Peak Design Everyday Sling 5L is the company’s smallest camera/drone bag yet

Why it matters to you

Packing just the essentials? The Peak Design Everyday Sling 5L offers compact carrying options for a camera and kit lens or Mavic Pro drone.

Peak Design’s Everyday bag line just got both a little bigger — and a little smaller. The new Peak Design Everyday Sling 5L is the company’s smallest bag in the series yet, effectively expanding camera bags beyond the Everyday backpack, messenger, tote and, 10L sling. While the smallest in the line, the bag, announced on Tuesday, October 31, is still big enough for a DSLR or mirrorless with a kit lens, or even the DJI  Mavic Pro folding drone.

The new sling bag can be worn, as the name suggests, like a sling bag — or as a waist bag, i.e. a slightly more modern variation of the fanny pack, thanks to an adjustable shoulder strap. Peak Designs says the strap adjusts in one pull using a quick adjuster system.

The compact main compartment can fit a camera, including a full-frame body and one or two lenses along with a tablet up to 11 inches, though some models are excluded, particularly with a case. When used as a drone bag, Peak Design says the bag can also accommodate the controller, batteries, and charger. The company says there is also enough room for a few personal items, including a wallet, keys, sunglasses, and passport.

The interior is separated using two flexible dividers, while two inner pockets and four flap pockets accommodate additional accessories. On the exterior, the bag uses a weatherproof nylon canvas shell, while a cotton poly blend helps protect gear on the inside.

The 5L sling joins the lineup as the little sibling to the previously launched 10L version, which adds a secondary expandable compartment and also includes tripod straps, with the same two divider configuration in the main compartment.

Peak Design has only been around since 2010 but becoming the second-most crowdfunded company ever helped propel its popularity. While Peak Design successfully launched six campaigns through Kickstarter, the smallest sling bag is launching without the crowdfunding and is already available from the company’s website. The larger sling, backpack, and tote was part of the company’s last crowdfunded campaign, earning over $750,000 in two days, following the success of the messenger bag’s campaign.

The Peak Design Everyday Sling 5L retails for $100 selling in black and ash color options.

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Want to build a humanoid robot? All you need is a 3D printer and 300 free hours

Why it matters to you

Building this humanoid robot may take a while, but it’ll give you one heck of a STEM education in the process.

Ever wanted to own your very own 4-foot humanoid robot? If so — and if you have access to a 3D printer, a whole lot of free time, and a couple thousand dollars to cover materials — then robotics startup Choitek has the do-it-yourself “maker” project for you. Newly launched on the website Instructables, the Autonomous Support and Positive Inspiration Robot (ASPIR, for short) can be built using a tutorial that will lead you through every phase of making your dream robot a reality.

“ASPIR’s spiritual successor is Halley, the Ambassador Robot 001,” John Choi, founder of education robotics company Choitek and a former computer science and arts student at Carnegie Mellon University, told Digital Trends. “Created with the generous support of the Frank-Ratchye Studio for Creative Inquiry at Carnegie Mellon University in 2015, Halley was originally built to be a robotic student that could go to class so I wouldn’t have to. Now that I have graduated, ASPIR’s role is to aid me as a robotic teaching assistant with my educational technology company, Choitek. We are currently doing research to see how humanoid robots like ASPIR can be used to inspire more girls into STEM (the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields).”

To build ASPIR, you’ll need a large-volume 3D printer with a minimum build plate size of 10 x 10 x 10 inches, such as the Lulzbot TAZ 6. While all of the instructions are freely available, Choi makes clear that this is “definitely not a beginner project,” and recommends that anyone giving it a go has significant prior 3D printing experience. (For more basic robot kit projects, check out our roundup here.) Still, if you fit that bill — and have 300 hours of 3D printing time to invest — this could be an immensely satisfying project to take on. “[This was designed for] students, artists, teachers, hobbyists, researchers, and anyone else who wants to challenge themselves with the next level of mega 3D-printing projects,” Choi continued.

At present, there’s not a whole lot of functionality for the robot, although that could definitely change in the future. Since the project is open-source, there’s also plenty of opportunity for others to get involved and start working out what ASPIR could be used for.

After all, having spent 300 hours putting it together, the least it could do to repay you is work out how to pick up the socks on your floor!

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Taking a look back at the Nexus 5 on its fourth birthday

Happy birthday, old friend 🎉

Every now and then, a gadget comes along that makes a huge impact in the mobile technology market. Apple’s iPhone revolutionized what a smartphone should be in 2007, Samsung’s original Galaxy Note in 2011 brought back the stylus and made big phones commonplace, and LG’s Nexus 5 in 2013 offered the best Android experience the market had seen at that point in time.

The Nexus 5 launched with a starting price of $350, and for that money, you were getting a totally stock build of the all-new Android 4.4 KitKat, wonderfully practical soft-touch plastic body, 4G LTE connectivity, and all of the latest silicon that was currently available. The Nexus 5 offered a lot of what we’d come to expect from a flagship phone in 2013, but it did so at about half the price.

The Nexus 5’s user experience was second-to-none.

However, talking about the Nexus 5 based solely on its spec sheet is the wrong way to handle this conversation. The phone certainly offered an impressive list of tech, but what made the Nexus 5 so special was just how much of a pleasure it was to actually use the device.

Going back to that plastic body, this was easily one of the Nexus 5’s strong suits. There was some initial backlash considering that the Nexus 4 offered an arguably more premium design with its reflective glass back, but any worries or concerns immediately disappeared once people got their hands on the phone.

The Nexus 5 was available in two colors at launch (black and white), and while the white (aka panda) version was clean and attractive with a harder plastic, the black variant was soft and grippy with a crazy amount of texture. This is something you just don’t see in phone design these days, but it made the Nexus 5 comfortable, durable, and even allowed for wireless charging –
something the Pixel 2 doesn’t even offer.

KitKat was a turning point for Android.

Google used the Nexus 5 as its showcase for Android 4.4 KitKat, and this was a huge step for the OS. Android KitKat introduced the world to the Google Now Launcher with Google Now cards on the left side of our home screen, got rid of the Tron aesthetic in favor of a cleaner and flatter design, and smoothed out a lot of the rough edges that’d been present in Android since its inception. KitKat was fast, fluid, and paved the way for the Android that we still know and love with 8.1 Oreo.

However, if Google’s flavor of stock 4.4 KitKat wasn’t your jam, you had no shortage of ROMs to choose from with the Nexus 5. The Nexus 5 had (and still does) one of the most active development communities around, and like many others, was my first foray into the world of rooting and ROMing.

It’s no secret the Nexus 5 was a great phone, and while we’d love to keep gushing over it, we also want to hear about your experiences with the phone. What did you love? What did you hate? How in the world has Google not made a sucessor to that stunning red version?

See you in the comments!

Google Nexus 5

• Read our review
• Get the latest news
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• Join the discussion
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Newer model: Nexus 5X

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Android ‘Fast Pair’ will quickly connect Bluetooth devices

Android devices now have a new option to quickly sync with smartphones. Today, Google developers announced Fast Pair, a process that quickly discovers using Bluetooth Low Energy and connects over traditional Bluetooth. It’s an obvious competitor to the quick-pairing that Apple introduced last year for its AirPod headphones, but better late than never.

So long as your smartphone or tablet runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow or above and Google Play services 11.7+, it can use Fast Pair. The process bypasses the need to connect by fiddling with settings: Simply put a Fast Pair-equipped device in pairing mode and any Android phone or tablet will get a prompt to connect.

Thus far, only the Google Pixel Buds and Libratone’s Q Adapt On-Ear have Fast Pair equipped, and soon on Plantronics Voyager 8200. Fast Pair functionality is currently rolling out to Android 6.0+ devices.

Source: Android Developer’s Blog

Signal’s secure messaging is now available in a desktop app

You can already use Signal for secure chats on the desktop, but you’ve had to use a Chrome web app to participate in those encrypted conversations. What if you don’t like Chrome, or would just prefer something more elegant than a browser? Signal is ready to help. It just released a stand-alone PC app, Signal Desktop, that offers privacy-minded messaging without heading to the web. The experience isn’t a radical break from what you’ve known before, but it will make sure that you don’t type in the wrong browser tab and reveal your innermost secrets.

The software is available if you’re running at least the 64-bit version of Windows 7, macOS 10.9 Mavericks or a Linux distribution that supports APT (Advanced Package Tool). If you’re using a semi-recent computer, you can probably give it a try. And don’t fret if you’ve already been using the Chrome app: you can import your data into the dedicated program to carry on with business as usual.

Via: TechCrunch

Source: Signal

Hilton data breaches lead to $700,000 penalty

The attorneys general of New York and Vermont both announced today that their joint investigation into two Hilton data breaches has resulted in a $700,000 penalty and a promise to strengthen security. In February of 2015, Hilton was made aware of a cybersecurity breach that occurred between November and December of 2014. A second breach that exposed sensitive customer data between April and July of 2015 was uncovered that July, but the company waited until November of that year to inform those affected by the breaches. In all, over 363,000 credit card numbers were exposed.

New York’s and Vermont’s probe into the matter concluded that Hilton took too long to notify its customers of the breach and failed to properly protect their information. The settlement announced today stipulates that New York will receive $400,000 from Hilton while Vermont will receive $300,000. Hilton has also agreed to change its information security program, which includes designating an employee to supervise it, identifying risks to information security as well as implementing risk safeguards and performing regular testing of their effectiveness.

“Businesses have a duty to notify consumers in the event of a breach and protect their personal information as securely as possible,” New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said in a statement. “Lax security practices like those we uncovered at Hilton put New Yorkers’ credit card information and other personal data at serious risk. My office will continue to hold businesses accountable for protecting their customers’ personal information.” TJ Donovan, Vermont’s attorney general, said, “We continue to make enforcement of our data breach laws a top priority.”

Via: Reuters

Source: New York Attorney General, Vermont Attorney General

Apple Now Letting Apple IDs With Third-Party Email Addresses Be Updated to Apple Email Addresses

Apple today made a small change to the way Apple IDs work, and for the first time, Apple customers who have an Apple ID that uses a third-party email address can update that Apple ID to use an Apple @icloud.com, @me.com, or @mac.com email address.

Prior to today, an Apple ID that used a third-party email address could be changed to another third-party email address, but there wasn’t an option to use one of the Apple email accounts that are created when an Apple ID is made.

The change was outlined by MacRumors reader Dillon, who sent an email to several executives earlier this month asking for the problem to be changed. Dillon was contacted by Apple Executive Relations last week and was told Apple’s engineering team would look into the problem. He received a second phone call today, letting him know the issue had been fixed. From Dillon:

For a long time if you had an Apple ID that used a 3rd party email address as your Apple ID you were unable to change it to an Apple email address… even if the Apple address was on the same account.

I couple of weeks ago I sent an email addressed to Tim Cook, Craig Federighi, Phil Schiller, and Eddy Cue. I explained the situation and asked if they could fix it. Last week I received an email and phone call from someone at Apple Executive Relations. The women I spoke to told me that the problem would be sent to an engineering team and would be addressed. Today I got another call and email informing me that the issue had been resolved.

I tried it out and sure enough… I can finally set my Apple email as my Apple ID!

Apple’s “Change Your Apple ID” support document was today updated to reflect the updates made to the Apple ID, and it now includes a section confirming a third-party email address can be changed to an @icloud.com, @me.com, or @mac.com email address.

When swapping from a third-party Apple ID email address to an email address ending in @icloud.com, @me.com, or @mac.com, Apple warns that there is no way to change it back to a third-party email account.

If you enter a new Apple ID that ends with @icloud.com, @me.com, or @mac.com, you see a message to confirm. When you change your Apple ID to an @icloud.com, @me.com, or @mac.com account, you can’t change it back to a third-party email account. Your former Apple ID that ends with a third-party email, becomes an additional email address for your Apple ID account.

This should be a welcome change for all Apple customers who have wanted to change their Apple ID addresses to an official Apple email address. Those who want to go ahead and swap should read Apple’s support document and follow all of the steps, which include signing out of all iOS devices before making the change.

Tag: Apple ID
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The world’s most precise scale can measure the exact weight of individual cells

Why it matters to you

Measuring the exact weight of cells could be useful for developing new diagnostic tools in the future.

Digital scales can be pretty darn accurate if you want to check whether you’ve gained a pound or two now that summer’s over and we’re spending less time outside. Something they’re not so good for? Measuring the weight of individual cells, the building blocks that human life is made of, which usually weigh in the vicinity of two or three nanograms. Fortunately, researchers from ETH Zurich, the University of Basel, and University College London have invented a solution: a custom, ultra sensitive scientific scale specifically designed for this task.

“[We have developed] a device that allows, for the first time, researchers to watch the mass of single or multiple cells in real time,” Martínez Martín-David, the scale’s inventor, told Digital Trends. “To do that, a cell is picked up by a microscopic finger known as a cantilever. This microscopic finger oscillates in the atomic scale, stimulated by an intensity modulated blue laser, and the frequency of that movement contains the information about the cell’s mass. The movement of the microscopic finger is detected by using an infrared laser.”

So far, the scale has been used to observe natural phenomena, such as the way that mammalian cells fluctuate mass by around 1 to 4 percent in mere seconds as a way of regulating their total weight. The technology also allows for the manipulation of single cells, which the researchers have been using to infect individual cells with viruses, with the goal of developing new antiviral strategies.

“A longstanding question in biology and medicine has to do with how cells regulate their mass,” Martín-David continued. “Understanding such mechanisms is very important since many diseases are linked to dysregulation of cell mass. However, our knowledge of these mechanisms is still very limited, partially due to the lack of suitable technologies. Hopefully our invention can help in this matter. Moreover, cell mass measurements have a big potential for developing new diagnostics in the future.”

And, heck, for those of us who like to kid ourselves about how well our diets are going, a scale that could tell us we lost a whole 1 percent of a couple of nanograms for taking a short walk is totally something we could sign up for!

A paper describing the research was recently published in the journal Nature.

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The 2011 Mac Mini and iMacs from late 2009 are deemed obsolete by Apple

Why it matters to you

If you own one of the computers affected by this change, you have to resort to a third-party service the next time it needs to be fixed.

As new hardware gets introduced, older models are inevitable rendered obsolete. On Tuesday, October 31, Apple announced that three of its Macs have now passed the point of no return and will no longer receive official repair services or replacement parts.

The systems in question are the Mac Mini from mid-2011 the 21.5-inch iMac from late 2009, and the 27-inch iMac from late 2009, according to 9to5Mac.

It’s worth noting that the situation with the Mac Mini is actually slightly different to that pertaining to the iMac models. It’s being classified as “vintage” rather than “obsolete,” a distinction that is made due to legal restrictions in California and Turkey.

Apple provides service and parts for products for five years after manufacturing ends, as explained on the company’s website. They are then classified as “vintage” for two years, at which point service and parts are only available to customers in California and Turkey. After seven years, products are “obsolete” and all hardware service is discontinued without exception.

The company also announced that the extended warranty that was being offered to owners of the MacBook Pro with a Retina display from 2012 has now come to an end. This particular model was affected by the hardware issues that became collectively known as “staingate.”

The reflective coating applied to the display of the MacBook and MacBook Pro was seen to peel away or otherwise degrade on systems manufactured during a particular timeframe. After widespread complaints, Apple responded, offering replacements on laptops bought as far back as June 2012. The earliest systems are no longer subject to this coverage, but later models will still be replaced.

It’s not surprising to see Apple discontinue its hardware support for older systems. Between ensuring that staff are trained to work with all models and keeping a supply of components that are no longer in use, there are major logistical obstacles that prevent extended service.

Of course, there are still options for people who want to continue using their obsolete hardware. Third-party repairs can do the trick, it might just be a little more difficult than it once was to procure the necessary parts.

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Sick of walking everywhere? Here are the best electric skateboards money can buy

We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: humanity is living in the golden age of rideable technology right now. Over the past few years, electric motors have become smaller and more powerful, while batteries have become more power dense and accessible — two trends that have coalesced and kicked off a renaissance in personal transportation devices. There are almost too many rideables to keep track of anymore, and they seem to get crazier and more advanced with each passing month. So, to help you navigate the increasingly crowded marketplace, we’ve put together this list of the best electric skateboards you can buy right now. Enjoy!

Our pick

Inboard M1

Why you should buy this electric skateboard: The Inboard M1 is the best electric skateboard currently available.

Who it’s for? Avid skaters looking to incorporate a welcome electric assist to their daily grind.

How much will it cost? $1,400

Why we chose the Inboard M1:

Inboard claims that every detail of the M1 is based on the idea of uninhibited flow. This essentially translates to a fluid and responsive ride, one that utilizes two hub motors in the rear wheels instead of your stereotypical gear system or belt-drive. Because of this, you can utilize the M1 like a traditional skateboard without ever having to turn on the motor.

Other hallmarks include the board’s sleek, 14-pound figure and swappable battery system, a feature that means you can jump from one 90-minute session to the next within seconds. The board’s innate Bluetooth connectivity, 10-mile range, and regenerative braking feature — a convenient facet that feeds energy back to the battery for extended life — just help to further justify the lofty price tag. Read more here.

Buy one now from:

Inboard

Best commuter

ZBoard 2 Blue

Why you should buy this electric skateboard: This board has one of the greatest ranges per charge on the market.

Who it’s for? Anyone looking to use their board as a reliable and comfortable means of daily transportation.

How much will it cost? $1,300

Why we chose the ZBoard 2 Blue:

ZBoard is one of the few companies that could care less for a handheld remote — after all, most board sports don’t rely on a throttle for movement. As such, the weight-sensing ZBoard 2 Blue ditches the wireless remote for the company’s patented controls, one in which you lean on corresponding footpads located on the front and the back of the board in order to accelerate and decelerate.

It’s a fairly self-explanatory system that makes use of 1,000W motor and 16-mile range, along with integrated front and rear lighting designed to keep you visible and shed light where you need it most. It’s a bit heavier at 17 pounds, but fortunately, the built-in handles make it easy to lug around when you’re not cruising to and from the boardwalk at a healthy 20 mph. The wide build gives the ZBoard 2 Blue a casual cruiser feel and a pair of handles make towing the board a breeze between trips.

Buy one now from:

ZBoard

Best speed

Marbel 2.0

Why you should buy this electric skateboard: You’ll be hard-pressed to find a more powerful electric skateboard.

Who it’s for? Speed junkies and thrill-seekers.

How much will it cost? $1,600

Why we chose the Marbel 2.0:

At just 10 pounds, the latest Marbel 2.0 model is one of the lightest electric skateboards available, but it’s also no joke when it comes to speed. The slender board capitalizes on a carbon fiber build and a twin drive system (the Marbel 2.0 is also available with a single drive variant) along with a handheld controller that let’s you accelerate or activate the regenerative breaking when need be.

Said power and lightness mean the board can undertake hills (up to a 25 percent incline) and quickly hit the top speed 26 mph — or less, depending on how you set it up via the accompanying mobile app for Android and iOS devices. This latest Marbel iteration comes with a series of vivid LEDs along the front and rear for a little added safety and visibility during night rides. Those who fear the speed wobbles may want to stick with another model on this list, but the seasoned adrenaline junkies among us will certainly appreciate the Marbel 2.0.

Buy one now from:

Marbel

Best design

OneWheel+

Why you should buy this electric skateboard: The OneWheel+ is one of the most enjoyable electric rigs we’ve ever tested.

Who it’s for? Anyone looking for something different in a market brimming with traditional electric skateboards.

How much will it cost? $1,500

Why we chose the OneWheel+:

We checked out the original Onewheel a few years back, and recently got a chance to rip the new-and-improved version around PDX — and although it isn’t what you’d typically consider a traditional skateboard, it’s still one of our favorite rideable gizmos of all time. In fact, the futuristic device functions more like a snowboard or surfboard than it does its four-wheel counterpart. The 2-horsepower deck is essentially made up of up split platform and a lone all-terrain wheel, each of which utilize a slew of onboard motion sensors and dynamic stabilization to give better your balance and control.

Simply shifting your weight allows you to propel forward or back, and because of the ruggedness of the central tire, you can forge your own path just as easily on grass-lined hills as on sidewalks. The board’s 7-mile range and top speed of 15 mph merely comes second to the software, given the latter lets you to adjust how the sensors, gyros, and motor work in tangent with one another. Want to go faster? There’s an app for that.

Buy one now from:

OneWheel

Best budget board

Blink Lite

Why you should buy this electric skateboard: The Blink Lite is the best budget electric skateboards out there.

Who it’s for? Those looking to test the electric skateboard waters without going all in on a high-end model.

How much will it cost? $300

Why we chose the Blink Lite:

While frequent skaters may prefer to invest in a premium electric skateboard, individuals who use their board less often or primarily on the weekends may want to start with a budget option. That said, the Blink Lite, is a lot less expensive than many of the others on this list — which is perfect for someone looking for a more casual way to get around town. Weighing just 7.7 pounds, ACTON Global’s is one of the lightest electric skateboards out right now. It’s maximum power output is just over half of the regular Blink Board, but its range is just 1.5 miles short, standing at 5 miles.

One of the neater features is actually off the board — ACTON allows its Blink Board users to connect to the ACTON app, available in both the Apple app store and Google Play store, to log miles, record routes, and document adventures. You can even participate in challenges against other riders. The Leafboard is another worthy skateboard if you’re in the market for a solid economical model.

Buy one now from:

Acton

Smoothest Ride

Boosted 2 Dual+

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

Why you should buy this electric skateboard: Boosted’s flagship board offers one of the smoothest, most polished riding experiences in the biz.

Who it’s for? Anybody. Beginners and pros alike will enjoy this board

How much will it cost? $1,500

Why we chose the Boosted 2 Dual+:

In addition to Boosted’s fantastic handheld throttle mechanism, the board’s motors are exquisitely well-tuned — so much so that we dare say they offer the smoothest acceleration and deceleration of any electric board we’ve ever ridden. On most boards, you’ll experience a bit of a jarring effect when you hit the throttle or brakes, no matter how hard or soft you try to accelerate. This is especially pronounced when starting from a dead stop. More often than not, the average board will speed up too quickly for your muscles to adjust, thereby throwing you off balance — but we experienced no such effect with the Boosted 2 Dual+. Bringing yourself to a gentle stop doesn’t require an ultra-delicate touch on the decelerator. You can actually mash the brakes fairly hard without flying off the front of your board, because the motors slow you down in a gradual (but still strong) way.

As an added bonus, the board’s software can be tuned to suit different users. If you’re a beginner, you can limit the board to a top speed of 11 mph, and make acceleration/deceleration even more gradual than it usually is. If you want a bit more speed, but don’t want to eat up all your battery power, just put the board in Eco mode; it’ll top out at 16 mph, but leave you enough oomph to power up moderately-sized hills. And if you’re a real ripper, you can kick the board into either Pro or Expert modes — both of which will get you up to (or over) 20 miles per hour. Toggling between these modes is as easy as pressing a button on the controller.

Buy one now from:

Boosted Boards

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