As we've previously established, I've become quite the Apple device guy over the past few years. It wasn't surprising therefore, that I got plenty of questions asking me if I'd be buying an iPad Mini.
It never crossed my mind. I have no issue whatsoever with the size of the full-size iPad, even though is has been obsoleted less than a year into it's all too brief life. It is an excellent travel companion for the tightest of plane seats, doesn't have to be pulled out of your bag to get through the airport scanner and has just enough space to get some actual work done if needed.
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Monday, October 22, 2012
iPhone 5 on the Road
Last week, I was on the road and traveling for business. It gave me a good chance to try out the new iPhone on the road. I was headed to a meeting at a place I had not been to before and required travel via plane and car.
One thing that hasn't changed about the iPhone is its ability to integrate into a variety of address books. In this case, I was using Google, so I made sure my destinations were already in the address book and synced to the device. I also downloaded the United App since that was the airline of choice for this Journey. I already had downloaded it once, but it was not currently synced to the phone.
One thing that hasn't changed about the iPhone is its ability to integrate into a variety of address books. In this case, I was using Google, so I made sure my destinations were already in the address book and synced to the device. I also downloaded the United App since that was the airline of choice for this Journey. I already had downloaded it once, but it was not currently synced to the phone.
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
iPhone 5: Week One in Review
Almost every time I pick this phone up I instantly notice just how light it is. Perhaps they should have called this the iPhone Air.
I've had the 5 since delivery on launch day. While I haven't traveled with it yet, I'll provide a quick and dirty synopsis of week 1 which was pretty much all local.
I've had the 5 since delivery on launch day. While I haven't traveled with it yet, I'll provide a quick and dirty synopsis of week 1 which was pretty much all local.
- Maps. Haven't touched them yet. I realize there's a big flap out there for folks who rely on it and I will be traveling this month so I'll find out soon enough.
- Data. Very good performance. I stuck with AT&T since they grandfathered in my unlimited data plan. In just cruising around the L.A. area I'm seeing some pretty decent speeds. It'll be interesting to see how they'll be on the road. I'm also seeing much faster performance on WiFi networks.
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
iPhone 5: Is it enough?
Apple product announcements have become the Super Bowl of tech events in recent years. Today was no exception. The anticipation, leaks and speculation leading up to the event was pretty massive.
The event had a lot of breadth. I wasn't particularly surprised at the iPod updates - well at least, not that it happened. I'm a little disappointed that the Nano has grown again as I am a huge fan of the current size. It would have been nice to see the same form factor but simply slimmer with bluetooth. THe new unit has a nice design, but I won't be looking to purchase a new one any time soon.
The iPod touch changes were unsurprising following the iPhone announcements other than perhaps the wrist strap which while functional isn't something Apple typically concerns itself with. Still, a nice feature for those on the go or for kids. Odd that they are keeping the old Touch around, but I guess that helps them hit another price point or get into an up sell situation.
The headphones were kind of an odd drop in. Though, when I think about it, given the volume of headphones that Apple distributes, it does make some sense to put some effort in there. It seems in line with Apple's approach to continually evolve and round out their platforms into the "total package."
Lastly, I am very thankful that iTunes got a redesign and face lift. I have found it harder and harder to use the application effectively to manage my media so I'm looking forward to that change a great deal.
And then of course was the main event. The new iPhone was announced and all the features touted. I was gratified to see the new A6 processor and was pretty much amazed at that it will be 20% lighter. For them to have taken out 1/5th of the weight between generations is pretty remarkable. I think the thinner design will also be appreciated as well.
The camera didn't seem to change much on paper - though without side by side photo comparisons it's hard to tell how much change it will bring. The new panoramic feature is nice - better than a manual stitching process with some of the apps that are out there. I saw that they did add the ability to take photos while shooting video, but I always thought that to be a bit of an odd feature. Perhaps it was a capability of the new lens? Glad to see that costs remained the same, though I still feel like the absence of the 128GB model remains odd. I wonder if it is a power issue?
The new connector was well leaked in advance so no surprises there. I wonder if they'll have a thunderbolt to lightning connector as well or if it will only be USB to lightning? They have to have something up their sleeve or else they'd just go with micro USB. I know a lot of people are irritated at the instant obsolescence of their accessories, but 9 years is a pretty good run stability wise.
LTE support was as expected as was the size of the display. It will be interesting to see just how different the new screen will look in person as well as how much more, if any, responsive it will be. The battery life looks pretty great overall, though it'll be interesting to see how well it holds up in real world usage.
Overall, it seems like the iPhone has enough going for it in combination with iOS 6 to justify an upgrade. Pre-orders start on Friday so get those credit cards warmed up!
The event had a lot of breadth. I wasn't particularly surprised at the iPod updates - well at least, not that it happened. I'm a little disappointed that the Nano has grown again as I am a huge fan of the current size. It would have been nice to see the same form factor but simply slimmer with bluetooth. THe new unit has a nice design, but I won't be looking to purchase a new one any time soon.
The iPod touch changes were unsurprising following the iPhone announcements other than perhaps the wrist strap which while functional isn't something Apple typically concerns itself with. Still, a nice feature for those on the go or for kids. Odd that they are keeping the old Touch around, but I guess that helps them hit another price point or get into an up sell situation.
The headphones were kind of an odd drop in. Though, when I think about it, given the volume of headphones that Apple distributes, it does make some sense to put some effort in there. It seems in line with Apple's approach to continually evolve and round out their platforms into the "total package."
Lastly, I am very thankful that iTunes got a redesign and face lift. I have found it harder and harder to use the application effectively to manage my media so I'm looking forward to that change a great deal.
And then of course was the main event. The new iPhone was announced and all the features touted. I was gratified to see the new A6 processor and was pretty much amazed at that it will be 20% lighter. For them to have taken out 1/5th of the weight between generations is pretty remarkable. I think the thinner design will also be appreciated as well.
The camera didn't seem to change much on paper - though without side by side photo comparisons it's hard to tell how much change it will bring. The new panoramic feature is nice - better than a manual stitching process with some of the apps that are out there. I saw that they did add the ability to take photos while shooting video, but I always thought that to be a bit of an odd feature. Perhaps it was a capability of the new lens? Glad to see that costs remained the same, though I still feel like the absence of the 128GB model remains odd. I wonder if it is a power issue?
The new connector was well leaked in advance so no surprises there. I wonder if they'll have a thunderbolt to lightning connector as well or if it will only be USB to lightning? They have to have something up their sleeve or else they'd just go with micro USB. I know a lot of people are irritated at the instant obsolescence of their accessories, but 9 years is a pretty good run stability wise.
LTE support was as expected as was the size of the display. It will be interesting to see just how different the new screen will look in person as well as how much more, if any, responsive it will be. The battery life looks pretty great overall, though it'll be interesting to see how well it holds up in real world usage.
Overall, it seems like the iPhone has enough going for it in combination with iOS 6 to justify an upgrade. Pre-orders start on Friday so get those credit cards warmed up!
Posted with Blogsy
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
One (Many) iDevices to Rule Them All
On the eve of the next iPhone announcement (or will it be the New iPhone?), I'm taking a step back to re-review my personal electronic inventory.
And, as I do, I've come to the realization that while I might be a PC in terms of what's on my desk, the rest of my media experience is ruled by Apple. I have the iPhone as my personal phone. The New iPad is my travel companion and TV watching companion. The Apple TV has become one of my prime media consumption devices, so much so that I've now purchased two of them. To a degree, just being able to throw video up on the two different TVs from the iPhone or iPad was worth the price of entry. But add in the iTunes store and the NetFlix application and it really becomes quite a compelling device.
Minty Fresh
I had never heard about the Mint family of devices before. If you haven't either the short version is that they are floor cleaning robots similar to the concept of a Roomba but for hard floors rather than carpet. I actually found out about it from woot.com which, in its typical style, had a one day sale on an older Mint model. I read the reviews and saw some issues with that model. However, when I looked into the newer model it seemed that most of those problems had been solved albeit at a higher price.
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Robot Round-up
It's been awhile since I've posted a technology item here, so let's get to it.
Robots in our homes aren't exactly new. We have machines that clean and dry our clothes and dishes, machines that condition the air and water the lawn and so on. I've had a lot of schedule challenges lately and wanted to find a way to get back some free time. I've made two recent key investments in home automation.
Monday, August 6, 2012
United Airlines Remains Out of Touch
Some time ago, I wrote an email to United Airlines detailing my issues with a recent flight experience. I also posted it as an open letter in this blog.
I few things I want to note. Apparently, there are limited ways you can contact United via email. Or rather, that is to say, none. An email sent to customerrelations@united.com resulted in the following response:
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
An Open Letter to United Airlines
Dear Mr. Smisek,
During a recent flight from Milwaukee to LA I happened to read your article regarding rewarding rewarding good customer service. Your article called out that United aimed to reward top performers in customer support with a generous, though surely well deserved, $50,000 bonus. I applaud this approach as I continually see erosion of customer service by companies through the shaving of costs and overuse of procedure rather than asking, expecting and rewarding people to think.
I would like to ask though, how committed are you to this concept? If you are willing to reward folks for superior service, are you also committed to accountability in your co-workers? Will you discipline them, dock their pay and terminate them when appropriate as well?
During a recent flight from Milwaukee to LA I happened to read your article regarding rewarding rewarding good customer service. Your article called out that United aimed to reward top performers in customer support with a generous, though surely well deserved, $50,000 bonus. I applaud this approach as I continually see erosion of customer service by companies through the shaving of costs and overuse of procedure rather than asking, expecting and rewarding people to think.
I would like to ask though, how committed are you to this concept? If you are willing to reward folks for superior service, are you also committed to accountability in your co-workers? Will you discipline them, dock their pay and terminate them when appropriate as well?
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