Category: technology

I’ve switched over to Chrome as my primary browser. I had been using Safari exclusively for a while, but I think right now the Chrome browser is the one for me. The plain version of both of those browsers are more alike than different, but when you start adding extensions and plug-ins, some differences start to kick in.

I had tried the Rockmelt browser for a little bit and I liked it. I really liked the Facebook integration and the RSS feeds were handy as well. But it wasn’t quite what I wanted. When I used Safari, I also used a program called Socialite to keep track of and notify me to updates to my friend’s Facebook pages and my Google reader RSS feeds. Rockmelt gave me the Facebook updates, but I still had to do something else for my Google Reader. I think I’ve finally been able to condense everything into one browser with the use of Chrome and some extensions. Here’s what i’ve installed into Chrome.

1) Facebook for Google Chrome. This gives me a small icon in the upper right side of the browser and alerts me when there is an update to my wall, a post I made, or a message sent to me. I can click on it any time and a small pop-out window will show up and allow me to read all of my friends’ posts and update my status. With this I can keep track of things without having to go to the page very often or use another program. it’s one of my most used things on the web.

2) Notifier for Google reader. Like the Facebook extension, this gives me an icon in the upper right of my browser and tells me when there are posts made to any of the RSS feeds I follow in Google reader. This is my second biggest use of the web, and this allows me ready access to the headlines and the ability to mark it read or to pop right to the article in a new tab. A great extension.

3) FlashBlock. This functions in a similar way that Click to flash does in Safari. If there is Flash content in a window, it will blank out the area, but I can activate it by clicking on it. I can also whitelist sites with it as well. Flash in Chrome is nice because it is embedded inside of it. Google updates it with the the browser, I actually have uninstalled flash as an internet plug-in. No muss, no fuss.

4) A Cleaner YouTube. This really has to be seen to be believed. Here’s a typical YouTube page with this extension enabled:

It is a much better experience without all that clutter.

5) Add toAmazon Wish list. Pretty self explanatory. Makes it easy to keep track of all your greedy thoughts as you surf the web.

6) Auto HD for YouTube. Automatically plays videos on YouTube at the highest available resolution. Great for those of us with high speed connections.

7) Google Voice. This gives me an icon to click on whenever I want to make a phone call. I’m using this for as many of my phone calls as possible because I like using it more than my cruddy phone, and it’s free. This makes it a little quicker to get to it.

8) RSS subscription Extension. This gives me an icon next to the RSS link that will add it to my Google reader subscriptions. Mighty handy.

9) Wikipedia Companion. This gives me a pop out mini wikipedia in my browser. This allows me to quickly look things up at a moment’s notice and then pop out of it when I’m done.

10) YouTube Downloader. I can download any video I watch on YouTube. Since I have the Cleaner Youtube extension installed, I have to click on the link that says, “ShowComments, Favorites, etc.” on the bottom of the video. Among those other things, I get a download button. I can pick the resolution and format (flash or MP4) from the available options. This makes it really easy to get videos for my iPod touch.

With all of these things installed, I can browse the way I like. You can get Chrome here and browse the extensions here. have fun!

Here are some great extensions to add to Safari to improve your browsing experience. You can get them here. If you’re on a Mac, you should definitely take a look at that page.

1) Youtube5 will automatically switch all youtube videos from flash to html5. This makes your computer run much cooler and have much better battery life.

2) Feedly turns your google reader feed into a magazing type of layout. A much more attractive way of viewing your RSS feeds.

3) Macrumors minimal makes macrumors look soooooo much better. For some of us, that site is a must read every day…

4) Facebook improved cleans up facebook removing the ads and a lot of the other garbage.

5) Add to Google reader allows you to add a RSS feed to your google reader list just by clicking on the RSS button in the URL bar.

All of these add great features and/or clean up the sites I visit all the time. I keep checking to see what new extensions are released and will let you know if I find any other good ones to have,,,

Bento is a personal database program for Macs made by Filemaker. It’s a database program for those of us that don’t really want to take the time to learn how to use an actual database. So what does it do?

Imagine having a table of information. It could be anything, pieces in a collection, addresses, bills you have to pay, health records, whatever. You could arrange it in a spreadsheet so it is all organized, you could even use  it to calculate stuff if there were numbers involved. Now imagine taking that info and adding pictures to each item in that group. Imagine being able to tie contacts or calendar events to those items. In addition, imagine being able to tie just about anything else to that information that you might think of. Things like URLs, ratings, times, dates, etc. can easily be added to those items. All of it is searchable by those tags as well. That’s Bento.

Bento is a great way of organizing info for all sorts of purposes. They have templates for inventories (collections, insurance purposes, etc.), class information, health records, project planning, event organizing, and lots of others. There are also thousands of other templates available for download at their site. You can always make up your own as well of course. It supports imports from excel and numbers and ties in directly with iPhoto and your address book.

So Bento is great for lots of stuff, but this is what got me, it is incredibly easy to put that same info on your iPhone/iPod touch/iPad. They have apps for those devices and it is literally one tap to synchronize the databases with each other. So, let’s say you have a database of books that you want to buy, put it on your iPhone and take it with you to the second hand bookstore. If you have  collection, you would be able to take the info with you to swap meets. If you are planning a party, you can take the database with you to both make sure you buy the right stuff and cross off people’s names as they RSVP to you. You can keep track of milage and other expenses for reimbursement purposes while you keep track of your customers and what they are buying and selling. It is the ease of portability that blew me away really. Bento gives you the simplest and fastest way to sync personal databases across your devices. It’s one thing to have data organized, it’s quite another to be mobile with it.

I’m sounding a bit like an ad I know, but I’m seriously impressed with this software. There are all sorts of organizing software packages out there, but this is the only one that I know of that allows you to move your info so easily. Check it out!

Well, they’ve done it again. The new Macbook Airs are amazing. For the longest time, we have seen a steady improvement in laptops, but they had gotten a bit boring. I mean, sure, the newest laptops were always impressive, but they were just another laptop. These new airs are something else. Once again, like so many other Apple products, you have to get your hands on one and use it before you can really appreciate it. God, i love this company… For a while, I wondered if Apple had killed off the laptop market for casual users with the iPad. It has been a runaway success and I figured that it would simply take over the laptop space for a lot of folks. Well, I think they will capture even more sales with these new beauties. Other manufacturers are going to have a hard time matching the price on a comparable computer, let alone the design. They are going to end up ceding even more market share to Apple.

Laptops have been powerful enough for most people for years. The success of the iPad pretty much proves that. We really don’t need a very powerful computer for most things nowadays. These new airs are still more powerful, but the 11″ model isn’t all that different in size and weight than the iPad. The things that gets you are the overall responsiveness and the sexiness of the design. If you haven’t done it yet, check out the video and pictures of the new laptops…

But what about the iPad? These new laptops have really driven home the idea that tablets are just different than laptops no matter how much people want to replace one with the other. Even if there are functional similarities, you use them in very different ways. Laptops are best used when put onto a table. Yes, you can put them on your lap or use them in bed, but that’s really not very good for your wrists, and the heat is enough to make you sweat. Tablets work really well when you’re sitting or laying down. Because you can hold them and use them like a book, the ergonomic comfort is much better when away from a table. I think that when customers ask me which they should get, I’ll simply ask them where they will be using them.

I have been planning on getting a desktop computer (this one to be exact, the larger one) and an iPad for a while now. My first experience with these new Macbook Airs had me reaching for my wallet. Apple is going to have a ton of impulse purchases of these things, especially the 11″ models. After giving myself a little cooling off time, I think I’m going to stick with my original plan. The way I’m currently living, I am usually in my bed or on the couch for doing most of my web browsing and the iPad is an easy choice for those situations. When I’m sitting at my desk, the larger screen of an iMac is an easy choice. With my computer over 4 years old now, I think the desktop computer will be my next purchase. If I wasn’t in a cash bind, I’d own a Macbook Air, but for me, the iPad with the desktop makes much more sense… With the pricing on the Macbook Airs being what they are, I’m optimistic that the next generation of iMacs will also have flash memory in them. I’m waiting for that, then I’ll buy…

Stopped by the Sony store after work to look at some TVs. A guy at work put a bug in my ear about cheap, smallish TVs. Got me thinking that an actual TV would be kind of nice for hockey season… Anyway, the first thing I noticed when waling in was a 24″ TV with Google TV on it. Got a chance to play with it a bit.

Eh….

Look ma, it’s the internet! ON THE TV!!!!! Did I ever tell you I owned a WebTV? Back in the days when a Windows 98 box using a 386 processor was cutting edge tech, I had a WebTV. It did what I wanted, which was mostly getting online and email. I nearly went blind trying to read all that mostly text based internet on my TV, but I got my content. Of course a year later I dropped nearly 2 grand for the 386 based computer. The WebTV was quickly forgotten, until today.

The salesman brought up the Chrome browser on the fancy TV and it was…. the internet. It was WebTV 2.0. It was a lot sharper cause the TVs nowadays are that much better, but still, it wasn’t anything that I don’t have right now. The guy was trying to make a big deal about seeing the internet and the TV at the same time. I didn’t mention that I could do that now, it’s called a laptop with the TV on. And that highlights the other problem with Google TV, at lest the Sony version, it is beyond clunky. The interface is awful. Seriously, have you seen the controller? It’s a mass of tiny buttons, a total disaster. A laptop is sooooo much better, an iPad takes it to the next level. Once airplay allows you to put your iPad content directly on the TV, there really won’t be any reason to put up with the awful controller of the Sony.

The one thing that might help Sony’s Google TV is the Android store. The things I’ve liked about Boxee, and I think Roku does this as well, is the apps. If you’re looking for content on your TV that isn’t TV, the apps make it easy to find stuff. There are all sorts of video podcasts, webcasts, private streaming channels, web based sports, movies, etc The apps I’ve seen are a lot like on demand channels with their own content ranges. I didn’t see anything like that on the Google TV. You could do a search for content and it looks like it would grab stuff from both online and on demand. When they integrate the Android market on there, maybe there will be some interesting stuff to see.

After playing around a bit, I understand Apple’s approach with the Apple TV a little more. The Apple TV is much simpler, and keeps the TV the TV and doesn’t involve the internet much. I think that’s going to have much more appeal than Google’s approach. Personally, if I were to get something like this, I would drift towards a Roku or Boxee box. They seem to have a good balance between internet-ness and good old TV entertainment. I’ll be really surprised if Google achieves any widespread penetration in its current shape.

Continuing with my exploration of media streaming devices, I downloaded Boxee. Unlike the Apple TV and Roku boxes, this is software installed on a computer (although the Boxee box is supposed to be coming along any time now), and unlike Google TV, this is free.

Boxee is pretty slick, it gives you access to a lot of things like TV shows, music, and other video sources, all on demand. It also has a slew of applications that give you access to MLB.TV, Netflix, MTV music, Vimeo, Pandora radio, and a bunch of other things. Boxee is an open source project unlike the other media streaming projects. That has some advantages, the price in particular, but it also has some disadvantages too. First, there is a certain lack of expected things on there, like You Tube. Google isn’t going to give away something that might compete with its own Google TV. I’m pretty sure Apple and Roku are paying for the privledge of having You Tube on them. The other thing that really stood out was how low the video quality was when I tried to watch a few TV episodes. Even on my tiny 13″ screen, things looked pixelated and fuzzy. Can’t imagine putting that on any real TV. There were also a bunch of times when i would click on a TV show title and it would play something totally different. The phrase “You get what you pay for,” comes to mind. Paying services like Apple TV and Amazon on Demand will have a big advantage here.

The free stuff that is available on the internet via Vimeo, video podcasts, etc. did look pretty good, but it highlighted my biggest problem with Boxee, there really wan’t anything that I wanted to watch on there. I’ve had a similar issue with TV in general, the only thing I watch on TV is sports. The MLB.TV app has some appeal, it would allow me to watch virtually any baseball game during the season. The problem is that it undoubtedly of lower quality than TV. On demand isn’t really much of a benefit with sports, watching live is the way to go. Yes, it was convenient to have lots of video podcasts and other internet only content in Boxee’s interface, but I don’t watch enough of those to make it worth my while.

In short, as cool as I think this technology is, it just isn;’t for me. I’ll keep track of the developments in this area, especially in regards to sports, but I won’t be buying an Apple TV, Roku box, Boxee Box, or Google TV any time soon.

Just had a look at a Google TV demo. It looks pretty cool. They have a bunch of “apps” that link you directly with MSNBC, Netflix, NBA, Pandora, Amazon on demand, etc. They are also saying that you will be able to use the Android market for apps similar to the apps on the Android phones and soon to be tablets. All of it will be accessible on the TV and seems like it would really open up what you can do with your TV. In comparison, the new Apple TV gives you Netflix streaming, streaming from your computer, direct rentals from the iTunes store, streaming from your Apple mobile devices… and that’s about it.

This difference epitomizes how conservative Apple is. No, the Apple TV is not as full featured as the Google TV is. On the other hand, the Apple TV is shipping right now and works very well. Google TV looks like something made by geeks for geeks. Lots of features, lots of potential for expandability. Apple has chosen simplicity and an evolution of how people use their TVs as opposed to the wholesale shift the Google TV represents. Apple has made a product that anyone can use and enjoy. I have a feeling that if my parents were given a Google TV, they wouldn’t know what to do with it.

Being a bit of a nerd, I really like what Google TV is offering. We’ll have to see how well they implement it and how well they will be able to differentiate themselves from similar boxes from Roku and Boxee. If I watched more movies, I would enjoy an Apple TV. I think that there is quite a bit of potential with the new Apple TV, but Apple is doing its usual slow and methodical steps towards products. I’ll be checking the non-Apple things out as they start shipping and I’ll let you know what I think about what your TV can be turned into. I’ve got high hopes. Right now, the TV s just a way to watch live sports for me, it would be good if it got interesting again.