LaCie d2 External Hard Drives Upgraded With Thunderbolt 2, SSD Option [Mac Blog]
LaCie today updated its d2 desktop storage hard drives, adding an aluminum unibody, dual Thunderbolt 2 ports, and an optional SSD upgrade. Designed to be a companion device to the Mac Pro, the d2 is aimed at audio/video/photography professionals.
The default d2 comes equipped with a 7200 RPM Seagate hard disk (up to 6TB) that’s able to reach speeds of 220MB/s, but it can be boosted with an optional LaCie d2 SSD upgrade, which increases speeds up to 1150MB/s and adds 128GB of PCIe storage. The SSD upgrade is an additional purchase, and snaps right into the back of the d2’s removable rear panel.
Two separate drives mount on the computer – one for the SSD and one for the hard disk. Use the SSD for bandwidth-intensive tasks, such as fast file transfers, audio mixing, video editing, or OS booting, and the hard disk for file archiving. No other solution offers this level of performance and capacity in such a compact footprint.
According to LaCie, the d2’s new aluminum unibody is designed to draw heat away from the hard disk, and a cushioned base and disk mounts are aimed at reducing vibration. In addition to two Thunderbolt 2 ports, the hard drive also has a USB 3 port and can daisy chain up to six devices.
The LaCie d2 Thunderbolt 2 will be available in September from both Apple and LaCie.com. Prices will start at $299 for 3 TB, going up to $399 and $499 for 4 and 6 TB capacities, respectively. The d2 SSD upgrade will be available in October, and is priced at $299. LaCie is also offering USB 3.0-only versions of the d2, which will also be available in October.
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This anti-tornado sleeping bag protects you from flying debris
Rolled up, the Tuuli Armor looks like any other sleeping bag, but according to its inventor, it can safeguard you from something much harsher than insects and the cold. Apparently, the bag was designed to protect you during tornados, and while it can’t exactly prevent broken bones, it can shield you from debris and shrapnel flying faster than 200 mph. That’s because it was made using ballistic nylon that soldiers use on the battlefield — its Missouri-based creator Steve Anderson even bombarded it with bits of wood, metal and glass using an air cannon to test it out.
The Tuuli Armor’s big enough to fit two adults and a kid, and while it doesn’t have air holes, breathing through its material is like “breathing through a light t-shirt,” or so its Indiegogo campaign claims. One bag will set you back at least $350 on the crowdfunding website (ETA is in February 2015), where Anderson’s trying to raise $105,000 for mass production. Obviously, it can only protect you from tornadoes not strong enough to rip houses off the ground, so it may be best to keep those underground shelters replenished, just in case.
Filed under: Misc
Source: Indiegogo
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Going pear-shaped: Samsung Belgium combats news about Apple with pear donation campaign
It’s good to know that at least some part of Samsung has a sense of humour (and a heart). In an interesting attempt to try and draw away massive attention Apple was generating earlier today (something about iPhones I hear), Samsung Belgium launched a campaign that says they will buy a pear for every tweet about apples that is made. No doubt this would result in a huge number of pears being purchased, but Samsung intends to hand out all purchased pears at the Brussels-North railway station.
Now you’re probably thinking, “this seems a lot like a very silly, expensive ploy for attention.” Well, as it turns out, the campaigns ulterior motive is to support Belgian pear growers who are in danger of losing 40% of their revenue due to the trade sanctions imposed by Russia. So as you can see, it’s actually quite a nice campaign and a nice way for Samsung to try and help out a little in a time when things are extremely unstable in that part of the world. I hope more companies will take Samsung Belgium’s lead and help out where they can in the countries affected.
What do you think about this #aPearForAnApple campaign by Samsung Belgium? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: Samsung Belgium via Phone Arena
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The post Going pear-shaped: Samsung Belgium combats news about Apple with pear donation campaign appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
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Artist creates hilariously surreal GIFs from Library of Congress photos
Despite the myriad communication options we as a technologically advanced have at our fingertips (literally), sometimes nothing gets our point across better than a GIF. Despite the amount of weird ones (and arty samples) we’ve seen, none quite hit the vibe that Droga5’s art director Kevin Weir concocts though. As This Is Colossal has spotted, Weir uses historic images from the Library of Congress’ online archives to create the sometimes creepy animated photos you see above and below. Weir says that he started making these in an effort to keep himself busy during downtime at a grad-program internship, and has since started posting them to his blog Flux Machine. Next time you need a trump card in a GIF war, well, now you have another place to look.
Filed under: Internet
Via: This Is Colossal
Source: Flux Machine
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Samsung improves functionality of the S Pen on the Galaxy Note 4
I love my Samsung Galaxy Note 3, not just for its stunning Super AMOLED display, or best in class hardware (2013), but I truly am in love with it because of its functionality. I truly love the S Pen, and no I don’t need it all of the time but when I need the stylus it sure comes in handy. True multitasking with split screens is also something I can no longer live without on my smartphone.
Some can argue we have reached a point in hardware where most people won’t notice significant changes in speed, resolution or usability. Phones like the LG G3, HTC One M8, Sony Xperia Z2, Oneplus One, and the Samsung Galaxy S5 all have very similar hardware. Phone manufacturers are digging deep to dig into niche markets to grab new customers like the HTC One M8 having an all-aluminum body for design enthusiasts and two loud stereo speakers for music enthusiasts.
Samsung continues to innovate, despite claims that they copy manufacturers like Apple. No one does it better than Samsung when it comes to having a stylus integrated into a cell phone. In Samsung’s latest commercial they show off the new features of the Note 4 stylus and my favorite feature is ability to take a photo of handwritten notes and sending the image to S Note(Galaxy Note app for use with the stylus) to edit on screen with the stylus. The commercial tends to strike a chord with me because I am a chemist and I use my Note 3 daily for work so I can’t wait to get my hands on the Note 4 for its added features in software, in addition to that incredible QHD screen it’s arriving with.
Check out the commercial for yourself here.
The post Samsung improves functionality of the S Pen on the Galaxy Note 4 appeared first on AndroidGuys.
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Motorola addresses Moto 360 battery controversy
iFixit teardown revealed that there’s a 300mAh battery inside the Moto 360 while Motorola advertised 320mAh battery capacity. This created a lot of controversy, even though 20mAh is not that much, besides capacity doesn’t have to mean anything, the watch might do just fine as far as battery goes and fulfill Motorola’s promise. Either way, it… Read more »
The post Motorola addresses Moto 360 battery controversy appeared first on SmarterWatching.
Read the rest at SmarterWatching.com!
The post Motorola addresses Moto 360 battery controversy appeared first on AndroidGuys.
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Apple Launching iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus in India on October 17 [iOS Blog]
Apple will launch its new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus in India on October 17, according to the company’s official website for the region. Apple has not revealed pricing details for the two devices in the region, although it is likely that prices will be close to the $649 (Rs 39,500) and $749 (Rs 45,600) U.S. prices for the 16GB iPhone 6 and 16GB iPhone 6 Plus, respectively.
It is also possible that Apple will roll out the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus to a number of other countries on the same day as it has done with past launches. Last year, Apple launched the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c in India and 15 other countries on November 1, and eventually reached its slated target of availability in 100 countries by the end of 2013.
Apple will launch the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 and 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus in the first wave of countries on September 19, with pre-orders beginning on September 12. Both models will be available in Space Grey, Gold, and Silver variants in storage capacities of 16 GB, 64 GB and 128 GB.
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Google Voice is getting integrated into Hangouts, reportedly rolling out now
After what seems like an age of kick and screaming for this feature to be implemented, it appears the inevitable is finally nigh: Google Voice is getting integrated into Hangouts, and it’s rolling out to your Hangouts app now. You may see the above prompt in your Hangouts app now, however it seems like the integrated functionality seems to be a little hairy at best. Android Police is reporting that messages can be received fine, however replies seems to have a few teething issues. Seeing as there isn’t an update necessary to get these features, it seems very likely that an update to Hangouts will be coming this week with Google‘s usual round of updates. That is, if this feature wasn’t just accidentally activated.
Integration of Google Voice into Hangouts has been rumoured since late last year when it was mentioned by ol’ Vic Gundotra, the then head of Google+. Gundotra said then that messaging for Google Voice would be implemented in early 2014, but as we can all see, it’s been a little longer than that. Still, better late than never, and from the general vibe of the news, most people are just relieved that Google Voice integration is finally with us.
Are you happy that Google Voice integration with Hangouts is now possible? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: Android Police
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Netflix’s newest show is all about food
Let’s say that, for a moment, Frank Underwood’s connivings and Piper Chapman’s descent into the belly of the beast don’t do anything for you; you keep your Netflix subscription active for documentaries and little else. Well, you’re in luck because the streaming juggernaut has recently announced plans for an episodic documentary series about something everyone needs to survive: food. “Chef’s Table” is scheduled as a six-part series headed up by David Gelb. If that name doesn’t sound familiar, perhaps one of his most prominent works does: Jiro Dreams of Sushi. The show, Netflix says, debuts next year and will focus on half-a-dozen international chefs and should fit in nicely between the likes of Exit Through the Gift Shop and Herzog’s Into the Abyss. While Netflix is slowly pushing out content filmed in UHD 4K, given the 8K screen that LG recently teased we’re hoping that the outfit can double its streaming resolution by next year — call us greedy hungry for detail.
[Image credit: AFP/Getty Images]
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD
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Applause for Google Hangouts lets you give live broadcasts a thumbs up
Google+ Hangouts On Air lets you ask your favorite broadcasters questions, but what if you want to give them feedback without littering the Q&A feed with snarky, off-topic judgments? Well, now you can. Google just updated its live broadcasting service with Applause: a simple feature that allows viewers to give live streams a thumbs up or thumbs down in real time. Feedback is instantly charted below the video, offering broadcasters and viewers alike an at-a-glance view of how the stream is performing. That’s all there is to it — check out Google’s short announcement at the source link below.
Source: Google+
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AIVAnet 