So, it has been a while since I made a post on my site, but I have been very busy and have a lot of great news to share. First of all, I have a new job working as a interactive designer at Hart Associates. I am really enjoying the people I work with, and I am loving the different projects I am getting to work on. Much nicer than my last job when I was stuck on a project for months on end with nothing in between. I have also started my own company, Pixelementary (website coming soon!), and will be developing iPhone applications.
After I got the new job , Becca and I decided it was time for a move to a new home. We have moved back in with Sam in our wonderful new house. We even have a huge back yard now where we have been having a ton of bonfires. We had a great time carving pumpkins the other weekend with Jean too!
Oh and I got a new phone. It is awesome. I know it seems a bit crazy to be so excited about a phone, but it is like having a mini computer in my pocket. Which for me… is totally amazing. I can check my email, update my statuses, and even control my home computer from anywhere in the world. Anywho, I will update again soon. For now, here’s some pics:
Just like much of the online community, I was a little underwhelmed/pissed off when the iPad was announced. The iPad’s feature list is rather frustrating to most tech savvy people with its lack of a camera of any sort, standard def screen, not supporting flash, App Store software restrictions, no ability to make phone calls… the list could go on for a while. We all thought the iPad would change the way we do mobile computing… and in a way it has. The release of the iPad was such a huge media hype event that many companies jumped on the tablet bandwagon, and it is this very fact that will change mobile computing forever, not the iPad itself.
IDC, a small tech design company, could become a huge player in the emerging tablet market if all goes as planned. Not a lot of information is available online about this company at the moment, and even their own website is lacking in content. What we do know about the company is they are developing tablets… awesome… awesome tablets. The Gemini model appears to be their flagship product and is generating quite a lot of hype, especially from those looking to avoid the Apple alternative. Just take a look at the spec sheet below comparing features of the Gemini with the iPad and JooJoo.
If you don’t want a Gemini after looking at those specs, you may want to check your head. With the ability to make 3g phone calls (plus sms, and mms), 2mp forward facing camera for making video calls, 5mp camera on the back for shooting pics, HD video at a proper 16:9 resolution, GPS, Flash support, this thing makes the iPad weep with envy. Even with all these great specs you may be like me though, wondering if you could get any real work done on a device like the Gemini or iPad. Sure it would be great for relaxing on the couch or taking on a plane, but I like to work, I like to create.
Enter the MS Courier, a mashup of tablet PC and sketchbook. While the iPad and Gemini focus on content consumption, the Courier focuses on content creation. It allows a person to gather information, images, and other media from the internet and outside world then organize it in an artist’s sketchbook manner. From there they can add notes, draw sketches, share the pages with other computers and Couriers, and even collaborate in near real time with others. In order to truly understand the Courier you have to see it in action.
I really can’t wait to get my hands on the Courier. I have never felt like any other mobile device quite captures the feel of a traditional organizer and sketchbook. I just want a device that is a blank page where I can let my creativity flow, and then use the power of a computer to sort it and share it. I feel like the Courier fills this void.
What excites me even more than all these devices themselves is the fact that computers are changing and evolving in a big way again. Companies are trying new ideas and consumers are frothing at the mouths to test them out. I cannot wait until we can ditch mice and keyboards and have computing become a much more visceral experience. With devices like the Gemini and Courier in the works, I feel we are heading in the right direction.
I may have a relatively new phone (LG Versa) but that does not stop me from wanting a phone with a little more oomf. Oomf in the way of a bigger screen, faster processor, beefier graphics capability… not to mention a decent web browser or GPS. I have always been a fan of the iPhone, but have steered clear of it because… well… it’s an Apple product. Now if you don’t know me, you may be saying, “how can this guy not like Apple products when his site looks just like Apple’s?” Well to make it short I love Apple as a design company, as a marketing company, and as a minimalistic guru. I however have issues with Apple’s business model. They put mediocre parts in a sleek case and charge you easily twice what you should be paying. Anyway I won’t get in to the whole discussion at the moment.
The point is that I have been on the lookout for a comparable phone to the iPhone and it is getting close. The Nexus One is a phone designed by Google Labs and will soon be released to just about every major cell service. One of the main reasons this phone stands out from the pack for me is its Active-matrix OLED display. OLED displays are far superior to the usual LCD display in terms of black levels, color balance, power consumption, and generated heat. This is one of the first cell devices (besides overseas) to have one of these awesome displays. The phone also runs on the newest Android OS which is also another huge plus. I won’t go on and on about the specs. There is a pretty good review over Engadget if you are interested.
My good friend Didier has had a recent obsession over these small remote controlled helicopters which can be purchased on thinkgeek.com. The first one he got had a broken tail fin and would not fly straight, so he sent it back to get another. I am not sure how the second one flew, but I knew it was not long for this world. So one night he charges this thing atop his Wacom tablet while he watches a movie downstairs. Long story short, the copter shorted out, smoke alarms went off, movies were interrupted, and his helicopter was reduced to nothing but the bubbling fiery mess seen here:
So he sends these pics into Wacom along with this letter:
“Dear Wacom,
My name is Didier Donne and I am an aspiring digital artist. As so I am the proud owner of a Graphire tablet.
About a week ago I purchased a small indoor helicopter toy to fly around with. It was plugged in for charging on my desk on top of my wacom tablet. I proceeded to go downstairs to watch a movie. Halfway through the movie the fire alarm went off and my wife found the helicopter ablaze and melted halfway through my tablet.
Though I can’t use it in its present state, the tablet still works !! It’s amazing how sturdy this thing is. Congratulations on making great products ! I hope to be able to purchase a new one once I have the necessary funds.
Thank you,
Didier Donne”
He got a letter today from Wacom saying they found his story very amusing and if they ever do ads on Wacom’s durability they will use his story. But here is the awesome part; they asked for his address so they could send him a new Graphire 4 for free. I found that extremely nice of them. Way to be Wacom, you rock!
