Ever had your MacBook die on you? I know Apple has been so gracious to give us 20 minute warnings but I tend to respond with, “20 minutes? I’ve got time”. Low Battery Saver aims to help us out by giving us better notifications on the time our battery has left. It’s a pretty neat little app.

I’ve got a few copies of Low Battery Saver to give away. If you are interested, just Join My Mailing List and you’ll be set. (don’t worry, I don’t spam people. This list is just for giveaways)

The drawing will be held on Wednesday, Feb 8th, 2012

*Update: The drawing is over and the licenses have been given away. Join my mailing list for future giveaways

The Akitio SK-3501 Super-S3 hard drive enclosure is a one stop shop for your extra storage needs. This 4-port enclosure is speedy, stackable, capable of handling drives up to 3TB and works with Mac OS 10.2 and up.

I am a huge consumer of hard drive space. Between graphic design, web projects, print, branding, UX and video editing, hard drives fill up as fast as I can buy them. I have found it a bit easier to buy JUST the HD and swap it out of an enclosure as I fill it up. The Super-S3 is perfect for just that plus it offers 4 different connection ports (2 Firewire 800, 1 eSATA & 1 USB 3.0). It’s speedy, keeps the drive cool without needing a fan and stacks with other Super-S3′s really nicely. It retails for about $100 from Amazon.com. (Just remember that you need to buy the drive too)

I don’t have a USB 3.0 or eSATA port on my MBP but the FW800 and USB 2.0 worked great (and fast). I definitely recommend this drive as an addition to your storage needs however I can’t really speak on the subject of it’s longevity as I’ve only had it for a month but it’s worked like a charm 100% of that time for me.

I was poking around the internet today and added a few interesting things to my wish list. I thought you might find them interesting too. Here’s what I found:

GRID-IT! Organizer Case

MiLi Pico Projector

Wacom Inkling

Perpetual Calendar

The Magic Charger

Resonant Decor

Solar Window Charger

That’s just a few

Magic Carpet Vortex, Digital Painting by Michael LaPenna (Michael is heavily inspired by Jobs' vision)

“Think different.”
- Apple tagline/slogan

Hello again citizens of Apple-onia. I originally posted these seven gems elsewhere and they likely have been rehashed and “refurbished” a million gigs over since the news of Steve Jobs’ passing. But nonetheless, they hold true today, if not truer than they did in the days of our friend Steve’s garage genius in the early 80s. They are as I said in another blog,  a “conglomeration of Apple-lonious wisdom from the iKing” taken taken from various interviews, speeches and book quotations and amongst other things a blog that I found at ActiveRain.com. Special thanks go to William and Teri once again.

1. Do what you love-don’t settle, passion is everything. Do it because you love it.

2. Put a dent in the universe. Develop a clear and concise vision. Have the courage to follow your heart.

3. Say no to a thousand things. Focus. Reduce the clutter, make it simple. Get the spark back. Simplicity =
having only a half dozen people you consult with.

4. Kick start your brain by doing something new. Develop an inquiring mind. Unexpected connections. The apple stores are based on the four seasons.

5. Sell dreams, not products. Re-think something as an entirely new experience. (Example: the iPhone revolutionized the telephone experience.)

6. Create insanely great experiences. Innovate by creating an extraordinary consumer experience. (Note how shopper friendly any Apple Store is.)

7. Master the message. Steve re-invented the phone. It ‘s all about how well you communicate.

Steve Jobs was a genius, a perfectionist — the ultimate visionary. Steal his secrets, he expects it!.

Steve once said, “Good artists copy, great artists steal.”

Last night I noticed that my MacBook Pro was acting a little strange so I decided to take it in to the Apple store for a check up. I started to go about the traditional method of booking a genius bar appointment.

> Go to Apple.com… <wait> <wait> <wait>

> Go to APPLE.COM!!

At that point I realized that my Internet was completely down, how convenient! Then I remembered that there was an Apple Store app for the iPhone. After a few seconds, I downloaded the app and was browsing for my store. In a few more seconds, I had booked my appointment and was packing up the MBP for it’s ride in the car. As I was pulling in to the parking lot of the Apple store, I got a notification asking me if I wanted to check in for my appointment. Cool! I checked in and was notified that there was 1 person in front of me (all before I even walked in the door). Once inside, I walked up to the genius bar and was promptly greeted by one of the geniuses asking “Are you Brent?” again… COOL!

We worked through several things on the MBP which turned out to be small minor issues and I was off with a much healthier Mac. Needless to say, I was incredibly impressed by the Apple Store App. It does a lot more than just what I used it for but that was just a great user experience. Here’s what Apple is saying about it:

It’s the easiest way to get an iPhone 4S – right from your current iPhone.* Wherever you are, you can research and buy products, read reviews, make Genius Bar and One to One appointments, view in-store events, and more. And when you’re in an Apple Retail Store, you can request help, meet up with a Specialist, and more.??Here’s what you can do with the Apple Store app:

• Research and buy the latest Apple products, accessories, and software and get them shipped to your door.
• When at an Apple Retail Store, request help, check in for reservations, meet up with a Specialist or Trainer.
• Make Genius Bar and One to One reservations and sign up for workshops and events.
• Get free iPad and iPod engraving and signature gift wrapping for select Apple products.
• Custom-configure a new Mac with the options you want, including larger drives and more memory.
• Reserve iPhone and other select products for pickup at an Apple Retail Store.

*Rate plans for AT&T and Verizon Wireless are available through the Apple Store app. To purchase iPhone with a Sprint plan, visit the Apple Online Store or an Apple Retail Store.

Today, we loose an icon. Steve, you will be greatly missed. The above picture is on Apple’s home page right now. Apple has also put up a special announcement page for your thoughts, memories, and condolences. If you wish to send something, you can email: rememberingsteve@apple.com

Here’s some links to the articles about his death:

• LA Times
• The Washington Post
• CNN
• Huffington Post
• The Wall Street Journal
• Reuters
• PC World
• Gizmodo
• Tech Crunch

Steve, you will be GREATLY missed! Our thoughts and prayers go out to your family.

Thank you!

As many of you know as of this writing, there is no iPhone 5. There is only the iPhone 4S. There is only an A5 chip only twice as fast as the one in the iPhone 4. There is only the voice-activated texting and reminder recording. And what shall we do with the old way of storing the photos in our 2010 Macs and iPhone 4s? We now have to bear down and float the cloud computing wave of unlimited storage and 1080p HD video and eight megapixel photos, not seven or six — oh, my Lord!

How oh how will we survive? I don’t know, but… I once went a week without my YouTube service on my iPod touch. Hang on, folks!

Get used to the new 4S because actually it’s AWESOME! )

Have a look: http://www.apple.com/iphone/

The iPhone app, Siri is now a full part of iOS 5. This is a pretty cool addition. I have played with the app previous to it being pulled from the app store today and I was very impressed at how much it could do. I thought at the time that the only way for the app to get better would for it to be more integrated in to the phone via the OS. Well, that’s the case as Apple announced today. Siri is here to stay and I can’t wait to try it. Unfortunately, for those of us who want to play, we have to buy the new iPhone that comes out on the 14th. So… I don’t have any idea if I really want to buy the new phone. Seems like a bunch of cool stuff but I’m still on the fence. (I probably will buy it though. LOL)

It understands what you say.

Talk to Siri as you would to a person. Say something like “Tell my wife I’m running late.” “Remind me to call the vet.” “Any good burger joints around here?” And Siri answers you. It does what you say and finds the information you need. And then it hits you. You’re actually having a conversation with your iPhone.