Sun Sniper “The Strap Surfer” review

Sun Sniper is a company out of Germany that specializes in innovative camera holders and straps. Their Strap Surfer is designed to integrate  with your messenger-style camera bag to give you a quick and secure solution for safely storing your camera while keeping it quickly ready for use.  How well does it work ?  Read on.

The Strap

The Strap Surfer is an adjustable strap that is 19cm (7.5″) long at the longest adjustment.

Camera Mount

On one end is a standard 1/4″ mounting screw that screws into your camera’s tripod socket. What this does mean is you can’t mount the camera onto a tripod without first removing the Strap Surfer.  Removal or installation isn’t difficult however as the mechanism has a nice knurled knob.

The mount has ball bearings in it, and this results in a very smooth mechanism.  You can see in the middle of the strap that the Sun Sniper strap has a steel anti-theft wire woven into it, making it hard for a thief to cut and grab.  Sun Sniper products using the Steel-wire assembly include a $500 insurance policy.  The Strap Surfer is rated for cameras up to 5kg (11 lbs).

Strap latch

The locking mechanism splits apart and you weave your bag’s strap through it.  Magnets hold the mechanism together. Once on, it’s very secure and there’s no chance it will come apart by accident.

Bag 1 – BO Gear

Here’s the Strap Surfer on my BO Bear bag.  It’s here I hit issue number one: because of the quick release mechanism half way up the strap on this bag, I couldn’t actually get the camera up high enough to get it to eye level.

That’s fine; as a bagaholic, I’ve got other bags I can try out.

Bag 2 – Timbuk2 Medium Messenger

Next up is my custom Timbuk2 Medium Messenger.  Again I came up with a few  issues. I tend to wear my messengers pretty high up on the back.  To allow for for the Strap Surfer, I had to wear my bag much lower than I normally would to be able to access my camera. In addition, when I was trying to put my camera back into the bag, the Tru-fit Cam buckle found on most new Timbuk2 messengers got in the way. Lastly, because of the “rough” strap material used in this model, I had to work on a special technique to make the Strap Surfer smoothly travel up and down the shoulder strap, as it tended to catch rather than glide.

Bag 3 – Timbuk2 Custom Eula 

This is my normal everyday camera bag.  It’s got a nice smooth strap, there’s no adjustment buckle to get in the way when you’re removing or storing your camera, but because of the length-adjusting mechanism and where I wear my bag, I again couldn’t get the camera to eye level.

Conclusion

I really do like the idea of the Strap Surfer, but there’s a number of caveats around its use.

How well it will work will depend on your camera bag itself, the shoulder strap material and any adjustment systems that you have on it. I’d suggest that you take your camera bag with you if you’re considering buying a Strap Surfer.

I like the idea of the steel wire for hanging your camera – I mean, watch the lead video; it looks so useful. That being said, I’d never leave my camera hanging down as I’m just too clumsy.  I’d be too worried that I’d smash my camera lens against something and break it, or sit down and forget the camera was hanging there or get up ,and forget the camera was hanging there or…  You get the idea. :)

If your normal camera motion is bag-to-eye, then the Strap Surfer would work well. For me however, the strap itself is a bit restrictive, as one of the nice features of the Panasonic G series m4/3 is the articulated LCD arm. I’ll often have the camera held up over my head, down on the ground,  hanging over the edge of a jetty, out at arms length.  It can’t  easily done with the Strap Surfer in place.

For someone with the right bag and the right SOP, the Strap Surfer does give you easy access to your camera and a sense of security from dropping it or having  it stolen. Much is the pity it just doesn’t suit me or my bags.

Product Information

Price:59 Euros ($75)
Manufacturer:Sun Sniper
Requirements:
  • Camera with a 1/4" tripod mount
  • Messenger Bag
Pros:
  • Secure
  • Light
Cons:
  • Restrictive as to what bag you can use it with

Filed in categories: Digital Cameras and Gear, Outdoor Gear, Reviews

Tagged: ,

Sun Sniper “The Strap Surfer” review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 23, 2012 at 11:00 am.

Install the Windows Phone 7 NoDo update regardless of your carrier

windows phone 7 nodoSome of you who own Windows Phone 7 devices are still waiting for your pre-NoDo preparation update -- never mind NoDo itself. A few workarounds have been posted, but unfortunately they didn't work unless your carrier had completed testing and was ready to schedule the update.

Now, however, the Chevron WP7 team's Chris Walshie has delivered a handy little utility that will allow you to update any Windows Phone 7 device -- regardless of your carrier.

  1. Download and install the Windows Phone Support Tool (x86 or x64) and the ChevronWP7 Updater (x86 or x64)
  2. Launch ChevronWP7 Updater and select your language. If your language isn't listed, stop and do not update.
  3. If were running WP7 build 7004 (you can verify in Zune) then run the updater twice.
Once the process completes, you should be able to copy and paste to your heart's content. Let's just hope all this update foolishness gets sorted out before we're supposed to receive Mango.

Install the Windows Phone 7 NoDo update regardless of your carrier originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 04 Apr 2011 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/04/install-the-windows-phone-7-nodo-update-regardless-of-your-carri/

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iSites overhauled, now lets you publish cloud-based HTML5 iPhone apps in minutes

iSites -- a zero-code cloud-based 'app creator' -- can now generate HTML5 apps that work on iOS devices. With this new feature, dubbed 'InstantApp', you can now design a single app in your browser and publish it natively on Android and iOS, and as an HTML5 iPhone app.

We haven't looked at iSites before, but it shot to fame last year when it launched with native iOS and Android support. Self-publishing Android apps wasn't a problem because Google does very little moderation of the Market, but iSites ran into trouble with its iOS apps. Thousands of people signed up for the service after it was featured on Mashable and TechCrunch, and you can imagine Apple's chagrin as thousands of cookie cutter apps flooded its approval queue.

Genwi, the developer behind iSites, realized something had to be done -- it had to circumvent the App Store approval process. Genwi, of course, turned to HTML5 Web apps -- which can be pinned to the iPhone home screen and which can be shoehorned into almost behaving like native apps.

Read on for our experiences with iSites' new InstantApp HTML5 iOS app creator.

Continue reading iSites overhauled, now lets you publish cloud-based HTML5 iPhone apps in minutes

iSites overhauled, now lets you publish cloud-based HTML5 iPhone apps in minutes originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 30 Mar 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/30/isites-overhauled-now-lets-you-publish-cloud-based-html5-iphone/

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SwiftKey 3 and SwiftKey 3 Tablet now half off

Android Central

Yet another app sale for the Thanksgiving / Black Friday weekend is SwiftKey. Both smartphone and tablet versions of the custom Android keyboard are half off - $1.99 a pop. 

For those unfamiliar, SwiftKey is a highly respected Android keyboard replacement that emphasizes predictive suggestions based on Twitter, Facebook, and Gmail usage. There's a really wide range of language support too, which is a must-have for many users. If you're looking for something comparable to Swype with gesture-based typing, you'll have to wait for SwiftKey Flow.

Any big SwifKey users here? Who's been holding off for a price cut?

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/Tk7-osdVgTk/story01.htm

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Linux Foundation vet explains setbacks in getting a Secure Boot key for Windows 8 PCs

Windows 8 dual-boot

Linux fans wondering why they still don't have a friendly UEFI Secure Boot option for Windows 8 PCs won't get a solution in hand this week, but they'll at least get an explanation. The Linux Foundation's primary backer for the alternative OS efforts, Parallels' server CTO James Bottomley, has revealed that Microsoft's requirements for signed, Secure Boot-ready code are tough if developers aren't entirely onboard its train of thought. The Redmond crew demands a paper contract signature (remember those?), agreements on work beyond the relevant software and a packaging process that complicates attempts to use open-source tools. Bottomley has already overcome most of these challenges, although he's still waiting for a Linux Foundation-specific key that should theoretically clear a major hurdle. Whether or not that leads to a remedy in days or weeks is up to Microsoft; in the meantime, we'll take comfort in knowing that a signature is so far a convenience for booting into Linux, rather than a necessity.

Filed under: ,

Comments

Via: ZDNet

Source: James Bottomley

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/11/24/linux-foundation-vet-explains-setbacks-in-getting-secure-boot/

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European News Outlets Nipping at Google's Hand

Later this month, German legislators will take up debate on a bill extending copyright protection to snippets of news articles that appear in search engine results. Google has warned both Germany and France -- which has proposed similar legislation -- that it is not willing to play along, and will simply black out media outlets that try to levy such fees. However, German copyright laws are different from those in the United States, and they tend to favor content creators above all.

Source: http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632000/s/25aea8f9/l/0L0Stechnewsworld0N0Crsstory0C766540Bhtml/story01.htm

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EA slashes prices on iOS games for Thanksgiving

EA Mobile has kicked off a great sale on many of its games. Over 60 of their titles have upwards of 90% cut, so get ready to stock up! EA is branding this as sale #5, so it's entirely possible that we'll see another four by the end of the weekend. It's a safe bet that there are going to be some huge savings to be had on Black Friday. Most of what's up for grabs is now $0.99, but here's the full list. 

Universal

iPad

iPhone

There are some really excellent games on that list. Which are tickling your fancy the most? 

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/MHIuB6HgShE/story01.htm

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Windows 8 wallpaper available to download, Jupiter and Twin UI spotted

windows 8 wallpaper
With Windows 8 milestone 3 now up for grabs for select Microsoft Connect partners, it's inevitable that leaked bits and pieces will start popping up around the Web. In fact, the first "official" wallpaper image from the still-brewing OS is already making the rounds.

As you can see, it's got a similar feel to the good ol' Windows 7 default background, but features a more subdued smattering of cerulean hues. Those of you who want to use the Windows 8 wallpaper on your current desktop can download it from our file dump.

A few other details have been revealed, too. According to ZDNet's source, the Windows 8 Jupiter libraries and Twin UI are starting to take shape -- though all that's been located thus far are "[various files] scattered throughout the OS" and the aptly-named twinui.dll.

Windows 8 wallpaper available to download, Jupiter and Twin UI spotted originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 31 Mar 2011 10:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/31/download-windows-8-wallpaper/

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AT&T may be further expanding FaceTime over cellular

AT&T may be further relaxing its restrictions on FaceTime over cellular, allowing anyone with access to the feature to use it. AT&T had previously announced that all iPhone 5 customers, including those on individual plans, would be able to use the feature. Anyone with an iPhone 4S or a grandfathered unlimited data plan on AT&T was left out in the cold. However, it now appears that several customers previously unable to use FaceTime over cellular have been able to activate it. MacRumors reports that some of their users are seeing FaceTime enabled on their grandfathered unlimited data plans with the iPhone 5, with some users reporting that their 4S has recieved the feature as well:

This finding has been confirmed by a number of users in this discussion thread -- though some users have been unable to activate it so it may still be rolling out to some areas. AT&T had said the original rollout for tiered plans could take 8-10 weeks. Most of the positive responses have been those with the iPhone 5 and grandfathered unlimited data, but the original poster also had luck with an iPhone 4S.

Right now, AT&T has not confirmed that this is. Not everyone is seeing this, so it’s possible that this is an accidental activation that occured as AT&T was flipping the switch on the original expansion plan for FaceTime over cellular.

To check if FaceTime over cellular has been enabled on your device, go to Settings, FaceTime, and scroll to the bottom to see if Use Cellular Data is set to ‘On’. You may need to restart your phone before you see it.

Are you an AT&T iPhone 5 user with unlimited data or an iPhone 4S user? Are you seeing this? Let us know below in the comments.

Source: MacRumors

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/5iOU5gUUKwo/story01.htm

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SIM-free Nexus 4 now available at Carphone Warehouse

Android Central

After a week or so of selling the phone on contract, UK retailer Carphone Warehouse has placed the LG Nexus 4 up for sale SIM-free, but with a hefty price tag. Carphone is selling the 16GB version of Google's latest Nexus for £389.95 outright, a price hike of more than £110 over the Google Play Store price for the same model. Of course, the crucial difference is that Carphone Warehouse actually has stock, whereas Google's own store is expected to be fresh out of Nexii for the next few weeks.

The £389.95 price tag sounds familiar, it's because it appeared in several pre-release leaks from the retailer, including website listings and in-store displays.

As always, CPW offers home delivery, as well as the option to reserve a phone to collect from your local store. It's also likely that the retailer will begin selling Nexus 4s at this price in its brick-and-mortar stores, though as it's outside business hours in the UK, we've been unable to confirm this.

So Brits now have an easy (though expensive) way to pick up a bona fide SIM-free Nexus 4 without signing a contract. Despite the price, it's an improvement on the situation in the U.S., where the phone is sold out on the Google Play Store and as of this morning, on T-Mobile USA's website too.

Source: Carphone Warehouse

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/fiFNFb_3IWY/story01.htm

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