Closing out 2009: No worries! We have loads of artists, sites, and projects coming to you in 2010. We continue to be the cure for your daily art needs.

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This will be my second review of a case for the Zune HD!

This review is for the DLO HipCase Folio…or the Leather Flipcase

Click the MORE link to read it!

(PICS at the bottom!!)

Packaging/Shipping: Seeing as that I got this case in the store, there was no shipping to deal with…so on with the packaging (pictures at the bottom of the review).  The packaging is very basic…nothing to fancy here as you can see in this picture (keep in mind, this has been opened hence the tears): http://www.flickr.com/photos/45405312@N04/4169851815/ So, opening the package is easy, of course…inside the package it comes with the case only. Unlike the Incipio, which comes with a screen protector and a kick stand for the Zune, this comes strictly with the case only.

The Case: The case is VERY nice! Obviously this is not real leather, or it would be crazy expensive! Ok so lets start out with the look of the device: it is very stylish to say the least…it’s a brown/black leather that covers around 90% of the zHD.  It has holes/cut-outs for all the necessary places such as the media button on the left, sync and headphone jack on the bottom. There is not hole on the top but it is durable enough to where you can push a bit in the general area of the power button to turn it on and then flip it open if you wanna look cool!

Functionality: The case is a win/lose sorta deal.  For one, obviously, it flips closed giving you screen protection without a screen protector.  It also covers the whole device but, as said and shown, there are holes that are left open for the buttons and so forth; keep in mind the case overlaps the device by roughly 1cm so that if you lay the device on its side with the DLO case on, it will not get scratched.  Ok, so that was the winning part, here is the losing (IMO).  You have to open the case every time you wanna do something.  If i’m driving and pick a song, I close the case so as to not scratch the screen.  Yet, you have to open it again, which can be a REALLY good thing, or a semi-bad thing…it’s all in your own opinion.  I love that this case has a built in clip so that you can clip it onto your pants pocket, or even your bag…?  There is also the “Hidden” pocket which they say you can put your credit card or ID in there…or your library card!  Honestly, I have never used the “Hidden” feature to date, nor will I ever…it’s pointless to me and it seems to be a marketing gimmick.  I put my valuable cards in my wallet thank you!

Overall: This case is a real winner, you get a basic screen protection method and overall device protection at the same time.  Of course, there is the functionality issue of having to open and close, but I mean if you’re that lazy to not want to open it and close it (like me) then I would suggest you get the Incipio EDGE with a REAL brand-name screen protector such as ZAGG (meh) or Ghost shield (Never tried).

Thanks for reading this review and comment on it! Lemme know if I missed anything!

pics:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/45405312@N04/4169851815/ (Front Packaging)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/45405312@N04/4169851563/ (Back Packaging)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/45405312@N04/4170612298/ (Open w/Zune HD)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/45405312@N04/4170613202/ (“Hidden” Pocket)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/45405312@N04/4170620672/ (Right side)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/45405312@N04/4169860857/ (Left side)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/45405312@N04/4169861207/ (Bottom side)

Sometimes, you just don’t want to use your computer’s USB port to charge your iPhone or your iPod. iPods used to come with handy chargers, but that’s a thing of the past. The WallDock cuts down on wires to charge your favorite device.

Read More…

Comedian Russell Peters was in Winnipeg for a couple shows.
However in between them he along with DJ Starting From Scratch and Spinbad found time to rip it up on the 1’s and 2’s at noir wine bar. The Nightlife Types dj’s DLO and Dow Jones already hold it down but this was an extra special night to say the least!

*props to Chrissy for taking the vid!

Pillsbury House Theatre proudly presents Non English Speaking Spoken Here: The Late Nite Series, curated by Laurie Carlos and co-curated by e.g. bailey. Late Nite is a transformation of culture where text, music, spoken word, sounds and images weave together in a fearless celebration of new voices and new art. Witness the beginnings of brand new performances as artists from an array of disciplines come together to explore the cross currents of social change, community and identity. Each performance brings new and original acts to the Pillsbury House Theatre stage.

When you attend a Late Nite performance, you’re part of a family and every good family gathering is incomplete without a good meal.  That’s why we always serve up some great food before you digest some amazing art.  Be sure to bring your appetite when you join us for Late Nite.  (There is no extra cost for food.)

Featured artists for Late Nite 2009 include:

September 12 (8pm – Food, 9pm – Performance)
• José James featuring Chris Smith, Gideon van Gelder and Brandon Commodore
• St. Paul Soapboxing Slam Team (with Khary Jackson, Guante + Sierra DeMulder)
• Kenna Sarge
• D’Lo
• DJO (of the Bottom Feeders + Death Ray Scientific)

October 10 (Food and performance to immediately follow King of Shadows; approximately 9:15pm)
• Zell Miller III
• Katie Ka Vang
• Kim Thompson

November 14 (8pm – Food, 9pm – Performance)
• Pramila Vasudevan featuring Sarah Beck-Esmay, Romina Takimoto, Chitra Vairavan, and Matt Wells
• Joette Poehler + Love
• Bill Cottman featuring J. Otis Powell and directed by Dipankar Mukherjee

Ticket Prices:
$10 Adults, $5 for students/seniors. Ticket packages are available now (Save $6! Attend all three Late Nite performances for only $24; Save $10! Attend all three Late Nites plus get a ticket to the October 10th performance of King of Shadows for only $40). Single tickets go on sale Aug 24 at 10am. http://www.pillsburyhousetheatre.org/

]]> http://reviewposts.wordpress.com/2009/07/24/dlo-jam-jacket/ Fri, 24 Jul 2009 02:24:01 +0000 reviewposts http://reviewposts.wordpress.com/2009/07/24/dlo-jam-jacket/

Rating: 8 out of 10

Protrection- 10 out of 10

Average Price (as of July 23, 2009) – $15.00

The DLO Jam Jacket is a case for the Ipod touch 1st generation, but  can also be used as a case for the 2nd generation, but with a little exess body to it. I’ve had this case since I got my iPod touch back in December and it works like a charm.
The material is a gel-like substance (silicone rubber) and is extremely protective. The edges of the case have a thicker silicone substance to prevent the ipod screen from damaging if dropped. The case covers basicly the whole ipod with flaps grasping the blackend area above the screen and below it, the sides of the ipod and the back of it. On the back of the case it has a bulkey but very handy earphone holder. It works extremely well and all it takes is a couple of wraps around the holder and the earphones go in two little slots so they don’t dangle from the ipod. Sometimes it can be a pain putting in your pocket and getting it out and sadly, if you have the remote earphones, they don’t fit in this, but otherwise, it’s a fantastic feature to the case.
On the bottom of the case where the USB and earphone jacks are, the case covers a bit on each side but you can still plug them in, no problem. On the top where the hold button is, it has a little hole where the button is so you dont have to struggle putting your ipod to sleep like some other cases.
All in all, this case is amazing, the screen doesn’t have one scratch on it, with the exeption that this case comes standard with a screen protector. Otherwise, this case deserves big props by the way it was built and the anatomy of it.

Pros-

• Thickened edges of the Jacket provide a “no damaged screen” when dropped
• Power button is easily accesable to put Ipod to sleep
• Grip on the sides help from dropping
• Earphone holder is extremely helpful
• Comes with screen protector

Cons-

• Earphone holder is bulkey
• Putting in your pocket and taking it out can be annoying at times

Den tidligere omtale DML-gruppa presenterer sine tjenester under overskriften Digitale læringsomgivelser ved UiO. Det første som er verdt å legge merke til, er hvor klart de skiller mellom det organisatoriske og tjenestene de tilbyr. Det synes jeg er forbilledlig. Jeg anbefaler alle å bruke noen minutter på denne siden for å sette seg inn i hva USIT tilbyr av slike tjenester.

Det andre som slår meg, er at denne siden burde ha en mer sentral plass på UiO-webben. I tillegg kunne man i større grad inkludere tjenester fra andre enheter, som f.eks. UB (tilfeldig valgt eksempel..), eventuelt at man fristiller tjenestene fra en spesifik enhet. Rett og slett fordi slike tjenester ofte er et resultat av samarbeid mellom flere enheter.

Til slutt vil jeg anbefale alle å abonnere på deres månedlige nyhetsbrev. Nyttig informasjon rett i postkassa hver måned!

-Håvard

How was Heiruspecs you ask?  I’d be happy to enlighten you.

Minneapolis and Chicago natives and First Wave favorites PhoneticONE and Dizne opened up with a really fun set.  The floor was about half full, which is pretty good for an opener (putting 9:00 on all the posters and then starting at 9:40 may have helped that a bit). In an exclusive facebook chat interview with PhoneticONE he said “the show went really well and the crowd was dope.”  They seemed to be having a really good time and got bonus points for dropping references to Dizzy and Bird.

PhoneticONE

I don’t have much to say about DLO.  It was pretty standard hip-hop, nothing too exciting.  The crowd seemed to be getting a bit bored during their set, I saw more than a few people texting and talking out of boredom.  It was decent though, and a lot of people may have just been getting antsy waiting for Heiruspecs to come out.

St. Paul natives "Heiruspecs"

Heiruspecs was as some might say (Matt Forrest) a “live ass show”.   The whole floor was pretty much full and there were quite a few people behind the stage as well. They played a good variety of old and new tracks.  People were getting really into it, but nothing got too out of hand (no drunk douchebags bum rushing the stage) and for once I don’t think we had any problem with security intruding just because it was Hip-Hop.  There were a fair amount of older people that, at the very least, didn’t leave when they realized it was a rap show.   What makes Heiruspecs so cool is that they bring so many different influences into their music,  blending elements of punk, funk, and old school hip-hop into a really distinct sound.  One of my favorite parts of the show was when Felix said that they were gonna play something for “people who are into some real ass music”, and they did a short instrumental jam with Peter and Twinkie Jiggles kickin out some funky ass grooves.

Overall I would say the show was a success.  I’d definitely love to have them again, so stay posted next year to see if they come back.

-Todd O.

Round Table

By: Tony Shavers

Through the years we have had the most famous rappers of all time. For example: Too short, Melle Mel, 2pac, Snoop Dogg, Biggie Smalls, as well as Run Dmc. These were the days where rap was exceptional. We have entered the new millennium and rappers such as Lil Wayne, d4l, DLO, and the most famous Souljia boy, have turned the tables upside down. This line is from biggie smalls “umbilical cord’s wrapped around my neck, I’m seein my death and I ain’t even took my first step. I made it out, I’m bringing mad joy, the doctor looked and said, “He is going to be a bad boy. “What happened to those lyrics, the lyrics that made sense? Now we have to listen to “so im back on da scene and da fame getting closer. Squads burning up man we hot as a toaster. Like a toaster”. Are you serious? What is this? The mainstream media seems to pull out the negative songs so that it can generate an un-constructive vibe in our youth’s lives. How shall we make the mainstream understand that they are destroying our youth’s mind?

03.08.09: Mujeres de Maiz is an annual production in Los Angeles for International Womyn’s Day going on for 12 years strong. This year was absolutely amazing! Mujeres de Maiz hosted their event titled, “LA SAGRADA | THE SACRED WOMYN” at the Farmlab/Metabolic Studios of Downtown L.A. This was a great space for this production that included Ceremonia, an Art Gallery, film screenings, Altares, 3 stages of music, poetry reading, teatro, comedy and dance. Outside you could find vendors, Tamales de Pina (Pineapple), and Live Art done by female Graff artists. The 7th Zine was also published and was on popular demand.

Programming began at the park, where it once stood as a cornfield. A beautiful ceremony honoring womyn and our ancestors began at sunset.

Everyone then followed the dancers to the FarmLab, a place to explore, promote and create projects of self sustainability combined with art. Like this car !

The Art gallery featured some of the most talented artists in Los Angeles. Here are but a few pieces of the amazingness in this room:

This was a beutiful installation. Everything about it was wonderful, the dress was made out corn husks, and the center piece on the floor included the 4 colors of maiz (corn) representing the 4 directions and the 4 races on earth.

This is a picture of the film screening taking place.

Outside there was good healthy food  like the tasty mushroom and spinach quesadilla. There were many vendors such as jewelery designers, fashion designers, authors, health educators, and more. I was caught up in the moment and didn’t take a picture. But hey, you can’t blame me for all the wonderful distractions and beautiful energy that I had to take in.

These are but a couple of the performers on the outside stage which included Medussa and Australian Chicana Maya Jupitor.. The first picture is Josefina Lopez, play write and screen writer for “REAL WOMEN HAVE CURVES”. She read several poems which included her “Ode to Boyle Heights”, “Journey to Los Angeles” and a reminder to us all that, “All Women are Beautiful”. I have to mention this piece dedicated to all her ex-boyfriends. The crowd could not stop laughing, it was titled, “My Low Self-Esteem Days” and it goes likes this:

Si te quise fue porque I had low self-esteem.

If I swore i’d always be by your side, was because I had nothing better to do.

Si te dije you were a great lover, was because I had nothing better to compare it to.

If I said you and me were meant to be, was because I thought I couldn’t find any better.

Si te Dije que te amaba con todo mi alma, was because I hadn’t found myself.

If you think that now that time has passed, and my low self-esteem days are gone, that I’m a bitch, a whore, a liar.

Well the go ahead!

Cause you ain’t my master, my father, my hero, my lover…

Shit! I ain’t even gonna bother… to address your remarks.

Time has proved me stronger, I don’d need your approval any longer.

So today I aint even gonna bother…

To let you know how good it’s been…

with out you.

This might not be my best picture of Josefina but this picture demonstrates her power. She’s definitely one of my Sheros. She’s brilliant, intelligent, and savvy. Very intuitive and inspiring. I took a playwriting workshop with her, and although I did not finish my play, I found something even more important, i found my identity as a writer.

SKIM was also a featured performer this night. SKIM is another one of my Sheros. She is a Korean American Hip Hop artist fusing cultures and musical genres. She has a great voice, amazing lyrical wisdom, and radiant energy. She came out with 4 other artists holding Korean drums. SKIM sang a Korean ballad turned Hip Hop called, “SARANG”, which means LOVE. I can’t express how dope she is. She just is and if you haven’t seen her perform you need to track her down for her next performance.

So I was also waiting for one of my favorite bands to play. I was so excited to see them. And i have been seeing people taking pictures with their cute and sexy pins. I bought a couple of them and took a picture so I can send it to them. This picture was taken by Riku (thank you), he kept taking candid pictures of me so I had to keep posing, and finally D’Lo jumped into the picture. Anyone that knows D’Lo does not find this strange, she’s all over the place but with purpose. Always funny and entertaining. By far one of my favorite comedians.

Unfortunately, I had to leave early. I had to go to our planning meeting for LA REINA, so I really hope all of you catch this production on April 11th, because Street Inc. is putting in some madd good work. I was bummed that I left early and I didnt get to dance to the sounds of LA SANTA CECILIA. I have to go to one of their performances sometime before this month ends. I need to get my fix !

So i have run out of synonyms for amazing and beautiful. But I can not describe this event any different. It was an AMAZINGLY BEAUTIFUL event and it makes me proud to a womyn from L.A. And it also makes me believe that …

As predicted in my review of the Contour Hardskin, it was only a matter of time when I would want to try on a different look for my iPhone. As much as I loved the Contour (solid protection, lightweight, excellent customer service), there is something about seeing the iPhone for all its beauty, and the Contour prevented one from viewing the chrome side and the smooth glossy back.

Enter the clear case collection. There are several out there, from Contour’s own “iSee” and its new “Showcase”, to Agent18’s Shield, as well as other similar cases from Belkin and Speck to name a few. All of these were simple enough and ranged from $19.99 to $34.99. The goal was to find something that went above and beyond. My usual stop for reviews (iLounge) offered a possible option. Its review of the DLO Videoshell for the iPhone 3G offered a dual grade (A-/C-) to account for the problem of not being able to open easily. The Videoshell is very competitively priced (I got mine for $18 at SF Planet), comes with a screen protector, and has a viewing sliding stand that allows you to prop up your iPhone. Although this was quoted in an Wired article as a useless feature, it’s what ultimately sold me on giving the product a try since I found it to be rather innovative and potentially useful.

First, what I liked. Certainly, the price and the total package are very attractive. For $18 (maybe less if you shop around), you get a case and a screen protector. The case is of solid construction (sure, it’s cheap plastic, but it has been durable nonetheless), and the phone fits in snugly (almost too much). The sliding stand (once you figure out how to open it – HINT: use your index finger to prop it out of those grooves) is cool, and allows you to prop up your iPhone both vertically and horizontally. Plus, what they don’t advertise as much is that it resides flush with the case, not protruding like a belt clip. I was unsure of this until I received it. Definitely a big plus in my book. I did not use the included screen protector, since I have been very pleased with the one I purchased and applied already (Power Support Anti-Glare).

What’s not to like? Well, since it’s a clear case, it’s going to pick up some minor scratches, which over the course of time may diminish the case’s intention of showing off the iPhone. I still like the way it looks and feels, so I can overlook this for now. The plastic is a bit rough at the openings (volume and backlight), and dust seems to find its way in through those wide openings. The challenge of opening the case is a con, but I will offer a workaround for this here. The plastic adds a bit of bulk, slightly heavier than the Contour Hardskin that I had before, but overall, the feel is still smooth and still not as bulky as my Samsung i730 or a Blackberry. Finally, the sliding stand is a bit thin, so be gentle, or else you might not have it on much longer.

How do you get the phone out? So, the ilounge reviewers were correct in that it is a bit challenging to remove the iPhone from the Videoshell. However, after a bit of trial and error, and some minor nicking to my case, I have found a pretty solid method that you may find of use (DLO – you may want to advertise this method, and send me a replacement case for my efforts and minor nicking). Basically, it involves opening the case with a small coin (I use a penny), and this was advertised on DLO’s website. However, I still had a hard time getting the rest of the case to open. I nearly broke my finger, though I’m surprised the case did not give in as well. I also nicked up the sides of the case before I decided to bring in another piece of “plastic” to help out. Just as you would see in the movies, I used a credit card to get myself into a “locked” place. After opening the case with a coin, I slid a credit card through the sides and this easily forced open the case. It has worked every time flawlessly since, and I can now get in and out of the case as needed (mostly to blow out the dust and clean away smudges).

Overall, I am happy with the case. I got it for a fair price, it shows off the iPhone well, adds a coolness factor with the sliding stand, and I can work around its shortcomings with ease. Let me know what you think – I thought about making a quick YouTube video to show the credit card trick, so if there’s a demand, I will oblige.

Dans le même colis que l’étui HipCase de DLO, il y avait aussi un transmetteur FM pour voiture!  Merci DLO!  Ce gadget permet d’envoyer la musique de votre Zune (tous modèles) sur votre radio de voiture par les ondes FM de la radio.

TransDock micro de DLO pour le Zune

Construction

La particularité de ce modèle est que vous pouvez sélectionner n’importe quelle chaine FM avec des incréments de 0.1.  Vous n’êtes pas restreint à un pré-sélection, donc, vous pouvez trouver exactement le bon canal où il n’y a pas (ou peu) d’interférences.  Ce transmetteur FM permet aussi de recharger votre Zune, car il est installé dans l’allume-cigare de votre voiture.  Ce qui veut dire qu’une fois votre déplacement en voiture terminé, votre Zune est prêt à vous donner encore des heures de musique!

Ce petit appareil possède un écran rétro-éclairer qui reste allumé en tout temps et qui permet de bien lire le canal sélectionné et ce même la nuit.  La partie principale du transmetteur se trouve sur un pivot qui permet d’effectuer une rotation de presque 360 degrés.  Ensuite on peut verrouillé le pivot une fois que nous avons trouvé l’angle désiré.  Le connecteur qui s’insère dans l’allume-cigare semble être universel, en effet, il est très long et il y a une sorte de bague coulissante autour.

Pour changer de station, vous n’avez qu’à utiliser les boutons à gauche et à droite du transmetteur (à gauche pour -0.2 et à droite pour +0.2).  Vous pouvez aussi utiliser les stations pré-enregistré (ou enregistrer les vôtres) en appuyant simultanément sur les deux boutons.  Si vous n’avez pas de lecteur Zune vous pouvez tout de même l’utiliser avec votre lecteur Mp3 favoris, car il y a une entrée auxiliaire à l’arrière.  Mais attention, en utilisant l’entrée auxiliaire vous passez en mode analogique, alors que si vous utilisez le fils avec connecteur Zune, vous utilisez le signal numérique pour envoyer votre musique au TransDock Micro!

Le fil de longueur suffisante permet de brancher le TransDock Micro et d’avoir le Zune à porté de la main à tout moment.  Ce fil est interchangeable si vous changez de lecteur Mp3.   J’y reviens dans un instant avec plus de détails.  Pour ce qui est du design en forme allongée du TransDock Micro, il peut être problématique pour certaine voiture.  Si votre allume-cigare est derrière votre levier de vitesse, le TransDock pourrait vous gêner.  Dans le cas de ma voiture, il est derrière le levier d’essuies-glaces.  Mais heureusement, j’ai un autre à droite de la console centrale près de la jambe gauche du passager, seul problème, je ne peux pas vraiment l’atteindre en conduisant…

Compatibilité iPod et Sansa

Si vous avez acheté le TransDock Micro et que vous avez perdu votre câble vous pouvez en obtenir une autre copie moyennant 10$ à l’adresse suivante.  Astuce: Vous pouvez aussi acheter un câble pour iPod (ou Sansa) si vous possédez aussi l’un ou l’autre de ces appareils et que vous voulez continuer d’utiliser votre TransDock Micro!

Qualité sonore

Vous vous demandez surement si la qualité sonore est au rendez-vous?  Et bien sûr ce côté, j’ai été assez déçu.  N’ayant jamais utilisé de transmetteur FM j’avais de hautes attentes envers ce gadget et d’après ce que j’ai lu sur le web, je n’aurais pas dû.  Tout d’abord, il y a beaucoup de variables qui peuvent affecter la qualité du son transmis sur votre radio FM.  Le choix de la bonne station est primordiale, en plus du 88.1FM suggéré dans le manuel, j’en ai trouvé deux autres, le 90.9FM et le 91.5FM.  Je dois dire que bien que les trois stations soient vide de statique ou de musique, le 88.1FM offre une bien meilleure réception. Peut-être que ma radio n’est pas le top, mais je peux quand même très bien écouté Buzz 99.9FM qui n’est pas souvent le cas avec les radios de mes amis.

Bref, les aigus sont bien rendus, mais les graves ne sont pas au rendez-vous.  J’utilise une chanson qui était pré-chargée sur le Zune, Fa-fa-fa de Datarock où il y a de bonnes basses et du “kick”.  Rien de tout cela est bien rendu.  Et ce même avec le niveau de “Bass” à 7/7 sur ma radio.

En comparaison avec la radio commerciale du 96.9 CKOI ou du 97.7 CHOM (habituellement, CHOM est beaucoup peu plus “sourd” que CKOI), le TransDock n’arrive même pas à la cheville de CHOM…

Pour les audiophiles, oublié ce gadget, vous ne serez que déçu.  Et pour les autres, j’ai lu qu’il y a d’autres modèles bien meilleur sur le marché.

Problèmes d’interférence

Lorsque je l’utilise avec mon Zune 80Go j’ai un problème lorsque le disque dur est en fonction, il génère des interférences qui sont très agaçantes.  Problème qui ne se pose pas avec le Zune 8Go, tout est parfait et je n’ai entendu aucune interférence d’aucune sorte avec ce modèle.  J’ai lu sur le web que c’est un problème commun à certains transmetteurs FM alors, à mon avis, c’est un problème qui pourra être éliminé dans une future version de ce gadget.  De plus, en utilisant le 88.1FM, les interférences en sont diminuées, mais quand même présentes..

Conclusion

Comme mes attentes étaient très hautes, je suis très déçu des performances audio du TransDock Micro ainsi que des problèmes d’interférences lorsqu’il est utilisé avec un Zune 80Go.  Ce sont des fautes que DLO devra corriger, car la compétition réussie très bien là ou DLO échoue.  Je ne peux pas recommander ce produit, car pour beaucoup de gens les base fréquences sont importantes et elles sont totalement absentes.  De plus, la fonction de base de ce type de gadget est de rendre la musique à un niveau acceptable (dans les limites que les ondes FM permettent) et le TransDock Micro ne le permet pas.  Avez-vous essayé le TransDock?  Laissez-moi savoir ce que vous en pensez!

Note de l’évaluation:  3/10
Recommandé:  Non

TransDock micro pour le Zune // DLO pour 69.99$
Autres accessoires Zune (Zune Gear) // DLO

Il existe plusieurs dizaines voir centaines de versions d’étuis de cuir pour lecteur Mp3, mais combien sont réellement bien conçu et de bonne qualité?  Plusieurs modèles bloquent l’accès à certains connecteurs, d’autres sont de si mauvaise qualité qu’on dirait qu’ils vont se déchirer…  J’ai le plaisir de vous présenter le HipCase de Digital Lifestyle Outfitters (DLO)!

DLO HipCase pour le Zune 4Go ou8Go

Contrairement aux pâles copies sans nom sur eBay, le HipCase est extrêmement bien conçu et solidement assemblé.  Le HipCase est un étui de cuir conçu pour le Zune 4Go ou 8Go qui permet l’accès complet aux différents ports et boutons du Zune tout en le protégeant des éventuelles égratignures.  Le Zune s’insère par le dessus et il est solidement maintenu à l’intérieur.  Pas besoin de constamment vérifier, car l’étui est très sécuritaire pour votre lecteur Mp3.

À l’intérieur, la partie antérieure qui touche le dos de votre Zune est faite une matière semblable à du suède, une belle touche raffinée qui agit en même temps de matière antidérapante pour garder votre Zune dans son étui.  Au dos, une pince à ceinture courbée qui se fixe très bien à la ceinture ou à la poche d’un jeans.

Sur le devant du HipCase, on peut voir la presque totalité du Zune protégé par une pellicule de plastique.  Vous vous demandez si le Zunepad et les 2 boutons sont toujours utilisables ou s’il faut sortir le Zune pour l’utiliser?  Et bien comme je le disais plus tôt, cet étui est très bien conçu et l’ensemble des boutons sont accessibles et fonctionnent presque aussi bien que sans étui.  J’ai remarqué une légère baisse de sensibilité du Zunepad au travers du plastique (lors des “glissé”).  À moins que ce ne soit le plastique qui glisse moins bien que le Zunepad lui-même.  Dans tous les cas, je ne trouve pas que ça vient diminuer la maniabilité du Zunepad.

Le seul réel inconvénient vient du fait que le plastique qui protège le devant du Zune attire les traces de doigts et comme le lecteur est très mince, c’est d’autant plus difficile de nettoyer la face intérieure du plastique.  J’ai remarqué avec les derniers jours humides que nous avons eu dans la grande région de Montréal que l’humidité fait “coller” le plastique sur l’écran du Zune.  Pour le décoller, je n’ai eu qu’à pincer les côtés du Zune.

Sur le site de DLO, on peut lire “minimal case, with maximal style” et c’est vrai que l’étui est très “minimal”. Il est très léger et sans artifice, il fait exactement ce que l’on s’attend de lui: protéger notre investissement et permettre une utilisation complète des fonctionnalités du Zune.  Pour 29.99$, cet accessoire est un incontournable pour votre Zune Flash.  Si seulement son prix était plus bas.

Note de l’évaluation: 8/10
Recommandé: Oui

HipCase pour Zune 8Go // DLO pour 29.99$
Autres accessoires Zune (Zune Gear) // DLO

This weekend I went to Cornell University for ECAASU, with my student group from Syracuse called Asian Students In America. I was bit hesitant to go this weekend for several reasons.

1. I wasn’t comfortable with the fact that I’ll probably be the only Latino guy there at the East Coast Asian American Student Union.

2. I felt that I couldn’t relate to any of the workshops that were going to take place.

3. I was running low on cash.

Those were the top three reasons, but I said to myself, if I am already in ASIA and I am the only Latino guy there so let me just suck it up and do it on a larger scale and meet new people, rather than thinking of being the only one of my kind at a convention where they talk about race issues that affects everyone. So I went and stayed at my fraternity’s house versus paying money for a crummy hotel room in the Holiday Inn. The first day’s events were pretty awesome like the break dancing team called absolute zero, but other performances weren’t as great such as the stepping team for the Asian sorority. The next day was disappointing. We had to wake up at 8am to go get breakfast, but I missed it because my house was not even on Cornell’s map and my ride had a wild night and didn’t wake up until later in the day. After walking for 30 minutes on a slippery trail along Ithaca’s many fabulous gorges I missed breakfast, and had to go to a workshop. The breakdancing workshop was cool I got to see Judy bust her butt hahaha. Then it was off to a keynote. Now I was ready to fall asleep because the first keynote speaker was boring and I pulled an all nighter the night before coming to Cornell.

So I gave this Jeff Chang a chance, and wow he blew my mind. First off, I could relate to him because he brought things like white flight in the Bronx in the 1970’s and relating it to the Asian American community and how the struggles of the Bronx lead to the problems of today and how we can combat them.

That woke me up from my drowsiness and his speech kind of empowered me to go out and talk and give out my perspective on things that can hopefully help and give insight on some of the issues that are prevalent in the Asian American community. So I went to my mixer, eager to speak and it was the most quiet place I have been too. Everyone was sitting far from each other and unwilling to talk. The person leading the mixer had to leave and so she dumped us with another group.

That group was equally unorganized and didn’t prepare anything to talk about or bring us into a conversation. So I left that early and went to a workshop about media. This is where the disappointments start rolling in. The workshop started off with the question how are we portrayed in the media. So I raise and go on a rant about how my people are portrayed as gang members, good for nothings, lazy, and heavily accented criminals. Judy comes late to the workshop with an aquantince of her’s. I thought this guy was pretty cool because he was making Judy laugh and I was kind of jealous for a second. So I introduce myself to the guy with a pound and said what up, like I usually do. The guys says whoa what gang you are apart of blood or crip. I was like WTF!! I didn’t want to cause a scene so I sat down. But wait there is more. After a day of hearing things about racial profiling from Jeff Chang and compassion for one another from Becky Lee and Yul Kwon, people that attended ECAASU didn’t pick up on the message, because during the after party ,for the performances from D’Lo, Ill-literacy, and Blue Scholars, many creeps showed up to that event. One guy tried to give me a high-five while I was dancing with Judy. I was like WTF noo get away. It was like saying good job with dancing with that Asian girl. That pisses me off, when people just see race rather than two people who genuinely love each other. And the show doesn’t stop there soo many guys were just staring at us and whispering about me. Why do you need to do that????? I was very disgusted especially seeing many guys buying girls drinks and getting them even more drunk in the hopes of getting laid. It seemed to me the entire goal of this ECAASU was to get laid or meet cute guys. There was soo much hypocrisy in the air the last two days of ECAASU. There are more important things than partying and hooking up, CMON PEOPLE!!!!!.

Jeff Chang put it best, many people are just all ASIAN PRIDE and it stops there and don’t go to the next step and actually do something to better the community.

Name : Mohd. Adham Fawwaz bin Taharin

Nickname : Dlo

DOB :05th of December 1987

POB : Hospital Bukit Mertajam,Pulau Pinang

Current Address :No. 8,Asrama Taman Maidam,Kg Tok Jembal,Kuala Terengganu

Permanent Address :No. 3Lorong Bertam Indah 1/7,Taman Bertam Indah,13200 Kepala Batas,Seberang Perai Utara,Pulau Pinang

Phone No :012-2376585

E-mail : dlomalo87@yahoo.com