Geek stuff

iPod nano No Longer Supports Video Playback

Jon — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 14:02:55 +0000

The typical trend in technology is to add features and/or power (i.e. faster CPU, more RAM) and to keep or drop the price point of the unit. Well, with the intro of the new iPod nano, we see that unfortunately, one very important feature was dropped — video playback. I’m not entirely sure why. Another feature missing is the camera for video capture. Now I don’t know how many people recorded video with the previous generation iPod nano, but it is a nice feature to have.

Apple chose to go small with the new nano despite the fact that the subcompact shuffle is still offered. I can understand that with the new nano’s form factor, the camera had to be dropped. However, it would seem that video playback would still be possible, even on the smaller screen (1.54 inches diagonally vs. the previous gen’s 2.2 inches diagonally).

All this is to say that if you want video playback in Apple current lineup of iPods, you will have to opt for the $229 iPod touch. There are still some previous generation iPod nanos with camera and video playback available for $99.

Ghostbusters Proton Pack Backpack

Jon — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 21:49:20 +0000

I’m a huge fan of anything Ghostbusters related, so this Ghostbusters Proton Pack Backpack is right up my alley.

This officially licensed backpack is made to look just like the proton packs worn by the Ghostbusters, complete with a detachable proton blaster.

Buy the Ghostbusters Proton Pack Backpack:
80sTees

[via Shirtoid]

Sucker Punch – teaser trailer

Jon — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 14:35:32 +0000

Here is the trailer for Sucker Punch.

A young girl is institutionalized by her wicked stepfather. Retreating to an alternative reality as a coping strategy, she envisions a plan which will help her escape from the facility.

Directed by: Zack Snyder
Starring: Emily Browning, Vanessa Hudgens, Abbie Cornish, Jena Malone, Jamie Chung
Release Date: March 25, 2011

Click here to watch the trailer

Syncing Google Calendar on iPhone with Shared Calendars

Jon — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 18:49:05 +0000

I had been wanting to share a calendar with my wife, and have this calendar editable by both of us via our iPhones. It turns out that it is easier than I thought. With iPhone OS v3.0 and later, Apple has built-in support for CalDAV.

To sync with your device, follow these steps:

Open the Settings application on your device’s home screen.
Open Mail, Contacts, Calendars.
Select Add Account…
Select Other.
Select Add CalDAV Account.
Enter your account information:
- In the Server field, enter [ google.com ]
- In the Username field, enter your full Google Account or Google Apps email address.
- In the Password field, enter your Google Account or Google Apps password.
- In the Description field, enter the name you’d like to appear on the account.
Select Next at the top of your screen.

After you’ve completed setup, open the Calendar app on your device and syncing will automatically begin.

By default only your primary calendar will be synced to your device. You can sync additional calendars by visiting the following page from any web browser:

https://www.google.com/calendar/iphoneselect

Select the calendars you’d like to sync, and click Save. The selected calendars will display on your device at the time of the next sync.

Now, changes I make to a shared calendar are immediately shown on my wife’s calendar (by immediately, I mean as soon as her calendar finishes refreshing).

Note: Change the calendar sharing settings to allow editing on both ends for selected users.

New Photo Sizing Option in iOS 4

Jon — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 23:54:03 +0000

In the iPhone OS 3, I mentioned the ability to Copy and Paste full resolution photos into an email. Now, when you paste a more than 2.0 MB of photos into a new message, you will receive an option to resize the photos as Small (320×240), Medium (640×480), Large (1280×960), or Actual size (2048×1536 on iPhone 3G S).

I’m not sure what the file-size threshold is that will invoke this option.

Puppet Warp

Jon — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 01:29:04 +0000

Puppet Warp is a new feature that will be included in Photoshop CS5. This is the sort of feature I have been wanting for a long time. Have you ever wanted to twist an object in Photoshop and also be able to control the layering order of different points? Just watch, and be amazed.

Click here to watch the video

The Expendables – theatrical trailer

Jon — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 21:50:37 +0000

Here is the trailer for The Expendables.

A team of mercenaries head to South America on a mission to overthrow a dictator.

Directed by: Sylvester Stallone
Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Terry Crews, Randy Couture
Release Date: August 13, 2010

Click here to watch the trailer

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World – teaser trailer

Jon — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 20:52:00 +0000

Here is the trailer for Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.

Scott Pilgrim’s life is so awesome. He’s 23 years old, in a rock band, “between jobs,” and dating a cute high school girl. Everything’s fantastic until a seriously mind-blowing, dangerously fashionable, roller blading delivery girl named Ramona Flowers starts cruising through his dreams and sailing by him at parties. But the path to Ms. Flowers isn’t covered in rose petals. Ramona’s seven evil exes stand between Scott and true happiness. Can Scott beat the bad guys and get the girl without turning his precious little life upside-down?

Directed by: Edgar Wright
Starring: Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Chris Evans, Brandon Routh, Kieran Culkin, Jason Schwartzman
Release Date: August 13, 2010

Click here to watch the trailer

Content-Aware Fill

Jon — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 16:47:29 +0000

Content-Aware Fill is an amazing new feature coming in Abobe Photoshop CS5. Just watch the video below. Some of the stuff shown would have taken countless hours to do without Content-Aware Fill.

Click here to watch the video

iPad now available for pre-order

Jon — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 15:47:22 +0000

The Apple iPad is now available for pre-order, and will arrive on April 3.