Category Archives: Gadgets & Apps

All posts that don’t obviously fit in one of the sub-categories go here.

MothBoard

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I just came across the coolest thing while reading the Library Thing blog:

“MothBoard allows you to create simple, private discussion boards for free, and without registration. Boards normally expire in two weeks, but you can extend their life indefinitely.”

I’m gonna try this here at smays.com as soon as I think of the right topic. Unlike complex, threaded forums, MothBoard just goes two deep (topic & reply). No endless replies-to-replies-to-replies. And if there isn’t sufficient interest to keep a topic alive, the board dies. As it should. Neat idea, stay tuned.

Shareing the nano

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Belkin Wireless Transmitter and NanoPopped into Staples today and picked up a Belkin TuneCast II Mobile FM Transmitter for the nano. The plan is to load up with tunes and podcasts for the long drive to Destin. I must say this model seems to work much better than the first one I tried and allows me to select any open frequency (instead of just 4 down at the bottom of the dial).

I’m listening more and more to podcasts. Favorites to date: Adam Curry’s Daily Source Code; Leo LaPorte’s This Week in Tech (TWIT); and NPR’s Tech News.

Frozen Nano: Apple feet of clay

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After gushing all over everyone about the superior design of my Apple Nano, the little bastard has locked up tighter than a drum. Frozen solid. Tried all the fixes suggested on the Apple website but to no avail. Even tried to run the “restore to factory pre-sets” app but couldn’t make the PC see the Nano. Hmm, just like any other computer device, it would seem.

Update: When the battery finally ran all of the way down, the Nano powered down. When I plugged it back in the the PC, it apparantly reset itself.

iPod Nano

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Zowie. Nobody needs to read one more gushing review of the iPod so I’ll try to tone this down, but…damn. The UPS man left a little cardboard box on the front porch today and inside was my iPod Nano. As in small. I already had iTunes installed with my meager music collection imported but syncing up with the iPod was about a 4 minute process. 259 songs…zip…in my shirt pocket.

I don’t remember very many computer experiences being this easy (I know, I know…the Mac thing). The user interface is…a thing of beauty. Sorted all my songs. Easy to navigate. And the sound? Well, I’m not audiophile but it sounded perfect to me. The iPod ads frequently talk about photos and I couldn’t imagine that being very useful, given the size of the screen, but I have to admit it’s kind of cool. I’ll put some more on.

It’s easy to see why these things (in all flavors) are selling so fast. I showed it to Barb and she immediately decided she wants one. Anniversary present, in the bag.

And you know what? I’ve had the thing for half a day and I’m already thinking, “Maybe I should head on over to iTunes and buy a few songs.” We’ll talk about podcasts in a future post.

iPod Nano

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Walt Mossberg calls the iPod Nano “the best combination of beauty and functionality of any music player I’ve tested — including the iconic original white iPod. And it sounds great. I plan to buy one for myself this weekend.”

I’ve tried three or four cheap little MP3 players and they work, sorta okay… but I’ve had iPod lust since I saw the first one. And the new Nano is just too much temptation. And, yes, I know I can get more gigs for less money blah, blah blah. I’m paying extra for the cool.

Every day there’s more and more interesting new podcasts out there so it’s time to gear up. Review to follow.