Larry Becker
NAPP Executive Director
Company
Natl. Association of Photoshop Professionals
Tampa, FL
Your blog/website
Favorite Gadget(s):
iPod Touch, Nikon D200, MacBook Pro
International Power!
Frequent international travelers have got the power thing figured out. When you travel from the US to another country the question becomes what do you need to charge/use your electronic devices. My friend Michele who was headed to the UK asked me this very question. So I thought I spend a few minutes here giving you some tips along with my favorite power adapter.
Converter vs an Adapter
Many of the electronics designed to be traveled with (like notebook computers, iPods, iPhones) are already geared to be used in different countries. An easy way to know is to look at the description on the power adapter for your gear. If it says that it can handle 100-240 volts then you're all set. All you need is a plug "adapter" so that you can plug it in the wall of the country you're going to.
However, if your power adapter has a max input of 120 volts. That means that it was designed to work in the US only and in order to use it in another country that has 240 volt wall outlets you're going to need a power "converter" something that can regulate the 240 volts down to 120 volts. Or you might just go with a compatible 3rd party adapter like the ones from iGo.
For your Mac, iPod or iPhone
If you have a portable electronic device from Apple, your supplied adapter already works in other countries. All you need is an adapter and Apple sells a nice kit called the Apple International Travel Kit. This kit has everything you need to adapter your MacBook/PowerBook adapter as well as a USB power adapter (actually it's there older version with the removable prongs) and sync cable With this kit you'll be all set in the US, UK, Australia, Korea, etc. You can get the Apple kit here.
A New 13 Port USB Hub
I'm always on the look out for the perfect USB hub for my Mac Pro. I just came across another 13 Port hub. Being able to plug in up to 13 devices into one hub may sound like a lot, but honestly I have close to that now without even trying hard, so it's not too far fetched to think that many of you do to. However, there are some advantages and disadvantages to this approach.
Advantages
13 ports is the biggest advantage. You plug the hub into one of your built-in USB ports and now you have 13 more. Great! There is also a flip up 13th port on top for quick access to things like thumb drives.
Disadvantages
The design of this particular hub creates a cable mess pretty quickly since the wires go in all four directions. The other disadvantage is that you are dividing up the throughput between 13 devices. Now this isn't really a big deal if most of your devices don't do a lot of data transfer like hard drives do. So for pointing devices, keyboards, tablets, printers, etc. you'll be fine. However, I wouldn't string more than a couple of hard drives off one port if speed was a factor.
The Bottom Line
If you need to have a lot of peripherals connected at once and you're short on built-in USB ports, this is a great option. If you can keep it off your desk from a cable management standpoint, that's even better. You can get it here for $33 in black or white.
Skooba TSA Friendly Laptop Roller Bag Review
Being a frequent traveler means that I get to go through the TSA airport security line quite a bit. A few weeks back I wrote a post called "Avoiding a TSA Bag Check." Basically it's about reducing the clutter in your bag so that the person looking on the xray screen can identify the contents. If you've got a bunch of electronic devices and cables all piled on top of each other and they can't make heads or tails of what it all is, they'll just say "bag check" for someone to walk over and take your bag to a table to examine the contents by hand. This of course means an extra delay for YOU! Remember they've got all day, they're at work. Even though the bags of cables and drives that I pull out certainly reduce the chances of having a "bag check", I also have to pull out my laptop too. That's just one more thing to have to unpack and pack on every single trip.
I was excited when they announced "TSA friendly" bags that opened flat so that your laptop can be in a compartment all by itself and go through the xray without having to be taken out of the bag. However, I'm a roller bag guy and there was no way that I was going back to a shoulder bag for my computer. So I waited until someone figured out how to make one of these TSA friendly bags in a wheeled configuration.
I got the Skooba Wheeled TSA Friendly Bag
I happened to see an ad for this bag in the "Laptop" magazine and I ordered it immediately. It was just what I was looking for. They even took it one step further by designing the notebook compartment with a see-through panel so that when it is unfolded the TSA agent can "see" your laptop as well as xray it.
My first trip with the Skooba
Last week I had a business trip and was anxious to see if my new bag would work. Keep in mind that TSA can still ask you to remove your laptop. Having a bag like this doesn't give you any special rights. Just to be on the safe side I still removed my cable pouch and my HyperMac battery (they always pick it up and give it a once over anyway because they don't know what it is). Success! My bag, and 15" MacBook Pro went through both ways (DTW and SFO checkpoints) no problem. The 2nd TSA agent on the other end at DTW said "neat bag".
There is one downside
Continue reading “Skooba TSA Friendly Laptop Roller Bag Review”
MiFi 2352 Portable HSPA WiFi Hotspot Review
The Novatel MiFi is something I've been drooling over for a while now. I think it was first introduced on Verizon and then Sprint. I have an existing 3G datacard from my employer on AT&T. So I waited for AT&T to bring out the Novatel MiFi for HSPA and as of the writing of this review they still don't offer it.
What's a MiFi
You;ve probably seen those 3G cards that all the wireless carriers offer (around $60/month here in the US) that basically allow you to have a 3G data connection for your laptop anywhere that they have 3G coverage. This is great for frequent/business travelers when you can't always depend on there being a WiFi hotspot around. Normally this 3G cards either connect to your computer via USB or a card slot like ExpressCard. Plug it in, connect and you're on the internet.
MiFi is the same thing, but instead of having to plug it into your computer (and installing drivers), you just turn it on and it becomes a 3G WiFi hotspot for up to 5 computers. Of course you can set it up with your preferred network name and secure it with a password.
I got tired of waiting
I'm sure AT&T will come out with the MiFi some day and who knows we may even see iPhone 3G tethering from them, but I'm tired of waiting. Since my existing 3G USB card has a SIM card in it, all I needed was to find an unlocked MiFi sold in another country, buy it and stick in my AT&T SIM card. Done!
I found one from this guy on eBay, ordered it, got it and it works great.
Continue reading “MiFi 2352 Portable HSPA WiFi Hotspot Review”
Tech Profile of Rich Harrington
Richard Harrington
CEO
Twitter bio – Author, Consultant, Digital Dude, Geek, Photographer, Husband and Father
Company:
RHED Pixel
Washington, DC
Blog/Website
www.rhedpixel.com (corporate)
www.richardharringtonblog.com (blog)
www.twitter.com/rhedpixel
Favorite Gadget(s):
Pico Pocket Projector
iPod Nano
iHome Capsule Speakers
Canon 7D
Nikon D300s
Wacom Cintiq
Nintendo Wii
Bose Noise Canceling Headset
Apple Magic Mouse
Drobo
Apple TV
Kodak Zi8 HD Video Camera: Great for travel & video blogging
A few days ago I wrote a post called "Are camera phones the new point and shoot cameras" and I guess the same thing could be applied to video cameras as well. I have a big older 3CCD Sony VX2000 Mini-DV camera as well as a newer Canon VIXIA HF10 HD camera that I LOVE! However, unless I'm specifically doing an event recording I'll probably just capture something quick on my iPhone 3GS and share it. The Canon is small but it's not pocket small. So this time I really do have a need for something in between. While the Canon is great, I don't always have it with me. While I do always have my iPhone with me the video is not the best. First off it's only VGA (640×480) and not widescreen. Everything I do nowadays is widescreen or HD unless it's something personal and fun just to share with friends/family.
I was leaning towards the Flip camera until I ran it by my buddy Dave Helmly (guru of all things video) and he has both cameras and said hands down the Kodak was better. Since they're the same price, I didn't look any further and I bought the Kodak Zi8. I gotta say, I'm blown away by what this little thing does. First off it supports video at full 1080p HD! My HF10 only does 1080i. It has a built-in SDHC slot so I just stuck in one of my Transcend 16GB Class 6 SDHC cards and started shooting. My use for this camera will be mostly for video podcasting/blogging and a few interviews here and there. Speaking of interviews it has a stereo mic input. Another huge plus as I can plug in any mic I want. I'm starting with this one. The Zi8 is about the same footprint as my iPhone 3GS and maybe 1.5 times as thick.
I recorded my first video in 720p mode with it here. This is using the built-in Mic. (Don't forget to switch the YouTube playback to 720p to see the maximum quality):
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_o7JNZNctUk
Continue reading “Kodak Zi8 HD Video Camera: Great for travel & video blogging”
Apple Introduces the iPad
As expected Apple introduced the iPad. Here's what it is in a nutshell. First think of it as a big iPod touch. It can run all of the existing over 140,000 Apps (except the ones that are iPhone specific). Apps can and will be updated to really take advantage of the larger screen size. However, even existing apps will fill the screen using built-in pixel doubling technology.
What it has:
- 10 hour battery life/1 month standby
- iWork suite available for it offering Pages, Keynote and Numbers ($9.99 each)
- Can do:
- Photos
- Movies
- Music
- TV shows
- Contacts
- Calendars
- Bookmarks
- and of course Applications
- Height:
9.56 inches (242.8 mm)
Width:
7.47 inches (189.7 mm)
Depth:
0.5 inch (13.4 mm)
Weight:
1.5 pounds (.68 kg) Wi-Fi model;
1.6 pounds (.73 kg) Wi-Fi + 3G model - 9.7" LED Dsiplay
- Wi-FI 802.11n
- 3G Versions do up to 7.2Mbps HSPA
- Speaker and Microphone
- New iBook Store for eBooks! Cool look. You can choose the font you want to read the books in. Buy and download iBooks right on the device.
- 2 models in 3 configurations: WiFi and WiFi + 3G
- WiFi Models: 16GB $499, 32GB $599, 64GB $699 (All Available in 60 days)
- WiFi + 3G Models: 16GB $629, 32GB $729, 64GB $829 (All Available in 90 days)
- The 3G models will be UNLOCKED! Wow! and AT&T will be the US carrier offering two data plans $14.99/month for 250mb of data and $29.99/month for unlimited. NO CONTRACT! Wow!
What it doesn't have:
- No built-in camera so no video chats
- No Flash support, so web browsing will still be challenging for many sites (still).
- No multitasking improvements (running multiple 3rd party apps simultaneously)
Accessories (the real one more thing)!
The Keyboard dock is cool! However, what wasn't talked about is Apple is doing a "iPad Camera Connection Kit" for being able to bring in your images from your digital camera! Very exciting (not so much for Epson)! This I can't wait for!
What we didn't see
Rumor score card: As usual the rumor sites get a lot of things right and a lot of things wrong. We didn't see anything regarding Verizon. We didn't see iLife 2010. We didn't see iWork 2010 for Mac, no iPhone 4.0 OS announcements, no multitasking improvements and of course we didn't see the Beatles catalog come to iTunes (that one cracks me up every time. Someday it will happen 😉 )
The Bottom Line
It's cool! I was expecting a little more (not sure what, but more). With that said, I'm impressed with what you will get for the price range and the data plans are attractive. It certainly is more exciting than a kindle and fills the need for MANY consumers that need something larger than a touch, but don't need a laptop. I could also see this device being the travel/vacation device of choice. When I travel for leisure I need my emai, web, music, movies, and photos. This does all of that in a nice form factor. I also thought it was brilliant to do iWork for the iPad because with the ability to do word processing, spreadsheet and presentations it means one (or three) less reason(s) to have to carry a notebook.
I'm also anxiously awaiting to see what app developers do with the ability to have a larger display and more power processor wise.
Will I buy one?
Nope, I'm buying two! What? Why two. I'm a tech guy and kind of expected to review these kinds of things as quickly as possible. So I'll start with the 16GB WiFi model (because it will be the one that's available first) to kick around with at home and then hand it over to my family. Then I'll probably go with the 64GB WiFi-3G version when it's available for my own use.
See the complete specs here. See the iPad Video Here.
UPDATE: Watch the Steve Jobs/Apple iPad Keynote Video here.
Is it Apple Tablet Day?
Well today is the day! Apple is holding a special media event at 10 AM PST for the press and industry experts to see their "latest creation." Of course there is heavy speculation that this will be introduction of the long awaited Apple Tablet Device.
Other items on the rumor table
Speculation that Apple will roll out iPhone OS 4.0 and iLife 2010.
The big one is that AT&T's iPhone Exclusivity will end with this event. Not sure if this is true or again wishful thinking, but we will certainly see today. If the tablet has 3G connectivity and that connectivity is via Verizon, whether Apple announces anything about the iPhone or not, I think we'll have our answer. I have lot of Verizon using buddies waiting in the wings for this. So if this happens today, there will be champagne corks popping around the country. 🙂
As usual I will have my take on what Apple actually introduces, so check back here later in the day and I will post my thoughts.
As cool as the "latest creation" will probably be, imagine if it were something like this:
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7H0K1k54t6A&feature=player_embedded
Create Flash Content Easily (no coding) with Adobe Flash Catalyst
Adobe has released a NEW product via Public Beta called Flash Catalyst. With Flash Catalyst designers (non-coders) can create interactive content for their websites or to deploy as stand alone applications.
I created my first interactive widget called "What's on Terry's iPhone" and you can see it in the sidebar of bestappsite.com. This widget is not only completely interactive, but it links to the over 100 third party iPhone apps that I currently use. So it becomes a useful tool to link to a ton of information interactively in a relatively small space on my site. You can download the current beta here free of charge and use it to build your own interactive Flash content.
How to get started with Flash Catalyst
Seeing how you might want to see how this product actually works, I recorded this video for the Adobe Creative Suite Video Podcast this week and figured it would be a great way to get you going;
[flv:http://media.libsyn.com/media/cspodcast/podcast-FC-gettingstarted.mp4 609 344]
See more videos on Adobe Flash Catalyst at Adobe TV.