Using the Kindle iPhone App

Let me start by saying I don't own a Kindle. I've thought about purchasing one, but the $359 price tag seems a little steep. Last year I purchased a Sony Reader PRS505 as part of an inventory liquidation...meaning I got it cheap. While I've enjoyed the Reader, I must admit I've experienced Kindle envy with regards to available titles and wireless capabilities.

Yesterday Amazon released the Kindle iPhone app. Now we're talking. I love my iPhone. I was more than willing to give up the Blackberry for it. Analysts are already predicting that this is going to be huge. Amazon finally figured it out: give away the app (or appliance) and sell the books. Though I prefer the larger screen size of the Kindle and the Reader, I have no problem reading books on the iPhone.

Amazon has made it a simple process for me to purchase a book and have it sent automatically to my phone...very cool. The Kindle application is easy to use. Some features don't work exactly like other iPhone apps. You have to select the font you want from a menu at the bottom of the screen, you can't expand the resolution using your fingers. Instead, swiping your finger across the screen turns the page.

Overall, I give Amazon 2 thumbs up for this one. It has definitely made me an Amazon eBook customer. Oh yeah, my first iPhone eBook: William Gibson's Count Zero. Ironic?

Kindle 2.0?

It seems that pictures of the new Kindle 2.0 device, the one that Amazon is denying exists, are leaking out across the web. Here's the link on BoyGenuisReport.com.

Sony's New PRS-700 Reader

In case you haven't heard, Sony just introduced their new reader, the PRS-700. The big difference between it and the PRS-505, is a 6 inch touchscreen, faster processor, expanded memory, and a built in side-lighting. The biggest feature that is lacking: no wireless capability. That being said, the touchscreen should be an improvement as it allows for note taking and finger swipping for page turning. It is also still billed as an "open" reader that allows multiple formats. The price tag will be $400

The best news of all, Sony has redesigned their online store. For those of us who've used it, this is definitely good news.

Tracking Stolen Laptops

Recently there's been a lot in the news about people recovering their stolen laptops through remote tracking (i.e. NY victim uses remote to nab theft suspect). Several companies provide commercial products for tracking lost laptops including products like Computrace Lojack for Laptops and CyberAngel. There are also open source solutions such as Adeona, created by the University of Washington.

After reading about Adeona in Technology Review, I tested it and am impressed with the results. The software runs on Linux, Windows, and Macs. It uses a cryptographic key and password combination to access information. And, if you have a Macbook, Adeona can use the iSight camera to snap a picture of culprit. When connected to the web, Adeona periodically records information such as internal/external ip, the network access point, and router information. The software sends the encrypted results to the OpenDHT distributed storage service. You retreive the information by installing the Adeona retrieval software on another PC and using the cyrptographic key and password.

Adeona's setup is simple. I've been running it for a few days now and it's working beautifully. If you're looking for a simple solution and don't want to spend a lot of money, check out Adeona.

Head in the Clouds

Here are some articles I forwarded to my team earlier today. The first is an interview with Craig Mundie, Microsoft's chief research and strategy officer. Mr. Mundie talks about composite computing and how the cloud becomes one aspect of it. The best quote: "People who started out and said, 'Hey, all software should just become a service,' started out with the misconception that the computing model that we know is mature and won't evolve anymore."

The second article is an interview with Richard Stallman, founder of GNU. Stallman has a whole different take on the concept of cloud computing. The best quote: "The computer industry is the only industry that is more fashion-driven than women's fashion. "

What's the right answer concerning cloud computing? Personally I think it's somewhere in between these two camps. Cloud computing will become one part of the whole computing experience, and it is this season's buzz word for companies who sell technology stuff. The hype around cloud computing will settle and, people will find sensible ways to use it.

I Just Had to Post This One

The Moron Brothers on YouTube...and no I didn't make up the name. They are self proclaimed morons:

Great Open Source Article on Slashdot

If you haven't seen this article on Slashdot, you should read it: Stanford Teaching MBAs How To Fight Open Source. Maybe B schools should spend more time teaching their MBA's how to embrace open source software instead of proprietary software? My favorite quote: "Glad to see that $48,921 that Stanford MBAs pay being put to good use. Having said that, such research is perhaps a great, market-driven indication that open source is having a serious effect on proprietary technology vendors".

More on the Sony/Target Digital Reader Partnership

Here's some more information on the Sony/Target partnership to sell Reader Digital Book products:

• cnet
• PC Magazine

ReThinking the Data Center

Recently there have been some developments in building alternatives to the traditional data center. Google has filed for a patent of its floating data center. Intel is running a proof-of-concept data center using outside air. Now, we learn that Microsoft has been running a rack of servers in a tent outside one of their data centers...something that those of us involved in Boy Scouts can appreciate :). You might be asking, "what's the point of all this?" The point is to get us to rethink the traditional data center from its location to the how we cool and maintain the environment.

Sony Reader Sighting

Tonight, after waiting in line at Costco for 30 minutes for gas, my youngest son and I headed to a nearby Target. While wondering around Target, I say a Sony Reader display in electronics. Target is selling the Reader for $299. They also have several accessories, including prepaid eBook cards for the Sony eBook store. I picked up a cover with a built in light for mine.

I think it's very interesting that Sony is now selling their digital reader products in Target. I guess they've finally started to market it. I've had one for almost a year now and enjoy it. It looks cooler than the Kindle. I only have a couple of complaints. First, it doesn't have wireless capabilities like the Kindle does. Second, the desktop software only runs on Windows...though I've been able to find an open source product that runs on the Mac and allows you to manage the device: calibre.

Ok, I do have one additional complaint, there are some publishers that haven't started providing content for the device.

Creating Books "Old School Style"

I thought you might enjoy the following video from the 1940's that shows the process of making a book. Printing a Book, Old School from Armin Vit.

Recent E-Reader/E-Ink Launches

By now you've already seen or at least read about Esquire Magazine's 75th Anniversary cover with flexible e-Ink technology. If you're interested in this technology, here are some other eReader devices you should also be watching:

• Plastic Logic eReader. This device is supposed to launch in January.
• Polymer Vision Readius. A flexible pocket eReader.

One of the big differences between these devices and the Amazon Kindle and Sony Reader, is that they use flexible polymer screens instead of glass. The screens are also touch sensitive...something that those of us who use an iPhone enjoy.

From dotProject to Mingle

As my development teams move to more toward Agile development methodologies, they found dotProject to be less than adequate. After a some research, they found and started using Mingle, an Agile Project Management tool. So far the reviews have been very positive.

Gibson EM-150 Pickup Rebuild

I was researching my 1969 Gibson EM-150 mandolin on the web and found the following video on YouTube. This video shows Clint Searcy from Searcy String Works rebuilding a Katrina damaged P-90 mandolin pickup that I assume came from an EM-150 since it is the only Gibson that I'm aware of with this kind of pickup. Enjoy.

Just Because I Like the Banjo

You're not a banjo player if you've never had something like this happen to you:

More to the Mythbusters and RFID Story

Last week I posted a video about a Mythbusters episode on RFID security that was supposedly stopped by corporate attorneys. Here's a follow up to that story fromcnet.com. Here's a clarification from Adam Savage. No matter what, my sons and I remain faithful Mythbusters watchers.

MythBusters and RFID

Considering RFID security. Here's a video of MythBusters' Adam Savage discussing some upcoming shows and why they aren't going to do an episode on RFID security.

Information Week Article

Some interesting charts from John Soat's article: How Tomorrow's CIO Can Buck The Trend Of Waning Influence.
The first concerns the most important attributes for a CIO:

The second is about the major obstacles faced by today's CIOs:

Graph on eReader Formats

I found the following graph on eBook dowloads by format:

The source data comes from manybooks.net.

Becoming A Coaching Leader

I've just finished an excellent book, Becoming a Coaching Leader, by Daniel Harkavy. Daniel is CEO of Building Champions, Inc., a company dedicated to building and improving leadership skills. Daniel's approach to coaching your team for the highest individual and group performance is excellent. I can't wait to start applying the material.

To be fair, I need to let you know that Thomas Nelson, my employer, published this book. We publish a lot of great leadership books, starting with the Bible. I also need to let you know that I have just become a client of Building Champions. Reading the book, researching the website, and talking with Building Champions convinced me that I want to improve my leadership skills, as well as those of my team. So, I signed up.

If you're a leader, you may be like me and are constantly looking for ways to improve and refine your skills, consider adding Becoming a Coaching Leader to your leadership library.