lifestyle

lifestyle The Pink Mac

Diary of a Mac Chick 09/22/09.

Why a Blackberry?

The other day a reader asked me why I purchased a Blackberry if I was such a fan of Apple products and I thought it was such a good question that I decided to formulate my answer in the form of a post. I know it was only a few weeks ago I was pining over the iPhone, wishing that it would finally be brought to Verizon so that I wouldn’t have to switch networks. Alas, it was shortly after that I bought my new phone, the Blackberry Tour. I know it might seem like I did a sudden 180 degree turn in my thinking, but really, my desire for an iPhone was what pushed me to get a Blackberry.
I had spent so much time thinking about why I loved and absolutely needed an iPhone, that I realized how much I would benefit from a smartphone in general. I wasn’t about to switch to AT&T over a phone, even if it was for the iPhone, because as much as I firmly believe that the iPhone is an amazing device, I know that the network is what makes the phone usable and, unfortunately, AT&T is doing a great job of stripping functionality away from the iPhone, not the other way around.

So, I did some thinking about why I wanted an iPhone to begin with and the features I liked most about it that made it different from the iPod Touch I already owned. I definitely wanted a smartphone for email, internet browsing and GPS applications on the road, which the iPod Touch can’t provide. On top of that, I wanted a phone with camera and video capabilities as well as both SMS and MMS text messaging. I also wanted to be able to tether my phone to my Mac while I am away from home so that I am never without an internet connection- that was a biggie! Now to think of elements of the iPhone I was less interested in. I definitely didn’t need another media player (I already own 3 iPods of various models), or a majority of the applications from the app store, which is really the crowning glory of the iPhone but also available on my iPod Touch. So when push came to shove, I didn’t actually need most of what made the iPhone the iPhone, especially since I already had an iPod Touch.

Eventually, I decided to look into Verizon smart phones with the specific functions I was looking for and of course I came across the Blackberry lineup. I was actually surprised at myself for entertaining the idea of a Blackberry to begin with, as the brand to me has always been synonymous with “PC”- like businessmen and a culture of overworking (i.e. does bringing your Blackberry on vacation actually constitute time away from the office?). I guess what really did it for me, however, was the fact that a Blackberry device would (a) be able to satisfy all my smart phone needs, and (b) would be backed by a name with tremendous brand loyalty and a cult following not so far off from the likes of the Apple community itself.

After taking a look at the popular models available, I leaped into the cult of Crackberry addicts with the Tour (9630) which has a great design, a great email client, a browser I actually fell comfortable using, and an application store that gives me everything I need to utilize the power of the Blackberry smart phone. Of course, the Blackberry device did have some shortcomings, namely the lack of connectivity to the Mac, which provided me with a few headaches that I have since soothed with great software I found through the internet that gives me the ability to tether, and now sync, the Blackberry to my computer. Overall, I am pleased with my choice of the Blackberry Tour and so far it has exceeded my smartphone expectations, but of course, like any good Apple fan girl, I am not ruling out the possibility of an iPhone in the future!
lifestyle tech The Pink Mac

Diary of a Mac Chick 09/14/09

A ‘lil music in my pocket

To be honest I don’t care for the new iPod Nano. I know it just received a video camera and FM radio built in now, but I could really care less. What good is video capability if you can’t take still pictures? Unless you’re talking about a device devoted to video capture, but that would mean higher video resolution and greater storage capacity, and if you are looking for that the Nano is certainly not the device for you. Okay, so what is the still picture-less video camera in the Nano good for then? Well, not much honestly. The quality is comparable to that of a video recorder you would find in a cell phone, and not even the iPhone for that matter as video testing has proven that the iPhone 3GS has better video quality than the Nano 5g. So, basically you most likely already have a device in your pocket with a similar low resolution video recorder that also multitasks as a phone and, depending on your cell phone, a gaming system, web browser and even music player.
So why the iPod Nano 5g? I can’t really answer that question, I guess only you can if you are interested in the new device. Personally, I prefer a simpler Nano like the 3g which to me is the perfect miniature iPod- truly tiny but also packed with useful components. All a Nano is really good for is (1) music, (2) video, and (3) games, due to it’s minimal storage capacity. Think about it, adding recorded video is just another way to eat up space on your device- space that you probably would prefer to use for capabilities the iPod Nano is actually good at like playing small but high resolution video movies and tv shows.

To me the addition of a video camera is pointless on a device that has no real use for it. At least if Apple had put the video recorder on the iPod touch you could perhaps upload video to YouTube or email said videos without having to upload the footage to a computer first, and then you would have a real vested interest in using up precious space on your iPod to make short, low resolution videos. The Nano has no wifi internet connection and therefore you are forced to download the video to your computer before you are able to share it, and again I am drawn to the comparison of a cell phone video camera, where at least you can do something with the video you have taken immediately, rather then once you sync to your iTunes. So, that is my opinion! Take it or leave it but I am not a fan of the iPod Nano 5g. What about you?

lifestyle tech The Pink Mac

Apple to 8gb iPod Touch, "You Shall Get Nothing and Like it!"

After Apple’s Rock and Roll live event on Wednesday September 9th, I think many of us are feeling underwhelmed. Although the video camera added to the iPod Nano is pretty cool, and the refresh to the casings of the Nano and Shuffles are pretty, the other upgrades just fell short. “Wow! Another version of iTunes!” To that I say, meh! Faster iPod Touches! So what! And after calling the 8gb iPod Touch the cheapest way to experience the App Store, all they get is a little cheaper. Is that anyway to thank the little guy? I think no. With all these casing refreshes you think the iPod Touch could have at least got something. I mean, the poor 8gb model doesn’t even get a faster processor. I personally would have liked to see them incorporate the new colorful polished aluminum finish to the iPod Touch line. It couldn’t hurt for them to get a little color.

Well, as much as we all appreciate a price break, I think we all expected more from Apple when it came to the itouch, mainly a video camera, but then again if it had that, it would be an iPhone and we all know how much Apple prefers not to confuse the functions of their products.
lifestyle tech The Pink Mac

Last Day of Summer.

I know I didn’t post a weekly tech roundup video this weekend, I was sick and just decided to skip it this week. Today is the last day of summer and tomorrow is unofficially fall and September. I just wanted to say goodbye to summer the right way- with a blog post. I am glad it is over, I can’t wait for the fall and cooler weather, and then winter and Christmas and a New Year. I feel like once you get through the summer, the year is basically over, mostly because fall and winter are the seasons of holidays and one just leads to another demarcating the time until you have reached another year. I love this time of year- just thought I would share.

DIY Solutions The Pink Mac

Clean your dirty yellow Macbook!

Since I am in the process of refreshing my old white Macbook to factory-like conditions, I have decided to attempt to clean the dirty hand rest. As many of you might already know, the white Macbook’s hand rest yellows and collects dirt over time, and there have been many suggestions out their on how to keep the hand rest clean, so I decided to try it out myself. To be fair, my hand rest is not as dirty as it was once. About 6 months after I bought it, the hand rest was so yellow that I sent it to Apple to have them repair it. They said it was a defect in the hand rest, that it shouldn’t yellow, and they replaced it. It has since been over 2 1/2 years and as you can see in the video, the hand rest is not too bad. However, I really want it to look perfect so I went out and bought the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser because I heard that was the best way to clean the white Macbook.
Now, I would just like to clarify before you watch this video, if you are going to try this at home, it is better to start slow and clean a small area first. This will only work on the hand rest, so don’t try this on the screen or on the track pad or on the glossy casing of your Macbook. I ended up cleaning my hand rest, my keyboard and the frame of my screen (basically any place where that same white matte material is used). When it comes to cleaning the keys, make sure to be very gentle, because I have heard how strong these Erasers are and they could take your lettering off if you are scrubbing to harshly.
DIY Solutions The Pink Mac

DIY Laptop Lap Desk.

When it comes to using my Macbook, I am definitely someone who works AFD, ‘away from desk.’ I follow the theory that a laptop was made to be taken elsewhere and therefor should not be subject to the confines of a desk 24 hours a day. I especially like to use my laptop in bed so that I can surf the net while watching tv, surrounded by pillows and blankets! That is why is it imperative that I use a lap desk. If you are a notebook computer user, you are well aware that sitting your computer down on a pillow or on a comforter can cause the air vents to clog with dust and particles as a pillow doesn’t necessarily get the best ventilation, so having a small lap desk to keep your computer on while working is a necessity. Although you could go out and spend $20-$100 dollars on various styles of lap desks, I prefer to make my own, and so I am going to share with you my tips on how to make a DIY Laptop Lap Desk. Making your own lap desk is easy, but best of all, it is customizable and the directions can be tailored to your specific crafting level.
To make your own DIY Laptop Lap Desk, you will need the following (all of which can be found at a local craft store):
1 Unfinished wooden tray table
1 Piece of sandpaper
1+ bottles of Acrylic crafting paint
2 Pieces of Scrapbook paper (Optional)
1 Jar of Mod Podge (Optional)
1 Can of Acrylic spray sealant
A few foam brushes
Optional Items
Depending on your crafting skill level, you may choose to paint your tray one solid color, multiple colors, or paper mache the desk portion of the tray using scrapbook paper and mod podge. You should think about how you would like your tray to look and what you think you are capable of doing before you begin so that you select the proper paint colors and materials. Using the paper mache tools can be simple, even for a first timer, as long as you take your time and follow the directions properly. This option can also help you to create an even more unique tray table through the use of pretty patterned papers.

Process
Step 1: Prepare your workspace
Before you begin, make sure you have a good amount of space on a table or desk to work on. Remember you will be using paint and glue for this project so you may want to put down newspaper or a disposable table cloth to keep your area clean.
Step 2: Prepare the tray
The first thing you need to do is use the sandpaper to clean up the wooden tray. You want to make the wood as smooth as possible and remove any bumps or splintering sections so that you can apply your paint evenly. This will also prevent you from hurting yourself on a wooden splinter as you work or worse, as you use the desk in the future. After you are done sandpapering the tray, make sure you remove any wooden dust particles from the tray AND your work space- you don’t want the paint on your tray to pick up wood dust as you work.
Step 3: Prepare your materials
If you choose to use just paint for your project, make sure you have a protected surface off to the side to put your paint on. This surface can be as simple as a piece of cardboard or as advanced as a painters palette, but you will need something to dip your foam brush into that is NOT directly into the bottle of paint.
If you choose to paint AND paper mache, this is the point where you should size out your paper to fit the interior of your tray. Take your time, mark, and slowly cut your paper to fit the flat desk portion of your tray before you begin. Remember, the rule of thumb is to measure twice and cut once!
Step 4: Paint
Depending on your level of skill, you may choose to paint the sides of your tray different colors, or simply paint it one solid color. Take your time and make sure to work off of a palette of some sort, and most of all make sure you are using one foam brush per color and cleaning the brushes off in between layers of paint. You will most likely need only 2 layers of paint, but you can apply more or less layers depending on the color you are using and the color result you are looking for. It is best to let the paint dry a little between layers so that you can get an accurate idea of the outcome color of each layer.
If you choose to work with the Mod Podge and scrapbook paper to paper mache the desk portion of your tray, you will want to avoid applying paint to the desk area. If you do get some paint on the desk, don’t worry, it will not hurt your project, and it is common to get paint on the edges of the desk as you paint the interior sides of the tray.
Step 5: Applying the Paper Mache
If you have chosen to work with the paper mache supplies to create a unique desk area, you should wait until the paint has dried on the tray before you begin. Once it is dry you will use another clean foam brush to apply the mod podge to the desk area. To do this, you may dip your foam brush directly inside the bottle of mod podge, but be careful as the mod podge is a glue and you may get run off as you take your brush out of the jar. Slowly and carefully apply an even layer of glue to the wood. You don’t want to apply to little of the glue that your paper won’t solidly stick to it, but you also do not want to apply so much glue that the layer will soak through your paper. Use your best judgement and apply a nice even layer.
Step 6: Apply the paper
After you have applied a nice even layer of glue to the desk, you must quickly put down your paper. I suggest starting from one edge of the tray and working to the next, laying the paper down and smoothing it to the surface of the desk. It is important to note, the paper may appear to have bubbles underneath it or what appears to be “veins” but if you have applied an even layer and have slowly applied the paper and smoothed it down as you went, you will be fine. Depending on the thickness of your chosen paper, as it gets wet during the application it will crinkle the way wet paper does, however, if you have made sure to smooth it down it will dry flat.
Step 7: Apply glue to the top of the paper
Once the paper has been applied to the desk of the tray, you must also add a layer of glue to the top of the paper. Much like you applied it to the desk, you will apply another even layer on top of the paper to seal it. Again, when you do this the paper may appear to crinkle more and more “air bubbles” or “veins” may appear on the paper, but these will disappear as the tray dries as long as you have applied an even layer of glue and made sure to carefully smooth down the paper in step 6.
Step 8: Let it dry
It is best to let the tray dry overnight before you move onto the final part of the project. This way you will give the glue plenty of time to harden and you will see that most, if not all, of the bubbles have dried flat.
Step 9: Apply the spray sealant
After you have given your project time to dry overnight, you may now apply the spray sealant. Make sure you take your project outside to do this, as the fumes of the spray can be harmful indoors and you need proper ventilation. Following the directions on the spray can, apply an even coat to the tray. If your tray has legs make sure to keep those open and have your tray standing so that the whole tray is being sealed. Let the first layer dry for about 10-15 minutes, and if you choose, apply a second coat.
Step 10: Let it dry
After you have applied the spray sealant to the tray, leave it in a nice, well ventilated spot to dry overnight (like in your garage or out on a deck. The spray sealant may say it dries in just a few minutes or hours, but it is best to let the tray dry overnight again before use so that you have aired it out properly and let it set.

lifestyle The Pink Mac

Digital vs. Analog.

Although I am someone who wholeheartedly embraces tech in almost every aspect of life, there are still some areas where I have not fully replaced my analog methods for digital ones. For instance, although I love my ipod touch, I still manage to use a Moleskine notebook to record my to do’s, my ideas, and my contacts. I absolutely love this form of analog data storage because wherever I am, I know I can record information quickly and without worrying about whether my battery will run out mid sentence. Now, don’t get me wrong, my ipod touch is AMAZING! I love playing games, surfing the web, and checking my email when I am away from my laptop, but call me old fashioned- I enjoy the action of writing more so than the tapping of my fingertip upon a screen. The tactile sensation is like none other!

In actuality the use of a Moleskine notebook has been a practice I have only recently acquired. My freshman year of high school I used a Handspring pda and once I graduated had gone through 2 more Palm pdas. In college, however, I began to rely less on my digital devices for recording homework and test days and began taking these notes directly into a notebook. Gradually, I decided to simplify my note-taking by buying a small notebook to store everything in. Since then, my Moleskine has been my major organizational method as I regard it more as a tool for productivity then my ipod touch, whose many distractions actually keep me from getting work done!

Together though, my Moleskine and my ipod touch make for a great pair, a balance of analog and digital, productivity and amusement that I simply could not live without!
lifestyle The Pink Mac

A Slight Addiction.

I know, I know… where have I BEEN? I feel really bad about neglecting this blog for so long but I am hoping to do a little re prioritizing and start posting regularly once again. Of course I have a few excuses, although I am well aware that the major reason I haven’t blogged in a while was due to my own laziness, however I thought I would share the 3 main reasons for my lack of attention to this blog in the past few months.

First of all, in mid January I started my new job. Really, it was my first real job out of college with benefits and office hours and all that jazz. It was really exciting but of course it drains much time out of my previously wide open schedule and on top of that, although I do have access to internet at work, it is very difficult to blog while I am here (I am blogging this from work right now because I snuck in the time for it!)

Second, I spend way too much time with my boyfriend. I know that sounds pathetic, but when I get home from work I am always talking to him, and although he is a blogger as well, we both have neglected our duties recently and are well aware that we need to change our ways!

Finally, and really the biggest reason I have avoided blogging lately is because of my new found addiction that I am finally willing to own up to. I am now a World of Warcraft addict and it is pretty bad! I guess I could blame my bf for this one as well since he was the one who got me into it by inviting me to download one of those 10 day free trials of the game, of course after only a few days I was hooked and ran out to the store to get the full version of the game. My addiction has recently escalating though, as just last week I went out to the store and bought Burning Crusade and Lich King so that I could do more things with my character. Honestly, I was a little surprised at myself for liking the game this much. I know there are soo few girls that play WoW and I had always thought it humorous that anyone would spend such an exorbitant amount of time and effort on a computer game, but that all changed very quickly in my mind and now I have a level 48 human warlock along with a myriad of other alternative characters. I guess since WoW is tech related I should really be covering my experience with it on this blog, and so hopefully if there are other female tech geeks who like World of Warcraft and want to bond over it I would love to hear from you!

So hopefully this is my leap back into blogging after being so far away from my blogs for the past few weeks. I look forward to hearing from any ladies out there who play WoW and want to share their experiences with me and this blog!

lifestyle The Pink Mac

Got Gold?

The marketing phrase for the Starbucks Gold Card is “For People who Love Starbucks,” but really, I think it should be “For People who Love Starbucks and Free Wifi!” Right now, I am sitting in one of my local Starbucks locations, trying to burn a few hours while my dog is at the groomers, and using the free wifi that I get for my Starbucks Gold Card membership to access the ATT Wifi Hotspot at the store. It’s actually a pretty sweet deal. This Starbucks Gold membership card was one of my Christmas presents this year and I am actually just getting around to using it! The way it works is you pay something like $25 dollars a year for the card which is a refillable Starbucks card that gives you discounts on all your purchases as well as special offers throughout the year on specified days, ect. I was mostly interested in this card because a membership also gives you a free wifi time through ATT Wifi Hotspots. Most Starbucks locations are ATT Wifi Hotspots, although, I have been to some that give you free wifi access via a linksys router 🙂 Since I am someone who believes that places like Starbucks should give you wireless internet access for free just for visiting their store, I am a little ticked that I have to have a paid membership in order to do this, but of course this is better than nothing! I am actually really disappointed that there are no Panera locations around me, because before I moved I would spend hours sitting at Panera, ordering drinks and food and just hanging out doing work online. Panera actually has a really great set up for their customers. They have great food that you can take out or eat in, and when you do eat in, they have a very comfortable venue where customers can sit and eat, refill their own drinks and get the benefits of a dine-in restaurant without having to tip or wait around for a waitress. Of course you clean up after yourself, but that is nothing to cry over, and on top of all that you get wireless internet access for free. It’s one of those great places that college students or people who work from home or constantly on the road can go to and do lunch and work at the same time. I think Starbucks should really follow this model and start offering their wifi to customers for free. I mean, it makes perfect business sense to me that if you can keep your customers in your store for more than 5 minutes, they will buy more than one cup of coffee, and really isn’t that the point, to sell coffee?!? So, this is my rant, and my plea to Starbucks to put free wifi in all their locations!