Category Archives: Gadgets

Naked

Posted on by David Pierce | 4 Comments

I bought an iPad on day 2. I stood in line and everything. It was the first thing I’ve ever owned that most people didn’t, and it was a conversation starter for literally six months. I had strangers on the subway ask to play with it, friends always wanted me to bring it places, and I was generally the cool kid on the block. (At least, for those six months. Now you can’t sneeze without snotting up someone’s iPad, and there’s even a newer version out that all my friends have. Foiled again.)

I’ve used a variety of cases for the iPad, starting from the day I bought the device. The one that stuck was the Apple iPad Case, the black polyester-y one that I see all the time, but no case ever really did the trick. Each might add some cool feature, but each makes the iPad heavier, larger, clunkier, and uglier. I found myself, whenever someone would ask to see the iPad for the first time, taking it out of the case before handing it to them. Every time I did, the response was better—something about holding the naked iPad in your hands makes it even more impressive.

What I realized after a while was that I was actually hiding part of the iPad’s real appeal by slapping a case around it. Apple’s whole success with the iPad was that it made something light and portable, yet beautiful and useful at the same time. Its slimness and lightness, its one-hand-able-ness all make it what it is.

So I took the case off mine, and have been carrying it around without a case ever since. It feels right now. I can feel how sleek and thin it is, or how little I notice it when I’m using an app, in a way that I couldn’t when there was a flap getting in the way and the case’s sharp edges made it hard to hold. Everything about the iPad is built around making it just feel good when you use it, and I feel it now more than ever.

About six seconds after buying my latest phone, a Samsung Fascinate for Verizon, I bought a screen protector. Basically, it’s a super-thin piece of plastic that’s the exact size of my phone’s screen, and is designed to protect the screen from being scratched. Having had to get rid of two phones because they were so scratched I couldn’t even see anything, I figured I was saving myself from another premature cell phone buy by plopping down the $16.

Well, turns out I’m an idiot. Luckily Claire, my girlfriend, caught me out a while later, when she was trying to read something on my phone. She tried about eight times to wipe the screen off, and then handed it to me and said, “it’s sparkly. It’s giving me a headache to look at this screen.”

So, best-boyfriend-ever that I am, I took the screen protector off, figuring it might help a tad (or at least be some placebo that would satisfy her). I peeled off the screen protector, and held it up to look at it. Not much to look at, just a clear piece of plastic, right?

Wrong. The thing was so foggy I could barely see through it. Evidently, clarity is a worthy sacrifice for keeping your screen clear.

I’ve had the phone without a screen protector on for a couple of months now, and two amazing things have happened. One, I feel like I’m using a completely different phone, with a big, bright, attractive screen that is finally a pleasure to read on. (I’ve been carrying an iPod touch with me for months, exclusively because I hated reading on my phone. No longer.)

Two, there’s not a single scratch, or smudge, on my phone. Anywhere. Turns out that most portable devices these days are made with glass that’s extremely resistant, and it works. I’ve used my phone exactly the same as before, and it’s as good as ever.

Our gadgets, good ones anyway, were meant to be used as they were made. Not as they are, plus a couple of inches of plastic or polyester or microfiber. Good gadgets shouldn’t be hidden in a case. Good gadgets are designed on purpose, and should be treated as such. I like ‘em better that way, anyway.

Is that a Microphone in Your Pocket, or Are You Just Happy to See Me?

Posted on by David Pierce | NO COMMENTS

Bianca Vazquez Toness, a radio reporter in Boston, was stuck without her audio kit when she arrived at an interview. What she discovered next is today’s installment in “Gadgets Your Cell Phone Replaced”:

What she had brought with her, though, was her iPhone. She had no choice but to try using that to record or risk losing a big interview.

When I heard the piece that turned out on WBUR’s air the next morning, I had no idea — nor would I have believed — that a cellphone had captured the sound coming through my radio.

I'm an iPad, and I'll Be Your Server Tonight

Posted on by David Pierce | 2 Comments

Annie Lowrey, at Slate, imagines the day when your waiter never leaves the table. And never annoys you, or takes too long to bring your food, or even speaks to you:

It works like this. The company manufactures tablet computers with full-day battery lives and a credit-card reader attached. The interface is easy enough for a grade-schooler to use. You select what you want to eat and add items to a cart. Depending on the restaurant’s preferences, the console could show you nutritional information, ingredients lists, and photographs. You can make special requests, like “dressing on the side” or “quintuple bacon.” When you’re done, the order zings over to the kitchen, and the Presto tells you how long it will take for your items to come out. Want a margarita in the meantime? Just add it on the console, and wait for the waiter to bring it. Bored with your companions? Play games on the machine. When you’re through with your meal, you pay on the console, splitting the bill item by item if you wish and paying however you want. And you can have your receipt emailed to you.

The Best Kindle Sales Pitch Yet

Posted on by David Pierce | NO COMMENTS

Frank Chimero, on geek-porn site The Setup:

I have a Kindle. I love it, unabashedly. I think good technology turns us into the people we want to be, and since getting the Kindle, I’ve probably increased my reading two-fold.

What a great reason to buy anything, and what a great summation of what technology should be: tools to make us better at doing what we want to do. If buying a Kindle = reading more (and it really seems like that’s the case), I want one.

Frank’s other case for what technology should do, about his new camera, is equally interesting:

I just bought a Panasonic Lumix GF1 a few months ago and I love it. It makes me feel skilled rather than like an idiot. That’s what good technology does

Dan Benjamin's Guide to Podcasting Equipment

Posted on by David Pierce | NO COMMENTS

If you’ve ever thought about starting a podcast, have a podcast, or just like the sound of your own voice and want to make it sound more pretty-like, Dan Benjamin is a fantastic source. He’s the guy behind 5by5, one of the best podcasting networks anywhere.

He’s just written a Podcasting Equipment Guide, full of tons of things worth spending your money on, no matter what your budget is. Completely soup to nuts guide, too.

A Year With the iPad

Posted on by David Pierce | 9 Comments

I have a rule of thumb when it comes to lines for things. Namely, I don’t wait in them. If there’s a line to get into a bar, I’m probably not going to that bar. Ditto for restaurants, clothing stores, and just about anything that might have a line. I’ll wait for coffee, but that’s about it. And I’m not proud of that one.

On April 4, 2010, I broke all my rules and stood in line. It was at an Apple store, on 5th Avenue in New York City, 24 hours after the iPad launched. I went to the Apple store on the premise that “I just want to see what it looks like,” but I knew full well that I was going to leave there with an iPad. And, about a hundred people and an hour or so later, I did. A 16GB, Wi-Fi iPad.

I’ve now had it for a year (well, a year and four days, because I procrastinate a lot and didn’t finish this post when I should have, but let’s pretend a year), and I’ve spent hundreds and hundreds of hours using the iPad. I still love the thing, but I use it for different things, at different times, in different circumstances than I imagined.

I get asked all the time why I bought an iPad, what it’s for, what it isn’t for, and whether or not my friend/Mom/nearby hobo should get one. Here’s the short answer: I recommend an iPad for almost everyone. In particular, it has made finding things to read and watch, whether it’s news or entertainment, easier than ever. It’s also become my favorite way to access Twitter and Facebook, browse the Web, and play a lot of casual, fun games.

The one warning I always give is that the iPad isn’t very good as a productivity device. It’s harder than it should be to get files onto the iPad, and it’s even harder to get them somewhere else when you’re done with them. Apps like Dropbox, Simplenote and Evernote help this problem, but for real, serious work it’s not always as good.

I bought a ton of productivity apps right after I bought my iPad—things like Writer, Docs to Go, and Keynote—and though they’re all fine apps, they’re not what I open when O reach for my iPad. When I have work to do, I still go to my computer. For light writing or taking notes, the iPad is fine, but for anything longer than an average email or more involved than cropping a photo, the iPad is rarely the best option.

Here’s a peek into how I, personally, use my iPad after a year of owning it.

A Day in the iPad Life

7:20am: My alarm goes off, and the first thing I pick up, before ever getting out of bed, is my iPad. I check my email (work and personal) to make sure nothing pressing is happening, check Twitter and Facebook (using the Twitter and Friendly apps, respectively), and then get up to go take a shower. I watch news through the CNN or ESPN ScoreCenter XL apps while I brush my teeth and get ready for the day. I rarely eat breakfast (because I’m always late for everything all the time), but when I do I tend to read through TweetMag, which turns Twitter links into a magazine of cool stuff.

8:00am: I get on the subway, for about a 25 minute ride to work. Most mornings, I read on the way to work using Instapaper, but if I’m tired or lazy I plug in my headphones and listen to music or podcasts. I have an 8GB iPod touch as well, which gets some use in the mornings, but I can store a lot more on the 16GB iPad, so I end up reverting to it a lot.

8:30am: I get to work, where my iPad doesn’t get a lot of use (unless I’m reviewing an iPad app or accessory). I’ve got a dual-screen computer setup, and I’ve found that I still prefer pen and paper over the iPad for taking notes in meetings, so my iPad spends most of the work day in my bag.

5:30pm: On the way home, I usually need to just do something mindless and relaxing. So I fire up one of four apps, nearly every day: Fruit Ninja, Angry Birds, Flight Control or Madden NFL 11. All four games make the time go fast (and make me miss my subway stop every once in a while), and can be played both standing up and sitting down on the subway.

6:00pm: Once I’m home for the evening, my iPad spends its night on the coffee table in front of me. I use it to look up an actor I can’t place (he was Jean-Ralphio, duh!), find a place to eat dinner, or anything else. The IMDB app and the iPad’s browser get a lot of use, as does Twitter if I’m feeling communicative.

11:00pm: The iPad, to me, is the perfect device to bring to bed with you. I use it to watch news or sports highlights while I’m brushing my teeth, and then get in bed and either watch something with Hulu or Netflix, read with Instapaper or Kindle, or just play more Fruit Ninja until it’s sleep time. Or, more normally, three hours later than sleep time because Fruit Ninja’s fun and I’m kind of fantastic at it.

The Ten Apps I Use the Most (Other Than the Above)

  • Email: Because it unifies all my inboxes, and I can check all my email in two minutes.
  • Calendar: Because it syncs with Google Calendar, which basically runs my life.
  • Maps: Getting directions and finding places is more intuitive with a big touch screen than on any other device I’ve used.
  • Evernote: All my note-taking and list-making is in Evernote, and though I don’t love the iPad’s interface, it’s good enough.
  • Dropbox: The best way to get files onto the iPad, but I wish it was easier to get files from the iPad into my Dropbox.
  • PhotoStudioHD: Along with the Camera Connection Kit, PhotoStudioHD is a perfect way to review and show off photos before I’m back at my computer.
  • Penultimate: For drawing, sketching, quick notes, and to occupy anyone needing occupying, there’s Penultimate.
  • Spark Radio: Spark Radio lets me access tons of radio stations over the Internet, and I use it to listen to baseball games when I’m travelling, or for background music when I’m working.
  • Reeder: Google Reader is what I rely on for most of my news, and Reeder’s the best iPad RSS app I’ve ever used. By a million miles.
  • IM+: I don’t IM a ton on the iPad, but I do it enough that IM+ has a permanent place on the device.

I hate making this argument, but the thing about the iPad is that it just feels different to use than my laptop (which is also an Apple computer, so it’s not that Apple’s better than anything else). The iPad forces you to do one thing at a time, so instead of 70 different lights and dings and unread counts, if I’m playing Fruit Ninja that’s the only thing I’m doing. There’s something calming about that that I really like.

Also, the place the iPad lives most is in my lap, and I hate using my laptop in my lap except in very particular situations. If you notice, most people’s photos of them using their iPad have them sitting down, with their knees up. That’s a comfortable position, and it’s the perfect one for the iPad—feet on the coffee table, iPad on my legs, and me slouched into the couch using it. My laptop makes me sit funny to type, and it’s heavy and hot. The iPad’s more comfortable, more natural.

It all boils down to this, and I’ve said this since day one: no one needs an iPad. It’s not a device you can’t live without, and I haven’t found anything other than a few games that it does that no other device can. But it’s a different, simpler, better way of doing some of the things we do the most: read, watch, browse, and surf.

Plus it’s light, lasts forever, and makes other people want to be your friend. Can’t beat that.

Do you have an iPad? How do you use it? Is it what you thought, or something different?

Photo via Flickr/LexnGer

The $10 Water Bottle Tripod

Posted on by David Pierce | 1 Comment

My latest hobby, mostly thanks to access to cameras I never could’ve dreamed using or affording, is photography. I’m learning a lot about apertures, shutter speeds, ISO sensitivities, and all sorts of other photography terms that make me sound smart but don’t actually mean anything in my brain.

One thing I’ve learned both in theory and in practice is that if your light isn’t great, you’re extremely well-served by having a steady surface to put the camera on. A steady surface lets you take in more light (by leaving the shutter open longer) without creating the kind of blur that is common in low-light photos.

Lugging around a tripod isn’t exactly practical, though, which is why I’m psyched I just found the Bottle Cap Tripod. It’s a small little thing with two ends: one screws into your camera’s tripod mount (nearly all cameras have the same one), and the other is a stretchy plastic that goes around a bottle cap, turning the bottle into your tripod. Instead of needing a big tripod or a high, flat surface, I can just grab the nearest water/soda/whiskey bottle, and use it to steady my photos while I shoot. Once it’s on the bottle, it can twist and swivel to your heart’s content, delivering rock-steady photos the whole time.

It’s $10, and is an extremely clever idea. Highly recommended.

Spring Cleaning Your Gadgets

Posted on by David Pierce | NO COMMENTS

Sam Grobart at the New York Times is cleaning out his gadget closet, and trying to decide which to keep and which to get rid of. He’s right on all accounts, this one in particular:

GPS UNIT Lose it. The least expensive GPS units cost around $80. But your smartphone can do the same thing, if not more, for half that price, or even free. Android smartphones already have Google’s turn-by-turn navigation app built in. And earlier this month, Google announced that the company would be including live and historical traffic data in route planning, so you hopefully get to where you are going faster.

If you have an iPhone, you have several options for GPS apps, including Navigon’s MobileNavigator (which starts at $30) and ALK’s CoPilot Live ($20). Renting a car? Decline the optional GPS; if you have a smartphone, you already have one with you.

Just Don't Answer the Freaking Phone!

Posted on by David Pierce | 3 Comments

Dana Albarella James, at the Awl, answers the question everyone without a cell phone inevitably answers forty times a day: “What the…?”

Convenience: So, you can call anyone you know at any time, and that’s so convenient for you, right? Well, it isn’t. Do the math. How many numbers do you have stored in your phone? Fifty, a hundred, more? Well, they’re the people for whom your phone is a great convenience—they know that they can call you and wherever you are, even if you don’t pick up, they have asserted their presence as a part of your day. You are one person with one person’s communication needs; they are legion, and they want and expect answers now. Want to know real convenience? Leave a message on my machine, or email me, and I’ll get back to you when I fucking feel like it. And if I desperately need to speak to someone when I’m away from home or office, I’ll either use a payphone (they do still exist, and I can tell you where every one south of 23rd Street is) or borrow someone else’s cell to make the call. Now that’s convenience.

Let me just go on record, in front of God and everybody, and say there is nothing in the world I’m more tired of than this argument. I get it from my parents, my grandparents, old people in general, and people for whom the sound of the phone ringing intiates some sort of Pavlovian drooling that forces them to answer the phone.

Here’s the thing: you don’t need to answer your phone. EVER. The best thing about owning a cell phone, and the reason every one in the world should, is that sometimes you need to be gotten in touch with. Mostly, you don’t. And you should feel absolutely free to ignore every single call that you get. But what about when someone else might need to call you, or you might suddenly need to get in touch with someone? You could run to a payphone, but in addition to trying to avoid the litany of diseases that you’ll get by pressing one of those to your ear (in the last six months, I exaggerate not, I’ve seen more people peeing in phone booths than people talking on the phone), it’s a pointless inconvenience. You probably don’t remember this person’s number. What if they want to call you back? Just toss your phone in your pocket or bag, and ignore it until you need it. Your phone only takes up as much of your attention as you let it, so don’t give it any until you want to.

I propose a new thing: if you don’t want to answer the phone, don’t answer the damn phone! In my own life, everyone who knows me has learned that I play this game all the time. If someone needs me, they know to call twice. I know that two straight calls means you need me, and if you’re someone I care about I probably want to be there when you need me. I’m not going to answer in some situations, and that isn’t a problem; I carry a cell phone everywhere, and somehow I remain outside the domination of my phone’s ringing.

Now, Dana’s being funny, and I know that. But I’ve heard countless people make this exact argument (“I don’t own a cell phone/I don’t bring it anywhere because I don’t want to always be at people’s beck and call”) too many times to not say something. My response was, is, and will always be, SO DON’T ANSWER THE %^#*@ PHONE.