Tag Archives: cool finds

Desktop, Laptop or Netbook?

Posted on by
Reply

Being a remote professional often involves travel and work in… ahem… unusual locations. You may find yourself working on the road, in your car, at a library or coffee shop, onsite with a client, or anywhere in between. Desktops are great,  but they will tie you to a single work spot. They are usually stable and cheaper than the portable alternatives. That is, until recently.

If you are a power-user and you need to multi-task, keep a slew of windows open, and often push the limits of both your CPU and your RAM, your mobile options won’t be low cost.

If, however, you have started using some or many of the online options for thinks like book keeping, email, calendar, etc., a netbook may bridge the gap between portability and pocket-sensitivity.

For under $400 (and even below $300, as of today) you can now get an amazingly lightweight, highly portable, low-power computer with longer battery life than was possible just a year ago.

The first netbooks were rather light on HD size, but there are better options today and 120-250 gig drives aren’t uncommon. Promises of upcoming (June 2009) Ion-based CPUs will make these lightweights heavy-hitters in the remote professional market. Dual-core netbook options are rumored to be in the works and should be available by year end.

Some options have optical drives, others require a USB drive to load software. Alternatively, you can drop the CD or DVD into a network drive and load software via Ethernet or wireless connection.

If you can’t wait that long, look at the sale on the ASUS Eee PC 1002HA 10-Inch Netbook at Amazon (with a $50 rebate) — which has recieved excellent reviews from customers and techies alike. Today, Dell has released their own low-priced netbook called the Mini 1011 Bear with a base price of $299 and several upgrade options, according to a review article on Engadget.

So, if you plan to buy a portable machine in the near future, your options may be more diverse than they were the last time you looked. Weigh all your options and come up with the best option for your needs. If you buy a netbook,  be sure to get a 6-cell battery and max out the RAM options (2 gig minimum), for the best performance in these machines.

Have fun!

Best Protection: Case for an iPhone — and it’s PINK!

Posted on by
3

I’ve been through a slew of iPhone cases in my quest for the perfect one. SLEWS of them. I love my iphone, ask anyone who knows me… but, trying to keep it safe and in excellent working order isn’t always easy when you take it everywhere. (Heck, I even listen to music on mine in the bathroom while taking a shower — so I needed a moisture-resistant, shock proof, tough case for it.)

Yesterday, the ideal case finally arrived. I got mine on eBay, but it’s available on Amazon too. I got myself an Otterbox Defender Semi-rugged Case for my iPhone in girly pink. It’s also available in white, in black and in black with yellow trim, for those of you who aren’t that interested in going all girly.

It doesn’t maintain the sleek, thin lines of the iPhone. It adds a great deal of bulk and weight — but I don’t care. I love it. It seals it from the elements and from my daily abuse. It’s even got a well-functioning screen protector (unlike those that inhibit my ability to use the touch screen on those ever-so-delicate game sessions when I’m waiting in line or in a waiting room). These things matter!

The holster is also pretty cool. I wish it had been available in pink too — but the pink case comes with the standard issue black holster. It’s quick and easy to slide the phone in and out to answer it, and it keeps it protected and at the ready.

The holster clip can also be adjusted to become a defacto easel back so you can watch videos in landscape mode (which is really nice!)

The only thing that bugs me about this solution is how hard it is to get it in and out. It no longer slides easily into my iHome for extra speaker boost, and it’s required me to get more creative with the Griffin WindowSeat Windshield car mount I just got for my car. Aside from those small issues, it’s the best protection I’ve ever seen. I’d probably not even have a heart attack if my precious iPhone went skidding across a parking lot now — so long as it was in the case.

It’s also uber-easy to find in the bottom of my cave-of-a-purse with the bright hue!

If you are looking for the best possible protection for your iPhone, check it out. It really rocks!

Anything you Really REALLY Want… You can find at Goodwill

Posted on by
4

Ok, anyone who knows me knows that I love a bargain. I love treasure shopping. I love the “hunt” for cool stuff. I also adore Goodwill and other thrift shops. (I would have been a pirate a few hundred years ago. Not for the stealing part, but for the finding of the loot.)

For years, I’ve said that you can find ANYTHING you want at Goodwill if you look hard enough and are patient enough.

Now I knew there were some exceptions to that rule, but only the obvious ones. I’ve wanted a platinum or 18K diamond ring for awhile now (I love ebay for trying to find those types of items) and I know that Goodwill isn’t hte place to find that… or at least I thought I did.

Last week, while looking for a few final “necessities” for my new apartment with my son… he found some jewelry that appeared to be sterling in the mass tangle of the jewelry basket. I checked it and it was, indeed, sterling.  So we start digging.

What we found, essentially, was an estate collection of sterling jewelry along with a couple pieces of gold. The most impressive piece was found by my son… it’s an 18K white gold band with a beautiful (and perfect) diamond in a tension setting. Simply lovely. He had it checked out at a jewelers and has since “loaned” it to me to wear.

The cost for this treasure? $1.00

So, I have to amend my earlier statement to include everything — not just nearly everything — is available at Goodwill if you look hard enough and are patient enough. I’ve picked up leather coats, gold and silver jewelry, crystal, sterling flatware, designer purses, down comforters and an assortment of other delightful items at Goodwill in my travels. During this economy, it’s nice to know there’s a place you can score a $2,000 ring for $1 — isn’t it?

Have a great day and happy hunting!

Information Management: An iPhone App to Crave

Posted on by
1

While recovering from a case of the creeping-crud, I’ve spent many hours over at the apps store catching up on what’s new and cool. I’m not BEING very productive lately, so I’m researching productivity (and other) apps. (Hey, at least I’m accomplishing something!)

In particular, I was looking for:

  • a better way to handle my to-do lists
  • a way to maintain standard packing lists
  • a quick-launching notes program
  • a running diary for those “when did I do that?” queries
  • a grocery shopping list-maker
  • a way to do my @ lists (loosely based on GTD philosophy — VERY loosely)

I found one of the most incredible database programs to date for the iPhone. It’s called iDB Datamaster Pro (there’s a free version and a lite version, but I wanted a limitation-free option). It was developed by Evince Technologies, Inc specifically for the iPhone and is not a port or a re-write of another program.

It literally replaced half a screenful of other apps on my homepage — and we all know how precious that space is!

The layout is good and the templates (which I hope will continue to expand) handle most of what I’ve needed so far. I like the integration with the native apps which permits one-tap phone calls and web site launches from within the databases.

The best features?

1. A powerful search across ALL the databases. (Really nice!)

2. The ability to “pause” the database and return to the exact same place next time the app is launched saves taps and frustration. (Small feature, huge impact on usability.) It even has time-stamped logs for locating what was done when.

3. I particularly like the fact that I can backup the databases to my own computer in CSV format — but need to play with this a bit more to learn how to backup and restore effectively.

It’s a little more expensive than the standard .99-4.99 apps, coming in at 12.99 for the pro version, but it’s worth every penny, IMHO. I’ll review a few more of my best finds over the next few days, including writer’s tools for the iPhone and (hopefully) a decent replacement for some of the standard apps (like calendar).

In the meantime, go download the free version of this DB app and give it a try. I think you will like it as much as I do.

Discover Hulu: Enjoy an after-feast movie-fest

Posted on by
1

I’m loving Hulu. If you haven’t discovered it yet, go there now. If you have finished with the Thanksgiving meal and need a little kick-back time (and you aren’t a sports fan), Hulu will come to your rescue.

I’ve registered so I can keep the cool stuff I find in my queue — and so I get automatic update emails when a TV show I’m following has a new episode, but you can view without registration.

Right now (since I don’t watch TV) this is where I watch: Bones, Chuck, Lipstick Jungle, Terminator, The Starter Wife, Heroes, Burn Notice, Crusoe, Valentine, and Battlestar Galactica. (There are also complete seasons of cancelled series and others I’m not currently following).

And I recently added a few great movies to my queue as well. There are some second rate titles on Hulu, but there are also a great number of top movies (and old favorites).

As a few examples, the ones currently in my queue include: The Professional, A River Runs Through It, Requiem for a Dream, GhostBusters (because my daughter has never seen it… ditto for Xanadu), Kiss The Bride, Sense and Sensibility (because it’s been awhile), Hans Christian Anderson (also for Alex), and Rob Roy.

(I only wish I could view this over my wi-fi on my iPhone. That would make it even cooler!)

If you want an all-night horror movie fest to go with your indigestion, this may be the best place to get those too. Why get out to go rent something when you can stay in and save time, money and gas?

Enjoy and Happy Thanksgiving!