In preparation for buying an iPhone 4S this week, I explored iCloud.  I had my doubts but was more than pleasantly surprised!  The most important features on my phone are contacts, calendar, and to do list and while some solutions I have explored have appeared adequate, none has been completely easy to use or fault free.  Until yesterday.  I upgraded my MacBook to OS X Lion and my iPad to iOS 5.  These two processes went without a hitch (a treat in itself) and, after signing up for iCloud, I entered a few test calendar dates.  First, I entered one on the MacBook Air and it magically appeared on the iPad.  Then, I entered another one on the iPad and that one appeared on the MacBook.  I edited each of the events, and the revised versions appeared on the other device.  I haven’t experienced such ease of use across multiple devices since I was using my old Palm Treo!  Such ease, however, can come with a price.  iCloud is free up to 5 GB and then there is a cost.  All I can say though is:  Wow!

~mary anne
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I heard about the passing of Steve Jobs last night. Although I knew his health was failing, it was still a shock. He died far too soon; but, as I continued to reflect, I thought of the person who changed so many lives (business life by bringing us portable, easy-to-use technology; personal life by bringing us portable fun in the form of the iPod, iPad, and iPhone). We may never have the opportunity to touch lives on such a grand scale; but we can certainly make a positive difference in the lives of our family, friends, colleagues, and even strangers.  Remember:  “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.” ~Steve Jobs, 2005.

• Apple
• Wikipedia biography
• ZDNet (including text of 2005 Stanford commencement address
• Mashable (including 15 quotes from Steve Jobs)
• Walter Mossberg on Steve Jobs

~mary anne
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I think things are finally back to normal. I’m not sure what happened to the end of summer, though. Preparing for the hurricane (buying canned goods, gas, getting a go bag ready), living with no power for a week (not as bad as it could have been), and then catching up on all the things that did not get done during that time–and now it’s September!

Someone who helped changed the world has passed away. Michael Hart, “who was widely credited with creating the first e-book when he typed the Declaration of Independence into a computer on July 4, 1971, and in so doing laid the foundations for Project Gutenberg, the oldest and largest digital library” died on Tuesday, September 6. This New York Times article by William Grimes tells how Mr. Hart paved the way for today’s popular e-books. The world can be changed–one book at a time!

~mary anne
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I am home with no power, power lines down and a cracked tree. But, it is a beautiful day, we are safe and I am updating the website and this blog from my phone. It is magic!
mary anne

First, An Earthquake; Now, a Hurricane!

My motto is “Always Be Prepared For An Emergency!” One never knows what can happen to derail our happy little lives. I learned some important stuff from Tuesday’s earthquake. Do not try to leave your building while the tremor is happening. Take cover under a table or desk. When the shaking stops, you may go outside but stay away from buildings and trees because you do not want stone, bricks or trees coming down on your head. Now we need to be prepared for the possibility of a hurricane this coming weekend. I am already making ice! I am filling plastic bags with the ice to keep my freezer full–if the power goes out, everything will stay frozen for quite a while. I also fill the bathtub with water. Since I’m not on city water, this will allow me to use the water to “flush” while the power is out. I also fill a number of pots with water for cooking and dishwashing purposes (paper plates will be handy if you are without power for a while). Don’t forget to make sure you have batteries for your battery-powered radio, candles (be careful with them), bottled water, and canned and packaged food so you won’t starve if the power is out. Don’t forget to charge your cell phones, fill your car with gas, and make the best of any situation that may come your way. Here are some websites you might want to check out:

• Weather.com: Hurricane Irene-Current Status
• Wilton Bulletin: CLP Warning
• National Weather Service National Hurricane Center
• Ready.gov
• Ready.gov/Hurricanes
• Connecticut Guide To Emergency Preparedness
• Connecticut Hurricane Preparedness Tips

~mary anne
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I loved my Palm Pilot.  I loved my Palm Treo Smart Phone.  I really liked my Palm Pre Plus Smartphone in spite of the fact that the number and quality of apps never compared to Apple.  It’s a sad day with the demise of webOS, the Palm phones, and especially the HP TouchPad (which runs; oops, ran WebOS).  After not even two months on the market (and after almost immediate price cuts), HP has abandoned the HP TouchPad tablet and may be exiting the PC business altogether.  This article from Adrian Kingsley-Hughes of ZDNet gives details.  Yes, I feel sorry for those consumers who purchased TouchPads and wonder why it is so easy for a company to mislead consumers.  The moral of the story is to be careful when plunking down your hard earned money on new gadgets; it might not be worthwhile to be one of the first to purchase a new-to-market item.

~mary anne
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Are you a Blackberry owner?  You will want to read this article on ZDNet.com by Jason Perlow on the future of Blackberry.  Signing up for a two-year contract is an expensive proposition, especially if your choice of equipment is no longer actively supported by your provider.

~mary anne
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Here’s a good article by Eric Griffith of PC Magazine on How to Watch Netflix Anywhere.  He lists how to do Netflix streaming on many different devices, including TVs, DVRs, Blu-Ray Players, WiiXbox, Sony PlayStation, Mobile devices (including iPod touch, iPhone, iPad, Android Phones, Windows 7 phones, and more).  Some work better than others but it’s great to have so many choices.  It’s just amazing to watch my cable TV on an iPad–it is a magical time we live in!

~mary anne
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One of the intruiging features of the new Apple operating system release and other device upgrades is iCloud (the replacement for MobileMe) which is supposed to allow for easy syncing of your data across all devices: Mac computers, iPads, iPhones, etc.  The pricing is listed in this ZDNet article by Zack Whittaker.  Also, iCloud is now open to developers so if that is what you do, it’s time to get working! 

~mary anne
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Last night, this article from David Pogue in The New York Times really caught my interest!  “Free, legal, song-specific and convenient” music–what more could I want!  In order to try it, you must receive an invite from a friend or request one from Spotify.com.  I’ve requested mine and hope it comes for this weekend!  I’ll let you know what I think.

~mary anne
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