TextEdit is the default rich text editor that comes preinstalled on every Macintosh computer. It wasn’t until recently that I realized what a powerful tool it really is. Besides being able to customize font face, color, size, and paste entire images and tables, it has a multilingual spell-checker/grammer checker. I learned this by accident while writing in German (with which I am far from fluent). I made a typo and TextEdit corrected it instantly. I was amazed by this. That’s why I love Macs. So simple to use, yet so powerful on the inside. Now compare that to Notepad…..
by Ross
Sep
2
The new iPod Touch (4th gen), for the cost of my 2nd gen ($229) now features a built in face-camera AND a built-in photo-shooting camera. Awesome? Yes. Sleek? Yes. Apple? Absolutely. Do I want one? Goes without saying…
by Ross
Sep
2
Ever since the iPhone was released, I was amazed at how many people I saw using them. It came with a hefty monthly plan from AT&T of between $80 and $130 each month. Then, after the release of the iPhone 4, sales increased dramatically. I found it even more unbelievable how many more people signed on for such an outrageous monthly phone bill – until I checked out the AT&T website. AT&T now offers a 450 rollover-minute plan for only $39.99, and the mandatory data plan can be the 200 megabyte plan for just $15. Suddenly, I can no longer tell people that a Droid from Verizon Wireless is cheaper. Once again, Apple steals the ball. Now to see if Verizon can win back their [growing] place of power with those pre-paid data plans!
by Ross
Sep
1
I decided that I wanted to start being more organized – which meant keeping a calendar. Now, I absolutely love my Android, but I also love iCal. And I don’t feel like pulling out my iPod and connecting to WiFi every time I want to view my calendar (which I want to manage from my Macbook Pro). Solution? I opened iCal, went to Preferences > Accounts, and added my Google account. Easy as ever, and completely epic (as Google + Apple tends to be). Learn more here: http://bit.ly/XJbTe
by Ross
Aug
30
I remember the days when I used to dream of owning a Dell Axim Handheld:
Those days are past. The Axim used to be *awesome*, but that was in 2001. These days, smartphones are “all the rage”. And Dell certainly isn’t planning on missing out on that bandwagon. On the 24th Dell released its Aero smartphone running the Android operating system with AT&T. This flashy phone features a 5 megapixel camera, along with 8X zoom. It has a sleek touchscreen interface and a built-in GPS. The built-in 2GB of memory is expandable to 32GB with a Micro SD card. Of course, being a late-model Android, the Aero supports Flash Player Lite, to play Flash videos from the internet. All in all, this looks like a pretty awesome phone. If it crashes as much as Dell computers, I’ll change my mind…
by Ross
Aug
28
The Sony TX1 offers a sleek, beautiful camera that takes even more sleek, beautiful photos. It is just another addition to Sony‘s line of Cybershot cameras, and gives the whole line a great name. This camera is 10.2 megapixels, more than enough to satisfy the average point-and-shooter. It has an anti-blink feature, which detects someone blinking and instantly takes another snapshot to catch them when they finish their blink. Ever tried to take a picture of a baby who just won’t smile? The TX1 provides for that too with its smile detector – it snaps the shot as soon as the baby snaps the smile. And don’t forget the 3 inch touchscreen on the back, for easy viewing and weeding out your memory card. It also features that panoramic-swype that you always manage to need. With an optical zoom of 4.2X, it’s not the best for long-distance shots, but certainly competent with other point-and-shoot cameras. As far as durability goes, this is not for anyone who thinks they may drop it. It scratches and dents easily, and I don’t like to think what would happen to the actual camera if it weren’t for the slide-up lens-cover. Overall, I give this camera 4/5 stars, for its top-notch photos, awesome features, and good looks. The missing star goes for durability and price ($239.99), which isn’t quite fair despite all the awesome features.
by Ross
Aug
27
This fourth tutorial will cover divs and how to use them. It will also teach basic CSS positioning for the divs. All right, let’s get started!
I’m going to start by opening the file from Part 3. This is what we had when we ended last time:
Now, a div is an element that contains something. For example, if I want one block of text Read more[..]
by Ross
Aug
26
Coming soon to Verizon Wireless: the Samsung Fascinate. This phone just looks amazing. And that’s about all I can truthfully tell about this sleek new device, since I haven’t been able to get my hands on so much as a model. I do know, however, that it is very thin, comparable to the iPhone 3GS. I also know that it is a touchscreen phone with no physical keyboard, running Android 2.2. Its accelerometer appears to be very fine-tuned, as I saw in this YouTube video. Also from that video, it amazes me how much Samsung seems to have captured the look and feel of Apple’s iOS, making me want the Fascinate over my Droid in an instant. Will it be all they’ve been advertising?
by Ross
Aug
26
After releasing its “iPhone killer”, the Droid in the end of 2009, Motorola is back, this time with the Droid’s successor: Droid 2. Droid 2 is very similar in physical design. The edges seem to be a bit more rounded, and the weights seem about the same. The camera is still stuck at 5 megapixels, with the dual-led flash. Differences? Well, to start, the Droid 2 sports a 1 ghz snapdragon processor, while the Droid itself only has a 512 mhz processor. The Droid 2 comes preloaded with the latest version of Android, the 2.2 (also known as “Froyo”). It runs Adobe Flash Player, and has the capability to act as a WiFi hotspot for other devices. The Droid 2 has a 3.7 inch touch screen, and a beautiful QWERTY keyboard, with keys slightly raised, making it much more comfortable than its predecessor. This phone is offered on Verizon Wireless’ network, using the 3G coverage (of course), and is even available with the new prepaid smartphone plans. I think I have a new favorite phone.