Tuesday, December 06, 2005
Mac user installs Mac mini with ‘Front Row’ in Ford F-150
Ok, someone went and did this. Now there’s one one question, when can I get one in my Explorer?
Better yet, maybe I would have more fun with it if it was in my wife’s Explorer!
Friday, November 11, 2005
PoGo! Radio Your Way LX - not just another iPod clone
We’ve got our first, second and third iPods already, so rather than buy a fourth…
I bought a PoGo! Radio Your Way LX from CCrane communications.
Why?
+ It records: Voice, AM/FM, Line in
+ The recordings can be triggered by timer
+ It has variable speed playback: .5x, .7x, 1.3x, 1.5x. This makes transcriptions much more tolerable.
+ It accepts removable media, SD cards
(I’d looked for recorders using Compact Flash, but they were quite a bit more expensive.)
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Tuesday, October 18, 2005
Wacom Intous 3 Review
A few years ago, I introduced a co-worker to a Wacom tablet to ease carpal tunnel pain. Today, I would be lost without a tablet. Digital painting, editing photos, or schematic layout, the Wacom line of tablets offers something for just about everyone. A market leader since 1989, Wacom continues to add innovations to an already solid product line. The Intuos3 represents the latest release in Wacom’s professional line of graphics tablets. The tablet is available in three flavors (4 by 5 inches, 6 by 8 inches, and 9 by 12 inches) and sport higher resolutions than Graphire tablets for improved pen tracking accuracy, added functionality through the addition of ExpressKeys and Touch Strips, and pen features like tilt and increased pressure sensitivity.
The out of box experience was a plus. Packaged and designed well, the Intuos3 just feels good. Sturdy and weighted, the tablet can be placed on an inclined workspace and not slide around when used. Wacom sent the 9 by 12 in Intuos3 for our review. The tablet’s work area was spacious and thin for a comfortable workspace. The Intuos3 has 5080 dpi of resolution, twice that of its predecessor. One of the key updates to the pro line is the addition of ExpressKeys and Touch Strips in lieu of the menu strip on older models. The ExpressKeys are a set of 8 (or 4 on the 4 by 5 inch model) keys that can be configured individually or in groups to represent mouse clicks or keystrokes. Specialized commands can be configured on a per application basis. Similarly, the Touch Strips are configurable to allow scrolling, zooming, adjusting tool or brush size, etc… The Touch Strips offer similar functionality to a notebook touchpad (sliding the finger/pen, tapping, tap and hold) and can be configured individually.
The pen is cordless (and battery free) and sports a soft, comfortable rubber grip, a programmable double switch, and pressure sensitive tip and eraser. The tablet comes with the standard nib for general work, a felt nib that adds friction to mimic a marker, and a stroke nib for brush strokes. 1024 levels of pressure sensitivity, up to 60º of tilt sensitivity, interchangeable tips and a large workspace help to translate flowing pen, brush, or erase strokes into your digital workspace. Wacom offers an airbrush and inking pens as additional accessories to the Intuos tablets and the ToolD recognition feature allows for individual functions on a per tool basis.
The one major disappointment in the Tablet market is the constant addition of a mouse to the bundle. Lets face it, if you need a customizable mouse for your work then you will buy a custom mouse. I have owned/tested a number of tablets and I have yet to use the mouse for anything short of making sure it works. With that said, the Intuos3 mouse has a resolution of 5,080 lines per inch which is more precise than most ball-less mice. It offers 5 symmetrically place, programmable buttons making it suitable for left and right-handed users. One failing is its wheel design. The mechanism has distinct positions that make it feel like it clicks between positions and tends to offer less resolution to the wheel motion. Easily forgotten when you consider how infrequently the mouse is used for real work.
Finally, the Intuos3 comes with an intuitive control panel that makes customizing nearly every aspect of the Intuos3 as easy as changing the tracking speed on your mouse. Configuring the ExpressKeys with global functions or local functions for different applications is a major boon to the pro level tablets. A brief, intuitive tutorial and helpful tips and tricks options on the software CD make getting started a snap. There are obvious pros and cons for a software only users manual, though it seems the industry has shifted away from paper manuals of any kind.
All in all, a must have for graphics professionals or someone looking to step up from the Graphire or older Intuos2 line of tablets. The only real question, which size best suits your needs, space, and budget.
