AppleTalk Thursday #15

Hello folks and welcome to another edition of AppleTalk Thursday. Let’s see what is happening in the world of Apple this week!

iOS 4.3.1 Update

Last Friday Apple released the update to the iOS 4.3. Among the fixes is indeed the battery issue on the iPhone. Since updating the 666MB update for my iPhone (yes, I know it is a creepy number), I have noticed a great improvement in the battery life on my iPhone 4.

WordPress optimization for iPad

Automattic Inc., the company behind WordPress has partnered with Onswipe to make blog viewing on the iPad a more pleasurable experience. With the help of Onswipe’s plug-in, viewing a WordPress blog looks very similar to FlipBook. In-fact this blog is now viewed this way on the iPad after I downloaded the plug-in and installed it. Let me know what you think!

Skype Mac Design Contest

Skype has announced a contest for a design for its upcoming Mac release client. I really like this because Skype really designs an ugly interface for the Mac side. The grand prize is an 11” MacBook Air, iPad 2, and a one year subscription to Skype’s Unlimited World Extra calling service. There are also runner up prizes such as an iPad 2 and AppleTV and CSS3 for Web Designers.

Apple working on a TV?

Here is an interesting tidbit about Apple possibly looking at making their own TV. Given last week’s news that they may license AirPlay to TV makers, I am not really putting too much stock into this story, but who would have thought Apple would make a phone one day.

Digital Locker Roundup: MobileMe, Amazon Cloud Player

Another bit of speculation about the upcoming MobileMe revamp and possible digital locker service costing $20 a year. If you saw the news this week of Amazon’s new Cloud-based storage, this would be the new MobileMe service right in the ballpark. Course maybe Apple is working out deals with record labels first before launching the service and not releasing the service before a deal is in place.

5-1 Connection Kit for iPad

Check out this little dongle device! Tired of unplugging one device and plugging in another? This may solve that issue and the $45 price is not too bad considering it is like a Swiss Army knife for the iPad.



Course if you just need an HDMI and USB dongle, your in luck too although the price is a bit steeper at around $73 US, oh did I mention it is only available in Japan?




WWDC What to Expect...and What not to Expect

Apple’s World Wide Developers Conference sold out within hours after tickets went on sale earlier this week. If you were one of the lucky ones to buy a ticket...you may not see the iPhone 5, but it sounds like you will see some really cool stuff in both OS X 10.7 Lion and the iOS 5 with deep voice command integration. When I first heard that, I pictured my iPhone talking like the late Barry White, but there is more to it than that and a Fall release of an iPhone 5 would make sense if it were to be an LTE capable device.

Personal Hotspot put to the Test

Finally today, Steven Sande of The Unofficial Apple Weblog decided while attending a trip with his wife who was attending a conference at a hotel, decided to utilize the new Personal Hotspot feature in his iPhone instead of paying for the hotel fee of $11 a day for WiFi. You can read his review of it here.

iOS App Reviews

Pocket Casts ($1.99) - I had grown frustrated with a bug in the iPhone that was displaying incorrect artwork for podcasts. They would display music genius like artwork for example. Even after the 4.3.1 update the issue remained. Than after posting about the issue in the GSPN Community page under Help, I Got a Mac, I came across Podcast Answer Man #200 where Cliff Ravencraft discussed how much he loves this app called Pocket Casts. So I took a chance and spent the $2 and you know what? He is right! First, you can have it scan your iPod app on the iPhone for all your subscribed podcasts and adds the feeds to the app and will show the latest 2 episodes per show in the download window, if you need more episodes, just select on the Show All Available Episodes to list and download each one.

Another cool feature is it will send push notifications and list a badge number for new episodes available for download...something the iPhone or iPad can’t do. You can even stream the episodes without downloading and save space on your iOS device. After using it for a day, I went ahead and downloaded all the episodes I have in iTunes and than un-synced podcasts to my iPhone to save space and I now use Pocket Casts to listen to my podcasts. Note although you can use it on the iPad, it is not a universal app meaning you will have to expand it 2x to get full screen on the iPad but hopefully they will update that part in a future release. Oh, and it will work over not just WiFi, but 3G and EDGE too.

Here is a video of how it all works.

<iframe src=“http://player.vimeo.com/video/20643630?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0” width=“400” height=“225” frameborder=“0”></iframe><p><a href=“http://vimeo.com/20643630”>Pocket Casts App Demo.</a> from <a href=“http://vimeo.com/nathanswan”>Nathan Swan</a> on <a href=“http://vimeo.com”>Vimeo</a>.</p>

Vimeo (FREE) - I have come to really love Vimeo, unlike YouTube, Vimeo is HTML5 which means videos will play on iOS devices. Well, now they have an iPhone app which allows you to both view and record videos and edit your recorded videos. Pretty cool stuff, maybe not as feature rich as iMove for iPhone but considering it is free, that is nothing to sneeze at. My only issue is it did crash on me a few times but that is expected on a product first release. Sure an update will patch that issue.

QR Reader (FREE) - One thing that was promoted a lot at PodCamp Nashville was QR Codes. This feature was born on the Android, but it has grown to other devices and I have found a lot of reader apps for the iPhone, but this is a nice basic free one that can scan QR Codes and display their meaning within the app. Now I want to design one for my website to place on a business card.

Well, that is going to do it for this week’s AppleTalk Thursday. See you next week for more exciting Apple news.

Tuesday Tech Talk #51

Hello folks and welcome to another edition of Tuesday Tech Talk. Quite a few things to cover this week so lets dive right in.

Mac mini Updated

Apple released an updated Mac mini. Two new welcome features in it, an HDMI port for connecting to an HDTV and easy access to updating the RAM. It comes in 2 flavors, a $699 model and a $999 server model which sports 2 500GB SATA hard drives. One has to wonder if this will spell the end of the AppleTV since the mini now has an HDMI port.

Starbucks to offer free WiFi

Starbucks announced that as of July 1st all company owned locations will offer free WiFi! If your favorite Starbucks is franchised owned then you may or may not be in luck.

ESPN in 3D

ESPN officially launched their 3D service with the start of the World Cup. If you happen to have a 3D capable TV and receiver box via your cable or satellite company, then you to can have soccer balls flying toward your head. I do not as of yet and quite frankly am not into the whole 3D thing yet, in-fact I have not even seen Avatar yet. Engadget has an interview with Chuck Pagano ESPN’s executive VP of technology regarding the 3D launch.

Navigon and Multitasking

Navigon has submitted their popular Navigator GPS app to Apple that will support multitasking with the release of the iOS4 yesterday. No more worries of getting a call while you have a key turn coming up in a town you don’t know. Also you can check email or something on the web while still staying on track with your route. This is going to come in great as Mrs. TupeloGeek and I will be on vacation in Pensacola Beach this weekend and driving down there.

Steve Jobs All Things Digital Talk

Available in iTunes is the Steve Jobs interview at the D8 conference. He talks about several interesting things such as the feud with Adobe over Flash, how he suggests the era of the PC as a platform could be ending sooner than we think, and how the idea of the tablet device came before the iPhone. Very interesting talk and worth the 90 minutes.

Blogging and the iPad

Finally I want to give a little follow up regarding my use of the iPad and how it relates to blogging. There are 2 great blogging apps out there, BlogPress and WordPress. At this point I am giving the edge to WordPress if you use WordPress for your blogging. But here is my beef with both of them. I want to be able to highlight some text in my blog and create a link like I do with MacJournal on the MacBook. This is the missing element in blogging from the iPad. Who ever comes up with that first, will get a nice write up from me on a future Triple T.

Well that will do it for this edition of Triple T. See you all next week for #52!

Tuesday Tech Talk #50

Hello folks and welcome to another edition of Tuesday Tech Talk. This past week I got my new iPad so it’s going to be an iPad centered Triple T this week.

How I Got it

So we will start with how I got one. I’ve been saving my money for one of course and I have wanted to get a 3G model. So I have been looking at the 32GB WiFi+3G model and that is indeed what I wound up getting. However actually getting it took a bit longer than I thought. My initial plan was to just drive up to Memphis and drop by the Apple Store in Germantown and pick one up. Before doing that I decided to call first and glad I did because they were sold out. I also checked with the Birmingham, AL and Ridgeland, MS stores and same there. So I put myself on a reserve list for the model I wanted at the Germantown store and on Wednesday I got the email that my iPad was waiting for me there.

The drive and purchase

I got ready and even borrowed my wife’s Corolla as it has better gas mileage for the 100 mile drive each way than my Chevy S10 truck does. I listened to some talk radio on the way up and used the Navigator app on my iPhone for the GPS. The drive between Tupelo and Memphis is pretty uneventful, there is no traffic and no major things to see along the way besides gas stations and fast food places off the exits. However once you get into Memphis it is 18 wheeler city as Memphis is a major distribution area to the whole country, in-fact FedEx is based in Memphis. About 20 mins later after getting into Memphis, I had arrived at the Apple Store in the Saddle Creek shopping center. I walked in and told the greeter I was there for my iPad and she told me to wait a few minutes as it was quite busy at the time there so I played around with an iPad. A few minutes later a member of the Apple Sales team assisted me in my purchase, I got my iPad along with the AppleCare I buy on any Apple hardware (3 years of coverage is excellent!). He also offered to get the iPad setup so I can use it right after leaving the store but knowing I had quite the drive home and can sync it once home, I declined his offer and headed home but not before filling up the Corolla with gas which up there was 20 cents cheaper a gallon than down here.

The Unboxing and Syncing

I got home and unsealed the wrapping and opened up the box and synced the iPad to my MacBook. I did a manual sync as I didn’t want all the apps on my iPhone to be on my iPad and I didn’t want my music on it either just podcasts. The syncing didn’t take long and soon I was using it and showing off features to my wife. I used a few apps native to the iPad I had previously downloaded before I had to leave for work.

Stuff I Love about it

Quite a few things here, I have the iBooks, Amazon Kindle, and Barnes & Noble eReader apps so if you have the iPad, you have the most versatile eBook readers around. Also there is the MLB At Bat app for tracking baseball games. I used it while watching the game and the pitch status is within several seconds of the pitch. If you are a subscriber to the MLBTV package, you can even watch the games on the iPad. It is by far an awesome app for the iPad.

For my RSS feeds I use NetNewsWire. It syncs with the Google Reader and the interface on the iPad is highly professional!

How Does it Fit into Everyday Use?

The bigger screen and longer battery life makes it preferable to viewing content on a long term basis over the iPhone. Also it is a lot lighter than the MacBook and also has a longer battery life. So for me, sitting in my recliner with the iPad instead of the MacBook when all I want to do is consume media or do some light creativity is a welcome change. Another benefit is the iPad puts out zero heat while the MacBook battery does put out quite a bit making the laptop part of it not so fun longterm. At the same time, there is still an everyday use for all 3 systems. For editing and heavy blogging, I will continue to use my MacBook, obviously I need a cellphone and the ability to keep track of my email and there are just some places I do not take my iPad to like work for example. With the iPad, I can read content around the house, at the coffee shop, or other places since it is a 3G model.

The iPad apps

At Bat 2010 ($14.99) - This app is great for keeping track of your favorite major league teams. You get a catchers view of every ball and strike and a manual scrollable scoreboard at the top to track the out of town games. You can also listen to the games and if you subscribe to MLB.TV service, can even watch the games on the app.

NetNewsWire ($9.99) - This is a great app for tracking your favorite websites if they offer an RSS feed. You use your Google Reader login to bring up your RSS subscriptions and it keeps current with the Google Reader website so whatever is marked as read in NetNewsWire is also marked in Google Reader.

Pages ($9.99) - The same word processor application that is part of iWork on the Mac is also on the iPad. I have used it on the iPad and find it easy to compose a document in no time using the onscreen keyboard.

WordPress (Free) - If doing some light blogging, WordPress for the iPad is great! In no time you can compose, tag, and categorize a blog post and publish it.

Well that is going to do it for this edition of Triple T. See you all next week for another edition of tech news.

Tuesday Tech Talk #46

Hello folks and welcome to another edition of Triple T. Got a few topics to discuss this week so lets jump right into things. WordPress 3.0 sneak peak Coming out later this month will be WordPress 3.0. Some of the new features in it will be Custom Post Types, Menu management, and...wait for it...multi site! You can read about the features here. Apple MobileMe Mail revamp Apple is letting some users opt into a beta version of their updated web-based MobileMe email site. Yes, I clicked on the link to opt in and am awaiting my invite from Apple. AT&T HSPA+ to reach 250 million Americans Wow speeds of up to 14.4 Mbps is not to shabby! They hope to have the network in place by the end of 2010 and should go a long way in refuting the Verizon ads about their network. AT&T has a reputation problem and this could go a long way in turning that around. Padres pitcher uses iPhone to self diagnose Appendicitis So what do you do when you are feeling ill at 3am in the morning and know something isn’t right? Look up WebMD on your iPhone of course and make a successful diagnosis of appendicitis and then a few hours later be in recovery from surgery. Apple needs to call this guy and give him a commercial. Have balcony, will travel Ok, don’t quite get the benefit of an airplane having a balcony. What a great view of the tarmac for that business meeting! I mean seriously this is about as pointless as me owning a set of golf clubs. Star Tours coming to an end Finally today some sad news for Star Wars fans everywhere, Disneyland and Disney World will be shutting Star Tours. If you live closer to Disneyland, the last day will be July 27th, if you are closer to Orlando then the magic day is September 8th. Well that is going to do it for this week’s Tuesday Tech Talk. See you all next week!

Tuesday Tech Talk #36

Hello folks and welcome to Triple T #36. Quite a few news items I want to share with you this week so let’s dive right in!

iPad available April 3rd

Get that work overtime in folks to build that iPad fund! It is coming out on April 3rd and pre-orders start on Friday! If you are looking to get an iPad, what features are you looking forward to? I like the eBook reader function of it and how easy it is to access the eBook store from the library. But I also like the ability that iWork will have apps for it via Pages, Keynote, and Numbers. If your not interested in it but would like to see some features added to it and then may get it, what features would those be?

Google Docs for blog posting

So did you know you can use Google Docs to compose and publish to your WordPress based blog? It takes some tweaking but it can be done. The only drawback is the ability to set categories and tags from within Google Docs, for that you will have to do within WordPress. So I guess this means I have a suggestion for Google now. In the meantime I will continue to use MacJournal to write my blog posts.

WordPress blogs get near real-time updates

Speaking of WordPress, they just announced support for PubSubHubbub (PuSH). What does that mean in non-geek terms you may ask? Simply put it now alerts RSS feeds faster meaning they will show up in say Google Reader much faster than before.

Time Warner Cable offering its tubes to AT&T and Verizon

Interesting little article here on TWC teaming up with the telecoms for broadband support.

Apple purging the app store

I’m sure you have heard on how Apple is cutting down on certain questionable apps in the app store. Personally I don’t have a problem with this. A lot of these apps are simply glorified web apps.

This Week’s iPhone/iPod touch apps


Shazam and Shazam Encore - Ok this review is for my good friend Mary from Minnesota who asked me about it. Course if you just want to know what that current song playing at the coffee shop is, then the free version of Shazam will do you just fine. But if you want it to be a little more social network friendly then there is the $4.99 version of Shazam Encore (they also offer a (RED) version of the app as well. With that version you can share your tagged results and it integrates with your Last.fm or Pandora apps too when selecting on a tag for the song.

Trip Journal - If you are a world traveler then this app you will love. It allows you to tag locations with photos and notes. They just came out with version 4.0 and for a limited time it is 99 cents instead of the standard $2.99 price.

Buzzie - If you are really getting into Google Buzz then you will be happy to know there is an app for it now at a modest $1.99. It really is a nice interface and I like it better than the desktop version of Buzz actually.

Google Voice - Ok so technically a web app but a darn good one. Google found a way to circumvent the Apple/AT&T gate keeper (yet Skype has an app...figure that one out for me). Basically you can use it to initiate phone calls like you would on the desktop version. Did I mention I no longer have a long distance plan with AT&T on our landline?

That is going to do it for this weeks edition of Tuesday Tech Talk. Feel free to leave comments below or if you want to send some audio feedback, click on the Call Me button to the right (if you are reading this on my website.) and it will call you back to connect you to my voicemail. Have a great week!