Evernote! (http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=281796108&mt=8) A few people have griped over the iPhone's limited note-taking capabilities. To you, I say install Evernote and shut up. True, it won't make typing your memoirs much easier, but the iPhone's a one-handed device. Not exactly a typewriter.
But if, like me, you understand a small device is good for short notes, Evernote has you covered. I'm loving the audio notes feature, mostly because talking into and listening to a phone is a normal activity. And because they're stored on the web, I can readily access them from my tablet when connected. This makes up quite nicely for the lack of a pre-installed voice recorder.
Photos are great too, particularly because Evernote can recognize and search text in images. Results vary with image quality, but I'm finding it to be great for screenshots.
One caveat: taking snapshot notes has been unreliable, but the system works fine if I take the photo first, then send to Evernote. Fine by me since I'd rather take the shot first then pick what I want to save. [+/-] Hide/Show Text [+/-] Hide/Show Text
With my first day with my iPhone behind me, here are the two apps that have me buzzing the most.
Pandora! (http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=284035177&mt=8) Builds a playlist based on traits of a song or artist you choose and streams the music to the iPhone. Perfect for the office since it vastly expands my music selection with songs that are appropriate for a work environment, but still within range of enjoyment.
Urbanspoon! (http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=284708449&mt=8) Being a vegetarian, I usually need to put some thought into where I can go out to eat. But now I don't have to bother. I can just shake my iPhone instead. Set the parameters then shake and Urbanspoon finds a restaurant to match. I may never choose a place to eat again. [+/-] Hide/Show Text [+/-] Hide/Show Text
After weeks of waiting for the lines to subside, I got my ticket for an iPhone 3G (http://www.apple.com/iphone/) this morning and went back to pick it up this evening. Laid my InvisibleShield (http://www.zagg.com/invisibleshield/apple-iphone-3g-cases-screen-protectors-covers-skins-shields.php) on it and I'm loading it up with data now. Photos posted on Picasa (http://picasaweb.google.com/sumocat666/IPhone3GScrapbook). [+/-] Hide/Show Text [+/-] Hide/Show Text
Skipped the iPhone hunting this weekend and picked up some blackberries. Actually Tanya picked them on a trip to a field, but I'm the one eating them in straight and crisp forms. [+/-] Hide/Show Text [+/-] Hide/Show Text
The other day I got caught up in the excitement of Apple tablet rumors (http://sumocat.blogspot.com/2008/07/iphone-maybe-i-should-wait-for-itablet.html). While it is a logical expansion for them, that's just one product, which by itself would not qualify as a "product transition". Thus, at most, it would only be one element of a bigger plan, which logic indicates would be a major push into mobile computing.
First, Apple reconfigured their .mac service into MobileMe (http://www.apple.com/mobileme/). It was launched with the iPhone 3G, but it includes Macs. Considering Apple's main product line is still computers, it is reasonable to believe they'll back up MobileMe with mobile Macs. That requires connectivity, which leads us to...
Macbooks with embedded 3G. Apple has resisted including mobile wireless connectivity in their notebooks. But now they have connectivity deals with companies in several nations. They are in a strong position to expand on that and bring mobile connectivity to their Macbooks (and iTablet).
Third, Apple has opened their hearts (and wallets) to subsidized pricing. Chop $200 off the price of a product (not the service) without chopping $200 off the margin. Apple products are perceived as expensive. This is one way to combat that perception and bring in more users, specifically those who want wireless broadband anywhere.
Unfortunately, none of this necessarily points to a tablet. It can all be implemented without launching such a product, but it would be a great cornerstone for this type of move, particularly with the features rumored. Time will tell. [+/-] Hide/Show Text [+/-] Hide/Show Text
The jokers at jkOnTheRun (http://www.jkontherun.com/2008/07/giga-omni-media.html) sold their blog to GigaOM (http://gigaom.com/2008/07/22/gigaom-acquires-jkontherun/). Why are they jokers? They aren't; I just couldn't think of a better nickname for the duo, like how I refer to the GottaBeMobile guys as "the mob". (And I recently sang the praises of the "definitive Joker" (http://sumocat.blogspot.com/2008/07/dark-knight-delivers-definitive-joker.html) in the Dark knight).
Anyway, considering I know the name "Om Malik", owner of GigaOM, primarily from mentions (and, I think, comments) on jkOTR, the acquisition makes sense to me. It should work out quite nicely for those jokers, I mean, distinguished professional bloggers. [+/-] Hide/Show Text [+/-] Hide/Show Text
The rumor mill is churning out the speculation on a Mac Tablet again, and the expectations are higher than ever.
First, Apple has let it be known they are planning a "product transition" (http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/21/an-itease-something-cool-and-cheap-from-apple/) and have a lot of new stuff in the pipeline. By "new" it is generally assumed they mean tablets because that would be the next logical step for them.
Second, Mike Arrington (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/07/21/we-want-a-dead-simple-web-tablet-help-us-build-it/) announces that he wants a web tablet, which stirs up excitement over the form factor. Rob Bushway (http://www.gottabemobile.com/Is+TechCrunch+For+Real+About+The+Web+Tablet+I+Dont+Think+So+And+Heres+Why.aspx), however, is skeptical, pondering if this might be Arrington's way of spilling the secret of an Apple tablet without actually saying it.
Third, check out this quote from a previously accurate informant for MacDailyNews (http://www.macdailynews.com/index.php/weblog/comments/rumor_apples_secret_product_is_macbook_touch/): [Think MacBook screen, possibly a bit smaller, in glass with iPhone-like, but fuller-featured Multi-Touch. Gesture library. Full Mac OS X. This is why they bought P.A. Semi. Possibly with Immersion's haptic tech. Slot-loading SuperDrive. Accelerometer. GPS. Pretty expensive to produce initially, but sold at "low" price that will reduce margins. Apple wants to move these babies. And move they will. This is some sick shit. App Store-compatible, able to run Mac apps, too. By October at the latest]
All that sounds extremely exciting. but as cool as a Macbook touch would be, does Apple have a compelling reason to launch such a product? Absolutely - iPhone apps.
Aside from the obvious cool factor of running iPhone apps on a full slate computer, the ability to build and test these apps on one machine would be tremendously useful for app developers. Seems like too small a market segment to bother targeting, except, as Windows has shown, the operating system with the most applications wins.
As Loren Heiny states directly (good luck to him (http://www.lorenheiny.com/2008/07/20/more-cancer-challenges-ahead/), BTW), The iPhone is the most interesting platform (http://www.lorenheiny.com/2008/07/20/the-iphone-is-the-most-interesting-platform/), and I agree: the device itself is incentive enough to attract developers. Add to that a dedicated venture capital fund and a distribution system built into one of the world's biggest media retailers. If Apple topped that off with a machine developers could use to build apps and test their interaction with multi-touch, GPs and accelerometer, they could dominate the mobile market through sheer volume of developers. Furthermore, having all those developers working in Mac OS X building apps for iPhone OS X should help to bring more apps to Mac, a persistent weak point for them.
This is, of course, all speculation, but the pieces are in place for Apple to cement their position in the mobile app market by releasing a product no one else can match. Those who can match the hardware, like Dell, don't have the software. Those who must fight Apple in the mobile app market, like Nokia, don't build computers. If Apple launches a tablet that hits those rumored features, it will give them a subtle but serious advantage. [+/-] Hide/Show Text [+/-] Hide/Show Text
Believe the hype: the late Heath Ledger (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heath_Ledger) delivers the best portrayal of The Joker (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joker_(comics)) ever. Ledger's Joker is the Joker.
Credit to the writers, including David S. Goyer, for capturing all the essential elements of the character and to Christopher Nolan for knowing what the character should be, but Ledger brings it to life. He is absolutely transparent; no trace of the actor, just the character - the villain that scares other villains.
Everyone else is fantastic as well, and the movie is incredible. Easily the best Batman movie. Arguably the best superhero movie. Possibly one of the best movies ever made. [+/-] Hide/Show Text [+/-] Hide/Show Text
Need to read my news feeds in the morning. Then I would have seen that Warner Crocker (http://www.gottabemobile.com/Off+For+A+Drive.aspx) was going to be at Fair Oaks mall this morning to get an iPhone. We could have hung out in line for those two hours between when he got there and when he found out he got there too late (http://www.gottabemobile.com/An+Interesting+Trip.aspx). Ouch.
I was there too but not nearly as early. Didn't need any Apple reps to tell me I wasn't going to make it. Fortunately, there was a doorbuster sale at JC Penney, so I picked up two much-needed pairs of pants at 50-60% off. They include extra pockets for stuff, like maybe an iPhone. [+/-] Hide/Show Text [+/-] Hide/Show Text
The mother of one of the Susans (http://sumocat.blogspot.com/2008/06/auspicious-week.html) with whom I work has fallen ill. Susan is taking time off to be with her.
At first glance, it would seem odd that I'd pen an entry for someone of such tangential relation, especially since I refer to her as Susan's mother, except for one thing: she follows the blog.
Susan mentioned the blog to her one day. She checked it out and decided she liked it. She's been a regular reader ever since and hopefully she will be for some time to come. Cura ut valeas. [+/-] Hide/Show Text [+/-] Hide/Show Text
Since I semi-broached the question in Rambles (http://sumocats.blogspot.com/2008/07/why-you-should-use-sideblog.html) when I mentioned Silver's Twitter (http://twitter.com/) sideblog, I thought I'd lay out my reasons for not going that route.
1. I don't IM. Micro-blogging (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micro-blogging) is kind of a hybrid of instant messaging and blogging. I'm not interested in the IM part of it.
2. Format limits. Sure, I'm limiting myself to so many characters anyway, but that's my limit, and I want the ability to blog photos directly.
3. I'm very familiar with Blogger. To get Links in Ink and my template just right, I had to get pretty intimate with Blogger's system. I know how to make it fit my needs.
4. Presentation is important. Micro-blogs are feeds first, web sites second. Due to the visual nature of my blogging style, I prefer the reverse.
In case I didn't make this clear, my sideblog, Sumocat's Rambles (http://sumocats.blogspot.com/), is going to be loaded with a lot of short entries. This should not be a problem for folks who visit the site, but for anyone subscribed to the full feed, you've probably seeing five times the entries.
You can deprive yourself of my random thoughts by subscribing to the ink-only feed, but to get the full Sumocat experience of random and composed thoughts, you'll need the full feed. However, if there is demand for it, I can offer a compromise.
Yahoo! Pipes (http://pipes.yahoo.com/pipes/pipe.info?_id=dEBP0tpR3RG0bZCoJZhxuA), which I use to splice my feeds, has many filtering options. I can weed out the really random stuff or otherwise cut down the rambles in the full feed. Leave a comment to let me know your take on it. [+/-] Hide/Show Text [+/-] Hide/Show Text
Despite the perpetual tangents, I haven't lost my focus on ritePen + nirCmd (http://sumocat.blogspot.com/search?q=ritePen+%2B+nirCmd). I am still loving the combo and have integrated the ink interface into my daily usage. I plan on demonstrating it in a screencast that will show how I use it to update the macro spreadsheet (basically using ritePen macros to create ritePen macros) and how it's enhancing my ink blogging system. We'll see if it gets done before I get my iPhone. [+/-] Hide/Show Text [+/-] Hide/Show Text
So now that the iPhone has gotten a price subsidy, I have to wonder what Apple will do to get the iPod Touch (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPod_touch) to be price competitive. Currently, it costs $100 more for a model with the same storage capacity as an iPhone, but with far fewer capabilities. Considering the iPhone is targeted at iPod owners with mobile phones, which includes pretty much anyone who'd get an iPod touch, the appeal of the iPod touch is quite narrow.
To boost its appeal, it needs a competitive price cut and to get that without cutting its profitability, it needs a subsidy. But who would offer it and why? How about AT&T to sell their broadband and hotspot service plans?
For their pro and elite DSL plans, AT&T already offers a $100 rebate if you order online, so anyone could make their own subsidy by taking that rebate and applying it to an iPod touch. These plans not only give you broadband at home, which includes a wireless router, but access to wifi hotspots. They're ideal plans for a wifi-only mobile Internet device.
For AT&T, this is a combo with built-in exclusivity since no one else offers both home broadband and hotspot service. For Apple, this is a no-loss way to sell the iPod touch at a better price. Best of all, the device doesn't need to be locked.
Shouldn't take much to get this going, particularly since you can build this deal yourself. Just a matter of Apple and AT&T deciding if they want to sell iPod + wifi package deals. [+/-] Hide/Show Text [+/-] Hide/Show Text
Barack Obama (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barack_Obama) has taken some flak for "refining" his position on the Iraq war. I offer him praise. In my opinion, refinement is a mark of intelligence and open-mindedness.
As demonstrated yesterday (http://sumocat.blogspot.com/2008/07/scribbles-is-3-rambles-is-0.html), I am continuously refining my methods and procedures. From technical stuff like blogging options to lifestyle systems like my fish boycott (http://sumocat.blogspot.com/2008/04/50-year-fish-boycott-two-years-and.html), I am always looking to improve my life now and down the road. That is my philosophy of refinement.
The situation in Iraq is fluid. It requires flexible handling, not the mindless and static policy of throwing move money and manpower at it practiced by the current administration. It is that distinct lack of strategy that I have persistently opposed.
