With so many different iPod cases available on the market it is important to stand out from the crowd… with style. The Canvas Sport case from Speck for the iPod Nano tries just that with ‘Converse’ type styling.
This case is designed to accommodate both the 1st generation and 2nd gen iPod Nano. It is available in a variety of colours: light green, pink, black, silver and blue, all with contrasting white detailing. The combination of canvas and rubber grip areas around the edges make for a nice quality feel. On the front there is a hard plastic screen protector stitched in, with contrasting stitching around this and the click wheel. On the back of the case is a nice strong belt clip, again with stitch detailing. Continue Reading »
One of the utilities that I wonder how I ever got along without is called Jumpcut by Steve Cook.
My day job is working for an internet company so I live in my browser for hours and hours everyday. I am constantly copying or cutting and then pasting a piece of information from one place to another or more likely more than one piece of information. For example, before Jumpcut if I had 3 pieces of information to copy from someplace into a form I would have to do this one piece of information at a time, often switching windows or applications in between. Jumpcut lets me paste in any of the last 25 things that I cut or copied into the clipboard. Instead of doing a paste with command-V, I use control-option-V to pop up a transparent overlay that shows the current clipboard. If I hit the arrow keys while continuing to hold down the control and option keys then I can scroll through any of the last 25 clipboards. When I am done, I have pasted the information and also changed the current contents of the clipboard.
Well, I never ever thought that I would move away from bookmarking hundreds of web pages to keep track of interesting items. But things in my everyday Mac life are about to change and it will be interesting to see if the changes are permanent. For a long time now, if I found something of interest on the Internet, I would bookmark it and try to put it into a meaningful category. More often than not into a bookmark folder called something like ‘interesting software’ or ‘to look at later’. I came to realize just this week that I hardly ever went back to these bookmarks, so I was probably wasting a lot of my time, which I could spend more creatively.
Enter Yojimbo, by Bare Bones Software, which I would like to describe myself as an ‘Electronic Scrapbook on Steroids’. Many people are pushing around a category of software called ‘GTD’ which stands for ‘Getting Things Done’, at this early stage Yojimbo does fit into this category, but seems to offer a whole lot more besides. Continue Reading »
Will the Archos tempt me away from my beloved iPod? I must admit, to say it was interesting is an understatement, with some very nice experiences along the way. On test was the 160Gb version of the Archos 504, yes, you read that right, 160Gb of storage.
The unit sports a 4.3 inch widescreen, capable of displaying 16 million colours. The screen is nice and bright, evenly lit and offers adjustable brightness levels. My only minor complaint was that there were not enough levels to choose from. Staying with the screen, it is very glossy, so you do get some reflections, but adjusting the angle is not a problem. The size of the actual unit is a little bulky feeling, not as pocketable as a 5th generation iPod, mainly because the size that the hard drive adds to the unit, but also due to the weight. Build quality was spot on, with a very nice brushed metal finish. Continue Reading »
You have all probably heard about the new iPod Nanos from Apple. Well Steve jobs claimed in the Showtime Special Event that they were suppose to get an astonishing 24 hours of battery life.
Well any company out there claims that their batteries last forever. Consumers just take an educated guess on how long the battery will really last.
I recently purchased a new 8GB iPod Nano. I was very impressed with the battery life on it. I listened to if for a few hours and the battery bar continued to stay full! Well I was ready a post on a forum somewhere talking about the battery life of a new Nano, and it got me thinking… “How long does the battery actually last?” Continue Reading »
Having an iPod is something I have been lucky enough to be party to from the second generation release onwards, so I have enjoyed the simplicity in design, the superb interface, the usefulness and the power for many years. I use my iPod every day for music and podcasts mainly, but the odd video crops up every now and again.
About a year ago I invested in two separate speaker systems for my iPod in quick succession, the first I will not name, the second by Logitech was good and I still have it now. So it was with much excitement that I had the opportunity to review the ‘i-deck compact’, not only because it promised to be a step up from what I had been used to, but also because it is manufactured by Monitor Audio, who just happen to also make the home cinema speakers that I have now enjoyed in my lounge for the last two years. Continue Reading »
How many times have you launched something like Illustrator and been frustrated by the hundreds of tools thrown in front of you, when all you need is a simple application for creating a quick logo, map or other drawing? Or perhaps you are new to the world of design and you need to create something, but do not have the budget to spend on every single app on your shopping list. Until now, there has not really been a viable alternative, so Freeverse steps up to the mark with their ‘Lineform’ application.
Many of my comments in this review may seem to sound negative, but I need to put you straight on this right away. When I say that Lineform offers a simplistic interface, or takes the easy route to giving me the tools to do the job in hand, this is really a positive. For many years now I have used Freehand instead of Illustrator because the interface makes it a lot simpler to find your way around. Lineform is very similar to this, the interface is very clean and allows you to get on with what you are trying to achieve. When you need more powerful tools, they are on tap too, but without being over-complicated (unlike some very expensive apps). Continue Reading »
The idea behind a new program ScreenRecycler is that most Mac users have some old computer sitting right next to their main computer on their desk that is gathering dust. ScreenRecycler is intended to let you use that machine as a second monitor for your main computer. Continue Reading »
I often ask myself, just how many items can someone review and still give a fresh and interesting evaluation that readers will be willing to read. This was more difficult to answer than I first thought, but I came to two conclusions. Firstly, it helps if the product is useful and well thought out and secondly, it pays dividends to actually use the product.
The Danger Mouse from MacMice fits nicely into both of my realizations and I am sitting here right now writing this review whilst actually using the product. I feel instantly at home with it for many reasons and all of these reasons fit into the ‘well thought out’ category. Continue Reading »
Recently, we let you know about the availability of a new armband for your iPod nano. I received a set of the Sweats in the mail and wanted to let the MacCast community know how they worked out. Continue Reading »
With so many different iPod cases available on the market it is important to stand out from the crowd… with style. The Canvas Sport case from Speck for the iPod Nano tries just that with ‘Converse’ type styling.
Will the Archos tempt me away from my beloved iPod? I must admit, to say it was interesting is an understatement, with some very nice experiences along the way. On test was the 160Gb version of the Archos 504, yes, you read that right, 160Gb of storage.
Having an iPod is something I have been lucky enough to be party to from the second generation release onwards, so I have enjoyed the simplicity in design, the superb interface, the usefulness and the power for many years. I use my iPod every day for music and podcasts mainly, but the odd video crops up every now and again.
I often ask myself, just how many items can someone review and still give a fresh and interesting evaluation that readers will be willing to read. This was more difficult to answer than I first thought, but I came to two conclusions. Firstly, it helps if the product is useful and well thought out and secondly, it pays dividends to actually use the product.
