Get one thing done

December 12, 2008 · Filed Under Ranting, iphone apps, wordcamp · Comments 

As you may already know, I’m in the process of organizing a conference called WordCamp:Las Vegas. It’s less than a month away now so it’s really starting to become Crunch Time! All those things I knew I had to get done before the show didn’t seem like that big of a deal a few months ago when I started this journey. However, as the event draws near, it’s time to do like the jolly guy from the North Pole is doing right now; make a list and check it twice!

Last night while I had some down time, I started brainstorming. I wanted to work on a list of items I’m going to need for the conference that aren’t the big obvious things (like chairs, a stage, a microphone, etc…). I decided that the best way to do this was going to be on the iPhone using an app called Toodledo. Each time I would think of a new item I needed to get, I’d create a new task for it. By the time I was done I realized I have some work to do. And some of it I need to get done soon!

This morning I opened up Toodledo to double-check the list. When I first saw all the tasks staring back at me with their due dates and importance level (most say HIGH), it was a little overwhelming. I quickly closed the app and went back in to my shell of denial and headed off to work. Luckily, on my lunch break I came to my senses. I opened up the app again and took a quick look and found exactly what I was looking for. A simple task on the list that could be done with minimal effort. I quickly hit the Internet, did a search on Google, found 3 stores selling the product I needed. I found the store that had the item that best fit my needs and had the best price and I placed the order. I opened up Toodledo again and checked the item off the list. With that check mark went a sizable amount of stress.

When staring at the entire list of things to do, it can be overwhelming. When looking at any of the tasks on the list, none are to challenging and likely need only a few minutes attention each. Getting just one thing done of my list helped reinforce that fact.

I feel better already.

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iPhone App Review: Evernote

October 8, 2008 · Filed Under Technology, iphone apps · Comments 

I’m always on the lookout for iPhone Apps that are useful across multiple platforms. Sure, it’s nice if you find a really great iPhone App, but if it’s only useful on the iPhone itself, I consider that a limiting factor. One of the programs that best exemplifies cross platform usability is Evernote.

As the name implies, Evernote is for taking notes. I’ll bet you didn’t see that one coming. But the trick is this, you can create several types of notes (Text, Snapshot, Voice or Saved Photo) and upload them from your iPhone to your account on evernote.com where your notes are stored for easy access. You can now access your notes from your iPhone, or from any computer with an internet connection. You simply log in to your evernote account and you have access to a fully searchable repository of your notes.

Screenshots from the iPhone App:

The iPhone App is free and the website offers a free account and service for people who don’t upload a ton of notes. A paid subscription won’t cost you but $5 per month or $45 per year and the amount of notes you can save with a paid account is pretty ridiculous. I wouldn’t expect to be filling it up too quickly.

Evernote also has a desktop application for both Mac and Windows users that lets you create and view notes. However, I’ve found that I’m way more fond of the Firefox plugin that lets you highlight some text or graphics on a page, click the “Clip to Evernote” button and have the information saved to your evernote account. I’ve found this feature particularly handy for when I’m at work and want to save a URL for viewing at home.

Evernote is one of the Apps that takes the iPhone to the next level. The user interface is clean, clear, easy to understand and easy to use. Other Apps that are listed in the productivity category should take a look at Evernote and take note of it’s simplicity and power. It has healthy doses of both.

Next time you are in the App store, download Evernote and give it a shot. You’ll be glad you did.

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What’s missing from my iPhone

September 15, 2008 · Filed Under Ranting, mo30dc2008 · Comments 

Now that I’ve had the new 3G iPhone for a little bit, I figured I’d write a post to complain about it. Not because I don’t like it. Quite the contrary. I love it. But, there are a few things still missing that would make my iPhone experience even better.

SMS MMS messaging
I know this isn’t an original gripe, but still. Come on guys, I want to be able to take blurry photos and send them to my friends. I also want to be able to receive drunken party photos from my friends while they are out at the clubs.

Copy/Paste
As much as I would love to be able to blog from my iPhone, until I’m able to cut and paste, that just isn’t going to happen. Most of my blog posts have links to sites/products/whatever, and there’s no way I’m going to type out some crazy URLs to product pages buried deep within a site. I may as well try to write in braille.

Delete All
When I check my work email address, I scroll through, deal with the important emails and then delete them. This way I know the next time I look, any emails in my inbox need to be dealt with. I also have to delete all the spam that accumulates. After dealing with the good emails and I’m left with all the spam, deleting all would sure be handy.

Mark All As Read
Same general purpose as the delete all, except this is more important in gmail accounts where, if you delete an email, it’s deleted on gmail, too. Not just from your iPhone. In this case, marking them all as read so you can see a proper count of new emails would be useful. I may be alone on this one, but it’s my post…

Ability to switch between programs
Why can’t I have two programs running at once and then switch between them. If I’m in the middle of a killer game of Sudoku and I receive a text message and need to respond, when I’m done, I need to start the Sudoku application from the beginning rather than just switching back to it. In most cases, the games remember where you were at. But, that’s not the case with all apps. Plus, why should I have to wait 10-30 seconds for an app to load that I was just using a minute ago?

Sync with multiple computers
I have a desktop PC and a laptop that I would like to be able to use the iPhone as the go-between for syncing my music and my contacts. When I go on the road, having access to my full set of contacts on my laptop would be convenient. And, while I’m out on the road, if I buy a new album from iTunes, I want to be able to move it to my iPhone and/or desktop when I return home.

A few of these are keeping the iPhone from being the “Killer App” for me. I love it, but I have so much more love to give…

Leave me a comment and let me know what’s missing from YOUR iPhone.

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Yelp is everywhere

September 2, 2008 · Filed Under General, mo30dc2008 · Comments 

 

What’s this? 

 

Sunday night while playing a marathon game of Risk, Carl, Todd and I were discussing iPhone apps we each have installed. Carl suggested that I download the Yelp app. Yelp.com is a site that lets users leave a review for places they visit. Restaurants, bars, beauty salons, doctors… you name it. I installed it and was checking out out Monday morning and was an instant fan. As with most of the new apps, it uses the new GPS technology to figure out where you are and then shows you a list of places in your area. On the list page it shows you the average user rating, the number or reviews each place has had, the address, the distance to the location and it gives you an idea of how expensive the place is based on the number of $$$ you see on the listing. Click the listing and it gives you the phone number and a “Map” link that will open up the maps app and basically walk you to the door. You can also click the “Browse reviews” link to see what people say about it. The one thing you can’t do is write a review from your iPhone. For that you need to go to yelp.com and create an account.

Monday evening I took the family to visit the Pinball Hall of Fame. As we were walking in I saw a sticker on their door (exactly like this one) that says “People love us on Yelp.” The timing of it all cracked me up. I have been to the Pinball Hall of Fame SEVERAL times and I know that sticker is new since the last time we went. I went online earlier today and created my account at Yelp and figured I would write my first review on the place I love so much.

Here’s a link to my reviews on Yelp.com - If you sign up, add me to your friends list.

They also have a spiffy app that you can add to your site (or myspace page) that tell everybody about the places that you’ve reviewed.

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What is on your iPhone?

August 27, 2008 · Filed Under Geek Fun · Comments 

When I first got my iPhone, my first week of use on it was pretty awesome. I checked out youtube, took photos, sent text messages, browsed the internet… oh yeah, and I used it as a phone once in a while. The novelty of it all sorta wears off after a little bit and it goes back to being “just a phone” with a nice interface.

That all changed with the release of the new software and the availability of the App Store. Now everybody and their brother can create applications that you can install on your phone and turn it in to the entertainment system it set out to be. Many of the apps are free. A great many of them are available for under a buck and then you’ll find another tier of apps that cost $4.99 or $9.99. After a couple months had gone by, I had only installed 1 or 2 apps. I figured it was about time to change that, so over the past couple weeks I’ve spent some time going through the App Store checking it all out. Here’s what my iPhone has on it currently:

iphone_1sm iphone_2sm iphone_3sm 

First thing you’ll probably notice is that I replaced the static iPod link along the bottom with Twitterrific. I rarely use the iPod feature, but I use Twitterrific several times each day.

Page 1:
SMS: Yeah, I feel like a 14 year old girl with the amount of text messaging I do. Sheesh.
FastContact: This app is fantastic for finding people in your contact book when you are trying to make a call.
Photos/Camera: The basics for taking snapshots with the phone. I don’t think these are the be-all-end-all for dealing with photos, but they work for now
Evernote: One of my new faves. Allows you to take voice/text/photo notes and syncs them up on your evernote.com account. They can now be accessed from your work/home computers or the iPhone, no matter where the notes originated from.
Notes: no longer used thanks to evernote. Need to move that icon eventually.
Wikipedia: Awesome resource. I use it several times a week.
JHU: Vanity link to my own website.
Google (web link): Quick access link to answer most any question…
Maps: I rarely use this. Needs to be moved to a 4th page, I think.
WordPress: I don’t use this for writing posts, but it’s nice to be able to go in and do minor tweaks to posts when needed. I think this tool will get more powerful in later versions.
Google: I use this for access to my Google Reader account. I read all my RSS feeds on the go this way. Quite handy.

Page 2:
(I use page 2 to store a bunch of the standard buttons that I don’t use all that often. Rather than list them all since you probably already know what they do, I’ll just list the stuff I’ve added.)
Flickup: This lets you take photos and upload them directly to your flickr.com account. I’m not a huge fan of the iPhone’s camera, so I haven’t used app this all that much.
Tip: This is a handy little tool that calculates the tip to leave your server. You enter the amount of the bill, scroll to the % you want to leave and also choose the number of people who are going to split the tip. It will show you how much each person needs to put in.
LinkedIn: Instant access to your LinkedIn account. I don’t use it a ton, but it’s convenient.
IMDB: Instant link to the Internet Movie Database website. The place to answer that age old question, “Who was that dude in that one movie with that chick?”

Page 3:
Facebook: Handy link to your facebook account.
MyLighter: This app is useless, unless you are going to a concert where you may need to hold up a lighter during the power ballad. Then, it’s genius!
Poker: This is the MotionX poker-dice game. Looking for mindless addictive fun? Found it. Love this app!!
AirMe: Lets you take photos on your iPhone and upload them to an airme.com account. I was going to use this instead of uploading my photos to Flickr, but haven’t really messed with it much… yet.
HoldEm: This is a fantastic poker game. Good graphics, decent game play and it lets you play against friends on their iPhones, though I haven’t tried that feature yet.
GarageBay: This is a pretty spiffy app that lets you search eBay, keep tabs on your watched items list and even place a bid directly from your iPhone. Quite handy for those with an addiction to buying goodies on eBay.

So there ya go. That’s what’s on my iPhone. What’s on yours?

Before I go, to answer the question “how did you get the screenshots?”, go to the page you want to take a snapshot of, hold down the home button and then press the power button up top. Your screen will flash and the photo will be saved in your Camera Roll. Super simple.

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