Marianne Schultz

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everythingiCafe: the show “Fire It Up”

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The everythingiCafe.com podcastEpisode 40 of the everythingiCafe.com podcast is now available. You can listen to it right here using the embedded Flash player above or download it through iTunes here.

Chris Meinck and I talked about rumors of a Siri-powered Apple TV and the iPad 3 display, as well as the parts cost of the iPhone 4S. We also talk about a new product recently announced by former Apple executive, Tony Fadell, who was heavily involved in the development of the iPod. His new product has many people excited, including Chris, even though it really falls in a home appliance category not previously known to be very thrilling.

Verbs IM by #include techMy Teh Awesome of the week is the Verbs IM app by #include tech. I recently switched to Verbs IM from Beejive. While Beejive is a solid app, it’s got a ton of extra features that I really don’t need and Verbs IM has a more straightforward and appealing interface without all the extra bells and whistles.

Chris’s selection this week was actually a Teh Suck related to Apple’s decision to use the micro SIM form factor for the iPhone 4 and 4S. In order to use his iPhone’s SIM in other phones, he has to use a micro SIM adapter make it fit. And this adapter has caused many other problems for him, most recently the destruction of a brand new Pre 3 he recently got.

(Chris also runs everythingpre.com in case you’re wondering why he’d want a Palm Pre to begin with.)

We’re planning on recording another podcast this week though the exact day and time is TBD now. If you want to catch us live, you can get the latest news on when we’ll be recording/broadcasting by checking this thread in the everythingiCafe forum or following @everythingicafe on Twitter.

everythingiCafe: the show “Brain was Fried”

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Chris Meinck and I recorded episode 39 of the everythingiCafe.com podcast last night and it’s now available through iTunes. You can listen to it here using the (gasp!) Flash-based player embedded in this post if you don’t want to schlep all the way over to iTunes. (I know, I know. The Flash bit is part of my site’s theme – I swear I didn’t know about it when I chose it.)

We talked about the release of the iPhone 4S and our thoughts on it so far. Chris wrote a thorough review of it in case you’re still not sure about upgrading or switching over to the latest iPhone and want some nitty-gritty details. Also on our agenda were some problems with it Sprint subscribers are seeing as well as some screen issues that seem pretty widespread.

My Teh Awesome of the week was my iPhone 4S (of course) and the new Vaja Libretto case I got for my iPad 2 that I mentioned the other day. Chris’s choice this week was formerly a Teh Suck selection in a previous podcast: the Navigon MobileNavigator turn-by-turn navigation app for the iPhone. He’d had a bad experience with it on his iPhone 4 but it’s working flawlessly on his new iPhone 4S now and he’s going to be returning the stand-alone GPS unit he recently bought in favor of it.

We’re shooting for next Tuesday evening at 7:00 p.m. ET for our next episode. If you want to catch us live, you can get the latest news on when we’ll be recording/broadcasting by checking this thread in the everythingiCafe forum or following @everythingicafe on Twitter.

Oh, and if you’re an aspiring technology blogger, Chris is hiring for everythingiCafe.com and his other sites – there are both paid and volunteer positions available. See the full job posting here. If you can’t already tell from the podcast, Chris is a great guy and working with him is fabulous.

Oops, I did it again

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Last year, I purchased a gorgeous $200 hand-made leather case from Vaja Cases in Argentina for my iPad. Yes, that was $200, not $20. No, I was not under the influence of any illegal substances when I placed that order. Yes, I know there are starving children in Africa. No, I didn’t regret it.

After upgrading to the iPad 2 earlier this year and subsequently selling my iPad 1, I then had that $200 leather case that wouldn’t work with my new tablet gathering dust (it was a fitted case and the iPad 2’s thinner shape and different curves simply wouldn’t work with it). I did sell it eventually but for much less than I paid for it, of course. And I swore then that I wouldn’t do that again. What was the point of buying such an expensive accessory for a device I would most likely keep for just one year before upgrading to the next new model?

Clearly, that responsible thinking got me nowhere since I just bought another Vaja case for my iPad 2. The Libretto Limited Edition case, to be more specific. With a black exterior and red interior and that divine leather smell that Vaja products always have.

Its retail price? $190.

This is the part where you shake your head at my wanton foolishness and blatant consumerism.

And this is the part where I tell you I got it for nearly 1/3 of its retail price thanks to eBay. Now hold your hand up in the air with your palm facing away from you. And feel the virtual smack of my jubilant high five that is required to celebrate such a magnificent feat of deal-getting. Hot damn, I’m good.

The Libretto is every bit as fantastic as the Agenda 2 version I had for the original iPad (my review of that is here), and it has a magnetic closure and works just like Apple’s Smart Cover (my review) to automatically wake and sleep the iPad 2. And it’s absolutely lovely.

I still have my Treegloo case (my review), though I may sell it at this point because I am most thoroughly happy with the Libretto. I am tired of the Smart Cover and will probably sell that too. I had to remove the DODOcase BOOKback (my review) to install my iPad 2 in the Libretto and I regret this a little since I liked that skin, but c’est la vie.

So, yeah. I did it again. But at least I did it better this time. 😉

(Is that Britney Spears song now stuck in your head? Recalling her in that red latex suit from that video right about now? For that, I am really and truly sorry. But I just couldn’t help myself.

And I swear on all that is holy that this is the first and last time you will ever see a picture of this particular pop diva on my site.)

Amazon is on Fire

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Amazon announced the new Kindle Fire ereader/tablet today for the stunning price of $199. It features a 7-inch color IPS touchscreen, Wi-Fi, and runs an Android-based operating system. It will be able to access a plethora of Amazon media, including ebooks, music and streaming movies and TV shows as well as (selected) Android apps.

Naturally many, including me, are seeing the Fire as an iPad competitor, even though it lacks a camera, 3G connectivity, Bluetooth or GPS and it has only 8GB of internal storage (though Amazon offers unlimited cloud storage with it). Despite all of this, it has generally the same core abilities as the iPad to play games, read ebooks, watch movies, listen to music and browse the web. And the demo videos available so far show that it has a responsive interface focused on making accessing media easy. Amazon seems poised to give Apple a run for its money in the tablet space with the Fire.

While the Fire isn’t incredible enough to make me ditch my iPad 2, I can see it as a tempting device for someone who wants an ebook reader/portable media consumption device for less than $499, the price of the cheapest iPad. It has enough features and is priced so aggressively that it makes me regret getting the Kindle Keyboard (the new name for the previous-generation Kindle) for my husband last Christmas, for which I paid $139.

For a user like my husband, who isn’t nearly as excited about the wonders of iOS devices as I am, the Fire is a great iPad-alternative to give him the ebook reading and occasional game playing he seems to do the most (he currently plays Minesweeper so much on his Kindle Keyboard that he’s worn the lettering off the A, Z and D-pad buttons). I wonder how long it will take my husband to ask me to get him one for Christmas and sell his current Kindle? Since he recently commandeered my iPad to play through Machinarium, a neat and endearing adventure/puzzle game, I’ll be inclined to get him one so he’ll keep his grubby mitts off my tablet.

 

everythingiCafe: the show “Cheese Whiz”

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Chris Meinck and I recorded episode 37 of the everythingiCafe podcast this week and it is now available for download through iTunes. As always, you can use the embedded audio player here (unless you’re on an iPad or iPhone) to listen to it if you’d rather not go all the way to iTunes to get it.

We talked about a lot of iOS 5 and iPhone 5 rumors, which all point to releases in October for the latest version of Apple’s mobile device operating system and the new iPhone model. I don’t know about you, but I am more than ready for a new iPhone model – although I’m still pretty happy with my iPhone 4, I’d really like to get past the never-ending rumors and get to real news. Hopefully Apple will announce its press event to unveil the iPhone 5 soon.

We also talked about a funny observation made by the acting president of HTC’s American division who doesn’t believe that iPhones are “cool” anymore following a visit to his daughter’s college.

Chris’s Teh Awesome earned him a little teasing from me since he selected a flashlight app for his iPhone 4. Surpax Technology’s Flashlight saved his bacon during the power outage caused by Irene a couple of weeks ago.

The Zombie Survival Guide by Max Brooks

My Teh Awesome was the SAS Survival Guide app for the iPhone. I have some paranoid leanings, particularly related to any Zombie Apocalypse (and any t-shirts referencing said apocalypse) that may occur, and the SAS Survival Guide provides a ton of information on how to survive in a variety of environments should all hell break loose and civilization shudder to grinding halt in the face of a catastrophic event. If you’ve ever wanted instructions on how to trap and kill wild game, field dress their carcasses, and use every last bit of meat, bone, and fur to help you survive in the wilderness, this is the app for you.

(For the record, I’m also getting a survival guide in paper form since I’m quite sure that electricity to power my iPhone will be scarce during the Zombie Apocalypse.)

We usually record the podcast every week on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. ET though our schedule for the next few weeks is a bit tentative at this point. See this thread in the everythingicafe.com forum or the site’s Twitter feed to get the most up-to-date information about our recording schedule.

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