September 4th, 2010
Given my fondness for Dropbox, I can’t believe I didn’t find out about AirDropper before today. It solves one of the biggest problems with Dropbox: getting files from friends or clients who don’t want to sign up for Dropbox. AirDropper lets you send the stubborn, Dropboxless target a link that they can use to upload files directly into your Dropbox. There’s no separate account signup, and nothing to download.
If you’d prefer not to email the person, but would rather IM or Twitter-DM them the link, you can check a convenient “I don’t want to send them an email” box, and the link will be sent to only you. AirDropper also recently added support for sending multiple files at once, which makes it about a million times more useful.
My only minor quibble — and it’s very minor — is that AirDropper creates its own folder when you connect your Dropbox account with it, instead of letting you specify a target folder. I’m not sure if that’s an intentional security measure in the Dropbox API, or a choice on AirDropper’s end, but it would be cool to see that extra bit of control so you don’t have to manually sort files later, especially if you have multiple clients uploading to your account.
All in all, I’m giving AirDropper a two-thumbs-up, five-stars, I’m-totally-using-this-myself rating.
Tags: account, account signup, AirDropper, application programming interface, Dropbox, email, five stars, folder, fondness, link, multiple files, nbsp, Read, security measure, target, target folder
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September 3rd, 2010
The Songbird team has released a significant update to their feature-packed media player today. Among the new additions: sync support for several HTC and Nokia handsets (as well as the Blackberry Storm) and sync support on OS X (Mac users will need to download the MSC add-on).
While Songbird is no longer providing official [...]
Tags: download, facelift, fri, HTC, left hand side, Linux, linux users, Mac, mac users, nbsp, new additions, Nokia, player, Read, Songbird, support, support os, sync
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September 3rd, 2010
The Songbird team has released a significant update to their feature-packed media player today. Among the new additions: sync support for several HTC and Nokia handsets (as well as the Blackberry Storm) and sync support on OS X (Mac users will need to download the MSC add-on).
While Songbird is no longer providing official builds for Linux users, contributed builds of Songbird for Linux are still available for download.
Songbird’s service pane has also been given a facelift, bringing a more polixhed look to the left-hand side of the player’s main window.
Tags: download, facelift, fri, HTC, left hand side, Linux, linux users, Mac, mac users, nbsp, new additions, Nokia, player, Read, Songbird, support, support os, sync
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September 3rd, 2010
Facebook Connect is missing from Apple’s new social network, iTunes Ping, after it was apparently working on Wednesday night. There seem to be mixed messages coming from Apple, according to interviews that All Things D’s Kara Swisher conducted with Apple honcho Steve Jobs and VP Phil Schiller.
Jobs said Facebook Connect wasn’t in Ping, and gave a dismissive “I guess we could do that.” Meanwhile, Schiller said you can absolutely find your friends on Ping using Facebook Connect. Both are wrong, though: Apple apparently DID do that, and now the feature is gone.
However, there are clues that Facebook Connect was meant to be in iTunes. If you’re following no one, you’ll see a message on your People page that says, “You are not following anyone. Connect with Facebook, search for people, invite friends, or follow recommended people to get started.” Facebook Connect is even mentioned in the Welcome to Ping email you get when you first sign up.
At this point, it’s a mystery whether Facebook Connect will be back, but I hope it will. Although Jobs says Facebook demanded “onerous terms” from Apple, using Facebook Connect is way faster than manually adding all your friends to Ping. Hey Steve, can we get a Twitter or Gmail connect, at least?
Tags: Apple, apple honcho, Connect, email, Filed, itunes, Kara Swisher, mixed messages, nbsp, Network, onerous terms, phil schiller, Ping, Read, Social, social software, software, Steve, Steve Jobs, Steve Jobs - Facebook, Twitter, VP Phil Schiller
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September 3rd, 2010
The official Twitter for iPhone app has updated, and with the latest update it became a universal app, meaning it has native iPhone and iPad versions. While the iPhone version continues to incrementally improve, it’s the iPad version that is really remarkable.
It took me a little while to get used to it, because the user interface is fairly busy. But you get a heck of a lot of bang for your buck with all that busy-ness. While most Twitter apps on the iPad work best in portrait mode, and Twitter for iPad works fine that way, it really seems optimized for use in landscape mode.
Loren Brichter — who created Tweetie which was then purchased by Twitter and became the official Twitter iPhone app — has continued his revolutionary approach to interface design on the iPad version. Your list of tweets acts as a sort of launching point, and tapping on a tweet opens a pane from the right that gives you either more information about the tweeter, the conversation if that particular tweet is in response to something, or the webpage of any link that is contained in the tweet. Basically, it tries to show you the most relevant information that can be pulled out of any given tweet when you tap on it. It’s nothing short of brilliant.
I really only have one beef with Twitter for iPad. It’s a bit awkward to clear the right pane once you’re done with a given tweet. It stays off to the right out of the way, but still provides visual clutter that annoys me. Tapping a different list and then back to your timeline clears it, but it should be more simple than that.
Otherwise, Loren has really knocked another one out of the park with Twitter for iPad.
Tags: app, fri, iPad, iPhone, landscape mode, Loren, loren brichter, nbsp, tweet, tweetie, Twitter, version, visual clutter
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September 3rd, 2010
Another day, another CSS3 playground. Are you excited yet? Wait for it – this one has wood paneling for a background! (That’s classy!) Even though it’s not exactly the first tool of its kind (or the second, … or the tenth), CSS 3.0 Maker is pretty handy and comprehensive, so I decided it was worth covering. Let me quickly sum it up:
I like:
- That it provides clear compatibility information for Firefox, Safari, Opera, and Chrome (no IE, of course). You can see exactly which browser versions support your bleeding-edge CSS.
- That it’s visual and real-time.
- That it provides code that works across as many browsers as possible, including browser-specific syntax (think -moz-border-radius for Firefox).
- The wood paneling! It makes me feel like I’m in a sauna.
I don’t like:
Tags: bleeding edge, browser versions, cascading style sheets, Chrome, CSS, developer web, Firefox, fri, Google, gradient, maker, nbsp, paneling, Safari, Wood, wood paneling
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September 3rd, 2010
“I need a new computer!” is a cry often heard by parents and system administrators alike. But often, the problem isn’t in the hardware – if the user isn’t an avid gamer or using a really ancient system, more often than not the problem is a crudded-up Windows installation (yes, I know, “this doesn’t happen on Linux”).
Proving to your user/kid that the hardware isn’t the problem is often easier said than done. What they see is just a slow computer, but PassMark’s PerformanceTest may be able to help you prove that the hardware isn’t all that wimpy.
First of all, you should know this is a Shareware product. You get it for a 30-day free eval period, after which you should buy it. But for most home users, 30 days should be plenty – you just want to see if you should buy a new computer, and if so, how much would that computer really be better than what you have now.
PerformanceTest runs a fairly comprehensive battery of tests, including CPU, graphics (2D and 3D), memory, hard-drive and CD performance. It then lets you upload the results onto its online database, and you can also pull information from the database to compare your system to right within the program.
For some reason, I was unable to find other systems listed as running Windows 7 x64, and so I had to compare my system with rigs running Vista x64.
Even if you don’t want to benchmark your own system, the database provides some very illuminating statistics. If you’re on the market for a new system, you should definitely take a stroll through some of the charts.
Tags: computer, cpu graphics, hardware, nbsp, new computer, PerformanceTest, problem, Read, Shareware, shareware product, slow computer, system, system administrators, wimpy, Windows, windows installation
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September 2nd, 2010
Okay, so my earlier story about how Amazon is messing with International Kindle users made a bit of a splash. Quite a few things came up in my investigations before and after the story, but the basic fact remains: Amazon will add a fixed $2.00 surcharge to most items (which may or may [...]
Tags: address, Amazon, Canada, country, customer, destination country, device, food rules, International, international customer, Israel, Kindle, legal responsibility, Michael Pollan, Michael Pollan - Wi-, nbsp, Read, story, two different ways, valid address
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August 30th, 2010
Everyone knows that users hate change, so it’s no surprise that the new version of Digg has got people up in arms. Despite new user registration for the site going way up since the launch of v.4, people have identified about a dozen separate issues with the new layout, from actual bugs to petty nitpicks. Digg’s Kevin Rose addressed them in a new blog post, explaining the reasoning behind some changes, and promising fixes for others.
Here are the key points:
The Upcoming section, removed because it got only a tiny percentage of Digg’s total page views, is coming back in some form. The bury button is also gone, but it’s not coming back. Rose says removing the button was a way of shutting down the organized “bury brigades,” who were systematically censoring certain viewpoints and topics on Digg.
There are a ton of bugs that Rose acknowledges and promises to fix, including issues with RSS feeds, third-party Digg tools, and missing favorites. It sounds like some people think the new design of the site ought to be filed as a bug, but Kevin’s response, apart from pledging to look into some specific usability issues, is basically that you’ll just have to get used to it.
Tags: brigades, Button, digg, download, Filed, Kevin, Kevin Rose, Kevin Rose - RSS, nbsp, new layout, nitpicks, Read, Rose, site, social software, Squad, tiny percentage, usability issues, viewpoints, way
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August 24th, 2010
Usually, when I need to focus in a distracting environment I just put on my earbuds and head over to SimplyNoise. But SimplyNoise is a bit too simple at times; it just generates a “wall” of white, brown, or pink noise. It can oscillate the volume a little bit, but that’s just about it. That’s not a flaw – it’s how SimplyNoise was designed.
But what if I want some atmosphere to go with my custom noise? What if I want it to have a certain “vibe,” or I want it to inspire me? Plus, some people simply dislike the monotony of a noise generator.
Introducing Nature Sounds. This beautifully simple Flash tool provides you with four audio channels. You populate each channel with a looping sample that you can choose from a vast palette. You’ve got sounds of whales, the beach, fire crackling, crickets, a heartbeat, drums thumping in the distance, etc. The palette is extensive.
You populate each of the channels with the sample of your choice, and then you can set the volume and the stereo balance (left/right). You can also have the volume oscillate; the continuous bar that you see at the bottom of each channel shows that, for my soundscape, I wanted all sounds to simply continue. There are four different patterns that you can select for each channel, or you can have the sound periodically fade out and start up again.
By adding and removing samples and tweaking the various settings, you can come up with a complete soundscape that really conveys a certain “feel.” Once you’re done, you can download your creation or save it under its own URL. Then, just access that URL whenever you want to listen to it again (or send it to friends). I saved mine under the classy title Whales and Stuff.
Tags: audio channels, bit, channel, download, fire crackling, flash tool, nbsp, noise, noise generator, pink noise, Read, SimplyNoise, sound, sounds of whales, soundscape, stereo balance, volume
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