Editorials

Picture this: Photography in the iPhone world, part I

pho·tog·ra·phy (f?-t?g’r?-f?) n. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition defines photography as: 1)The art or process of producing images of objects on photosensitive surfaces. 2)The art, practice, or occupation of taking and printing photographs. 3)A body of photographs. A photograph is merely defined as “an image, especially a positive print, recorded by a camera.” Photography has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. It started as it did in most families with dad snapping the shutter at all major holidays and events in our lives. I remember my first camera…

Editorials

My iTunes Store Customer Service Interaction Was a Good One

I’ve done more than my share of complaining about Apple’s iTunes App approval process. And for good reason; they are, at times, far too heavy-handed and not nearly transparent enough. And I’ve done my share of complaining about Apple in general. And for good reason; while their products are awesome there are times when their secrecy and arrogance are over the top. So when I had an encounter with Apple’s iTunes Customer Service that was pleasant… and positive… I thought I owed it to them to share it. I got my iPhone 4 on Wednesday. I loaded all my apps…

Editorials

Apple iTunes Will Not Take My Money but the Apple Store Will? It’s a Head-Scratcher For Sure

I ran into an issue the other day while using iTunes; I wanted to purchase a $50 gift card for a friend, but I couldn’t because the iTunes store said that I had “exceeded the maximum Gift certificate purchase amount for [my] account.” Confused, I took a look back at my recent purchases and found that I had only spent $200 in the past year on gift certificates, so what was the problem? I even changed my credit card, just in case it was an American Express limitation, but using Discover I ran into the same error message. Reading the message…

eBooks, Editorials

Attrition in the eBook Ranks!

It’s been an interesting week in ebook-land. We’ve seen the opening shots of a price war, and the beginnings of what may prove to be many players dropping from the ebook market. It’s an exciting time to be an ebook fan, so read on for more details and exciting news! First, in case you missed it earlier this week, B&N attempted to gain the upper hand in the ebook world with a twofold strategy. First, they announced a WiFi-only nook for $149, effectively out doing Borders Kobo Reader, and then they dropped the price of the famous original nook to…

Editorials

Apple’s FaceTime Slight of Hand – It Isn’t About Video Chat

Two days into using Apple’s new FaceTime on the iPhone 4, and I’m coming to a realization… despite what Apple may say, FaceTime isn’t about video chat, it’s about Apple moving into yet another area of communications. Bear with me while I try to explain… With the arrival of over 600,000 new iPhone’s Apple has quickly introduced a brand-new communications system. Going by the name of FaceTime, it is the first implementation of mobile video chat that actually works. No let me correct that: it doesn’t merely “work”, it works really, really well! So long as you have a high-speed…

Editorials, Game Diary

Do Kinect and Move Make PC Gaming Look Like a Bargain?

An interesting thought came up in some post-E3 discussions with friends: with the introduction of the new Kinect for the XBOX 360 and Move for the Playstation 3, has console gaming become more expensive than being a PC gamer? Common wisdom through the years has been that PC gaming is more expensive, that you need bleeding edge equipment and a two-year upgrade cycle, and will pay up to 10x the price of a console for a decent gaming computer. But is that still true? Over the last four years since the latest console generation arrived PC prices have plummeted, and…

Editorials

Do I Still Need a Flip Camcorder If I Have an iPhone 4?

We received this question from one of our readers… here are the answers from our editorial staff… Dear Gear Diary, Does iPhone 4 kill the flip? I’ve wanted something like that for a while but think the new iPhone might be as good or better. Signed, Flipping Out For The iPhone 4 Dear Flipping Out, Dan: I love my Flip Video Camera. I really do. But I do worry about their future… unless they make one significant change in a hurry. When the iPhone 3GS came out and had the ability to shoot video, I questioned how it might impact…

Editorials, Game Diary

My Summary of Sony’s E3 Presentation: Buy Our 3D TV’s, We Make a Better Wii-Mote, People Are Too Dumb for the PSP

I am honestly beginning to believe that hubris is so tightly ingrained in the Sony Corporate culture that ‘berate the customer day’ likely stands alongside ‘casual Friday’ as a regular occurrence. OK, perhaps that is a bit harsh, but what came out of the mouths of Sony at their E3 press event were definitely NOT the words of a company in DEAD LAST in every possible category of gaming for the last several years who should be looking to ingratiate themselves with the customers who had previously made them the biggest name in console gaming. How bad is it? Nearly…

Editorials

Why Does AT&T’s Android Crippling Matter?

Android Central is reporting that the HTC Aria will be getting a bit of a lobotomy. You see, AT&T apparently hates the idea of sideloading apps. Sideloading means you can add apps that are not part of the regular Android marketplace through over the air download or via the USB cable on your computer. It’s for installing beta software, or software that’s only distributed through a developer’s site, and many of these are not as obscure as you’d think… Just to give you a few examples, I was away on a business trip last week. While I was there, I…

Editorials

Mac Mini Updated and Priced to Sell iMacs, that is

Image courtesy of GeekyGadgets By now you have likely heard that Apple did a refresh on the Mac Mini, greatly overhauling the internal and external hardware and enhancing the overall specifications … and the price. The basics are as expected – more or less a copy of the 13″ Macbook Pro with more desktop-like set of connectors. The big new features include the addition of a HDMI port, upgrade of the graphics chip, and the sleek new look. Here are some details: Most notable is the new aluminum unibody enclosure, which stands just 1.4″ tall and features an easy-to-access memory…

eBooks, Editorials

Will eBooks Rise from Borders Ashes?

(underlying image courtesy Unwitting Wit) Teleread featured an interesting article today from Laura Dawson, a publishing consultant. She believes that Borders is going to die, and the loss of a major bookstore chain will trigger more ebook adoption. It’s an interesting theory and it has merits, but I also think there are some reasons why it isn’t perfect. For starters, here’s a sample conversation from when I helped close the Framingham, MA Borders store back in 2005: Customer: Wow, I am so upset you guys are closing! I shop here all the time! (In my head): If you shopped here…

Editorials

Is the Dream of Being a Mobile Worker Really a Nightmare?

[image via MidCo Systems ] My friends frequently give me a hard time over my obsession with mobile technology. Like the rest of the Gear Diary team — and very likely the majority of the site’s readers — I do my best to not only stay up to date but to get a lot of hands on use with various technological gear that help to untether me from the confinement of a desk. To me that’s the real point of it all: the freedom to go do what you want, when you want and still be able to take care…

Editorials

Does Android Need Custom Skins?

News has been leaking out over the last few days about the new Motorola Droid phones. They sound amazing, with high-end specs like a 4.3-inch screen, 8-megapixel camera, even HDMI out. Unfortunately, it looks like Moto is also going to be slapping MotoBlur on these phones, and that’s a huge disappointment for me. It’s not that I think stock Android is the greatest thing since sliced bread. To be honest, it’s far too plain for me. But I fix that with home replacements. I’ve tried several and for now have settled on LauncherPro. It’s simple, it’s customizable, it doesn’t slow…

Editorials, Vehicles & Gear

Chevy vs. Chevrolet: Social media schools GM

Call it a simple misunderstanding or an experiment in the power of the new social media, but General Motors quickly found out yesterday just how fast and wide a wildfire of emotion can spread electronically. No sooner did word come out from the General that anyone with corporate connections needs to shy away from using the nickname “Chevy” than the interwebs heated up to a frenzy level calling this decision anywhere from a bad choice to downright un-American. Wow, Chrysler did not get this much guff when they told everyone last year they had to start calling their pickup a…

Editorials

iPhone 4: As Far As The iPhone Can Go?

When iPhone 4 was announced I’ll admit it, I was giddy. Apple’s newest creation looks to be almost as revolutionary as the first iPhone they released. Jammed packed into arguably the sleekest, most stylish handset on the market, are a ton of features. Some of the highlights that really stand out? Multitasking Orientation Lock Video Calling Gyroscope iMovie Only 9.3MM thin Glass Front and Back 960×640 Screen Better Battery 5 MP Camera with LED Flash HD Video A4 Chip Portrait Lock iPhone 4 looks to have almost every feature I could ask for in a mobile device. And to top…

Editorials, Game Diary

Sony Casts ‘Rewrite History’ to Explain the PSPGo Flop

Way back in the fall of 2009 Sony introduced the PSP Go. Before releasing the system, they touted the all-digital system based on the appealing physical form, the removal of the slow & noisy UMD drive, the ease of using the PSN store, and the new PSP Mini games. With the rumored UMD-to-PSN trade-in system, the system looked appealing despite being much more expensive than the PSP-3000. But then suddenly, shortly before the system launched, Sony killed any sort of ‘UMD to PSN’ transition system, killed any pack-in games for North America, confirmed that many games wouldn’t arrive at the…

eBooks, Editorials

MyPadMedia Just Won’t Quit

We’ve warned, exposed, and ranted about myPadMedia, but they just won’t stay down! The latest from them shows they’re just getting more brazen as this saga continues. First, I received this email from manybooks.net over the weekend: Hi Carly, I’ve just read your article exposing myPadMedia’s mis-use of Feedbooks.com, and I think they’re doing the same thing to manybooks.net If you still have an account with myPadMedia would you mind logging in to see if that is the case? I had a few emails from folks yesterday asking for refunds, and if I’ve guessed correctly then I may have blocked…

Editorials

iPad Quick Tip- These Don’t Mix Well With iPads…

Here are just a few things that don’t mix well with your new iPad… 1. Water Duh! 2. Magnets I got an email from my friend Michael who warned me about getting any case that has even the smallest of magnets. Seems his brand new case is completely messing up the iPad’s ability to serve as a GPS thanks to the havoc the magnet plays on the device’s compass. I pulled out the Orbino case I am reviewing and, sure enough, the tiny magnets that hold the cover down make the compass spin like a top as you move it…

Editorials

C25K Week 4: Zoom, Zoom

Larry: Week 4 of the C25K is in the books. This week’s 3 work outs consisted of: Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then: Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes) Walk 1/4 mile (or 2-1/2 minutes) Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes) I did all three workouts outside, on a new route. I definitely felt some progress this week. Running is becoming easier, although that first 5-minute run was tough! It’s good to feel progress as it makes…

Editorials

Dear Apple and Nuance, You’ve Been Dating Long Enough… Time To Get Hitched

I’ve never had much luck as a matchmaker. In fact I am perfectly horrible at it. Still, this is one time when I am pretty sure that a marriage ought to take place. That’s right, I think it is time for Apple and Nuance to start getting serious about one another. Sure, Nuance now owns MacSpeech Dictate and Scribe which run on OS X. And yes, Nuance’s Dragon Dictation and Dragon Search work beautifully on the iPhone and iPad. But that’s just dating. I want to see them take the next step. And what is that next step? I want…

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