There is a purity to the idea of music as the primary goal for the iPod (the phrase “it used to be about the music” always reminds me of Almost Famous and this scene above).  I’ve written about the feature craziness of the iPhone (here), but recently got an iPod Touch for Xmas, so I thought I would try an experiment.  You see, the iPod touch really has only two features – it plays music and video, like any iPod these days, AND it has a WiFi connection, a feature that leads to all sorts of mischief.  I wondered what I could get up to with only the WiFi connection.  Would the device still be useful if it were not about the music at all?

The results were entertaining.  I spent my vacation downloading apps and trying to get as much mileage out of the Touch as I could.  In fact, I’ll give you a preview of the ending: it was a lot of fun.  Let the games begin…

I started my trip to Milan for Xmas with Tripit, a program I’ve used before (but never on the Touch).  I synced my travel plans (with confirmation numbers and quotes), allowing me to tell the rather snotty Italian Avis rental guy that no, it was no ok if the price was 50 Euros more than the quote and yes I do have proof. In Italian this exchange was the rental guy saying  “e normale…” (shrug) and me responding: “NO non e normale.”  (insert look that said “just because I’m foreign doesn’t make me an idiot”).

Once on the road, I could look at my world clocks to make sure that my time zones were in sync.  This isn’t technically a new feature (it’s on the iPod Classic) but I found it very useful.

While in the air, I had read through one of  my kindle books (no not the complete works of Shakespeare – it just makes a nice picture).  It was great to do the same tricks that I do on my kindle:  taking notes, highlighting passages and adding bookmarks.  I also like having access to all my books, with the ability to download the books that I make have deleted or recently purchased using WiFi.  If the screen were 1 inch bigger, this app alone would be a selling point (if you don’t already have a kindle).

At road stops, a quick glance at Google earth provided a bit of entertainment, as I pinpointed my location and explored local attractions.  In the end, I used it for almost the same purpose as Google Maps (also included on the Touch), but I found the controls much more fun…  Turn by turn directions are available from other apps and as there is no GPS on the touch, it’s tough to get more mileage out of mapping features.

Once at my destination, I managed to tune my guitar (picture on the left) and then call ANYONE in my address book for free with Skype (picture on right).

Skype is such a useful app on the Touch that I’d almost buy one if it were a one trick pony.  The ability to call anywhere from any WiFi network saves oodles of dough and somehow, almost magically, the call quality is better than when I call from my laptop.  All you need to make this work is a headset with a microphone built-in – conveniently the same as my old blackberry headset…

Once I had arrived at my destination, there was nothing else to do but enjoy the vacation.  I wrote blog posts using Evernote, my favorite online note taking application.  You can write notes, add pictures, and then sync it all up to the cloud for safe keeping.  I will say that the built-in camera of the iPhone does add to the power of having applications like Evernote, as you can upload shots documents like business cards and such (which Evernote can scan for text and process for you).   However, I enjoyed typing away while in the kitchen with my grandparents.  It was convenient and much more subtle than opening a full laptop.

I won’t go into the details of the rest of my trip, but suffice to say, it was with family so the lively conversation sparked a few ideas which I captured with Remember the Milk (on left), probably the best task application out there (which I wrote about here).  I also had to do some grocery shopping, for which I found the lovely app ShopShop (right).

Also, family conversations inevitably end up in small arguments about relatively insignificant facts.  Wolfram-Alpha to the rescue!  This handy (although expensive) app connects to the full Wolfram-Alpha website (which I wrote about here) and allows you to type natural language queries such as NYC vs Milan (8.364 million people vs 1.298 million people) or my age in days (10061 days).  I find the math functions most impressive in this app (integrals and derivatives computed in seconds), but access to swaths of useless information is an agreeable plus!

For those of you who haven’t had a Panettone, your lives are incomplete.  That said, a quintuple bypass is probably not a life goal so perhaps a fitness app would be useful?  I’ll admit that I haven’t actually worked out per se with this sucker, but it looks great!  iFitness allows you to make up your own works outs from a large collection.  My new year resolutions will involve heavy use of this software – I’ll let you know how it turns out…

To close, I include the apps that are only for amusement.  Flixster allows you to update your NetFlix queue while doing heavy movie research complete with trailers and reviews.  You can also buy tickets and find theatres for new releases.  Also, I’ve included a screenshot of the games I’ve tried so far.  I think Collapse might be my kryptonite (perfectly good evenings gone forever trying to beat the floating bat creature who ruins this Tetris like game with gobs of ink).  Physics free is fun too – it’s not nearly as nerdy as it sounds.

Overall, the grand experiment was a success.  I managed to do many tasks on the one device and could have ignored the music function completely.  I recommend an iPod Touch to any traveler who wants a bit of fun on top of music player.  Let me know if you have any suggestions for me to try in the comments!

~ab

I’ve recommended portable applications before (here and here) but in the past year, capabilities have improved even further.  Running full-blown versions of some of the most popular programs from a flash drive has gotten easier.  Moreover, the open-source alternatives to unavailable applications are improving as well.  Here is a breakdown of what I’d recommend.  Download them and install them to your flash drive once, then make copies for friends (to carry around as thoughtful gifts).  My thanks to Lifehacker for giving me this idea last year.

Google Chrome – My favorite browser can now go anywhere.  Keep your favorite bookmarks and settings with you wherever you go.

Firefox Portable – Not everyone is a fan of Google Chrome.  For those on your list who prefer the Mozilla flavored browser, try Firefox instead.  Equally portable  – add-ons can even be installed on the portable drive.

Skype Portable – If your recipient is a road warrior, they’ll already love this application for chat and free calls.  I used it extensively from many countries, calling my wife for free.

Pidgin Portable – For those who use AIM, Google Talk, Jabber or the variety of other chat programs out there, try Pidgin as the be all end all in chat apps.  Pidgin can connect to most services and integrates  your buddy list into one place.

VLC Portable – Videos come in a bazillion flavors these days.  VLC makes simple work out of many formats, avoiding the complications of windows media player codex downloads and such.

Songbird Portable – Songbird is an alternative to Itunes, for those who want to carry a small media library (or a large one).  As Itunes doesn’t come in a portable package yet, Songbird makes a great replacement – even including a music store.

Open Office Portable – If you want to edit a word doc while on the go, Open Office is a great solution.  Capable of opening word, excel, and powerpoint docs, and these days a realistic office replacement, Open Office is a tremendous tool.

SpyDLLRemover – Spyware is not something to trifle with… SpyDLLRemover provide spyware protection and repair, in a tiny package – a great tool for keeping your computer safe.

7-Zip Portable – 7 zip is like winzip on steroids.  This is one of the cases where the alternative is simply better.  Carry this compressed file swiss-army knife with you and never be stumped by a file again…

Keepass Portable – Your mind might be a brilliant machine, but entirely too many passwords make life either very complicated or very insecure (if you’re using just one password for everything).  Keepass portable provides a safe repository for each of your passwords, without compromising security.

WinDirStat Portable – Is your hard drive mysteriously full?  Can’t seem to find that 20GB file that is hogging all your space?  WinDirStat scans your computer and maps out the contents of your drives.  The visual results make quick work of cleaning house.

Notepad++ Portable – A text editor to destroy all others.  Writing code?  Simply need a way to edit text files on the go?  Notepad++ will get you there.  Improved find/replace, among many other features, will make you forsake notepad for ever.

Finally, you’re going to need some flash drives – I don’t normally try to generate revenue from Just an Asterisk, but in an effort to recoup my costs for running the site, I ask you to buy your USB drives from the following Amazon link.  When you do, they throw a few bucks my way.

If you’re simply not interested in buying flash drives, you can always make a small donation (of any amount) via PayPal secure checkout using the link below.

Thanks for reading and the happiest of holidays to you all!

~ab

Apart from this “call” functionality, this object is nothing more than a paper weight – or something for braining your next burglar.  My point, that is perilously close to drowning in my sarcasm, is that the object has one function.  It’s a telephone.  That’s what it does and even in 1896, it did it pretty well (although Rikstelefon is no longer in business in Sweden).

A few days ago, a friend of mine was complaining that his GPS running application on his Iphone didn’t work perfectly – he wasn’t getting absolutely accurate readings while jogging… (cough) His phone was not giving him accurate GPS readings while jogging? This wasn’t even a complaint about the GPS while calling.

The Iphone is a very, very impressive device.  In a way, even calling it a phone first is misleading.  For example, here is an outdated list of 100 things that an Iphone can do.  The applications make the possibilities limitless and we find ourselves wondering “well if it can do that, then why can’t it do this?”  What is even more amazing is that often someone figures out how to do that (“that” being whatever you wanted to do with the Iphone in the first place).

I do have a teeeeeeeeeny little gripe with this idea of packing devices until they are feature heavy (which technology readers know as “bloat”), to the point that the fundamental use of the product is compromised.

In a Hierarchy Every Employee Tends to Rise to His Level of Incompetence – The Peter Principle

My friend Michael gets full credit for this analogy, but it’s so delicious that I had to write it out.  The Peter Principle above is used in management – an employee who is promoted each time they perform well at their own level, will continue to be promoted until they achieve a level where they fail.  Your best employee might not be cutout to be your best manager.

Now back to the Iphone.

The GPS receiver in the Iphone is miniscule compared to that in your new car.  One review from Autoblog.com said:

Compared to a dedicated navigation unit, the iPhone just can’t compete with systems offering turn-by-turn directions and on-the-fly re-routing. However, its small size and ease of use would make it a competent companion for navigating through a city on foot. So aside from a few intermittent errors on both the phone’s part and our own, it’s safe to say that the 3G works as advertised: under-promising and only slightly delivering.

In a way, this is what we would expect right?  The Iphone is a phone, not an IGPS.  That said, to be able to use GPS on your phone, even crappy GPS, is great.  Shouldn’t we just be happy that it’s even possible?

The same could be argued for the Iphone’s digital camera.  Another review from a photography blog:

From a photographers perspective the iPhone 3G S is everything I wanted the iPhone to be when I first stood in line to buy one in 2006 2007… The iPhone is undeniably a great mobile phone and I can now say, finally, that the camera lives up to the rest of the phone.

Sounds positive right?  In the end, the reviewer is saying that he’s thankful the camera caught up to the quality of the phone.

Here is my theory in two parts:

1.  We want the camera and GPS receivers to stink when a cell phone is first released.  We want the company to have poured their development budget into the reason we’re buying a new phone – which I’m hoping everyone is thinking is to make phone calls.  Once the product is a great phone then we can think about upgrading the camera, as Apple seems to have done.  GPS is new, it’s going to take a while to siphon off enough budget to make it awesome.  Until then, chill out my friends.

2. We should want our good devices to stop adding features.  Does the Iphone need a missile guidance system?  My thinking is that although it would be really cool, I wouldn’t want it to take money from improving the call quality of the phone or improving the email functions or upgrading the GPS or upgrading the camera again or…  Adding missile guidance might just Peter Principle our phone, as we’d expect it to perform well…

In the end, I think my love of technology also causes some angst – I’m so excited to watch the world march forward that I despair when we waste momentum by proceeding in the wrong direction.  Feature bloat = wrong direction.

Not sent from an Iphone

~ab

UPDATE: I can’t even make this stuff up – Your Iphone can now be a stethoscope too!

The true benifit of a portable app comes when you put it on a portable drive. I think the best example of this is portable firefox.  Portable firefox carries all of your  browser settings, bookmarks, plugins, and browser history in a folder on your portable drive.  Plug in the drive at work and presto! you are using the same browser that you were using at home.  There is no need to deal with someone else’s stuff.  Perhaps most important for some – you don’t leave any data on the machine for some nosey person to find later.  It all stays on your device.

What other applications are out there you ask?  The place to start is portableapps.com.  Here you can download a starter package of:

•  Mozilla Firefox, Portable Edition (web browser)
•  Mozilla Thunderbird, Portable Edition (email)
•  Mozilla Sunbird, Portable Edition (calendar/tasks)
•  ClamWin Portable (antivirus)
•  Pidgin Portable (instant messaging)
•  Sumatra PDF Portable (PDF reader
•  KeePass Password Safe Portable (password manager)
•  Sudoku Portable (game)
•  Mines-Perfect Portable (game)
•  CoolPlayer+ Portable (audio player)
•  OpenOffice.org Portable* (office suite)

“Wow!” you may say, but secretely thinking “who needs all this crud”?  Fear not, if the suite of applications is overkill for your needs, you can download the ones you want.  They all come with an extracter that puts the application into a folder of your chosing (like on your thumb drive).

Finally, when you are feeling the vibe and that this portable app thing is pretty darn nifty, I recommend visiting Lifehacker’s blog to read all of the reviews for portable software that they’ve done over the years.

Enjoy the world of portable bliss…

~ab