Briefly: review; laptop battery hack

In brief: MacNN has reviewed the Canvas Sport Portable Case from Speck Products, PCLaunches.com has detailed a new laptop battery hack, and DivX Stage6 -- a website allowing content creators to distribute high-definition video to PCs as well as consumer electronics devices -- has re-launched with a new look and feel. Dover Studios has released a new visual effects training DVD titled "Maya: Shading Networks," and Hammacher Schlemmer has begun selling a new media player known as the Portable Video iPod Enlarger and DVD Player. Speck's Canvas Sport portable case ($40, shown at right) is a Converse sneaker-looking sleeve for Apple's MacBook portable with thick canvas surrounded by a solid white rubber edge. The bag features a soft felt-like interior to cushion the MacBook inside, while reinforced sides offer protection against concussions.

Laptop battery hack

A new video has surfaced showing users how to change the cells of a laptop battery after it dies, rather than purchasing a new battery for as much as $110. The instructional short describes gently prying open the battery enclosure to reveal the Lithium-Ion cells within, and with a little research the narrator is able to purchase six new cells for $37 that are delivered directly to his door.

Soldering the new cells together the same way the old cells were arranged is fairly simple, though producing a diagram before disconnecting the old cells is recommended. Wearing safety goggles the narrator solders the new cells into the pack and closes it back up again. Upon placing the revitalized battery into the laptop and charging it for 18 hours, the video maker saved $70 by replacing the cells in his battery himself.

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DivX Stage6 goes beta

DivX Stage6 -- a website allowing content creators to distribute high-definition video to both PCs and consumer electronics devices -- is re-launching with an entirely new look and feel. The new Stage6 provides users and content creators with tools to discover and distribute high-quality video at up to high definition resolutions.

Content downloaded from Stage6 is compatible with more than 70 million consumer electronics devices from all major brands, according to the company, and the site has grown steadily since it went live in August of last year.

Maya training DVD, portable iPod enlarger

Dover Studios has released a new visual effects training DVD called "Maya: Shading Networks" that serves as a practical guide to creating shading networks in Maya for animation, visual effects, and games.... Hammacher Schlemmer has begun selling its Portable Video iPod Enlarger and DVD Player, a device shaped somewhat like Samsung's Q1 Ultra that plays DVD movies on-the-go and provides video iPod users with a 7-inch LCD screen with 480x234 resolution.

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