When I first started storing backups of photos and key files online, I signed up for Dropbox and free 2GB of storage. It became quickly apparent that was far too small, but I was too cheap to pay $100 to jump to the next level. Instead, I started using Microsoft Skydrive, now OneDrive; as of yesterday I have 121GB free!
I take a lot of screenshots when writing Gear Diary posts. Historically they have ben a disorganized mess that increasingly cluttered my desktop. Thankfully, Dropbox 2.4 offers a new feature that automatically saves screenshots to one’s Dropbox folder. That neatly puts all my screenshots in a single place and makes sharing them easier than ever. Get Dropbox 2.4. To activate this new feature, download Dropbox 2.4, launch it, got the preferences, and then select “Share screenshots using Dropbox.” It is that simple. But there is more. Dropbox 2.4 also introduces: Move to Dropbox: A context menu item that will show…
A couple of days ago, Dropbox added their app to the Windows Store for use in the Modern UI of Windows 8. Before this app became available, I had been using Box File Provider to access my Dropbox files via the Modern UI. If you are using an RT version of Windows, a Modern UI version is critical, as the desktop function is severely limited on the RT versions of Windows 8. There is always the option to access your files stored in Dropbox through the web browser interface, but I find that to be kludgy and not as easy…
Scansnap’s scanners have been a mainstay of my move toward a paperless life. They have also played a huge role in my digitizing much of my rabbinic library. I wrote about it here and here and here. The hardware is always top-notch and the software integrates with the hardware to create an excellent and seamless workflow. And while I have enjoyed using the mobile scanners I’ve reviewed it has been the desktop versions of the device that have truly been a huge help to me as I have continued to convert my documents and library into electronic formats. The company…
I’ve had a love-hate relationship with Android for some time; I’m not sure exactly when it started, but I think that it was around the time that I realized that just because an app was available, it didn’t mean I could necessarily install it on my phone. Lockdowns by carriers and various hardware limitations made Android apps non-universal across the platform, and that was a hard concept for me to accept. The very nature of Android being an open platform meant that the OS could be made to run on some rather unimpressive hardware, but it didn’t always run smoothly or offer a…
From now until 2013, we’re taking a look at some New Year’s Resolutions and Gear Diary ways to help keep them. New Year Resolution: Protect Your Data in 2013 This is one of those lessons you learn, forget, and then learn again once a data-loss disaster strikes. Here’s my story, and why DropBox’s PackRat feature is my new best friend. I have spent the last year on and off creating an interactive iBook that can be used by all my Bar Mitzvah students to help them study toward becoming a Bar or Bat Mitzvah. The iBook has the prayers the…
Project Title: Home Aquaponics Kit: Self-Cleaning Fish Tank That Grows Food Status: Funded, with only 37 hours left (at this posting) Closing Date for Funding: 1:59am CST December 15, 3012 URL of the Project: Home Aquaponics Kit From the Creatives: Grow fresh produce right in the comfort of your own home – beans, basil, thyme, baby greens, oregano, mint, parsley, spinach and so many other delicious foods! • So what’s happening inside? The fish, they poo and they pee, and all that waste-water gets broken down by beneficial bacteria into nutrients • The waste-water from the fish is then pumped up…
Everyone wants to get you storing your files and photos on their service, because that gets you into their ecosystem and infrastructure. So with Apple there is iCloud, Google has Google+ and others, DropBox and others offer auto-uploads, and Amazon has their own Cloud Drive. Now Amazon has an app that manages your photos and automatically uploads them to your Cloud Drive and can share to Facebook and other sites. Here is the description: Never lose the photos from your phone again. Get 5 GB of free storage to protect and store your phone’s photos with Amazon Cloud Drive. Access…
As I work harder and harder to get away from using paper, I’m finding that a number of digital solutions are key to the process. For example, my iPad now lets me gather and read not only all my books but also many of the PDFs that I use. In fact, as Carly mentioned in a post last year, I use my iPad as my prayerbook when leading services. It’s convenient, it forces me to think through all of the specific cues beforehand (not that I wouldn’t anyway), and it’s easier on my damaged hands and wrists. This was the…
We’ve long been fans of ioSafe. We’ve spent time with them as they burnt, crushed and soaked hard drives. We’ve seen the drives abused with shocking results. We also taken shotgun shots as their drives. Now ioSafe has taken things even further. They’s turned to Indiegogo to help fund their newest endeavor, the ioSafe N2. Before we dig into this more deeply take a minute and watch the video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=1LdY2Fe6IUM The company describes the ioSafe N2 as “Disaster-Proof Private Cloud – like an aircraft black box for personal or business data”. I think that is a pretty apt description. Whereas…
Type of app: iOS, Universal for iPad and iPhone Platform/where to buy: iTunes, App Store Developer: Nikolaj Schumacher Description (from the App Store): A shopping list. Simple. Free. Major features: This is a straightforward shopping list. It keeps a master list of items you add regularly, making it easy to rebuild shopping lists each week. It also lets you create multiple lists for different stores, offers Dropbox sync, and has a setting that prevents screen timeout (for those times you are shopping and referencing the phone repeatedly) Ease of use/Overall performance: This has a surprising number of features for a…
I am always on the lookout for simple and secure backup solutions and good methods for syncing personal files across multiple devices. I use Dropbox and Google Drive, but have always liked the idea of my own personal cloud solution for more confidential information. I have been using The free Tonido program on my home Mac, iPad, iPhone and Google Nexus 7 for a few months, and it has worked quite well. I have not purchased the Tonido Plug, but had been considering it for a few weeks until Pogoplug announced a great deal on the Pogoplug Classic device and storage….
We’re back with another “Best Apps for…” This time out we’re looking at the Best Apps for Taking Notes… Judie: The built-in notes app is great for quick jots, but for heavier duties, I can’t recommend AudioNote highly enough! (iPad version here.) Dan: Judie, but there is no sync except over local WiFi with Audio Note? Judie: Dan, when I’m trying to listen to a lecture, meeting or in the middle of an important interview, the audio coupled with time-stamped (in relation to the recorded audio) is invaluable. It’s not that big of a deal to me to sync later. Chris: I use…
Amazon Prime Streaming “Ronin” on Nexus 7 Flash is dead…or is it? Although Adobe Flash is no longer support on the latest version of Android 4.1 (Jellybean), that does not mean you can’t enjoy the benefits of Flash content and movies. The move from flash-based content to HTML5 has been long underway but the truth is that the internet is still riddled with flash content including the one of the “King’s of Media”, Amazon Prime. Without Flash it is simply impossible to stream Amazon content to your new Nexus 7 tablet. When you go to the Play Store and…
In Part 2 of our GearFest Gear Chat we take a look at some of the apps we use and love. Check the bottom of the post for links to each Gmail Get it. Documents to Go Get it. Blogsy Get it. Bento 4 Get it. Type on PDF Get it. Pages Get it. IA Writer Get it. Elements Get it. Scanner Pro Get it. TouchRetouch HD Get it! And since we mention how much more we are now using our iPads to take pictures… here are some of my favorite camera apps! Photogene Get it! ColorSplash for iPad Get…
This isn’t an uncommon exchange these days … The other person says, “Dan, let me make a copy of this document for you.” To which I reply, “No need.” as I pull out my iPhone or iPad, fire up the Scanner Pro app and snap a picture of the document or picture in question. Yes, who needs photocopiers when you can quickly and easily snap a picture with a high-quality phone or tablet camera? And as apps like Readdle’s Scanner Pro for iOD becoming increasingly powerful this unexpected use for mobile devices will only grow. The latest update to Scanner…
My move toward becoming increasingly paperless began a number of years ago when I saw my cousin Jamie’s ScanSnap scanner. I was impressed with the speed with which it was able to create digital copies of hard documents. I bought the same scanner and then, when I “saw the light” a year later, swapped it out for the version that worked with Macs. (Current models work with both Windows and OS X.) In the years since I have used and reviewed a number of other ScanSnap scanners. In spring of 2010 I reviewed the S1300. (Read the review.) And last…
I started using Dropbox several years ago at Thomas’ recommendation. At the time, I didn’t think I’d be using it for that much, so the 500MB that came in the free account seemed just right. I even managed to pick up some additional free storage space, because I did things like tweet about it, connect it to my Facebook account, and upload some photos. And then one day, I realized that I was using my Dropbox account in new ways I had never expected to: I was sharing folders with collaborators, uploading all of my family pictures and genealogy files,…
Now that baseball season is upon us in full swing and summer is approaching, I found it proper to feature a baseball app in this week’s Blue Plate Special. My kids have been playing tee ball and coach pitch and making dad proud; we have already made it to a minor league game in San Antonio. Baseball is in our blood and a beloved summer activity. I actually learned about Flick Home Run from one of my students that thought I might enjoy it. Boy were they correct! Now I am able to take a little batting practice anytime I…
When MobileMe turned into iCloud, those of us who had dumped hundreds of dollars into the service hoped that Apple would ‘throw us a bone’ for the years of loyalty. And they did – we got the 20GB storage level for free until June 2012. Here is the section from the FAQ: MobileMe members with 20GB of purchased storage receive a complimentary iCloud storage upgrade of 20GB, and accounts with additional purchased storage (40GB to 60GB) receive a complimentary upgrade of 50GB after moving to iCloud. These free upgrades are good through September 30th, 2012. After that date, you can…
This morning HTC has announced the HTC One V, the latest of the HTC One series. We’ve covered the One X and the One S, and later this summer it looks like we’ll have another version to look forward to. If you like Android phones, these have proven to be some of the most exciting available. The One V will be running Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich), and it will feature a a 5-megapixel camera with f/2.0 back illuminated sensor. The One V will have HTC Video Pic™, and will be able to capture “still photos while simultaneously recording HD video.” The One…