Category Archives: Gadgets & Apps

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

But will they have a radio?

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iPods are helping to drive increased demand for premium audio options in new cars. According to Telematics Research, 80% of 2007 models for sale in the U.S. will offer branded premium audio options from the likes of Bose and Harman/Kardon as optional or standard equipment up from 67% during the ’06 model year.

The most sought after feature in cars is support for Apple’s iPod. Last year, only 12% of vehicles for sale supported true iPod integration, while nearly 50% of the ’07 models support iPods. Meanwhile, auxiliary input is supported by nearly 60% of ’07 models. [Podcasting News]

BlackBerry Orphans

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Interesting story at WSJ.com about how hand-held email devices (BlackBerry, Treo, etc) are cutting into quality time at home. I’m never far from a computer so I have no stones to throw, but there seems to be something even more addictive about these devices. They are just so easy to use. So handy. And Barb’s Treo makes this insidious little tone when a new email comes in (“Check me! Check me!).

BlackBerryOne ninth-grader (in the WSJ story) says she has caught her parents typing emails on their Treos during her eighth-grade awards ceremony, at dinner and in darkened movie theaters. “During my dance recital, I’m 99% sure they were emailing except while I was on stage,” she says. “I think that’s kind of rude.”

Most of the senior managers in our company have BlackBerry’s and I’ll bet you a hot oil back rub on Oprah they’re using the little buggers right up until bedtime.

Update: NPR interview with the reporter that did the story and some of the people she interviewed.

Voice recording on the iPod nano

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One of my rationalizations for buying a new iPod nano was the Voice Memo feature. Plug a mic in and record directly to the iPod. I had no idea how well this would work until tonight when I plugged in a tiny little mic called the iTalk Pro from Griffin Technology.

Pops into the bottom of the iPod and records in mono or stereo. The interface on the iPod is a wonder of simple design.

I’ll let you decide on the quality but I can certainly imagine recording an interview with this delightful little gadget. And I’ve always got the nano with me anyway, so…

New and improved Blogger

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I made the jump from Blogger to Typepad a couple of years ago because Blogger was driving me nuts. All kind of problems and missing features. A number of Learfield bloggers and friends are still using the service so this link is for you. It’s an interview (video) with Eric Case who works on the Blogger team at Google. I’m posting here because it’s easier than trying to remember who to email.

How Fox streamed live video from cell phone

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Lost Remote reports Fox News had some of the first live video on the air from the scene of the NYC plane crash, thanks to a cell phone held by a Fox photographer. Turns out it was a Treo running CometVision software, which is set up to broadcast live video and audio with a touch of a button — even automatically alert newsroom staffers with an email.

Hardly perfect video but sure to get better and better. Now here’s a question for the men and women who work in Learfield network newsrooms: Can you think of any notable stories you could have better covered were you so equipped? A lot of what we cover is “talking head” stuff that doesn’t make for good video, but I’d like to hear your thoughts on this. [via Buzz Machine]

New Get a Mac ads (2006)

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Get a Mac adsIf you haven’t seen the new series of Get a Mac ads you probably will. The Better Results ad hits close to home for me because I used Windows apps to create videos for the three or four years. It worked, but…

Counselor and Self Pity both make their respective points very cleverly. I have never seen a campaign bring out so many different versions of an ad, so quickly, and keep the quality so high. [link above is to a compilation of all the ads]

Videocue: Your very own teleprompter

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Videocue is a clever little application that puts a teleprompter right on your Mac (I’m sure there are similar apps for Windows). Just type in your script and position it under the (built in) iSight camera on the MacBook and start recording. Drop in still images; control the scroll speed of the text… all for $29.00. The pro version includes Chroma Key (I can’t wait to do my first stand-up in front of the White House). I’m telling you, this thing is too cool for school. I usually just ad lib my videos but there are times you want to work from a script and this makes it a snap.

Thumbs up for Google Reader

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I first heard about RSS at a Gnomedex in Des Moines several years ago (Chris Pirillo was an early evangelist). Since then I’ve tried Feed Demon, My Yahoo!, Blogliines, Safari… and a bunch of other news readers that I can’t recall. I just never found one that felt right for me. All the while, the list of blogs and websites I read daily kept growing. Enter Google Reader.

Google Reader

I really like this thing. I’m on two or three different computers in a typical day so I want/need something web-based. I like the UI for the same reasons I like Gmail. And I can already see that I’m able to scan more sites in less time.

The Micro Mosquito

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The Micro Mosquito from Interactive Toy Concepts is a tiny high-tech toy helicopter that flies like the real deal. This radio-controlled copter can soar, dive and even hover in place. Available now at Radio Shack for $70, the Mosquito is rechargeable and flies for about eight minutes on one charge. This indoor toy includes a controller and a landing pad that doubles as a recharging platform.

The entire helicopter is six inches long with rotors 6.3 inches in diameter, and weighs less than an ounce. You can launch the Mosquito from any surface — a table, a hand or the floor — and it has two beady green L.E.D. eyes for night missions. It is made to work in small spaces but is susceptible to breezes and fans, making flights a bit dangerous if the window is open. (NYT)

Apple polishing

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Apple CEO Steve Jobs announced some new stuff yesterday. These events get Mac users hopping from one foot to the other and –now that I have a Mac– I sort of understand why. I can’t explain why, but I kind of get it.

Speaking of “get it” … I’ll eventually have to get one of the slick new nano’s (I just watched the amazing ad for same). The new Shuffle is literally wearable computing.

And there’s a new version of iTunes. I’m a sucker for a pretty UI and this is about as nice as they come. I haven’t seen them but there’s talk of a new series of Get A Mac ads poking fun at Windows efforts to mimic the sleek look and feel of the Mac OS. I’m sure Vista is/will be pretty but if the new iTunes is a hint of what the new Mac OS is going to look like… it’s no contest for me.

If you spend 90% of every waking moment looking at a computer, that time is more pleasant…more fun… if it’s Mac.