MacBook Pro Keyboard Shortcuts Make ExecHobo's MBP Special

Travel planning is a key function of my MBP, at least till the iPad 2 arrives. I run Safari. Some tasks can be done more efficaciously using keyboard shortcuts.  This tutorial explains how to make the OSX machines outperform the iOS gems. 

How to Remap Any Keyboard Shortcut in Mac OS X [Video]
GIZMODO | DECEMBER 31, 2010
http://pulsene.ws/CqSH



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Android OS May Find Fertile Ground in Developing World

Android is, as it never tires of telling us, open source. Other than a hard to understand air of superiority, the real tangible benefit this carries is a low price of proliferation. Coupled with a low cost chipset made by Broadcom, the stage is set for growth- away from those markets dominated by entrenched tech suppliers. 

Read the attached article if you can stomach the hysterical anti-establishment slant that is slathered over a logical foundation of thought. 

The Future Ain't What It Used To Be
TECHCRUNCH | DECEMBER 31, 2010
http://pulsene.ws/CiAi


My advice for the new year: go East and South, young man and woman ... and investor. America, Europe, and Japan are stagnant ...

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iPhone Verizon Launch Rumors Good News for NYC Travelers

Next iPhone Beachead

AT&T signal failure in NYC is more than an urban legend.  Always a skeptic, I experience it myself every time we go.  At times this becomes so frustrating I would willingly defect if I had to endure this more than I do.  The Verizon iPhone is certainly coming soon, as Apple Insider me-toos, focusing on speculation about when and how the announcement will be made.

iPhone Launchpad

The ensuing devastation of the AT&T iPhone built success is, in my view and that of others, exaggerated.  One reason, if the customers desert wholesale as the Verizon fan boys fantasize, AT&T would enjoy a ridiculously successful year collecting the contract forfeiture fees.  

Traveling iPhone Power More Hi-Tech Lo-Tech

Air travel delays? Or just the usual heavy usage iPhone day?  This battery embedded case shows promise. 

http://www.instapaper.com/m?u=http://www.9to5mac.com/45203/exolife-iphone-4-battery-case-review

Sent from Cyberspace

iPhone 4 bugs: Blue tint in center of photography?

Everyone will be happy to know, ExexHobo does not have this issue. 

iPhone 4 bugs: Blue tint in center of photos
TIPB - THE #1 IPHONE, IPAD, AND IPOD TOUCH BLOG | DECEMBER 30, 2010
http://pulsene.ws/C07p


There is a interesting bug in iPhone 4 photos where a blue tint shows up in the middle of the image. This bug has been ...

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Travel Power HiTech | LoTech Eneloop Batteries

Batteries. The power behind the gadgetry that makes traveling with tech possible. Also the bane of power users of every ilk. There is no solution. Solar lower is only good for charging, and for charging crappy batteries.

Today's best solution? Sanyo

Travel Power Batteries

Eneloop batteries. Make mine AA. Not that this is the most efficient battery configuration there is, the 123 size favored by Mech like Surefire flashlights edges out AAs. But they are ubiquitous. So if you are going to rock battery powered Mech, us AA size power cells, Eneloop model. Here's why.

They are smart.

They hold the charge.

They feel good.

They are higher voltage.

They take thousands of charges.

Whatever pieces of kit you travel with, if it they have replaceable batteries, make sure they all use the same size, and make mine AA.

Best place to buy them?  Amazon.

Universal Phone Chargers Coming to Europe in 2011; Travel infinitely improved

At last we can lighten our packs and carry one charging cable. Or if we live on the edge, none, knowing someone else will be there to take care of us. It is Socialization of charging.  See how a proper ExecHobo manages all this, and a gratuitous swipe at Europe, after the jump...

Hi Tech Lo Tech Travelling: 4Sevens AA2 Turbo

4Sevens is yet another company


bringing engineering and manufacturing excellence to the mundane flashlight. With the Cree LED, lighting power has increased beyond what was thought possible a couple of years ago.

I confess I used to watch CSI to see their flashlights. It was like they couldn't work without a massive high power light cutting the gloom of the Las Vegas sun. The 4Sevens AA2 Turbo has an enlarged head, thus a reflector more highly tuned for pure beam throw. And it looks cool.



As a base spec for any piece of battery operated kit I carry, AA battery power is essential. I want to carry one battery type only, and the ubiquitous AA is the best package of availability, power and size.



The Turbo is a good compromise between beam throwing and size, and I like the balance of it. The reflector is polished, the lens cover is high quality glass. The aircraft aluminum body is well machined, anodized right over the threads and fits together with precision.

There are 3 levels of brightness, and an SOS and strobe function. Battery life depends on how you run it, naturally. The tailcap switch allows momentary or fully on use.

I really like this light, and recommend it.

Flashlights for Travel- Hi Tech | Lo Tech Pocket Flashlight

I love hi-tech lo-tech.  In this case it applies to the torch.  Or as we Yanks call it, flashlights.  Since fire was bent to our needs, guys have been lighting things up.  I fondly recall my C cell Ray-O-Vac Sportsman.  Remember how you had to bang these to get more light, till you jarred the fragile bulb?  Happy days indeed!  Then the migration to that American icon, the Mag-Lite.  I found the big ones an essential part of my truck kit.  And the AA and AAA's were perfect to carry in a brief case for use when on the road.  A bit heavy for the backpack, for that I used a Pelican style light until I went to a headlamp.  And the intensity of the Streamlight Scorpion! So many cool lights, and I still have them in my collection.

Traveling HiTech LoTech- A Great Utility Flashlight

The feel and function of today's upper end LED lights are something that makes them a joy to use. The tiny computers built into the chip that houses the LED makes them do what should be impossible. In my view, a great flashlight is a real travel necessity, and the the ZebraLight H51 Q5 LED is perfect for travel by foot or air.

Not much of a name, but a helluva light. A single AA cell, and a state of the art Cree LED, it puts out 200 lumens, an amazing amount of light. But making lights powerful is not making them useable. Making the beam work for its intended task takes engineering talent. Zebralight is an American company, which is not uncommon in high end flashlights. Read on to see how I have adapted it to be even more useful...

FLUD Uses SM to Get Out of ExecHobo App Purgatory

Now I Really Want This App to Work! Some businesses just get it. I had a tweet from FLUD thanking me for an objective review and pledging to improve.

A few businesses have read my tweets or reviews and responded immediately. Hilton did and switched me from Marriott, who is also good at responding on an individual basis. But this is about FLUD.

I had moved it to a holding area on my iPhone, App Purgatory. After their response to my review, FLUD is back on page two, where I keep apps in trial. I expect the speed and stability will soon be resolved. But the real hurdle for my use will be making the sharing on email as pretty as the primary interface. To be continued...



- Exechobo

Yeah, the WSJ Expose of Apple's Breach of It's App Privacy policy Pisses Me Off Too

Why wouldn't everyone be pissed? Apple rules app developers with an iron hand, in an arbitrary fashion, letting many app collect and distribute user information in breach of Apple policy. They get busted in the Wall Street Journal, and what does Cupertino do? Nothing. But let your fart app use the volume buttons and it's yanked faster than a death row prick. 

Apple facing class action suit over iOS data collection
ARS TECHNICA | DECEMBER 28, 2010
http://pulsene.ws/B2P2


Apple and several other app developers are the target of a class action lawsuit filed ...

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Microsoft Deserter Sues Apple For Actually Producing Something

Now that Paul Allen has proven to be among the 2 worst owners in the NFL, alongside William Clay Ford, he needs to reline his pockets by patent trolling. 

Interval Re-files Lawsuit Against Apple, Facebook, Google

http://post.ly/1OyS4

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Interval Re-files Lawsuit Against Apple, Facebook, Google

December 28, 2010 8:02:38 PM

From: AppleInsider, Electronista.

Multi-billionaire and Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen has re-filed his patent suit against Apple, Google and several other major tech companies, adding specific examples of the alleged infringement. The Palo Alto, Calif., lab closed down "about a decade ago," according to The Wall Street Journal. The suit from Interval "sounds like the classic patent-troll case," Stanford Law School professor Mark Lemley, who specializes in intellectual property, told the Journal. ¹

In Apple's case, Interval cited the iTunes Store's album purchasing view (pictured) as a primary example. Online stores almost always have such features today, and iTunes is heavily based around the concept both through its regular list of what others bought but also for features like the Genius. ²

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[ Image courtesy of: Electronista ]

1. Microsoft Co-founder Paul Allen Re-files Patent Suit Against Apple (AppleInsider)
2. Interval Re-files Lawsuit Against Apple, Facebook, Google (Electronista)

Flud iPhone App I Wish Would Work

This newsreader has promise.  I just wish it would work.  It is hinky.  Sometimes it freezes up and gives me a cute screen that says I have been Fluded.  I guess that is to make me less mad.  Instead it makes me feel mocked.  I am sad about this.  This and the fact that when I email a Flud article it is not a great looking email, like it is when I use Pulse.  For now Flud is on hold.  The slick interface is nice, and the assertion that this is a "news ecosystem" makes news reading sound indispensable, but not enough.

Why Blackberry Lost the ExecHobo to iPhone

Those Crazy Canadians!  This could explain why they let the Blackberry OS and platform languish until in one year it lost appeal to millions like me, and turned the corner that leads to the dark alley of decay and marginalization. Imagine! To doubt Jobs! 

Check out this article I read on FLUD.
BlackBerry maker RIM thought Apple was lying about iPhone in 2007?

iPad Rumor Roundup. Lets Do This Once Folks

ExecHobo's anticipation of the new iPad is mounting. Rumors are abounding. Perhaps this roundup is more legitimate than others, since it appeared in Fast Times. 

Check out this article I read on FLUD.
iPad 2 Rumor Round-Up: This Time It's Thinner, Quicker, More Photo-Friendly

TV- Best Buy Delivery & Installation Day

Best Buy delivery worked exactly as it should, as promised, and on time.  I had spend the morning prepping the new installation and move of the existing TV.  The new Samsung was out of the truck and unboxed in minutes.  Up onto the new cabinet, plug it in before the guys left and....and...

Android Phones- a Way to Make Them Behave

Apparently Android phones aren't smart enough to update themselves. But here is how to give them a nudge in the right direction. Like a nun's twisting of the short hair on the nape of your neck. But that really never happened. 

Check out this article I read on FLUD.
Force Your Android Phone to Check for a System Update [Android]

BlogPress Mishap

I have been very favorably impressed with the BlogPress app, having reviewed it from here to TIPB.  However...

I had been working on a lengthy post about the use of a Macintosh, starting in 1984, its first year.  Part one was posted here with no issue.  Part two was painfully constructed, and ready to go.  I held it so I could intersperse it with some more up to date, short, visual posts.  This morning was the day to go.  So I called it up in BlogPress, and it was slated as a draft for the wrong blog- Exechobo.blogspot.com  It is easy to change this in BlogPress, just uncheck one of your blogs and check the other.  Simple, done, send.

Where did it go?  It is not anywhere.  It is gone.  Gone for good.  Good and gone.

I am pissed.

Blogpress, please don't make it so easy to delete a draft in this way.  More to come.

TV Upgrade

When you upgrade TVs, its all about size, really.  So how big can you go on a pensioner's budget?  We will be testing  60 inches of LED glory,  in the form of a Samsung UN60C6300.  Pretty awesome indeed.  The value is in not having3D and extraneous features built in, like web apps.  We will get web access in other ways.  And 3D?  It is not time, there is no content.

The LED won over a plasma because we want to be able to move it by ourselves, and research indicated it is one of the top two.  The Sony brand premium is too high, though the performance is stellar.  This will be such a great upgrade from our Hitachi plasma, we are excited.

To get web access we will pair it with a nice Samsung Blueray DVD with those features built in.  Netflix streaming, here we go!

All the components Mrs. ExecHobo calls "crap" will be housed in a new home, a rather cheapish piece of furniture that will make it all tidy.  But sadly, the center channel speaker won't fit, so a change is in order.  A nice Focal piece of kit.

More Old Air Tech

We all know about the romance of flying in the old days. The "Catch Me If You Can" days. At the end of that era, when you could still run to the gate, trade tickets, and enjoy travel, the Concorde was the queen of the air. Flying it was something even hardened Hobos talked about  It is the one thing I missed out on.

The crash that began the investigation that led to the retirement of the Concorde was concluded- this month!   Almost 7 years to the day of it's last flight. The French worked diligently during this time, for over 500 hours, to find out who was to blame. It was not their fault!  The other plane did it! It was an American Plane!

 Really.

You can't make this stuff up. 

A Concorde Family Reunion [Imagecache]
GIZMODO | DECEMBER 27, 2010
http://pulsene.ws/B5JI



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Photos Recently Umcovered: The World's First Aircraft Carrier

When you think about tech, old tech can be more exciting than you think.

Trial Run: The World's First Aircraft Carrier In Action [Airplanes]
GIZMODO | DECEMBER 27, 2010
http://pulsene.ws/BnFr



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FLUD iPhone Newsreader App

I do quite a bit of news grazing via iPhone. It seems to me to be an almost ideal function of the phone. We shall see of the iPad is better. My current favorite is Pulse. I like the interface, and how it let's me share RSS Fed articles coherently.

Ironically, one of my feeds mentioned FLUD, and the writer proclaimed it equivalent to Pulse. I immediately downloaded it.


FLUD does sport an interface that is clean, graphic, logical and, well, iPhone worthy. Since an RSS feed is an RSS feed, interface is a big deal. So is speed. FLUD is as good as my connection. Important to me is sharing. FLUD has the functions i want- Twitter, Facebook, E-mail.  But the blogpost resulting from an email seems just OK when compared to the look of a Pulse emailed blogpost.

What bugs me about FLUB is stability. When I go to an article and then hit the back button, after several breathtaking seconds either I am returned back to the previous page, or the app crashes. Is this a FLUB?  I will give it a few days to see.

Panoramic Photo App for iPhone

I like panoramic photography on my Canon, so why not on my iPhone? 

Check out this article I read on FLUD.
App of the Day: 360 Panorama for iPhone [Video]

FLUD iPhone App News Reader to Make Me Drop Pulse?

We shall see. I installed it after Endgadget promised a better  news browsing "experience". So far, it leaves me baffled. Better looking? No, on a par. Faster, not to me.  Slicker interface? An improvement. I always thought that in Pulse after reading a story, having to go back to the menu bar icon to get back to browsing was clunky. I will keep FLUD for a while and let you know.

With a New Version, FLUD Hopes to Take on Pulse And Flipboard as Your iPad News Reader
TECHCRUNCH | DECEMBER 25, 2010
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/rHKxRb1IdYE/


News aggregators and RSS feeds have been around for awhile now, but only with the rapid proliferation of touch technology on ...

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A Not So Bad List of Top 40 iPhone Apps of 2010

Over at Techcrunch Alex Ahlund posted this list. At first I thought 40!? WTF?  Then I read them, and found I have several of these on my iPhone, and would like several more. 

The Top 40 iPhone Apps of 2010
TECHCRUNCH | DECEMBER 26, 2010
http://pulsene.ws/Adjp


The iTunes App Store is huge. 300,000 apps huge. I've watched this monster start from nothing and turn into a billion-dollar ...

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Some Thinking About Android & iPhone in 2011

This blog item capsulizes the dynamic between the two smartphone platforms, but reminds us the carriers are also players in the game. 

2011: The Year Android Explodes! Killing Innocent Women, Children, And iPhone Users
TECHCRUNCH | DECEMBER 26, 2010
http://pulsene.ws/AxY3


The top headlines today got me thinking back to 2008. Back then, I was writing for VentureBeat, and we used to talk quite a bit ...

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iPhone App Essential

Recently at TUAW, Mel Martin did a roundup of his favorite GPS apps. MY favorite, Motion X' GPS Drive, was a condescending fourth recommendation, one with which I take issue.

One of Mel's key values for these apps is that they have voice instructions. Here I disagree. I would say the availability of voice is key. GPS Drive let's you decide when to add this feature and when to rely on Your passenger or yourself to replace this costly option. For example, I use GPS while walking in Manhattan, but do not really need verbal instructions, a quick glance at the iPhone is not too dangerous. When driving with my wife, as I almost always do, she is faster and more customizable than the computer voice. Better meets my "needs". For example, today the voices told me to go left, but it really should have said to stay straight, or nothing at all. Mrs. ExecHobo had it right.

App Reveiw- BloggPress for iPhone

Over on TIPB I wrote a review of the app I use to blog.  About 50% of this blog's content is created via BlogPress.  If you are like me, a blogger who carries and iPhone and wants to post "in the moment" or "on the go", this app is for you.

You can look either of my blogs to see how BlogPress posts look on Blogger.

One of the reasons I moved to the iPhone was to have a better blogging tool.  For me, blogging on the go, while "in the moment" is the way to go.  Especially since I blog about travel experiences.  I have used an Ipaq with a Bluetooth keyboard, my Blackberry via email and of course my MBP.

Since When is WWW a TV Channel?

I just hooked up a Samsung Blueray player that has internet capability.  It then hooked up to my wifi.  And then I proceeded to connect to Twitter, Facebook, Pandora, Picassa, Netflix, Hulu, YooTube, etc etc.  So  now I can add the content that I like to look at on my MacBook Pro.  Or iPhone.  But with a big picture.  This is so cool!  When did they start doing this?  So nice to join you here in the 21st.

A New TV for Christmas 1964 vs. 2010

This is from a blog I follow, professor Matthew Perry, economist at U of M Flint is always using data to skewer misconception, and bring reason to the doom and gloom of the mainstream media.  

The Magic and Miracle of the Marketplace: Christmas 1964 vs. 2010 - There's No Comparison
CARPE DIEM | DECEMBER 24, 2010
http://pulsene.ws/zUg1


1964 Sears Christmas Catalog Pictured above are some color TVs from the 627 page 1964 Sears Christmas Catalog, available here ...

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Paul

512-497-8505

Google Voice

I have signed onto Google Voice.  Why?  First, I am hoping that it is one more way to reduce SMS traffic since I am too cheap to pay for more messages.  What else can I do with it?  Its not like I have a lot of phones to centralize.  I use only one phone, iPhone.  Voice mail?  Why is it better- transcription may be a winner.  And super cheap international calling- that would be good.  We shall see.

Essential iPad Software- Quickoffice Connect Mobile Suite

There are two reasons to use an iPad- to consume content or create it. Consuming it is the forté of the ubiquitous tablet, but if I am going to have one, it has to be usable for business. 

The first function is working with Microsoft Office- all of it. From creating spreadsheets and presentations to file 

management in the cloud. 

I have used Docs to Go on my HP Ipaq and the iPhone. For the iPad it seemed like an obvious migration. Then I started the research to confirm. My my my. The process included iWork, Google Apps, Docs to Go, and Quickoffice.

I won't go into all the pros and cons here, but I had decided QO (better iPad interface than DTG), and Keynote, with Dropbox for cloud management. Now I may be able to rely on Quickoffice. 

Quickoffice Connect Mobile Suite for iPad gets PowerPoint editing for Christmas
TUAW | DECEMBER 23, 2010
http://pulsene.ws/zr3k


The Quickoffice Connect Mobile Suite for iPad has gained some new features that make it even more ...

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Ring, Ring. Hi, It's Google [Voices]

I am going to check this out soon, so any articles catch my eye. Simple objective, an area code for my local area. 

Ring, Ring. Hi, It's Google [Voices]
ALL THINGS DIGITAL | DECEMBER 23, 2010
http://voices.allthingsd.com/20101223/ring-ring-hi-its-google/?mod=ATD_rss

Google Inc., which helped popularize the idea of automated ad sales on the Web, has been quietly turning to an old-fashioned ...

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Face Time

I just finished my first FaceTime call. I wonder what took so long- so simple and gratifying.

TV is Tech

I like to watch TV.  It is entertaining, and keeps getting better.  My hardware though doesn't.  Until now.  Come with me on an upgrade journey, 2011 style.

First, I must stipulate that ExecHobo, as a rule, likes to stay one generation behind the bleeding edge.  Not because I don't like it, in fact, I like what is not yet available.  But because being a generation behind is a corollary to rule #3: Live Within My Means.

Like most people, when I go to Costco I am mesmerized by the TV display.  So big, bright and sharp!  We have been talking about moving our screens around the house and inserting a better one into our media room.  When talk got serious, we realized the existing monitor is a plasma over 11 years old.  Wow.

The new stuff is on the way, and the plans are set.

Kodak Lawsuit Could Impact My Flickr Photostream, or I WANT MY KODACHROME!

The BBC is reporting yet another big lawsuit that may impinge on my tech life.  With the sensational language toned down to an appropriate level of British reserve, the glorified tabloid service warns of impending doom for all of us who upload photos.  Failing to do more than hint at the reality, BBC gives a few facts, some conjecture and conclusions to keep your fear and ignorance levels high.

Best Buy Field Trip

Today I made the drive to Best Buy, a 3 hour round trip. This is how we access electronics out here, unless we go to Costco or online. So much stuff, but so little is super cool. It took 15 minutes to reach overload.

I had to make this trip to pick up some items in prep for the upcoming TV upgrade.

iPad 2 rumored to have flatter backside, smaller bezel, "wide-range" speaker

This is a me-too meme. The frenzy is warming up on the iPad 2.  I am targeting one for ExecHobo Mobile. I like where the rumors are going, but what about my hi-er res screen?

iPad 2 rumored to have flatter backside, smaller bezel, "wide-range" speaker
TUAW | DECEMBER 22, 2010
http://pulsene.ws/zxXn


According to Japanese Mac blog MacOtakara, the next-gen iPad will have a flatter backside and ...

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Paul

512-497-8505

URL Shortening- Are You Chronic?

Facebook has recently begun blocking URLs shortened with the j.mp protocol, whatever that is.  Bitly uses this, among other services.  Or so it is reported in TechCrunch.  These shortened URLs will still work on parts of FB, but not in New Feeds, and FB claims these j.mp URLs often point to spammy or other bad links.  Okay.  My question is, why would anyone shorten a URL any time except when posting on Twitter?  To me it is too much trouble, all that extra clicking, so I avoid shortening, except in Twitter.

iPhone Protection- Otterbox Defender Review

Things, including your truly, were being tossed about the cabin of the boat in swells up to nine feet every 4 seconds.  It was then that I thought I maybe should put the new iPhone in a decent protective case for these situations.  The best? Otterbox Defender.

iDygest: PhatPad Brings Handwriting Recognition, PDF Expert Brings Form Filling to iPad

These are among the first apps I will want to test on the iPad (2). 

http://post.ly/1NFc8

I am following this story using the iDygest on my iPhone - Download the App here

PhatPad Brings Handwriting Recognition, PDF Expert Brings Form Filling to iPad

December 22, 2010 8:38:41 AM

From: Just Another iPad Blog, The iPhone Blog.

PDF Expert is a new PDF handling app for the iPad - one with some unique and impressive features, including the ability to fill in PDF forms right on the iPad. People will be able to fill in their tax, insurance, medical and other forms within seconds on their iPads. ¹

iDygest: Wozniak Defends Free Internet; Mobile Networks Get Exemptions From Net Neutrality

On net neutrality, one of the more important topics the Federal Government oversees, rightfully. 

http://post.ly/1NFc6

I am following this story using the iDygest on my iPhone - Download the App here

Wozniak Defends Free Internet; Mobile Networks Get Exemptions From Net Neutrality

December 22, 2010 8:38:41 AM

From: Mac Daily News, AppleInsider.

"The FCC in voting for its net neutrality rules cited Android as a reason for softening the conditions for wireless neutrality," Electronista reports. We recognize that there have been meaningful recent moves toward openness, including the introduction of open operating systems like Android FCC chairman Julius Genachowski said. ¹

Wozniak begins his letter, which was published by The Atlantic, with personal anecdotes about how phone, cable, and DSL network restrictions have harmed him as a consumer. As a child, Wozniak was taught that the Constitution and Bill of Rights were mainly what made America a great country. ²

Macworld Apps Awards- How Can They Be So Wrong?

Us regular people who can't possibly sort out all the apps in the App Store need help.  We look to the experts, bloggers, writers, and marketers.  But Macworld is not the place I would look.  Not that I would criticize the fact that the only apps to get awards are paid apps, for paid apps make the world go round, right?  But because they are just so, mundane.

Some of their choices are correct.  Others are not.  I have a few of the selections, of course I like them.  Others, I have passed on, and yet others are not on my radar screen because, well, how many writing programs can I use, and why pay for what I have for free?  The bad part is that I got nothing from the list to add to my lust list.  C'mon!

History: Macintosh Review- Apple Changed Everything

I first worked in an HQ, or as we cutting edge companies later called it, a Support Center, in 1983.  When I walked through the place, the open cubicle design softened the edges of each departments' "turf".  Until you got into Finance.  The green glow illuminating faces staring intently into the crystal balls of IBM workstations let us mortals know we were in the realm of the illuminati.  We went there for readings of our work lives.  Were we working on the right things?  Was our work having any impact?  Was there money to continue?  What would bonus look like?  This was how computing was done, the altar room of the IBM 36 was off limits, but there was a glass partition so when we had the opportunity we could go and look at it in its lair, deep in the subterranean level.  Really.

iPhone-Android: Usability & Funtion

Yesterday, I posted the beginning of this discussion on TIPB (my favorite iPhone Blog), over at http://exechobo.blogspot.com The author, Rene Ritchie set off a big discussion there, and in our mini ExecHobo world, we had one too.  Good discussion, really.  It is hard to separated defensiveness from disagreement about anything, and phones seem to bring out the beast that kids used to reserve for arguing about ball players.  Larry Czonka or John Riggins?

Here is part two of the issue, and you should read the comments.  It is on an iPhone blog, but that's OK, TIPB does a good job of respecting its sister sites for Blackberry and Android.

iPhone app To Make Android Obsolete?

This item I saw at TIPB just made me think

WTF!?

NoseDial brings easy nose dialing to iPhone
TIPB - THE #1 IPHONE, IPAD, AND IPOD TOUCH BLOG | DECEMBER 22, 2010
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/2FVRso959-4/


NoseDial for iPhone does just what the name suggests — lets you dial your iPhone with your nose. Sound strange? What ...

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Camera+ App is Software Worthy of iPhone Hardware

Yesterday the news that Camera+ is back on the iPhone was announced.  It had been pulled by Apple because the app made use of the hardware volume buttons to take a photo.  Shocking!  What is more shocking to me is that I have used the app consistently, and never thought to use the hardware buttons, darn it!  So with nothing to lose, I went for the update to see what the improvements were like.

Tap Tap Tap  is the developer, and I first read about Camera+ on Lisa Bettany's blog, via a link from TUAW or TIPB.  But what intrigued me was that Tap Tap Tap was using a professional photographer to create the easy to use workflow and photo treatments.  Now the latest version has added more photo treatments, and improved the interface menu along the bottom of the edit screen.  This is the best paid app in the App Store- read on to see what you can get for a buck...

Camera+ 2.0 is in the App Store Again

We all know the iPhone camera is one of the best on any phone, but the native software is merely good. There are a few apps that are essential for getting the most out of the hardware. This app has been a dynamic example of developers working to improve on improvement. It is my "go-to" app for imaging. I will put up a post about imaging apps soon, till then...

Camera+ 2.0 is in the App Store, contains 328% more wow
TUAW | DECEMBER 21, 2010
http://pulsene.ws/z0GD


We let you know yesterday that Camera+ was coming back to the App Store with a host of changes. The ...

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The Finished Blog- a Favicon to Represent

If you want to get rid of the orange B that identifies your blog as a Blogger blog, there are simple scripts on the web to help.  They are all the same.  I have found them easy to do, but the result is not apparent.  But I learned a few things.  Make the jump to find out what, and see the ExecHobo hat.

A Helping Hand

Some blogs provide good quality content.  Expert, thoughtful, insightful, inspirational, entertaining.  One such is Pro Blogger.  I have garnered a few gems from this site, and it is worth a browse if you are serious about blogging.

By the way, the post on Pro Blogger I linked to is a tale of a failed blog.

Why Another Tech Blog?

ExecHobo is an expression of who I am, and I am hopeful my experience may be of value to others. I am a retired "executive", with millions of miles under my belt, accumulated during the personal computing revolution. I watched and experienced the birth of spreadsheets, word processors, PDAs and such, and have been an early adopter, a user. Technology is fascinating, but sometimes hard to understand. This is my take on it.

Why I Like Blogs

When I have a question about some new passion, like a new TV, or camera, or snowshoeing, I seek reviews and advice from forums and bloggers.  For entertainment, I follow several blogs.  No big deal, who doesn't?  Well part of those blogs is adverts.  Sometimes they work like they are supposed to, and get me to click through, sometimes hooking me up with a product I want.  Just like its supposed to.  So I am going to dive in to the monetization pool too.  Wish me well.

- the ExecHobo Mobile

Graduating Blogspot

I have blogged for several years with Google Blogspot.  It was so easy, and instructive.  I blogged my way across France, around the US, averaging a post every other day for 4 years.  It was time to leverage up.

How iPhone Apps Improve Work

This was posted at ExecHobo.blogspot, and on TIPB forums.  Worth another read here.

I am the "CIO" of a small Time Study consulting firm. (NOT a small-time consulting firm!) My boss, known as "The Woman", and the other 50% of our firm, constantly challenges my suggestions for costly technological upgrades. After moving to iPhones though, I am the god of tech.

We use the normal iPhone/anyphone suite of phone, email, calendar. These all work as the communicating, scheduling appliances they are. Blah, blah, blah. Unless you want to use meeting invites- then the concept of time zones seems to be an insurmountable issue.  Apparently Apple doesn't realize people travel inter time zone when working. Steve!

Then there are the tools that help us figure out whether we are heading back to the hotel or deep into Iowa. Getting around on location requires maps. Without good navigation, getting around new territories can challenge our professional relationship. Navigation tools like Around Me, and GPS Drive, which I have reviewed separately, make finding our way and good meals child's play. Trust me, we use these apps to positive effect.

Apple Mac- Unboxing & The Learning Curve

We unboxed the thing carefully. How I wish there was a video camera there (giant VHS cameras), it would be so fun to upload a You Tube unboxing of a 1984 Mac! The damn thing was small! It was a cubey thing, with a keyboard (we kinda knew what a keyboard was, like the familiar IBM Selectric without typing mechanisms), and a cord. Assembly was obvious. Two plugs. Turn it on. It worked. EFFIN AMAZING! Now all that we had to do was learn what a computer did...

'Net Neutrality' Rules Set to Pass

Is this a good or bad thing? Does government have a legitimate role here, or is it the beginning of censorship/invasiveness?  I have been thinking  of George Orwell's 1984 more and more lately, so this concerns me.

'Net Neutrality' Rules Set to Pass
WSJ.COM: WHAT'S NEWS US | DECEMBER 20, 2010
http://pulsene.ws/yfJU

The FCC won support to pass contentious new rules for Internet traffic, a move likely to face legal challenges and create ...

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- the exechobo mobile

Verizon iPhone won't kill AT&T

Some good analysis in this CNN-Money piece on the upcoming armageddon. But... If you live in NYC or LA, or read media that originates from those modern day Sodom and Gomorra, I bet the prospect of shedding the network that won't work makes 2011 a happy anticipation. 

BUSINESS AND FINANCIAL NEWS - CNNMONEY.COM | DECEMBER 21, 2010
http://pulsene.ws/yzhO


Apple's iPhone is widely expected to come to Verizon Wireless next year. Here's the surprise twist: That won't spell disaster ...

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- the exechobo mobile

Remembering iPhone Frenzy

This post was written as I was waiting for my iPhone 4, on DAY ONE

4:45 AM

Where to start telling this tale? Well, really it goes back quite a way, but really, the decision was made in the dark, wet days of February, when my wife got her iPhone 3Gs, and I began secretly coveting it. Jealousy gave way to open envy, until I loathed my old Blackberry. No matter how much I tweaked my apps, learned about the BB "insider" tips and tricks, it was never enough. But I denied it vehemently. No iPhone for me!  I spent hundreds (yes, really), of hours in research. I usually do a lot of backgrounding before any big purchase, but this was extreme even by my standards.