Datensklaven

No doubt, leather requires some sacrifice. Those who want their iPads wrapped with animal hide usually have to make do with considerably more bulk, less usability or less money in the bank account — or, most often, all three. But Sena’s new Florence iPad 2 case ($70) is a surprising exception.

What’s Hot:

There’s nothing to give up with this case; it offers all the prized  features an iPad user might want in a classy case — with very, very little downside.

Want style? Hand-crafted Napa leather and high-count stitching oozes sophistication. The case looks handsome and feels supple, in a no-nonsense, let’s-get-down-to-business kind of way.

How about practicality? The Florence can be used just like Griffin’s IntelliCase and its ilk, thanks to a tab sewn into the case’s back. Just open the lid and slide it under the tab and the case transforms into a two-position stand. And of course, the lid is magnetized and activates/shuts off the iPad’s screen when opened/closed. getting the iPad in and out of the case is pretty easy, as the iPad is held securely in place with a simple velcro tab.

Afraid your iPad will suddenly get too portly? Not with the Florence — it’s one of the slimmest leather iPad cases we’ve seen, and as slim as some plastic cases, thanks to a simple, uncluttered design.

The kicker is that it’s only about ten or fifteen bucks more than many other plastic cases that are similarly designed.

What’s Not:

Sometimes the cutouts don’t line up quite as precisely as they do with something like Griffin’s IntelliCase, and a little shifting is in order; a very minor issue though.

The suede interior lining tends to attract marks like breadcrumbs attract birds.

Verdict:

Practical, minimalist, elegant: The Sena Florence manages to pull off an almost faultless trifecta.

Rating: ★★★★½ 

Similar Posts:

• Griffin’s IntelliCase for iPad 2 Makes Apple’s Smart Cover Look Kinda Dumb
• Belkin Makes Matching Pants for Your iPad 2′s Smart Cover
• The Speck CandyShell Wrap For iPad 2 Is Sizable But Stylish [Review]
• Sena Folio iPad 2 Case: Hand-Crafted Lusciousness, with a Dash of Practicality [Review]
• Leather Biker iPad Case Comes with Mean Mustache

Planetary isn’t the most practical iPad app, but it’s absolutely one of the prettiest. The app reads your iTunes collection, then forms a gorgeous miniature galaxy — complete with elegantly animated solar flares — on your iPad, where the suns, orbiting planets and moons all represent artists, albums and songs respectively.

You can zoom out to the galaxy view to see your entire collection spin as you set the galaxy in motion, then seamlessly zoom in to the planetary level with a touch, and watch albums and individual songs revolve around their parent bodies.

It’s not the easiest tool to navigate with, sorting options are slim and star systems aren’t visually depicted in a logical way that makes sense to me (do brighter stars have more plays, more albums or higher ratings? Doesn’t look that way); but it’s free, it’s cool, and it’s pretty. And this is apparently just an appetizer, as developer Bloom Studio says they’ll be applying this concept to other relationships, like social networks and location-based apps. Super cool.

Similar Posts:

• Free Planetary iPad App Transforms Music Browsing [Review]
• Google Music App for iPhone Launches in the App Store
• Apple Used OS X Lion To Destroy An Entire Galaxy! [Humor]
• Michael Jackson Shatters Digital Sales Records
• This Week’s Must-Have iOS Apps: Comic Life, Notificant, Planetary & More!

Wizardry has to be one of the longest lived franchises in gaming history — an is especially beloved by us, because the dungeon RPG’s first-ever appearance was on an Apple II. Wizardry: Labyrinth of Lost Souls will be the newest title in the 30-odd-year lineage when it debuts on November 3 for the iPhone.

The game will be free to download and play up till the sixth level, at which time users will have to pony up $10. We don’t know much else, and the teasers aren’t overly helpful (here’s the press release). What we do now, though, is that next week’s release won’t include an iPad version, which is sad.

Similar Posts:

• Fun Game: Zen Stones, A Freebie!
• Fun Game: Throw Up but Don’t Lose Your Lunch
• Super-Size Your Tossing With Paper Toss HD For iPad [Review]
• Can’t Wait for iPhone 4? Make a Paper One
• iOS 4.2 Ships today, iPad Gets Multitasking and More

This week Cult of Mac Deals took the deals hub to the next level and pumped out two great deals for our readers. Because everyone was so enthusiastic about the Fall 2011 Mac SuperBundle that we announced yesterday, we wanted to remind you that we’ll still be carrying the Prizmo deal for another four days. Ever thought about getting a scanner, but held back because of size and cost? Do you have a Mac and a digital camera?

Then good news! Prizmo for Mac offers a great solution to accomplish your scanning needs without the extra hardware.

So, what can Prizmo do for you?

Well for starters, it performs excellent OCR (Optical Character Recognition) scanning on your books, magazines, receipts, invoices or any other document turning them into data-rich spotlight scannable files. Beyond OCR scanning, Prizmo can also completely alter the perspective of any photograph.

Let’s walk you through a trial run:

Step 1: Prizmo stays true to the Mac user’s love for a convenient drag-and-drop interface. As soon as you open it, you’re prompted to drag an image file into the application.

Similar Posts:

• Turn Images into Searchable Documents on Your Mac with Prizmo [40% Off]
• Apple Working On A Scanner App for iOS
• Review: Xee, A Cute Little Image Browser
• Use HDR And Save Space On Your Camera Roll At The Same Time [iOS Tips]
• 100 Tips #48: How To Zoom In On Images In QuickLook

Last year, a poll by the Consumer Electronics Association found that Apple’s iPad came in second to world peace for Christmas desires.

If you believe another poll from a U.K. app developer, world peace is soo last year.
Now all anyone wants is an a ton of money closely followed by an iPad.
Some 1,200 people were asked what was near and dear to their hearts by the folks at Grant My Wish Smartphone App – which aims to help people give decent gifts – and the iPad is less desirable than a million pounds but definitely more than world peace.

Here’s the list of most popular wishes:

1.       One million pounds
2.       iPad 2
3.       World Peace
4.       Be Famous
5.       Cosmetic surgery
6.       Sports Car
7.       Mansion
8.       Meet a celebrity
9.       Start own business
10.      Own a designer wardrobe

I’d like to think that part of the reason world peace gets so easily trumped by cash or an iPad is because while you can certainly wish for it, no one can really just box it up and put it under your tree.  And yes, these Christmas-type surveys keep starting earlier every year.

Via NewsLite

Similar Posts:

• News of the World to Launch iPad Subscriptions
• Remembering Steve: Apple Shares Fan Tributes Through Its Website
• Cult of Mac Invades BusinessWeek Innovation Blog
• Switching To iPad Pilot Charts Could Save American Airlines $1.2MM A Year
• Pic of the Day: iPad on a Chain

Sai Kiran Kandhari:

Gadgets for adventure-loversRugged gadgets for true adventure-lovers

Not everyone try and do adventures, it is only very few of us who love adventure. For those people who love adventure, there are a few gadgets which adds to the excitement of the adventure. Having these gadgets will not only add to the excitement of your adventurous initiative but also help you at times of difficulty. So, it is good carry these gadgets. Let us see a few rugged gadgets for those who love adventures:

Read the rest of this entry »

Anusha .A:

Solar Decathlon 2011Sustainable homes in the Solar Decathalon 2011

Teams of students from around the world have constructed these stunning, energy-efficient homes at the National Mall’s West Potomac Park in Washington, D.C for Solar Decthalon 2011. Let’s take a look at the seven best sustainable homes in the Solar Decathalon 2011.

Read the rest of this entry »

Shruti Mukim:

Trendy pavilionsTrendy pavilions offering a new perspective to onlookers

Watching a cricket match or a most-awaited happening event ‘live’ can turn into a life-time experience provided the venue or the pavilion chosen by the organizers takes all necessary points into consideration in making arrangements for the onlookers to enjoy themselves, relax as well as gain pleasure in the best possible way with latest technologies used to impart the right audio-visual effect at reasonable rates.

Let’s get our hands on eight trendy pavilions offering a new perspective to the spectators.

Read the rest of this entry »

Sreejan Guha Niyogi:

Innovative flower vase designsInnovative flower vase designs do decorate contemporary spaces

There are number of things or accessories available in the market to decorate the house, flowers are one of them. When you put the flowers in an attractive vase, it adds more beauty and allure to the surroundings. So, we can say that flower vases play the same significant role as any other decorative piece do. The vase is an open container and can be made from several materials including glass and ceramics. If you want to make your home adornment attractive and beautiful, then you can pick from the variety of flower vases according to your choice and budget.

Read the rest of this entry »

Nitesh Seth:

Car concepts are dime a dozen, but there are only a few that manage to turn heads. Here we have some of the most amazing Volkswagen concepts that are sure to leave you awestruck. This futuristic super cars are in readiness to vibrate all category of riders and car lovers.

Read the rest of this entry »

“Every once in a while someone’s photography comes along that is so heartfelt that all you want to do is share it with the rest of the world. Faces of surfers we do not recognize, waves on mars, landscapes of prehistoric earth. Welcome to Javi MuÑoZ and Sergio Villaba’s vision of surfing.”

–Peter Taras

Please, do share!

Copy and paste the embed code below into your site.

<img src="http://www.datensklaven.de/wp-content/plugins/wp-o-matic/cache/1b129_europe-flipbook.jpg" alt="Europe" width="1" height="1" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-37313" /></p> <p><a href="http://www.surfingmagazine.com/lightbox/de-amor-y-arte-new-visions-from-the-old-world/">De Amor Y Arte, New Visions from the Old World by SURFINGMagazine.com</a></p> <p>

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has its eye on $300 billion worth of obsolete, failed, and non-functioning satellites in geosynchronous orbit, with an eye toward collecting working parts from them to be recycled and used on new satellites.

Unlike an earlier satellite recycling proposal that was more about refueling and extending the life of old satellites, the DARPA Phoenix Program would harvest the useful components from satellites that are no longer functioning for use on new satellites.

For satellites in high, geosynchronous orbits, a lot of energy has been used to put those pieces in that location. If antennas, solar panels, and other components can be collected and re-used there could be significant recycling. Theoretically, it would also be possible to launch satellites without these components, making for a lighter payload which could be easier and less expensive to launch, and then attach the salvaged parts to them to make the new satellites fully functional.

It’s better than getting rid of them with giant lasers!

via: BoingBoing

Large expanses of desert have received most of the attention when it comes to large solar power installations, but a new study published in Environmental Science & Technology says that the world’s coldest regions are actually some of the best places for solar power generation.

The study found that the Himalaya Mountains, the Andes and Antarctica are some of the most ideal solar power locations, with the ability to produce more energy per hectare than the world’s deserts.  The Himalayas could provide power to China, while the polar regions see 24 hours of sunlight a day for half the year.

The study used weather data to account for any decrease in solar cell output due to freezing temperatures, snow fall and transmission losses when calculated the areas’ power generation potential.

Research bases on Antarctica already successfully make use of solar and wind power for electricity, but transmitting power generated at the poles or deep in the Himalayas to places towns and cities will likely prove to be the biggest hurdle to these solar power “hot spots.”

via Fast Company

It seems logical that, like buying in bulk at Costco, the more turbines in a wind farm, the lower the cost per turbine and the lower the cost of electricity for that project, but the U.S. Department of Energy found that when it comes to wind farms, smaller is actually cheaper.

A new report on the wind technology market from the DOE finds that the cost per kW of electricity for a wind farm is actually at its lowest in the 5 to 20 MW range, not the biggest 200 MW and above wind farms, like one would think.  The probable reasons for this come down to added costs associated with the biggest of wind farms that don’t apply to smaller ones.

1. Wind farms above 20 MW have to go through the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which can cost extra time and money for developers.
2. Large wind farms need special financing which can only be handled by a select few large firms that likely charge a premium for their services.
3. The biggest reason could be that the largest of projects require the addition of new transmission lines, which can be extremely expensive.

This finding may encourage smaller, more affordable projects on a local level, much like how distributed solar projects have really taken off compared to larger solar farms.  Communities could own their own wind farm and reap the cost and environmental benefits.  Small projects may even want to take advantage of vertical axis turbines that have been found to produce more electricity in less space than horizontal axis ones.

via Grist

Image via Energy Self-Reliant States

We wrote about the lovely solar roof shingles introduced by Dow Solar a couple of years ago and now they’re finally going to be available to the masses.  The solar shingles look amazingly like traditional roof shingles and fully replace traditional shingles on the home while generating electricity.

The shingles use thin-film solar cells, which are less efficient than the silicon cells in conventional solar panels, but actually much more durable.  The first state where these shingles will be widely available is Colorado, with large quantities coming to a dozen other states by the end of 2012.

The solar roof shingles have an efficiency of about 10 percent, but if you cover your whole roof in them, you’re still looking at a nice power pay-off.  Another bonus is that solar panels of any type keep areas under where they’re installed cooler, which means you’ll need less electricity for cooling anyways.

Dow has partnered with major home building company D.R. Horton to build homes outfitted three kilowatts of their solar shingles.  The homes will be large ones — ranging from 2,205 to 4,115 square feet — and will start at $485,950.  On the green jobs front, Dow is building these shingles in a Midland, Michigan plant and says the facility will create 1,275 jobs by 2015.

via CNET