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Tag: application

Innovations

Posted by tomwiles at 1:57 AM on February 26, 2011

For some time now, when it came to desktop and laptop computer hardware, innovation has seemed to be somewhat stagnate. After all, what more can be done with word processing software? How can spreadsheets possibly be improved? How can the browsing experience be made better? Can email be made more effective or efficient?

Form impacts function, but function often defines form. The popular form of the day is the smartphone and the tablet, both popularized thanks to Steve Jobs and his team at Apple. Today’s smartphones have processors that are as powerful as desktop machines were five years ago. However, the smaller capacitive touch input screens as well as always-on Internet connections have ended up making possible convenience, ease-of-use and sheer simplicity paramount features. That new software design/interface aesthetic is now traveling back to it’s larger computer counterparts.

Some time back, I downloaded the App store on my Macs, but gave it no more than an initial cursory look and promptly forgot about its presence. This evening while waiting for some files to upload, I noticed the Mac App Store icon and decided to look it over again now that it’s been around for a while.

I must say, the Mac App Store pleasantly surprises me. I ended up downloading a few free apps. The Mac App Store browsing and download experience replicates the iPod/iPhone app store experience. The process couldn’t be easier. By putting all of these apps together in one coherent place it makes it much more likely I’ll end up finding software that (a) I might never have gone looking for in a search engine and (b) gives me a place to look for specific types of software when I might need it. While it’s by no means a complete list of all possible Mac software, it is a welcome addition that will likely spur additional future software development.

Can desktop/laptop operating systems become more useful? There is always room for improvement. Basic business software – word processing, spreadsheets, etc. likely cannot be improved beyond what they are. On the other hand, other computer functions such as photo editing, video editing, etc. likely still have dramatic gains that can be made, particularly as hardware speed and throughput continue to improve.

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Posted in Apple, application, iOS, IPAD, iPhone, ipod, mac, smartphone, Software

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The Future Of OTT TV Apps

Posted by tomwiles at 11:10 PM on December 29, 2010

I’ve been experimenting for some time with connecting computers to televisions, along with a variety of other set-top boxes. I’m now at a point where I’ve begun to draw a few conclusions.

Are we there yet? The short answer is no. We’ve still got a long way to go.

After living a while with Apps on an Android smartphone, along with apps on an iPod Touch, it has become clear to me that the best apps running on these sorts of hand-held devices give a great, slick, quick-access media-consumption experience.

Apps running on Internet-connected TV’s or set-top boxes are going to be important in the future. However, so far what we have available today is a somewhat frustrating experience.

I’ve got a Mac Mini set up as an HTPC/DVR with an Eye TV USB HD tuner. The Eye TV software fails in a living room setting because the text within the application is too small to be easily read from across the room even on a big screen. I’ve also got the Boxee app installed on the same machine. Boxee does have a growing list of apps. However, many of the currently available Boxee apps still often fall short of genuine usefulness.

I want a software interface that I can read and interact with easily from across the room without having to deal with it as if it’s desktop software. I want software apps that are powerful, easy to use, and give me a consistent experience from one app to the next. If I’ve specified I want only videos, then the software should serve me up ONLY videos, with no audio podcasts mixed in.

The trouble with OTT content is that one size doesn’t fit all. The perfect app should allow me to cherry-pick my favorite Internet video content sources and turn them all into a single channel or series of channels.

The ideal OTT/set top box content delivery system is going to incorporate a system of apps much like either the Apple IOS app store, or the Android app store where the customer can choose from thousands of content gathering and/or content delivery apps. Like my Evo Android phone or my iPod Touch, I will be able to customize MY particular set top box with precisely the apps that I want without someone trying to steer me towards content that someone else wants to push towards me against my will. My iPod is my own, with my own selection of personal content. I want my TV to work in exactly the same manner.

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Posted in Android, Apple, application, DVR, ipod, Media Center, Podcasts, Set Top Box, smartphone

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HippoRemote Pro

Posted by KL Tech Muse at 5:12 PM on September 19, 2010

A mouse that I use with one of my computers died and I decided to try the Hippo Remote Pro as a replacement. As a mouse replacement it has both its strength and weaknesses. However if you have a computer set up to play media, it works great.

HippoRemote Pro can be downloaded from Itunes, for $4.99, you can get Hippo Remote Lite for free, too try out the basic functions. You can set up the remote to be use either with Windows, Mac or even Linux. There are easy to follow setup directions for each, on line and also on the application itself. HippoRemote Pro, can be used as a simply desktop remote, but its real power is within the different profiles that are available. Different applications and website have their own profile which are created to get the best out of that application. There are about twenty profiles that come with the remote and there are also user created remotes that are available for downloads. If you want to make a profile, there are instructions available on the website.

As might be expected the remote works best with those websites and applications that you would normally use a stand alone remote with, such as YouTube, Pandora, Hulu, among others. It works less intuitively with applications like Google Chrome or Gmail, and takes sometime to get use. There are macros that come with each profile to add to there ease of use. For example there is a Gmail profile and it has macros that include, go to inbox, go to task, and go to starred. If you want to go to your starred emails for example, you simply hit the “go to starred macro” and you are there. HippoRemote does have a keyboard, which is available at the touch of a key to be used when it’s appropriate. It is strictly for entering in a small amount of texts and should not be seen as a replacement for a full size keyboard, at least not the Iphone version. The Ipad version maybe a different story, I am not sure since I don’t have one.

I would love to have the opportunity to try the Hippo Remote Pro on the Ipad, on the Iphone it feels cramped at times. Even with this complaint, it is great to be able to sit back in a chair and play some Youtube videos. Then when I am tired of them, I can go to Hulu and choose which video I want to play, hit the play button all without leaving the HippoRemote. If you are looking for a good remote control on either the Iphone or Ipad I highly recommend the HippoRemote Pro, it is easy to use and can be customized to your needs.

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Posted in Information

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MacHeist Good deal?

Posted by KL Tech Muse at 11:00 AM on March 14, 2010


If you are a Mac user you have probably heard of MacHeist. MacHeist is a package program that is release occasionally. It contains several programs, which if you brought alone would cost several hundred dollars. When you buy the MacHeist package you get all the programs for less then $20.00. The programs that are offer with MacHeist vary with each release and the date of release is unknown. This latest MacHeist which is now over, had the following programs in it: MacJournal, RipIt, Clips, Flow, CoverScout, Tales of Monkey Island, RapidWeaver and Tweetie. The MacHeist Web site says that they sold over 175,000 copies of the software and raised over $1,250,000 for charity. I admit I am one of those who purchased the MacHeist package this time around. I was already going to buy Ripit and was interested in Clips, so it made sense.

If you are a user and are interested in any of the programs in the package MacHeist seems like a no brainer. It is also a good deal for the charities, and MacHeist itself. There, however is a fourth group that maybe the losers in this scenario. That group is of course the developers of the various software. For example if you brought Rapid Weaver as a stand alone package it would cost you $79.00. With MacHeist you are getting it plus five other programs for a little less the one-fourth the price. So why do they participate in the MacHeist. It can’t be that the money is being given to charity, as Merlin Mann said on Macbreak Weekly 184 if you want to give money to charity, then give to charity. Is it a way to foster good will, that is the willingness to sell product A at a lost for a short period of time, in the hope that the buyer will buy product B at full price down the road. I don’t have an answer to this question, but there is obviously a reason developers participate after all this is the third year of the MacHeist program.

There is one area that I don’t totally agree with Merlin Mann. He thinks that as a user you should not purchase a MacHeist bundle, but if you really want the product you should pay full price. I disagree with him on this, my way of thinking is that MacHeist allows me to have programs that I wanted but couldn’t afford. I have always wanted to use Rapid Weaver, but I could not afford it, the chance of me buying it at full price was very small. Therefore the creators of Rapid Weaver didn’t loose $79.00, because they never would have gotten it in the first place. Also, I didn’t force the developer to participate, I just took advantage of their participation. If you are a mac user did you purchase the MacHeist package. If you are a developer did you participate in the program, if so why or why not, I would be interested to hear either way.

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Posted in Apple, application, mac

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Foursquare vs Gowalla

Posted by KL Tech Muse at 9:23 AM on March 11, 2010

With South by Southwest about to begin, location base services on various mobile platforms are about to be tested to their fullest. If you are going to SXSW, you may find yourself using one of these applications. The two that seem to be the most popular right now are Gowalla and Foursquare. Both have also done recent updates in the last couple of day, so if you haven’t updated do so. Each has their strengths and weakness.

The first difference that I noticed was Gowalla allows you to post and view pictures of a location, that other users have posted. With Foursquare there are no pictures, but people do leave tips. These are great if you are going somewhere new and want to learn more about it before you go. You can also check nearby tweets and see what is happening around you with Foursquare. Foursquare allows you to get pings from your friends if they are nearby. I didn’t see any way to ping someone if they are nearby on Gowalla I also noticed that on Foursquare you can text, call, email, send a tweet or facebook connect to a friend as long as they included that information in their profile when they signed up. On Gowalla you can only post a comment or tweet someone. Foursquare also allows you to mark a place as closed or incorrectly placed. I like this option, I hate looking forward to going somewhere only to get there and find its no longer in business. I didn’t see anything in Gowalla that allowed you to do that. Both apps give out badges or stamps for meeting certain goals. I do like the Trip activity on Gowalla, the idea is they suggest places to go in an area or city and then you mark them off as you go, sort of like a scavenger hunt. Unfortunately, their idea of nearby seems to be anything within a 1,000 miles. Gowalla also offers challenges, like check into X number of tech startups or check in at ten or more coffee shops are just some examples. Foursquare doesn’t have anything like this.

Since they are both free I actually recommend downloading both and trying them out. Most likely you will end up using the same application your friends are using. Part of the fun is to see what your friends are doing and compete with them in getting stamps or badges. The one thing you need to be aware of is that when you checkin with either of these apps you are giving out your location to the world. I did notice by accident that Foursquares allows you to check in somewhere even if you are not there. Unless you publishing your location to meet people, I would use this option at least some of the time. Unfortunately it looks like Gowalla only allows you to check in if you are at the location. I believe Gowalla does need to look into allowing you to check in somewhere even after you leave the location. Before you use one of these applications you should be aware of the risk. If you Google location apps and security you will find a ton of articles on the subject. Despite this caveat, if you have a mobile smart phone I would recommend downloading and trying out these applications.

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Posted in application, Social Media

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IQ Grocery

Posted by KL Tech Muse at 8:34 PM on January 31, 2010

One of the first things that I looked for when I got my Iphone was a grocery list application. I wanted one that was easy to use, easy to add to and was versatile. After a bit of trial and error I found one that I really like and use weekly and that is IQ Grocery. IQ Grocery can be downloaded through the App store for .99 cents.

When you open the application you will see five icons at the bottom of the screen; list, favorites, store, coupons and others. To add a store you simply click on the store icon and then add the name of the store. You can add as many stores as you want, if you need to change stores just click on the the icon at the top and pick the store you want. To add an item you can type the item in, you can also add it by putting in the bar code number or by scanning the bar code in using your Iphone camera. When you start typing an item in IQ Grocery will try to complete it for you. It will offer you the generic item and also any brand name items that are available. As you shop you simply check the item off and it will fall below the divide line. To restore it you simply check again and it will appear You can further tweak your items by limiting by price, size or weight. You can also add a description or note for an item. You can also assign items to a specific store or a your favorites.

IQ Grocery also offers coupons from Coupon.com, which you can clip and send wirelessly to your printer. or email the coupons and print them from there. If you shop at a store affiliated with Safeway, then you can add the coupon directly to your club card. If you want to share a list with someone you can sync it with them. If you sync a list with anyone else if they make a change on their list it will appear on yours. You can also email a list to anyone for them to print out.

There are a couple of things that I don’t like about IQ Grocery. First you can only print your coupons wirelessly if you have a HP printer. It would also be nice if you could add coupons to more then just a Safeway club card. Some people also complain because there are advertisements in an application you already, However despite these few negative things I really like the IQ Grocery application and would recommend it to anyone looking for a good grocery list client.

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Posted in application, iPhone

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A Review of Tuneup

Posted by KL Tech Muse at 1:20 AM on January 27, 2010

I had never really used the Itunes’ album view, not because I don’t like the concept, but because when I did it with my library there were far too many album showing the blue note indicating there was no album cover. I had tried to have Itunes scan my library, but many of my album were still not found. I had tried various other methods, but none were completely satisfactory until now when I found Tuneup.

Tuneup can be found at Tuneupmedia.com and it is available for either $19.95 per year or $29.95 for a lifetime subscription. You can also try it for free and it will scan up to a 100 albums. After downloading and installing it, Tuneup will appear next to Itunes when you open Itunes up. At that point you can then add your library to Tuneup and it will scan it to find missing data and album art. If you add your whole library it will take some time, it is better to add a small amount at a time. Once its finish scanning it will update your data and add album art. If like me you have a lot of singles, which are on multiple albums, Tuneup will offer you what it thinks is best choice and the other choices it has available. Then you can pick the one you want. Once you finish making your choices, it will let you know if any albums were not found for your songs. You do need to make sure that the information in Itunes for your songs are correct. I had a whole listed of singles that I didn’t know what album they came from, so I had listed them under Fun Time Album. I had to go back and clear that information out, so that Tuneup could update the information.

If that was all Tuneup did, I am not sure it would be worth the $29.95, however it does much so much more. When you start playing a song, Tuneup will pull up any matching Youtube videos that are available. You can also connect Tuneup with Twitter, Facebook or MySpace and share what you are playing with your friends and followers. Finally, it will let you know if any of your Itunes artist are playing in concert near you anytime soon. To me Tuneup is well worth the price you pay for it and I would recommend it to anyone who has a Itunes library that has a lot of missing album art and likes to share. If you have used Tuneup or any other program like it, do you like it, why or why not?

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Posted in application, itunes, Media

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A Review of Notifications, A push application for the Iphone

Posted by KL Tech Muse at 6:59 AM on November 24, 2009

A couple of updates, I sent a message to the makers of Notifications on Twitter about the Time Zone issue and they replied back with the solution, my browser had auto filled the password into the first block but not the confirmation block, simply clearing the password out of the first block solved the problem. They responded within a couple of hours, which is really good. I also received a notification that came from my Gmail account, so that appears to work fine. For me even if it was only the RSS that worked I would still think that this app is worth the $2.99 I paid for it. Do you have any apps that you use to push your feeds to the iphone, if you do what are they and do you like them.

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Posted in application, iPhone, review

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Fluent News vs ZenNews

Posted by KL Tech Muse at 9:55 PM on November 8, 2009

Finding a good news application was one of the first things I looked for on the Iphone. Fluent News and ZenNews are the two that I have tried, the following chart compares the two

As the chart shows, there are a couple of differences between the two. First Fluent News allows you to share easily with Twitter, Facebook and by Email, while Zennews only shares with Twitter and by Email. Zennews does have time stamps on the post, while Fluent News does not, in the era of real time time stamps are important in my opinion. The Zennew’s hot topic bubbles are a good way to see what is hot, with Fluent News you have to go under categories then at the bottom of the page are the most popular news post. The last thing is Zennews lets you control the sources that the news is coming from, Fluent news doesn’t even list their sources. Whether you like one or the other is a matter of personal preference. Both applications are free, so I would download both of them and try them out, there is nothing to loose

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Posted in application, iPhone

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Twitter Lists, The New Measure of Influence?

Posted by KL Tech Muse at 11:47 PM on November 3, 2009

If you are using Twitter, you are aware that it released the ability to create lists as part of it’s core application. This has led many people to create lists on any subject you can think of. Of course with anything involving Twitter there is controversy. Especially among those who measure their importance by the number of followers they have. List have change this dynamic, and not everyone is please.

There are two ways to get a list, first you can create them from the followers you have, second you can use someone elses. There is a site called Listerous which is a good place to go if you are looking for some list. The great thing about using someone elses is that you don’t have to be following a person to see their post. Although you will only see their updates within that specific list and not your home stream. If you decide to create your own, which I recommend create them based on your needs and not what someone else tells you is right or wrong. Mashable has a good tutorial on how to create list. I do recommend a couple of things, first use specific titles, second go with your first thought. Don’t worry about offending someone, the lists are to help you, besides you can always add someone later.

As I said earlier many people think that the new measure of influence will be how many list someone is on, not their total number of followers. Number of followers has in my opinion always been a bad indicator of influence, it is just one indicator. Many people have huge numbers but are not influential. It will be interesting if now the race becomes the number of list people are on. Of course that is something only time will tell. If you want to see my list please go to List Browser and input klandwehr.

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Posted in Social Media, Twitter

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