AquaSnap

If you’re still using Windows XP or Windows Vista, you may have seen friends or coworkers snapping windows around with Windows 7’s newfangled hotkeys, and longed for the same functionality for your aging system. AquaSnap delivers this, and more.

AquaSnap essentially lets you snap windows into place either by dragging them around, or by using predefined hotkeys. When you use it with the mouse, you need only drag a window to one of the screen edges or corners. A large icon then appears, showing what would happen to the window once you let go of the mouse. Much like Aero Snap, touching the window against the screens left or right edges would make the window resize to occupy that half of the screen. But if you touch one of the corners, AquaSnap will resize the window to occupy that quarter of the screen--something Aero Snap doesn’t do.

If accurate window snapping is all you need, you may want to try out another free utility called WinSplit Revolution. WSR supports fine-grained control over the position and size of each of your windows, as well as the hotkeys used to place them.

AquaSnap has a few more tricks up its sleeves, such as a feature called “AquaShake,” which is supposed to be an improved version of the Windows 7 Aero Shake. Aero Shake lets you grab a window’s title bar and “shake” it so that all other windows are minimized. AquaShake lets you do the same, but you can also use it to make the window semi-transparent and pin it so it stays always on top. In its default configuration, AquaShake was a bit too enthusiastic: I was innocently trying to move a window somewhere on my screen, when it decided I was “shaking” it and made it transparent. This may vary according to your input device and caffeine consumption. Fortunately, the sensitivity can be customized, to reduce the number of false positives.

One drawback is that while AquaSnap hooks onto Windows 7’s default hotkeys for moving windows (Win+arrow keys), it won’t let you use those keys for moving windows across multiple monitors, making AquaSnap’s hotkeys less functional than the ones built into Windows.

By default, Windows 7 uses Win+up to maximize a window. AquaSnap modifies this hotkey so that when you press it, the window just takes the upper half of the screen. To maximize the window, you’ll have to press Win+Enter or Win+numpad 5, at which time AquaSnap will indeed maximize the window, but will also snap it back onto your primary monitor if it happened to be on another screen. A true deal breaker for multi-monitor users.

If you don’t use multiple monitors, AquaSnap may make it easier for you to move windows around. Then again, WinSplit Revolution is also free, and is much more powerful. You may want to give each a try before settling on just one.

--Erez Zukerman

AquaSnap is free software that greatly enhances the way you can arrange windows on your Desktop. It gives you the possibility to snap windows to the edges or to the corners of the desktop simply by dragging and dropping them where you want.

AquaSnap is a great replacement for the Aero Snap and Aero Shake features of Windows 7 and is compatible with every Windows versions and consumes very little memory and CPU.

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VirtuaWin

VirtuaWin is a virtual desktop manager for the Windows operating system (Win9x/ME/NT/Win2K/XP/Win2003/Vista/Win7). A virtual desktop manager lets you organize applications over several virtual desktops (also called 'workspaces'). Virtual desktops are very common in Unix/Linux, and once you get accustomed to using them, they become an essential part of a productive workflow.

VirtuaWin is designed to be simple and elegant to use yet mstill be highly configurable and extensible.

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Tracks Eraser Pro

Tracks Eraser Pro is designed to protect you by cleaning up all the unwanted history data on your computer. With only one click, Tracks Eraser Pro allows you to erase the cache,cookies,typed URLs,autocomplete memory,index.dat form your browser, and window's temp folder, run history, search history, open/save history, recent documents,etc. With Tracks Eraser's free plugins, you can easily erase the tracks of up to nearly unlimited applications,such as playlist of Realplayer, Mediaplayer, QuickTime,recent files of Office, Acrobat ,Winzip,etc. Tracks Eraser can also let you customize what file(s) and registry entry(s) to be erased With Tracks Eraser's Securely Erasing feature, you can erase the files completely, which can not be recovered by others.

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Plug-In Prius Isn’t a Car, It’s an Appliance

The Toyota Prius plug-in hybrid is, like its iconic sibling, an excellent hybrid but a remarkably bland car. Oh sure, it will carry you all over creation on miniscule quantities of gas in reasonable comfort. But it does so with no style or excitement.

Driving dynamics aren’t the point. This car’s raison d’être is exceptional fuel economy, and it delivers.

That’s to be expected, because we’re talking about a teched-out Prius, a car that’s always been as thrilling as a shopping cart. The plug-in gets an extension cord and a lithium-ion battery that lets you cruise on electrons alone for 13 miles. But in every other way that matters, the plug-in Prius is identical to the car that’s dominated the hybrid market since, well, forever. It looks, feels and, alas, drives the same.

But then, driving dynamics aren’t the point. This car’s raison d’être is exceptional fuel economy, and it delivers. I spent 10 days with a beta version of the car we’ll see in early 2012 and averaged 62.6 mpg. Yes, you can achieve that in a regular Prius if you drive like your dear aunt Edna, but I accomplished that without giving the slightest thought to efficiency. I even went so far as to skip charging the battery a couple of times to see what it would do to my fuel economy and still did no worse than 48.4 mpg. On those days when I did drive with a measure of restraint, I easily got into the 70s and even 80s.

Clearly this is a big step forward, even for a notorious miser like the Prius. Much of the credit for the added thriftiness goes to the 5 kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery under the cargo floor. It is considerably bigger than the 1.3 kilowatt-hour nickel-metal hydride pack in the regular Prius, with higher voltage (350 versus 200) as well. Plug into a 110-volt outlet like your TV uses and you’re good to go in three hours. A 220-volt line cuts that in half.

The extra electrical oomph provides the Prius with a proper EV mode. You’ll whir along smoothly and — almost — silently for 13 miles. The motor is equally meager at just 80 horsepower, peak, but it’s got decent torque and feels peppier than you’d expect. Go faster than 62 mph, though, and the 1.8-liter gasoline engine takes over.

No, 13 miles isn’t much range at all, especially against that other famous plug-in hybrid, the Chevrolet Volt. But a bigger battery costs more and weighs more, and Toyota argues it balanced range and cost.

Go beyond 13 miles and the four-banger wakes with a moan, a transition that is jarring given the smoothness of Toyota’s competitors. It is by no means a deal-breaker, but you’d think Toyota would have sorted that out by now. The 98-horsepower engine and regenerative brakes keep the pack juiced in hybrid mode.

Acceleration is, um, relaxed in “eco” mode. Even “power” mode, which is useful for passing maneuvers and merging with freeway traffic, is relative. The plug-in Prius trundles to 60 mph in anywhere from 10.5 to 11.3 seconds, depending upon which glossy magazine is doing the testing. That’s a second or more behind its sibling, due largely to the 358 pounds the battery, electronics and so forth add to the car.

The driving dynamics are equally uninspiring. The steering is vague, the brakes provide zero feedback and the suspension is mushy. No one buys a car like this to carve corners, though, so these aren’t complaints, just observations.

Inside you’ll find acres of thin fabric and plastic. The interior of the car I drove was awash in beige, and while that helps keep the interior cool, minimizing the need for energy-sucking air conditioning, it does nothing to mitigate the “meh” factor. That said, I’ve always thought the flying buttress center console is cool, and the vaguely space-age vibe of dashboard compliments the car’s advanced drivetrain.

The simple yet effective energy management system does a fine job telling you how much energy you’ve got, how much you’re using and what kind of fuel economy you’re getting. It isn’t as detailed as the systems in the Volt or Nissan Leaf, but it gets the job done.

And that may be the best that can be said about the Prius plug-in: It gets the job done. Frankly, the Volt is a better car — faster and smoother, with better range and a more attractive look. I mention that only because the Volt is the only other mass-market plug-in hybrid available right now, so the comparison is inevitable. But the plug-in Prius is a comfortable, capable commuter that gets exceptional fuel economy. Ask nothing more from it and you’ll be happy.

WIRED Fantastic fuel economy. Comfortable, capable commuter.

TIRED Meager range. About as much fun as reading the phone book.

Photos courtesy Toyota

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iPhone-Driven Bike Computer Is Data Center for Pedalphiles

Short of bolting a sidecar to your bike, iBike’s Dash CC Deluxe cycling computer is as close as you can get to taking a personal navigator along for a ride.

Actually, its computing brains are supplied by your iPhone, which is sort of like a personal navigator anyway. So let’s just call the device a sidecar for your little Apple buddy.

The Dash CC Deluxe system has a few components: a case that mounts on your bike, various sensors (also included) that attach to your bike and your body, and a free iPhone application that turns your iPhone into a detailed bike computer. It’s compatible with the iPhone 4, 3Gs/3G, and the iPod Touch generations 1, 2 and 3.

The case, called the Phone Booth, is sturdy enough. It bolts to your crossbars with some minor wrenching, and the case itself slides in and out securely. iBike may as well have allowed you to bolt the whole thing on, since the Phone Booth is too bulky to be used as a regular case off of the bike. There’s no way you’re getting that thing into your jeans. On the bike, though, it proved solid — it survived a few laydowns and is completely waterproof, which is great news if you get caught in a downpour.

When your phone is in the case, it’s able to communicate wirelessly with the included sensors. The list of ride data the Dash is able to collect is too long to run through in full, but it covers the basic cycling computer mainstays: cadence, heart rate (included a strap/monitor combo), speed, distance traveled and hours logged.

But your iPhone is much more than a bike computer, so the Dash goes well beyond the basics.

Since your iPhone is rocking GPS, you can use the maps feature to track your location wherever you go. Forget about getting lost. You can map out your route and follow your charted course, keeping an eye on your progress, and even the weather, as you ride.

It’s also easy to stare at the thing for too long. I almost drifted into traffic on more than one occasion when mesmerized by the screen in front of me. Keep those eyes up, cowboy. However, that’s also one of the Dash’s stronger suits: Your iPhone screen is huge compared to most bike computers, and that big color display makes glancing down at your current stats when you’re cranking on your bike a lot easier.

The GPS function drains your battery, though, so iBike did the smart thing and included a rechargeable lithium-ion battery to bolster your phone’s running time. During longer rides, the battery held out for two hours before going to the iPhone’s internal battery.

While you’re riding, your iPhone retains all of its functionality. You can listen to music, check your e-mail, update your Facebook status and make phone calls on a Bluetooth headset. All at your own risk, of course.

Once you get home, you can e-mail the ride’s data to your computer, where you can track your stats — ride time, cadence, speed, heart rate and elevation, including averages and high points — using the matching desktop software. You can mail it to anyone else who has the free desktop app, like your coach or your training buddies.

Speaking of your buddies, you can also plug your data into Google Earth to revisit your ride and rub it in their faces. It was a blast to go back and retrace every switchback of a good, long mountain bike ride.

While the stat-tracking and trip data (and lap tracking and cumulative readings) are meant to appeal to the harder-core cycling geeks, its weight might not — if you’ve just dropped a few grand on a Campagnolo Super Record groupset, the Dash’s 11 ounces (including the iPhone) might be a turn-off.

Since I’m not a gram-counter, I didn’t mind the weight. I did mind that I had to take my iPhone out of my everyday case and put it in the Phone Booth every time I wanted to use it. In a perfect world, the Dash’s Phone Booth would be small enough to take off the bike and put it in your pocket.

Also, it doesn’t have a power sensor, which is another potential turn-off for the hardcore athletes. But it does have the ability to connect to ANT+ DFPM power sensors like PowerTap hubs, as well as any other ANT+ sensor you may have strapped to your steed.

All different types of cyclists can appreciate the Dash’s wealth of data: messengers, mountain bikers, long-haul tourists. Even commuters — if you’re schlepping your iPhone to work anyway, it gives you something to geek out on once you get to the office.

WIRED Easy setup and use. Display on the iPhone is better than any dedicated computer. GPS keeps you from getting lost. Google Earth tracking lets you relive your two-wheeled glory. Dashboard is customizable. Piggyback battery is a nice addition.

TIRED Too heavy for the weight-conscious. Phone Booth too bulky for off-bike use. $300 is a lot of cheese, but simpler, cheaper versions are available.

Photo by Jim Merithew

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New Roku Streaming Box Gets Smaller, Angrier

From its humble beginnings as the Netflix box to its current status as one of the pre-eminent media streamers, Roku has come a long way in just two years. And while the new Roku 2 XS doesn’t really move things forward much, it does just enough to retain that title.

If you’re keeping track, the XS usurps the XDS as the new king of the new series, with the XD and HD following in its path. I’ll just go ahead and say it at the outset: Ff you already own a previous gen, 1080p-capable Roku, this is probably not the box for you. Like the XDS, you get ethernet support and a USB port. The UI also remains relatively unchanged, with the standard horizontal scrolling “channels.”

In fact, the only differences I could find was the addition of Bluetooth support, an SD card slot, and — wait for it — a shiny little Wii-like motion controller that doubles as your system remote. Yes, it appears Roku wants to join the casual games party. And its first gift to customers is something everyone’s already sick of: Angry Birds. For free! The company promises to have more games — including Angry Birds Rio and Angry Birds Seasons (sigh) — soon, which presumably explains the SD-card slot. Still, none of this is enough to justify dropping another 100 bones.

The other obvious difference here is the look of these new boxes. This XS, along with the rest of the series, has been sufficiently shrink-rayed so it now beats even the Apple TV in terms of footprint. The tiny box virtually disappears when you place it next to your TV, which was great considering all the other multicolored junk I have attached to mine.

Roku has always done a fine job of offering a satisfying mix of big-name streaming options like Rdio, Pandora, Netflix, Amazon Instant Video and Hulu Plus, with more esoteric choices like, say, Crunchyroll. That trend continues here.

What hasn’t happened is any attempt to make the box useful to media hoarders with separate video libraries. Once again, the XS’s limited media file support casts a great big ol’ bummer cloud over what is otherwise a solid device.

Officially, the XS only supports MP4 (H.264), AAC, MP3, JPG and PNG, which, for me, meant more than half of the videos and music sitting on my external drive were useless — unless I wanted to do some converting, which I didn’t.

It’s a strange deficiency, considering the Roku’s main strength is the hefty helping of internet video it serves up to its customers. Offering a USB port and then throttling what it can play just seems, well, dumb. Still, this isn’t anything new to previous Roku owners. And the fact remains there just aren’t many media streamers out there that can offer all the things the XS does at this price.

WIRED Netflix channel now has 1080p streaming, 5.1 surround and subtitles — if your bandwidth supports it. Big, beautiful HD content on some channels like Vimeo.

TIRED Lengthy setup time. Forget about playing your MKV and other high-bitrate files, unless you convert. RF Bluetooth motion controller feature is limited to playing games, provides no navigation or UI functionality.

Photo courtesy Roku

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Hit the Hills and Highways on Hungary’s $35,000 Hybrid Hyperbike

The M55 Terminus is certainly not a bike for wallflowers. It will turn heads.

When it comes to awesome technology from the movie Aliens, it’s hard to beat Ellen Ripley’s duct-taped assembly of flamethrower, pulse rifle and motion sensor, which she puts to excellent use against the alien queen. But it’s another piece of gear used in her epic fight which makes a more lasting impact on the imagination: the exosuit powerloader she weaponizes aboard the warship Sulaco.

Machines which augment the human body in strength, speed and dexterity as seamless extensions of the nervous system are a long-held fantasy of both humans and armies. And it was in a rather unlikely place — M55’s headquarters, an artisanal bicycle workshop in the Budapest suburb of Üröm — that I first came across a machine which I instantly recognized as one of these extensions.

M55’s Terminus is an imposing, uncanny $35,000 contraption which looks and works unlike any bike I’ve ever seen. It’s heavier, too, at 65 pounds, which is offset by the output of an electric motor built into its CNC-milled aluminum frame. Engine power is mashed with your pedaling via a system of sprockets and chains which connect to the crankset. The motor is powered by lithium-ion cells which give it a range of 62 miles.

It was with the ungainly movements of piloting someone else’s ludicrously expensive, very heavy bike that I set off, pedaling as if on eggshells. The dirt road outside M55’s headquarters picks up a slight uphill grade and this is where I first noticed the big bike shedding its weight. In-house software blends the engine’s power with the rider’s, using an rpm-probe to meter output. The production model will have a torque probe for even smoother titration of power.

The effect is incredibly smooth. Juggling ruts, pedaling in the midday sun, I felt as if a year’s worth of quadriceps workouts had suddenly flowed into my legs. The bike was fitted with chunky offroad rubber, but a stretch of mostly flat highway beckoned for a speed run. In top gear, the engine boosting my burning muscles, I felt wildly alive, riding at very decent speeds in the light traffic, in no way a mobile chicane. A downshift which gives a kick of ’80s-style turbo-power deals with hills: I rode a 20 percent slope in second gear with ease. It was an exhilirating, superhuman ride, and it was only when I stopped for a violet-blueberry mousse that I realized I was laughing with delight the whole way.

It’s taken M55 five years and eight prototypes to arrive at this stage, financed by the company’s owner, private investors, and a $400,000 grant from the New Hungary Development Plan. The final prototype, which I rode, was rolled out at this year’s Top Marques show in Monaco. At the time of my visit to the factory in July, three deposits had already been placed. The company is planning to sell 200 bicycles a year. It’s an all-Hungarian affair: The frame is CNC-milled in Budapest, the carbon fiber body panels are molded in Gyor — the home of Audi’s engine plant — and the bikes are assembled at M55’s Üröm factory, finished off with a selection of high-end bicycle parts, including Brembo disk brakes more commonly found on sports cars.

The Terminus is a wonderful machine, a giddy robotic candyland in carbon fiber, aluminum and titanium, but there’s a $35,000 elephant in the room. That’s only slightly less than a brand-new 2012 Mustang Boss 302. You can see where the money is spent, but a price tag like that removes the Terminus from the land of bicycles and places it squarely into the domain of millionaire playthings. The company plans to be a regular at shows like Top Marques, targeting the bike at people who already own Ferraris, Ducatis and such. It’s hard to think of the Terminus as a bicycle, but considered as an oversized dopamine syringe, it suddenly makes a ton of sense. Well, 65 pounds.

WIRED Delightful, invisible power from nowhere. Very capable both on- and off-road. Will make you feel like Ellen Ripley.

TIRED Run out of batteries and you have a dirt-heavy regular bike. Terrifying price tag. Won’t work as city bike.

All photos: Peter Orosz/Wired.com

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