Category Archives: Reviews

It’s New! It’s Here! It’s Twitter 2.0!

07 Thursday Oct 2010

Posted by in Links, Reviews, Technology, Writing

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the Twitter fail whale error message.

Image via Wikipedia

 

After days of waiting in excruciating silence while I waited for the new Twitter format to roll-out, the waiting has ended today! The new format may be old news for some Twitterati but for me… well it’s like a new toy.

The format is certainly welcome and needed; countless dashboard applications have penetrated the social media scene promising to keep your timelines, trending topics and shared links cohesive and clean and all on one easy to manage page. I have been using HootSuite for several months now, having made the switch from Tweetdeck since it just wasn’t aesthetically pleasing to me.

Looks like Twitter has woken up and smelled the proverbial bacon. It’s a smart move in another way; by keeping the Twitterati glued to the actual site, API hits will hit a new low, thereby lessening the dreaded ‘Fail Whale‘…it’s a WIN/WIN situation!

{major navigational tabs} One of the first changes I like is the move Continue reading »

Why I Love Evernote #1: Genius Files

08 Tuesday Dec 2009

Posted by in Fashion, Philosophy and Religion, Reviews, Writing

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Hello Everyone!

Today I want to spread the wealth of knowledge and let you in on one of the many awesome ways that I use Evernote.

If you don’t know what Evernote is, then here’s a basic primer: it’s an internet based mega-notebook that is almost literally an extension of your brain. It’s that simple. If you don’t have an Evernote account you really should get one. Start out with a free account and slowly get acclimated to it. The Evernote Web Clipper is invaluable and Evernote also has the ability to import nearly every kind of file extension you throw at it.

2009-12-08_1325

So onward now. The purpose of today’s post is to show you how I use Evernote to harness my ‘Genius Files’. I first was introduced into the concept of ‘Genius Files’ over at Decor8 Blog.  I ventured into the subject a little further and decided that this is something I definitely wanted to do. At first, I scoured eBay for bulk binders and plastic sheet protectors. I found plenty of these and as I was about to checkout, I realized that this was not going to help my financial situation.

This is when I turned to Evernote. I have a Premium account with them and this is well worth the funds. I have amassed an arsenal of notebooks with varying themes. I’m in the process of transferring many of the links in my Google Bookmarks over to Evernote since most sitting idly, usually saved because I found one awesome article or a DIY I’d like to do. Thus, began the start of my own personal Genius Files.

I’ve got four major Genius Files:

  • Style, Poise and Fashion
  • Philosophy and Religion
  • Home Decorating
  • Blogging

One way that makes filling my genius files much more efficient is to keep a folder on my desktop labeled ‘Evernote’. While I surf the web, I automatically save pictures worthy of saving into this folder.

In Evernote, I’ve set the Import Wizard to automatically import anything I dump into the ‘Evernote’ folder in MyDocuments and put into what I call ‘The Bucket’ notebook in Evernote.

Basically everything goes into ‘The Bucket’ initially and then I separate my notes into their respective notebooks. You don’t have to do it this way, you can even create separate folders to sync with certain notebooks. I prefer to do it this way to keep everything centralized and so that I have ultimate control of where each note goes.

2009-12-08_1144 2009-12-08_1144_001

You can also make notebooks public or private, which makes for a great collaborative tool for creative professionals. All of my Genius Files are private for the moment.

In addition, with a premium account, you can scan in a plethora of high resolution images and Evernote can detect the text in these images. This is great to turn your ‘analog’ Genius Files into a digital masterpiece. Magazine articles, clippings, photos, advertisements, street photos… all of these are valuable bits that makes your Genius Files much more intelligent.

What will your Genius Files say about you?

The Best of Both Worlds: Google Voice and Skydeck

17 Friday Jul 2009

Posted by in Links, Reviews, Technology

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Last night I received one of the most exhilarating emails in a long time; my invitation to Google Voice. I immediately clicked on the link and started setting up my account.

After this step I got a call that asked to to enter my 2 digit code. I verified it. Then the system asked that if I wanted to set up my name and voice mail message press 1 or hang up to end the call. I decided to hang up, I would set up the voice mail later.I already use Google Sync to sync all my Blackberry Contacts with my Google Contact so I didn’t have to set up the contacts portion. Here is my contact page:
You can download the Google Voice Mobile Application HERE.

I wasn’t sure how to set up my voice mail forwarding so I decided to jump ahead to my Skydeck console. If you have a Blackberry and don’t have Skydeck then you are seriously missing out. You can go to http://www.skydeck.com to create an account.

To download the client after you have created an account, you can go to http://skydeck.com/sync . You still need to have the PC version up though. Here are some quick screen shots to get you going with the Skydeck download.

So after you blindly follow the above steps, you must be thinking, ‘Well, why is this so important?’

First of all, you can sync your contacts nearly immediately. You got a call from a telelmarketer or screened a number because you didn’t know it? As long as you still have that phone number in your call log, you can go to Skydeck and sync your contacts…Skydeck will magically tell you whose number that is and add it to your address book! For example (555)123-4567 call you, you don’t answer it. Normally it would stay in your call log as a nameless number, but when Skydeck syncs, it just becomes a NAMED number (John Doe) and is added to your phone book on your BlackBerry and on Skydeck online.

If that’s not enough to get you going, the Skydeck also syncs ALL of your sent and received text messages, so that if you ever need to remember what someone texted you, and you’ve deleted the text off your phone, you can just go online to Skydeck and print them!

And now to the big step: combining Skydeck and Google Voice:

1. Confirm your Skydeck notification email address in Google

  • Go to Google Account Settings
  • Copy and paste (yourskydeckemail@vm.skydeck.com into the “Add an additional email address” field and click Save.
  • Check your inbox at (yourgmailaddress)@gmail.com, open the email from Google and follow the instructions to verify your address.

2. Set up Google Voice to forward email notifications to Skydeck

  • Go to Google Voice Settings and find the “Notifications” section.
  • Click the “Email the messages to:” check-box, select the Skydeck notification email address from the drop-down and click Save.

3. Set your cell phone to forward to Google Voice when you miss a call:

T-mobile: Enter the following code number into your phone the same way you dial a regular phone number and press the Send or Call key: *004*1 your-10-digit-Google-Voice-number #
You must include the * and the # symbols.
You should see a message on your phone saying that call forwarding has been set up.
Press continue when you are done.

Sprint: Call 888 211 4727 to forward your voicemail to Skydeck. This is the number for Sprint Technical Support. When they answer, ask them to turn on “call forward busy” and “call forward no answer” for your cell phone. This means that your phone will ring as usual when you receive a call, but if you are busy or do not answer the call will go to Skydeck’s voicemail system. When they ask what number to forward to, tell them your 10 digit Google Voice number. (Do not ask for “regular”, “normal”, or “immediate” call forwarding, or all of your calls will go to voicemail.) Press continue when you are done.

Enter the following code number into your phone the same way you dial a regular phone number and press the Send or Call key: *004*1 your-10-digit-Google-Voice-number # You must include the * and the # symbols. You should see a message on your phone saying that call forwarding has been set up. Press continue when you are done.

Enter the following code number into your phone the same way you dial a regular phone number and press the Send or Call key: *711 your-10-digit-Google-Voice-number You must include the * symbol. You should see a message on your phone saying that call forwarding has been set up. Press continue when you are done.

Enter the following code number into your phone the same way you dial a regular phone number and press the Send or Call key: *71 your-10-digit-Google-Voice-number You must include the * symbol. You should see a message on your phone saying that call forwarding has been set up. Press continue when you are done.

Enter the following code number into your phone the same way you dial a regular phone number and press the Send or Call key: *74 your-10-digit-Google-Voice-number You must include the * symbol. You should see a message on your phone saying that call forwarding has been set up. Press continue when you are done.

Follow these instructions to set up voicemail forwarding.
Make a note of how to un-forward your phone should you need to do so in the future.
(I apologize that I haven’t labeled some of these with the appropriate carrier. I labeled only what I knew to be correct!)

4. Test it

  • Call your cell phone from another phone.
  • Leave a message when you hear the Google Voice mail prompt.
  • Go to your Skydeck Home Page and ensure your voice mail appears.

Voila! It works! Not only did I get a text message with a transcripted preview of the voice mail that was left for me, but I also got an email, AND I can listen to the voice mail on the Google Voice Console online! That means I can forward it anyway I want, embed it on my blog or even download it as an MP3 file!

So drunk dialers beware…you never know when you’re leaving a message on a Google Voice mail box!

BlackBerry Apps to Love: Slacker, Pandora & FlyCast

18 Thursday Jun 2009

Posted by in Reviews, Technology, Things I Love

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I am an intense lover of nearly every genre of music there is, except Country and some Spanish music. Other than that, you can find me reading with some Mendelssohn, Mozart, Beethoven or even the Three Tenors in the evening, bumping Bone Thugs ‘n Harmony on the way home, head banging to Rob Zombie and Korn while cleaning the house and ‘chilling’ with some Ravi Shankar or Jimi Hendrix trailing from my Eastern themed black light room.

In short, music means a lot to me. My BlackBerry also means a lot to me, and I don’t like a lot of clutter in my bag, so I expect my BlackBerry to multi-task and fully fulfill my ever changing demands. Unfortunately for my 8900 Javelin, its owner is a female Virgo with a constant need for connectivity and a discriminating need for well working applications, even if they cost some to guarantee the quality.

Luckily, all of today’s application showcases are free of charge, the only requirement of which you must have a BlackBerry phone.

Slacker Radio is the oldest app of the bunch for me. The newest version of Slacker Radio as of this writing is the 2.0.2, available here (OTA). When you initially download and startup Slacker, you can create an account on the BlackBerry application or can use an existing account created online from your PC. The great thing about Slacker is that any channels, favorites and settings you may have on the website version carry over to your BlackBerry and vice versa.

Clicking on the ‘Upgrade’ button will open a new browser session and invite you to try Slacker Radio Plus for free for 7 days. The upgrade boasts Unlimited skips, no intermittent ads, unlimited song requests and complete lyrics for the karaoke singer in all of us. I continue to use the free version.

I really like Slacker for its gorgeous visuals such as the iPhone-esque album presentation. Another feature that brings Slacker above and beyond its counterparts is the ability to cache certain stations. When you cache a station, you can sync the stations when you connect you BlackBerry to your PC. This alleviates buffering time and lags between songs.

Pandora for BlackBerry debuted in July 2008 but was only available to AT&T, Sprint and Verizon customers until BlackBerry’s App World launch on April 1st. By the way, if you haven’t gotten BlackBerry App World on your phone, it’s a must have. You can download it HERE. So, after April 1st, T-Mobile was included in the party and now is downloadable for all four carriers by going to http://www.pandora.com/blackberry on your device browser or through App World.

It is best to have an existing account with Pandora through your PC. Through the web portal it is easier to customize your channels and add variety. Whatever changes you have made on the desktop or web interface versions will carry over to the application on the BlackBerry.

Thirdly, I recently discovered and downloaded FlyCast while browsing through the BlackBerry Owner’s lounge. You can download it OTA from your device browser and through BlackBerry App World. FlyCast is appealing because you’ve got 1500 different channels to choose from, including my very favorite NPR. There are a plethora of other channels to choose from such as R&B, Rock, Classical, Opera, Talk Radio and much more. FlyCast also gives you the option to Favorite different stations so that you can access them more quickly.

So, to sum it all up:

Slacker has the best aesthetics and innovative features. Pandora is the most reliable. FlyCast has the largest variety.

Download one or download them all, one of them will surely meet your needs!

InTouch Clutch Review

08 Monday Jun 2009

Posted by in Reviews

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Last week I was puttering around ETSY, where crafty and talented people sell their home made wares. I was searching for custom business cards for personal use and somehow or another, I ran into the InTouch Clutch.

Like the true Virgo that I am, I enjoy having a place for everything and everything in its place. A wallet for my Moleskine, notes, pen and other miscellany? This wasn’t just a mere organizer I would add to my carefully compiled and numbered wish list. This was a code red Must Have!

I browsed the Downstairs Designs store and fell in love with all the designs available for the InTouch Clutch. Many designs are ready to ship and others are made when ordered, which to me added to the overall appeal.

After 2 days of debating, I decided to go with the Gothic Rose. The pattern fits my personality very well and would go very well with my green Kathy Von Zeeland bag. The seller, Jennifer Wilkins, is very good about keeping contact, as I wanted a color coordinating pen to go with my clutch. Today I received it during my lunch break and the unveiling was divine.

The product came wrapped in protective cellophane. After removing the cellophane, the clutch itself was wrapped in a light blue tissue with packaging twine attractively holding everything together. Opening the tissue was like opening a Christmas gift! The clutch was sitting there, just waiting to be filled with memories, my Moleskine and miscellaneous photos. I opened the InTouch clutch and it came with a green Sharpie pen, a small decorative composition book, a blank Thank You card and Downstairs Designs business card. I was elated!

Right now, the clutch sits nestled in my purse holding my money cards, Moleskine, pens and compact shopping bag. I love it!

Bought from Downstairs Designs.

BlackBery App To Love: MAXMEM

10 Monday Nov 2008

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I have been tinkering with my Blackberry a lot lately and have been downloading and deleting several apps within the last couple of weeks. Today I ran into a FREE and extremely useful application named MAXMEM.

My recommendation when adding and removing applications on any device is to ALWAYS make a backup before proceeding. You never really know when an incompatible app will wreak havoc, and give you a dreaded 507 Error or even worse a white screen with a never ending hourglass.

After backing up my Pearl 8100, I went to www.berrycoder.com/maxmem.jad directly from the browser on the phone and downloaded the file. After successful installation, I looked for a little Wooly Mammoth icon, and loaded the app.

It’s a simple little application that packs a punch, the interface is extremely simple, and to the point. The point of MAXMEM is to delete files that most BlackBerry users do not use, like the pre-loaded ringtones and wallpapers, unnecessary language files, T-Mobile Fave 5 or AT&T Push to Talk.

After deleting all these files, my Blackberry runs noticeably faster, and smoother. There are definetly less lags and the things I removed will not be missed. I have to admit that I didn’t remove the native ringtones, simply because I like using some of the native tones, especially after the 4.5 OS upgrade.

For those of you who plan on giving it a spin, and therefore making your Blackberry much more efficient, follow these instructions:

1. Head to http://www.berrycoder.com or click at this Link http://www.berrycoder.com/maxmem.jad
2. Install the application MaxMem to your BlackBerry
3. Click on the MaxMem Elephant icon after you backup your BlackBerry database
4. Choose from below tools
Removed Applications:
- Remove VAD (Voice Activation Dialing)
This feature enable BlackBerry to dial using voice.
- Remove PTT (Push To Talk)
This feature is usually found in AT&T released BlackBerry and can only be used in AT&T network
- Remove MDS – Don’t remove this if you are a BES user
- Remove Media
All the media (sample video, wallpaper, etc) that comes from OS default
- Remove Themes
All themes other than Zen theme will be removed but you get to authorize each theme cod file
- Remove RIM Internal Tools
Used by RIM to monitor beta OS (Quincy, Battery Log, etc)

Note
To avoid data loss in case of error, such as accidentally deleted currently used theme, do back up BlackBerry database using Desktop Manager.
Any error on the BlackBerry can be restored using Desktop Manager

HTC Touch Dual

03 Friday Oct 2008

Posted by in Reviews, Technology

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Today’s new device is the HTC Touch Dual. It’s not necessarily the newest Smartphone out there, but it was approved by the FCC April 17th, 2008 and is now being offered by a local carrier here in Clovis, Plateau Wireless.

The features that this device packs are impressive, toting an advanced form of connectivity called HSDPA (High Speed Download Packet Access), which is pretty much an upgrade from the 3G UMTS system. What this means by text book definition is that it is supposed to double its network capacity and increases download speeds five-fold or more! For the newest Smartphone’s, this is going to become a standard feature, as it is important for the people who typically have Smartphone’s to have their information pushed to them immediately and whenever they need it.

Unfortunately, having the HTC Touch Dual on Plateau’s Network is akin to having a Ferrari in an area where 15 MPH is the speed limit. Nonetheless, Plateau has a very stable EDGE network, and for the time being, that should be enough.

Three things that have to be set up before you start using the touch:
1. My Work Network, this usually houses the MMS (Picture Messaging Settings) .
2. My ISP-> Add a new modem connection, this will determine how you connect to the internet.
3. Proxy Server

This phone is a possible candidate as my next phone, although realistically I am holding out for the T-Mobile Blackberry Javelin or the 9000. Even though this phone has lots of features that I enjoy, and lots of features that are super cool that my Pearl or any other Blackberry doesn’t come with (to my knowledge) such as Adobe Acrobat Reader and Windows Media Player, I really don’t think that I would switch over to Windows Mobile PC. Add on apps are expensive, and very little support for third party apps.

Here at the office, people are going GAGA for this phone. I am pretty addicted to it as well, but my undying love for BlackBerry forces me to keep a stoic composure.

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