October 07, 2005

Google Launches an RSS Aggregator

Just in time for Cool Tool Friday, Google has launched an RSS aggregator. It looks like Google is really starting to realize the value of Flash, as well. After moving Google Video over to Flash, they are now using Flash in their new RSS aggregator to play podcasts. Very cool stuff.

What are you using to aggregate? I'm using Bloglines now so I can switch between computers easily, but I might give the new Google Reader a try.

Update: Like Gmail, Google Reader even supports Vi keys. Nice!

Posted by cantrell at 10:56 AM. Link | Comments (3) | References

September 29, 2005

From Vim to Eclipse

I used to do almost all my coding (and editing in general) in vim. I actually think vim is one of the most brilliant pieces of software ever created -- obviously not because it's particularly feature rich, but because it is simple and elegant. I can use vim for editing almost any type of document, on any platform, and it can be used remotely through ssh just as easily as it can be used locally.

But I've actually been using Eclipse more and more lately in an attempt to modernize. I find the editor itself slower to use (not because of performance, but because vim was designed from the start to make navigation and editing as fast as possible), but in general, all of the features of Eclipse have actually made me more productive. In an attempt to get the best of both worlds, however, I'm now experimenting with a Vi plugin for Eclipse. It seems to work pretty well, though not exactly as I would expect in all circumstances, so I'm debating whether to stick with it, or just give up and surrender myself entirely to Eclipse. Whenever possible, I always try to stick with as much of the default functionality of an application as possible so that I can move from one machine to another and feel like I'm in the same environment. Ironically, that's precisely one of the things I like best about vim, and might be what prevents me from trying to integrate it into Eclipse.

Posted by cantrell at 09:35 AM. Link | Comments (12) | References

June 17, 2005

Cool Tool Friday: Google Launches Mobile Search

Being able to search with Google over your mobile device is nothing new, but being able to search Google for mobile results is. Google's new mobile search engine allows you to search for results that are specifically designed to work on your mobile device. That makes much more sense than searching a mobile version of Google for sites designed for your PC. Just go to Google.com on your mobile device, and look for the "Mobile Web (Beta)" option in the list below the text box. My Cingular data service is sketchy today, so I can't give a thorough going over, but I grabbed a friend's phone long enough to do a couple of searches, and so far, so good.

So how many people out there actually use their phones for browsing? What kinds of data services do you use on your phone, and how often do you use them? Frankly, I seldom do more than IM, SMS, a little email here and there, and check the occasional weather report, but I'm always looking for ways to get more out of my phone.

Posted by cantrell at 11:50 AM. Link | Comments (3) | References

May 20, 2005

Cool Tool Friday: Google Homepage

By now, I'm sure you've seen Google's new ability to create your own custom homepage. Just wanted to gather some thoughts. What do you think? I think it's pretty slick. I like the drag and drop functionality. Unfortunately everything they offer is information I pretty much already get elsewhere through aggregators or widgets of one type or another, but I'll see how having them all in one place on my browser's homepage works out for me.

Anyway, how many of you have switched the Google homepage? If you haven't, why? What do you have set as your homepage instead?

Posted by cantrell at 04:26 PM. Link | Comments (9) | References

April 29, 2005

Cool Tool Friday: Flash-based Email with Goowy

If you haven't done so already, you might want to check out the Goowy Mail beta for a very different web-based email experience. Goowy Mail is almost completely Flash-based, and offers a pretty comprehensive set of features like skins, POP integration, spell checking, junk filters, contacts, and more. Free accounts get you 100MB of storage, but Goowy Mail Plus and Platinum are coming soon, and will offer more space as well as additional features.

It's a pretty impressive app, and definitely worth looking in to. If you want to send some test emails to get a feel for it, my Goowy email address is cantrell@goowy.com.

Posted by cantrell at 04:14 PM. Link | Comments (13) | References

December 10, 2004

Cool Tool Friday 2: Google Suggest

Check out the latest project from Google labs: Google Suggest. As you type search terms, it will offer keyword suggestions in real time.

Posted by cantrell at 02:01 PM. Link | Comments (2) | References

Cool Tool Friday: MSN Direct Watches

I've gotten a few emails asking me what ever happened to Cool Tool Friday. Sorry I've been remiss. It's not due to a lack of cool tools so much as a lack of time. Anyway, enough excuses. On to my newest toy.

If you're a regular reader, you know how much I love watches. I've loved them all my life. All kinds of watches, too, from Timex to Rolex. I like traditional mechanical and automatic analog watches, as well as the bleeding edge digitals. So when I first came across Microsoft's SPOT watches, I was dying to try one, but there weren't any models available yet that I really liked, or that were cheap enough to buy as an experiment. Then Swatch introduced the Swatch Paparazzi and I made the leap.

The Swatch Paparazzi is a fantastic watch in and of itself even without the MSN Direct service. It has just about every time-related feature you could ask for in a watch from support for multiple time zones to a countdown timer to two programmable alarms (meaning you can set the date as well as just the time) to a full calendar interface. The backlight is every effective, the buttons have a perfect feel, and at $150, the price is right.

Then add on the MSN Direct service, and you have a very powerful tool. In addition to all the features I just named, I now have news headlines, news alerts, stock quotes, customizable watch faces, movie information, and weather. And there are several other "channels" I could add, as well (like sports and horoscopes) if I were interested.

What are the downsides? Well, you pay yearly for the MSN Direct service. I got the $40 plan (which doesn't include Outlook synchronization) which I personally think is fairly reasonable. And the other downside is the size of the watch. Since it has a built-in antenna, it's not exactly subtle, and doesn't quite say the same thing as a Seiko, Citizen, Omega, or a Tag Heuer. But it's a fun watch, nonetheless, and definitely a good addition to my collection.

For more information on the Swatch Paparazzi, you can read a review here. Also, anyone else out there wearing an MSN Direct watch right now? If so, what do you think?

Posted by cantrell at 12:33 PM. Link | Comments (2) | References

October 08, 2004

Cool Tool Friday: Community Vision 2.0

If you were hanging around the blogging scene last year around this time, you might remember Community Vision. Community Vision is an application that lets anyone publish images to a kind of public picture weblog. We launched it just before MAX last year, and collected a ton of cool pictures of all the goings on in Salt Lake City.

I just installed a new version of Community Vision, and I need your help testing it. The biggest changes I made were in the code that processes the emails and attachments. It should be significantly more robust now, and it should handle emails sent from all different types of devices. To help test, simply:

  1. Take any of type of digital picture with any type of device.
  2. Attach it to an email (using any type of device -- all phones and PDAs should work) and send it to vision2-at-markme.com (the -at- should be '@' -- we had a massive spam problem last year).
  3. The subject of your email will be the image's title, and the body will be the caption.
  4. Wait no more than five minutes, then check out your picture online.

Before participating, please check out the official rules and instructions by clicking on the "About Community Vision" link on the main Community Vision page. Also be aware that since this is a test, things may not go complete as planned, so if you notice that something has gone awry, let me know, and I'll get it fixed.

Posted by cantrell at 10:05 AM. Link | Comments (1) | References

September 24, 2004

Cool Tool Friday: The Danger (T-Mobile) Sidekick 2

I usually stay away from hardware on Cool Tool Fridays, but this week, I can't resist. After having my Sony Ericsson T616 quit on me about two weeks ago, I've been madly searching for a new phone/PIM device. The timing was all wrong because the new Treo 650s are due out sometime next month (as is the Sony Ericsson P910), both of which I had my eye on. I've never owned a "smart phone" before (combination PDA and mobile phone), so I thought it was time I gave it a try.

But I needed a phone now, and couldn't wait for products to finally ship, and for exclusive agreements with carriers to expire, etc. So I went to the AT&T store, and had a look around. I ended up walking out with the "top of the line" Nokia device which even the employees drooled over: the 6620. It was a great phone, which I'd been watching since its introduction a couple of months ago, and I found I immediately liked the Symbian OS. The problem was Mac compatibility. Usually, Nokia's Symbian devices are very Mac friendly, and I have no doubt that Apple iSync will eventually support the 6620, but as of now, the only "integration" you can do is to transfer vCards via Bluetooth (which only works marginally well since no phone number types are preserved).

Although I loved the phone, it wasn't doing me any good as a PIM device, and it's primary feature -- streaming video -- was too expensive for me to justify, so I decided to return it, and simply replace my T616 with the updated Sony Ericsson T637.

The T637 is a decent phone. It's very small, very light, and has a solid feature set (bluetooth, IR, etc.). It's also fully supported by iSync. What really sealed the deal, though, was the IM clients. The T637 comes installed with AIM, ICQ, and Yahoo! Messenger -- the three services I use on a regular basis. I loved the idea of always staying connected via IM, and I found my old T68i thumb-board interfaced perfectly with the T637.

I used the T637 for a few days, and was relatively happy with it except for:

  1. The camera was really bad. I don't really care that much about cameras built into phones (that's why I have a separate digital camera), but this was so bad that I couldn't even use it to take pictures for wallpapers.
  2. Sending instant messages was $.10 per message! Paying per IM defeats the purpose of IMing, in my opinion. No :), or "lol" or "brb", etc, if you have to pay for it.
  3. The phone had the same flimsy feel as the T616, which had just broken on me, and had gotten difficult to see due to massive amounts of dust under the screen.

I did some additional research, and came across the Danger Sidekick 2, sold exclusively though T-Mobile as of right now. A couple of very positive reviews from people I trust had me interested enough to take a chance, so I am now a few days into my 14 day evaluation, and so far, I think the Sidekick is the coolest device I've ever used. I won't go into too much detail since there are already several great reviews out there, but I'll mention a few of what I consider to be top features:

  1. The best key (thumb) board I've ever used on any device. Even better than my Sony Clie UX50.
  2. Cool flip screen.
  3. Nice form-factor. It may appear to be a little large at first, but I actually think the size is perfect. (I don't like phones that are so small that you can't even pin them against your ear with your shoulder.)
  4. For a single price, I get unlimited data (web browsing, email, instant messaging).
  5. Always connected AIM and Yahoo! Messenger clients. (No ICQ, though.)
  6. Auto synchronization of PIM applications with T-Mobile's online application.

This is a very different type of device which is easy to find faults with at first: no bluetooth, no IR, no huge library of 3rd party applications. But after using it, you begin to realize that Danger was really thinking outside of the box when they designed and built this thing. You don't need bluetooth and IR since updating information on the web updates your always-connected device in real time (amazing!). And no, I can't download a carb counting application or a tip calculator like I could with a Treo or Pocket PC smart phone, but the Sidekick either comes with or makes available all the basic applications I need, and they are better than many of their counterparts on other platforms. And finally, being a Mac user (primarily), I really appreciate the platform independent nature of the Sidekick. Whether I'm using Windows, Mac, or Linux, I can manage my information in the exact same way, from wherever I happen to be.

The Sidekick is a unique little device that certainly would not suit all smart phone users, but it's by far the best solution I've used -- in the last two weeks, anyway.

What mobile phone/PIM "solutions" are you into?

Posted by cantrell at 11:55 AM. Link | Comments (17) | References

September 13, 2004

Cool Tool Monday: GPS Navigation Systems

I missed Cool Tool Friday last week because I was on vacation, so I thought I'd sneak in a Cool Tool entry on a Monday. This week I'm excited about GPS navigation systems, and in particular, the Garmin iQue 3200. I've had the iQue for some time now -- probably about four months -- but taking it on vacation reinforces how cool it really is. I drove 4 hours to the beach, drove around a new area for a week, drove home, and drove some relatives to a distant airport I've never driven to before, and didn't get lost once (except when I wasn't using the GPS). But not getting lost is sort of a given with a GPS, I think, and isn't really the biggest advantage since even if you had directions scrawled on the back of a cocktail napkin, you probably wouldn't get lost. The real advantages are:

  1. Never having to get directions. Just hop in your car and go, whether you know where you're going or not.
  2. Automatic rerouting. If you miss a turn, the device will reroute in a matter of seconds, and fix your mistakes for you.
  3. Location-based services. Don't know about other GPS devices, but the iQue has a very comprehensive database of locations which you search for by all kinds of criteria, which means you don't even need to know where you want to go so much as what you want to do.
  4. Always having a map. Even if you aren't using your GPS device's ability to route, it's nice looking at a map of where you're going. You can see landmarks around you on the map that you can't see through your windows, and quickly evaluate shortcuts to avoid traffic problems.

The iQue is a handheld GPS rather than one that actually installs or is integrated into your dashboard. Since I drive a Jeep with a soft top, everything that might be overly tempting has to be removable and small enough that it can be locked in a console or glove box, so the iQue is perfect for me. In-dash units have a lot of advantages (always available, larger screen, integrated antenna), but the iQue actually has several advantages over many in-dash units (fast processor, expandable memory, handwriting recognition, PDA functionality, portable). As always, in a perfect world, I would have one of each, but as it stands, I'm pretty happy with the iQue.

Any other satisfied GPS users out there?

Posted by cantrell at 10:48 AM. Link | Comments (6) | References

September 03, 2004

Cool Tool Friday: Stock Tickers

It occurred to me one day how useless it is to get stock quotes via SMS on my cell phone once a day from Yahoo! since one particular snapshot wasn't telling me much. I could follow broad trends, but when it comes to making serious decisions, snapshots of delayed stock quotes are pretty useless.

I decided to install a stock ticker this morning to keep myself a little more current. (Ironically, it's a bad day to be watching the market!) I settled on wStock for OS X which is a free utility that scrolls symbols and fluctuations across your menu bar. It's free (which was my #1 requirement), and although the quotes are delayed (as all free quotes are, I think), I'm much better able to keep track of trends throughout the day.

I usually have to try several different applications before finding the best one out there, so I thought I get some feedback from you guys. Can anyone recommend a good stock ticker for OS X? What about Windows, for when I'm over on that side of the fence?

Posted by cantrell at 12:38 PM. Link | Comments (1) | References

August 11, 2004

Macromedia News on Your iPod: Day Two

We've really gotten a tremendous response from the community on Take-Away, the project Mike and I launched yesterday which allows you to read and listen to Macromedia news on your iPod. Thanks for all the great comments and suggestions!

I probably should have mentioned that Take-Away is still in "beta". That's just a fancy way of saying that while it should always be available, occasionally things might not work perfectly. In fact, I have spent my morning fixing the first two bugs found in production:

  1. The generated MP3 files were being generated at a speed which is not compatible with the MP3 decoder built into the Flash Player, so the feeds were being played at 2x speed. While that's great for productivity, and didn't do much for comprehension. I have Robert Hall to thank for getting me on the right track toward fixing this issue, and now, you can play the generated MXNA MP3 files through Flash (has anyone built anything that does this yet?).
  2. As you might imagine, I have to do a significant amount of processing of feeds and posts before converting them into sound, most of which is done through regular expressions. I use a regular expression to remove URLs so people don't have to sit there and listen to these long, 200 character URLs being monotonously read to them, however it turns out my expression was overly greedy, and was sometimes eating pieces of other people posts along with the URL. That's fixed now, too. (For those of you who had your posts verbally mangled, sorry!)

Let me know if you see any other issues, and keep the great comments and suggestions coming!

Posted by cantrell at 11:10 AM. Link | Comments (3) | References

August 10, 2004

Cool Tool Tuesday: Macromedia News on Your iPod

We're a little early for Cool Tool Friday, but I think this is a cool enough project that I'm bending the rules a bit. Mike Chambers and I just finished putting together and launching an application we're calling Take-Away which not only lets you read MXNA aggregated news as notes on your iPod, but also lets you listen to it, as well. The application checks over 300 Macromedia-related weblogs for new posts every hour, and regenerates the appropriate MP3s and note files. If you drive to work, listen to Macromedia news on your stereo. If you ride a bus or a train, read the news. If you work from home, play with it just for fun. And if you don't have an iPod, this is as good a reason as any to go get one!

See the Take-Away page for more information, and let me know if you have any suggestions for future versions.

Posted by cantrell at 09:40 AM. Link | Comments (5) | References

August 06, 2004

Cool Tool Friday: Firefox Search Engine Plugins

Having a search field embedded in your browser's toolbar is nothing revolutionary anymore. I mean, come on, it's August 2004 already -- who actually goes to Google to use Google anymore? But extending your browser's search functionality to tons of other searchable sites I think is still pretty cool, and worthy of a Cool Tool Friday quick mention.

If you use Firefox, choose the "Add engines..." item from the search plugins drop-down box, then go crazy installing search plugins. Having tons of search plugins installed saves you from having to actually go to a site before using it. Throughout the day, all those clicks you didn't have do and pages you didn't have to load can really add up, translating into more time working, which, of course, is what we all want, isn't it?

I currently have plugins installed for Amazon, Dictionary.com, eBay, Froogle, Google, a few specialized dictionaries, macosxhints, Macromedia, Slashdot, and my favorite, TinyURL. Anyone have any indispensable search plugins they want to share?

Some additional resources: