Places (Android)
RATING:
5 out of 5
PRICE:
Free
TASTY:
Instantly find local businesses and attractions near you, see them on an interactive map, and get turn by turn directions.
BUMMER:
It doesn’t read my mind? Seriously, advertising does appear at the top of each result list. (But Google employees need to eat too, right. A minor annoyance.)
COOL:
After conducting a search for a local coffee shop, restaurant, etc., small compass arrows appear to the right of each business listing; turning your body in any direction will move each needle so you can quickly see in which direction to start walking. Many locations have integrated user reviews, which is surprisingly helpful (especially in larger cities.)
REVIEW:
The latest update to Google Maps (4.4) separates the popular Places feature from the main “Maps” app on your DROID, making it easy to quickly find nearby places, view business hours and place details, then navigate to each location via 3D maps, turn by turn voice directions, compass arrows, and even view live traffic details to avoid travel delays.
But is it a Yelp killer?
First, some truth-telling: Google Maps is the killer app on the Android platform.
In one no-cost app, you can see your current location via numerous overlays (satellite, roads, traffic, street view), then enter a destination address, and click Navigate. Your phone is instantly transformed into an Internet-linked GPS navigation system, complete with voice guidance and turn-by-turn directions. Mount your DROID on your dashboard and you have the best GPS receiver on the market at your disposal. (Add a hands-free, Bluetooth microphone to the mix, and you can talk on the phone and navigate simultaneously without missing a beat.)
After downloading the latest Google Maps update from the Market, you’ll notice a new icon nestled in your app listings – Places.
The new app is tightly integrated into Google Maps, so resist the urge to be confused. (Many early reviewers were thrown for a loop with this change.)
Opening Places, you’ll immediately get the gist of what it offers. First, it locks your exact position using GPS. Next, it offers you 7 large icons: Restaurants, Coffee, Bars, Hotels, Attractions, ATMs, and Gas Stations. Clicking Add allows you to customize this home screen to add additional destination types; a search bar at the top invites you to “find places.”
Selecting any of these options gives you instant results on what’s nearby. Easily see each destination on a map, place a call to the location, get detailed directions, and see the business via Street View.
In one fell swoop, Places takes its place as the most robust, detail-rich app for learning all you ever wanted to know about local destinations near your exact location. So the next time you’re heading out the door for a business trip or a night on the town with your friends or significant other, you’ll never be without something to do or a place to go.
Thanks, Google. Places is a welcome addition to the insanely great Google Maps family of functionality.
And yes, folks, it’s a Yelp killer. For me, anyway.
Friday, July 30, 2010
16 years of Mr. and Mrs. McLain... so good. Here's to 16 more! Love you, Deb!
P90X Legs & Back | Workout
Fitness Blueprint | P90X Round 9 (Get P90X or start with Power 90)
Personal | Weight: 197 (Shakeology Snack Added)
Tracking Calories (iPad App)
Working at my Standup Desk (Why you should, too!)
Thursday, July 29, 2010
TheChanner – TV Goes Social (Android)
RATING:
3 out of 5
PRICE:
$1.99
TASTY:
Stream live Internet TV channels and music feeds from around the world to your DROID. Join live conversations about each source right in the app. Plus, Tweet or post comments to Facebook about your favorite channels.
BUMMER:
Not entirely up to analog broadcast quality, mainly non-U.S. content, lips don’t always match up to what you’re hearing, many channels are non-functional during parts of the day. Doesn’t work on all DROID units; go to http://thechanner.com to see if your phone is up to snuff.
COOL:
A global TV tuner and music player in your pocket; rotate your phone to landscape mode and the image fills your entire screen. May be your first “TV on a cell phone” experience, and the free app provides a mountain of music channels to get you going.
REVIEW:
TheChanner is a groundbreaking app for newer DROID handsets (30+ in all), offering you a global, ‘social’ Internet TV station tuner and music player. Discover and enjoy the best content programmed by Internet TV channels around the globe, and share discoveries with your social networks, all through your smart phone.
That’s a mouthful -- and be sure you’re not searching the app Market for Channeler – it’s theChanner, no space, no L. How well does the app cache and stream online content, and how does it sound? The short answer: It’s a mixed bag, so buyer beware.
However, don’t let the initial release of this interesting app dissuade you from giving the free version a try. Opening the app for the first time, you may find the default channel feed to be dark (read: non-functional.) No worries. Click the menu and select TopTV. More than a dozen of the most popular channels likely to have active streams are a click away.
Selecting TVList will give you a complete listing of channels; note that many streams are available in languages other than English. This is truly a global tuner.
My first experiments watching Bloomberg TV, BBC London, and Fox 11 LA yielded good results. After a 15-30 second wait for buffering (let’s hope that improves) I was initially fed video that looked to be about 15-20 frames per second, with commentators’ lips 2-5 seconds off from what I was hearing.
After watching a feed for a minute or so, the lip/sound timing got progressively better and was nearly perfect. The image itself was slightly less than analog broadcast TV quality, with very few visible blocks or stutters.
I only experienced a few re-buffering moments/freezes while on both wifi and 3G in my Raleigh, NC neighborhood. Patience pays off when things re-buffer, sometimes a full moment will go by before things reappear. That said, no doubt you’ll want to stay close to a solid broadband Internet connection or 4-bar 3G signal when doing any serious watching or listening.
I experienced trouble getting some channels to stream. Some didn’t even try to connect, others were left hanging with “Connecting to the broadcaster now…” messages for several minutes before I gave up. Clearly, individual feeds can be hit or miss.
Once you do get a feed to work, you’ll find live scrolling comments from other viewers (most had comments that were weeks or months old) along with links to Facebook and Twitter to tell your friends and followers about the app and the specific channel you’re watching.
Important tip: Rotate your phone to landscape mode and the app fills your DROID’s screen with the active stream. While it isn’t exactly like watching live TV, it is a huge step in the right direction, and certainly a harbringer of things to come for TV on phones in the future.
Where theChanner really shines is its ability to broaden your musical horizons. You can sample pop, rock, hip-hop, rap, reggae, techno, rockabilly or ethnic music from all over our wonderful little planet: e-Music Television (UK), Worm TV (Germany), NRJ Hits (France), TVU Live (US), Hip Hop TV (Bulgaria), Music Box (Slovakia), MAD (Greece), Bamboch TV (Haiti), and DeeJay TV (Italy) to name a few.
If you want to go beyond the music channels, the full $1.99 app gives you access to all news, sports, and entertainment feeds from around the globe.
RATING:
3 out of 5
PRICE:
$1.99
TASTY:
Stream live Internet TV channels and music feeds from around the world to your DROID. Join live conversations about each source right in the app. Plus, Tweet or post comments to Facebook about your favorite channels.
BUMMER:
Not entirely up to analog broadcast quality, mainly non-U.S. content, lips don’t always match up to what you’re hearing, many channels are non-functional during parts of the day. Doesn’t work on all DROID units; go to http://thechanner.com to see if your phone is up to snuff.
COOL:
A global TV tuner and music player in your pocket; rotate your phone to landscape mode and the image fills your entire screen. May be your first “TV on a cell phone” experience, and the free app provides a mountain of music channels to get you going.
REVIEW:
TheChanner is a groundbreaking app for newer DROID handsets (30+ in all), offering you a global, ‘social’ Internet TV station tuner and music player. Discover and enjoy the best content programmed by Internet TV channels around the globe, and share discoveries with your social networks, all through your smart phone.
That’s a mouthful -- and be sure you’re not searching the app Market for Channeler – it’s theChanner, no space, no L. How well does the app cache and stream online content, and how does it sound? The short answer: It’s a mixed bag, so buyer beware.
However, don’t let the initial release of this interesting app dissuade you from giving the free version a try. Opening the app for the first time, you may find the default channel feed to be dark (read: non-functional.) No worries. Click the menu and select TopTV. More than a dozen of the most popular channels likely to have active streams are a click away.
Selecting TVList will give you a complete listing of channels; note that many streams are available in languages other than English. This is truly a global tuner.
My first experiments watching Bloomberg TV, BBC London, and Fox 11 LA yielded good results. After a 15-30 second wait for buffering (let’s hope that improves) I was initially fed video that looked to be about 15-20 frames per second, with commentators’ lips 2-5 seconds off from what I was hearing.
After watching a feed for a minute or so, the lip/sound timing got progressively better and was nearly perfect. The image itself was slightly less than analog broadcast TV quality, with very few visible blocks or stutters.
I only experienced a few re-buffering moments/freezes while on both wifi and 3G in my Raleigh, NC neighborhood. Patience pays off when things re-buffer, sometimes a full moment will go by before things reappear. That said, no doubt you’ll want to stay close to a solid broadband Internet connection or 4-bar 3G signal when doing any serious watching or listening.
I experienced trouble getting some channels to stream. Some didn’t even try to connect, others were left hanging with “Connecting to the broadcaster now…” messages for several minutes before I gave up. Clearly, individual feeds can be hit or miss.
Once you do get a feed to work, you’ll find live scrolling comments from other viewers (most had comments that were weeks or months old) along with links to Facebook and Twitter to tell your friends and followers about the app and the specific channel you’re watching.
Important tip: Rotate your phone to landscape mode and the app fills your DROID’s screen with the active stream. While it isn’t exactly like watching live TV, it is a huge step in the right direction, and certainly a harbringer of things to come for TV on phones in the future.
Where theChanner really shines is its ability to broaden your musical horizons. You can sample pop, rock, hip-hop, rap, reggae, techno, rockabilly or ethnic music from all over our wonderful little planet: e-Music Television (UK), Worm TV (Germany), NRJ Hits (France), TVU Live (US), Hip Hop TV (Bulgaria), Music Box (Slovakia), MAD (Greece), Bamboch TV (Haiti), and DeeJay TV (Italy) to name a few.
If you want to go beyond the music channels, the full $1.99 app gives you access to all news, sports, and entertainment feeds from around the globe.
Thumbplay Music (Android)
RATING:
4 out of 5
PRICE:
Free trial ($9.99/mo. afterwards)
TASTY:
Goes beyond random Pandora or Last.fm music streams, giving you the ability to listen to and save specific songs, play lists, and albums for playback both on the go and at your home computer. The mammoth Thumbplay library is available to you whether you’re Net-connected or offline.
BUMMER:
$9.99 monthly subscription fee kicks in after 30-day trial period.
COOL:
Thumbplay Music is available to Blackberry, Android, and iPhone users; it’s the only music service that spans them all.
REVIEW:
There are many services offering a monthly subscription fee to tune into unlimited amounts of music. Thumbplay Music is a welcome addition to this crowded field, giving you the ability to save tunes for offline listening anywhere, any time. It’s a cloud-based music service that lets you take your songs with you wherever you go.
The audio quality is solid, and playback is smooth as silk. Searching for specific artists and albums was a breeze, and I couldn’t find any holes in their library based on my personal taste. (Your mileage may vary.) The service boasts 9 million tracks from all major labels, and 35,000 indie labels to boot, so unless you’re a musical freak of nature, you’re bound to find everything you’re looking for.
Gone are the days of tuning into an Internet music feed and getting cut off when your bike ride or run hits a dead zone. This app stores tracks as it goes, keeping you listening long after your bars drop to zero.
Use the Genie option to discover new tracks, set up favorites, and build an unlimited number of playlists. You can even import your playlists and favorite artists from iTunes. Best of all, the service auto-syncs everything between your phone and your desktop Mac or Windows machine.
The downside? Like any great music service, it’s addictive. My free trial lasts only 3 short days (almost done!) before the $9.99 per month subscription fee kicks in.
Bottom line: If you’re a music junkie who’s spending more than $10 a month on iTunes (who isn’t?), or you’re on the road more often than not, Thumbplay Music is more than worth the fee to stay connected to an amazing library of tunes.
Now please excuse me, my free trial is ticking down, and I have to milk it for all it’s worth before it’s gone. Peace out!
RATING:
4 out of 5
PRICE:
Free trial ($9.99/mo. afterwards)
TASTY:
Goes beyond random Pandora or Last.fm music streams, giving you the ability to listen to and save specific songs, play lists, and albums for playback both on the go and at your home computer. The mammoth Thumbplay library is available to you whether you’re Net-connected or offline.
BUMMER:
$9.99 monthly subscription fee kicks in after 30-day trial period.
COOL:
Thumbplay Music is available to Blackberry, Android, and iPhone users; it’s the only music service that spans them all.
REVIEW:
There are many services offering a monthly subscription fee to tune into unlimited amounts of music. Thumbplay Music is a welcome addition to this crowded field, giving you the ability to save tunes for offline listening anywhere, any time. It’s a cloud-based music service that lets you take your songs with you wherever you go.
The audio quality is solid, and playback is smooth as silk. Searching for specific artists and albums was a breeze, and I couldn’t find any holes in their library based on my personal taste. (Your mileage may vary.) The service boasts 9 million tracks from all major labels, and 35,000 indie labels to boot, so unless you’re a musical freak of nature, you’re bound to find everything you’re looking for.
Gone are the days of tuning into an Internet music feed and getting cut off when your bike ride or run hits a dead zone. This app stores tracks as it goes, keeping you listening long after your bars drop to zero.
Use the Genie option to discover new tracks, set up favorites, and build an unlimited number of playlists. You can even import your playlists and favorite artists from iTunes. Best of all, the service auto-syncs everything between your phone and your desktop Mac or Windows machine.
The downside? Like any great music service, it’s addictive. My free trial lasts only 3 short days (almost done!) before the $9.99 per month subscription fee kicks in.
Bottom line: If you’re a music junkie who’s spending more than $10 a month on iTunes (who isn’t?), or you’re on the road more often than not, Thumbplay Music is more than worth the fee to stay connected to an amazing library of tunes.
Now please excuse me, my free trial is ticking down, and I have to milk it for all it’s worth before it’s gone. Peace out!
P90X Shoulders & Arms | Workout
Fitness Blueprint | P90X Round 9 (Get P90X or start with Power 90)
Personal | Weight: 197 (Shakeology Snack Added)
Tracking Calories (iPad App)
Working at my Standup Desk (Why you should, too!)
Brought the 30's and 20's the party, pounded out 12-15 reps with max weight. Exited shaky and a little stick to my stomach. All good.
Fitness Blueprint | P90X Round 9 (Get P90X or start with Power 90)
Personal | Weight: 197 (Shakeology Snack Added)
Tracking Calories (iPad App)
Working at my Standup Desk (Why you should, too!)
Brought the 30's and 20's the party, pounded out 12-15 reps with max weight. Exited shaky and a little stick to my stomach. All good.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Nook for Android
RATING:
4 out of 5
PRICE:
Free
TASTY:
Android app brings your Nook eReader content to your phone. The ability to change both the font and size of the text, along with animated page flips, makes reading content on your DROID easy on the eyes and fun to boot.
BUMMER:
LendMe option locks your eBook until a friend ‘returns’ it to you or 14 days elapse. The My Account menu option doesn’t allow you to access your account details. No option for changing page colors.
COOL:
A solid, if plain eBook reader for your phone with access to more than 1 million eBooks via the Barnes & Noble service.
REVIEW:
eBook readers are all the rage. Amazon’s Kindle continues to burn up the charts. And Barnes & Noble regulars have no doubt seen displays of B&N’s popular Android-powered Nook eReader devices in stores.
Now B&N brings all of your Nook content to your little DROID, and adds some new functionality to sweeten the deal, with mixed results. (Better late than never, I say.)
After installing the free app, sign up for a new account or login using your existing username and password. A long list of free classic titles and bestseller samples instantly appears, along with your past Nook purchases. Just click each title of interest to transfer the content to your DROID. It doesn’t get any easier than this.
As soon as you dive into your first title, you’ll find the page flipping to be downright fun. Just swipe across the page to turn the virtual pages forward or back. I’m a fan of the animated page turns; you can tweak the settings so pages simply slide backwards and forwards as well. (Where’s the fun in that?) You can also lock the display orientation with one small menu tweak.
Want the letters to be a little bigger? Choose from 5 font sizes. Don’t like the default type style? Choose from a menu of 8 fonts. Place a virtual bookmark on any page by clicking a small + sign in the upper right-hand corner of any page.
Tap the center of a page to display the name of your current eBook at the top of your screen, or use the handy slider at the bottom to move quickly through the entire book.
Of course, the Nook app wouldn’t be complete without adding the ability to shop for more than 1 million Barnes & Noble eBooks right from your phone. Grab this month’s new releases, recent bestsellers, plus free classic titles. Downloading books was ultra-quick via wifi and 3G data networks in my tests.
Last but not least, the eBook lending feature is a mixed bag. Using the LendMe option, you can share your titles with a friend. The catch? Once you lend a title, it’s available to your friend for only 14 days (and then disappears). And during this time, you’ll be unable to read the book until the time is up, or your friend clicks “return book.” Ouch.
Overall, this is a solid, albeit vanilla eReader experience. If you’re a fan of Amazon’s Kindle, B&N’s Nook is unlikely to turn you into a convert. However, Nook eReader owners will find having two ways to read their purchased content a welcome addition to the service.
RATING:
4 out of 5
PRICE:
Free
TASTY:
Android app brings your Nook eReader content to your phone. The ability to change both the font and size of the text, along with animated page flips, makes reading content on your DROID easy on the eyes and fun to boot.
BUMMER:
LendMe option locks your eBook until a friend ‘returns’ it to you or 14 days elapse. The My Account menu option doesn’t allow you to access your account details. No option for changing page colors.
COOL:
A solid, if plain eBook reader for your phone with access to more than 1 million eBooks via the Barnes & Noble service.
REVIEW:
eBook readers are all the rage. Amazon’s Kindle continues to burn up the charts. And Barnes & Noble regulars have no doubt seen displays of B&N’s popular Android-powered Nook eReader devices in stores.
Now B&N brings all of your Nook content to your little DROID, and adds some new functionality to sweeten the deal, with mixed results. (Better late than never, I say.)
After installing the free app, sign up for a new account or login using your existing username and password. A long list of free classic titles and bestseller samples instantly appears, along with your past Nook purchases. Just click each title of interest to transfer the content to your DROID. It doesn’t get any easier than this.
As soon as you dive into your first title, you’ll find the page flipping to be downright fun. Just swipe across the page to turn the virtual pages forward or back. I’m a fan of the animated page turns; you can tweak the settings so pages simply slide backwards and forwards as well. (Where’s the fun in that?) You can also lock the display orientation with one small menu tweak.
Want the letters to be a little bigger? Choose from 5 font sizes. Don’t like the default type style? Choose from a menu of 8 fonts. Place a virtual bookmark on any page by clicking a small + sign in the upper right-hand corner of any page.
Tap the center of a page to display the name of your current eBook at the top of your screen, or use the handy slider at the bottom to move quickly through the entire book.
Of course, the Nook app wouldn’t be complete without adding the ability to shop for more than 1 million Barnes & Noble eBooks right from your phone. Grab this month’s new releases, recent bestsellers, plus free classic titles. Downloading books was ultra-quick via wifi and 3G data networks in my tests.
Last but not least, the eBook lending feature is a mixed bag. Using the LendMe option, you can share your titles with a friend. The catch? Once you lend a title, it’s available to your friend for only 14 days (and then disappears). And during this time, you’ll be unable to read the book until the time is up, or your friend clicks “return book.” Ouch.
Overall, this is a solid, albeit vanilla eReader experience. If you’re a fan of Amazon’s Kindle, B&N’s Nook is unlikely to turn you into a convert. However, Nook eReader owners will find having two ways to read their purchased content a welcome addition to the service.
Groupon (Android)
RATING:
3 out of 5
PRICE:
Free
TASTY:
Get super deals from local businesses on things to do, buy, see, and eat.
BUMMER:
Only one special deal per day in 65 cities spread out across the United States. The app is “read only;” current Groupon users may find it easier to get the daily deal via email instead.
COOL:
The revised app makes it easy to access your previous Groupon purchases and redeem them via your phone.
REVIEW:
If you’re serious about getting great deals on things to do, buy, see, and eat in one of 65 U.S. cities, Groupon is for you. Launch the app daily to see the daily deal, access your purchased Groupons, and find new ones nearby.
Recent deals from my area (Raleigh, NC) included combo deals on golf lessons, a bucket of golf balls, and a flat discount on items purchased at a local driving range, $10 off the purchase of $20 worth of quality steaks and other meats from a local butcher shop, 50% off a massage, and more.
(The marinated steak was amazing, thank you very much The Meat House in Cary, NC; and Groupon, of course, for making it possible!)
The most compelling element of Groupon isn’t the “coupons” offered, but the “group” purchasing concept. Local businesses set a hard number on how many people must buy a special deal before it’s activated. This guarantees a set number of customers, and encourages early purchasers to spread the word virally to local friends and family via email or their Twitter and Facebook accounts to be sure the offer is activated by day’s end.
If you see a daily deal you wish to purchase via the app, clicking “Buy” connects you to the company’s website where you can complete the sale. (Hence many calling the app “read only” – there’s currently no checkout function built into the app.)
You can even redeem purchased Groupons and see side deals using the app; just click “More Deals” in the menu.
If you’re already a Groupon addict, you may find it easier to simply bookmark their existing website on your home computer, or sign up for their morning email alerts to see each day’s deal.
The smart phone app is, of course, the best way to check on the daily deal when you’re on the go.
Keep in mind, if you frequently travel to the cities covered by Groupon, your phone will use your GPS to get a lock on your current location and show you local deals.
RATING:
3 out of 5
PRICE:
Free
TASTY:
Get super deals from local businesses on things to do, buy, see, and eat.
BUMMER:
Only one special deal per day in 65 cities spread out across the United States. The app is “read only;” current Groupon users may find it easier to get the daily deal via email instead.
COOL:
The revised app makes it easy to access your previous Groupon purchases and redeem them via your phone.
REVIEW:
If you’re serious about getting great deals on things to do, buy, see, and eat in one of 65 U.S. cities, Groupon is for you. Launch the app daily to see the daily deal, access your purchased Groupons, and find new ones nearby.
Recent deals from my area (Raleigh, NC) included combo deals on golf lessons, a bucket of golf balls, and a flat discount on items purchased at a local driving range, $10 off the purchase of $20 worth of quality steaks and other meats from a local butcher shop, 50% off a massage, and more.
(The marinated steak was amazing, thank you very much The Meat House in Cary, NC; and Groupon, of course, for making it possible!)
The most compelling element of Groupon isn’t the “coupons” offered, but the “group” purchasing concept. Local businesses set a hard number on how many people must buy a special deal before it’s activated. This guarantees a set number of customers, and encourages early purchasers to spread the word virally to local friends and family via email or their Twitter and Facebook accounts to be sure the offer is activated by day’s end.
If you see a daily deal you wish to purchase via the app, clicking “Buy” connects you to the company’s website where you can complete the sale. (Hence many calling the app “read only” – there’s currently no checkout function built into the app.)
You can even redeem purchased Groupons and see side deals using the app; just click “More Deals” in the menu.
If you’re already a Groupon addict, you may find it easier to simply bookmark their existing website on your home computer, or sign up for their morning email alerts to see each day’s deal.
The smart phone app is, of course, the best way to check on the daily deal when you’re on the go.
Keep in mind, if you frequently travel to the cities covered by Groupon, your phone will use your GPS to get a lock on your current location and show you local deals.
iPad Flipboard App Review (at Appolicious)
Flipboard centralizes access to your social world, and organizes it into a slick format that makes staying up to date and in the know much more visually appealing and fun. A must-download, free of charge.
(Side Note: Yes, Virginia, I was working at a .com start up back in 1994 ;) -- Classroom Connect -- helping schools move from Gopher (and Telnet and FTP) to Mozilla/the first Web browsers. This app gives me the same feeling -- moving from reading long lists of Tweets at twitter.com and updates on Facebook to seeing those same tweets/updates/photo text hyperlinks turned into a magazine format with auto-rendering of images and destination copy from each link. A once every 10 year feeling, this time taking place on Apple's iPad.)
What is Flipboard?
When it comes to consuming content, the iPad excels.
Until Flipboard, we were content to head to Safari or Atomic Web to browse FaceBook. Or reading row after row of Tweets via twitter.com (or TweetDeck), with each content link leading to... who knows what. Not to mention the myriad RSS, blog, and news readers to mine for up-to-date posts, news content, and more.
Now we have Flipboard, and it's a treat.
This free app organizes your personal FaceBook feed and Twitter streams and lists, along with hand-picked channel content and feeds from Flipboard staff, into a slick digital magazine application.
Once set up, Flipboard will be your go-to app to browse a stylized selection of your personalized social media/news sources. Swipe left and right to turn your personalized "pages" of your very own digital magazine filled only with content you wish to display.
The genius of the app is its ability to take mundane Twitter/update posts and transform them into visuals that are a treat for the eye. If a link is embedded in an update, you'll see a small preview of part of the page right in the app. Genius. No more plain bit.ly/short URLs making you wonder what's on the other end. Same with new photos shared to you.
In essence, the app thoughtfully (with a print magazine designers eye) extracts both the text and images found in destination links or friend's Facebook posts, and renders them into a modern print magazine format, complete with headlines, bylines, images, and a first set of text as appropriate. Photos are also tastefully presented in several ways, integrating updates seamlessly into your digital magazine.
Flipboard also also guides you to hand-picked Twitter lists and staff picked streams of content, along with your own Twitter lists if you've set them up (which group tweets by subject area.) Finally, an app that makes Twitter lists much easier to find, collect, and browse in a meaningful way.
Organize your followers into lists by subject area, then add those lists/subjects to one of your Flipboard slots. You've instantly made a near real-time digital magazine containing the very latest updates, articles, links, and more.
The biggest surprise? Photos shared by your followers or friends are easily browsed through the app, and a small set of these images will auto-rotate into the start up screen of the application. Don't be surprised if you see your friend's vacation photos or your new niece/nephew pop up on your cover. (I was!)
Flipboard Downsides?
As of this writing (the first week of release), the app is limited in several ways.
1. As far as I can tell, what's presented is not your full FaceBook or Twitter feeds. It's a selection of 'recent' content, and not a full grab of the latest items. This of it like this -- you could sit and read the AP news and photos feeds in their entirety; every single story/update, thousands every day, all day long. Flipboard takes your firehose-like feeds and hand-picks and displays only a a selection of items, much like a newspaper or magazine editor making editorial decisions in picking items from news feeds.
2. Only nine unique sections of content can be displayed at one time.
3. To refresh the items displayed, you'll need to quit/restart the app. There's no "update" button per se. Sometimes quitting and relaunching the app two times, with a short pause between each, nets the best refresh.
4. The app does a better job of collecting and displaying Twitter items. FaceBook updates are less frequent or deep going back in time more than a day.
5. You can't update your Twitter or Facebook feeds from within the app. It's read-only for now.
6. You'll need to be tethered to the Net to make Flipboard work. Content isn't cached for viewing if you go offline/leave your wifi or AT&T connection(s).
7. Doing a keyword search when adding new content items nets Twitter list results, but adding them to a content space isn't currently working. Also creating and adding your own Twitter lists isn't functioning as of launch week.
I'm betting all of this will be fixed in the next few weeks and months with updates, with special content areas made available from many other sources automatically.
On a personal note, I'll be happy when our friends at Digg deliver Flipboard-ready feeds for their main content areas. Digg accessible via a digital magazine-like format, with all the images and stories displayed with this ground breaking reformatting app? Amazing.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
LoKast (Android)
RATING:
1 out of 5
PRICE:
Free
TASTY:
The first “local-casting” app on the scene, making it possible for social butterfly’s who frequent crowded locations (like concerts or college campuses) to share content with others within a radius of 300 feet.
BUMMER:
Initial Android app release causes frequent crashes, can only listen to the first 30 seconds of songs within range, only works if you’re within short range of others running the app.
COOL:
Once NearVerse cleans up the Android version or integrates with Facebook, LoKast could be a worthwhile install to bridge a content-sharing gap between iPhone and DROID owners.
REVIEW:
In theory, LoKast brings an entirely new set of social media sharing tools to tech-savvy DROID owners.
I use the words “in theory” because I was unable to get the app to work on my trusty DROID A855 without experiencing constant force crashing when trying to add a profile picture or a single photo.
The app enables something NearVerse -- the app’s creator -- calls proximity-based content sharing. According to the firm, “…LoKast for Android enables users to discover music, pictures, videos, contacts, and web links of users who are together in location [within 300 feet of one another.] LoKast, short for "local-casting" is eliminating the need for physical media sharing, making CDs and DVDs obsolete, and allowing users to share media instantaneously, without having to wait until they are back at their computer to experience the content.”
iPhone users I’ve talked to (including my brother) say the number one limitation to the app is that it currently works best if everyone has their phones hooked to the same wifi network (3G/data connections coming soon), and you can only listen to 30-second clips of your friends songs. (Sound familiar, Zune owners?) Other media, like photos, videos, and contacts are more easily shared in their entirety. That is, only when you’re within 300 feet of another user who’s on the same wifi network.
However, the software is designed to create its own local network, eliminating the need to be tethered to wifi or data networks.
Still, I’ve read that LoKast really shines in a live event environment. NearVerse has partnered with several bands who are touring this summer and at least one movie production company, giving users the chance to snag custom music and video clips from specific locations.
If you’re a social butterfly and you don’t mind opening up your phone for sharing your content, give it a try on your iPhone before you head out to your next jam-packed concert venue. It just might help you connect to some new friends and guide you to some fresh music, video, or (shudder) weblinks.
If you’re a DROID user, wait for updates and bug fixes before giving LoKast a try. (One recent reviewer claims the app may have gone beyond just causing force crashes on his phone, and is preventing his GPS from working. Temporarily, we hope.)
RATING:
1 out of 5
PRICE:
Free
TASTY:
The first “local-casting” app on the scene, making it possible for social butterfly’s who frequent crowded locations (like concerts or college campuses) to share content with others within a radius of 300 feet.
BUMMER:
Initial Android app release causes frequent crashes, can only listen to the first 30 seconds of songs within range, only works if you’re within short range of others running the app.
COOL:
Once NearVerse cleans up the Android version or integrates with Facebook, LoKast could be a worthwhile install to bridge a content-sharing gap between iPhone and DROID owners.
REVIEW:
In theory, LoKast brings an entirely new set of social media sharing tools to tech-savvy DROID owners.
I use the words “in theory” because I was unable to get the app to work on my trusty DROID A855 without experiencing constant force crashing when trying to add a profile picture or a single photo.
The app enables something NearVerse -- the app’s creator -- calls proximity-based content sharing. According to the firm, “…LoKast for Android enables users to discover music, pictures, videos, contacts, and web links of users who are together in location [within 300 feet of one another.] LoKast, short for "local-casting" is eliminating the need for physical media sharing, making CDs and DVDs obsolete, and allowing users to share media instantaneously, without having to wait until they are back at their computer to experience the content.”
iPhone users I’ve talked to (including my brother) say the number one limitation to the app is that it currently works best if everyone has their phones hooked to the same wifi network (3G/data connections coming soon), and you can only listen to 30-second clips of your friends songs. (Sound familiar, Zune owners?) Other media, like photos, videos, and contacts are more easily shared in their entirety. That is, only when you’re within 300 feet of another user who’s on the same wifi network.
However, the software is designed to create its own local network, eliminating the need to be tethered to wifi or data networks.
Still, I’ve read that LoKast really shines in a live event environment. NearVerse has partnered with several bands who are touring this summer and at least one movie production company, giving users the chance to snag custom music and video clips from specific locations.
If you’re a social butterfly and you don’t mind opening up your phone for sharing your content, give it a try on your iPhone before you head out to your next jam-packed concert venue. It just might help you connect to some new friends and guide you to some fresh music, video, or (shudder) weblinks.
If you’re a DROID user, wait for updates and bug fixes before giving LoKast a try. (One recent reviewer claims the app may have gone beyond just causing force crashes on his phone, and is preventing his GPS from working. Temporarily, we hope.)
P90X Plyometrics | Workout
Fitness Blueprint | P90X Round 9 (Get P90X or start with Power 90)
Personal | Weight: 197 (Shakeology Snack Added)
Tracking Calories (iPad App)
Working at my Standup Desk (Why you should, too!)
Tuesday cardio blast to the max. Love the Mary Katherine's, single-leg hoppin' focus on the calves, tons of jumping/squatting, and all the rest. Leave it all on the mat with tons of sweat and shaky legs. Nice.
Fitness Blueprint | P90X Round 9 (Get P90X or start with Power 90)
Personal | Weight: 197 (Shakeology Snack Added)
Tracking Calories (iPad App)
Working at my Standup Desk (Why you should, too!)
Tuesday cardio blast to the max. Love the Mary Katherine's, single-leg hoppin' focus on the calves, tons of jumping/squatting, and all the rest. Leave it all on the mat with tons of sweat and shaky legs. Nice.
Monday, July 26, 2010
MeCanto (Android)
RATING:
5 out of 5
PRICE:
Free
TASTY:
Upload your music to the Web, and stream it to your phone. No more file transfers or separate MP3 player needed.
BUMMER:
Windows-only transfer client. Long music transfer times. Occasional 3G streaming issues in spotty 3G areas.
COOL:
The “cloud” can now hold your tunes and deliver them to you, when and where you want. Music lovers are no longer tied to their MP3 player/iPod, custom CD burns, or USB memory sticks.
REVIEW:
MeCanto is every mobile music lover’s dream. This free app makes it easy to upload your entire music library to the Web, and stream it to your DROID anywhere, anytime. No more transferring files, worrying about memory card storage limits, and all the rest.
Once your library is live, login to your collection using the MeCanto app on your phone. Easily browse by artist, album, genre, or folder, set up play lists, then listen to your tracks streamed over your network connection.
Still, MeCanto isn’t perfect.
First, just getting the app can be a headache. Head into your DROID Settings, click Applications, then check the box next to Unknown sources to allow you to install non-Market applications. (Otherwise the app won’t show up on your Market search.)
Now that you can snag the app, two big hurdles remain. The desktop transfer software is Windows-only, and transferring your library will take time. Lots of time, depending upon the size and scope of your collection. My suggestion? Start with a few albums; 24 tracks took 22 minutes to upload via my high-speed cable connection. If you have a large library, start a transfer either before you go to bed or when you head off to work.
Plus, once your tracks are live, you can’t search for specific tracks. Basically, if you’re hopelessly addicted to your iPod or current MP3 player with all its fancy menu options for finding tracks other than by folder, artist, genre, or album, you may find MeCanto a bit cumbersome at first.
That said, uploading my wife’s small MP3 collection for a recent weekend road trip was a smashing success. Once her tracks were live, she could skip from album to album and track to track with ease, and streaming was nearly flawless. At home, streaming the music over our wifi network was flawless.
When we drove between towns in backwoods Virginia, we had to click pause/play to force Verizon’s 3G network to get a grip a few times. Our lonely iPod Shuffle was left at home, and not missed.
RATING:
5 out of 5
PRICE:
Free
TASTY:
Upload your music to the Web, and stream it to your phone. No more file transfers or separate MP3 player needed.
BUMMER:
Windows-only transfer client. Long music transfer times. Occasional 3G streaming issues in spotty 3G areas.
COOL:
The “cloud” can now hold your tunes and deliver them to you, when and where you want. Music lovers are no longer tied to their MP3 player/iPod, custom CD burns, or USB memory sticks.
REVIEW:
MeCanto is every mobile music lover’s dream. This free app makes it easy to upload your entire music library to the Web, and stream it to your DROID anywhere, anytime. No more transferring files, worrying about memory card storage limits, and all the rest.
Once your library is live, login to your collection using the MeCanto app on your phone. Easily browse by artist, album, genre, or folder, set up play lists, then listen to your tracks streamed over your network connection.
Still, MeCanto isn’t perfect.
First, just getting the app can be a headache. Head into your DROID Settings, click Applications, then check the box next to Unknown sources to allow you to install non-Market applications. (Otherwise the app won’t show up on your Market search.)
Now that you can snag the app, two big hurdles remain. The desktop transfer software is Windows-only, and transferring your library will take time. Lots of time, depending upon the size and scope of your collection. My suggestion? Start with a few albums; 24 tracks took 22 minutes to upload via my high-speed cable connection. If you have a large library, start a transfer either before you go to bed or when you head off to work.
Plus, once your tracks are live, you can’t search for specific tracks. Basically, if you’re hopelessly addicted to your iPod or current MP3 player with all its fancy menu options for finding tracks other than by folder, artist, genre, or album, you may find MeCanto a bit cumbersome at first.
That said, uploading my wife’s small MP3 collection for a recent weekend road trip was a smashing success. Once her tracks were live, she could skip from album to album and track to track with ease, and streaming was nearly flawless. At home, streaming the music over our wifi network was flawless.
When we drove between towns in backwoods Virginia, we had to click pause/play to force Verizon’s 3G network to get a grip a few times. Our lonely iPod Shuffle was left at home, and not missed.
P90X Chest & Back | Workout
Fitness Blueprint | P90X Round 9 (Get P90X or start with Power 90)
Personal | Weight: 197 (Shakeology Snack Added)
Tracking Calories (iPad App)
Working at my Standup Desk (Why you should, too!)
Rocked P90X, tons to do today, then Drew, Liz, and Kae head on over tomorrow night. Nice!
Hope baby bro brought his workout attitude. Hoping he'll want to do a disc or ride the trails. Once.
Fitness Blueprint | P90X Round 9 (Get P90X or start with Power 90)
Personal | Weight: 197 (Shakeology Snack Added)
Tracking Calories (iPad App)
Working at my Standup Desk (Why you should, too!)
Rocked P90X, tons to do today, then Drew, Liz, and Kae head on over tomorrow night. Nice!
Hope baby bro brought his workout attitude. Hoping he'll want to do a disc or ride the trails. Once.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Opera Mini Browser (Android V5.1)
RATING:
4 out of 5
PRICE:
Free
TASTY:
Screaming fast page loads and tabbed browsing.
BUMMER:
Can’t pinch-zoom; double-tap the screen instead.
COOL:
Set up Speed Dial thumbnails on the app launch screen for quick access to your top nine sites.
REVIEW:
Here’s the good news: Opera is out of beta and now available in the Android marketplace as Opera Mini Browser.
The question you’re asking yourself: “Is it really any faster or offer any new features that would make me switch?” The answer is emphatically yes on both counts, but with one big caveat.
I have no complaints about the standard Browser app on my trusty Droid A855. It’s a workhorse, the small globe icon front and center on the Verizon interface. Its lack of bells and whistles doesn’t detract from its utility. Click the address bar, input a URL, and select Go. Page load times are decent enough, and bookmarking is straightforward.
Most importantly, a simple pinch-zoom smoothly zooms in and out, getting me right to the page content I want to view. On the DROID’s small screen, this is a critical feature.
Enter Opera. When you launch the app, you’re instantly greeted with a set of website thumbnails. These are your Speed Dial icons, a set of nine visual bookmarks that you can reprogram at will to get you where you need to go, and fast.
Speaking of speed, Opera’s crazy-quick when it comes to page load times. Visiting 10 of my favorite sites yielded screaming results, far surpassing the stock app. According to Opera’s website, the app uses the same proxy-powered compression technique as its desktop counterpart to give a turbo boost to browsing.
The default font is crisp and smooth, making reading copy much easier on the eyes. Saving logins is a breeze, and Opera Link makes it easy to synchronize your bookmarks, Speed Dial, and search engines between your Droid and desktop computer. Enable the Opera Link in Settings to get started.
Tabbed browsing is another welcome addition. You can easily browse several Web sites at the same time, jumping from one to another with ease.
When it comes to zooming, Opera falls flat.
Rather than using the standard pinch-zoom gesture, you single-tap the screen to zoom in. And zoom in it does; all the way in. Opera first renders a wide or tall page zoomed out. A single tap jumps to maximum zoom, forcing you to drag your finger around to find what you need.
Instead, try double-tapping the screen to zoom in approx. 25% closer with each gesture. It’s clunky, but it gets the job done. Thankfully, once you’re zoomed in, a small eyeglass icon at the lower-left makes it easy to zoom all the way out. I’m guessing this lack of pinch-zoom will be remedied in a future release, and when it is, this app is a solid 5 out of 5.
Another interesting feature is the long-click gesture. Holding your finger down on page text or menus opens up a special action screen. Here you can copy and paste text, open a link in a new tab, edit a Speed Dial, and more.
The bottom of the app displays left and right arrows, making it easy to move backwards and forwards between the pages you’ve visited in each session. A reload button is also provided, along with a quick link to your Speed Dial sites.
My power user tips? Click Settings and change Image quality to High. You’ll be glad you did, though load times are diminished to a certain degree. Plus, you can reclaim a little more of your screen real estate during browsing sessions by enabling Fullscreen.
And after using Opera for a few days, you may want to head back to Settings and click the button next to Default browser. (I just did.)
RATING:
4 out of 5
PRICE:
Free
TASTY:
Screaming fast page loads and tabbed browsing.
BUMMER:
Can’t pinch-zoom; double-tap the screen instead.
COOL:
Set up Speed Dial thumbnails on the app launch screen for quick access to your top nine sites.
REVIEW:
Here’s the good news: Opera is out of beta and now available in the Android marketplace as Opera Mini Browser.
The question you’re asking yourself: “Is it really any faster or offer any new features that would make me switch?” The answer is emphatically yes on both counts, but with one big caveat.
I have no complaints about the standard Browser app on my trusty Droid A855. It’s a workhorse, the small globe icon front and center on the Verizon interface. Its lack of bells and whistles doesn’t detract from its utility. Click the address bar, input a URL, and select Go. Page load times are decent enough, and bookmarking is straightforward.
Most importantly, a simple pinch-zoom smoothly zooms in and out, getting me right to the page content I want to view. On the DROID’s small screen, this is a critical feature.
Enter Opera. When you launch the app, you’re instantly greeted with a set of website thumbnails. These are your Speed Dial icons, a set of nine visual bookmarks that you can reprogram at will to get you where you need to go, and fast.
Speaking of speed, Opera’s crazy-quick when it comes to page load times. Visiting 10 of my favorite sites yielded screaming results, far surpassing the stock app. According to Opera’s website, the app uses the same proxy-powered compression technique as its desktop counterpart to give a turbo boost to browsing.
The default font is crisp and smooth, making reading copy much easier on the eyes. Saving logins is a breeze, and Opera Link makes it easy to synchronize your bookmarks, Speed Dial, and search engines between your Droid and desktop computer. Enable the Opera Link in Settings to get started.
Tabbed browsing is another welcome addition. You can easily browse several Web sites at the same time, jumping from one to another with ease.
When it comes to zooming, Opera falls flat.
Rather than using the standard pinch-zoom gesture, you single-tap the screen to zoom in. And zoom in it does; all the way in. Opera first renders a wide or tall page zoomed out. A single tap jumps to maximum zoom, forcing you to drag your finger around to find what you need.
Instead, try double-tapping the screen to zoom in approx. 25% closer with each gesture. It’s clunky, but it gets the job done. Thankfully, once you’re zoomed in, a small eyeglass icon at the lower-left makes it easy to zoom all the way out. I’m guessing this lack of pinch-zoom will be remedied in a future release, and when it is, this app is a solid 5 out of 5.
Another interesting feature is the long-click gesture. Holding your finger down on page text or menus opens up a special action screen. Here you can copy and paste text, open a link in a new tab, edit a Speed Dial, and more.
The bottom of the app displays left and right arrows, making it easy to move backwards and forwards between the pages you’ve visited in each session. A reload button is also provided, along with a quick link to your Speed Dial sites.
My power user tips? Click Settings and change Image quality to High. You’ll be glad you did, though load times are diminished to a certain degree. Plus, you can reclaim a little more of your screen real estate during browsing sessions by enabling Fullscreen.
And after using Opera for a few days, you may want to head back to Settings and click the button next to Default browser. (I just did.)
Saturday, July 24, 2010
P90X+ Kenpo Karate | Workout
Fitness Blueprint | P90X Round 9 (Get P90X or start with Power 90)
Personal | Weight: 197 (Shakeology Snack Added)
Tracking Calories (iPad App)
Working at my Standup Desk (Why you should, too!)
Saturday KARATE CHOP -- don't hyper extend those elbows, folks. Burny burn.
Cub Pack 218 planning meeting from 8 to 3 today. Another amazing year of scouting for our Cary and Apex boys. I think we're probably the most active Pack in the Piedmont. For sure.
Fitness Blueprint | P90X Round 9 (Get P90X or start with Power 90)
Personal | Weight: 197 (Shakeology Snack Added)
Tracking Calories (iPad App)
Working at my Standup Desk (Why you should, too!)
Saturday KARATE CHOP -- don't hyper extend those elbows, folks. Burny burn.
Cub Pack 218 planning meeting from 8 to 3 today. Another amazing year of scouting for our Cary and Apex boys. I think we're probably the most active Pack in the Piedmont. For sure.
Friday, July 23, 2010
P90X Legs & Back | Workout
Fitness Blueprint | P90X Round 9 (Get P90X or start with Power 90)
Personal | Weight: 197 (Shakeology Snack Added)
Tracking Calories (iPad App)
Working at my Standup Desk (Why you should, too!)
Friday goodness, tons of pull ups and leg work. My favorite? Wall squats. Making some serious changes to my upper/outer thighs. Yummy. P90X, you keep it rockin' day in and out.
Fitness Blueprint | P90X Round 9 (Get P90X or start with Power 90)
Personal | Weight: 197 (Shakeology Snack Added)
Tracking Calories (iPad App)
Working at my Standup Desk (Why you should, too!)
Friday goodness, tons of pull ups and leg work. My favorite? Wall squats. Making some serious changes to my upper/outer thighs. Yummy. P90X, you keep it rockin' day in and out.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
P90X Yoga | Workout
Fitness Blueprint | P90X Round 9 (Get P90X or start with Power 90)
Personal | Weight: 197 (Shakeology Snack Added)
Tracking Calories (iPad App)
Working at my Standup Desk (Why you should, too!)
Ooommmm... Ommmm....
Namaste.
That is all. Get your Yoga on with Tony.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
P90X Shoulders and Arms | Workout
Fitness Blueprint | P90X Round 9 (Get P90X or start with Power 90)
Personal | Weight: 197 (Shakeology Snack Added)
Tracking Calories (iPad App)
Working at my Standup Desk (Why you should, too!)
Take a peek down at your shoulder. What do you see? Not much? A formless muscle?
P90X shoulders and arms can turn that blank canvas into a well-defined landscape painting with valleys, peaks, and bumps, and in very short order.
Don't hide under those XL shirts, people. Follow the links at the top, pick up P90X or Power 90, and get in the game. Everyday you don't work out is a missed opportunity -- forget the rest, don't live in your past or excuses, you CAN do this. Join me!
Fitness Blueprint | P90X Round 9 (Get P90X or start with Power 90)
Personal | Weight: 197 (Shakeology Snack Added)
Tracking Calories (iPad App)
Working at my Standup Desk (Why you should, too!)
Take a peek down at your shoulder. What do you see? Not much? A formless muscle?
P90X shoulders and arms can turn that blank canvas into a well-defined landscape painting with valleys, peaks, and bumps, and in very short order.
Don't hide under those XL shirts, people. Follow the links at the top, pick up P90X or Power 90, and get in the game. Everyday you don't work out is a missed opportunity -- forget the rest, don't live in your past or excuses, you CAN do this. Join me!
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Mr. P90X Tony Horton in Washington, DC
National Press Club (CSPAN)
My Fitness Blueprint | P90X Round 9 (Get P90X or start with Power 90)
Personal | Weight: 197 (Shakeology Snack Added)
Tracking Calories (iPad App)
Working at my Standup Desk (Why you should, too!)
National Press Club (CSPAN)
My Fitness Blueprint | P90X Round 9 (Get P90X or start with Power 90)
Personal | Weight: 197 (Shakeology Snack Added)
Tracking Calories (iPad App)
Working at my Standup Desk (Why you should, too!)
P90X Plyometrics | Workout
Fitness Blueprint | P90X Round 9 (Get P90X or start with Power 90)
Personal | Weight: 197 (Shakeology Snack Added)
Tracking Calories (iPad App)
Working at my Standup Desk (Why you should, too!)
Jump training -- check. Crazy calorie burn -- check. Solid breakfast -- check. Busy day at ProQuest working on multi-year marketing plans and website integration for our brands -- Chadwyck-Healey | CSA | Dialog | eLibrary | HeritageQuest | Micromedia ProQuest | ProQuest | RefWorks-COS | Serials Solutions | SIRS | UMI Dissertations Publishing | UMI Microfilm -- check.
I'm off to PowerPoint land. If you don't hear from me for more than 2 days, send a rescue party.
Monday, July 19, 2010
P90X Chest and Back | Workout
Fitness Blueprint | P90X Round 9 (Get P90X or start with Power 90)
Personal | Weight: 197 (Shakeology Snack Added)
Tracking Calories (iPad App)
Working at my Standup Desk (Why you should, too!)
Push ups, lots of them. Pull ups, ditto. Some lawnmowers with the solid 50 pounder, nausea-inducing reps in the second round, and exited feeling strong and ready to attack my Monday.
How'd you do today? Remember my daily workout mantra: If I workout today, I will: Feel good, be healthier, be more fit, and the quality of my life will improve.
Don't wait. Pick up Power 90 to start, graduate to P90X in 90 days, and be in the best shape of your life. If you can dream it, you can do it. Get started.
Still enjoying the echo-chamber of social media insanity that is Old Spice. Pair of videos here from Old Spice man himself, and Mr. Kevin Pereira's response from AOTS...
How do they make these Old Spice gems? Wonder no more.
Fitness Blueprint | P90X Round 9 (Get P90X or start with Power 90)
Personal | Weight: 197 (Shakeology Snack Added)
Tracking Calories (iPad App)
Working at my Standup Desk (Why you should, too!)
Push ups, lots of them. Pull ups, ditto. Some lawnmowers with the solid 50 pounder, nausea-inducing reps in the second round, and exited feeling strong and ready to attack my Monday.
How'd you do today? Remember my daily workout mantra: If I workout today, I will: Feel good, be healthier, be more fit, and the quality of my life will improve.
Don't wait. Pick up Power 90 to start, graduate to P90X in 90 days, and be in the best shape of your life. If you can dream it, you can do it. Get started.
Still enjoying the echo-chamber of social media insanity that is Old Spice. Pair of videos here from Old Spice man himself, and Mr. Kevin Pereira's response from AOTS...
How do they make these Old Spice gems? Wonder no more.
Friday, July 16, 2010
P90X Legs and Back | Workout
Fitness Blueprint | P90X Round 9 (Get P90X or start with Power 90)
Personal | Weight: 197 (Shakeology Snack Added)
Tracking Calories (iPad App)
Working at my Standup Desk (Why you should, too!)
This Friday gem sets you up for a weekend of sore legs. Seriously. Between the wall squats and other up/down leg killers, and the ever-awesome pull-ups to get your upper body in the mix, this is the perfect rough, tough exit to a long week of P90X. Love it.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
P90X Yoga | Workout
Fitness Blueprint | P90X Round 9 (Get P90X or start with Power 90)
Personal | Weight: 197 (Shakeology Snack Added)
Tracking Calories (iPad App)
Working at my Standup Desk (Why you should, too!)
As always, the Yoga day comes at the perfect time. P90X Monday - Wed. is tough. Thursday gives you a chance to soothe away sore muscles, focus on your balance, and work those kinks out of my/your neck. So good. P90X is a puzzle -- good food, high intensity workouts, and (yes) breaks/yoga/stretches to keep you alive and flexible. Physical and mental perfection.
Check this out/putting on my marketing hat:
The Old Spice guy gives a shout out to libraries everywhere - hilarity ensues! Genius YouTube social media marketing, bar none. Taking over the Internet this summer as the meme of the season.
See how the commercials were done here. Basically, nearly 80 responses to tweets were written and the OS guy filmed them. Hit the Web and took over social media in a single day. Power.
Funny response:
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
P90X Back and Biceps | Workout
Fitness Blueprint | P90X Round 9 (Get P90X or start with Power 90)
Personal | Weight: 198 (Shakeology Snack Added)
Tracking Calories (iPad App)
Working at my Standup Desk (Why you should, too!)
If I workout today, I will: Feel good, be healthier, be more fit, and the quality of my life will improve.
My daily workout mantra, put into practice anew post-July 4th. New P90X round, rocking it daily, and already seeing a chance in my body. The spare tire is deflating around the edges, my chest is forming up, and my energy is doing just fine thanks for asking.
My new food tracker app is doing wonders, I believe. Super-easy to log everything that's going into my mouth, keeping the mix of inputs as close to the suggestions as possible, and I'm noticing that when I have to log everything I simply eat more thoughtfully.
More energy, some free brain boosting, and some wonderful soreness in places I haven't felt in some time. All good.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
P90X Plymometrics | Workout
Fitness Blueprint | P90X Round 9 (Get P90X or start with Power 90)
Personal | Weight: 198 (Shakeology Snack Added)
Tracking Calories (iPad App)
Working at my Standup Desk (Why you should, too!)
Crazy Tuesday cardio complete. Brought it. Tons of energy, eating more calories (maxing around 2,200), doing my best to drink my water, and feeling as good as ever. Powerful even. Thanks P90X/Tony!
Fitness Blueprint | P90X Round 9 (Get P90X or start with Power 90)
Personal | Weight: 198 (Shakeology Snack Added)
Tracking Calories (iPad App)
Working at my Standup Desk (Why you should, too!)
Crazy Tuesday cardio complete. Brought it. Tons of energy, eating more calories (maxing around 2,200), doing my best to drink my water, and feeling as good as ever. Powerful even. Thanks P90X/Tony!
Monday, July 12, 2010
P90X Chest, Shoulders and Triceps + 10 mi. ATT Trail Ride | Workouts
Fitness Blueprint | P90X Round 9 (Get P90X or start with Power 90)
Personal | Weight: 197 (Shakeology Snack Added)
Tracking Calories (iPad App)
Working at my Standup Desk (Why you should, too!)
Maxed out the upper body workout today, full 6 day routine ahead. Bringing it to the max, full time, no more maintenance -- just solid Tony insanity. Nice.
Another crammed week ahead... And here I thought I could catch up during the summer? Hasn't been the case for the past three or so. Still, busy + productive = good.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Seth Godin on the power of insubordination. (Like forgiveness > permission?) Free PDF @ http://bit.ly/aSWBsN :: My proactive mantra across my career as a self-identified Linchpin. Someone who's challenging the status quo daily, making changes, content, and tools to help our tech-savvy customers get things done, teach people, and make use of technology to impact the world and tomorrow's adults.
From the intro to this packed 'little' PDF:
I started my first real business in 1976, when I was sixteen. I ran a large student-run business in college. Went to business school in 1982 and started my first job in 1983.
Along the way, twenty seven years into this thing they call my career, I’ve figured out that there are three kinds of people:
Linchpins Supporters Leeches, Advocates for the Devil, and Bystanders (aka people in a pre-linchpin state)
I lump the last three together as one kind, because I don’t think they deserve categories of their own. Even though they’re the majority in terms of numbers, they don’t matter so much in terms of getting things done.
The first group, the Linchpins, are the people who make a difference, the ones that ship, the rare ones that truly have an impact. This group of people, in that moment of time, change everything.
The second group, the Supporters, are eager and willing to help. They respect and admire the work the linchpin is doing, and they’re ready to supply leverage or money or just a smile to help get the job done. Even better, they challenge the linchpin to do more, dig deeper and make an
even bigger difference.
The third group, as you’ve probably guessed, are the pessimists, the obstructionists and the protectors of the status quo. Driven largely by fear, they set out to slow you down, whittle you down and average you down. Mostly, it’s not their fault, though, because they’ve been brainwashed and don’t yet realized how powerful and productive it is to take a different route.
It’s tempting to call these people out by name and to demonstrate how their fear is robbing so many people of a chance to make a difference. I won’t, though, because it’s not productive. People don’t end up in this third group because they choose to be there... they end up here because the lizard brain is so freaked out and the resistance is so loud that they really don’t have any choice.
What I do is mentally affix a red “L” (for leech) to their forehead and then, for as long as I can, avoid them. Like a pothole in an otherwise smooth road, it’s just easier to drive around them.
At the same time, I feel sorry for them. They are in this group because of fear, not by choice. They wrestle every day with overwhelming feelings of impending doom. Fortunately, it’s not a permanent condition.
•••
The opportunities to make change are bigger and more attractive than ever before. Our leverage is more easily available, cheaper and more powerful too.
Our job as linchpins, then, is to lead the way, to organize and connect people so they can
overcome the resistance and actually do something with the huge advantages our society has given us. If you’re reading this on a Kindle or a laptop or an iPhone, it’s pretty clear that you’re literate, intelligent and by almost any measure, rich.
What are you going to do with that headstart?
Friday, July 09, 2010
P90X Chest & Back | Workout
Fitness Blueprint | P90X Round 9 (Get P90X or start with Power 90)
Personal | Weight: 198 (Shakeology Snack Added)
Tracking Calories (iPad App)
Working at my Standup Desk (Why you should, too!)
Maxed out all three P90X workouts this week, Wed. - Fri, and primed for some Kenpo karate tomorrow. Dropped 4 pounds since my three weeks on the road/July 4th, and back in the saddle. Thanks, Tony Horton.
A very full plate at ProQuest these days, planning some new website upgrades at proquestk12.com for August (think back to school), plus integrating more sites than I can count into proquest.com.
Very much hoping that I can secure some coding/site update assistance in the coming months, allowing me to focus on longer term items and some new ideas I've had to put on the back burner to get through the days. Never a dull moment being a marketing manager with his hands in social media, site coding/updating, project planning, email newsletter production, video series creation/coding/mounting... *huff puff*
Thursday, July 08, 2010
P90X Plyometrics (Extreme Aerobics) | Workout
Fitness Blueprint | P90X Round 9 (Get P90X or start with Power 90)
Personal | Weight: 200 (Shakeology Snack Added)
Tracking Calories (iPad App)
Working at my Standup Desk (Why you should, too!)
Hit this mega aerobic, jumpy-squaty routine with prejudice early this morning. Sweated, burned, and rocked it to the end.
My favorites? The jump squats, single-leg hops for the calves, and the ever-silly Mary Katherine's. Yeah, look up SNL and see her signature move, then do it 20 times for a few sets. BLAM, watch out easily-breakable wall behind me!
And some workplace wisdom today from Seth...
Low esteem and the factory
If you want to hire people to do a job, to be cogs in the system and to do what they're told, you might want to focus on people who don't think very highly of themselves.
People with low self esteem might be more happy to be bossed around, timed, abused, misused and micromanaged, no?
And the converse is true as well. If you want to raise your game and build an organization filled with people who will change everything, the first thing to look for is someone who hasn't been brainwashed into believing that they're not capable of great work.
A harried teacher might find it easier to teach a class to obey first and think second, but is that sort of behavior valuable or scarce now?
Industries that need to subjugate women or demonstrate power over one class of person or another are always on the lookout for people they can diminish. Our task, then, is to find people we can encourage and nurture until they're as impatient with average as we are.
The paradox is that the very people that are the easiest to categorize, to command and to dominate are the last people we want to work with.
| The Colbert Report | Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| Steve Carell | ||||
| ||||
Wednesday, July 07, 2010
P90X Shoulders & Arms | Workout
Fitness Blueprint | P90X Round 9 (Get P90X or start with Power 90)
Personal | Weight: 202 (Shakeology Snack Added)
Tracking Calories (iPad App)
Working at my Standup Desk (Why you should, too!)
Reboot time. Post July 4th getaway and a pair of trade shows, the slate is clean and a new, fresh round of P90X is in order.
Paired with calorie tracking powered by my iPad, I will be victorious, gunning to get down below 190 for the first time in a long while, and beefing up my muscle gains.
Can I lose weight and add muscle? Likely not. But let's try, shall we?
Fitness Blueprint | P90X Round 9 (Get P90X or start with Power 90)
Personal | Weight: 202 (Shakeology Snack Added)
Tracking Calories (iPad App)
Working at my Standup Desk (Why you should, too!)
Reboot time. Post July 4th getaway and a pair of trade shows, the slate is clean and a new, fresh round of P90X is in order.
Paired with calorie tracking powered by my iPad, I will be victorious, gunning to get down below 190 for the first time in a long while, and beefing up my muscle gains.
Can I lose weight and add muscle? Likely not. But let's try, shall we?
Tuesday, July 06, 2010
The sugar cane machine
(Source)
A small island grows sugar cane. Many people harvest it, and one guy owns the machine that can process the cane and turn it into juice.
Who wins?
The guy with the machine, of course. It gives him leverage, and since he's the only one, he can pay the pickers whatever he likes--people will either sell it to him or stop picking. No fun being the cane picker. He can also charge whatever he likes to the people who need the cane juice, because without him, there's no juice. No fun being a baker or cook.
But now, a second machine comes to the island, and then three more. There are five processors.
Who wins?
Certainly not the guy with the first machine. He has competitors for the cane. He can optimize and work on efficiency, but pretty soon he's going to be in a price war for his raw materials (and a price war for the finished product.) Not so much fun to be the factory owner.
And then! And then one cane processor starts creating a series of collectible containers, starts interacting with his customers and providing them with custom blends, starts offering long-term contracts and benefits to his biggest customers, and yes, even begins to pay his growers more if they're willing to bring him particularly sweet and organic materials, on time. In short, he becomes a master of the art of processing and marketing cane. He earns permission, he treats different customers differently and he refuses to act like a faceless factory...
Who are you?
(Source)
A small island grows sugar cane. Many people harvest it, and one guy owns the machine that can process the cane and turn it into juice.
Who wins?
The guy with the machine, of course. It gives him leverage, and since he's the only one, he can pay the pickers whatever he likes--people will either sell it to him or stop picking. No fun being the cane picker. He can also charge whatever he likes to the people who need the cane juice, because without him, there's no juice. No fun being a baker or cook.
But now, a second machine comes to the island, and then three more. There are five processors.
Who wins?
Certainly not the guy with the first machine. He has competitors for the cane. He can optimize and work on efficiency, but pretty soon he's going to be in a price war for his raw materials (and a price war for the finished product.) Not so much fun to be the factory owner.
And then! And then one cane processor starts creating a series of collectible containers, starts interacting with his customers and providing them with custom blends, starts offering long-term contracts and benefits to his biggest customers, and yes, even begins to pay his growers more if they're willing to bring him particularly sweet and organic materials, on time. In short, he becomes a master of the art of processing and marketing cane. He earns permission, he treats different customers differently and he refuses to act like a faceless factory...
Who are you?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)