Posts in the “gadgets” category

Looking for a camera as a Christmas geek gift idea? If so, here's an updated version of my Pentax K-x camera review from earlier this summer. I've had my Pentax K-x camera for almost six months now, and I have to say, I remain very pleased with it. (I hope to pick up a nice camera lens or two over the holidays.)

Two weeks ago I bought a Pentax K-x camera from Amazon for just a little more than $500, and while I'm not a photography wizard by any stretch of the imagination, I do believe this is an excellent camera. Frankly, the worst thing I can say about it is that it's a little heavy, but even then, it's not any heavier than other cameras in its class.

As I mentioned in my earlier Pentax K-x camera review, I'm very happy with the Pentax K-x camera I purchased a few weeks ago. Amazon had a big discount on the Pentax K-x at that time, and I found a bundle deal for just a little over $500.

iPhone browser privacy FAQ: How do I manage my iPhone browser privacy and security (my iPhone Safari browser privacy and security)?

iPhone JavaScript dialogs FAQ: Can I use JavaScript windows and dialogs in my iPhone HTML app (the JavaScript alert dialog, confirm dialog, and prompt dialog)?

Yes you can. According to Apple's iOS Safari web documentation, you can use "iPhone JavaScript windows and dialogs" that are supported by iOS. Here's how.

iPad/iPhone DVD movie FAQ: How do I get a DVD movie I own onto my iPod, iPad, or iPhone in a digital movie file? (Also written as, "How do I rip a DVD movie to a digital video file?")

If you're like me,

Waiting iPad apps: If you run into a problem with "waiting" iPad apps during the iPad app installation or update process, my "waiting iPhone apps solutions" article should be helpful. Because all these Apple devices use the same iOS operating system, and because we've found four possible solutions to the "waiting iPhone/iPod apps" problem, these waiting app tips should work just as well for waiting iPad apps (also referred to as "stuck" iPad apps).

Funny iPad Photo: In the category of "iPad humor" ... 

I have to say, I like Apple products quite a bit; I have an iPhone, MacBook Pro, and an iMac, and I'm sure the iPad will end up being very successful once people get their hands on it. But in the meantime, I love this funny "iPad" image. It sums up a lot of feelings about the Apple iPad introduction:

I just ran into the craziest problem where I couldn't get any third-party apps on my iPad to open. I'd tap them, there'd be a quick blink, then nothing, I was back to the home screen with all my app icons.

As a brief followup to yesterday's article on Revenue Per Employee in Computer Services, here's a mind-blowing statistic:

Apple earns $1,664,431 revenue per employee.

That's right, well over $1.6M revenue per employee. That's just mind-boggling. That revenue statistic just destroys computer service firms, whose best performer earns $169K revenue per employee.

Mac DVD movie ripping: When I first wrote my article on How to rip DVD movies on a Mac I felt a little guilty, like I was sharing some information the movie industry doesn't want you to know. But then during this past week two things happened that made me glad I wrote that article.

iPhone "delete photos" FAQ: How can I delete multiple iPhone photos from my Mac (or from my iPhone)?

A long time ago I wrote about how to delete multiple iPhone photos from your iPhone, and that tip still works great if you want to delete multiple iPhone photos directly from your iPhone. But if you'd like a way to delete multiple iPhone photos from your Mac, or a simple way to delete all your iPhone photos, this tip can also be helpful.

Delete all iPhone photos FAQ: How can I easily delete all of my iPhone photos at one time (using my Mac)?

First off, a word of caution: This iPhone photos tip demonstrates how to delete all iPhone photos, which is obviously a dangerous thing to do, especially if you like your photos.

Second, this tip requires a Mac. (Sorry, I don't know how to do this from Windows, as I don't have a Windows PC at this time.)

How to delete all iPhone photos using your Mac

To delete all iPhone photos using your Mac, just follow these steps:

iPhone bedside mode FAQ: Does the iPhone have a "bedside mode" like the BlackBerry bedside mode? If so, how does it work?

The iPhone currently doesn't have a bedside mode like the BlackBerry, but there are some things you can do to get a similar behavior. Here's how I create something like an iPhone bedside mode.

My "iPhone bedside mode" setup

I use my iPhone as an alarm clock, and so I achieve something like an "iPhone bedside mode" as follows:

I just read on techradar that both T-Mobile and Orange have reduced their iPad prices, most likely to reduce inventory for a new iPad 2 model. This is of particular interest to me, because I've been reading a lot of books with the Kindle software lately, and I'd like to buy an iPad soon to make that reading experience more enjoyable.

iPhone 4 screen cleaning FAQ: How do I clean the front screen on my iPhone 4 (the iPhone 4 glass)? Also, what kind of iPhone 4 cleaning cloth can I use?

I just bought an iPhone 4 a few days ago, and the front glass screen and oleophobic coating is pretty awesome. I used it for a while without noticing any smudges on the glass. As soon as I got a little bit of a smudge on it this morning I began to wonder, how am I supposed to clean the iPhone 4 screen/glass?

MacBook Air carrying cases and sleeves: I recently bought a MacBook Air, and while there are a lot of nice things about it, an unusual thing about it is that it creates a dilemma about how to carry the thing around. Do you use a sleeve, carrying case, laptop bag, or something else?

My old laptop bag is much too big and cumbersome for the Air, so that doesn't work.

iPhone HTML page size FAQ: In an HTML web app optimized for the iPhone, how do I set the page size to be the optimal iPhone page size (iPhone page pixel width)?

By default the iPhone assumes HTML pages are 980 pixels wide. When you're creating a custom iPhone HTML app, you really want to control this page size so your web app will look better.

The way you change the iPhone HTML page size (pixel width) is to use the special iPhone HTML "viewport" meta tag, like this:

iPhone HTML web app FAQ: In an HTML web app optimized for the iPhone, how do I remove the URL bar on top of the iPhone Mobile Safari web browser so I can show my HTML app in full screen mode?

When you're creating an HTML/web app to look like a native iPhone app, one of the things you'll want to do is remove the URL bar in the Mobile Safari web browser. This is the URL bar on the top of the iPhone browser, and by getting rid of it, you can display your web app on the iPhone in full-screen mode.

iPhone HTML apps status bar FAQ: When creating an iPhone web app so it looks more like a native iPhone app, how can I control the iPhone status bar color?

Once you've removed the iPhone Safari browser URL bar, the next thing you can do to make your HTML web app look more like a native iPhone app is to control the iPhone status bar. The status bar is the bar at the top of the iPhone screen.

iPhone HTML app icon FAQ: I'm creating an iPhone HTML web app, and I want users to be able to save my HTML app icon to their iPhone home screen; how can I add a custom iPhone app icon to my web application?

The iPhone Mobile Safari web browser recognizes a special HTML tag that lets you add an iPhone app icon to your HTML application. Here's the syntax that lets you add an iPhone app icon to your web app: