I am a retired high tech lady, who loves her Macintosh computers, iPhone, iPad and gadgets. I have developed this blog to provide my experiences, tips and findings about these items.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Santa's Bag is Loaded with Christmas Apps for Kids
I have been downloading apps for about a week that have a Christmas holiday theme. There are some pretty cute ones that will keep most little ones entertained.
What kid doesn't enjoy decorating a gingerbread house, cookies or snowman or an elf? Check out the following apps: Dress a Elf, Build a Gingerbread House, Cookies for Santa or Snowman Maker Plus.
For the older kids that enjoy games, check out OvenBreak where you help the Gingerbread boy by nabbing jelly beans, jumping over gaps and sliding and swinging on Candy canes. Santa's Christmas Word Search is fun for finding all the holiday related words, while listening to Christmas carols and viewing the animated tree. You can also throw snowballs at the Beserk Elves. Letter Blocks 3D Christmas (game FREE) is a good word game for children and is available in several languages as well. My favorite is probably Charmed Xmas a holiday themed version of Charmed which is one of the match three type games. Although I must admit the one that I know will be a hit with my grandkids is Cut the Robe: Holiday gift. It is a hit with me as well and will keep adults entertained as well.
If you have children who like to draw or color or paint, there is a lot of coloring apps available with Christmas themes, as well as a lot of animated stories and Christmas carols available. Just search the iTunes store by typing in 'Christmas' and see what is available. Many were free throughout the season, but have now gone to 99 cents. This is certainly a nice and inexpensive way to thrill little ones. Tweet
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Playing with My Virtual Keyboard on My Mac
Not too long ago I dreamed of the Newton like tablet that Apple would produce allowing me to have touch technology to operate a tablet device. Apple came through with a remarkable device called the iPad.
As I walked through the aisles of Target or Walmart last week, I scoured the aisles for gifts to buy for friends and family. It amazed me that most of the items I saw, have been replaced by virtual devices or apps on my iPad. Consider the alarm clock, the weather station, the numerous board games, the GPS, just to name a few. If you own an iPad you have a myriad of devices at your finger tips, controlled by mere gestures of touching and swiping.
Today, I was contemplating the idea of a touch computer screen on a future laptop device. Would that not be amazing? I believe this would open the market to all ages and to all abilities for computing. Apple has always tried to implement new means to provide computing for all: via voice command technology and touch technology. It only stands to reason that touch computer screens must be next.
I was playing with the virtual 'keyboard view' under 'System Preferences' on my Snow Leopard system driven Mac Pro. I could set the keyboard to be visible on my screen (via the icon in the upper right hand corner of the Mac) and using my trackpad, I could tap on the letters on the screen, typing in the word 'Beatles' in my iTunes music library to search for a song. Imagine when I can use a laptop Mac and tap on the screen. Tweet
Categories:
Mac,
Virtual Keyboard
Monday, December 06, 2010
Top 10 innovations or new products or ideas that have drawn the most attention in 2010
Trying to put together a list of the Top 10 innovations, products or ideas for 2010, was no easy task. There are so many amazing inventions that rolled out into the spotlight this year, that choosing only ten, was a gruelling process. Each of the ideas listed here were chosen for their overall propensity to actually change the way we live as a society.
The iPad. Easily the most well-known, sought after gadget of the year. Innovative in its design and touch friendly, it has made the stuff of science fiction a reality. Other than the cell phone, it is the most popular consumer electronic on the market.
Square. This is destined to change the way the world does business. Square is a payment platform that is attached to a smart phone, allowing credit card transactions to be made by anyone who has a phone. Square also sends a receipt directly to e-mail.
The Plasma Scalpel. Invented for the military, this little gadget may be the coolest invention since, well, the scalpel itself. The Scalpel works with ionized gas introduced via a controlled light beam. This method can both cut and cauterize a wound in one motion. This technology is bound to save countless lives and change the surgical industry forever.
The MyKey. This little gadget is used to limit the speed of a vehicle, as well as the volume on the stereo. It can also detect and notify when the car is low on gas. Many parents will probably love this thing, although their kids might not be so excited.
The Looxcie. This is a camera that is worn on the ear. While it may seem irrelevant, consider the fact that trying to video children while simultaneously being a parent, has been the root of many ruined video moments. With the Looxcie, you'll get five hours of hands free recording of everything the user sees, as well as the option to send the last 30 seconds to a preset e-mail address, Facebook or YouTube, with just a push of a button. Amazing.
The KS810 Keyboard Scan. Anyone who does a lot of document handling will appreciate this. It is a keyboard, with a full color, 600dpi document scanner built right in. So simple, but so right.
Gibbs Quadski. A new way to think about fun, the Quadski is both an all terrain vehicle and a jet ski. With the press of a button, the wheels fold inside the body and the quadski takes off across the water.
Googles Prius' . A great idea and an effective one as well. Google is the first company to create a car than maneuver city streets and avenues safely in auto-drive. Over 140,000 miles and still going without crashing, the Prius is equipped with video cameras, laser sensors and a laser range finder, only google could amass the technology to make this happen.
Minesto's Deep Green. This revolutionary idea uses the concept of a simple kite design. Attached to the ocean floor, these round, turbine equipped underwater power sources can generate 500 kilowatts of power in calm water. A real breakthrough in green energy.
The Terrafugia Transition. Before now, the idea of a flying car was just that, an idea. The Transitions 100 horsepower engine gets about 35 mpg on the ground, and it can fly two passengers for 500 miles at 105 mph. This gem is priced at about $200,000.
There are many more amazing inventions and ideas that could not be included here, but it is certainly evident, that 2010 has been a creative year.
Tweet
The iPad. Easily the most well-known, sought after gadget of the year. Innovative in its design and touch friendly, it has made the stuff of science fiction a reality. Other than the cell phone, it is the most popular consumer electronic on the market.
Square. This is destined to change the way the world does business. Square is a payment platform that is attached to a smart phone, allowing credit card transactions to be made by anyone who has a phone. Square also sends a receipt directly to e-mail.
The Plasma Scalpel. Invented for the military, this little gadget may be the coolest invention since, well, the scalpel itself. The Scalpel works with ionized gas introduced via a controlled light beam. This method can both cut and cauterize a wound in one motion. This technology is bound to save countless lives and change the surgical industry forever.
The MyKey. This little gadget is used to limit the speed of a vehicle, as well as the volume on the stereo. It can also detect and notify when the car is low on gas. Many parents will probably love this thing, although their kids might not be so excited.
The Looxcie. This is a camera that is worn on the ear. While it may seem irrelevant, consider the fact that trying to video children while simultaneously being a parent, has been the root of many ruined video moments. With the Looxcie, you'll get five hours of hands free recording of everything the user sees, as well as the option to send the last 30 seconds to a preset e-mail address, Facebook or YouTube, with just a push of a button. Amazing.
The KS810 Keyboard Scan. Anyone who does a lot of document handling will appreciate this. It is a keyboard, with a full color, 600dpi document scanner built right in. So simple, but so right.
Gibbs Quadski. A new way to think about fun, the Quadski is both an all terrain vehicle and a jet ski. With the press of a button, the wheels fold inside the body and the quadski takes off across the water.
Googles Prius' . A great idea and an effective one as well. Google is the first company to create a car than maneuver city streets and avenues safely in auto-drive. Over 140,000 miles and still going without crashing, the Prius is equipped with video cameras, laser sensors and a laser range finder, only google could amass the technology to make this happen.
Minesto's Deep Green. This revolutionary idea uses the concept of a simple kite design. Attached to the ocean floor, these round, turbine equipped underwater power sources can generate 500 kilowatts of power in calm water. A real breakthrough in green energy.
The Terrafugia Transition. Before now, the idea of a flying car was just that, an idea. The Transitions 100 horsepower engine gets about 35 mpg on the ground, and it can fly two passengers for 500 miles at 105 mph. This gem is priced at about $200,000.
There are many more amazing inventions and ideas that could not be included here, but it is certainly evident, that 2010 has been a creative year.
Categories:
Innovations
Saturday, December 04, 2010
Spam, Spum, and Splog
Spam is slang for 'Stop Posting Ad Mail'
Spum is slang for 'Stop Posting Unwanted Messages'
Splog is slang for 'Spam on a Blog' or in other words a web log or journal that contains false advertising or information. Tweet
Spum is slang for 'Stop Posting Unwanted Messages'
Splog is slang for 'Spam on a Blog' or in other words a web log or journal that contains false advertising or information. Tweet
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