Category: Technology | Page 2 | Shiny Bits of Life

March 24, 2015March 14, 2015

Apple Watch and intended sales

Back of iPhone showing apple logo I wonder how many people will walk into an Apple Store after April 24th and then find out that they need an iPhone for their desired new timepiece to function.

Yes, Apple will be selling a fair number of iPhones to Android people who must have the latest toy.

This is very clever on their part. Apple’s share of the smartphone market has been slipping a little over the last few years. This strategy will maybe change that trend.

It’s the only product I know that has the same internal mechanism but varies in price from $349 to $17,000 – depending on the shell. (My UK friends who are so inclined will pay between £299 and £13,500.) What a price to pay for appearances!

I have to admit that if it weren’t for a number of un-planned-for recent necessary expenditures, I would be very tempted to buy the base model, even though I don’t wear watches. (If I could afford it, I would start wearing an Apple Watch.)

August 6, 2014

I quit Foursquare

swarm app download request screen shot Foursquare was fun, while it lasted. I checked in at interesting places I visited and shared those with some of my social media friends. I enjoyed seeing where they checked in too. It was great to not use Facebook for that, as I never want to overwhelm any social media channel with too much stuff about me.

Then Foursquare switched things up. Now it’s just a platform for advertising. (Google Maps already allows me to look for businesses quite well, thank you.) Foursquare forced anyone who wanted to keep checking in to download a new app called Swarm. Not me.

This is a perfect example of bad friction. Good friction is when something is a challenge and you dive in. Bad friction is when something happens that breaks the camel’s back.

September 17, 2013September 6, 2023

The value of retro

Crosley turntables Old things can be good. And sometimes Gen-Z recognizes that.

Heather and I went to a folk music concert. The 27-year-old songwriter told of how he was so proud to have his latest recording on vinyl. Cassettes killed vinyl many years before he was born. And yet vinyl records have made a comeback.

I took this photo in Urban Outfitters, a store that’s so cool I should not be allowed inside. The average customer is about 20 years old. They are not selling anything that plays digital music, as all their customers have smartphones that play digital music.

They are selling record players because there is something warm and friendly about listening to the pops and background noise that is integral to listening to a record. Playing vinyl requires involvement. You can only listen to 25 or 30 minutes of music, and then it’s time to get up to turn the record over (unless you have a record changer). It’s a good exercise to turn the record over. You must decide if you want to hear Side B or put on something completely different.

Record album jackets (and sleeves) often offer deeper information than notes on Spotify. It’s also a little harder to see the lyrics on your phone – if they are available – compared to seeing the entire song on a record sleeve. Records often include all the lyrics of the album’s songs.

Many purists will tell you that they greatly prefer analog to digital, hands down.

Think about what retro thing you enjoy and share it as a comment on a post on my Instagram feed.

September 12, 2013September 12, 2013

On gadgets

Quote from Cliff Kuang I thought this quote was appropriate, since the launch of the newest generation of Apple’s iPhones (the 5C and the 5S) happened earlier this week.

Credit goes to Cliff Kuang, a senior editor with Fast Company magazine. If you haven’t read that magazine, I’d highly recommend it. However, to enjoy it, you should already enjoy new technology, business and rapid developments in culture.

May 7, 2013May 1, 2013

Bring your phone

manhole cover I took this photo during an evening walk with my iPhone. I used no filters. I did nothing to it in Photoshop.

The weird colors were just part of the manhole cover. I’m not sure who painted the edges green or how rust seeped through the white paint to give a pinkish tinge.

My point is to always bring your camera with you. If you have a smartphone has a decent camera, all the better – you’ll have it with you to get that shot you would otherwise miss.

November 26, 2012November 21, 2012

Fantasy engineering

weeds in sidewalk cracks Weeds growing in sidewalk cracks – a very common sight. Think of how much money and time would be saved if one engineer would invent some kind of flexible, strong and long-lasting caulk that could go in the cracks…

– Time spent replacing broken and eroded concrete would be lessened.

– Time spent removing the weeds would be prevented.

– Money spent funding workers to do both would be saved.

So come on, engineers, find an investor and go for it!

May 8, 2012July 11, 2012

Amazing cameras

The cell phone has replaced the point-and-shoot camera.

If you have an older phone, its camera is probably not very good, but if you’ve bought a recent smart phone, you now know how good a cell phone’s camera can be.

I’ve always been a proponent of small digital cameras. (My second, in about 2002, was a tiny Sony that was incredibly simple to use. I still love Sony cameras – my current non-cell-phone camera is a Sony.) The easier a camera is to use, the more often you’ll take photos. And if it’s small and light enough, you will carry it in your pocket, thus increasing your chances of not missing a shot.

Software is the biggest reason why smartphone cameras rule photography today. I took the photos below with my iPhone 4S and used the Dynamic Light app to add effects. B is way over the top, but the filters make the picture a lot more interesting. I applied filters with a little more care to create D. You might argue that C (the original) is better, but I like the more dramatic result of D.

And then there is the ability to share your photos. With a regular camera, it takes a lot of work to share a photo with your friends. With a smartphone app, it’s just a few clicks away. Creating art is great, but sharing art is even better.

In-phone photo apps are extremely easy to use. A professional using Photoshop would spend ten times the effort to gain a similar result. And yes, a “real” camera will give an amateur photographer better results, at least for the original. But again, the hassle of lugging around a huge camera will cause many lost shots – and memories of life events.

Another photo app I enjoy is Camera Awesome, if only because of the fun messages is provides while the image is processing. “Carmelizing kraken tenacles.”

Go forth and have fun with a smart phone, if you are able.

iPhone photos comparison using filters

September 30, 2011October 1, 2011

Another modern life problem

Spotify application How many times these days do you have problems getting support for a product or service? Tons, I’d guess.

I joined Spotify Premium a week or two ago. The concept is great – being able to have access to more music than is in iTunes and be able to have whatever I want on my iPod (as long as I keep subscribed via the $10 a month subscription).

As I said, the concept is great. Reality? It doesn’t work. I was able to get only one album to sync to my iPod, and then no more music would sync.

Support? I tried every avenue: Google search, their help pages, email help – nothing.

So I’m calling you, Spotify – help or I’ll quit.

(Updates 1. Spotify did respond by email, though their response did not totally solve the problem. and 2. Thanks to a friend, I will maybe be able to get to the root of the problem; see comments.)

A huge contrast is 1and1 web hosting. They are great! Real humans answer the phone, 24/7. I’ve called in a ton of times and almost every time, I get satisfaction. Their rates are also among the best in the business. If you need to host your website or grab a web address of your very own, I’d highly recommend them. (Note that this is an affiliate link; if you click through and sign up, I’ll get a few cents out of the deal.)

August 8, 2011August 10, 2011

Advance?

MyLincoln Touch ad Lincoln is moving forward with their technology. The on-board MyLincoln Touch system has all kinds of things that your internet-connected home computer offers: the ability to upload photos, find music, and sync your contacts.

The problem is that many of those things should only be done when you are parked. And they would all be done much easier on an iPad. The $400 cost is not much less than an iPad, and you can use an iPad in far more places than your Touch system.

Park your car, queue up the songs you want, plug your iPad or iPod into your car stereo – and then drive. You don’t need photos or contacts in your car’s computer anyhow.

If you’re in the market for a new Lincoln MKX, maybe consider a used Acura MDX or Honda Pilot for a third of the price and an iPad for each member of your family (or for several of your friends).

This ad appeared on the back cover of the September 2011 Automobile magazine.

June 16, 2011August 10, 2011

The loss of something

As life moves forward, we lose some things.

When I was a kid, my family had encyclopedias. I used to enjoy sitting down and reading them. Or skimming them to find interesting articles. Hours and hours of my childhood were spent learning that way.

Today, kids have Wikipedia and Google. Both offer huge advantages over encyclopedias. But some things are lost. I wonder how many kids spend hours combing Wikipedia for interesting articles.

I have a Kindle, and I love it. But it’s far from perfect.

Recently, I learned of a high school not far away that is “paperless.” No books, except eBooks. Again, some good things come with that – but some things are lost.