Motorola HS820

Are Bluetooth headsets for cell phones cool? What's a Bluetooth headset? It's that doohicky you occasionally see sticking out of some dudes ear that kind of makes him look like a character from the movie Tron or a lost Star-trek fan. I'm just not sure - living in Eugene Oregon I don't always have the best perspective on what's in and what isn't. Why do I ask? Because I bought one for my Bluetooth enabled Motorolla Razr and I can't bring myself to wear it in public. Maybe it's just because my ears are a little on the big side of Dumbo ears.

I bought the Motorola HS820 from Amazon for $25 - a good price considering I've seen the same headset for sale here in town and on-line for as much as $75. You need to buy it from the "used and new" section to get that price. The sound quality is excellent and establishing the connection with the Razr was straightforward. When I press the little button with the phone icon on it the Razr's voice activation features come to life and I can make a call without even touching the phone. I love the headset and for $25 it's a no-brainer add-on for your cell phone. Great for driving and talking in the car - I use mine while I commute on my bike.

The Power Blogging Business Travelers Have

Blogs About Business Travel Begin to Feel the Power - New York Times Interesting article in the New York Times about blogging business travelers and how they're changing the industry. The author should have given Google and the other search engines (are there others ; ) some credit IMO. The industry is responding to bloggers because nobody wants a search on "Hotel Name" to include a negative blog post in the top-10 search results. I think it's kind of cool that reviews from the fringe (de-centralized resources) have this kind of power. In the past, I'd go to Expedia or a similar service to read reviews on Hotels - now because of the power of modern search engines content from the fringe can make it into the mainstream.

Jack Links - Messing with Sasquatch

Sasquatch jokes crack me up. Jack Links put together a cool campaign here www.messinwithsasquatch.com


Here's a spoof on the Salt Shaker episode where the Sasquatch gets the upper hand.

Jonathan Ive - Apple's Chief Designer

Who Is Jonathan Ive?
An in-depth look at the man behind Apple's design magic

It's funny, after Apple's announcements this week I found myself wondering what the Apple design team is like, as if by magic I came across this Business Week article profiling Jonathan Ive - Apple's Chief Designer. Great read, offering a quick peak inside Apple's design studio and the creative minds that make it work.

I want Search on my 30g 5g iPod

» iPod enhancements withheld from previous hardware | The Apple Core | ZDNet.com

I'm pissed! I updated my 30g 5th generation iPod, via the new iTunes 7.0 interface, last night expecting the iPod update to add the new Search feature to my iPod interface and guess what - no love from Apple. The linked ZDNet article (above) talks a bit about the frustration I'm describing. By the way, I think there's an error in the article. The author says, "The problem I have is that half of these new software features are available on previous iPods - including the just-discontinued iPod 5g - despite the fact that the hardware is almost exactly the same." I think he meant to say, The problem I have is that half of these new software features aren't available on previous iPods - including the just-discontinued iPod 5g - despite the fact that the hardware is almost exactly the same."

There better be a hardware reason for not pushing the Search feature out to my iPod. If Apple is expecting me to upgrade my hardware for a "should have happened a long time ago" feature like this I'm done buying iPods.

My reaction to Apple's announcements

Thomas Hawk's commentary on Apple's announcement's (watch) Tuesday mirrors my own. I got a kick out of reading his recent post on the subject today.

Someone Check Steve Job's Pipe, I Don't Think That's Tobacco He's Smoking in There

Apple is obviously continuing their push into the livingroom but IMO they're a bit late to the game. iTV feels like too little too late and it isn't even available yet. On the other hand, Apple wasn't the 1st one on the MP3 player seen either - but they delivered a better mouse trap and it paid off, in a big way, the same thing could happen in the livingroom. For me, for now - NetFlix, Tivo, and my flatpanel Sony Wega TV are working just fine. I don't even have HDTV yet. There is a real problem in the livingroom that needs to be solved. What's that? Too many wires, too much complexity, too many choices - people just want to watch and listen. Maybe Apple can solve that problem.

Related: NY Times Apple Plans to Inhabit the Livingroom 

Vista Audio

 

Check this out. In Windows Vista you can manage the audio settings for each active application individually. Pretty cool. Still having problems getting Firefox to run - can't seem to get it installed properly - notice the "Firefox won't run suddenly ..." application ; )

MAC = not all that great

I'm with Joel - MACs aren't all that great. "I have a few complaints ..." Vista rocks!

Startup Review

Startup Review, a blog that profiles successful web companies, is a refreshing read. Sometimes the endless flow of Web 2.0 companies (here today, gone tomorrow) profiled on TechCrunch leaves me feeling a bit overwhelmed, or should I say underwhelmed. Startup Review caught Guy Kawasaki's attention.

Amazon Text Books

Amazon.com has their sh** together. Did you know you can sell your used text books on Amazon? Yeah - they do it all for you - just enter the ISBN number off the back of your book and they'll take care of the rest. And ... it pays better than your campus bookstore! Bezos is making a lot of smart moves.

Update: Scoble knows what I'm talking about ... Amazon, the new Google? 09/08

 

 

Turn Here

TurnHere is sweet - it has that "why didn't I think of that" kind of feel. TurnHere is a pretty straightforward idea - short videos about interesting places. Lovin it. Go check it out. Check out Hell's Kitchen New York. Wow, Great U.I., love the way they integratted maps into the U.I. and they've done a great job establishing a neighborhood type feel in the U.I. that makes it easy to find nearby places. Really cool.

Farewell Crockodile Hunter

Steve Irwin died Monday morning in a diving accident - a stingray extended its barb into his chest as he swam nearby and he died shortly after. News.com.au

My son, now 5, and the rest of our family got a big kick out of watching the Crockodile Hunter series - Steve was a big part of his life and we always thought it was cool that Steve found his wife, Terri, here in Oregon. So much energy, such a passion for the outdoors and what a love for creatures big and small. A generation of kids, and parents, will never forget the Crockodile Hunter.

We'll miss you Steve. Stay strong Terri, Bindi, and Robert.