Slacker Radio on the iPhone

Remember when I posted on my favorite iPhone apps and I mentioned Pandora?  Well I remember!

A Pandora like application, called Slacker Radio, has just been released.

Slacker Radio comes with two versions, the free version and the not-so-free version ($3.99)

The free version does everything the paid version has minus the fact that the free version has occasional advertisements and a limited amount of song skips.

All and all it's worth a download (come on folks, it's free!)

Source [Cnet]

Anticipation for January 21st

This post is dedicated to my love for the television program, Lost.  Lost, IMO, is the best show on television and arguably the best program I have followed (bold, I know).  But instead of me going on and on why the show is so great, I'll stay with the theme of the blog and give you something else....

KATE, SAYID, AND BENJAMIN LINUS'S PLAYLISTS ON iTUNES!!!!

Okay it's not really Kate, Sayid, and Benjamin Linus, rather the actors that play them's top songs.

So without further adieu:

Kate (Evangeline Lilly)

- Besides Damien Rice, I've never heard of any of the songs Evangeline likes.  They seem to be pretty indie songs.

Sayid (Naveen Andrew)

- Naveen seems to prefer the older decades of music (Dylan, Hendrix, Sinatra, etc.).  I'm delighted to see that he chose the Star Spangled Banner by Jimi Hendrix even though he served for the Iraqi Army....oh wait, that was Sayid

Benjamin Linus (Michael Emerson)

- Benjamin, I mean Michael, prefers older genres of music (probably because the Island doesn't transmit recent songs)

Featuring Google Quick Search (aka Google's Quicksilver)

Google recently released their competitor to the popular Mac application, Quicksilver.  I wouldn't call it a competitor though, since the director of  the application worked on the Quicksilver app, Nicholas Jitkoff.

Nevertheless, I'll be downloading this bad boy and giving it a whirl!

Source [Lifehacker]

Google Chrome Coming to the Mac

Google Chrome is coming to the Mac (and Linux) OSs in the first half of 2009 or so says Brian Radowski, Chrome Product Manager.

 "[The first half of 2009] is what we're hoping for," he said.

^ You see, I didn't lie

Courtesy of [Apple Insider]

Quick Fixes for Common Mac Problems

I stumpled upon (actually, dugg upon) an article that is a good resource to not only new Mac users but also the experienced.

The article supplies quick fixes for 10 common Mac problems, some that I knew and some that I didn't know about -- all and all I would consider it a valuable bookmark

Courtesy of  [Techradar]

The Wonderful World of Smart Playlists

Second Semester begins tomorrow and I have been in town since last Wednesday, so you could imagine I have a fair share of free time.  In my free time I began cleaning out some of my iTunes library (I know, I'm lame), whether it be duplicate songs or songs I have no desire to listen to anymore.  After dedicating about 35-45 minutes towards that task, I sat and thought of easier ways to filter the songs that I haven't listened to in quite a while or songs that I listen to alot (in terms of playcount)  that I haven't taken the time to rate (yes, you can do that in iTunes).

I decided to Google some ideas for smart playlists and here are some links to some pretty good ideas:

Lifehacker (read the commenters ideas as well!)

Macworld

Cranking Widgets Blog

Now if you'll excuse me, I have football to watch.

Addio Zune?

Apparently Microsoft is on the verge of admitting defeat on their infamous (was that properly used) "iPod killer".

The Zune had it's benefits and had an exceptional cult following, but when one of your top fans decides to jump ship, you know you might have some problems.

Although the article is pure speculation, I wouldn't be surprised if MS pulls the plug on the product, but then again, I'll believe it when I see/read it.

Source: Valleywag.com

Macworld and CES Hangover

So as some of you may or may not know I'm a big Apple nerd and Apple recently held their last keynote at Macworld (a trade show that happens every January).  To everybody's surprise Apple's iconic CEO, Steve Jobs, backed out for personal reasons and gave the reigns to Phil Schiller.  Phil strutted around the stage and introduced some very neat things.

Not only did Apple present new and upcoming products, but so did other big names like Microsoft and Palm at the CES trade show.

Here are some of the highlights of the show (courtesy of Lifehacker.com)

The Only iPhone/iPod Apps You'll Ever Need*

Let's talk here:

The holiday season is over, the Christmas tree is down and packed back into the attic (unless you live in my house), stockings boxed back up (see the previous theoretical statement), the champagne is dry and you have already broken your New Year's Resolution.

But you still have that iPod Touch/iPhone you got this holiday season! (Hooray!)

You've tinkered around with it, checked out Youtube, Facebook, listened to music and all that neat stuff but you want more, but you don't know what exactly

Don't worry, I'll show you what you've been missing.

Alright let me break this down into Steve's Official List of Necessary iPod/iPhone apps!

Numero Uno!

Shazam:  The app is so awesome that Apple put it into one of their ads.  Shazam listens to the music currently playing and not only tells you the name, artist, and album it belongs to, but also links you to a biography of the artist, links you to buy it from iTunes, and sometimes links you to a the music video on Youtube.  It works, and it's amazing (Thus, it made my list)

Numero Dos!

Pandora:  Pandora is an online radio that plays customized stations of your favorite artist and similar musicians.  Pandora recently updated their app by bringing over the Cover Flow view (ala iTunes).  Pandora allows you to stream CD quality music over the 3G, WiFi, or Edge network for free.  Not only that but it helps you discover new music (which is always a plus).

Numero Tres!

Weightbot:  With every new year brings a resolution (which coincidently is broken or forgotten around February or March), and one (I) would assume that most people's resolutions are to lose weight (Cue Weightbot).  Weightbot is a weight tracker that tracks your weight (assuming you put it in) and graphs it to show how great/poorly you're doing.  There are several health/weight loss themed apps in the app store but several critics agree (including myself, obviously) that Weightbot delivers with not only functionality but also with one of the smoothest and nicest interfaces of any app on the market.  Plus the icon looks like Wall-E, which is fun.

Numero Cuatro!

Fieldrunners:  This is a strategy based game where you basically set up towers to kill these guys from getting to your base.  The graphics are sharp considering the platform and the gameplay is smooth and intuitive.  It's currently $4.99 but trust me, I wouldn't plug it if I didn't think it was worth it/freaking awesome.  

Numero Cinco!

Remote:  Apple introduced the app store with one of their own apps packed inside.  Remote isn't just a clever name, it turns your iPod/iPhone (okay that's getting redundant, I'm going to call the combo an iPhone Touch from now on) into an iTunes / AppleTV remote control.  Now this may not be convenient to those who don't have an AppleTV but to those who use their computers to watch movies (aka me with my iMac) I find the Apple Remote app to be extremely useful when deciding on what movie to watch or song to listen to.

Numero Seis!

Trace:  If you were to ask my 8 year old cousin (which would be sort of creepy and grounds for a restraining order if you did) she would tell you that her favorite thing about my iPhone is Trace.  Trace is a simple yet amazing(ly free) game that puts you in control of this guy and you use your finger to "trace" a bridge to get the man to the goal.  Some levels are easy while some levels are frustratingly difficult (I'm looking at you Space World).

Numero Siete!

Facebook:  Chances are you (yes, I really am talking to you sideburns) have a Facebook account and chances are you are addicted to it.  Don't worry, you can bring that addiction wherever you go with the Facebook app for the iPhone Touch.  The Facebook app, although has some quirks, is a good app that allows you to utilize the Facebook Chat feature, check your messages, check your profile, friends profile...basically the majority of what you can do on the regular site you can do on the app.  Check it out, it's free.

Numero Ocho!

Twitterific:  So Twitter is this crazy internet startup that some call a fad and others call an addiction.  Either way you look at it, the service is pretty popular right now and the Twitterific app allows you to post updates (or "tweets" as they cleverly put it) to your profile from your iPhone.  Like Weightbot, there are several Twitter apps in the app store but I have found that the Twitterific app has the nicest interface

Well that's it for now, I decided to stop at 8 since it's my favorite number -- whenever I come across a worthwhile app I will be sure to post about it but these 8 are (currently) my favorite apps offered in the App Store

Holla Holla

So here we are again.  I'm yet again trying my hand at blogging, partially due to a certain room-mate of mine

I feel like a dieting fat kid who lives across the street from an ice cream shop (which coincidently I live close to an ice cream shop), I just can't withstand the temptation for long.

Well this all well and good but I'm sure you're asking (yes, you), "Sure Steve, I'll follow this blog for a few posts and then you'll give it up like you always do."  In which I have to reply, you're probably right.

This time I'm going to use a different approach.  This blog won't necessarily be focused on my personal thoughts or rants, rather it will be about techy/nerdy/awesome stuff........and my personal thoughts or rants