hermes

Hermes iPad 2 cases cost more than the iPads

One of the surest signs that an electronic product is successfully moving into the lifestyle of the rich and famous is that high-fashion brands start making accessories for it. French luxury brand Hermes is cashing in on the popularity of the iPad 2 with cases that cost more than the tablet itself.

The Hermes Swift (left) is a slipcase made from calfskin leather that costs a whopping $820. It comes in 10 different colors. The Hermes Station (right) is a book-style cover, made from the same material as the Swift, that doubles as a stand. Available in four colors, the Hermes Station retails at a heart-stopping $1,400.

The two cases are available from Hermes stores and, we suspect, are easier to get than the tablet itself.

(Source: Crave Asia via Ubergizmo) … Read more

Fleet-footed P2P

Hermes P2P from Mp3Torpedo bills itself as "the fastest file-sharing program in the world," an assertion mirrored in its name, that of the wing-footed messenger of the Greek gods. Though some might argue with the claim, citing the many factors that determine file-sharing speed, there's no doubt it's one of the fastest free peer-to-peer (P2P) clients out there. It's an adware-free, Java-based, BitTorrent Pro-compatible application that works with a proprietary embedded tracker or an external tracker. You can add multitracker information to your torrents as well as add hashes for other networks such as Gnutella … Read more

What's next for the bring-your-own-bag fad?

Since San Francisco is banning petroleum-based, throwaway plastic bags at store checkout counters, I've wondered if clean-tech companies would rush to supply shops with a bioplastic, biodegradable, two-handle alternative. Other plasticky disposables, like forks at organic takeout eateries, are made from corn, potatoes, and other crops these days.

Alas, things fall apart, especially biodegradable bags holding anything biological (steer clear of my kitchen compost bin). There are plenty of compostable baggies for sandwiches, pooper scoopers, or yard waste. Yet after calling a bunch of bioplastic bag makers, I found that compost-ready bags in shopping-bag sizes don't seem to exist.

Instead, reusable, designer shopping totes are on the rise. Purses for pooches? So… Read more