If like millions of connected people you’ve been wondering whether you should buy (or not) the Apple iPad, this thorough review by Gizmodo of Apple’s latest cool device will definitely remove the last doubts you had (or not yet had) and will make you feel comfortable buying (or definitely not) one of those tablets. Continue Reading →
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iPad Review
On April 6, 2010
In Featured, Headline, mobility, Product review, technology
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Need a secondary display for that laptop? Got you covered.
On March 24, 2010
In Featured, mobility, Product review, technology, telework
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When I’m working from home, I have a dual-monitor setup for my PC. Very useful on busy days or for keeping an eye on RSS feeds while watching a movie. The truth is, it makes me feel like being some kind of a successful trader who monitors the financial markets… “buy, buy” or “Oh my God! Sell, sell!!”. Really??!
No. But some fellows do that, I’m almost sure.
On the road I take my MSI Wind netbook, and while multiple desktops are handy, I sometimes wish I had a second screen for that thing, too – all the more so as netbooks have such a tiny screen that you get your eyes burnt after 30 minutes of browsing the Internet. Yeah, it’d though be pretty weird to set up a 13-inch LED-backlit secondary screen at a coffee shop but anything to get the job done, right? Right.
Made by MEDL Technologies, it’s called simply “The Panel” and it’s exactly what it says it is: a secondary screen that uses USB as its display link. There are smaller solutions, of course, but this is the biggest standalone monitor I’ve seen that just runs off USB. It’s also battery-powered, and will run for five hours, which… is good, I guess, but it isn’t clear whether it’s charged by the USB or not. If not… why not?
It weighs just over 2 pounds, and at a 1280×800 resolution, it’s just big enough for HD stuff. One really handy use I can think of is if you have kids, you just hook this sucker up, put a few cartoons into a playlist, and put the screen facing away from you so the kids can watch while you work. Handy for airports and vacations.
Unfortunately it’s not a touchscreen. That would have been a really nice feature, but I guess we’ll have to wait for “The Touch Panel.”
The Ultimate Computer Case (made in Switzerland)
What I like about swiss people, apart from their exactitude, punctuality and concern for the environment, is their ability to mix practicality with design. That is the image I have of what I’d call “the Swiss spirit”. Continue Reading →
Skype Beta Now Available To Nokia S60 Mobile Phones!
And no, we’re not talking about Skype Lite here, but about a real native-code version of Skype which has hit yesterday beta for S60 3.1 and 3.2-based devices. The app supports free Skype-to-Skype calling over 3G or WiFi, instant messaging, and file transfers. The initial set of devices it works with is still limited, but Skype promises that it will grow quickly. You can download here Skype Beta for Symbian v3
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Skype has been expanding its footprint to most of the major smartphone platforms over the last year or so. It was included on the Nokia N97 when the device launched, but lagged behind with no support for Nokia’s main smartphone platform, S60 3rd Edition. Today, Skype announced a beta version of its software for S60 3rd Edition phones.
On the feature side of things, Skype for Symbian supports:
* Free Skype-to-Skype calling
* Call phones with Skype credits or subscription
* Receive calls on your Online Number
* Instant Messaging
* Group conversations
* File sending and receiving
This beta release of Skype for Symbian supports 17 different phones. Skype says the production release is planned to be compatible with a larger number of devices, and is expected in early 2010.
Skype for Symbian supports the following S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 1 devices: E71, E63, E66, N82, E51, N95, N95 8GB, N81, N81 8GB, and the E90.
Skype for Symbian supports the following S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 2 devices: N96, N85, 5320, 6210 Navigator, 6210 Classic, N78, and N79
Remember: Skype for Symbian works over both Wi-Fi and 3G data connections and the application itself is available for free. You won’t have any excuse any more if after that you still manage to blow-up your monthly contract fee and piss-off your banker…
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Recommended reading – Invoice Like A Pro: Examples and Best Practices [by Smashing Magazine]
Should you be a freelancer or the general manager of a big company, there are a few things about invoicing you should know or at least reconsider. Drafting an invoice for your beloved (or not) client should not only be a mere action of putting figures together to come up with a big number. They also act as a proof of your professionalism and thus require that you follow some general guidelines.
Smashing Magazine reviewed some great (and not so great) online invoicing tools, so that you can spend less time creating invoices and more time doing the things you love!
Remember that if you spent so much time and money designing your business card, which is somehow the first creative and useful thing you’ll give your client or prospect, invoices are the last thing you may exchange with them and thus just deserve the same attention and care for their design. Make them impacting and have fun designing them.
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click here to access the full review
Nokia N900 – mobile worker’s weapon of choice [by Kerolic]
On November 3, 2009
In Featured, Headline, mobility, Product review, technology
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Disclaimer: I work for Mozilla, and of course, I’m a huge fan of the well-known Firefox browser. What? You’re reading this article with another browser? Go adopt immediately a Red Panda, now!
Last week, I was in our London office, and I talked with the guy in charge of Social Media for Nokia (fantastic guy, by the way) and his N97 started to ring. After his conversation, I engaged the discussion on the forthcoming N900, embedding Firefox Mobile, codenamed “Fennec”. And by chance, the guy was playing with it …
Hopefully, I had my camera not too far. I just took these few pictures.
I had not enough time to make an in depth review. However, I played with the browser and with the device for a few minutes.
First impression: it’s glossy, it’s black, it’s sexy.
The people in charge of the design at Nokia are making remarkable efforts, and the N900 is probably one of the most convincing one. The keyboard slider looks remarkable and very robust. It’s a bit thicker than an iPhone, but would perfectly fit in my pocket 
Second impression: it’s not S60 – Penguin inside.
Nokia for many years has been working on its Symbian platform, making it the most popular OS for mobile in the world. But looking back to the first steps of Nokia in the tactile world, it seems this OS has difficulties to keep racing against iPhone’s OS or Android’s OS in term of ergonomic, ease of use and user interface. But Nokia secret weapon could be with open source OS. Nokia is experimenting since many years now its Maemo OS, based on the Linux platform, slowly nurturing its community. And having played a few minutes with it, the interface is truly remarkable, far ahead what the Symbian OS could do. And probably the best answer from Nokia regarding the incoming Android Phone and the iPhone.
Third impression: it’s not Firefox – it’s Mobile Firefox.
During the few minutes with the N900, I especially focused on the browser. I carefully followed all the development stage of Fennec, and I must admit that I’ve been truly impressed to test it “live” and to see that Mozilla has made a fantastic job by bringing Internet to the mobile. Of course, iPhone definitely created a market with its iPhone (internet on mobile). But now, Mozilla is in the place, and it is truly great news, since they managed to make a real “mobile Firefox”, not “Firefox redux” or “crappy Firefox for phones”.
I encourage you to have a look at Jay Sullivan demonstration of Firefox Mobile. Nope, it’s not photoshoped, I also did that last week
As a conclusion
This article isn’t only to talk about a nice glossy incoming new phone. The N900 is probably a milestone, by bringing true internet access and raw computer capacities to mobile worker and internet nomad addicts … Can’t wait to test it more extensively, and to see how the ecosystem will work (on today’s phone, the “markets” and the “stores” plays a big role in phone success – look at the itune store and the the android market … probably a big challenge for Nokia).
Looks like just found a new thing to add on my whishlist for Christmas …
More info : http://maemo.nokia.com/n900/
Author : Kerolic