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a boring tech update
September 10, 2008 - 12:30
- iPhone - Air - iTunes - NBC
a few quick bullets:
-Cannon customer support was unusually easy to deal with regarding sending me a replacement CD for some bundled software that came with my camera. This software plus a free downloadable update should allow me to hook up and control my camera via my laptop. I am hoping that this will help me better take multiple images at different exposure which can then be used to make HD pictures (THIS might be an accurate link for the type of file it will create) . I've been doing some reading about HD pics since hearing about a program called Photomatix on TWiT. My camera will take 3 shots in a row with different exposures using a the AEB function. Having 3 pictures will be enough to make a HD picture, but more is likely preferred, so using the laptop might help with this. Additionally, I still have a hard time with all the setting on the camera, I'm hoping that by being able to change them by using the computer I will get more used to how they all work together. Getting the CD from Cannon only took a few quick emails to their customer support and it's on the way now.
-I went to the Apple store tonight because the speaker on the iPhone was messed up, the volume was very low even at the loudest setting. The "genius" at the store who I had my appointment with quickly swapped out the phone for a new one. This is the third time I've had to swap out the phone since I purchased the first one over 2 years ago. This fact doesn't bother me because every time I had a problem they didn't argue or anything, they just swapped it out for a new one. New products with so much jam packed in them are bound to have issues, and as long as I get a new phone without a hassle when they occur I'm a happy camper.
I also brought in the Air because the microphone hasn't worked for a few months. They said they could replace it in-store but I would have to leave it there for 2-3 nights. I told the guy that I will definitely proceed with that plan, but I just wasn't ready to give up my laptop at that exact moment. Not having a working microphone is really only an issue for me during video iChat, so not having it isn't the end of the world for now.
-Apples new announcements yesterday were nice. I was most excited with the news that NBC is finally back in the iTunes store, their absence has bothered me for quite some time. The fact that HD television shows are now available is really cool as well. $2.99 per episode is borderline expensive, but good shows will hopefully be worth it. In celebration of these announcements, I am currently downloading season 4 of the Office in HD. The iTunes TV store was offering the first episode of Hero's season 2 for download, so I have that on now via the AppleTV (which I had to do a factory reset on tonight...uggg). This show isn't in HD, so the Office will be my first chance to see if the $1 premium is worth it per episode for the HD version. A standard definition version of every episode is also downloaded, so you can watch the show on you iPod/iPhone. These two files combined take up close to 1 GB (710mb & 240mb respectively) of hard drive space, for approximately 21 minutes of videos. It's amazing how huge hard drives are just taken for granted now a days.
Well that was a boring little update of some tech news in my life. Have a good night :-)
-Cannon customer support was unusually easy to deal with regarding sending me a replacement CD for some bundled software that came with my camera. This software plus a free downloadable update should allow me to hook up and control my camera via my laptop. I am hoping that this will help me better take multiple images at different exposure which can then be used to make HD pictures (THIS might be an accurate link for the type of file it will create) . I've been doing some reading about HD pics since hearing about a program called Photomatix on TWiT. My camera will take 3 shots in a row with different exposures using a the AEB function. Having 3 pictures will be enough to make a HD picture, but more is likely preferred, so using the laptop might help with this. Additionally, I still have a hard time with all the setting on the camera, I'm hoping that by being able to change them by using the computer I will get more used to how they all work together. Getting the CD from Cannon only took a few quick emails to their customer support and it's on the way now.
-I went to the Apple store tonight because the speaker on the iPhone was messed up, the volume was very low even at the loudest setting. The "genius" at the store who I had my appointment with quickly swapped out the phone for a new one. This is the third time I've had to swap out the phone since I purchased the first one over 2 years ago. This fact doesn't bother me because every time I had a problem they didn't argue or anything, they just swapped it out for a new one. New products with so much jam packed in them are bound to have issues, and as long as I get a new phone without a hassle when they occur I'm a happy camper.
I also brought in the Air because the microphone hasn't worked for a few months. They said they could replace it in-store but I would have to leave it there for 2-3 nights. I told the guy that I will definitely proceed with that plan, but I just wasn't ready to give up my laptop at that exact moment. Not having a working microphone is really only an issue for me during video iChat, so not having it isn't the end of the world for now.
-Apples new announcements yesterday were nice. I was most excited with the news that NBC is finally back in the iTunes store, their absence has bothered me for quite some time. The fact that HD television shows are now available is really cool as well. $2.99 per episode is borderline expensive, but good shows will hopefully be worth it. In celebration of these announcements, I am currently downloading season 4 of the Office in HD. The iTunes TV store was offering the first episode of Hero's season 2 for download, so I have that on now via the AppleTV (which I had to do a factory reset on tonight...uggg). This show isn't in HD, so the Office will be my first chance to see if the $1 premium is worth it per episode for the HD version. A standard definition version of every episode is also downloaded, so you can watch the show on you iPod/iPhone. These two files combined take up close to 1 GB (710mb & 240mb respectively) of hard drive space, for approximately 21 minutes of videos. It's amazing how huge hard drives are just taken for granted now a days.
Well that was a boring little update of some tech news in my life. Have a good night :-)
Hulu hoop
December 17, 2007 - 8:18
- Hulu - Joost - iTunes
A few weeks ago I signed up for the private beta testing of Hulu, a new site that delivers streaming video content online. I received my invitation email today, so I was pretty excited to try the free service out.
I would have to say that my immediate reaction is quite positive. I only browsed around for a few minutes and then watched an episode of "The Office", but the site seems to offer some noteworthy functionality. For one, I was allowed to "pop out" the video window, so I could have it in a corner of the screen while I worked on whatever I was working on. This is a must have feature for any video service I will use on a regular basis. The quality seemed to be a tad above what I get from Joost, but the video (not audio) did freeze when a print dialog box opened from a Google Document I was working on. I didn't count the number of advertisements, but it was definitely far fewer than what you would get on network television; they did not bother me at all.
The selection of shows is certainly one of the sites stronger categories. It boost content such as NBC's "The Office", and "Heroes"; and FOX's "Family Guy" and "Simpsons". After quickly browsing through the 8 pages of content available I am almost shocked with the number of shows that I will likely be watching in the background sometime soon. This selection of shows suits my personal taste more than Joost's selection does. Worthy to note, I have put in a decent amount of time within the past month watching and browsing through Joost's catalog of content, there are some shows I definitely enjoy, but I was having a hard time finding a "channel" I could keep on for a few hours in a row without getting bored with it.
An interesting offering from Hulu is the ability to embed an entire episode onto a personal website. This is pretty cool. I just added an episode of "The Office" above my picbar on my homepage. It seems to function pretty much like the YouTube embedded player.
So, all in all, my first encounter with Hulu has been a good one, I hope I am not disappointed with more use of this service.
Finally, while on this topic, I would like to add the following commentary regarding Universal Studios decision to not re-sign with iTuens under Apples current pricing scheme:
In my opinion, the decision to not re-sign their contract with iTunes is greedy and unethical. I believe it is simply greedy to think that a single episode of television should cost more than $1.99. I think it is unethical to pull a distribution option for a series after already offering one or more seasons in it. I purchased many seasons from iTunes, including "Heroes" and "The Office" from NBC. I think it's ridiculous that I will not be able to complete these series in the format I have already started collecting them in. I could continue ranting about this for a while, but I'm not even going to get into it any further right now.
I have to wake up early again to go back down to the city. I could have chosen to spend the night down there and I probably should have. Oh well, at least I now have Hulu.
From the inside, out, good night.
I would have to say that my immediate reaction is quite positive. I only browsed around for a few minutes and then watched an episode of "The Office", but the site seems to offer some noteworthy functionality. For one, I was allowed to "pop out" the video window, so I could have it in a corner of the screen while I worked on whatever I was working on. This is a must have feature for any video service I will use on a regular basis. The quality seemed to be a tad above what I get from Joost, but the video (not audio) did freeze when a print dialog box opened from a Google Document I was working on. I didn't count the number of advertisements, but it was definitely far fewer than what you would get on network television; they did not bother me at all.
The selection of shows is certainly one of the sites stronger categories. It boost content such as NBC's "The Office", and "Heroes"; and FOX's "Family Guy" and "Simpsons". After quickly browsing through the 8 pages of content available I am almost shocked with the number of shows that I will likely be watching in the background sometime soon. This selection of shows suits my personal taste more than Joost's selection does. Worthy to note, I have put in a decent amount of time within the past month watching and browsing through Joost's catalog of content, there are some shows I definitely enjoy, but I was having a hard time finding a "channel" I could keep on for a few hours in a row without getting bored with it.
An interesting offering from Hulu is the ability to embed an entire episode onto a personal website. This is pretty cool. I just added an episode of "The Office" above my picbar on my homepage. It seems to function pretty much like the YouTube embedded player.
So, all in all, my first encounter with Hulu has been a good one, I hope I am not disappointed with more use of this service.
Finally, while on this topic, I would like to add the following commentary regarding Universal Studios decision to not re-sign with iTuens under Apples current pricing scheme:
In my opinion, the decision to not re-sign their contract with iTunes is greedy and unethical. I believe it is simply greedy to think that a single episode of television should cost more than $1.99. I think it is unethical to pull a distribution option for a series after already offering one or more seasons in it. I purchased many seasons from iTunes, including "Heroes" and "The Office" from NBC. I think it's ridiculous that I will not be able to complete these series in the format I have already started collecting them in. I could continue ranting about this for a while, but I'm not even going to get into it any further right now.
I have to wake up early again to go back down to the city. I could have chosen to spend the night down there and I probably should have. Oh well, at least I now have Hulu.
From the inside, out, good night.
This is just a little too crazy for me to handle
September 11, 2007 - 8:58
- iPhone - iTunes - ringtones
I just got done converting some songs in my library to ringtones. Out of all the songs I have purchased, I was given the option of using 117 of them as ringtones. I previously heard that the selection of songs available to be converted to ringtones was pretty limited, but that wasn't my impression. I didn't look on the iTunes store yet to see if there is a master list of albums/songs available to be converted (which would ultimately cost $1.98 from un-boughten song to ringtone), as I was already semi overwhelmed with choosing from my measly 117 purchases that were available to be used.
I ended up converting 9 songs. The process was quick and easy. I think that there might actually be a chance that once you choose your 30 or less second clip to be converted and purchase it, you are limited to that selection, and would have to pay another $0.99 to convert another 30 or less seconds. I am not entirely sure if that is the case, but my initial impression leads me to believe it might be... which is just sooooo funny, because this is the ultimate luxury, so no one will ever have a legitimate reason to complain, and the amount of money that they are going to generate either way over this is crazy.
I never want to put my phone on vibrate again. I want to assign a different song for everyone that calls me (hmmm, already got about 9 too many songs then you say? ha) In a few weeks, once Wireless iTunes, or whatever it is called, comes out; you will be able to meet someone, get their number, download a song that reminds you of them, and assign it to their picture...all without ever leaving your phone. This is just a little too crazy for me to handle. These devices are so small, yet they do so much (that's what she said), you really can't even start to think about what there will be in the next 5,10,15 years...considering the rapid progress seen in the past same amount of years.
Leaving you with a screen shot of ringtones, from the inside, as I get ready for the commencement of Fall Ball Softball tomorrow evening, I bid you a good night.
I ended up converting 9 songs. The process was quick and easy. I think that there might actually be a chance that once you choose your 30 or less second clip to be converted and purchase it, you are limited to that selection, and would have to pay another $0.99 to convert another 30 or less seconds. I am not entirely sure if that is the case, but my initial impression leads me to believe it might be... which is just sooooo funny, because this is the ultimate luxury, so no one will ever have a legitimate reason to complain, and the amount of money that they are going to generate either way over this is crazy.
I never want to put my phone on vibrate again. I want to assign a different song for everyone that calls me (hmmm, already got about 9 too many songs then you say? ha) In a few weeks, once Wireless iTunes, or whatever it is called, comes out; you will be able to meet someone, get their number, download a song that reminds you of them, and assign it to their picture...all without ever leaving your phone. This is just a little too crazy for me to handle. These devices are so small, yet they do so much (that's what she said), you really can't even start to think about what there will be in the next 5,10,15 years...considering the rapid progress seen in the past same amount of years.
Leaving you with a screen shot of ringtones, from the inside, as I get ready for the commencement of Fall Ball Softball tomorrow evening, I bid you a good night.
iTired
July 1, 2007 - 11:1
- iPhone - iPhoto - iTunes
I feel like I failed to completely wake up today, pretty tired, pretty lazy.
A few life updates:
-I think I'm going to get an iPhone sooner than previously stated. I just can't help it. I waited in line for like 10 minutes Friday night at an AT&T store that I happened to pass. A manager came out and said he couldn't guarantee everyone a 8 gig model. I went back to the same store today, no more left. I wanted to wait, and I still might, but I really don't think I will be able to pass one up if I get the chance to buy one.
-I lost approximately 3 months worth of original photos from my library :-( I luckily have the web version of some of these photos on this site, but they are unfortunately a a fraction of the quality and a fraction of all the photos lost. It is OK, we will get through this together.
-I found out at the end of last week that I took of Thursday and Friday next week, leaving only 2 days I am required to work! I might not actually take off both days...but I could def scout out an iPhone if I do :-)
-I want an iPod Video with a huge hard drive and touchscreen functionality.
-I read that the WSJ posted that Universal is backing out of it's deal with Apple and iTunes. Why do some people want to be so difficult and greedy? Uggg to format wars and compatibility issues.
OK, good night...DORK.
A few life updates:
-I think I'm going to get an iPhone sooner than previously stated. I just can't help it. I waited in line for like 10 minutes Friday night at an AT&T store that I happened to pass. A manager came out and said he couldn't guarantee everyone a 8 gig model. I went back to the same store today, no more left. I wanted to wait, and I still might, but I really don't think I will be able to pass one up if I get the chance to buy one.
-I lost approximately 3 months worth of original photos from my library :-( I luckily have the web version of some of these photos on this site, but they are unfortunately a a fraction of the quality and a fraction of all the photos lost. It is OK, we will get through this together.
-I found out at the end of last week that I took of Thursday and Friday next week, leaving only 2 days I am required to work! I might not actually take off both days...but I could def scout out an iPhone if I do :-)
-I want an iPod Video with a huge hard drive and touchscreen functionality.
-I read that the WSJ posted that Universal is backing out of it's deal with Apple and iTunes. Why do some people want to be so difficult and greedy? Uggg to format wars and compatibility issues.
OK, good night...DORK.