Tag Archives: mobile technology

Ocarina: Musical Instrument Built for the iPhone

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Ok, I’m loving the way the platform for the iPhone is constantly expanding. Holding up the device to a radio and using an app (Shazam) to identify the song, artist and offer the ability to buy that song… well that’s just cool. It works pretty well, I had it on my iPhone for awhile.

(I took it off to make room for more apps I wanted to test. I don’t really NEED to know a song that often, but it’s cool to have when I do.)

Being able to scan a barcode and look up the product online, complete with price comparisons to get the best deal… that’s a great concept as well (It’s on my list of apps to try, but I’ve not done this one yet — I’ve heard it still needs a bit of work). I’ll wait for the next version.

One that I did recently download (a paid app) that is uber cool is called the Ocarina by smule. This has GOT to be one of the coolest expansions of the different parts of this device for a completely new purpose.

The mic is used as a “reed” to blow into in order to play the instrument. The touch screen offers combinations of four virtual “buttons” to make a multitude of tones and sounds. And if having a little instrument in your pocket isn’t cool enough… they’ve also taken the social networking aspect to a new level by broadcasting (with your permission, of course) the music of all players all over the world.

So you can watch on a globe of the earth as someone far away struggles with those beginning chords of amazing grace, or triumphs over the final chords of Greensleeves. If you get tired of listening to one new-iphone-age artist, you can hit the next button and the globe spins and picks up another player somewhere else in the world.  Hit the heart emblem to give props to those you like — everyone has their own username.

Yeah, I know that the iPhone has had mini-piano programs (I got the free one to play) and drums and guitars, and some that are a whole band in your pocket… but this is different. This is something completely new.

It’s an instrument FOR the iPhone and it’s worth the 99 cents just to play with the expansion on this smartphone’s overall concept and what it can do. Very cool. Try it.

Oldies on my iPhone… wish TV stations would follow suit

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I hope that an expanded play list will be added to this great new resource for those iPhones and iPod Touch models availing themselves of the use of a wi-fi connection.

Hollywood Pocket is a website offering Quicktime movies that download and play beautifully straight from the website. The selection is rather small now, but I hope it will grow.

This resource is a great example of what could be done with the the wi-fi access of these pocket devices. Since I get most of my television shows from the Internet these days (through Hulu usually or straight from the TV websites), I’d love to see iPhone-friendly layouts for those.

Wouldn’t it be great to be able to cruise to the latest episode of Bones or Life or Gossip Girl (yeah I watch it, so sue me), or a dozen other great options — all on my iPhone?

If the idea is to increase viewership, I’d hope that one of the executives realizes that there are some of us who would not only use the service, but would wax poetic about it if it were available.

In the meantime, check out Hollywood Pocket and see what (I hope) the future will hold.

Most Recent Cool iPhone Apps: A Baker’s Dozen

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I try to keep on top of the iPhone apps store. It’s like an addiction… maybe an affliction. But, the very least I can do is share the cool stuff I’ve found. Right?

My favorite aspect of the iPhone is how much of the cool stuff I love, use, need and want can be put in one pocket-sized place. Of course, that’s probably why I had a dream the other night that my iPhone exploded. Don’t get all Freudian on me… I don’t know why. All I remember (from the dream) is that I was all panicky about how I’d replace it — since I don’t want the new 3G. (My 1st generation iPhone is cheaper on my data plan, has SMS messages included, and my area doesn’t have the 3G coverage — so I’d be paying more for less.)

Now, back to the cool stuff I’ve found…

Say Who – A voice dialing app that simply works. Warning: You do need to enunciate and be sure you pause between each word. Run-on commands don’t work very well. You can set it to auto-dial the number or wait for your approval. Free.

Fifteeen – a fifteen square puzzle that’s free. I know it’s not horribly high-tech, but this is one of my all time favorite games (I even have the old classic metal version around here somewhere.) Now, I can always have it with me.

Air Mouse – I can now use my wifi to control my computer from … you guessed it… my iPhone. This one is a WAY cool app. I don’t like the air mouse feature as much as the air “touch pad” feature. The touch pad is easier to handle on the iphone and is amazingly responsive.

Ah.. Moemory Lite – Beautiful graphics on this free flip-card style memory game.

Easy Relax – I like this one better than the paid Ambiance “sound machine” that I purchased a few weeks ago. I can mix my own “white noise” sounds and set them to play for a specified time. My personal rain mix has already helped to calm my monkey-mind enough to drift off to sleep. Free.

iBowl – This is a wii-style bowling game. Price is right (free), and it’s fun. I did remove this from my iPhone fairly quickly simply because I’m afraid that I’m going to fling my iPhone across the room playing it. Please see above reference to exploding iPhone dream.

iDicto – Best dictation recorder for the iPhone I’ve seen to date. Easy to use, intuitive, cool graphics. Only issue is that this free app is now marked with a banner stating “free trial” which makes me raise an eyebrow. I’m hoping that I’ve not downloaded an expiring “bait and switch” app. I hate that stuff.

If Found Please – An easy, quick way to add a “call if found” number to your iPhone wallpaper. I made mine and then immediately removed the app. The resulting wallpaper is stored in your photo gallery on the iPhone, making it uber-easy to set up and use. Free.

Contacts Fast Add – Don’t fumble around trying to quickly add the basic info on a new contact. Use this little gem to avoid the “going to the phone app, then realizing that I need to be in contacts to edit and add” conundrum. I keep this little baby on my first screen, always at the ready. Free.

i.TV – This is a feature-rich and beautifully executed app to show you what’s playing when in your area (and on what channel). I’m not much into television myself, but I like this app and found it for my father to use on his phone because it shows “airwaves” TV information as well as cable. It’s a great way for him to set his TiVo and determine which talking-heads show he most wants to watch. Free.

I “heart” Radio – Cool way to get radio talk shows on your iphone. Helps balance out my Pandora app, my iPod functionality and my podcasts. I like having options. Free.

Around Me – I use this little app more that I’d ever thought I would. It’s a great way to locate nearby businesses, hospitals, coffee shops, etc. With just a couple taps, I can call local-to-me businesses to get the information I need. It is quicker and easier than using the yellowpages app and will also give me a map and directions on how to get there. Nice. Free.

Fring – a great little all-in-one for IM and Skype (including the ability to place Skype Out calls when you are in range of a strong WiFi signal). Using the iPhone with Skype was something I was seeking before I found this. It’s nice to have. Hint: Use the + sign (hold down the zero to access it) and a 1 before adding your numbers for Skype Out, or it won’t work. Free.

Go to iTunes and look each of these up by name to learn more… or (if you have your iPhone handy), just go directly to the apps store and download them from there.

Tumblr: Juggling Online Personas

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angelaallenparker.com

Until recently, I found it exhausting to juggle all the online “faces” of me. The social networking thing was just completely out of control. Over the past few weeks, I’ve been evaluating where I spend my online time (socially speaking) and where I enjoy being the most.

I wanted to do the 80/20 thing on social networking (the same way I’ve tried to apply it to other portions of my life). What I didn’t expect was to get all tied up with a massive time-suck while doing so. But, stuff happens.

It all started when I rediscovered Tumblr…

My Tumblr Experience

I’ve had a Tumblr account for forever, but it was just sitting there… like so many of my social identities. Recently, I wondered if I could use it as the “go to” place for all my online snippets and info. My experiment has become my own little monster. It sucked up alot of my time for a few weeks. I was always tweaking the layout, getting my own URL, trying new ways to get the information up there quickly and easily.

I fell in love! It’s so easy to post, so quick, and with a sidebar RSS here on WB, it makes my updates insta-matic!

I’m not willing to go with ONLY a Tumblr Blog — although the thought has been tempting. Using it really brought me into the “soundbite” era — and I now appreciate media catering to the “television-commercial-length-attention-span” I once despised. Gone are the overwhelming urges for long, verbose blog posts. (I’d rather just grab something interesting (or bizarre) that I find and slap it up on my Tumblr.)

Blogging on the Fly: No — REALLY!

Having a shortcut on my Firefox browser makes it easy to grab my online finds and share the golden ones. (If you want something to get ALL your social networking options in one place, try Sharaholic.) I also purchased Tumblrette for my iPhone (for $1.99) and find that having a quick and easy way to post when I’m out (including quick snapshots from my iPhone’s camera) makes me use the Tumblr blog much more often. It’s probably the best 1.99 I’ve ever spent at the apps store.

Tweaking it so my Twitters are automatically included, and so my blogs here on WB are also auto-magically added (along with other social networking automatic updates) has resulted in Tumblr becoming my personal online mashup.

I know that when I get time, I’ll be tweaking it more. I’d like to (eventually) host it myself — I’m not even sure if that’s possible yet. The brief research I’ve done hasn’t turned up any simple methods to accomplish this. In the meantime, visit my ever-evolving tumble log over at angelaallenparker.com.

And if you are just starting to blog… it’s a great “leg up” on the process. Tumblr makes blogging really fun. And it’s low-maintenance and it’s multi-format friendly. It’s a great way to create your own online “mashup” and can even be used to organize research and online finds (if you use your tags intelligently).

Now, I’ve “whittled down” my online time Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn accounts and I don’t spend much time on them anymore. The others are there, and I add them to my profiles, but I don’t really spend time with them. (I can’t… all my extra time is spent on my Tumblr!)