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katieandandy says...
Dec 07, 2008

Jizz In My Pants (HD)

UPDATE: And a comment regarding embedding YouTube videos. If you operate a weblog or videoblog online and like to embed your own content please edit the HTML code to display your videos at YouTube's highest quality.

One of the annoying parts of browsing YouTube for me is clicking "watch in high quality," or "watch in HD" at each video and waiting for the page to refresh. Even when I know that there's probably a higher quality of the video at YouTube's site, embedders often use YouTube's quick embed code to place low quality videos on their website. This isn't the way videos were meant to be watched.  Here's how:

  1. Copy and paste the code above. 
  2. Replace "YOURVIDEOCODEHERE" with the alpha numerical junk that appears after the "v=" symbol in the YouTube URL.  
  3. Adjust the size to your site specs.  For posterous users its generally w: 480 h:295
  4. Click Play!

Filed under: Andy Samberg, SNL, The Lonely Island, YouTube
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katieandandy says...
Dec 07, 2008

iPhone Speed Dialing Icons

           

iPhone users typically must press the phone icon then browse through their Favorites, Recents, Contacts, and Keypad in order to actually make a phone call.  If you're used to speed-dialers on older keypad phones, you should definitely check out iPhone Visual Dial. 

Its an application that allows you to associate a cropped photo from your photo library with a phone number.  Through using Safari's "Add to Home Screen" link, Visual Dial adds a speed dial icon on your home screen.  Check out the YouTube video below for a demonstration.  Screenshots of the UI are above in the gallery



Thanks to TC for breaking this earlier today.

Introducing iPhone Visual Dial: http://is.gd/aDeu

UPDATE: Visual Dial is now available on the iTunes store!  Check it out here: http://is.gd/bdxd

Filed under: Home Screen, iPhone, iPhone icons, Speed Dialing, Tech Crunch, Visual Dial
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katieandandy says...
Nov 28, 2008

Best Skins Ever .Com

Dropping your cell phone results in the dents and scratches that build up on our car over the years - bent antennas, loose hinges, and missing parts.  They're both hideous scars that most poor college students will claim can be fixed with a small piece of duct tape.  Entire industries and businesses have sprung up marketing accessories that help protect and prolong the life of your favorite gadgets.  However, these silicone and plastic parts often add weight, bulkiness, unattractive appeal, and add a big dent in your wallet - until now.

Bestskinsever.com is the new player in town and as their motto states, they are "unhealthily obsessed with keeping your stuff shiny."  This online merchant sells a pre-cut film that coat most device surfaces with an "invisible skin" like material that is both invisible and protective.  Approximately <1mm thick, the film will protect light scratches, smudges, finger grease, and finger prints all over your new shiny gadgets.  

But they don't stop at Blackberry's and iPods.  Their skins are precut for portable gaming devices, laptops and GPS devices.  They also sell uncut film, allowing you to custom format your skins.  

The ease of application is also unparalleled.  Unlike devises that collect fingerprints during the application process, bestskinsever.com uses soap and water to apply the skin.  This prevents damage to the skin, and allows those OCD to perfectly place the film over the device in the correct position.  If incorrectly located, the skin can be repositioned easily and is held in place permanently after a few minutes of applied pressure. 

While most silicone and clear plastic skins can easily cost over twenty dollars plus tax and shipping, bestskinsever.com skins start at 7 bucks for most iPods and handheld peripherals.  Laptop skins cost a mere 25 bucks and shipping is free for orders of 3 or more.  Furthermore, they offer promotional prices for newly released products such as the latest iPods and phones.  Their website offers skins for most popular electronics here: http://is.gd/9t5b.

So if you've purchased a new electronic device this holiday season, be sure to keep it
protected on the cheap. Otherwise, it might make you jump out of your skin.

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katieandandy says...
Nov 30, 2008

is going to play basketball before dinner. anyone want to join?

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katieandandy says...
Dec 01, 2008

Win Split Revolution

 If you're rockin dual 24" monitors or enjoy viewing multiple windows at the same time, listen up - this column's for you.  Imagine dividing up your screen real estate into 9 different quadrants, a 3x3 square if you will, very similar to your keyboard's numpad.  Now imagine you could instantly place your windows into each of the quadrants by pressing three simple keys.  That's the power of Win Split Revolution.

 Win Split is a small desktop utility which allows you to easily organize your open windows by tiling, resizing, and positioning them to make the best use of your desktop real estate.  Specifically, Win Split especially useful for high-end LCD screens with high resolutions or laptop users attached to an external monitor.  Instead of having to drag and drop windows, and resizing them to the correct dimensions, Win Split allows users to snap windows into specific tiled configurations using easy keyboard shortcuts.

scheme 1

 When a window is selected, its location and size can be adjusted by pressing Ctrl+Alt+Num.  7 represents the top left, 9 the top right, 3 the bottom right, and so forth.  After trying different numbers and relocalizing my windows with the numpad, Win Split had this columnist smiling with glee.

 For mouse fans, windows can be rearranged using the "Drag'n'Go" feature.  While holding Ctrl+Alt and dragging a window, different areas of the screen will highlight, indicating the location and size a window will snap to.  This is an alternative to using the numpad keyboard shortcuts to resize windows and offers a nice visual feedback that previews window localization. 

 Although very simple on the surface, Win Split truly flexes its muscles under the hood.  Keyboard shortcuts are fully customizable - on a laptop without a numpad?  No worries, simply use Ctrl+Alt+Q through C as your numpad.  Don't want to split your screen down the middle?  You can control the dimensions of your resized windows in the layout settings menu.  It even supports eight different languages and works on dual (even triple) monitor displays. 

 Aside from rearranging windows, Win Split can also "mosaic" all your windows instantly, similar to Mac's Exposé.  Windows fusion allows users to compare two windows and "slide" the divider between them to the appropriate ratio.  There is a "close all windows" function, aka Boss Button, and you can also maximize or minimize any window from the keyboard shortcuts.  If using multiple monitors, you can "throw" windows from one monitor to the other using arrow keys.

 scheme 4

 Overall this is a light (ran <3500 K), powerful, and easy to learn tool for windows users that increases productivity and impress the ladies.  Win Split is currently unavailable for the Mac, since Exposé limits the market for Win Split users.  Win Split is free and available today.

WinSplit Revolution download: http://is.gd/9LmS

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katieandandy says...
Dec 02, 2008

Apple In-Ear Headphones Out

If you own the newest iPod Nano, Touch, or have an iPhone, you're probably familiar with the embedded microphone/controller that appears on one of the headphone chords.  Its a classic addition onto the headphone chord that allows users to pause, fast forward, and skip back through songs.  Not to mention it acts as a microphone so you can talk to your friends hands free and record audio through the numerous applications in the App Store.  These headphones would be perfect except for one thing - they're lousy for sound quality.  

Of course Apple engineers also have palantirs so they see and hear everything from their users.  After many months of waiting, Apple has rolled out its beefed up iPod headphones.  The most noticeable difference is that they snuggle inside of your ear canal inside of hang on for dear life from the outside.  This design is meant to serve two functions: more of the sound emitted from the headphones are captured by the ear drums and less sound from the outside is able to be heard.  This results in better sound quality as perceived by the listener.  Furthermore, their headphones also incorporate two seperate drivers.  This means one driver controls the woofer and handles lower frequence sound ranges and a tweeter that controls high-frequency audio coming from your music.  Gone are the days of pushing your headphones deeper into your ears in order to catch the deep bass from the latest hip-hop tracks.  


Apple engineers have also taken a hint from the remote capsule on the iPhone headset and included this in the right earpiece cable.  It includes three buttons: two that act as a volume rocker and one that controls music and video playback.  Within the capsule is a microphone that can record voice memos and audio.  Although the headphones function remains compatible with a standard 3.5-mm audio jack, the audio input from the microphone will only work on the iPod classic, nano (4th generation), and touch (2nd generation), according to Apple's website.  These specifications indicate that these new headphones will not work on any iPhone of the new Macbooks and Macbook Pros - a strange call on Apple's part considering that they tout the iPhone as the "best-iPod-ever."  Since the iPod touch is capable of using the current iPhone headset, it seems odd that the reverse doesn't hold true for these new headphones.  Perhaps Apple is cautious of iPhone users so lost in their music that they forget to mind their surroundings.  

Probably the best part about these new headphones is the price.  The big names in headphone quality, Shure and Bose, start their prices around $99 and skyrocket to an astronomical $500.  For once, Apple has hit the right market, filling the void left between Bose and Skullcandy.  The added controls capsule is an added bonus for those active or lazy types who cannot control their device while on the go and gives any current iPod the simple controls of its little cousin: the iPod shuffle. Overall, Apple's In-Ear Headphones with Remote and Mic has this audiophile eager to hear more.   

One added tip for any in-ear headphone users - ditch the crummy silicon ear sleeves for earplugs.  Trim an earplug to the appropriate length of your ear canal and then cut a hole through the column.  Slip your new foam ear sleeve over the earphone column and you had a cheap new sleeve that will block out much more sound than silicone parts and fit snuggly into your ear.  To put the headphones on, simply compress the earplugs and slide them into your ear canal.  Wait a few seconds as the earplugs expand to fit into your ears.  You'll have a custom fit everytime!  If they rip or become covered in ear wax, simply replace them with the same cheap procedure instead of purchasing a new box of sleeves.  

UPDATE: CNET labs has confirmed that Apple's In-Ear Headphones work with the iPhone and iPhone 3G to take and respond to phone calls and control music playback.  Volume rocker does not function.  Boo hiss hiss. 

CNET review: http://is.gd/aF9T
Apple Store Page: http://is.gd/9Wmh

Filed under: Apple, Audio, Bose, Headphones, Headset, In-Ear, iPhone, iPod Classic, iPod Nano, iPod Shuffle, iPod Touch, Shure, Sound, Sound Quality
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