A digital girl, the blog. By Julia Roy

Bus with WiFi? I'm In!

I'm heading to Boston for the weekend and there's only one mode of transportation that gets me excited  - the Bolt Bus.

Notice the first and third item listed in Boltbus' features: Internet and Power Outlets. This bus is cheap, reliable, clean and (most importantly) the most blog-able and charg-able mode of transportation available. **That is if your going to and from Boston, New York, Philadelphia and/or Washington.

see this photo on flickr

Side-note: From Boston to NYC there is the LimoLiner, but it is $89 for a one-way trip, compared to Bolt Bus which is only $20. These days, I say cheaper is better.

Best Twitter iPhone App is Tweetie

Tweetie (@tweetie) is THE BEST Twitter application for the iPhone. Go to the iTunes App store and purchase it for $2.99. Trust me, you will not be let down. Check out the video below where I explain and show Mike Schneider (@schneidermike) why Tweetie is da bomb!

Julia Roy Schools Schneider Mike on Tweetie from Schneider Mike on Vimeo.

Removing iPhone Apps

I am only keeping three applications on my iPhone- Yelp, Tetris and Pandora -and the rest I have removed from my phone. Not because I don't like them or find them useful, but because they make even the simplest tasks like texting and emailing really slow to load and I've been having serious keyboard slowdown. When opening my texts, I wait 20 seconds for my texts to be visible; i wait up to 30 seconds sometimes for the keyboard to catch up to my fingers. I never had these problems before. I also found the apps themselves are kinda crappy and often take forever to load, if they'd even load at all.

To keep my word, below is a critique of all the apps I talked about in my previous post. Here is my official MonkeyButt list for iApps^sm (title graciously suggested by THE Paisano, *hat tip.*)

Typepad: I cannot get into blogging from my mobile phone. A few months back Typepad launched improved mobile blogging features and although this app is a great addition, I don't like blogging from my phone. I am too slow typing on my iPhone and I am unable to edit and add images/multimedia to the post with the ease that I can when blogging from my laptop.

AIM: Didn't work at all. Could not even get it to load, at all. This was the first app I deleted, so moving on....

MoPhoto: To be honest, I never even opened this app. Flickr makes posting photos from my phone to my Flickr account incredibly easy. I email photos from my phone using my designated Flickr email. I never even gave this app a chance.

SunCompass: I wanted this to work so bad. I use Hopstop a lot for getting around NYC and the directions always say "go north" or "head south," and I never have any clue which way to turn. To my disappointment, this app did not work for me. It took way too long for the app to figure out which way is which.

Jamd: As much as I wanted to use this to keep up with pop culture/celebrity news, it seems I just don't care enough about the world of glamour to use it.

Bank of America: I like this app a lot, but I've always been able to easily access my account on the BOA website via my iPhone browser. I removed it because my iPhone is so slow now with these apps, so if I don't need it or love it, it's gone.

New York Times: Who am I kidding, I don't read news on the go, on my iPhone, ever. The only time I want to read news on phone- is on the Subway, which is impossible because no phone service underground. (So, while in transit, I read fiction bestsellers instead.)

Google: This app loads but then freezes and does not allow me to enter any text for at least 90 seconds. I can't wait that long. I am actually thinking I might try to keep this one, I do like using it better than the iPhone Safari browser.

Jott: Jott is a great organization and voice-to-text service, that I never fully got into. Thought I'd give it another whirl, but I quickly realized it was redundant as I am using a great task/note organization service at work already.

iPhone 2.0 Software Update and Applications

I finally took the time to update my iPhone with the new 2.0 software.  The new searching and storing features included in the update are fantastic and were much needed. I can now search my contacts in a search box, instead of having to scroll through my contacts alphabetically; delete multiple emails at once, instead of having to select, load and delete each email individually; and easily organize emails into folders. Other new features like the scientific calculator and language dictionary I could care less about, but I still wish it had the ability to cut, copy and paste. Oh well, maybe next time. 

The new applications I've synced to my iPhone are AWESOME.  I can't get enough of them and I can't stop searching for new ones on the iTunes store everyday. Here is a sample of what I've downloaded so far. I'll post a follow up with a review of the applications once I get time to really use them all. What do you think of the apps? Are there any that you think I should try that are not pictured here?

Navigational Technology

Thank heaven for navigational technology. I am awful at directions, both giving and interpreting them. It doesn't matter if I am in a car, on foot, or riding the subway - when reading directions like head North toward... travel East on ... - I am immediately lost. After moving to NYC, I thought I would never get to new places on time, ever.

But using a combination of the iPhone Map application and Hopstop, I can find my way around New York City quickly and easily. Without these tools, especially Hopstop, I would be lost and helpless all the time. You laugh, but it's true -- do not underestimate the severity of my lack of direction.

1) The iPhone Map application, with myLocation integration, is awesome at finding particular places that are close to where I am. For example: If I need to find the closest Duane Reade pharmacy, I hit the myLocation button to show me approximately where I am, and then I search Duane Reade on my map and pins appear where all the Duane Reade's are that are close to me. I use this a lot when I am out and about running errands.

2) Hopstop is my savior. It gets me from point A to point B in the quickest, easiest, most efficient way possible, every time.  Hopstop was designed for city commuters who walk and take subways, buses and cabs to get to their destinations. If you live in or visit NYC, Long Island, Boston, Chicago, San Fransisco, New Jersey and/or Washington DC, you must check out Hopstop next time you need walking or subway directions. It's so easy to use and has seamless mobile integration. Its Simple: 1. Enter the addresss you are leaving from and the address of your destination, 2. choose whether you want to get there by walking, subway, bus or cab and 3. it will provide  you with detailed directions that you can email or text to yourself. With Hopstop, I never get frustrated when I have to go to a new place. I simply log on to the site and text myself the directions or use their mobile site to be guided step by step to my destination.

 

Youth and Technology

I thought a lot today about teenagers, and the crazy amounts of technology that is available to them.  I consider myself "born digital," but I know in actuality, I have been re-born digital. I did not have the technology that is available to teenagers today.... not even close.

I remember calling my mom from a payphone at the mall, getting so angry I was wasting quarters when she didn't pick up.  I remember sitting at the computer, watching every second I was online because it we paid for the internet by the minute.  The most complex computer class I had in high school, was typing class.

If I was a teenager today, how would my life be different? Texting, Facebooking, YouTubing... all at my fingertips. Would I perceive my future differently? Would I have been more connected with the world - instead of just my neighborhood?

With the opportunity this gives teenagers, I also think about the repercussions. When is access to information too easy? Porn and violence at a click of a button.  Maybe things are not so different, maybe I am undervaluing a young minds ability to filter these images and messages... but I have been thinking about it... a lot.

Nokia Morph Concept

The Nokia Morph Concept YouTube video reveals some pretty impressive nanotechnologies. 

Imagine a phone where you can manipulate the shape, wear it on your wrist, recharge it through sunlight and spill an entire glass of water on it and it's no problem. Yup, that is what we are talking about here.

I am more than impressed, I am astonished at the technology that could be available to us in the relative future. Hey, I love my iPhone, but I'd drop it for a Nokia Morph phone any day. :)

My favorite feature, is revealed at the very end of the video.  This, is of course a feature that is completely for fashion purposes only.  Take a picture of your handbag with your phone, flip your phone into a bracelet and apply the image that you just took as the design on your phone-bracelet.  Oh, I have tingles.

Inspiring Podcasts

I used to be hooked on podcasts.  Somewhere in the moving to NYC process, I stopped listening to podcasts and I'm not exactly sure why.  But I'm back and more committed than ever. Although, I may have gone subscription overboard this time, as I have 200 unlistened to podcasts waiting for me in iTunes.

On the way to work each day I listen, watch and engage with podcasts from my iPhone.  I am especially enjoying videocasts like Mahalo Daily, TEDTalks and Geek Entertainment TV.  The video keeps me more engaged with the content, because with audio podcasts I often miss parts because of my eyes and mind wandering as I get on and off the train, dodge people on the sidewalks... etc. When there is video with the audio, I simply miss my trains and bump into people on the streets because I am damn engaged. Ha.

What brought me to writing about podcasts today was an inspiring interview I listened to on The Accidental Creative podcast with author, teacher and consultant Peter Block (Podcast #99). He discusses how to act on things that matter, and now I am ready to take on new personal challenges. Of course I went to Amazon today and bought Peter Block's book- "The Answer to How Is Yes: Acting on What Matters."

Thanks Podcasters,
Your time, effort and personalities make me a more motivated and knowledgeable person everyday.

If you have a podcast, leave me a comment with the iTunes feed and I'll subscribe-- if I'm not subscribed already. :)

The Haiku Project

I've been a Utterz member for a while, but the incident has now made me a real user of the service. I love it :) I'm riding the Haiku wave that Jonny Goldstein tossed me into.

Net News Wire Desktop App Now Free

Newsgator is a company that offers RSS aggregation products and social media tools for individuals and businesses. To be honest, I don't know much about their products and services beyond their RSS readers.  It's enough to know that they develop some really kick ass applications, and have a great support team.

Newgator's FeedDemon was my first RSS reader that I purchased.  Although I liked Google Reader, I preferred keeping my RSS reader seperate from my browser, and still do. When I went from PC to Mac, I stuck with Newsgator and purchased their Net News Wire RSS reader.  Both applications cost me $3o for a year subscription.

While browsing my Net News Wire RSS reader today I found out that now they are offering both RSS readers for free!?! Not only are the desktop readers free, they also offer free downloads for Mobile apps, a Microsoft Outlook reader, and other cool free tools.

I particularly love the iPhone mobile feature. It's a great way to surf my feeds on the go-go.  I know I shouldn't care because I love the product so much, but I kinda want my money back now.

Podcamp Boston Livecast on Justin.tv

Getting really frustrated. Trying to livecast sessions at Podcamp Boston but, after much troubleshooting, I cannot get the audio to work. It sucks. Help!

Watch live video from juliapatriciaroy on Justin.tv

iPhone $200 price cut

I want one, oh so bad. 

clipped from gizmodo.com The price of an 8GB iPhone just got lower, and the 4GB iPhone is on its way out, according to Apple CEO Steve Jobs. He announced the 8GB iPhone's new price will be $399, down $200 from its original $599 price. Well now, how does that make those of us early adopters who dropped $600 on the first ones feel? Hm.

My first Voxci post

This is really exciting. I added a voice recording to one of my Flickr photos using Voxci - a service that allows you to add you voice to any page on the web.  I talked about a photo of me in Second Life, although I just listened to it and my voice post got cut off at the end?!  Still great service, I think this is going to be big.