Not only did they “pull it off” but they redefined a market segment and brought truly portable computing to the masses with a simple interface and a powerful ecosystem of applications that allowed the user to personalize the device to do exactly what they wanted.

Fast forward ahead a year and Apple held a similar event where they introduced the second-generation iPad, the iPad 2 which took everything they learned from the original and extended the capabilities to include cameras for video chatting, faster processing, and a sleeker tapered case.

With the introduction of the iPad 2 I underestimated the pent up demand for a device such as this. I erroneously assumed I would be able to walk into a store the day they were released and buy one. Boy was I ever wrong. After standing in line at multiple stores I left dejected and iPad 2-less. It would take nearly two months before stock was sufficient that I would be able to buy the new device.

My existing iPad would be relegated to my wife as part of the technology refresh trickle down effect. I get the new toys and she gets the older model. Yeah that might sound like a rip-off but considering that I am the one who has to do all the technical support for the family that’s the price you pay.

When Apple announced the third generation iPad which came without a numerical designation and is referred to simply as “the new iPad” I wondered whether I would have the same issue getting one as I did with the iPad 2.

As soon as the introduction concluded I rushed to the Apple online store to attempt to pre-order the device. Given the difficulty I had I was obviously not alone. It took me two iPhones, an iPad, and three innings of Spring Training baseball before I was finally able to pre-order. I was surprised to find out that even with all the difficulty in ordering that the delivery date remained March 16th. Clearly Apple has been manufacturing these devices for a while to have that much stock built up for delivery.

I would check the Federal Express site daily for updates on where my new iPad was. Finally on the morning of March 16th it showed it was out for delivery. When the Federal Express truck pulled up to our house I ran out and met him at his door signing for the package before running back inside.

The box was rather discreet with no markings on the outside to tease you of the magical contents. I opened it up and immediately began charging the device so that I could start using it. The battery life was a promised 10 hours of use but the recharge took less than 90 minutes for the initial charge.

As a customer of the original iPad with 3G support on AT&T’s network I had an unlimited data plan. By the time the iPad 2 arrived AT&T had done away with unlimited data and went to a tiered pricing model. I was grandfathered in to the unlimited all I had to do was change the SIM card from the old device to the new.

With the new iPad I assumed that would be a similar process so to circumvent the set-up I exchanged SIM cards between the iPad 2 and the new iPad. The device booted with the old SIM and I began the set-up process. When I got to the part of setting the cellular network I was given a warning that the card I had in the device was a 3G card and that I needed a new 4G to take advantage of the cellular network.

Great, it would appear that I would have to move to a tiered pricing model on the new device or so I thought. After putting the 4G SIM back in the new iPad I again tried to set the device up. It recognized that I had an account with AT&T and asked if I wanted to transfer my data plan to my new device. Clearly Apple and AT&T had anticipated my scenario. A couple of clicks later and the new iPad was using the 4G network for AT&T and I had unlimited data usage. The iPad 2 could then be added to my plan but did require me to select one of the limited data choices.

The new iPad is noticeably thicker than the iPad 2 and it does weigh slightly more. I didn’t think I would be able to tell but it was pretty obvious. The retina display really pops when looking at photos that I had downloaded they were much crisper and cleaner than they looked on the iPad 2.

While the iPad 2 was very responsive and quick to recognize the user’s gestures the new iPad is just slightly faster. For most apps that rely on user interaction the speed increase will likely be negligible but if you are doing any sort of processing such as using iPhoto, Garage Band, or iMovie it seems much faster.

The image quality of the new iPad’s camera is very good. It has built-in image stabilization, which seems to work well, as the photos are crisp and in focus without any signs of movement by the user.

Reading on the new iPad is much nicer looking better than most printed books. I’m very impressed with how easy the text is on the eyes and I have begun moving all of my magazine subscriptions to their digital equivalent.

Overall my first impression is that for a lot of current iPad 2 users the speed differential for things that reside on the iPad is not as noticeable. For those who use processor intensive applications or who pull things from the Internet or are more interactive the new iPad is a hands down winner.

The speed of downloads whether it is on an existing 3G network or the new LTE 4G is substantially better. It is definitely worth the price and slightly extra weight to get the speed upgrade. Battery life seems to be on par with my existing iPad 2, which is impressive given the faster networking and processor.

It looks like Apple has a winner with the new iPad. The new features at the existing price point will ensure that Apple stays the market leader in the tablet space. Developers are already updating their applications based on the number of upgrades I am seeing on the App Store. This means that as each app is updated it will look better and take advantage of the new device making the user experience that much better.

Normally around our house the St. Patrick’s Day celebration begins with a traditional breakfast of ham with scrambled eggs. The eggs of course have been laced with green food coloring making this a breakfast of “Green Eggs and Ham”. This year though we broke with tradition and instead had green instant oatmeal. It just wasn’t the same but there was a reason why I broke with tradition.

After several days of backbreaking manual labor I now had a two-inch wide by three-inch deep trench that went the circumference of my house and backyard swimming pool. Within this trench was waterproof conduit that went to each room of the house. Within the conduit were Category-6 Ethernet wires in direct burial casing. The goal was to bring the house into the 21st century by adding hard-wire Ethernet to each room.

When the house was built in the early 1990’s it was really before the Internet became big and no one thought to included Category 3 let alone Category 5 wiring in a house. Through the years I have tried several methods of networking the house that didn’t require the drastic measure of digging trenches or cutting holes in walls.

I tried Phoneline networking where you utilized the existing telephone wire for networking. It worked but had very limited success. Adapters and interface cards were impossible to find and when you did find them the drivers were typically outdated making it a nightmare to support.

From there we tried Powerline networking which uses the power outlets to get networking capabilities. This had a little more success but the power grid in my house and surrounding area caused problems and degraded the speed. This coupled with the fact that the adapters were rather expensive and you continually had to upgrade to get even a small amount of throughput made it economically doomed.

I set up wireless next to try and solve my networking problems. Unfortunately in a two-story house with a sunken third level and all the twists and turns built into the floor plan there were dead spots that caused you to lose connectivity on a semi-regular basis. I tried repeaters and extenders but those too had limited success.

In the end it looked as though adding a hardwired Ethernet network would be necessary. The house has vaulted ceilings and is built on a solid concrete slab making it impossible to make short quick runs of wiring. There was no centralized area in the house to which you could terminate all of the cables meaning I had a very distributed network on my hands.

The end result saw two hubs of wiring concentration. One was in the family room where all of the home theater equipment and video game systems are housed. It also made an easy place to connect the downstairs bedroom as well as two bedrooms upstairs. The second hub of concentration was in the living room where all of the office computers, printers, etc. were run along with the master bedroom. The living room also contained the connection to the cable modem.

With wires run to each of these locations it was simply a matter of finding a hub or switch that would handle the various connections. Since I had run Category 6 wire to each location I felt I should not scrimp on the distribution. I selected two TRENDnet 16-Port Green Ethernet switches. This would allow me to have gigabit Ethernet speeds throughout the house allowing us to stream high definition video between computers and our home theater system with no degradation in performance.

One of the selling points for the TRENDnet switch was its green classification. The idea of adding two gigabit switches to my house was crazy enough but with a family our size and the data needs that occur I knew the switches would be running 24/7 meaning my electric bill would take a hit. During the colder winter months that isn’t so bad but add that to the constant air conditioning that occurs in the Arizona summer the last thing I needed was a couple of power hungry switches.

The switch reduces power consumption by reducing power to unused ports. This sets the port into a standby mode that can be activated simply by plugging in an Ethernet cable and firing up the device on the other hand. There are no manual steps needed on the switch making it simple when I am not around and we need another device added.

The TRENDnet switch also reduces power by determining what is needed based on the length of cable run. For cable lengths of over 66 feet the switch uses full power to a port when in 10/100 Mbps mode where less than that will use reduced power. For the gigabit Ethernet side, 198 foot cable runs use full power while 32-197 foot runs use less power and 1-32 feet use significant less power.

Finally, the TRENDnet switch will reduce its overall power usage when none of the devices on the switch are active meaning you do not have to power off the device when leaving or going to bed it will take care of itself.

The installation of the switch was simple. Remove them from the box, place them in as inconspicuous a place as you can, plug in the Ethernet cables, turn on the power switch and you are ready to go.

I’ve come to trust the TRENDnet name having several smaller capacity switches in the past. The sign of a good networking device is to be able to install it and then forget it is even there. With TRENDnet I have that peace of mind knowing that I will have high-speed network capabilities whenever I need and I’m saving energy in the process. The only regret I have is that I didn’t do this sooner.

I was one of the early adopters of the iPad. I initially purchased one out of curiosity and to see how difficult it would be to develop software. What I found surprised me. I quickly reached for my iPad rather than my laptop to do general work. When I was called to Grand Jury Duty, which lasted three months, I took my iPad with me to read or write columns during breaks from the courtroom. I was amazed at how much I could do with this small portable device as compared to my more bulky laptop.

Within a few months I had moved into the post-PC era and only looked back when I was doing serious development with tools that did not exist on the iPad. When the second-generation iPad 2 was released last year I eagerly ordered and waited along with thousands of others hoping to get one during the initial release. My back order lasted nearly a month but it was worth the wait to get an even more robust device with features such as a camera that allowed FaceTime and video conferencing.

Like most of the free world I waited and scoured the Internet to find any rumors on the next generation iPad that Apple was supposedly announcing in 2012. There are nearly as many Apple psychics as there are customers. It seems everyone has an inside source that is dishing out details of what this secret device has.

On March 7th Apple unveiled the latest generation in front of a packed crowd in San Francisco. This was the first major product release since the passing of long-time CEO and company founder Steve Jobs and people were curious if there would be any differences in Tim Cook’s presentation versus Jobs, the master of product introductions.

It didn’t take long for attention to turn to the new iPad. Within 15 minutes of the presentation the device was unveiled. Most people assumed the latest generation would be designated as the iPad 3 but Apple seems to be moving away from the numerical designation referring to this as “the new iPad”. This will likely cause some confusion since we have the original iPad, the iPad 2, and now the iPad again. I understand Apple’s reasoning but you will have to be a little more definitive to differentiate between the various devices now.

The new iPad is an amazing piece of technology from a specifications perspective. Apple has brought the Retina Display to a larger form factor with the new iPad having an incredible 2048 by 1536 pixel display at 264 pixels per inch. To put this in perspective the 9.7 inch screen now has higher resolution than a 40-inch high definition television.

Photos and text are crystal clear and movies look amazing on the new screen. No more jagged edges to type or fuzzy edges around photos and movies. Instead the new iPad is like looking through a window into a magical world.

The Retina Display would be nothing if the iPad could not drive that many pixels in a timely fashion. Apple understood this point and specified the dual-core Apple A5X chip as the brains. Besides having dual-core for most processing the A5X also includes quad-core graphics acceleration to make the frame rate incredibly smooth whether you are playing games, watching movies, or surfing the web.

From a networking perspective the new iPad continues to support Wi-Fi as well as 3G cellular networking. Apple did not stop there, they also included 4G LTE network capabilities to give the device much quicker response to the new standard with downloads being much faster. The availability of 4G is still spotty in the United States but if you happen to be in an area that has the new network the iPad will take advantage and give you an even better user experience.

Dimensions of the new iPad are similar to the iPad 2. It is slightly thicker but maintains the curved form factor. The Smart Cover that Apple announced last year with the iPad 2 continues to work on the new iPad. The new device also uses the same home button located on the bottom of the bezel and the same docking port on the bottom that other models have used. In these cases the rumor mill we not exactly accurate since many suggested the dock would be replaced with a Magsafe plug or some other connector.

The new iPad comes in the same configurations as the previous models with storage options of 16 GB, 32 GB, and 64 GB. You can get any of these with just Wi-Fi or for $130 more you can have 4G LTE along with Wi-Fi for the ultimate in connectivity.

Apple has set March 16th as the official launch day for the new iPad but surprised everyone by taking pre-orders on March 7th. As expected, Apple’s online store was crushed by the masses all trying to get into the pre-order queue before delivery times stretched from days to weeks to months.

Surprisingly, for the first 24-hours of pre-sale the delivery date stayed at March 16th meaning that Apple obviously has been manufacturing the new device for a while to keep up with anticipated demand. It took me nearly 2 hours to complete the pre-order process as the web site went down several times during the ordering. I was able to finally complete the purchase and have an anticipated delivery date of March 16. At that time I will post a review of my impressions once I have the new device in hand.

From everything I have seen and heard about the new iPad I may have a sleepless night on Thursday waiting for delivery of my new tablet. It will definitely be worth the wait.

Before long I realized that there was no way I could move forward without a scale. I need that feedback and guidance if I am going to be successful. So despite this being only the first day since the passing of my old scale I found myself getting all dressed up to meet new scales.

It’s been a long time since I have been in the scale dating scene. Back in my day a guy had to court a scale and build up a relationship after first asking the manufacturer if it would be all right if I took the scale home to meet my parents. Boy, things are sure different now.

It seems like everywhere I turned there was some new flashy scale vying for my attention and my money. I never realized how materialistic some of these scales could be. While my last scale was a simple device with a circular dial and I just stepped on to get a reading, these new scales had all kinds of new wiz-bang features. Some of these scales on the market are so sophisticated that measuring weight seems like almost an afterthought.

After going to two or three stores I was thoroughly confused. On the one hand all I needed was something that could accurately tell me what my weight was. On the other hand, I am an information junkie and the idea of a scale being able to measure and record multiple data points intrigued me.

The vast array of scales and features had overwhelmed me to the point where I nearly gave up looking. Then the answer to my weight measurement prayers was answered in the most unlikely place.

As I was walking through the local mall I decided to take a break from looking at bathroom scales and went into the Apple Store to see what new gadgets they had on display. Tucked away in the back of the store was a white box with a black square on the cover with the name Withings printed on it.

It wasn’t the picture that caught my eye as much as it was the title of the box that made me do a double-take. Along the top it said, “Wi-Fi Body Scale”. At first I wondered, why in the world would anyone want a bathroom scale with Wi-Fi networking and exactly what kind of network activities does a scale need?

Intrigued I picked up the box and began reading. The scale not only accurately reported your weight on the LCD display but included other information such as percentage of body fat and BMI calculations. Where other scales simply recorded this information on the display that disappeared when you stepped off the device, the Withings Wi-Fi Body Scale sends this information wirelessly to a secure web site where it maintains the measurements and graphs them for you.

This sounded awesome. I mean not only is it going to accurately measure my weight but also allow me access to the data and watch the time-based trends of weight management. No longer do I have to remember the numbers, the scale sends them to the web site automatically.

That alone would be worth the price of the scale but it doesn’t stop there. The Withings Wi-Fi Body Scale also interfaces with the FitBit Ultra pedometer and automatically enters your weight into the system to help you track your weight loss goals and how they are augmented by the exercise being recorded by the FitBit.

I eagerly purchased the scale and rushed home to set it up. The initial steps were fairly self-explanatory. The scale had a huge cling sticker with a URL for beginning to use the scale. After starting a browser I was taken to the Withings web site to create a free account. I entered my name, height, and beginning weight.

At first I wondered why I needed to enter my weight before stepping on the scale but the on-screen help explained that the scale was capable of managing the weight of eight unique users. It recognizes the user by their weight and adjusts based on the +/- from the last time you used your scale.

I created an account on the scale for my wife and I. Since there is roughly a 75-pound difference between the two of us it easily knew which of us was standing on the scale.

Stepping on the scale it began measuring weight. At first it had a little difficulty in calculating my weight but from the display I realized I was leaning with too much of my weight on one leg versus the other. Once I centered my balance it quickly figured the weight, percent body fat, and BMI displaying all three measurements on the display.

In less time than it took me to step off the scale and walk downstairs to my computer the information was on the Withings web site and also on the FitBit web site giving me instant feedback on how I have been doing since my last weigh-in.

Besides the web site, Withings also has an iPad/iPhone application and an Android application that will allow you to get information about your weight while you are on the go. The system does allow you to share your weight information on social networks but honestly I am not sure I want the entire Internet to know how much I weigh. Maybe I’ll feel differently when I get down to my target weight.

Overall the Withings Wi-Fi Body Scale is a great device. It seems to be much more accurate than my old dial scale and has already provided me with information that I otherwise would not have known such as Lean Body Mass, and percent fat.

It not only works with FitBit but several other sites making it easier for those who use online sites to help manage their weight, diet, and physical activity. At first I thought having a Wi-Fi enabled scale was ridiculous but after just a short period of time I’ve really liked having the information available automatically without me having to track it manually.

So when I went on something as simple as a diet to change my eating habits and become healthier I was sure that this would be one area that would be relatively technology free. I mean really how could anyone possibly add technology to something as simple as eating?

Well oddly enough there are a lot of technology touch points with dieting and exercise. A quick look at the Apple iTunes App Store will show you pages and pages of applications that have been written to help you make changes to your lifestyle and eating habits.

There are apps for tracking what you eat from simple food journaling to exhaustive encyclopedia-like databases that will give you facts about every food you could possibly imagine eating. I quickly began questioning where to even start.

As I perused the app store I would pick up an app here or there that sounded great or had interesting reviews to see whether it would help motivate me to stay close to the program. Before long I had several pages of applications on my iPhone each offering one piece of the puzzle. What I found though was if I wanted to track my overall health there was not one magic application.

During my search I uncovered an app specifically for Take Shape for Life the diet program I have been using. How could I have missed that? An app designed and distributed by the program had to be a perfect fit right?

I downloaded the free TSFL application and quickly entered the basic information. It asked for my name, whether I was on Weight Loss or Transition & Maintenance, and what my current week of the program. The last choice consisted of telling the app whether I was on week 1, week 2, week 3, or week 4+. That’s it for the settings.

From there I could set the time of my first meal of the day for each day of the week then create alerts that would tell me how long after eating I wanted to be reminded to eat again. Once I set all of this up I waited for the magic to begin.

At the first alert it reminded me to go into the app and log my meal. I had expected that would mean identifying the actual time I ate and what I had for that meal. That was only partially true. It did allow me to enter the actual time I ate and whether it was a meal replacement or my “lean and green” meal but there was no place to enter what I actually ate.

Once I recorded the meal the application would start the counter for the next meal and provide me with a message of encouragement or a tip. At the end of the day when I recorded my last meal the application congratulated me for becoming healthier and then suggested I come back tomorrow to do the process again.

That’s it? That’s all the application does? Sadly the answer is yes. There is no way to record the food you consumed, no way to know how many calories you had ingested. That was bad enough but I also found out that you cannot go back and look at when you recorded your meals.

When you have a busy day and only have your iPhone with you it is quick to record that a meal was made but no way to recall that to add to the Daily Success Tracker sheets that come with the program. There is also no way to record the amount of water you are drinking, the exercise/activity you have had, or even how you felt that day.

Overall the application is little more than an advertisement for the Take Shape for Life program. To really be usable serious rework needs to be done to this application. You should be able to upload before pictures of yourself and the ability to enter current pictures to see the progress you are making.

You should be able to enter all of the data that is tracked on the Daily Success Tracker which includes the times of the meal replacements, the actual food you have eaten, the components of your Lean and Green meal, the amount of water you drink, the exercise or activity you have done, and a simple good/ok/bad rating of how you felt.

That should be a minimum of what it does. You could enhance that with the ability to share any of this information with your friends on social media sites such as Facebook or Twitter. You should be able to send an email to your health coach with questions or comments. You should be able to find your reading assignments for each week with a link to more information for workbook exercises. Finally, instead of the canned tips and encouragement, it should allow your support group to send personalized encouragement to you. In a nutshell this should be a tool that can be used by people on the TSFL program to help them gain confidence.

After just a couple days of use I quickly deleted the application from my phone. Instead I’ll use the FitBit application. While it is focused more on the exercise portion it does allow me to track other things to remind me what I need to record when I get home about eating, activity, and food consumption.

My kids have been great giving me encouragement and noticing the changes even when others fail to notice. They are there to help me overcome any temptations that might creep up along the journey. When Valentine’s Day came around and everyone else was receiving boxes of chocolates and other sweet treats, my daughter Mallorie gave me a small container of radishes along with a note telling me how great I was looking and how proud she was. It was touching and really meant a lot at the time.

At the top of my support tree is my wife Trina who has worked tirelessly to make sure that I will be successful. Compared to the work she puts in I have the easy part. She is the one who plans out the menu and shops for the perfect ingredients. All I have to do is simply show up and eat the delicious meals she has prepared.

If it were only the two of us at home that wouldn’t be too bad but I am the only one eating this way and we have a house full of hungry teenagers whose idea of dinner is not a half a cup of broccoli and six ounces of boneless, skinless chicken breast. Rather than jeopardize what I am eating Trina will instead make two different dinners – one healthy and one that is teenager friendly.

I can truthfully say that without this support structure there is absolutely no way I could ever be successful on this weight loss program. But despite all of the positive support there are still times when I get frustrated or don’t feel like progress is being obtained in a timely fashion. Trina once again steps in and finds the right thing to say or do.

This past week has been stressful and because of that I was feeling a little low. Despite having success on the diet it was wearing on me and I was feeling frustrated; not just with the lack of fast enough progress but also because of the work I was causing everyone around me especially Trina.

But instead of letting me dwell on the negatives, Trina took a huge risk and decided I needed to be rewarded for successfully making it to the five-week mark and losing the weight that the doctor had requested. During the day she approached me and suggested that perhaps I was right, maybe now was the right time to replace the television upstairs.

As a reward for being more healthy she suggested that I go out and pick out a new television, “something thin” to remind you of losing the weight. How cool is that? How many guys can say they were actually given the green light to get a flat screen television because they have lost weight?

Granted, it does appear to be a little counter-productive to receive a television when you are attempting to become healthier but who am I to argue? Dakota and I ran to the garage with car keys in hand before Trina had a chance to change her mind.

The trip to Best Buy is kind of a blur and I don’t really remember much about it. The only thing that really sticks out in my mind was standing in front of a mile of LED, LCD, and Plasma televisions trying to pick just the right one that would be thin enough and large enough to be a constant reminder of how much my wife loves me.

I ended up with a Samsung 55-inch flat screen LED television with 3D. Seriously, if you have a green light to get a TV you don’t want to waste that on a tiny screen. So while we stood there by the car waiting for the Best Buy Oompa Loompas to bring the box out and sing a song about television and exercise being incompatible, I said a little prayer of thanks. This is going to be awesome.

Before beginning this diet I knew that I had become much less active than I was earlier in my life. But with five kids going in different directions, a job requiring long hours in front of the computer, and not enough time in the day to complete any to-do list I could not possibly be expected to find time in my day to go to the gym.

It was definitely a dilemma and one that likely affects most if not all of us. If I was going to successfully reduce my weight I knew that an exercise program would be required but how and where would I find the time?

Looking back over my life I had always been active. Growing up I spent nearly every waking hour outside running, riding bicycles, and playing baseball. Now I spend most of my day indoors sitting at a desk and watching baseball. Three knee surgeries and four shoulder surgeries later and much of my playing seemed out of the question.

It doesn’t have to be that way though. There are ways to introduce some level of activity into our daily lives. Instead of sitting in a chair during a conference call or minimizing steps by combining trips to put kids’ toys away I could stand and walk around and take one single item at a time upstairs. Granted it may not be as efficient but every little bit of activity would help.

The question in my mind though was, will these few things make a difference and if so how much of a difference? As an engineer I am constantly reminded that in order to show progress you need to be able to measure it. The question with the steps was how do you measure it and once you have it measured what does it mean?

Clearly I needed something that would help me to collect the data from my daily attempts to increase movement and then be able to calculate what those measurements mean and how they will help me to become healthier.

At first glance it seemed that a simple pedometer would do what I asked. It could measure the steps I took and allow me to use those steps to calculate the amount of calories I had burned and hence measure the progress I was making.

The problem with a pedometer is that it’s good at collecting the data but not so well at evaluating it. I would be forced to collect the data and create some system or spreadsheet where I would have to manually do the analysis. The challenge was that if I was sitting in front of the computer analyzing data that meant that I was actually increasing my sedentary time instead of increasing my activity. What I needed was something that could automate the data collection and analysis.

After some research and talking to several people on multiple social media sites I found a device that will do just what I needed. The FitBit Ultra is kind of like a pedometer on steroids. Not only does it count the steps you take each day but will also record the number of calories burned, the number of stairs you’ve climbed, the distance you have walked, and the level of activity you have exerted. This was exactly what I needed.

The FitBit Ultra is the next generation of personal data collection device. The size of a small money clip or pack of gum it clips to your clothing and immediately begins collecting data. It comes with a base unit that is used to charge the device’s rechargeable battery. The base also acts as a Wi-Fi connection that allows the FitBit to send information wirelessly whenever it is within a few feet of the base.

The data collected is sent to a secure web site where it tracks your daily accomplishments. The web site allows you to set daily activity goals then will track how well you are doing against the goals.

I’ve just started using the FitBit and already I have begun to see changes in my behavior. With this tiny reminder clipped to my pocket I find myself taking the long way around the house or walking up and downstairs more than I used to do. With the help of the FitBit I am finding those small slots during the day to make myself more active.

If the FitBit only collected and analyzed my movement it would be worth it but it has a hidden feature that at first I thought was a gimmick but has become an important measuring tool to make me more aware of my health.

The FitBit Ultra came with a wristband that holds the device at night. Pressing and holding the button for a couple of seconds puts the device in sleep mode. Sleep mode does not refer to shutting down the FitBit but rather allows the device to being measuring your sleep.

Using a built-in cyclometer it measures when you are resting versus moving around. During the night it tracks this to provide you a glimpse of how much tossing and turning you do at night. I was shocked to learn that I spend nearly an hour a night rolling around interrupting my sleep.

Having this knowledge helps me to try and find ways to get a more restful night sleep whether that be eliminating distractions or finding a more comfortable pillow. I’m very curious to see whether changes I make to my sleeping will have an impact on my overall health. Perhaps I will finally wake up in the morning not feeling like I just ran a 5K. And if I did run a 5K the FitBit will give me credit for the calories I burned.

The FitBit Ultra is rather expensive with a retail price of $99 but given the amount of data and the ease of use it is well worth the cost. Watching the price on on-line sites such as Amazon it has fluctuated by more than $12 so if you can be patient in when you buy the device it is possible to save yourself a few dollars.

It’s amazing how much data such a small device can collect and how useful it can be for helping you develop an overall fitness plan that does not carve out huge chunks of time to go to a gym. I would definitely recommend the FitBit Ultra.

I bought an iPod Touch as soon as they were released. I loved the capabilities of the device and was especially impressed with the battery life especially when watching movies or listening to music.

When Apple released the second generation with double the capacity I quickly purchased a second one passing the first generation down to my kids. While I love the device, I am also scared to death that I am going to scratch it or somehow damage the device.

I decided I needed to somehow protect the iPod and so began my quest for the perfect case. I have only a few requirements for the case. First it must protect the device. That may sound obvious but given the number of cases on the market you would be surprised how many of them do not protect the iPod front and back from damage.

The case must not impede the use of the device. It must not hamper the use of the touch screen or the buttons on the top and side of the device. It should also allow easy access to the headphone jack, the docking port, and all other controls.

The case must be durable. I take my iPod touch with me everywhere and the last thing I need is for the protective cover to wear out.

Another rather obvious requirement is that the case cannot damage or mar the iPod Touch in any way. You would think that would be a given but I have had cases in the past where dye from the color in the silicone case has bled onto the iPod Touch turning it a color.

Finally, the case must not add to the bulk of the device. One of the things I like best about the iPod Touch is the slim and sleek design. The last thing I want is to ruin that form factor with some large or bulky case.

Over the years I have gone through a plethora of cases. They have ranged from hard plastic to silicone skins to space aged polymer skins that adhere to the device. I purchased each of these cases with high hopes that it would be the perfect case. After limited use, each of the cases would fall short and my search would begin again.

After my latest case, the iSkin Duo, began to leave dye marks on the iPod and limited the use of the docking port I was once again in the market for a new case.

I happened into the local Apple Store once again searching for a case. After looking at everything on their display several times I was about to leave empty-handed when I spotted a metallic Air Jacket case by Power Support.

The Apple store had only one, an iridescent purple. I really didn’t want a purple case but I was intrigued by the Air Jacket. It is a plastic case that claims a maximum thickness of only 1 mm.

The case itself is plastic but feels nearly weightless in your hands. It protects the entire back of the iPod Touch. The corners on the face are exposed so you do have to be careful. The front of the iPod Touch is protected with a film that attaches to the front of the iPod Touch.

The film does offer protection and doesn’t seem to impede the touch sensitivity of the screen. The case comes with two front screen protectors. One is referred to as crystal while the other is an anti-glare screen. I chose to use the crystal. I personally believe the glossy face displays richer colors.

Installation of the screen protector and the plastic Air Jacket case were relatively painless. It may take a couple of tries to get the front protector on without any air bubbles and you do have to make sure the screen is dirt and lint free but overall it’s fairly easy to install.

While I am still not a big fan of the purple, the case is very nice and I have had several people comment on how great it looks. Besides the purple, the Air Jacket also comes in pink, gold, orange, and red.

If I had my choice I would have preferred the red but when you need a case quickly, you take whatever the store has in stock.

I’ve been using the Air Jacket case now for over a month. It has done an admirable job of protecting my iPod Touch. The case adds relatively no bulk to the device keeping the form factor the same as one without a case.

The screen protector has likewise done its job. It does tend to show finger prints more than the iPod Touch without a cover. I am willing to accept that to have the peace of mind that my iPod is protected.

I would definitely recommend the Air Jacket to anyone looking for a minimal iPod Touch case. The only thing that would have made this case better would have been if I could have found a red one rather than the purple.

Based upon the introduction and subsequent reviews by those who have actually seen an iPad, the device is indeed using the iPhone operating system. This was further validated when Apple introduced a new Software Development Kit (SDK) that included calls for using the iPad’s new features.

Where my prediction fell down was that I wrongfully assumed the iPad would require a new version of the iPhone OS. Instead Apple built the iPad to live within the constraints of version 3.1.2 of the iPhone operating system.

That is not to say we will not get an iPhone OS version 4, it just means that the iPad will drive a requirement to update the operating system. My suggestions and wish list items for a new version of the operating system will have to continue to be far off dreams.

Maybe with the iPad actually ships it will include iPhone OS 4.0 or perhaps we will see a new version introduced at the Apple World Wide Developer’s Conference. In the mean time I’ll stumble and struggle with the current operating system with its idiosyncrasies and long for the day when a new version will be released restoring balance to the technology universe.

Almost as quickly as the product was unveiled there were already mounds of press both positive and negative discussing the merits and drawbacks of the device. It was interesting to read these accounts especially considering the lack of hands-on experience these writers had with the iPad.

I have to admit I am more than mildly intrigued by this announcement and I can already see several applications for its unique form factor. Even with my tempered enthusiasm I recognize this is not a technology panacea that will be everything to everyone.

So far I have heard laments the device is too large while others complain it is not large enough. There are numerous complaints regarding what the device includes or does not include especially with regards to ports.

There were contingents complaining the iPad did not have a USB port, an SD card reader, a built-in keyboard, a hard drive, an HDMI connection, a camera, stereo speakers, multitasking, or Mac OS X. I even read one report blasting the iPad because it did not run Microsoft Windows Mobile.

Clearly Apple is learning once again, no matter what you introduce there are going to be detractors that will find fault with every design decision made. It is impossible to design or build the perfect device.

The diversity of the complaints of what the device includes or doesn’t include suggest Apple may be defining a new market segment. The iPad does not fit well in any current product category.

People who view the iPad as a computer attempt to compare it to the Apple MacBook or MacBook Air. They begin rattling off all of the features or functions found on a laptop that do not exist on the iPad.

Others look at this as a mobile communication devices ala an iPhone. They complain it lacks a camera, the form factor is too big, and the device includes too many unnecessary components.

Many of these arguments were similarly waged when the iPod came out. No one knew what it was supposed to be and therefore could not grasp the concept. It was not until the market began to evolve and users became familiar with where the iPod could fit within their lives did the device begin making strides in the market.

I predict a similar flow for the iPad. A few early adopters will take up the iPad and begin to establish where its capabilities fit in society’s information model. This coupled with applications that can take advantage of the iPad’s unique technology will hopefully help to define the market parameters and where the iPad makes sense.