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.

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.

I’ve been to enough Apple events to know the company and in particular Steve Jobs has these things down to a science. They maintain secrecy over all details of the event and subtly let out slight details at a rate that ensures the general public is spun up to a frenzy.

This was definitely the case for this event. It was perhaps the worst kept secret in the computer history that Apple would be releasing a tablet device. Despite that knowledge Apple customers and potential customers were glued to their computer screens waiting to learn the details of this new device.

After taking the stage Jobs wasted no time before bringing out the new product for everyone to see. It had been rumored the device would be named the “iPad” and that was accurate. At first glimpse it looks like an iPod Touch with a thyroid problem.

It has the same touch screen technology that the iPod Touch and the iPhone use. From the screen displays it runs a version of the iPhone Operating System with extensions that will utilize the larger screen real estate.

Apple is positioning the iPad to be missing link between the iPhone and the MacBook. It will run over 140,000 applications from the App Store with no modification giving the device an instant library of software on day one.

iPhone apps can run in two different modes. The first will set the application up in a window sized the same as an iPhone or iPod Touch. With a click you can expand the size of the window to four-times nearly filling the iPad’s screen.

The iPad is 9.56 inches high and 7.47 inches wide with a depth of 0.5 inches. It weighs approximately 1.5 pounds making it extremely light weight and portable for taking with you wherever you go. The 9.7 inch (diagonal) LED screen has a resolution of 1024 by 768 pixels at
132 pixels per inch.

The form factor was slightly different than I expected. I thought it would have a screen ratio of 16:9 rather than 4:3. While the additional width might be good for some applications, it results in black bars on two of the sides when watching video.

The iPad comes in several configurations to allow the customer to decide which one will meet their needs without overbuying the technology. There are two standard types. One is strictly Wi-Fi enabled allowing network connectivity to any Wi-Fi Hotspot in 802.11a/b/g/n flavors.

The other includes 3G networking in addition to Wi-Fi allowing the user to connect the device to a cellular network if Wi-Fi is unavailable. Apple announced that the 3G model comes unlocked meaning it can be used on any 3G network that utilize specific frequencies. AT&T immediately announced the iPad could be used on their network.

Besides the networking type, customers can also choose the device’s capacity. The iPad will be available in 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB of memory. Like the iPhone the iPad includes an accelerometer to sense when the device is rotated or tilted.

The iPad uses a graphical keyboard like the iPhone and can also utilize Bluetooth keyboards such as the Apple Wireless Keyboard. The iPad includes full support for Bluetooth 2.1 which should mean you could use wireless earphones.

The processor in the device is an Apple designed chip called the A4 which is running at 1GHz. The chip was designed to provide good performance while maintaining lower power consumption.

Power conservation was an important design criterion for the iPad allowing it to have up to 10 hours of use or 30 days of stand-by power, impressive considering the device’s minimal footprint.

The iPad is capable of playing music similar to an iPod Touch. It is also able to display High Definition video reproduction in 720p at 30 frames per second.

The device is initially being targeted to the traveler who wants to use multimedia while on the road. Its screen size would be perfect for watching a movie on an airplane or in a hotel room.

Besides audio and video, the device is also great as an electronic book reader. It was immediately clear that Apple was positioning this to compete head-to-head with Amazon and its Kindle product.

Besides the iPad, Apple also announced it would add books to iTunes allowing customers to purchase electronic books and have them downloaded directly to the iPad. Besides text and pictures, the electronic books can also include video and other media.

The demos of the electronic book media reminded me a lot of the newspapers in the Harry Potter movies where pictures move around the page. With networking capabilities there is no reason content could not be updated in real time as news unfolds.

Besides the iPad, Apple also introduced a version of their word processor Pages, presentation software Keynote, and spreadsheet Numbers for the iPad. This brings productivity apps to the mobile space. Perhaps the best news was that each of these applications will be priced at $9.99.

The whole pricing structure for the iPad was very aggressive. A 16GB iPad with Wi-Fi will sell for $499 putting it squarely in the Kindle’s market. Prices for the 32GB and 64GB models were set at $599 and $699 respectively. If you want 3G, it is $130 more. This means the most feature laden iPad will sell for $829; $170 less than the rumored price point.

The Wi-Fi versions of the iPad will begin shipping in late March 2010 while the 3G versions will ship in late April. Overall the iPad looks like an intriguing device that has a lot of potential allowing Apple to position themselves in another mobile market.

As an owner of an iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS as well as several iPod Touch devices, I am eagerly awaiting the newest version of the iPhone OS. When Apple introduced iPhone OS 3.0 I was ecstatic.

When the iPhone 3G was released, the operating system had some challenges that severely impacted the usefulness of the device. The battery drain was excruciating and it was a struggle to hold and maintain a signal in some areas.

The update to the iPhone OS cleared up a lot of these issues and enabled the devices to become much more useful. We are now currently on version 3.1.2 meaning there have been some minor changes. Some of these changes have been welcomed while others introduced new issues that iPhone users have had to live with.

While Apple has never asked for my input, I would be happy to provide them with a wish list of items that I’d love to see them build into the next version of the OS.

iPhone 3GS Battery Usage. I bought an iPhone 3G on the first day it was available. For those first few weeks I really questioned my sanity. The battery would dramatically drain throughout the day requiring a charge during the day if I wanted to use the device for longer than a few hours.

iPhone OS 3.0 solved most of those issues. When I upgraded to an iPhone 3GS I was shocked to find my battery woes had returned to nearly the same level I had with the iPhone 3G at introduction. Apple engineers in conjunction with AT&T needs to figure out what is causing such a drain on the 3GS and resolve it. There must be a way to better manage energy usage to allow a user to use the phone for longer than a few short hours between charges and turning off the 3G network or not using applications cannot be the answer.

Multi-Tasking Applications. To be honest this one is really not high on my priority list. Given the aforementioned battery issues adding multi-tasking to applications may not be possible and I would rather have longer battery life than have multiple applications running.

That being said, I realize multi-tasking is necessary to be competitive in the smart phone market. Google has implemented this feature in their Android product so Apple will need to offer something similar. The key to multi-tasking is to have an appropriate algorithm that can manage potential runaway apps that could jeopardize the user experience.

Better Bluetooth Connectivity. Apple recently added the ability to connect wireless headphones to the iPhone using a Bluetooth connection. When it first was released it worked well with my motorcycle headphones. During subsequent OS updates, Apple broke that capability.

The level of regression testing needs to be better at Apple so that they don’t break functionality when they update. With more and more emphasis being placed on eliminating the wires, Apple needs to provide a more robust toolset within the OS to support Bluetooth functionality not just for headphones but also headsets.

Ability to Change Text Messaging Sounds. This is one of those things that leave you scratching your head wondering what Apple engineers were thinking. The iPhone supports custom ring tones for incoming calls but the user is limited to the six sounds that are included on the phone for text messages.

Nearly every cellular phone on the planet supports custom sounds to be used for receiving text messages; the iPhone is not one of those. This is such a simple change that you have to wonder why it was never supported in the first place.

There are documented hacks that will allow users to replace one of the six sounds with a custom sound but these hacks require the user to “jailbreak” the phone. iPhone OS 4.0 should at a minimum allow the user to set a global sound to all text messages.

If Apple really wants to impress the customer base, let the user set a sound on a per user basis to provide audio queues of who is trying to contact them.

Make Communications Contact Centered. With the iPhone I will get communications via several different ways from the same person. I might receive a phone call, a text message, a photo message, a Twitter message, or an email all from the same person.

It would be extremely beneficial if I could look at a user’s contact information and see all the communications I have had with them regardless of the medium. I understand this may not be a trivial task but it would extremely useful to consolidate all of the data in one place.

Apple took the first step when they introduced Spotlight search capabilities on the iPhone but a user should not have to go to the search function to find all the information about a recipient. Make the interface more user centralized.

These are just a few things that come to mind, I am sure I could come up with additional examples of features or functions that would be helpful in the iPhone OS 4.0. These are not complaints, they are helpful suggestions of ways to endure this device to the hearts of the users.

Since purchasing the iPhone 3G when it was first released in 2008, I have gone through no fewer than eight cases. Each time I buy one I think this will be the one that will finally meet all of my criteria while still being stylish enough to carry.

Invariably though I find myself disappointed. With some cases they are too bulky turning the iPhone into a brick-like dimension. These cases do bring back a certain amount of nostalgia reminding the user what cell phone form factors used to be in the 1980’s.

Other cases are sleek and smooth but offer very little protection to the iPhone turning the user into a nervous wreck as they are afraid of dropping or damaging their phone. You can usually spot these users as they look like they are handling a core of Uranium 238.

I’ve tried several of the ice cream magic shell equivalent of cases. You know the chocolate coating that you pour over ice cream and it turns into a hard chocolate shell. In the case of iPhone cases these usually have the word “shield” in their names like GhostShield, InvisiShield, ArmorShield, etc.

The problem with these types of cases is that while they may protect the iPhone from scratches they have a tendency to peel off leaving the edges of the iPhone unprotected. They can also get expensive if you have them installed by the dealer with each charging between $10 and $20 per application.

What I needed was something with a non-slick surface that would protect the back of the iPhone with perhaps a removable face cover. I want the case to be stylish but not too thick. My quest to find such a case led me look at the iSkin product.

iSkin has long been associated with cases for the iPod market and I have used them in the past for my music player. I went to their web site and was intrigued by the iSkin Solo FX.

The iSkin Solo FX is a silicon-based case that gives the back of the iPhone protection with a silicon cover that comes in several different colors. They have added geometric shapes into the silicon giving it a unique look.

I purchased a Solo FX in the color Passion which is a translucent red. I have to admit, I was a little reluctant thinking my iPhone would be dressed in Passion Red but it was the closest thing to Arizona Diamondbacks Sedona Red so I guess it is fitting that it would be called Passion.

The cover came with two different front covers. One is a clear cover that protects the iPhone face while still allowing it to be touch sensitive. The second cover was a mirror finish. It is kind of cool giving the iPhone an almost stealth look.

For those of you who are international spies, the mirrored finish makes a great accessory that you can use to look around corners to make sure you are not about to walk into a terrorist cell ambush. Think of it as a national security preserver.

The iSkin Solo FX is relatively simple to install. You simply slide it on and roll the edges over the corners of the iPhone. There are openings for the headphone jack, the camera lens, the mute button, and the dock connector on the end.

The on and off switch and the volume controls are covered but the silicon is thinner there allowing you to press the buttons. The case does not add a lot of bulk to the phone and does provide a non-slip surface that makes it easier to hold in your hand while in use.

The opening for the docking port is adequately sized to allow easy connection to the cords. It is a much better than the touch Vibes case iSkin makes for the iPod Touch. That case requires you to manipulate the case and move the docking cord around to finally get a good dock connection.

The iSkin Solo FX has semi-transparent circle shapes in the back of the case. When you add the iPhone the black back of my iPhone shows through giving it a classy geometric pattern that other cases do not have.

The one negative I have with the iSkin Solo FX is that the dye used to create the case does have a tendency to bleed onto the back of the phone. If you have a black case that is not a problem but with the white iPhone you could end up with a pink back. Fortunately for me I still have an Invisishield on the back of the phone so the dye came off with the removal of the Invisishield.

The dye problem is not just with the red color. I bought my wife a blue cover and my daughter has an aqua color and each of them have also bled onto the iPhone case.

Overall the iSkin Solo FX has been a good case. I hesitate to say it is the perfect case. Although you can buy a separate belt clip it is not included with the Solo FX. The iSkin product line is also relatively expensive with the Solo FX listed for $32.99.

Fortunately iSkin offers discounts and sales fairly regularly so you can get it for less if you are willing to be patient and wait for it to go on sale. Delivery is quite fast, all of the covers I have ordered from iSkin have come via US Postal Service and are packaged quite well.

You should also remove the cover once and a while and clean the inside of the case and the iPhone. Dirt can sometimes get inside and could rub between the cover and the iPhone scratching the back. I have never had that happen with my iPhone or my iPods but it could so be forewarned.

This same problem can occur with any case and by no means is a flaw in the design of the iSkin Solo FX. If you are looking for a slim silicon case that gives your device a stylish look without adding a lot of bulk take a look at the Solo FX.

As 1999 was coming to an end I like most others in the Information Technology industry was preparing for the impending Y2K doom that was being predicted in the media. Of course nothing happened and that was a non-event.

When the clock counted down the final seconds of the 20th century I wondered what life would be like in the next century. I envisioned life being like the Jetsons with flying cars that folded up into briefcases and we would all live in apartment complexes catered to by Rosie the Robot.

Unfortunately as I sit here now I wonder if anything really has changed at all? It feels as though life as we know it really hasn’t changed that much; or so I thought. When ABC News posted a news story naming The Top 10 Products of the Decade I was curious whether these products would be revolutionary or just an updated of version of something that has been around for ages.

Reading over the list I was shocked that many of the products listed have become a part of my everyday life. I don’t think of these things as the amazing 21st Century technology that I had been anticipating. Strangely I could not think of living a day without them they have become so much a part of my daily life.

The list of products ABC News identified as the best of the last decade are:

1. Apple iPod
2. GPS Devices
3. The Blackberry
4. Digital Camera
5. TiVo Digital Video Recorder
6. Nintendo Wii
7. USB Flash Drive
8. iPhone
9. E-Book Readers
10. Netbooks

Perhaps the first thing to note is that without exception I own or have owned every single one of these products during the past decade. I am not sure whether that means I have successfully helped select these products or if it just means I am a techno-geek that buys way too many toys. If you ask Trina she will definitely say it is the latter.

When I stood back and pondered these products I realized that without exception each of these have changed the way I live my life now versus before they were developed.

I remember when I began college in 1980. I saved up my money and made the splurge buying my first Hewlett-Packard calculator. It was the size of a brick and came with a one line LED display that was painfully difficult to read unless you were in a dark room.

This calculator was my constant companion throughout college and I truly thought I was on the cutting edge of technology. I took great care with the calculator as it cost as much as a semester of tuition.

At the end of my first year of college Sony introduced the Walkman that would allow me to take a cassette with me around campus and listen to music while I studied. It was an unheard of concept and changed the way I listened to music.

Fast-forwarding to this past decade I suddenly realized how much things have changed. My iPod now holds 36 times more than my first hard drive the Apple Profile. Now I not only can listen to my music but I am able to take my entire library of music and videos with me at all times and go days without having to recharge the battery.

I no longer wait for the local disc jockey to introduce me to new artists and music. Instead my iPod and iPhone recommend music to me based on what I have listened to in the past. Music has become files where it used to be tapes or discs.

My phone and my car can now tell me within 10 feet where I am on the planet regardless of how far away I am from my destination. It can tell me where traffic is the worst and what is the best route to get to my destination all without stopping to ask for directions.

Phones have morphed into multi-tasking devices and I communicate with voice, video, email and text all from a handheld unit that has more computing power than the combined first ten computers I owned.

My first computer had 4K of memory and I had to program it each time I booted. When Apple introduced the cassette tape storage device I was in heaven. Now I have a USB drive with no moving parts that is the size of a quarter and holds the equivalent of 12 CDs of information. I can move the data from computer to computer simply by inserting the drive into a USB port.

When the decade first began most homes in America still had a VCR, which flashed 12:00. Although it was possible to record television to tape it was a complicated process that always ended in frustration. Now with my TiVo it not only records all of my shows without me having to feed tapes to the machine but it also finds shows I might like based upon my previous viewing habits.

On those occasions when I forget to tell TiVo to record a program I can still do it even if I am not at home. I simply open an application on my iPhone and give instructions to my TiVo even if I am hundreds of miles away from home.

I have always been a book connoisseur and have literally hundreds of books around my house. Now I find myself buying less paper books instead relying on electronic books such as the Amazon Kindle to provide reading materials.

I can still flip through the pages but now I can house several books in a single form-factor. For those trips where I normally take 2-3 books to read I now pack just my e-book reader. If I run out of reading material more books are available if I can find a wireless network.

Looking back over the past ten years clearly we have made tremendous technological advances. So while I still don’t have a flying car or a robot maid my life is much easier than it ever has been in my life. I can hardly wait to see what advances are made in the next ten years.

Whitney has always been mature for her age so I wasn’t worried about getting her a phone. Still I wasn’t about to let on to her that she was going to get a phone. Instead I told her that she had to get an “A” on a particular test in order to be considered for a phone.

Whitney worked extremely hard that semester to get an “A” in that class. In the end though she received a “B” missing an “A” by just a couple of points. Given her hard work I knew I would still get her the phone but she didn’t know that.

Leading up to Christmas I kept telling her that she shouldn’t expect the phone given that she got a “B”. On Christmas morning Whitney eagerly ran downstairs hoping to find a cell phone. It was not among her presents and she was trying really hard to maintain a positive attitude despite her disappointment.

Finally there was one present left. She opened the gift and inside was a plastic phone filled with candy along with a note that stated, “Sorry this is the best you get for getting a ‘B’.” It was a mean trick and she broke down.

Before she could be too upset there was another note suggesting she look on one of the branches of the Christmas tree. There was her shiny new cell phone with a waiting text message from dad saying “You will always be an ‘A’ in my life.”

It has now been a couple of years since that time and Whitney’s contract is up on her cell phone. The rest of the family has moved from Sprint to AT&T and phones have been replaced with the iPhone.

Once again Whitney is clamoring for a new phone. This time though she too wants an iPhone. Given the events from two years ago she is refusing to have it tied to her grades this time.

I’m not sure I would be able to get away with another prank again this year. I have a sneaking suspicion I am going to be shopping for an iPhone this week and Whitney will be getting an early Christmas present.

Nikon has continuously been developing their software and web presence to add value to their product line. This coupled with their Nikon Schools educational arm provides a wealth of information on just on cameras but on camera techniques.

Today I received an email introducing another educational opportunity available. Nikon has developed an iPhone App called Nikon Learn & Explore. This free app provides access to articles and information from the Nikon educational archives.

The interface to the app is well laid out. You can select information by image with a matrix of photos displayed. Selecting a photo thumbnail displays a larger version of the picture as you would expect.

From there you can click on Info to get information about the photo including photographer name. You can also select View Article, which will show the article from Nikon World magazine that featured the photo. Where applicable there are also videos about the photo or the article.

Next to the Image tag on the main screen is a learn icon that provides Insights & Techniques including imaging editing, shooting techniques, and fundamentals of photography. These lessons are well done and very helpful.

The Nikon World magazine is a valuable tool and the app provides digital access to the information separated by issue.

The app is like having a desk reference and photography teacher right at your fingertips. It is a great app with a good interface and invaluable information. For anyone interested in taking pictures whether you use a Nikon camera or not you will find valuable information contained within it.

I was equally shocked when Apple and AT&T announced that MMS would not be immediately available through the AT&T network but that the feature would be delivered “late summer 2009). There have been rumors swirling around the Internet stating the reason for the delay was not a technical issue with the AT&T’s 3G network but rather it was a problem with the AT&T customer database that prevented the iPhone to be properly identified as a potential MMS client.

I try not to get too hung up on the conspiracy theories that are rampant whenever a new feature or device has issues. Still, it was frustrating to think that while the rest of the iPhone world would be able to use MMS, the iPhone customers in the United States would have to wait an undetermined amount of time before this feature would be active.

I waited as patiently has I could for notification of when MMS would be delivered. Each time I asked the answer would be the same, “late summer”. According to my calendar Autumn officially begins on September 22, 2009 so by definition we should receive this functionality by that date at the latest.

On Wednesday I received a text message from AT&T stating that a new version of the carrier settings would be available to download through iTunes on September 25. Among the features would be MMS. While AT&T technically missed their stated deadline by three days it was at least encouraging to hear that MMS would finally be active.

When September 25 arrived; I plugged my iPhone into my Macbook Pro and opened iTunes. Sure enough, iTunes notified me of an update being available. I immediately installed the software, anxious to try out MMS.

To utilize MMS, a user simply goes into the Messages application on the iPhone and either start a new messaging conversation or select a current conversation. At the bottom of the display near the left corner of the input field is a new camera icon. Selecting this icon brings up an input dialog where the user can either take a photo using the iPhone’s built in camera or you can choose an existing photo that is stored in the iPhone.

When the message is sent, the photo shows up as a conversation bubble in the message stream. The recipient will receive the photo just as they would a text message. By clicking on the photo within messaging you can view the entire photo. The recipient has the ability to save the photo to their iPhone photo roll.

Overall the MMS feature works quite well. I was able to sent pictures from my son’s soccer game to my wife who could not attend the event. My daughter was able to send photos of athletic shoes she was thinking of buying giving us the opportunity to veto her taste in shoes. My wife was even able to send me a picture of the laundry detergent she needed me to pick up. This was substantially easier than having her try to describe the packaging to me.

I thought that MMS would end up being a novelty but I find myself using it more and more in daily communications. Now if AT&T would just figure out how they are going to provide tethering capabilities for the iPhone I would be a happy user.