editor to update many blogging services, drag and drop content from websites into an integrated web clipboard, and even upload photos to services like Flickr and Picasa.

Because Flock is based on Firefox, most of the plugins for Firefox will work just fine in Flock--but not all of them.  Fortunately Flock has its own plugins portal that will let you know what's available if you want to extend its functionality even further.

If you spend a lot of time juggling your social life online, Flock is a jacknife that can make it as simple as a click or two to update all your feeds and keep everything (and everyone) connected.  If you don't have at least two accounts on social sites like Twitter or Facebook, and don't have a blog you update regularly, you won't get much use out of Flock.  But if you practically live online, it's a godsend.  Expect a huge memory footprint--opening the People and Media sidebars with just one browser tab takes well over 100MB of memory on my machine--but the idea is that Flock can condense the features of a lot of discrete programs you use to keep tabs on your online life into one simple, extensible app.

Flock is available for Windows and Mac (it works on Linux too with a bit of hacking) and is available here.

The "Has to Render Everything" Browser -- Lunascape

Lunascape is billed as "the world's only triple-engine browser"; that means it's running Firefox's Gecko engine, Internet Explorer's Trident, and Safari's Webkit all under the hood simultaneously.  What this means is a faster overall browsing experience, especially in start-up times and Javascript performance.  It also means that you can change rendering on the fly.  Got a page that requires Internet Explorer to view properly?  Just click to switch the rendering engine and there's no need to fire up IE7.

Pop-up blocking, page zoom, form data saving, and mouse gestures are supported as well as support for a lot of personalization like detachable sidebars, menu customization, and more.  There are a lot of skins available for Lunascape as well.

This is a strong browser if you want the web to "just work"; using Lunascape, you'll get fast performance and there'll be no page that requires you open it in a different browser.  The interface is, to my mind, a little bit cluttered--from a design perspective, it's the "anti-Safari", showing the majority of options at all times unless you turn them off.  Still, it's fast, it's fully customizable, and makes page breakage due to browser issues a thing of the past--particularly where Java is concerned.

Lunascape is Windows-only and is available here.

The "Internet All-in-One" Browser -- SeaMonkey

One thing I've always missed since the original Mozilla browser morphed into Firefox was the Mozilla Suite.  Specifically, having a connected series of apps that handled web browsing, email, chatting, and even HTML editing all at once, and simply.  While Firefox is great for people who just need a fast browser, SeaMonkey is the continuation of that "all-in-one" tradition.

SeaMonkey bundles an Internet browser, email and newsgroup client, HTML editor, IRC chat and web development tools.  The browser component is essentially a straight copy of Firefox, so you won't necessarily see any speed gains, but the additional tools are integrated extremely well and extend the functionality--I can't be the only one who misses Mozilla's Kompozer for simple and elegant HTML editing, and it's resurrected here in SeaMonkey.  The email client is a simplified carryover of Mozilla's popular Thunderbird, and ChatZilla takes care of IRC and newsgroup duties.

I was tempted to title this the "Web Developer's Browser", but I think anyone can find an integrated environment for browsing, chatting, and email useful.  Highly recommended if you want all your online basics covered in a simple and reliable manner.

SeaMonkey is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux and is available here.

The "Internet Explorer, But Better" Browser -- Avant

"That's all well and good," you say, "but I need Internet Explorer."  Fear not: Avant Browser is based on Internet Explorer's Trident engine, but brings over the best features from competing browsers.  Avant supports mouse gestures, pop-up blocking, form data saving, privacy protection, an integrated RSS reader, customizable skins, and more.  It's best feature is online profile storage, which saves your bookmarks and profile information and lets you use your custom settings anywhere.

Avant is a great choice if you want a fast, stable, and customizable browser but are still tied to Internet Explorer for whatever reason.

Avant Browser is Windows-only and available here.

--Aric A.

Hands-On with the Eee PC 1008HA Seashell Netbook

 

Yeah, it's really that thin

Eee's new 1008HA Seashell netbook is an attempt to return the netbook market back to the basics that drove that market's creation in the first place: portability, style, battery life, and strong basic functionality.  As netbooks start experiencing "feature creep" that turns them less into super-refined appliances and more into just stunted, underpowered laptops, Asus seems to be on a mission to drag public expectations back on the rails--and the Seashell hits the right marks, with a unit that amplifies the original appeal of netbooks without necessarily adding features.

The Case

The Seashell weighs 2.4 pounds, is 10 inches across, and only 1 inch thick when closed.  Its moniker comes from the beveled case edgings, which give it a vaguely clam-like appearance that evokes the Macbook Air, as compared to the compact but relatively blocky design of the original Eee PC.  Most everything about the casing indicates an increased focus on functional style, from the rubber coverings for side ports, to having USB ports on each side of the machine, to the hidden mini-VGA adapter for external displays, to the smooth but sturdy keyboard.  Despite the netbook's dimunitive size, the 92%-sized keyboard is satisfying to use, with none of the cramped "Tyrannosaurus Rex" typing style engendered by other netbooks. 

 

The large keyboard, SD slot, and rubber cover hiding USB and headphone/mic jacks

The mouse buttons are unified into a single chrome-like bar that differentiates from left- and right-side clicks.  The ridged multi-touch trackpad keeps the line of the interior case, and that's our only warning about the usability here--the Braille-like trackpad is a little difficult to get used to at first and took some time to adapt to, particularly for multi-touch use.

 

The ridged multitouch trackpad and chrome mouse button

Specs and Performance

The guts of the machine are respectable if not stellar--we are talking about a netbook here after all.  An Atom N280 processor, 1 GB of RAM, 160 GB hard drive, 1.3-megapixel webcam with mic, and Bluetooth and WiFi adapters are pretty much de rigeur for the netbook world but will deliver completely satisfactory performance for everyday usage with the installed XP operating system.  An SD card slot is available as well.  The LED-backlit 1024x600 screen is pleasingly bright with a strong viewing angle, but I did notice that the Seashell's screen is pretty susceptible to glare, so you may not want to take that window table at the coffee shop.

 

The Seashell running Windows XP in 1024x600 resolution

The built-in hotkeys include two particularly nice touches:  a trackpad lock for the mouse, and a recovery system that requires simply pushing F9 three times during boot to restore the Seashell to its factory defaults.

Battery life is strong, though not as strong as advertised under their Super Hybrid Engine.  Asus claims 6 hours of battery life on the integrated lithium-ion battery, but in my testing I got a little over three hours going full tilt (WiFi and Bluetooth on with multiple apps open including video), and barely five hours for very light usage (browsing and email only).

Conclusion

There's no question that with its current-but-not-bleeding-edge hardware, the Seashell's biggest selling point is in its design.  But the design delivers in spades, being slim and light without sacrificing keyboard size or screen performance like some comparable netbooks.  Performance and battery life are solid, and unlike its nearest competitor (coughAircough), it doesn't feel like you're making compromises for the sake of portability.  

The Seashell is a strong performer with a very slick design.  Best of all, it doesn't attempt to evolve the netbook market, instead just amplifying what makes netbooks desirable in the first place: portability, appliance-like simplicity, and snappy performance for a specific set of tasks.

The Eee 1008HA Seashell netbook retails for $429 and is available for pre-order now.

Pros:

• Slim, light design
• Elegant hiding of external ports
• Bright screen
• 802.11n and Bluetooth support
• Solid multitasking performance for a netbook
• Better-than-average battery life

Cons:

• High price point compared to other netbooks with similar specs
• Mousing requires some practice
• Screen is prone to glare
• Non-replaceable battery

--Aric A.

Hands-On with the Moblin 2.0 Beta for Atom-Based Netbooks

When Moblin 1.0 first hit the scene in 2007, claiming to be a malleable Linux distribution custom-tailored to netbooks, it was greeted largely with yawns.  Sporting a quotidian XFCE desktop, there was zero eye candy, and based on Ubuntu, it seemed redundant in light of the existing work on the Ubuntu Netbook Remix.  Last year the Moblin project switched from Ubuntu to a kernel based on Fedora, and totally rethought the visual design.  The Moblin 2.0 beta just dropped, and it looks like the dev team were definitely awake at the wheel this time around.

For my testing I installed Moblin 2.0 on an Atom-based Archos 10 netbook using a bootable USB thumb drive.  Installation was simple, taking about twelve-ish minutes, and all of my hardware was detected and usable on first boot except for the onboard webcam.

The Desktop and Animations

Sporting a completely refreshed desktop design, Moblin 2.0 is based around virtual desktops, called "zones", that are navigated using a transparent toolbar that's called using the Win key or simply by touching the top of the screen with your mouse.  Once the toolbar scrolls into view, you can select between menu items centered around basic tasks like "Internet" and "Media", or navigate between zones.

Animations abound, and they're frankly beautiful.  Task transitions are elegant, and moving between applications feels smooth and intuitive.  Most of the desktop is animated in a completely integrated way, including icons for media.  It's something about Moblin that screenshots don't do justice.

The key jumping-off point is the "m_zone" (pictured right), which is a portal page that collects your calendar, to-do lists, recently used files, favorite applications, and RSS feeds all in one spot.  It looks great and organizes the netbook's limited desktop space well.

When you have multiple applications open, you may want to assign them to different zones, which are dynamically-generated virtual desktops--that is, unlike conventional operating systems with virtual desktops, zones don't exist until you assign applications to them.  Close all applications in a zone, and the zone goes away, saving precious computing overhead.  Switching between zones can be done using the "Zones" menu item in the toolbar, or you can use a keyboard shortcut (SHFT+CTRL+left or right).

Applications and Media

Basic applications have their own skins in Moblin but are familiar to Linux users: Firefox browser, Nautilus file manager, Empathy IM client, etc.  In many cases the Moblin versions strip out some features in the name of staying lean, which is not too surprising in a netbook distribution but may frustrate some power users.

The most frequently-used applications have menu items in the toolbar, but there's also an "Applications" menu item that will list all software installed on the computer (pictured left).  The default Moblin install comes with about 15 core programs, including file browser, terminal, calculator, screenshot grabber, Dates calendar application, and more.  Note that a proper office suite is decidedly absent.  I attempted to install AbiWord, generally considered to be the leanest of the Word-compatible word processors, and it brought my netbook to its knees almost immediately.  So while Moblin is designed to stretch your Atom processor, it clearly can't work miracles.

New software programs as in most Linux distributions are installed using a "Software Catalog", which is a package-manager based on Fedora's YUM.  At the time of this writing there's not much software in the repositories, and you should be aware that many regular .rpms don't work, as I learned when I tried to install Adobe Flash.  This is where the beta shows its seams the most.  Right now software is limited in Moblin and difficult to install, frequently erroring out or in some cases, installing and simply not working.

But the basics work sufficiently well, including the web browser and media player.  The web browser is a bit touch and go, however, since installing Flash was a gigantic hassle that I never did get working right, and several sites such as YouTube and CNN.com didn't render properly.  But its clean styling and easy tab management are encouraging, and the browser also incorporates the "speed dial" concept that opens blank pages with thumbnails of favorite sites.

The media player is deceptively simple in design, but organizes all the media on your hard drive into libraries automatically.  It handles audio, video, and photos all by its lonesome.  And instead of flashy play/pause buttons, the media player instead puts all the flash into your media: icons shift and scroll and organize themselves into stacks based on the zoom level.  So at a high zoom level, say, you can see individual tracks with album art--but zoom out more and the track icons will stack themselves into an album view.  It's a very cool visual concept about handling data that works surprisingly well.  Want to play the whole album?  Zoom out to the album stack view and simply drag the whole stack into the playlist.  No menu items involved.

More Eye-Candy, Please

Overall Moblin 2.0 is turning out to be more exciting than anyone thought it had a right to be, and despite some definite rough edges it's worth watching where this little OS will end up.  It's nowhere near ready for daily use--I had a couple of hard crashes requiring reboots and installing software still has a lot to be desired--but you can definitely get a feel for what the finished product will be like.  It's not hard to imagine seeing Moblin variations on not just netbooks, but lean-client desktops ("Net-tops") and even embedded devices.

Check out more screenshots after the cut.

--Aric A.