Archive for Tech
June 1, 2007 at 9:18 am · Filed under Apple, Tech
Parallels has just made an announcement about version 3.0 of what I believe to be the most useful Mac OS X application, Parallels Desktop.
New features in 3.0 include:
+ SmartSelect -- set your preferred application handlers cross-platform. Want to open URLs in IE7, mailto: links in Mail.app, or .xls files in Excel 2007? You can now.
+ 3D acceleration -- DirectX and OpenGL support will allow 3D gamers to play Windows games in their full glory
+ Snapshot -- back up your virtual machine easily and roll back at any time
+ Parallels Explorer -- copy files into or out of your virtual disk images or your Boot Camp partition without needing to start or load the Parallels VM
+ Enhanced Boot Camp support, better USB, better printer sharing, Coherence 2.0
Since they are offering a nice pre-order discount ($39 until June 6), I placed my order this morning. Although the actual application is not available just yet, I received a new serial number right away and the email receipt said "Delivery no later than June 3rd" -- all of which makes me believe version 3.0 will be available before next week.
May 31, 2007 at 9:49 am · Filed under Apple, Design Inspiration, Personal, Tech
Yesterday I got my 17" MacBook Pro laser engraved, and I'm extremely excited about the results:
Overall the process is actually fairly simple - the artwork gets loaded into CorelDraw (oh how we were missing Illustrator) and then you print the design just like any other document. The printer driver allows you to select the settings for the laser engraver such as power, resolution, and dithering modes. After a test run on paper to ensure everything was lined up properly, we etched directly onto the laptop.
The hardest part was picking out and customizing the artwork. It is permanent, and as such the task of choosing artwork made me feel like I was getting a tattoo. Because I earn my living as a Flash Developer and I spend much of my day working on my laptop, the design had to be something I was sure would stand the test of time. For that reason I decided to choose something that had a retro feel, but also a bit organic and edgy. I think that was accomplished with this design, and once the process was finished I felt I had chosen correctly.
A big thanks to Joe at Engrave here in Portland, Oregon for spending a few hours helping me get everything perfect. Joe posted a few photos we took (including the two above) to his Flickr account last night, and the design is already getting some great feedback.
Update: Here's a short video I shot with my small Canon Powershot last night of the laser in action:
Update 2: Looks like someone posted this to Digg! Also, I've gotten a few emails asking about the artwork. It is an illustration I found on iStockPhoto, which I then put a few hours into customizing. So yes, it is unique, but you can find a similar illustration on iStockPhoto.
April 26, 2007 at 3:57 pm · Filed under Mobile Development, Tech
Ever since I got my MacBook Pro I have been trying to find a way to connect my Treo 700w Windows Mobile phone to OS X for a mobile internet connection while on the road. Verizon has amazingly fast EVDO service for my phone, and I wanted to take advantage of tethering it to my laptop. Syncing data (contacts, etc) on Windows Mobile phones in OS X is possible through 3rd party software, but until today I hadn't been able to figure out how to use my 700w as a modem in OS X. I searched Google for over an hour when I first got the MacBook, but was unable to find a workable solution. This past weekend I was finally able to see success and I thought I would share for everyone else out there trying to use their Windows Mobile phone as a modem in OS X.
I actually found the solution more or less by accident. The lease was up on my car, so I turned it in and decided to get a BMW with their iDrive system. Windows Mobile phones with Bluetooth will connect to the system for hands-free calling, but you can't browse the phone book, recent callers list, etc, out of the box. After some Google hunting I was able to find a blog post by Jason Langridge about Bluetooth car support for Windows Mobile devices. In his post he points readers to an add-on from JETware Mobile Software that opens up a lot of additional Bluetooth functionality on Windows Mobile phones, allowing systems like BMW's iDrive to access additional features on your phone. Installation was extremely simple, and it is only $15 to boot, with a free 30-day trial.
My phone now connected perfectly to the iDrive system, allowing me to scroll through and dial from my phone book, view recent callers, view my current reception level, and more. This got me to thinking -- if I now had more open Bluetooth on my phone, maybe my MacBook Pro could now play nice with my Treo 700w (or, more likely, the other way around). I set my phone next to my MacBook and it connected without a hitch.
When you are pairing your phone to your MacBook, OS X will ask you for a username, password, phone number, and modem type. It is crucial that you leave the username and password blank, and enter "#777" for the phone number (without the quotes). For the modem type, select "Verzion compatible" from the list. At this point you should be able to connect and use your phone as a modem.
I should note that in addition to the JETware Bluetooth add-ons and pairing the 700w with my MacBook Pro, I had already installed PDAnet's software which allows you to use your Treo 700w as a modem on Windows computers. This installs and runs on both your Windows computer and your phone, and the software it installs on your phone could be an integral part to the equation for Mac OS X. If the first two steps above do not allow you to connect, I suggest trying to install PDAnet as well.
Hope this helps others to avoid the frustration I have had for the past six months or so. Enjoy!
[Update 07/07/2007: Verizon has released a software update that seems to include lots of extra bluetooth functionality. I would suggest installing the free update and testing the new bluetooth capabilities with your iDrive before installing the JETware add-ons. Can anyone else verify if this works in the comments, please?]
April 21, 2007 at 8:16 pm · Filed under Tech, Web Apps
A while back when Dave Gray, the founder of XPLANE, was in town he asked me how I would define Web 2.0. I suppose I hadn't thought about it before then, or I should say haven't tried to distill it down to something simple. I have seen and heard hundreds of definitions for Web 2.0 over the past year or so, and my response was to start spewing those definitions in hopes of tying them together for a conclusion. Obviously, that didn't go so well.
So, after some thought, I've decided on the following as my personal definition:
"Web 2.0" describes sites like Digg and YouTube, where the audience itself provides material for the Web site.
But, what does the rest of the internet community use as their collective definitions? Tim O'Reilly has claimed in the past that he coined the phrase "Web 2.0" - if you can coin something this generic. Here is Tim's definition, which takes five pages to distill. Five pages? Too long-winded. Give me the elevator pitch (at least let us at XPLANE distill is for you). Maybe his second approach is a little better:
"Web 2.0 is the business revolution in the computer industry caused by the move to the internet as platform, and an attempt to understand the rules for success on that new platform. Chief among those rules is this: Build applications that harness network effects to get better the more people use them. (This is what I've elsewhere called "harnessing collective intelligence.")"
Based on that definition, maybe the fact is that "Web 2.0", as I stated above, is inherently generic and broad. I wonder if the term "Web 3.0" will come to have a consensus definition. But, until then, what do you think Web 2.0 means? And what do you think Web 3.0 will come to mean?
April 17, 2007 at 2:57 pm · Filed under Joost, Tech, Web Apps
I have Joost invites to give away -- first two people to leave a comment on this blog will get an email with their invite in the next day or so.
Please be sure to enter the email address you want your invite sent to when leaving the comment. It doesn't have to be in the comment itself, just in the comment form -- that way only I'll be able to see it.
Enjoy!
P.S. - Apparently if you have an invite you are an official beta tester, but I was really just looking for their logo when I noticed they are only allowing badges like the one to the left to be used... so "official beta tester" it is!
[Update: all invites have been sent out. I'll be sure to post if more come my way.]
« Previous entries ·
Next entries »
Powered by WordPress.
