Gadgets

Merlin on MacBreak Weekly: iPhone Release Show

Merlin — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 15:42:04 -0400

Hosts: Leo Laporte, Merlin Mann, Scott Bourne, and Alex Lindsay >

iPhones in hand our MacBreak quartet gives you their first impressions of the latest from Apple...

Believe it or not, this week's episode was about Apple's iPhone. Yes, the iPhone. I know: I was surprised, too.

Also, we shot a quick MacBreak (video) on Thursday night where we visited with people queued up outside the Stockton St. store here in SF. I chatted with a bohemian clown, an expensive-looking video camera, and a man from Gizmodo who had a webcam attached to his head. Just another Thursday in Union Square.

Anyhow, the iPhone is out, it's pretty, and lots of people are buying them. For further coverage of the iPhone and the experiences of its excited new users, kindly visit the entire internet.

”Merlin on MacBreak Weekly: iPhone Release Show” was written by Merlin Mann for 43Folders.com and was originally posted on June 30, 2007. Except as noted, it's ©2010 Merlin Mann and licensed for reuse under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0. "Why a footer?"

Cool-looking "Buddha Machine"

Merlin — Sun, 11 Feb 2007 18:38:54 -0500

FM3 BUDDHA MACHINE

I've been hearing about the $25 Buddha Machine for a while (I recall Leo mentioning it once) and was tempted enough to go ahead and order my own today over on Forced Exposure (probably not least because of the amazing exploded drawing they use as a logo).

From the FAQ (which comes from a Pop Matters review):

The Buddha Machine is a little plastic box that plays music.

Specifically, FM3 constructed nine drones, varying from two seconds to 42 seconds, which repeat endlessly in the listener’s ear until the “track” is switched to the next drone (or the two AA batteries run out).

Sean notes that the manufacturers will also let you download uncompressed versions of the 9 included drones for free, so you could presumably emulate some of the functionality on your iPod. Friendly.

Anybody out there got one of these? How you enjoying it?

”Cool-looking "Buddha Machine"” was written by Merlin Mann for 43Folders.com and was originally posted on February 11, 2007. Except as noted, it's ©2010 Merlin Mann and licensed for reuse under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0. "Why a footer?"

GTD with a Mac label maker?

Merlin — Mon, 04 Sep 2006 08:45:06 -0400

multipart/mixed: Turbo-Charging the Dymo LabelWriter

I love my Brother PT-65, which is regarded by many as the unofficial official label maker of GTD nerds (and which, quizzically, appears to have been discontinued :-().

The PT-65 has easily paid back its modest sticker price with three years of faithful service. Trouble is, I like using it so much that it's gotten to be kind of a pain to pull it out and Blackberry-thumb-type my bajillion labels via its teeny keys. Now, I want something that hooks up to my Mac.

Josh Carter's gotten me interested in the Dymo LabelWriter 330 Turbo via this handy tutorial from late last year, which covers basic setup info, plus a tip on speeding up the creation of a new label with Quicksilver.

Josh has good stuff to say about the 330:

The advantages of the LabelWriter, as I see it:

The Dymo software is easy to configure for "power user mode" which eliminates all the extra dialog baggage, and then it's wicked fast to use. (Doubly so with Quicksilver in the mix.)

You get to use your computer's nice keyboard. This is especially important for me since I use the Dvorak key layout.

The Dymo labels are cheap and look totally pro, even better than a stand-alone label maker.

Labels are the same size, so reusing a folder is as simple as sticking a new label over the old one, and it still looks nice.

You can use fancy Mac OS X features like printer sharing if needed. (I tried it, it works great.)

Anybody using one of these units or similar? Care to recommend a label maker of any brand that hooks up via USB and works well with Tiger/OS X? I ♥ my little Brother, but I'm ready for Label Maker 2.0!

”GTD with a Mac label maker?” was written by Merlin Mann for 43Folders.com and was originally posted on September 04, 2006. Except as noted, it's ©2010 Merlin Mann and licensed for reuse under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0. "Why a footer?"

Review: iPod Nano, 2GB

Merlin — Wed, 19 Oct 2005 09:22:28 -0400

iPod Nano, 2 GB

While I don’t really “move” much except to place orders for food delivery or to occasionally evacuate my bladder, my girlfriend runs a lot and for long distances. She loves to have music with her but hates lugging the deck-of-cards-sized 40 Gig iPod I bought a couple years ago (for, I don’t know—like, $1800 or something). She has an iPod Shuffle, but it recently started acting really squirrely plus it never had quite the capacity she’d have liked. But, friends, the iPod Nano I got her for her birthday has been an especially huge hit. Big time. And now I want one, too.

You already know all the high points: it’s thinner (in depth) than a #2 pencil, it weighs less than 2 ounces, it’s got a beautiful screen and purportedly long battery life, plus it looks like something from the same future that was supposed to bring us moving sidewalks and rocket cars (whatever happened to them, by the way?).

A lot for a little

What I missed was that it also has built-in photo capabilities that let it autosync with iPhoto. So, I can create a custom album of Madeline’s friends and family back in RI that auto-syncs with the Nano. So she’s not only got the entire catalog of The Hold Steady, Ted Leo, and Sloan, but she can now quickly show her co-workers what her parents, six siblings, and endless nieces and nephews look like. Reminds me favorably of the accordion-style pack of photos my Dad used to keep in his ginormous wallet.

Complement to the HPDA

So why is this on 43 Folders? I’ll tell you why. One entirely reasonable criticism of the Hipster PDA (particularly from the singularly humorless flying monkeys who love PocketPCs) is that you can’t look up your contacts and your calendar and all your little notes and whatnot with an index card. Fair enough. But, with something like the Nano, I think the long-available iPod file sync capability finally comes in the right form-factor and at the right price. Your Address Book, iCal, VooDooPad exports—you name it—are all ready to go every time you unplug and hit the road.

You get an assload of music, your favorite photos, all your important data, plus you can presumably throw on things like your keychain, work files, etc. That’s a hell of a package. And while it doesn’t play Galaga or let you run your PowerPoint deck, it will keep you from looking like Chewbacca, plus it’s just fun and stylish as all hell.

Stylish little unit

I suppose a lot of this goes the same, in spades, for the Video iPod as well, which I’m dying to get my hands on but have never used (and thus feel, um, unqualified to review). Plus it's still a little pricey for the piecemeal wages of an electronic hobo.

But for someone who likes to exercise, loves music, and hates toting a fanny pack just to corral all her electronic crap, the $200 Nano is right in the pocket.

iPod Nano at Apple.com
iPod Nano on the 43F Amazon Store
Details (via AMZN)
- Retail price: $199 (currently $194.99 on the 43 Folders Store)
- Item model number: MA099LL/A
- Only .27 inches thin and 1.5 ounces, with a bright color display
- Up to 14 hours of music playback; up to 4 hours of slideshows with music
- Compatible with Windows 2000 with Service Pack 4 or later, or Windows XP Home or Professional with Service Pack 2 or later; Mac OS X v10.3.4 or later
- 2 GB model stores up to 500 songs; supports AAC (16 to 320 Kbps), Protected AAC, MP3 (16 to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 2, 3 and 4), Apple Lossless, WAV, AIFF
- Comes with earbud headphones, USB cable, dock adapter

”Review: iPod Nano, 2GB” was written by Merlin Mann for 43Folders.com and was originally posted on October 19, 2005. Except as noted, it's ©2010 Merlin Mann and licensed for reuse under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0. "Why a footer?"

Kendall Clark: AlphaSmart Neo's interesting for what it's _not_

Merlin — Wed, 21 Sep 2005 12:15:42 -0400

On the Joys of Primitive Computing: The AlphaSmart Neo

I keep hearing rumblings about the AlphaSmart Neo, but haven’t put my hands to one yet. Anybody out there got one? Tried one? Seems a bit steep at $250, but I’d love to play with one (<accent belle=“southern”>Why, I declare: I do believe I’ve dropped my kerchief: AlphaSmart, would you be so kind…?</accent>).

Kendall Clark seems to think Neo’s part of a larger trend:

I am so over hardware, and I have been for more than a decade. I take pride in making my living from technology and doing so with very old, even decrepit hardware….

Oddly enough, the Neo is basically a computer for school children. It’s stunningly stupid and, well, primitive. I’m enjoying it so much, and being so productive with it, that it’s got me thinking about what I’ll call Primitive Computing and Power User Devolution.

The Neo is interesting not because of what it does or what features it has, but what it can’t do and the features it’s missing. It’s all about one thing and one thing only: writing. I’m most comfortable turning any task into a writing task (when all you have is a hammer…), which means I’m super comfortable with a primitive device that’s really only good for writing.

And no internet. Some days, I believe I’d find that pretty appealing.

”Kendall Clark: AlphaSmart Neo's interesting for what it's _not_” was written by Merlin Mann for 43Folders.com and was originally posted on September 21, 2005. Except as noted, it's ©2010 Merlin Mann and licensed for reuse under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0. "Why a footer?"