2 days ago
Category Archives: audio
everythingiCafe: the show “Two Trains”
I have been terribly delinquent in posting about new episodes of the everythingicafe.com podcast when they become available. Time has been getting away from me this week and I have been feeling a little bit under the weather, so please accept my apologies for not being quite on the ball recently.
At any rate, episode 58 of the podcast I co-host with Chris Meinck is now available in iTunes. In it, Chris and I talk about iPhone 5 rumors that have cropped up recently, including those about some Liquid Metal components it could contain (a brand name that always makes me think of Terminator 2 and Robert Patrick impersonating a cop and chasing Sarah Connor) and what is claimed to be the next home button for the upcoming iPhone model. We also talked briefly about Apple’s quarterly results for Q2 2012, which were phenomenal as usual.
Also on our agenda was the latest teaser video from Samsung for the next Galaxy S phone in which the company essentially calls iPhone users sheep (you can see that video here). While I’m not personally offended to an extent to be really bothered by this, I do find it puzzling and worrisome that Samsung’s marketing folks think that making fun of the people you want to buy your product is a good thing. I can’t think that “mock your potential customers” is taught in any marketing class. At the very least, Samsung has turned me off from considering their Galaxy products by this alone.
My Teh Awesome for the week was the eBay app for the iPhone. Though it’s been around for a while, it’s an app that I use almost daily to browse for yet more gadgets, accessories and designer bags (my one girly indulgence) to buy and to keep an eye on the items I put up for auction to make room for new acquisitions. Chris’s Teh Awesome was the SmartFuel iPhone app that helps you find the best gas prices nearby to save a little money when you fill up your tank.
We have not yet recorded an episode for this week but we should squeeze one in within the next few days before I head out of town for a trip early next week. Once that episode is available, my plan is to post about when it’s in iTunes in a more timely manner. 
everythingiCafe: the show “Juicer Fanbois”
I’m a little behind in posting about this one but a new episode of the everythingicafe.com podcast is available through iTunes. In this episode (number 57, in case you’re keeping track), Chris Meinck and I talk about some iPad mini rumors and some demands a consumer organization in Australia is making of Apple in relation to the new iPad.
We also talked about a couple legal issues Apple’s involved with, namely the Lodsys patent suit and a recent decision that allows Apple to intervene a bit in this suit on behalf of developers, and Apple’s response to the Department of Justice about the claims that Apple colluded with book publishers to set ebook prices.
My Teh Awesome of the week was Osfoora, a Twitter app for the Mac. I think I may have mentioned Osfoora for the iPhone and iPad in a previous episode but a recent update to the Mac app added Tweet Marker, a service that keeps your timeline position in sync across apps that also use this service, regardless of platform. Since I read Twitter on a variety of devices, this feature is incredibly useful for me. (On the iPhone and iPad, I use Tweetbot, which also makes use of Tweet Marker.)
Chris’s Teh Awesome was iTunes Match. He did a walkthrough of how to set up this service and he is very happy with how it lets him access his entire library from anywhere and lets you replace music you’ve ripped at a low quality with a higher-quality version from Apple. I also subscribe to iTunes Match and I’ve been pretty happy with it as well.
As I mentioned in this episode and the last one, I’ve got a review of the Morris Lessmore DODOcase for the iPad 3 that I ordered last month coming up. I finally recorded the video review this weekend and I’ll post it tomorrow, so stay tuned.
everythingiCafe: the show “Don’t Pile on the Rabbit”
I have been a bit slow lately posting about new episodes of the everythingicafe.com podcast that I co-host with Chris Meinck when they become available, but better late than never, right? We recorded episode 56 of the show last week and it’s available now through iTunes here.
Chris and I talked about the Department of Justice’s charge against Apple and book publishers, some recent rumblings about iTunes and a possible overhaul Apple may be doing, speculation on a 4-inch screen in the next iPhone model, an unfortunate Chinese teenager who sold a kidney in order to buy an iPhone and iPad, and more.
We had a suggestion from listener Jon of Awesome Apps about how iOS developers can help each other get exposure in the App Store, which we talked about at great length. I took this as an opportunity to revisit some of the points I covered in my tips for app developers on how to get an app reviewed from a major review site, an article which I admit has a bit of a snarky tone but is still meant to be helpful to developers.
My Teh Awesome of the week was the SGP Steinheil Ultra Fine screen protector for the iPad 3, which I blogged about recently. It’s a fantastic screen protector that cuts down on glare and fingerprints and I highly recommend it. Chris’s Teh Awesome was the Clear to do app for the iPhone. I have Clear as well and it’s a lovely app to use (and I reviewed it for my day job here) and it’s a great choice if your to do list needs are simple and straightforward.
We did record a new episode a few days ago but it’s not yet available in iTunes. I’ll post about it when it is. Remember that if you have a question or comment for us, you can submit it to us by voicemail at (646) 820-3431 or via email at podcast@everythingicafe.com. Your question will be played or read on the air and we’ll be happy to answer it as best as we can.
everythingiCafe: the show “Can’t Hardly Wait”
Chris Meinck and I recorded episode 55 of the everythingicafe.com podcast earlier this week and it’s now available for your listening pleasure through iTunes. As in previous posts announcing the availability of a new podcast episode, I’d say that you could also listen to it right here if you’re visiting my site with a Flash-capable browser, but this feature hasn’t been reliable lately, so YMMV.
Chris and I talked about a wide range of topics this week, including the selection of Ashton Kutcher to play a young Steve Jobs in an upcoming movie, rumors about the timing of the release of the next iPhone model, Consumer Reports and its recommendation of the 3rd-generation iPad and more. We also talked a lot about the Nokia Lumia, which is supposed to be Nokia’s new flagship smartphone. You’ll need to listen the podcast to see how we got off onto that tangent.
Chris’s Teh Awesome this week was OMGPOP’s Draw Something app, an iPhone/iPad game that’s like remote pictionary where you guess the drawings of your opponent and they attempt to guess yours. My Teh Awesome was Scrivener, a fairly heavy duty Mac app for writers that will help you craft that novel or screenplay with ease. It’s not cheap at $44.99 but it’s been a great help so far with my first novel, which had gotten long enough to be too hard to work with as a simple text document.
I neglected to blog about episode 54 of the show when it was released last week. That’s also available in iTunes if you want to take a small step backward in time to hear me and Chris talk about more about the 3rd-generation iPad, Apple’s problems with an Australian consumer watchdog organization over its 4G label for the new iPad, and some surveys that yielded interesting statistics about Apple products and Siri on the iPhone 4S. My Teh Awesome in that episode was the Morris Lessmore Dodocase for the iPad 2/3 that I recently got for my new iPad.everythingiCafe: the show “Crazy Like Her”
Chris Meinck and I recorded episode 53 of the everythingicafe.com podcast last Tuesday and it’s available for download through iTunes. The (Flash-only) embedded player that appears at the top of this post may or may not work – I’ve been having trouble with this recently and I can’t quite pinpoint why. For now, I blame Flash. Damn you, Adobe.
Chris and I both received 3rd-generation iPads on release day and while we both like it, I am more of a fan of Apple’s latest tablet than Chris, who doesn’t feel like it’s a significant upgrade from the iPad 2. Listen in to hear us disagree on how phenomenal the new iPad is.
We also talked about the claims of the new iPad overheating, which I think is poppycock and a non-issue (I only noticed a small portion of my iPad 3 getting warm after looking for it because of the flood of news items about this supposed issue).
After spending a good chunk of time talking about the iPad 3, we also talked about Apple’s recent announcement that they would begin offering a dividend to shareholders an a share repurchase program. And, we also talked about This American Life, the podcast that featured Mike Daisy and his supposed exposé of Foxconn and its poor working conditions and practices. It turns out that Daisy fabricated and exaggerated much of this information and This American Life officially retracted that episode. I was bothered by this because I had believed Daisy’s account of his trip to China and while I still believe that many of the things he described are happening somewhere at Foxconn and other manufacturers of Apple products (and those of many other American companies) and it’s disappointing to hear this was exaggerated to make it a more entertaining story to hear.
Chris’s Teh Awesome of the week was Adsense Zen, a handy iPhone app that lets you access your Google Adsense account on the go. My Teh Awesome was the iPad 3, of course. I’m really happy with it and love the retina display.
If you’re wondering about the title of this episode, this is Chris making fun of me for my treadmill desk. I also think it’s also in retaliation for my suggestion during the podcast that he go to the gym more often so the extra weight of the new iPad doesn’t bother him so much. 
Join us next Tuesday for the live broadcast/recording of episode 54 at 7:00 p.m. Eastern at everythingicafe.com/live!
everythingiCafe: the show “iPad New, New iPad 3 HD”
Chris Meinck and I recorded episode 52 of the everythingiCafe.com podcast earlier this week and it’s now available through iTunes for download. We were off for several weeks since I have been traveling far more than usual but my schedule has settled down for now so the game is back on.
This was a big episode covering the announcement of the 3rd-generation iPad and Apple TV, the release of iOS 5.1, and some welcome changes to iCloud. Both Chris and I preordered new iPads (which had not yet arrived when this podcast was recorded) and we were pretty excited to finally learn that it would have a retina display as indicated by so many rumors beforehand.
We also talked about the release of iOS 5.1, which contains two features I’m particularly happy about: the ability to delete individual photos from PhotoStream and a permanent camera shortcut button on the lock screen for the iPhone. I take a lot of iPhone and iPad screenshots for work and these end up junking up my PhotoStream and I’m happy I can finally get rid of those after I’m done with them. I also find myself using the home button double-click shortcut a lot to get to the camera on my iPhone 4S. My dog’s antics, while plentiful, can be brief in nature and every second helps to be able to capture them.
We also had a few choice words for AT&T in relation to iOS 5.1 since, somehow, it convinced Apple to change the network indicator on the iPhone to show 4G when connected to its HSPA+ network, which is not true 4G. I shake my fist at you, AT&T.
My Teh Awesome this week was the Jawbone Jambox
Chris’s Teh Awesome was the free app Houzz Interior Design Ideas, which has been helpful for him and his wife as they remodel their house. The app houses hundreds of thousands of photos of home design elements and lets you tag and save items and looks you like for later reference and shopping.
As I post this, my pre-ordered iPad is in my hot little hands and I’m really enjoying it so far. The retina display is truly impressive and I find I’m using it more than my iPad 2, though this could just be because it’s a new gadget for me. Did you get a new iPad? If so, how do you like it so far?
everythingiCafe: the show “Faster Horse”
Chris Meinck and I recorded episode 51 of the everythingicafe.com podcast earlier this week and it’s available through iTunes now for your listening pleasure. If my site cooperates, it should also be available right in this post using the embedded player above if you’re using a Flash-capable browser.
Chris and I talked about iPad 3 rumors that peg March 7 as the announcement date for the next iteration of Apple’s tablet. We expect it to have a retina display and quad-core processor at the very least when it comes to new features. Rumors also indicate it will have 4G LTE though I’m not sure if Apple will make the leap to 4G quite yet when it’s not available yet in the iPhone.
Also on the agenda was an article from the Wall Street Journal claiming that Apple is testing an 8-inch iPad. I, for one, would love a smaller iPad since I mostly use my current iPad 2 as an ebook reader and I’d like a more portable version. I’ve owned a Kindle before and think that size is pretty ideal for ebook readers.
We also talked about Foxconn a little more, a topic we covered quite a bit when the company was getting a lot of coverage in the news a few weeks ago because of poor working conditions. The manufacturer is going to getting a visit from the Fair Labor Association who will conduct audits of the working conditions. We hope that some improvements will result from this.
Last on the agenda was some news about Path, an iPhone app that got a lot of publicity recently since it was uploading the entire contents of users’ contacts lists without requesting permission to do so. Path has since changed this but they caught a lot of flak for this, and rightly so, in my view.
We did have a listener question from nanikai (thank you!) about apps that come in separate iPhone and iPad versions compared to universal apps that are optimized for both the iPhone and iPad at the same time. This is a hot topic for many since I’ve seen a lot of people get upset when they have to pay twice to get an app for both an iPhone and iPad. Chris and I have had a lot of experiences with these and have some fairly strong opinions on the topic.
My Teh Awesome of the week was Temple Run, a great game by Imangi Studios that I’ve been playing a lot lately. Chris had two selections for the Teh Awesome part of the show this week. The first was the app Mealtime, a neat app that helps you discover new restaurants. His second selection was the Spigen SGP GLAS.t screen protector for the iPhone, which he recently reviewed.
I’m out of town for a week and will not be available for a podcast on our regularly-scheduled day this week so we’ll pick back up on our regular Tuesday recording schedule on February 21.
everythingiCafe: the show “Ron Swanson”
Chris Meinck and I recorded episode 49 of the everythingicafe.com podcast this week and it’s now available for download through iTunes. As always, if you’re reading this with a Flash-capable browser you can listen to it right here through the embedded player above.
Chris and I had a fairly long discussion about the hubbub last week following a New York Times article about working conditions at Foxconn, where several Apple products (as well of those of many other companies) are made. We’ve seen some people advocate a boycott of Apple products to protest what they see as Apple’s failure to remedy these issues. But is this really Apple’s fault? If the working conditions of Foxconn employees concern you, what can you do about it? Listen to this episode if you want to hear where Chris and I fall on this issue.
We also talked about the hiring of John Browett to fill Ron Johnson’s old role as SVP of Retail at Apple plus iPhone 5 rumors.
Chris’s Teh Awesome of the week was Voice Control on the iPhone, a feature that is automatically enabled on the iPhone 4S if you turn off Siri (a trick that I did not know about). We’ve discussed in previous podcasts how Siri’s comprehension skills can be less than stellar and Chris finally got fed up and followed a recommendation from listener 4forkssake to go back to Voice Control.
My Teh Awesome was a Twitter app for the Mac, YoruFukurou. It’s billed as a Twitter app for power users since it offers a lot of customization options to tweak the interface to look just the way you want it. My boss also uses it and I thought I’d give it a try and I like it so far. It’s free, which is –as we all know– the best price ever.
I still have some free promo codes for Scrabble and Madpad to give away, as mentioned in this blog post. If you want one, just comment on this post and be sure to use a legit email address (it will not be visible to others) so I can send you a code.
everythingiCafe: the show “Revenie”
Chris Meinck and I recorded episode 48 of the everythingicafe.com podcast earlier this week and it’s now available for download through iTunes. As always, you can also listen to it here using the embedded player above if you’re using a Flash-capable browser.
Chris and I talked about Apple’s Q1 results for fiscal year 2012, which were absolutely phenomenal. We also talked about the jailbreak that just came out for A5 devices running iOS 5, Absinthe. (And I think I’m going to be trying that jailbreak myself this weekend – I do miss me some LockInfo.) Also on our topic list was the report claiming that there have been more than 350,000 downloads of textbooks in the iBookstore and a few other items.
Chris’s Teh Awesome for the week was Thermostapp, a free iPhone app that lets you control a compatible Wi-Fi enabled thermostat. If I had a Wi-Fi-enabled thermostat, I’d totally try this app. Unfortunately, while we have some nice programmable thermostats in our house, they work just fine and don’t need to be replaced and I don’t think I could convince my husband to replace them when it’s not necessary. 
My Teh Awesome was the free iPhone game, Tiny Tower. I admitted a little bit of shame in liking this game so much since it’s a little Farmville-like but I’ve been surprised at how much I’ve been playing it, trying to place my little Bitizens in their dream jobs and completing the various missions. It’s completely free to play and I definitely recommend it if you like games where you create and manage your own little virtual world.
In case you’re keeping track, I did not post about the last podcast episode that we recorded last week, #47 – Crappy Earth Science. I’ve been struggling a little getting back into my groove after attending CES but I’m finally getting back on track. You can see more about this episode over at everythingicafe.com here.
To make up for my lack of posting here recently, I have a few codes to get paid apps for free to give away, courtesy of Starbucks and their free Pick of the Week cards. If you want one of the codes, all you need to do is write a comment on this post. Feedback on my site and/or our podcast would be appreciated and be sure to specify which app you want. Make sure your email address is legit – I’ll email you the code using this address (email addresses are not published for the world to see, FYI).
Here’s what I have (these links open iTunes):
- MadPad for iPhone ($.99) – 7 codes expiring February 14, 2012
- Scrabble for iPhone ($1.99) – 3 codes expiring March 20, 2012
One code per person, please. These codes are valid for U.S. iTunes store only and they expire as indicated above. Instructions on how to redeem codes can be found on Apple’s support site here.
everythingiCafe: the show “Happy Happy Joy Joy”
Chris Meinck and I recorded our last podcast episode of 2011 earlier this week and it’s now available through iTunes.
We talked about Apple’s rumored purchase of Anobit, a flash memory company, the latest iPhone 4S commercial featuring Santa Claus, more rumors about the Apple Television and the iPad 3 and more.
Chris’s Teh Suck of the week was the Hipstamatic Disposable app and its sleazy in-app purchase tactics, which he talks about in this article.
My Teh Awesome of the week was my new 27″ iMac that I got (after saving up for a while) to replace an aging Mac mini. I purchased it directly from Apple and it’s one of their refurbished models. It’s the base model of the current generation (with Thunderbolt) and it’s super fast. Working on it is a pure joy, full of much less yelling and frustration compared to my Mac mini.
Also, I apologize for my audio quality in this episode. I failed to ensure my shiny new iMac was using the external microphone to record instead of the built-in one. I’ll make sure that doesn’t happen again in future episodes.
Christmas is just a couple of days away and I’d like to wish everyone a wonderful holiday season! We’ll be spending Christmas at home with friends and family and hope your holidays are filled with warmth, happiness, and good food and company.
