June 2011

Mac App Quick Look: unDock Brings Fast Drive unDocking for Mac

One of the things that bugs me about Mac OS X is the need to physically undock a drive before removing it. I understand the reasons, but it doesn’t make it less annoying and it does not mean I don’t forget to do so sometimes. (And each time I forget I receive the “you forgot to undock the drive you shmuck, and it can do damage!” warning.) unDock doesn’t make drive undocking automatic, but it does make it possible to remove all drives at once. As the app’s description explains, Time machine is wonderful, but it makes a mobile Mac…

eBooks, News

Borders eBookstore Moving to Kobo

If you’re one of the five people who purchased eBooks through Borders, I strongly recommend you log into your account and follow their instructions to port your library to Kobo. Teleread is reporting that Borders is no longer operating their own eBookstore, and any attempts at logging in or purchasing will lead you to instructions on how to move to Kobo instead. This should be fairly seamless since Kobo was doing all the behind the scenes work on Borders eBookstore. Any Borders eBooks you might have should work fine in Kobo’s desktop and smartphone applications, and of course, those books…

Editorials, Gear Bits

“The iPod touch Effect”, or Why RIM Could Have Been a Contender… but Isn’t: Part 2

Last week I wrote a post entitled “The iPod touch Effect”, or Why RIM Could Have Been a Contender… but Isn’t. In it I argued that even it Apple does not currently own the market they are positioned well for the long-term thanks to a little device known as the iPod touch. The Touch, I said, is now used by a huge number of kids who do not yet have a cell phone. Their love of the Touch, not to mention their having invested in apps and ringing up game scores, makes it more likely that they will go for…

Reviews

Smart Cover Enhancer iPad 2 Case Review

When the iPad 2 came out I happily purchased the Smart Cover. Over time I’ve developed an appreciation for its screen protection and stand functionality, but I can’t accept having absolutely no protection for the back. So, I went shopping. My goal was to find something that would: be a perfect fit, protect the device, work nicely with the Smart Cover, and not add too much bulk or weight. Those requirements led me to XGear’s Smart Cover Enhancer, one of the many available back covers (more reviews forthcoming!). The Enhancer snaps on and grips the iPad securely: no gaps…

Reviews

Vertu Constellation Quest Review – Vertu’s First QWERTY Smartphone

Last October we posted about the then upcoming Vertu Constellation Quest, Vertu’s first QWERTY keyboard phone, a phone which compared to all of their previous models was a veritable smartphone. Half-jokingly (or perhaps presciently), Larry stated that it might be my next phone, and when we were in Vegas for CES this January, I stopped by the Vertu boutique, so I could see one in person. I thought it was lovely; I asked for a catalog, I fantasized about putting one on my American Express for a minute or two … and then I stepped away from the boutique and…

Music Diary, News

Music Diary Notes:Watch Wynton Marsalis Live on UStream Today!

They say that music is the international language (actually, in Better Off Dead we learn that ‘love’ is that language), crossing borders and languages and cultures with its ability to transcend the spoken word. This afternoon two titans of the jazz music genre – Wynton Marsalis and Igor Butman – will join forces in a concert that will be streamed LIVE from Ukraine! Here are the details: America’s cultural ambassador, trumpeter Wynton Marsalis will join Russia’s premier jazz musician, saxophonist Igor Butman in a concert that reaches across time and geopolitical borders. Jazz — America’s model for collaboration and improvisation–…

Events

First Look: Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1

There is no question that it is thin and fast, but is the new Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 a contender? That’s the question Francis and I had at this evening’s Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 event in Manhattan. The event, sponsored by NetShelter in conjunction with Samsung, gave us the opportunity to check out the latest Honeycomb tablet. The Galaxy Tab 10.1 will be released in limited quantity next week. How limited? We learned tonight that it will be released in one Best Buy store in New York initially. That’s one way to try and ensure Apple-esque lines at a device…

Reviews

Mac Accessory Review: Magic Connector for Apple’s Trackpad and Bluetooth Keyboard

Elana and I are both using our MacBook Air’s as our primary computers and could not be happier. (She has an 11″ and I have a 13″.) Both of us have Rain Design’s mStand and love the simple, elegant way it raises the laptop up so that the screen is at perfect eye-level. And we both use a Bluetooth keyboard and pointing device. Elana uses Apple’s MagicMouse, and I use a Magic Trackpad. That’s where the issue comes in. Having the trackpad and keyboard separate from one another doesn’t work all too well at times. If I move the keyboard…

Reviews

USBFever Wide Angle + (Macro) + Fish Eye + 2X + 8X + 12X Telephoto Lens Combo for iPhone 4G

The world of photography with the iPhone, or iPhoneography, is a growing phenomenon and photography related apps are emerging faster than most can keep up. Most of these apps do little for enhancing the initial photography experience in that none allow for optical manipulation of the scene, merely digital. Enter USBFever.com and their Wide Angle + (Macro) + Fish Eye + 2X + 8X + 12X Telephoto Lens Combo for iPhone 4G.

Music Diary

Music Diary Notes: Lady Gaga Sells 1.1 Million – Who Wins, Who Loses?

A week ago I could have told you two things: first that Lady Gaga’s ‘Born This Way’ would debut in the #1 spot, and second that the Amazon ‘giveaway’ would push an awful lot of copies. What is the source of my mystical powers? The fact that even I, as a non-pop music person, knew the release date and other pertinent details long before the launch. I cannot imagine that anyone with any regular exposure to commercial TV or radio or the internet who didn’t know about this. How over-the-top was the promotion? From an article at MTV News: no…

Gear Bits

Amazon Free App Reminder Does What It Says – Amazon Android App Store

Ever since it was launched, we have extolled the virtues of the Amazon Android App Store, as well as pointed out a few issues with it. Like it or not, Amazon’s Android App Store has been well-received by Android users, especially since they have a different paid application available for free every day. I don’t know about you, but sometimes I get busy. So I don’t check the Amazon App Store every day. Which means I could miss out on such gems as Nuance’s FlexT9 keyboard for free. Well, an enterprising developer came up with a solution for those of…

Reviews

iPad 2 Case Review: Booqpad iPad 2 Agenda

So you love your iPad 2 but just aren’t read to go completely paperless. What to do? Well, you COULD carry your iPad and a separate notepad OR you could grab Booq’s new Booqpad for iPad 2. Yes, the Booqpad is a great example of “old-school meets new world”. It brings your iPad together with a writing tablet and even throws in spots for business cards, a few separate notes and a pen. It is one of the more unique designs we have seen when it comes to iPad 2 cases so lets take a closer look. From Booq: The…

Music Diary

Pop Goes the Music Diary: Kenny G … Musical Hack & Necrophiliac

I have gotten some flack from folks who see bias in my choices between ‘Music Diary Songs of Choice’ and ‘Pop Goes the Music Diary’: in short, they see me giving jazz and rock high praise, while being brutally critical of pop music. Well, given that one category is made for the money while the other is made for the sake of the music (if someone is playing jazz for the money alone they are terribly deluded), that shouldn’t be surprising. But there are more than a few examples of dreadful jazz music made for the sake of pandering to…

Reviews, Vehicles & Gear

2011 Ram 3500 Laramie Longhorn: All Hat AND the Rodeo

Ram Truck Brand managers first rolled out their new Laramie Longhorn package at the State Fair of Texas just in time for the annual Red River Rivalry between UT and OU. They followed that with a victory at the Texas Truck Rodeo and a fold-out spread in this year’s SI Swimsuit Edition. Recently a Laramie Longhorn-laden Ram 3500 Heavy Duty dually landed in my driveway for a week for me to opine. First let me express my disappointment at Ram as there was no lovely leather leggings in the rear seat area as shown on pages 2 and 3. (Must…

Music Diary

Music Diary Songs of Note: Nefertiti

If you are a jazz fan of any sort, chances are when you hear the word Nefertiti in the context of a song … you think Miles Davis. More specifically you recall the version of the Wayne Shorter composition that was the title and opening track of the epic 1968 Miles recording. Yet many other jazz fans might say ‘hey wait, there is a great 1976 Andrew Hill recording by that name’ – and they would be correct. So would those who point to the classic ‘Nefertiti, the Beautiful One Has Come’ by Cecil Taylor. I have been listening to…

Reviews

iPad 2 Case Review: The Joy Factory’s SmartSuit2

The iPad 2 is slimmer than the original iPad. It is lighter than the original iPad. It has two cameras so you can Facetime or shoot video. All of those were nice upgrades from the first iPad but none of them are the BEST feature of the iPad 2. No, the BEST feature, in my humble opinion, is the smart Sleep/Awake functionality. Within days of getting the iPad 2 I had forgotten that I even needed to use the home button to turn on the iPad. Now I simply put the cover over the screen and BAM! – it goes…

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