Welcome to my technology blog!
The June 2013 issue of Adobe Inspire Magazine is here! This month’s issue contains articles on Adobe Muse CC, Photoshop CC, the CSS Designer in Dreamweaver CC and more. There’s even an article and video from yours truly on Photoshop CC’s new Sharpening and Upsampling capabilities.
Adobe Inspire is a FREE digital publication created with the Adobe Digital Publishing Suite (DPS) and you can get it here:
Don’t have an iPad?
You can also check out the web version here.
Ever since I upgraded to the iPhone 5 and got an iPad mini I’ve been slowly but surely replacing my old 3o pin iDevice cables with newer Lightning cables. While the price of Apple’s Lightning cables are a bit on the expensive side, what bugs me more is being limited to a fixed 1m length. While 3rd party 30 pin iDevice cables are a dime a dozen and can be found in many different lengths and configurations, 3rd party Lightning cables are just now starting to become widely available. There were some really cheap knockoffs that appeared early on and as the saying goes you get what you pay for. I tried a few of the different cables and found that either they didn’t work at all, didn’t work reliably or stopped working after a while. One problem is that many of the cheap ones aren’t “reversible.” That’s one of the main benefits of Lighting cables is that there is no front/back up or down. You can plug it in either way and it just works. Many of the cheap ones only worked one way. I did find some 10 foot cheap 3rd party ones that worked properly. However, over time one by one they simply stopped working or started acting very flaky. I decided to wait until some of the trusted brands I’d used in the past. I wanted both shorter cables and longer ones than the 1m Lighting cables that Apple sells.
One of my favorite sources for low price, quality cables and gear is Monoprice.com. Monoprice has listed both 6 foot and 10 foot Lightning cables for a while now, but they recently started shipping. Before these cables became available I was using USB extension cables to make my Apple cables longer, but I prefer to have a single cable that’s long enough. I bought a few of each length and as I expected they work perfectly. You can get them in either white or black here.
CableJive is known for selling a variety of different specialty cables and as I had hoped they just started selling pocket sized 12cm Lighting cables. This cables are short for a variety of different uses when you don’t want a long cable that you’d have to coil up. They are a bit pricey for the length, but they fit the bill for always having a Lightning cable for charging my devices, in my pocket.
Amazon has them here.
Amazon has their own brand of cables and they are offering a 1m Lighting Cable for less than Apple sells them for here. Monoprice also has some 1m cables cheaper too, here.
Just in case you missed my post over at bestappsite.com, I wanted to give you a heads-up that Photoshop Touch has just been released for iPhone and Android Smartphones.
· Enhance images using popular Photoshop features such as layers, selection tools, filters, tonal and color adjustments
· Apply effects and add graphical text for endless creative possibilities
· Edit images as large as 12 megapixels with layers
· Combine images together quickly using the Scribble Selection feature, and easily refine your selection with the Refine Edge tool
· Automatically sync images to Adobe Creative Cloud™ with free 2GB of storage
You can get Photoshop Touch for iPhone here
You can get Photoshop Touch for iPad here
Yes you can also get it for Android here.
Brushing with your finger is ok, but if you want more precision I highly recommend getting one of these Wacom Bamboo Styluses for touch screens.
You can get one here.
If I think about my favorite iPad accessories, there’s no question that the Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Cover is my favorite. The iPad is great and the on screen keyboard is fine for typing short messages or replies. However, when it comes to heavy text input or writing blog posts like this one, nothing beats a physical keyboard. The Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Cover is the best one on market IMHO. It attaches magnetically and works just like an Apple Smart Cover. Read my original review here.
When I saw that Logitech introduced an Ultrathin Keyboard mini for the iPad mini, the first thing I thought was “no way! It’s going to be too small.” The thing I like best about the original Ultrathin Keyboard Cover for the full size iPads is that it doesn’t feel cramped. It feels like a full-sized keyboard. I figured that the iPad mini was just too small and that if someone made a keyboard, it probably wouldn’t be a good experience. Nevertheless I was tempted and had to try the new Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard mini. The first thing I did when I took it out of the box was put my fingers on the home row.
I was amazed! It felt fine. Sure it was a little smaller, but not bad at all. I was also pleasantly surprised to see Shift keys on both sides. Other keyboards I’ve tried for the 10″ iPads sometimes remove one of the Shift keys to make the layout fit better. I NEED BOTH SHIFT KEYS! However, Logitech did make a couple of compromises. The Caps Lock key shares the same key as the “A” key and you use the Function key to activate it. The Tab key also shares the same key as the letter “Q”. These were much smarter compromises than eliminating a Shift Key.
Like the regular Ultrathin Keyboard Cover, the Ultrathin Keyboard mini works as a smart cover and a stand for your iPad mini. As you can see in the photo, it shows off finger prints quite well too. It also has a “home” key that works like the home button on your iPad. Not to mention other iPad specific keys like volume controls, find, slideshow and text selection buttons. The Ultrathin Keyboard mini connects via Bluetooth and has a built-in rechargeable battery that lasts about 3 months between charges assuming you’d use it 2 hours per day!
Many will jump to tell me that “If you use an iPad there is no need for a physical keyboard or a stylus” and to those people I would say that you’re right. “Need” is a strong word, but I would also say that while the iPad and iPad mini work perfectly with your fingers, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t times where a physical keyboard wouldn’t make things easier. Not to mention that only the Sith deal in absolutes 😉 The Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard mini and Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Cover are great for those that want to travel with just an iPad/iPad mini and still get a lot of work done.
You can get the Logitech Ultrathin mini for iPad mini here in black or directly from Logitech in black or white.
You can get the Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Cover for iPad 2 and higher here in black or white
As a frequent traveler I’m always looking for ways to charge my multiple devices with fewer chargers or taking up less outlets in a hotel room. I saw an ad for PlugBug and decided to order one and see if I liked it or not. The idea behind PlugBug is that it replaces the standard plug of your MacBook Pro or MacBook Air Adapter with one that has a USB (2.1 Amp) port built-in. This way you can charge both your laptop AND any USB power device at the same time. The concept is simple and it takes all of 2 seconds to install. I opted for the PlugBug World, which comes with all the necessary adapters to plug into various outlets around the globe. It works as advertised and although it’s “short” on the 85w MacBook Pro adapter, it doesn’t hender its use.
The 1st thing that I wasn’t crazy about was that it replaces the “extended cord” on the MacBook Pro adapter. I know that you can simply plug the adapter into the wall with or without a PlugBug, but I prefer using the optional extended cord that comes with the MacBooks so that I don’t take up so much space on a power strip and I get a longer cord.
That’s a personal thing with me, but the product works as advertised. Although I CAN use the extended cord, it’s clear by the way it sticks up over the PlugBug that they didn’t design it to be used this way. While we’re at it, I’d also like to see TWO USB ports instead of just one. It would make it much more useful to me if I could use one plug to charge my MacBook, iPhone and iPad at the same time. So make it a little taller to accomodate the extended cord AND a second USB port and I’d “love” it.
You can get a PlugBug here or PlugBug World here.
In 2007 when the iPhone was introduced, I remember many of my colleagues and pundits saying things like “I just wish it had a stylus”. Of course Steve Jobs back then made fun of phones that required a stylus. Fast forward six years later and you definitely see people using most cellphones with their finger and NOT with styluses. Although I do use my finger with my iPhone and iPad there are times where a stylus is just better. The ones that come to mind are signing my signature and drawing/handwriting notes. My signature and handwriting are bad enough. I don’t need them to look any worse because I’m using my finger. I’ve been a fan of Wacom products for many years and felt that their Bamboo Stylus Solo was definitely one of the best! They’ve now added a couple more choices to the product line up.
My favorite now is the New Bamboo Duo Stylus. Here you get two devices in one. You get a great stylus for your touch screens on one end and on the other end you get a regular ballpoint pen. GREAT! Fantastic and certainly the one that’s now always in my pocket. It also comes in different colors.
The next one is cool, just not my 1st choice. The Bamboo Pocket Stylus is actually retractable. Push it together or pull it to expand and you get a full sized stylus. It also has a cap that’d designed to plug-in to the headphone jack on your port as a way to carry it. I definitely couldn’t see doing this on my iPhone, but I could potentially see doing this with an iPad. I’d actually rather see a case that has a slot for a stylus. While it doesn’t come in different colors it does ship with silver, blue and red rings that you use to add a spice of color.
There is no requirement to use a stylus with your smartphone or tablet. However, if you frustrated at times with the performance of your finger then you should probably invest in one. The Wacom Bamboo Styluses have a great feel to them both in hand on on screen.
You can get the Bamboo Duo Stylus + Pen here and the Bamboo Pocket Expandable Stylus here.
One of the downsides of upgrading to a new iPhone 5, iPod touch, iPad mini or iPad 4th generation device is that the traditional 30 pin connector that we’ve known for years has been replaced with a smaller “Lightning” plug. Initially Apple introduced a 30 pin to Lightning adapter and cable adapter. However, shortly thereafter they also released this very small Lightning to Micro USB adapter. What I like about this one in particular is that Micro USB cables and chargers are everywhere! Every other smartphone being sold today charges via Micro USB. So does my bluetooth headset, Jambox speaker and a variety of other gear I carry. With this small fingernail sized adapter I can use any of my existing cables/chargers to charge my iPhone 5 or iPad mini.
In my opinion all of these adapters and cables are overpriced, but it appears that the knockoffs either don’t work or are very poorly made. Until I find a good knockoff, I’ll keep buying the Apple branded adapters. You can get the Lightning to Micro USB adapter here.
What could make Photoshop Touch on an iPad even better? Pressure Sensitivity! I wouldn’t dare retouch a photo on my computer without a Wacom tablet or Cintiq. Needless to say that means that up until now I haven’t done a lot of work in Photoshop Touch on my iPad. However, that may all change with the new Pressure Sensitive Stylus support now in Photoshop Touch and the Pogo Connect by Ten1Design.
See my video review here:
I remember when the iPhone 4 came out and it required a NEW SIM format (for GSM based iPhones). It required a Micro SIM. This wasn’t a problem if you were buying a new iPhone because it would have a new Micro SIM already installed. However, if you wanted to use a different SIM from another phone or carrier then chances are it was a full sized SIM that you would have to cut down to Micro SIM size. There were several good Micro SIM cutters on the market and I own a couple of them. I even traved with one in my suitcase in case I got to a country that I wanted to buy a pre-paid local SIM and needed to cut it down for my iPhone 4 or 4s. Once again we are faced with a new SIM format. Now the iPhone 5 and iPad mini uses a Nano SIM. This SIM is even smaller AND thinner than the Micro SIM. That of course poses a problem for those that want to move SIMs between devices. As to be expected there are now a few different Nano SIM cutters on the market. Some even come with sandpaper to sand the back of the SIM down to make it slightly thinner. I used one to cut down my AT&T Micro SIM down to Nano SIM size to use in my new iPad mini. My AT&T SIM is originally from my iPad 2 and is grandfathered in to an unlimited data plan. This is GREAT for streaming video on the road, so I wanted the ability to use this SIM in my iPad mini as well. Although this is not the cutter I used in the video, this is the one I’d recommend here.
Here’s a video on how the cut went:
Let me start this by saying that I never had any interest in the smaller form factor tablets. Although I already have a Kindle Fire and think the size is PERFECT for eBook readers, I just wasn’t interested in a smaller iPad. That was before the iPad mini was actually introduced. What I didn’t want was a smaller screen at a smaller resolution. I didn’t want some middle device between an iPad and iPhone. However, when the iPad mini was introduced and although it has a smaller form factor it maintains the same original 1024×768 resolution. My interest was piqued. That coupled with compatibility with all of the existing iPad Apps got me to start considering the mini. I’ve always been a fan of smaller, thinner, lighter electronic gadgets. Once I got past my initial bias against smaller tablets, I was able to consider the iPad mini for what it really is. It’s a smaller, thinner, lighter iPad. It’s available in all the same sizes and configurations and costs less. The only real downside is the lack of a retina display. Also the newer 4th generation full size iPad has the faster A6 processor in it. Since I already have the 3rd generation iPad with retina and Verizon 4G LTE, I figured I could skip the 4th generation and look at the mini.
One of the biggest complaints that I hear about the full size iPad is that it’s hard to hold with one hand and therefore hard to read books on it for extended periods of time. That problem is definitely solved with the iPad mini. It’s small enough to hold easily with one hand and it’s certainly light enough to hold for longer periods of time without fatigue. It feels as light as my iPhone 5, although I know it’s heavier.
Is it too small? A couple of people commented on my Facebook page stating that they thought the iPad mini was too small. I must admit that this thought never crossed my mind. If you are using a smartphone or iPod touch then the iPad mini will definitely not feel too small. It’s still not small enough to fit in a pocket (and even if it does fit in your pocket it’s probably not a good idea). So to answer those concerns, no I don’t think it’s too small.
There is no Retina Display on the iPad mini and I wondered would that bother me. When I tried one out in the Apple Store before receiving mine, I could definitely tell a difference. Like most things, I didn’t really appreciate the Retina Display on my 3rd gen iPad until I looked at the iPad mini. It’s noticeable, but not the end of the world. It’s still bright and very easy to see and read. However, if you’re primarily going to be looking at photos on it or using it for a mobile portfolio then you may want to stick with the 3rd or 4th gen iPad with Retina Display or wait for the iPad mini with Retina Display.
It feels the same as my iPad 3rd gen. However, the 4th gen iPad has the A6 chip and has been benchmarking at literally twice the speed of the previous models. This is important for gamers and graphic intensive Apps. If you’re not playing a ton of photo realistic action packed games then you probably wouldn’t notice the difference as much. Since I haven’t tested a 4th gen iPad yet, I can’t really say if the speed difference is noticeable in real world daily use. While the iPad mini doesn’t have the new A6 processor it does have faster WiFi taking advantage of 802.11n 5GHz and that’s definitely welcomed since most people use their iPads on WiFi than 3G/4G.
That’s the $659-$829 question. I purposely bought the largest WiFi-Cellular Verizon version because I figured if the iPad mini totally meets my need and becomes the iPad that I use the most then it’s conceivable that I may ditch (pass on) the full size iPad and just use the mini and if that were to happen then I’d want to have all the same storage and capabilities of the larger one that I’d be giving up. The plan for now is to use the large one when I travel with just an iPad (w/ Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Cover) and the iPad mini when I travel with both a notebook and an iPad. I’ll also probably use the iPad mini around the house more simply because it’s smaller and lighter. There is definitely one more plus and that is having all my devices on the same connector. It’s a pain having the iPhone 5 on the newer Lightning connector and the 3rd gen iPad on the older 30 pin connector. It would be great to move on and go all Lightning connections. I also really like the newer Smart Covers. They seem to fit/stay on better than the original ones for the iPad 2/3.
If you are buying an iPad for the 1st time then you should go to the Apple Store and pick up hold and check the screen out with your own eyes. Then you can decide which one is best for you. While the iPad mini is definitely smaller, the display doesn’t feel that much smaller since it goes closer to the edge and has the same resolution as the original iPad and iPad 2. If you’re looking to buy a second iPad and gift one to a family member then it’s hard to overlook the price difference in the iPad mini. If you’re on the original iPad, then the iPad mini would definitely make a nice upgrade. The device in Apple’s line up that is starting to look like the odd man out is the iPod touch. A 32GB iPod touch is $299. For $30 more you could get a 16GB iPad mini.