The 3G iPhone Arrives!

With much fanfare and anticipation the 3G iPhone arrives. I waited in the line below for 4.5 hours to get mine at an ATT store.Because you had to sign up for a plan at the time you purchased the phone the turn around time for each sale was over 30 minutes. As a result the line moved very slow. Due to the demand the iTunes server was down so I could not activate the phone until later in the evening.I am extremely pleased with the 16GB version I purchased. The GPS function is a great addition. The greatest improvement is the App Store which is accessed via iTunes. I download about 20 applications. I was particularly interested in the voice recording capability however the apps that I have used the most have been Vicinity and WHERE. These apps use the GPS funtion to locate you and then offer lists of things like restaurants and entertainment near you.The internet seems to load more quickly using the 3G network. ATT coverage has not improved and I can't see that the phone has any greater ability to draw in a signal than the previous phone.

Google Docs Templates

I have mentioned the virtues of Google docs in previous posts. However, I just discovered their templates. I think there are over 700 document and presentation templates available! They are definitely worth checking out.

BLURB Books

I have also mentioned the on-line book design and print service BLURB. I recieved the two books I created using their software and was extremely pleased with the printing quality of the photos and text. The binding was beautiful as well. If you are thinking about producing a book this is a great way to go. Their free software works well and uploading the finished book was painless.

As a rule I try not to put anything in this blog that I have not tested personally. However I am going to break the rule and mention two interesting new products:

Pinnacle Video Capture for Mac

Several posts back I mentioned a great Pinnacle device I use to capture video onto small USB drives. Its a great device I use constantly. Pinnacle recently came out with a Video Capture device that looks interesting. It looks like a very simple way to get average quality video into your iTunes library from any analog source. If anyone tries it let me know how it works.

Planon DocuPen 800

The second device I discovered was the Planon DocuPen 800. While its made for PC's the article I read said it was basically plug and play for the Mac as well. The thing that interests me most about this device is it's ability to scan unique textures and patterns. The article I read said it opens up some intresting creative opportunities. I will let you know if it works.

Counting Down the Days to the New iPhone!

I am excited about the new iPhone 3G. Lots of new features and 3rd party applications. Should be amazing.

Found a few interesting new things this week.

SOFTWARE

Apple awarded 3rd party software developers at the recent WWDC. I checked out several of the award winners and found two that I have been playing with.

ScreenFlow

ScreenFlow captures in video anything on your computer monitor. After capturing, it has a great list of export functions to create QuickTime clips of many sizes. It uses the camera built into your monitor to capture audio and video of you as well. Great for adding audio to Keynote slide shows.
Timeline

Just as it's name suggests this software creates stunning timelines. The 3D time line is amazing.
Blurb

I want to put in another good word for Blurb, the online book publishing site. I used their free software to design and publish two books this weekend for my family. The software works great. The books and photos uploaded easily. I should see the books in 5 days. I will follow up and write about the quality of the books when I receive them.

Fun Outside

Have you ever heard of Geocaching? If not you are missing out. We started doing it in 2004 but had not done it until our visit to NYC over the three day weekend. Once you start you will never look at the world in the same way again. To do it you need to visit the official Geocaching web site and buy a hand held GPS. Per the site:

Geocaching is an entertaining adventure game for gps users. Participating in a cache hunt is a good way to take advantage of the wonderful features and capability of a gps unit. The basic idea is to have individuals and organizations set up caches all over the world and share the locations of these caches on the internet. GPS users can then use the location coordinates to find the caches. Once found, a cache may provide the visitor with a wide variety of rewards. All the visitor is asked to do is if they get something they should try to leave something for the cache.

Caches exist all over the world and come in a complete range of sizes. To find caches near you all you do is type in your zip code. If you sign up for a free account you can see our profile and the caches we have logged. There are many more caches than there were in 2004. This map shows some along the Back Bay trail in Newport Beach.These are photos of the caches we found this weekend.If you don't have a GPS unit Garmin makes a great one called the eTrex Legend HCx.It has a built in map of the world although not detailed it works. There are a couple of things I like about this unit. The interface works well and is easy to use. Its small and compact. The best part is it can be connected to your Mac via USB so you can upload cache coordinates directly from the Geocaching web site. Garmin provides the free software to make it work. It also has a micro sd card slot so you can add more detailed road and topo maps.

HARDWARE

Fastmac External Battery Charger

I ran across this useful device on one of the Mac news sites. If you have several batteries for your laptop you can use this device to charge your batteries outside the laptop. Very useful for travel. Check out the stand-alone charger at FastMac.

iPhone Version 2.0 Countdown!

I can hardly wait for the launch of the new iPhone and applications. There is speculation everywhere about how and when it will happen. Most are predicting June. The functionality of some of these apps is really exciting. It will truly be a small computer that also has a phone built into it.

iPHONE APPS

ReQall

While we are waiting for the new iphone to arrive I found this site that has solved one of my issues with the phone...the inability to use it as a voice recorder. ReQall offers a free service that provides you with the ability to call in a note, a reminder, a shopping list item etc. using a number they provide. Your voice note is then converted to text that appears on your ReQall web page. The service will also email or text message a reminder to you. I have been using it all week and love it. This service is not just for the iphone. It will work with any cell phone. WEB APPLICATIONS

Vimeo

I am probably one of the few people not addicted to YouTube although it has occurred to me that, rather than filling up my .Mac site with video, using one of the video sharing sites might work well. One of the Mac magazines reviewed video sharing web sites recently so I decided to take the plunge. The site that sounded most interesting, Vimeo, is set up to handle HD video. I checked out the site and signed up. This is my Viemo homepage. As a test I loaded a clip shot with the pocket sized DVG-567V HD Camera. It loaded easily. I plan to test an HD clip from Myanmar soon. This is a great way to share video!SOFTWARE

TreeMaker

OK, I have not tried this software and it probably should be under the Random Stuff category however I could not help mentioning this. Robert J. Lang was one of the speakers at the Serious Play conference. He is an Origami Master (I don't know who bestows the titles?). Check out his homepage.

He developed free software called TreeMaker that will allow you to use the computer to create complex origami forms. You can download the software here. If any of you try it let me know how it works!

A Few New Additions

RANDOM STUFF

Art Center Conference

While not related to the Mac I just have to put in a pitch for the conference I attended this week. Every two years Art Center College of Design, in Pasadena, puts on one of the most amazing conferences I have ever attended. The conference theme this year was Serious Play. They posted a great blog summarizing the speaker's presentations. The theme two years ago was Radical Craft. I cannot recommend attendance at this conference enough. It will change the way you look at the world.

JPL Phoenix Mars Rover Landing

One of the speakers at the conference is the head of JPL. They are all excited about the newest Mars lander named Phoenix, which is due to land May 25th. Check out their web site devoted to the Phoenix.

TED

I also should mention TED, another outstanding, but very exclusive conference held in Monterrey California. The great thing about TED is that they have created very high quality podcasts of each of their speakers. Check out the TED download site. You will not be disappointed!


HARDWARE

DVG-567V HD Camera

Last week I mentioned Steve Holley turned me onto the FLIP Video camera. This week I am going to push the concept of that camera even further. I got one of the fantasy catalogs from B and H Photo this week and came across the DVG-567V HD video camera. It has the same form factor as the FLIP however it is a far superior device.It records to SD cards which you can plug directly into your computer for quick download. (Even easier if you use the SanDisk SD/USB card) It has an internal zoom lens and a macro/infinity switch for distant and close up video. Here is the best part! It shoots in 720p high definition!! You can also select among three different qualities/sizes of video capture.It is about the size of an iPod. Check out the specs and features below:I used it all for several days at the Serious Play conference. It is an outstanding device. Best part..it only cost $140 dollars. Be warned it does not ship with an SD card. If you add the cost of the camera and the cost of an SD card it is more expensive than the FLIP. The larger the SD card you use, the more record time you have. It only comes with PC software however the software is unnecessary because you can down load the QuickTime clips directly from the SD cards onto your Mac. Check it out at MacMall.

WEB APPLICATIONS

Photoshop Express

Adobe released a beta version of their free web-based photo tool called Adobe Photoshop Express.
iPhone News Application

Associated Press released a nice news aggregator this week for the iPhone. Check it out on your iPhone at http://www.apnews.com/ It can be customized to deliver news targeted to your area, multiple areas and world wide coverage. It works very smoothly.

This Weeks Discoveries

Below are this week's new software, hardware and web gems!

SOFTWARE

NIK Photoshop Plug-Ins

NIK Software makes great plug-ins for Photoshop and Photoshop Elements. I downloaded and experimented with one of their new offerings called Viveza. From within Photoshop you can use it to adjust color, saturation, contrast and a whole bunch of other stuff. What makes it unique and easy to use is their technology called "U Point powered Color Control Points." The software is not cheap however I am blown away by how well it works. Make sure and check out their demo video's. I also like NIK Color Efex as well.


WhatSize and Spring Cleaning

Periodically I take the time to remove files from the primary hard drives on my computers so they operate more efficiently, to make room for new projects and to back them up. Both WhatSize and Spring Cleaning help by identifying large files, duplicates and other stuff. They both work great.
Google Notifier

If you use Google Gmail as your primary email source definitely download Google Notifier for Mac's. It sits in the tool bar at the top of your screen and will notify you when you receive new mail and provide quick, direct access to your Gmail account.


HARDWARE

OWC 500 GB Portable Drive

OWC introduced a 500 GB portable, bus-powered drive this week. I have traveled with several of these during the last year and used them to back up digital photographs in the field. I have had no problems with the drive. It is compact and light. You can get it with multiple interfaces. I highly recommend it if you are in need of portable storage.
Logitech VX Nano Cordless Laser Mouse

While I like the touch pad on my MacBook I use a mouse when I can. Until Dennis Cadorniga introduced me to the Logitech VX Nano I have been using an Apple Bluetooth mouse. They work OK but tend to drop their connection when I move my laptop. I've had good luck with wireless mice except that the USB antenna protrudes so far out from the side of the laptop they always get knocked off. Not so with the VX Nano. The USB antenna is tiny and the mouse is a joy to use! Thanks for the tip Dennis!
FLIP Video Camera

During breakfast last week Steve Holley turned me onto an interesting little pocket video camera called FLIP Video. It is tiny, simple (one button) and inexpensive. I was amazed at the quality of video he showed me on his laptop that he made in Hawaii on vacation with his family! It is designed specifically for uploading to YouTube and your own web site. You can't beat the price! My daughter has it at a Lakers Game as we speak. I will post some footage next week.
WEB SITES

MacUpdate Promo

Some of my favorite software is from small developers in the form of shareware or freeware. I discovered a site this weekend called MacUpdate Promo that offers a-deal-a-day on Mac software. It's a site worth checking periodically.


Soundsnap

I visited a site this weekend that I read about in one of the Mac magazines called Soundsnap. It is a great site where you can download free sound effects to add to your films.


PRODUCT FOLLOW UP

Cradle Point Router

I have been using the Cradlepoint Wireless Hotspot Router all week. This is a device I mentioned last week that Dennis Cadorniga showed me. I works perfectly!

PRODUCTS TO AVOID

Laptop Sweater

I could not resist adding this photo to the blog. Damn, this is bad!!

More Cool Stuff!

I just finished reading "Inside Steve's Brain" by Wired writer Leander Kahney. Interesting book, fast read. There are many good ideas in this book no matter what profession you are in.I re-connected with an old friend of mine, Dennis Cadorniga, on Friday. Dennis has a technology consultancy based in Vancouver, Washington. Many of his clients are in Orange County. He is down about once a month to meet in person however he is able to help most people via Remote Desktop. Remote Desktop is an amazing piece of software that allows you to control, view and communicate with other computers from any location. I use it to control three computers with one screen and keyboard. It works flawlessly.If you need computer, blog, web support check out Dennis at CADCO.Dennis showed me an amazing WiFi device. It's called the PHS300 Personal Hotspot.

It creates your own personal WiFi network using a cellular USB modem such as those from Verizon. Rather than plugging the modem into the USB port of your laptop you plug it into the Cradlepoint device. The device broadcasts a WiFi signal that up to 11 people can use to connect to.

Another friend showed me his Nike Amp sports remote control. Besides being a cool watch it is designed to control your ipod when using it with the ipod sports kit.



Finally, to add a bit of humor, Sarah sent me this link months ago to a blog called "Stuff White People Like". It is absolutely hilarious!! Satire at its best!

This graphic showing Apple's tipping point is also interesting.