TechLore - Caffeinated Pixels

MobileRSS iPhone App Review

Peter Redmer — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 23:54:41 GMT

I don't know, but it just seems like RSS is so under-rated. It certainly takes a backseat to Twitter , Facebook , Digg , Alltop , StumbleUpon , Reddit , and so many other online services that bask in the glory of media attention and daily mention basically everywhere. Some even declare that RSS is dying , soon to be replaced by Twitter (or whomever else.) So whatever happened to the good old RSS feed? Truth be told, there are way too many clients available, how in the world do you pick one? It might seem like a lot to manage and keep with, as well as syncing across multiple PC's. I think this is why many people have ditched favorite services such as Google Reader for organized browser bookmarks instead. That just won't cut it for me. I want access to all of my news in one convenient spot so I don't have to navigate to individual sites just to see if it's something I want to read or not. I like being able to quickly scroll through headlines, mark favorites, send things to Instapaper if I don't have time to read them right away, and navigate to only...

A Mac Lover's Review of Windows 7

Peter Redmer — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 22:51:18 GMT

Many, if not most of my posts here, are infused with some Mac-ery goodness - no surprise to the rest of the blogging community, journalists, or social media freaks (whom many of which are Apple-heads.) What about pretty much everyone else, though? Doesn't it get old hearing everybody yap their traps about how awesome Apple is and constantly diss Windows like the family outcast? Well, be annoyed no more, as Redmond's latest creation, Windows 7 , is super-slick - and rights most of the wrongs perpetrated by the abomination typically known as Vista. Windows 7 Is Stable From my experience so far, I can declare that Windows 7 is pretty stable and doesn't crash (or otherwise get wonky) anywhere nearly as bad as Vista. Even on my Dell Mini 9 (my test machine so far) multiple applications open, run, close, and open again with no issues. I almost never require a reboot. It was also much easier to set everything up and the Control Panel feels much more stable and usable. Windows 7 Feels Faster Yes, you're hearing this right: it feels faster to me than XP. Applications open and run faster on my Dell Mini 9, which is pretty...

Apple Updates iMac, Mac Mini, New MacBook, Reveals Magic Mouse

Peter Redmer — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 22:02:00 GMT

In yet another flurry of Apple updates, perhaps well-timed to synchronize quite nicely with the Windows 7 launch, numerous hardware improvements and additions abound. Here's the synopsis and some opinions from a fellow Mac geek. iMac The iMac lines got one of the most extensive overhauls, with an new, slicker all-aluminum design, LED backlit displays, higher resolutions, and similar pricing. These new models are a much better value than the older ones, due to beefier performance as well as the wireless keyboard and Magic Mouse being included. You can pick from two models: a 21" version at $1199 and a huge 27" version for $1699. More information at Apple.com Mac Mini The Mac Mini series is considered by many to be a "niche" product, but I'm not quite sure why. It's a great, low-cost way to get into desktop computing with a Mac, and they're pretty powerful in their own right. As usual, there are two standard configurations: a $799 premium version with 4GB of RAM, a 2.53 gHz Intel Core 2 Duo, and a 320GB HDD, as well as a $599 version with 2GB of RAM, a 160GB HDD, and a 2.26 gHz Core 2 Duo. Not bad! Apple's...

More iPhone Game Madness... I'm "Apping" It

Peter Redmer — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 03:15:28 GMT

Get even more addicted to your iPhone with these addictive, bite-sized, simple new games.

Why I Love Sprint Broadband: Round 2 (The MiFi Edition)

Peter Redmer — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 20:32:04 GMT

Last year, I had written a loving, gushy tribute to my beloved Sierra Wireless Aircard 595U , an EVDO broadband card that operates on the Sprint network. I used it, well, constantly - in the office, working remotely, and sometimes at home (if the power went out, for example.) The signal strength and Internet speeds were consistently superior to the 3G data speeds on my iPhone and still are. This is why I decided to renew my contract with Sprint and upgrade to the new Novatel Wireless MiFi 2200 Mobile Hotspo t. This nifty little device is about the size of a credit card and is slimmer than a Moto RAZR, so yeah, it's pretty small and would easily slip into a pocket. It's pretty light as well. The unboxing experience was somewhat unpleasant, as the box sucks. There is literally no way whatsoever to open it without cutting the tab in the front. When I went to open it in the store, the sales guy immediately went for his scissors as though by instinct, a good sign I was not the only one to go through this. You do need the manual, though, for the default login password and...

Apple Announcements: iTunes 9, iPhone OS 3.1.1, new iPods, and More

Peter Redmer — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 20:43:24 GMT

In a moment greeted with much applause , Steve Jobs made his grand re-entry to the stage today, complete with glowing smile (and a brand new liver.) What a great way to preface some fresh new announcements, eh? Frankly, I'm not going to cover the minutiae of each and every announcement ( you can follow a liveblog that covers EVERYTHING here ) but rather, what I feel is most significant or that really stands out. iTunes 9 Since it's the software I use for managing my music library, I'm always looking forward to iTunes updates. I know I'm not the only one, as it's an incredibly popular software suite. Notable in iTunes 9 are the new Genius playlists and Home Sharing, which allows you to "natively" share libraries across computers in your home network. iTunes Store I personally consider this a "minor" update, since I don't ever use the iTunes Music Store... but it wouldn't be fair of me to not say anything about it, since it's so incredibly popular. The interface of the store has been markedly improved and is much cleaner and easier to navigate. In addition, Apple has added something called "iTunes LP" and "iTunes Extras." Basically,...