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Apr 6,2008(WeekendEdition)

The sun peeked out for a little bit yesterday.   We took the opportunity to walk around Jamaica Pond in the "direct beam of the sunshine." 

It was still a bit chilly, but signs of Spring were everywhere.  There were people jogging, buds are on some of the branches, and nesting activities have started.

We didn't have any problems identifying the various wildlife at the Pond because we have been studing our copy of Bird Song of North America.  OK, ducks and cormorants are pretty common :-)

However, how many of you know what a Paradise Tanager or a Streaked SpiderHunter sound like?  We thought so.  If you want to know, and who wouldn't, you need to get yourself a copy of the Les Beletsky's Bird Songs from around the World.

Like the Birds Songs of North America, the illustrations and recordings in the Bird Songs from Around The World are wonderful.  So until we book our bird-spotting trip around the world to see and hear them live, we'll just have to be content with Les' book. [Permalink] - Wan Chi Lau

 
Apr 5,2008(WeekendEdition)

Now that folks here have had a chance to use OS X Leopard for a few weeks, we thought we would do a quick update on a feature call "Spaces" which we found surprisingly useful.

Since we are constantly shuffling between about a dozen different open windows (Dreamweaver, Photoshop, various browsers, email, etc...), our desktop gets pretty crowded.  Spaces is a feature which allows the user to logically group various windows on a desktop. 

We have found this feature to be very helpful in keeping the clutter down.  It is better than the "Show/Hide application" toggle because it will work for a group of apps and windows.

Some of us prefer using the keyboard to toggle amongst the various "spaces", but devices such as the Belkin Nostromos n52 is perfect for those who like dedicated keys for special functions.  The Belkin n52 is easy to program and works great with OS X Leopard. 

What are some of your favorite unexpected Leopard features?  Tell us via email.  If the interns agree, you may find yourself with one of these colorful Saitek accessories!  For our Windows-based readers, no worries, we'll be giving Saitek mice and USB hubs away the entire month of April... just keep a sharp eye out for clues.   [Permalink] - Wan Chi Lau

 
Apr 4,2008(CarbonFiberFriday)

Laptops are suppose to be light and portable.  Some are and some are not.  Putting a carbon fiber-like overlay on one does make it look great, but it does nothing for weight reduction.

One thing which actually makes laptops less portable is a heavy carrying case.  We have a few of those in the office and everytime we used them, we say to ourselves ..."there must be something lighter out there for this little laptop!"

Companies such as BUILT and Civilian Lab are a new breed of makers who understand this need and have created some excellent laptop cases which are protective, great looking, AND light weight.

BUILT is based out of NYC.  Their material of choice is neoprene.  Yes, the same stuff wetsuits are made of.  BUILT laptop cases have some unique properties not available in other cases.  We'll have more to say about them in our FirstLook review of the Porter and the Cargo.

Another other company with a cool laptop case is Civilian Lab.  They have a case called the Radiator which uses suction cups to hold the case to the laptop.  There are reasons for this approach :-)

These cases may be smaller than the traditional leather laptop "luggage" everyone hauls around, but they are not less protective than their larger counterparts.  Tomorrow we'll show what can fit inside these cases by BUILT and Civilian Lab.  You may find youself thinking...maybe it's time my laptops lost a few pounds! [Permalink] - Wan Chi Lau

 

Apr 3,2008(TechStoreUpdateThursday)

It has been almost two years since we did an update on the progress of the store Apple is building on Boylston Street in Boston.  We had created a quick mock-up when we first posted the article.

The photos above are of the CopyCop store before any construction had begun.  Last Sunday, we were downtown with our new Nikon D40 and decided to see how things had progressed with the construction.

Unfortunately, things are still underwraps.  We'll see if we can drop in during the week and find someone to let us take some pics of the interior.  It will be interesting to see how close we were with our rendering :-) [Permalink] - Wan Chi Lau

 

Apr 2,2008(WowUsWednesday)

Last month, we said that RainyDayMagazine will again consider reviewing iPod docks.  However, since we are only interested in docks which are both unique and of interest to you our readers, we solicited suggestions from a group of readers (you know who you are). The unit that had the the most recommendations will be reviewed. 

The incentive to participate in the recommendation process was that someone from the group will be selected at random to receive the unit when we are done with the review.  Apparently it was a pretty good incentive because we got some GREAT suggestions :-)

The winner in this first Reader's Poll was the Harman Kardon Go+Play.  The reason most often cited was its great looks.  We checked it out briefly at our local Apple Store and agreed that it looked worthy of a full RainyDayMagazine once-over.

We got the unit in house yesterday and unpacked it right away.  What struck us first was the size of this beauty.  The Go+Play is about 19" end to end.  The handle is made of brushed stainless steel.  The unit is hefty and feels quite solid.  No cheap plastic feel here.  Our first impression is this unit's great looks matched the quality we expected from Harman Kardon.  We can't wait to hear how it sounds!

We'll have a much more indepth FirstLook coming up next week.  We will also find out some more about the specs of the speakers and the internals of this Go+Play dock.  [Permalink] - Wan Chi Lau

 
Apr 1,2008(TechTuesday)

Many readers have written to us complaining about the large image files created by their new digital cameras.  The biggest gripe is the constant need to get larger and larger memory cards. Another problem is that file transfer will literally grind to a halt when they try to send a 5MB image over the Internet using their 14.4KB dialup connection. 

Tomorrow, we will be showing RainyDayMagazine readers how to downgrade a Canon S2 image sensor from 5 MegaPixels to 2 MegaPixels by transplanting a Canon S100 sensor into the S2.

The advantages to a smaller image sensor is not just smaller file sizes, but less resolution.  Lower resolution means things like facial imperfections (wrinkles, lines, etc...) will not be as well defined.  We expect all professional fashion and model photographers will be downgrading their equipment in the future. [Permalink] - Wan Chi Lau

 

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