Blog | PC Mike's Tech and Gadget Blog

You are here: > Blog

On the road connectivity

From PC Mike feeds Mike Wendland on April 10, 2012

I have become a huge fan of the Verizon wireless network after a 2,300-mile to and from trip to Florida that had me camping out in some pretty remote spots in the Appalachian mountains going down and coming back.

I never lost 3g connectivity. Ever. Which is much more than I can say about my old AT&T days.

But better than that, I was pleasantly surprised by the 4g connectivity I got on my iPad.

The route took me on interstates and back roads in Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama and the Emerald Coast of Florida’s panhandle. As far as I was aware, whenever I checked, I was never out of VZW data connectivity for the iPad or my iPhone.

In a very rural Tennessee state park south of Nashville, I used the iPad and the strong 4g connection to set up a private hot spot for my MacBook Pro laptop. From a picnic table, I streamed live Easter Sunday church services and later used the hotspot to update a bunch of websites I run.

Couldn’t be happier with Verizon.

iPad apps to make your own news magazine or newspaper

From PC Mike feeds Mike Wendland on March 29, 2012

We’ve all gotten used to the term “On Demand” But these days, if you have an iPad, that phrase takes on a whole new meaning when you talk about news and information. Now, with some very polished apps, you can instantly create your own newspaper or magazine that only contains information on the topics that interest you the most. Here’s my three favorite do-it-yourself news apps:

My absolute favorite of all the personalized news apps out there these days is Zite, It’s totally free and has an uncanny but accurate way of automatically learning what you like and delivering just that with an elegant magazine look. It seems to get smarter every time you use it. Pick the categories of info you need everyday and Zite delivers all the great news, articles, blogs, and videos you want – even helping you discover new stuff that you’ll love.

The Early Edition App, version 2, is similar, but more in appearance of a daily newspaper than a magazine. It displays customizable content on the topics you choose in a column layout. As with the others, you can share interesting articles with friends via all the social media tools. This one costs: $4.99

One more iPad news app I highly recommend: Flipboard. It’s free and is perhaps the slickest in terms of appearance. It creates a personalized magazine out of everything being shared with you. Flip through your Facebook newsfeed, tweets from your Twitter timeline, photos from friends and much more. You can also read blogs, websites and other online publications about just the things you’re interested in.

These apps also have iPhone versions but they look and feel the best on the iPad.

My new Mobile Technology Platform

From PC Mike feeds Mike Wendland on March 28, 2012

I now have a new on-the-go technology platform. Meet my brand new Class B motor home: A gently used 2006 Roadtrek Adventurous motor home. I plan to take it to a lot of places, with bikes in the back (first extra I bought was a bike rack), hiking shoes inside and plans to do lots of outdoor activities. My wife and I have been shopping for a used and very well cared, low mileage one of these for over a year and found the perfect one this week.

(Since I share most passions about my life online, I naturally have a blog for my RV plans, check out http://roadtreking.com if that sort of thing interests you.)

I’ll do a lot of video story telling, blogging and photography from the unit. I’ll edit and write everything on board as i travel and will be testing out all sort of battery gizmos, wi-fi boosters, wireless networks and the like to send and post the stories.

New iPad has its problems

From PC Mike feeds Mike Wendland on March 22, 2012

The new iPad may be setting new sales records for Apple, but it’s not without a couple of problems. On is apparently no big deal. The other, though, could prove frustrating for lots of hardcore iPad users.

You may have seen the consumer reviews that report the new iPad is 10 degrees or so hotter running than the previous model.

When I use this minimalist magnetic cover from Apple, I gotta say, I sure can’t detect any rise in operating heat. But when I use a wraparound case that covers the sides and back, it indeed does feel warmer than the iPad 2. But Apple insists, that’s no big deal and the extra heat doesn’t affect anything.

More problematic, though, is another issue. This one involves charging the iPad.

If you do so while running an app, you may be in for a surprise. I found that out the other night on a business trip. I like to use the Alarm Clock HD app to display the time and wake me up. Naturally, I do so while the charger is plugged in. But the other morning after the app woke me up, instead of a full charge, the iPad had only a half charge.

The reason? Apparently the charger can’t handle the extra power demands of the iPad’s new HD screen caused by multitasking charging and running an app. No word yet on whether they’ll be a replacement charger but be aware, this could frustrate you.

My elegant new low tech journal

From PC Mike feeds Mike Wendland on March 22, 2012

I shared in a previous post how my experiment to abandon pen and paper in favor of note taking on my iPad failed miserably in the first two hours of a day-long business meeting.

Although I had loaded up my iPad with a dozen note taking apps and even bought a stylus that would let me write on the display, it just was too cumbersome to have to wade through the various screens. It wasn’t spontaneous at all.

So today let me reveal my low tech paper and pen retro move: A new leather bound journal from a very cool outfit named Rogue Journals. I warn you, they are not cheap. The Whipstich Refillable journal that I chose is an elegant crushed and distressed leather model that costs $125.

It comes with a buckskin draw string and is even embossed with my initials.

The paper is a thick, handmade heavy fiber mulberry bark stock that is a joy to write in. I need to get a good pen now.

But I’m really enjoying it.

There are other journals on the site much less expensive.

I certainly won’t abandon my iPad. And I will use it to write lots of things like emails, blog posts, even reports. But for everyday not taking, it’s hard to improve upon pen and paper. Or so I’m thinkin’ these days.

Can Android spark new life for the point-and-shoot camera?

From PC Mike feeds Mike Wendland on March 21, 2012

The digital photography industry has been experiencing some change – that’s probably the nicest way to say it. The smartphone camera and the rise of third-gen cameras have squeezed this industry into a rather uncomfortable position, and adapting is proving more difficult than anyone expected

Apple squares off with Motorola, Nokia, RIM over nano-SIMs

From PC Mike feeds Mike Wendland on March 21, 2012

Apple’s proposed extra-small SIM card standard has triggered a war it’s currently likely to win, sources uncovered Tuesday. The format, nicknamed a “nano-SIM” by the FT in its purported leak, was opposed by proposals from Motorola, Nokia, and RIM

Go here to see the original:
Apple squares off with Motorola, Nokia, RIM over nano-SIMs

Eventbrite At The Door uses iPad reader to handle tickets

From PC Mike feeds Sci/Tech - Google News on March 20, 2012

Eventbrite on Tuesday adapted the basic concept of mobile payment reading formed by Square to the event formula with new hardware for At The Door. The platform lets those with a new card reader for the iPad to take credit card payments for concerts, plays, and other events on the spot

See the article here:
Eventbrite At The Door uses iPad reader to handle tickets

IDC: PCs may see late 2012 bounce, but slow long-term

From PC Mike feeds Sci/Tech - Google News on March 20, 2012

IDC painted an optimistic picture of traditional PCs in a Tuesday long-term estimate of their shipments.

Read this article:
IDC: PCs may see late 2012 bounce, but slow long-term

TiVo updates remote app for iOS, adds new layout

From PC Mike feeds Sci/Tech - Google News on March 20, 2012

TiVo have updated its eponymous remote-management app for iOS to provide a new look for browsing, making it easier for users to discover and learn about new TV shows or movies. New categories have been added, such as “4 Star Movies This Week” and “2012 Academy Award Winners.” The update also let users make more changes to Series4 and Series3 DVRs remotely, and adds the ability to create a wishlist along with other improvements….