Translogic 181: Energica Ego electric motorcycle

Translogic’s Jonathon Buckley takes to the hills of Mulholland atop the Energica Ego, an all-electric performance motorcycle out of Italy. And while our ride takes place in the US, Energica CEO Livia Cevolini joins the conversation from across the pond to give us details on one of the world’s first production-ready electric superbikes.Translogic’s Jonathon Buckley takes to the hills of Mulholland atop the Energica Ego, an all-electric performance motorcycle out of Italy. And while our ride takes place in the US, Energica CEO Livia Cevolini joins the conversation from across the pond to give us the details on one of the world’s first production-ready electric superbikes.

“It’s…very difficult to be the first because you don’t have anyone to copy,” says Cevolini.

While 136 horsepower and 145 lb-ft of torque tick the performance box, the Ego is also packed with unique technologies like a 4.3″ TFT color display dashboard, complete with integrated GPS and Bluetooth. For more on the tech powering the Ego, we spoke with Energica CTO Giampiero Testoni.

“New features will come,” said Testoni. “But, we are still developing them because we have so many ideas that couldn’t fit in the timing we had.”

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• Click here to learn more about our host, Jonathon Buckley.

Filed under: Transportation

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Reduce data usage, turn on data compression in Chrome – Android customization

Did you get around to turning tabs back on in Chrome through last week’s Android customization post? If your Recents list is a little cluttered, you might want to give it a go. This week, we continue to tweak Chrome, in an effort to help you reduce data consumption, speed up web page load times and even reduce your battery usage, let’s look at Chrome’s Data Compression tool.

Before we begin

You will need to be running a relatively recent release of Chrome on your relatively recent Android phone or tablet running a recent release of Android. No other requirements are necessary at this time, except, you may get mixed results if you are operating over a VPN. For most of us though, you should be ready to follow along.

I will note once again that this week’s piece will be considered a beginner’s tool by many, I’ll have some good info for you below, but nothing ground breaking if you are already a frequent user of the advanced settings of Chrome. And one last thing, please don’t get caught up on the fact that my Chrome data usage was so small this month, I’ve been using Chrome Dev for my browsing.

About data compression in Google Chrome on Android

As mentioned earlier, data compression on Google Chrome for Android serves a few important roles. The main priority of the service is to reduce the amount of data your device needs to download in order to load a web page.

In reducing the amount of data being downloaded, web pages load faster, and your radios turn off sooner, saving battery.

What happens here is that Google acts as a middle man to all of the websites you visit. (Warning: Google sees every site you visit, but they pretty well see that already, so, please don’t panic.) They collect the web data as provided by the original web server, then manipulate the web page to optimize for Android.

In effect, your device needs only connect to Google servers, which is potentially a faster and more reliable connection than the original site offers. Also, where possible, Google can cache images and data from these sites, they will even reformat the content if possible, streamlining the largest pieces to any web page.

Please note, this only works for normal un-encrypted connections, your HTTPS sessions go straight to the web server.

Turn on data compression in Chrome for Android

Now that I’ve talked your ear off, let’s keep this simple. Start by opening Chrome on your Android phone or tablet. (This can also be used on your pc with an extension, if you want.)

Tap the three dots menu button.

Choose Settings.

Choose Data Saver.

Tap the toggle in the top right to turn it on, then exit back to your favorite story on Android Authority, or any other web page you might be enjoying.

What’s next

Google wants you to be sure that you are getting value out of the service, as such, you can head right back into the Data Saver settings page at any time to see your accumulated data savings.

Chrome is not the only browser out there with this sort of data saving capabilities, check in with Opera and more to see what compression settings and services they offer.

For more info, includign a detailed rundown of the technology at work, head on over to Google’s Chrome data saver resources page.

Next week

I hope you don’t mind we kept it pretty simple again for this week’s Android customization post, but I do hope that you can take advantage of Chrome’s data compression tool. Next week we’ll shift gears, but still keep it pretty simple, let’s look at using your phone as a mobile hotspot to connect your other gear on the go.

How much data has Chrome’s data compression tool saved you?

Engadget Live takes over LA on August 21st!

On August 21st at 7PM, we’re taking over Exchange LA right in downtown Los Angeles for our second Engadget Live event of the year! Fresh off our amazing trip to Boston earlier this month, we’re bringing together editors, readers and brands for a great night of conversation and the chance to interact with the future of technology.

If you come out to Engadget Live Los Angeles, you’ll get to sit inside a 2016 Ford Escape and experience the new SYNC 3 system. Ford will also set up standalone SYNC 3 units (equipped with voice-activated technology) for you to check out as well. We’ll also have our friends from Drizly offering drinks, including a signature Whiskey cocktail that’ll be complimentary for the first 300 people who request it!

We’ll announce more sponsors joining us at the event in the weeks to come. For now, grab your free tickets here and we’ll see you on the 21st. After that, we’re heading to Austin on October 16th. If you’re interested in sponsoring any of our Engadget Live events, send us a note at sponsors[at]engadget.com?utm_source=Feed_Classic_Full&ncid=rss_full&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Engadget.

Filed under: Announcements

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Ghost Armor giveaway and review

The American dream. People from all over the world have flocked to the shores of America in search of it and the tech world is full of examples of that dream becoming realized. Stories of people like Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Larry Page, Serge Brin, Mark Zuckerberg, and much more. People who took an idea and turned it into something great.

This is a story like that. A story of a few friends with an idea. At the time, they had no idea how big the idea would become. Only that there was a need that no one else was filling. This is Ghost Armor.

Ghost Armor overview

Working in the mobile phone industry, they would often see Blackberrys come in with deep scratches and broken screens. People would buy cases, but the cases would obscure the device’s natural beauty and would often cause scratches to the devices themselves. Dirt and debris would get in between the case and the phone and would scratch it over time. All the while, the device owner was oblivious until the case was removed. Ghost Armor had an idea to take translucent aircraft film, which was used to protect aircraft, from erosion and paint chips caused by wind, sand, ice, rain, snow, and other airborne particles, and apply it to a phone’s surface. The idea for Ghost Armor was born.

In 2007, they opened their first kiosk at the Arizona Mills Mall in Tempe Arizona. It wasn’t long after, that Apple made the iPhone. Of course, we’d love to attribute their early success to Android, but unfortunately Android didn’t hit the scene for another 2 years. The iPhone’s popularity only fueled demand for Ghost Armor and before long, they opened a second kiosk in the Arizona Mills Mall.

Now, Ghost Armor has over 50 retail kiosks worldwide, including in South America, Canada, Europe, and even Dubai. They also have a large online presence that sells just about as much as their retail locations combined sales. They no longer use aircraft film, but manufacture their own special protective armor specialized for mobile devices.

They offer Ghost Armor for just about every device out there, including Android devices, of course, and they have expanded their product lineup to include matte armors, carbon fiber skins, DuraMatte skins, Armor Defender Bumpers, tempered glass, microfiber bags/cloths, and they are always looking for new way to innovate and bring new products to the market.

I recently had the opportunity to tour the Ghost Armor corporate offices in Gilbert Arizona and have an onsite demo of their application process. I’m not going to lie, I haven’t had the easiest time with screen protectors and I never seem to be able to things perfect. The screen protector on my Asus Padfone X had bubbles and seemed to attract more dirt and grease than the actual screen did. So, needless to say, I was excited that I was going to have the opportunity to get it professionally installed at the source.

Ghost Armor setup

Ghost Armor is a wet install, which I think was the most nerve racking part for me as I am always worried about water damage to my devices. One thing I learned is that the prep work is extremely important. Check out the instructions from their site.

PRIOR TO INSTALL:

1. Power off your device and/or remove battery.
2. Clean your hands, device and work area thoroughly to remove oils, dirt, and debris.
3. Identify each piece of the Ghost Armor film and visually align them with the device.
4. Add 1 drop of liquid dish soap for phones and 2 drops for tablets or laptops to spray bottle (we prefer lemon scented Joy), fill with water and shake gently (may skip this step if installing Carbon Fiber Armor).

INSTALLING CLEAR AND/OR MATTE ARMOR:

1. Spray a mist on your fingertips to avoid fingerprints on the adhesive side.
2. Gently peel Armor off of the backing (avoid touching the adhesive multiple times).
3. Begin applying larger pieces (i.e. screen and back) and work your way to smaller pieces (i.e. sides, edges, and buttons).
4. Spray the adhesive side of Armor until the surface area is evenly covered without dripping, moist enough to maneuver armor into position.
5. Quickly begin applying the Armor to your device by laying it down and align the Armor accordingly.
6. Spray squeegee with solution. Firmly hold Armor in place making sure it is still aligned and begin smoothing the Armor by squeegeeing the bubbles and solution from the center of your device to the edges. Apply solution to squeegee as needed to keep wet while smoothing Armor to avoid friction burns.
7. Be careful and avoid getting solution inside your device’s ports and speakers.
8. After the Screen has been installed and squeegeed, lightly tap out any excess solution in the earpiece speaker(s).
9. Let the large pieces of applied Armor dry before applying smaller pieces (It’s dry if it doesn’t move).
10. Do not spray solution on smaller pieces of Armor (i.e. side strips, buttons, edges, etc.). Simply apply the Armor dry by sticking it to the correct spot and then letting it hang down and roll your finger over it to avoid stretching (Sliding your finger will stretch it).

This video will show you the entire process. It’s important to note that the dry box shown in the video is not a necessity. It simply helps speed up the installation process, which is extremely helpful at their retail kiosks.

I had my PadFone X phone armored up while I was there. Unfortunately, they didn’t have the Ghost Armor for the PadFone’s tablet dock at the corporate office, so they sent me one in the mail a few days later. This was great because I had the opportunity to try installing it myself at home. I was a little nervous about doing it by myself, but it was actually very easy. The one thing that I would recommend, based on my experience, is to install the ghost armor in a very well lit area. I installed mine at night and I didn’t notice that there was a very small piece of debris under the film. It was impossible to see in the light of my kitchen at night, but I noticed it in the morning. Had I noticed it that night I could have fished it out. It’s not like it’s very noticeable and it’s way less noticeable than the bubbles that were under my previous screen protector.

 Ghost Armor usage

The Ghost Armor is very thin. It did not interfere with the docking function of the PadFone into its tablet dock. Despite how thin it is, it’s very resilient. they demonstrated how resilient by trying to puncture it with a pen. The Ghost Armor conformed to the pen and pulled down around the point. It wasn’t until the edges had pulled all the way around to the opposite end of the pen, that the surface of the Ghost Armor had stretched thin enough to allow the tip of the pen to puncture the material. Needless to say, this material is strong and will protect your device from 99.9% of whatever life will throw at it.

Of course, the thinness also that also means that you can still use whatever case you like on your device. The cases can still provide additional protection against impacts. As good as Ghost Armor is it won’t be good enough to protect the inside of your phone from damage.

My wife once dropped her Samsung Galaxy Vibrant and while the glass did not break, the lcd screen inside the phone did. It may still be a good idea to use a case to protect against impact and shock. To this end, Ghost Armor also sells bumpers that surround the edges of the device. Unfortunately, their selection is much more limited and they did not have one for my PadFone X, so I am unable to include it in this review.

The DuraMatte is a pretty cool way to customize the look of the phone while also providing protection to the device’s body. They also work with local artists to feature their art on the DuraMatte. The artists get a kickback from every design sold.

One of the things that I love about Ghost Armor is that they have a lifetime replacement. Not only is the product guaranteed against defect, but they also guarantee your satisfaction. If you get the matte installed and regret it later, they will install the standard Ghost Armor or which ever you prefer for a small upgrade/re-installation fee.

Another thing that I like is that the film does not seem to attract grease like my previous screen protector did. Because of that, its very hard to tell that there’s a screen protector on the device at all. The feel of the material is superb and is only rivaled by the actual screen itself.

What we liked

• Customizability
• Lifetime replacement
• Device Protection

What could be better

• Lower price point

Ghost Armor summary

Anyone that has a device with a screen will enjoy Ghost Armor. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve scratched or broken a screen on various devices. Many times this could have been avoided with a quality screen protector. Ghost Armor can be little expensive when you compare it with $2 protectors from eBay and the like. However, this is a prime example of you get what you pay for. When you consider their lifetime replacement and the fact that they have actual locations with actual people to help with the install, the value compounds even further.

If you’re interested in Ghost Armor you can check things out at their web page www.ghost-armor.com. Use the coupon code “androidguys” at checkout for 20% off your total order.

Ghost Armor: PadFoneX and more

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Ghost Armor giveaway

Ghost Armor has been generous enough to offer a free Ghost Armor set for any phone on their website. Just reply in the comments “I want Ghost Armor for my insert device name. We will be selecting one lucky reader at random Monday August 10th to receive their Ghost Armor for free.

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