Rosario Tech

And this is why.

I like Walt.

It’s the song I’m hearing.

Lately I’ve been having all sorts of trouble with my Treo 650. Yeah, it’s got this small keyboard and tons of cool Palm programs on it, but the Palm is just losing its overall appeal to me. I mean, half the programs that I have installed on it are just to keep the damn thing running correctly. I’ve got battery monitoring programs, email programs, backup programs, etc… All just to maintain the working condition of the 650.

So, here comes the iPhone with it’s new price of $399 and the new unlock that is available. I don’t know. It starting to look might appealing.

My only hesitations at the moment are these:

• it doesn’t sync with Microsoft’s Entourage (yet)
• no Pocket Quicken
• doesn’t natively work on T-Mobile (would have to use unlock hack)
• limited games (for those long subway trips)
• can’t shoot videos with it
• no removable battery (what!?)

There are a bunch more that I won’t get into now.

If I got an iPhone, I’d have to start using iCal, Address Book, and other Apple native programs to sync with the iPhone. I’m not a real big fan of Apple’s programs. Of course, they are going to get better once Leopard comes out, so maybe I’ll be more interested in them then.

One thing I have to consider, though. With my Treo, I do spend a lot of time tweaking and fixing and tinkering with it. All that time spent is pretty much wasted time. If an iPhone just works with all the Apple programs and I don’t have to tweak and fix and troubleshoot and whatever, maybe I can find myself actually getting work done. Maybe, the iPhone will just do what it has to do, like making calls, playing music, and showing me what I have planned for the week. Maybe simple is better.

Anyway, I do have a birthday coming up in November…

Here’s a great little program:

KeyQue is a small shareware program that shows you all the keyboard commands of a program by just holding down the Apple/Command key for about a second or so. A translucent window appears showing you all the key commands for the current program you are working with. Here’s what it looks like:

So now you have no excuse for not learning all the keyboard commands for each and every program you use!

It’s shareware, folks, priced at $20 and you can download a demo here.

Kodak is announcing a new image sensor that can deliver better images in low light, by a factor of one or two f/stops, according to a June 14th press release. They go on to say:

“Kodak’s new proprietary technology adds panchromatic, or “clear” pixels to the red, green, and blue elements that form the image sensor array. Since these pixels are sensitive to all wavelengths of visible light, they collect a significantly higher proportion of the light striking the sensor.”

We’ve all heard about potentially superior image sensors before but I’m sure that some of this technology will hit the streets as soon as possible. Kodak could certainly use all the help it can get.

Here’s the link to Kodak’s press release and a Kodak (!?) blog.

Adobe has been tinkering with a camera that has 19 lenses (like a bug) and can take 3D images where focus can be manipulated after the image is taken.

From a PopSci article:

“But the process doesn’t stop there. Adobe software can analyze the 19 captured photos and from them generate thousands of intermediate images so that each shot seamlessly morphs into those adjacent. Then images are layered, like thin sections, producing a three-dimensional simulation of the scene in which every piece of it is in focus.”

Click here to read more at PopSci’s site.

Thanks to my nephew Scott for this story.

There are a couple of articles that you should check out if your are thinking about the iPhone: One at Forbes and the other at MacWorld.

Basically, the (potential) issues with this device will be:

• Battery life
• Lack of real keyboard
• Internet speed
• Cost
• Cost
• Cost

Forbes says it’s possible that you will spend nearly $2,000 to own and use this phone over the two year (required) contract. That’s a lot of bucks.

I think I’ll wait, for a little while at least.

Think Tank Photo is producing the first rotating camera backpack, called the Rotation 360. The concept is a little strange, but go to their page and check it out. There are some videos here that help to explain the concept. Looks like it could be really useful.

It seems a little dorky for everyday street shooting, but when you’re out in the field, with nothing but trees and deer watching you, who cares what you look like.

Oh, that sound you hear is the deer snickering at you.

Check out this music video of a so-so song with a totally bizarre premise (WTF!? A guy in scuba gear walking the desert!? What’s that supposed to mean?).

What makes it interesting is that it was shot entirely with a camera-phone, a Nokia I believe…

Another video showing the “making of” after the jump below…
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And it ain’t pretty! (video is about 5 minutes long)

And can I remind everyone that it is important that you check to see whether or not your laptop batteries are being recalled due to manufacturing defects. Can you imaging this happening on an airplane?