Web/Tech

  • Here’s a List of Fun iPhone Apps Worth Using

    I wanted to create a list of the coolest iPhone apps. However, cool doesn't necessarily mean useful. Instead, this is a list of the applications that I use most.

    This week I'm listing the lighter and more fun iPhone apps.  Here is the link to the list the business and productivity apps that I use most.

    I limited myself to the top two applications per category.  Hope you find some cool stuff in here.

    Social Media

    Food & Fun Finders

    090913 iPhone Apps

    Games: Strategy

    Games: Puzzle

    Games: Pattern Matching

    Games: Text

    Music

    Photo Fun

    Health & Fitness

    Relaxation

    Sports News

    Shopping

    Even if you don't have an iPhone, check-out the links to see what is available.  I am amazed at how much of my computing and basic research are now done on a Smartphone.

    That's it for now.  Let me know if I forgot your favorite or you found something worth sharing.

  • Augmenting Reality

    090830 Minority-Report UI Sometimes new technology seems like science fiction. Other times, science fiction introduces us to new technology.

    I remember watching Minority Report and having a sense that I was watching a future closer than it seemed. There's a scene where Tom Cruise is walking through a shopping area and each time he passes a store there is a personalized ad; and in other scenes there is a "Terminator-Like" text that overlays the physically real world. That is called "Augmented Reality". 

    Well, your phone may not be as cool as that, yet; however it's getting there pretty quickly.

    The next picture doesn't look like much; but it's using the iPhone's built-in camera and GPS unit to recognize highly rated restaurants in real time. The application doing this is Yelp. This feature is
    currently hidden by default; but you can turn it on by shaking your
    phone vigorously, until the "Monocle" feature activates.

    090830 Augmented Reality

    Soon, I imagine this will be enhanced further with a discount coupons and the
    ability to place orders before you walk in the door. Nonetheless, it's
    an example of what's coming.

    Where Else Will This Be Useful?

    Imagine what this could do to the real-estate industry (as price per square foot, tax rates, etc. overlay the properties as you drive by). Or, imagine traders looking at a chart displaying the most relevant indicators, patterns, setups, and triggers for the company or market they are analyzing.  It gives a whole new meaning to real-time business intelligence.

  • Augmenting Reality

    090830 Minority-Report UI Sometimes new technology seems like science fiction. Other times, science fiction introduces us to new technology.

    I remember watching Minority Report and having a sense that I was watching a future closer than it seemed. There's a scene where Tom Cruise is walking through a shopping area and each time he passes a store there is a personalized ad; and in other scenes there is a "Terminator-Like" text that overlays the physically real world. That is called "Augmented Reality". 

    Well, your phone may not be as cool as that, yet; however it's getting there pretty quickly.

    The next picture doesn't look like much; but it's using the iPhone's built-in camera and GPS unit to recognize highly rated restaurants in real time. The application doing this is Yelp. This feature is
    currently hidden by default; but you can turn it on by shaking your
    phone vigorously, until the "Monocle" feature activates.

    090830 Augmented Reality

    Soon, I imagine this will be enhanced further with a discount coupons and the
    ability to place orders before you walk in the door. Nonetheless, it's
    an example of what's coming.

    Where Else Will This Be Useful?

    Imagine what this could do to the real-estate industry (as price per square foot, tax rates, etc. overlay the properties as you drive by). Or, imagine traders looking at a chart displaying the most relevant indicators, patterns, setups, and triggers for the company or market they are analyzing.  It gives a whole new meaning to real-time business intelligence.

  • TechTracker is Worth a Look

    090830 TechTracker Logo Staying up-to-date just got a little easier.  CNet launched a new service that scans your PC and checks your installed programs to see if updates are available to you.

    I tried TechTracker and found it to be fast, accurate and helpful.  They are coming out with a Mac version soon.  Here is an example screenshot showing what it alerted me to update.

    090830 TechTracker Scan

    Other Info:

    I use a few other services, like this, that are worth a look also.

  • TechTracker is Worth a Look

    090830 TechTracker Logo Staying up-to-date just got a little easier.  CNet launched a new service that scans your PC and checks your installed programs to see if updates are available to you.

    I tried TechTracker and found it to be fast, accurate and helpful.  They are coming out with a Mac version soon.  Here is an example screenshot showing what it alerted me to update.

    090830 TechTracker Scan

    Other Info:

    I use a few other services, like this, that are worth a look also.

  • PC Prices – An Offer I Couldn’t Refuse

    Does it make sense to try and fix a broken PC?  I used to think so; now I’m not so sure.

    I’m often early adopter of technology. That’s kind of code for “I’ve had to reformat my computer many times over many years”. And when it came to hardware, let’s just say that the local CompUSA people smiled when I walked in the door. I love technology; and it seems that I never met a faster video card, bigger hard drive, or clever invention that I didn’t want to buy.

    Your Rules of Thumb May Be 090802 PC Retailers Out-Dated.  Mine Were.

    Over the years, I developed a strategy for acquiring new computers.
    I typically bought the absolute top-of-the-line, as soon as the second
    version of it came out. Oh, I bought many when the first version came
    out; but that’s how I developed a strategy to buy one-step back from
    the newest and best.

    A lot has changed in the PC industry.  For example, our local CompUSA and Circuit City stores are now closed, and today I got a pretty good idea why that happened.

    My laptop finally gave out; and all of my software utilities, Internet searches and efforts had failed to bring it back to life. My wife made me promise to go get a new machine before I drove myself (or her) crazy.

    What Kind of Deals are Available Today?

    So this morning I walked into my local Best Buy determined to find a worthy replacement. I was quite surprised to find that I walked out the door with a brand-new laptop, much more powerful than the one that had broken, for less than $500.

    I also found a desktop machine with Intel’s newest chip, 9-gigs of memory and a terabyte hard disk for about $1,000.

    That means hardware is becoming disposable. There comes a point where it’s literally not worth trying to fix something, or re-load an operating system and your programs to make something work reasonably well, when you can upgrade to a newer more stable platform for so little money.

    What Does This Mean For You?

    The point is technology is now cheap enough that you should look at your business and think about the point of diminishing returns. Which machines are calling-out to you that they are past their prime, and it’s time to replace them with something new?

    The PC manufacturers are trying to get rid of their Vista machines … because the new Windows 7 operating system officially comes out this fall. I recommend you take this opportunity to investigate what is out there … and bring some of it home.

  • PC Prices – An Offer I Couldn’t Refuse

    Does it make sense to try and fix a broken PC?  I used to think so; now I’m not so sure.

    I’m often early adopter of technology. That’s kind of code for “I’ve had to reformat my computer many times over many years”. And when it came to hardware, let’s just say that the local CompUSA people smiled when I walked in the door. I love technology; and it seems that I never met a faster video card, bigger hard drive, or clever invention that I didn’t want to buy.

    Your Rules of Thumb May Be 090802 PC Retailers Out-Dated.  Mine Were.

    Over the years, I developed a strategy for acquiring new computers.
    I typically bought the absolute top-of-the-line, as soon as the second
    version of it came out. Oh, I bought many when the first version came
    out; but that’s how I developed a strategy to buy one-step back from
    the newest and best.

    A lot has changed in the PC industry.  For example, our local CompUSA and Circuit City stores are now closed, and today I got a pretty good idea why that happened.

    My laptop finally gave out; and all of my software utilities, Internet searches and efforts had failed to bring it back to life. My wife made me promise to go get a new machine before I drove myself (or her) crazy.

    What Kind of Deals are Available Today?

    So this morning I walked into my local Best Buy determined to find a worthy replacement. I was quite surprised to find that I walked out the door with a brand-new laptop, much more powerful than the one that had broken, for less than $500.

    I also found a desktop machine with Intel’s newest chip, 9-gigs of memory and a terabyte hard disk for about $1,000.

    That means hardware is becoming disposable. There comes a point where it’s literally not worth trying to fix something, or re-load an operating system and your programs to make something work reasonably well, when you can upgrade to a newer more stable platform for so little money.

    What Does This Mean For You?

    The point is technology is now cheap enough that you should look at your business and think about the point of diminishing returns. Which machines are calling-out to you that they are past their prime, and it’s time to replace them with something new?

    The PC manufacturers are trying to get rid of their Vista machines … because the new Windows 7 operating system officially comes out this fall. I recommend you take this opportunity to investigate what is out there … and bring some of it home.

  • Xobni: Looking at Your Inbox Backwards

    I think Xobni is a great tool.  Here is a video demo showing how it can help you.

    Microsoft Outlook is one of the most important computer programs that I use. I say this because so much of my day is spent interacting with it.

    I'm not the kind of person who watches for each incoming e-mail message, and constantly re-prioritizes my day. Nonetheless, I subscribe to a number of newsletters and alert services, and interact with many people throughout the day (some via e-mail, others by phone). That means Outlook is my hub, and I find myself there many times a day. So finding tools to help organize, search, and make better use of this type of information better is  important to me.

    090802 Xobni Logo One of the tools that I've come to rely on is called Xobni. In case you're not familiar with it, that spells "in-box", only backwards. And the reason is that it gives you a totally different perspective on your in-box and how you access and manage your personal information.

    This tool has gone through several iterations, and I consider it fairly mature. It adds the ability to see all the information about the person who sent you an e-mail including all prior e-mails, their contact information,  a live link to their Linked-In and Facebook information streams; any files exchanged, a list of related contacts, and a bunch of other features. Rather than try to describe all that for you here. Take a look at the video; it does a pretty good job of explaining why this can save you time and make your experience with Outlook easier and more productive.

    090802

    Here is a link to Xobni's Product Page.

    Here is the announcement of Xobni Plus.

  • Xobni: Looking at Your Inbox Backwards

    I think Xobni is a great tool.  Here is a video demo showing how it can help you.

    Microsoft Outlook is one of the most important computer programs that I use. I say this because so much of my day is spent interacting with it.

    I'm not the kind of person who watches for each incoming e-mail message, and constantly re-prioritizes my day. Nonetheless, I subscribe to a number of newsletters and alert services, and interact with many people throughout the day (some via e-mail, others by phone). That means Outlook is my hub, and I find myself there many times a day. So finding tools to help organize, search, and make better use of this type of information better is  important to me.

    090802 Xobni Logo One of the tools that I've come to rely on is called Xobni. In case you're not familiar with it, that spells "in-box", only backwards. And the reason is that it gives you a totally different perspective on your in-box and how you access and manage your personal information.

    This tool has gone through several iterations, and I consider it fairly mature. It adds the ability to see all the information about the person who sent you an e-mail including all prior e-mails, their contact information,  a live link to their Linked-In and Facebook information streams; any files exchanged, a list of related contacts, and a bunch of other features. Rather than try to describe all that for you here. Take a look at the video; it does a pretty good job of explaining why this can save you time and make your experience with Outlook easier and more productive.

    090802

    Here is a link to Xobni's Product Page.

    Here is the announcement of Xobni Plus.

  • Bezos’ Video About the Zappos Acquisition

    Amazon acquired Zappos this week.  What follows is a terrific video where Jeff Bezos says he shares “Everything I Know” about business, and offers a peek inside the entrepreneurial spirit and culture of Amazon.

    The four main points are:

    Obsess Over Customers. While they pay attention to the competitive marketplace, they don’t let competitors determine what they do. Instead, it is the customer that drives their strategy.

    Invent. A critical part of what Amazon does is to invent solutions for, and on behalf of, their customers.

    Think Long-Term. Amazon strategists take a long-term perspective. They are willing to take actions that quickly offer benefits to customers, even if those actions don’t offer a pay-off for the company or its investors for five to seven years.

    It’s Always Day One. There is always a bigger future and more opportunities to invent for customers. It’s never over, or too late.

    Yes, it is a simple list.  Still, it is worth watching. 

    It gave me a sense that Amazon not only preaches these principles, but practices them as well.

    Also, here is a link to Zappos’ CEO, Tony Hsieh’s letter about the acquisition.

    And here is a link to Four Questions About the Acquisition.