1. NewsStand

This is probably the app I use the most. It's an RSS reader with some of the best features out of all RSS readers on the app store. (And hell, I've tried dozens of RSS readers, with most of them crashing or not syncing correctly.) Coming from the Netnewswire iPhone app, this one demolishes it. It syncs nicely with your Google Reader account, and you can do lots with entries (twitter, email, etc.).

2. GoodReader

This is the second most-used app on my iPhone. I always feel like I have to be reading something, and this is the best tool out there to read ebooks. Unlike many PDF readers on the app store, this one works flawlessly with big PDFs. I can open a 60 MB PDF without a problem. It renders nicely, I can do a search, select text, add a bookmark, open PDFs chapters (if there are any), zoom in/out, and other great stuff. Aside from PDFs, it can open HTML documents and images (PNG, JPG, GIF). It also has some great file management features, like rename files, move, and delete all within the app. It saves all files on the iPhone, so you don't need an Internet connection.

How do you get your PDFs on the iPhone, you ask? There's three ways and you don't need additional software for it. The first is the slowest: you can enter a URL to a document on the web (PDF, JPG, GIF, etc.) and it will download it and save it on the iPhone. Second, and the fastest way to transfer: within the app, it can turn the iPhone into a file server via wifi, and you can connect to it from your OS, where you can drag and drop files easily. The last way is by connecting to a web gui, which appears when you have the app running as a server - there's easy-to-understand instructions on how to do this within the app.

3. Yelp

Pretty popular app. Find restaurants, and other places of interest around your area. The best thing about this app is the reviews you find for locations.

4. CityTransit

Subway map of Manhattan. The best thing about this app is it will tell you what subway lines are near you and point it out on Google Maps. Nuff said.

5. FTPonTheGo

FTP client for the iPhone. You can edit files live on your server. Awesome.

Yahoo has this awesome article on speeding up your web pages. Granted, most of this could be plucked out directly from your site using the Yahoo! YSlow Firefox add-on, but I highly recommend you checking it out. Here’s a summary of what they have to offer:

1. Minimize HTTP Requests
2. Use a Content Delivery Network
3. Add an Expires or a Cache-Control Header
4. Gzip Components
5. Put Stylesheets at the Top
6. Put Scripts at the Bottom
7. Avoid CSS Expressions
8. Make JavaScript and CSS External
9. Reduce DNS Lookups
10. Minify JavaScript and CSS
11. Avoid Redirects
12. Remove Duplicate Scripts
13. Configure ETags
14. Make Ajax Cacheable
15. Flush the Buffer Early
16. Use GET for AJAX Requests
17. Post-load Components
18. Preload Components
19. Reduce the Number of DOM Elements
20. Split Components Across Domains
21. Minimize the Number of iframes
22. No 404s
23. Reduce Cookie Size
24. Use Cookie-free Domains for Components
25. Minimize DOM Access
26. Develop Smart Event Handlers
27. Choose over @import
28. Avoid Filters
29. Optimize Images
30. Optimize CSS Sprites
31. Don’t Scale Images in HTML
32. Make favicon.ico Small and Cacheable
33. Keep Components under 25K
34. Pack Components into a Multipart Document

Another great article to check out is this one.

Want to try to get into the habit of writing in my blog again. Been checking through my caller ID’s, and I’ve realized a whole slew of calls from 909-842-8164. Didn’t know they had a site where you can look up random phone numbers. It’s interesting to he hear people calling these pesky telemarketers to so they get taken off their slimy list.

Two Web Sites I’ve found:

http://whocallsme.com/
http://800notes.com/

Saw this on CNET TV. You can change the UI of your iPod, and also other MP3 players. It uses Rockbox http://www.rockbox.org/, which is an open source firmware. The site http://www.rockbox-themes.org has themes.

Although this is a little outdated (released in 2003), I needed a quick piece for my technology section. In any case, this is just downright cool. I’m looking to see how far this project has progressed. Makes me wish I knew Japanese to read some of Dr. Susumu Tachi’s research papers and other articles written by Japanese critics.

Videos and screenshots

Article from Daily Times (Pakistan)

Article from BBC

I’m talking about my Motorola Q. I got this three months ago and been using it non-stop. I encourage everyone to get the EVDO unlimited internet plan. Here’s a screenshot:

Here’s a list of what I do with this SmartPhone:

Make calls… duh?
Browse internet
Check Email
Sync with computer
Sync with Exchange (Calendar, Contacts, Email)
Listen to online Radio FM/XM (via Speakers or Headphones)
Watch full movies (AVI, DIVX, MPEG, WMV)
Play games/emulators (NES, Genesis)
Write text documents
View Word, Excel, and PDF files
Personal Organizer
View pictures and animated GIF
Use the phone as broadband modem
Navigator via Google maps
Check news
Event finder
Camera
Record video clips
Flashlight
Portable drive
MP3 player
Chat AIM/Yahoo/MSN

Just got the “Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T5.” Purchased it from my bro and pretty pleased with the purchase. What’s great about this camera is its obvious size – so friggin’ small. Quality is excellent as well… at least during the day. Very easy to use and battery is very durable (at least it lasts more than my other two cameras). The two things I’m not a fan of are the weak Flash in dark places, but that goes pretty much for very small camera like this. (I use my Olympus C-5050 for night time pictures and more professional captures.) The other issue with this is its sensitivity when taking a picture. Because there’s no image stabilizer, you have to hold it very steady – again, typical of most digital cameras out there of this size, but would’ve been nice. Overall though, I’ve learned to use it and I love it.

Here’s a pictures of the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T5.

Read review

This was my Minolta DiMAGE Xt that I gave away. The Sony Cybershot is replacing this one.

Read review

This is my Olympus C-5050 I use for better quality pics. Good Flash for dark areas.

Read review

I will definitely get this when it’s in stores… ^_^

Source: PinkTentacle

Digital Information Development (DID) has developed a highly portable virtual piano that is played with a keyboard consisting of projected laser beams.

The box-shaped device measures about 10 x 3 x 3 cm (4 x 1 x 1 in.) and weighs about 100 grams (3.5 oz.). Using a red semiconductor laser module and holographic optical element, the device projects a 25-key 2-octave keyboard onto the surface in front of it (black surfaces don’t work because they absorb the light). A CMOS camera module and infrared (invisible) red semiconductor laser module detect which keys are touched, and the corresponding notes are emitted from speakers built into the device. Chords can also be played, and DID claims it is technically possible to reproduce weighted notes (but presumably not with this version).

The keyboard has 3 other voices in addition to piano — organ, pipe organ and harpsichord. It is scheduled for release in Japan in November 2006 and is expected to cost around 15,000 yen (US$130).

DID says that a virtual 88-key grand piano can be created by increasing the size of the device.

Just saw this on ThinkGeek. Hot stuff. A little pricey though.

Product Features

* Connects to PDAs Smartphones and Computers using Bluetooth
* Projects a full size keyboard onto any flat surface
* Allows the convinence of regular keyboard typing in a tiny form factor
* Rechargeable battery lasts for 120 minutes of continuous typing
* Tiny size only 3.5 inches high
* Compatible with PalmOS 5, PocketPC 2003, Windows Smartphone, Symbian OS, and Windows 2000/XP. Limited Mac OSX Support.

Although, I’d like it to be embedded, like from this image from QJ.NET.

To my surprise, Propellerhead is giving away their great program, ReBirth, for free! Propellerhead is a Swedish company that makes music software. They seem to have discontinued the software and created a site just for it. For the download and more resources, go to the Rebirth Museum.