Marianne Schultz

the musings of a geeky girl

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It’s alive (still)!

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Since my iPhone 5 arrived, I’ve been anxiously awaiting the Lightning to 30-pin adapter that Apple announced on the same day it revealed the iPhone 5. My most pressing need for this adapter was for my car where my iPhone is essentially the center of my audio entertainment and navigation system. And I was worried that the new Lightning connector was going to blow it all to hell.

I have a fairly old-school (at this point) official factory iPod kit in my car that was originally meant to be used with plain old iPods. I was thrilled and surprised when it worked perfectly with the first-generation iPhone in 2007 and it has worked with every iPhone since then. I even kluged together a revised connection system to go with a dashboard holder a couple of years ago, which has been absolutely fantastic for my needs.

Apple had published little information about the Lightning to 30-pin adapter and it seemed very possible that it wouldn’t work with my existing system. But it was worth a try first before I scrapped my entire set-up and invested in a new kit that would be able to route all audio from the iPhone 5 through my car stereo system directly (my car has Bluetooth but lacks the A2DP profile for music, and I’d rather have a wired line out connection for music anyway).

My adapter arrived yesterday and after waiting several agonizing hours for my husband to get home (I’d forgotten he’d taken my car to work that day) I tested it out. And it works!

My set-up is a little bit more Frankensteinish with the addition of the adapter, particularly since it’s white and stands out so much against the black dashboard. But it works and frankly, I don’t give damn at the moment (though I will happily buy a black version if anyone makes one in the future).

Also, I can’t wait for an untethered jailbreak to come out so I can get rid of the “Accessory Connected” screen when connected to my car.

I did test the adapter with a few other accessories including an old Apple Hi-Fi speaker system and an iHome IP9 clock radio. It works with both but does not charge the iPhone 5 through the Hi-Fi.

The adapter fits flush with the bottom of the iPhone 5, so if you have a case that doesn’t have a wide opening on the bottom, it probably won’t work with it. It works with a flexible generic $5 silicone case I purchased through eBay but doesn’t work with a bumper case I bought through Amazon.

Thinking about getting the Lightning to 30-pin adapter? Feel free to ask any questions about it in the comments.

An excellent screen protector for the iPhone 5

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I can’t stand fingerprints on my iPhone’s screen and even though Apple claims it has an oleophobic coating, it still racks up more marks from regular use than I care to shake a stick at. For my iPhone 4S, I had the SGP Ultra Fine anti-glare screen protector and loved it. For my new iPhone 5, I went with the SGP Ultra Oleophobic version since it was available to order shortly after the iPhone 5 was officially announced.

The screen protector came in the mail today and I installed it within minutes of its arrival. So far, it’s absolutely great at rejecting fingerprints much more than the iPhone 5’s naked screen and I expect it to work just as well in the long run given my experience over the years with SGP’s screen protector products. If you are looking for a crystal clear fingerprint-resistant screen protector, you can order this SGP one through Amazon. It (you actually get two in the package) costs just $13.99 and is Amazon Prime eligible so you can get free 2-day shipping if you’re a Prime member.

A (pen) Quiver for your Moleskine notebook

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Despite the overwhelmingly digital nature of my life these days, I am still in love with paper and pens. Granted, I don’t get to use them as often as I used to when I was in school but I still enjoy a well-balanced pen that writes smoothly and crisply and a fresh pad of paper. To satisfy this need, I have a Moleskine notebook and a Pilot Hi-Tec-C pen and I try to keep them close to me wherever I go to jot down quick notes and thoughts. However, keeping a pen with that notebook has always proven to be harder than I thought, at least until now.

I came across the Quiver, a product by Quiver Global thanks to The Gadgeteer. It’s an elastic and leather contraption that attaches to a hardcover notebook and holds a pen or two for you. The single-pen version slips over the spine of your notebook and the double-pen version slips over the front cover. Though I only wanted a single-pen holder, I didn’t want that version interfering with my ability to keep the notebook open and write in it, so I opted for the double-pen version since that slides on over the front cover instead of the spine.

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SGP Steinheil Ultra Fine screen protector for the iPad 3

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I’ve been using my new iPad without a screen protector since I received it and I have now officially reached my breaking point with the fingerprints it accumulates. I put screen protectors on my last two iPads but thought I’d see what it was like without one this time around but I’ve had all I can stands and I can’t stands no more, in the immortal words of Popeye.

I don’t know how you non-screen-protector-using folks deal with the constant fingerprints. Even if I wipe it down every day I use it, it’s still too much. My OCD tendencies must be too great to cope with a naked iPad screen.

So, as with my iPhone 4S, I ordered an SGP Steinheil Ultra Fine screen protector for it, which arrived today. I’ve installed it and it’s every bit as fantastic as the version on my iPhone 4S. If you’re looking for an anti-glare screen protector, I definitely recommend this one. You can find it on Amazon here.

(SGP also makes an Ultra Optics version which I had for the iPad 2. I prefer the Ultra Fine version over that one, in case you’re choosing between the two. The Ultra Optics version may offer a tiny bit more clarity but it has a noticeable texture under your finger compared to the Ultra Fine version. Also, the Ultra Optics version collects fingerprints a little more than the Ultra Fine version, though it’s not nearly as bad as a naked screen, of course.)

Walking while working: my treadmill desk set-up

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I first heard of treadmill desks a few years ago through a feature segment on a news program and was immediately intrigued by the idea. I was, and have always been, concerned about my health (and waistline) as I get older and worried about the sedentary nature of my job – spending a lot of time sitting at a computer (gym membership and volleyball leagues notwithstanding) does nothing to help me keep my girlish figure. This, combined with the fact that I love french fries, made me determined to get a treadmill desk at some point in the future.

Fast-forward several years to the present when I now have a job where a treadmill desk would be ideal since I work from home and though I love my Aeron chair, I finally had the time and resources to put together my ideal treadmill desk set-up. Read on for the details about the design process and my now-complete set-up.

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