By Robert Henny

I have to admit, I love my iPad 2, not only for its functionality but also for its aesthetic appeal.  Simply put, it’s a sexy little thing. It’s what separates Apple’s products from all the imitators.  I have always enjoyed the feeling of pride I get when typing away on my iPad, MacBook Air, MacBook or iPhone; yes, I own and use them all.  Nothing beats watching those poor souls who, for one reason or another (maybe they’re too cheap or too stupid to buy Apple), purchased a competing device and turn green with envy as I unsheathe my works of art.  Apple recognized this with the design of its latest Smart Cover for the iPad 2, a svelte and remarkably thin and functional piece of engineering.  And I love it. 

Beautiful Design

I use it all the time.  I almost cringe at the idea of covering my iPad 2 in a case, especially one that I’m supposed to leave in place.  It reminds me of when I used to go into old people’s homes and they’d cover their furniture with plastic so it wouldn’t get stained.  Great, now you’ve ensured your beautiful couch will remain unblemished, but you’ve also destroyed the reason why you bought it in the first place.  You can still sit on it, but it’s damn ugly now!  Why buy a Ferrari if you’re gonna leave it in a garage and never feel the stares of jealous pedestrians as you rev past a Starbucks?  It’s like asking a supermodel to wear a paper bag down the runway… actually, that is probably happening at a fashion show right now to thunderous applause.

Environmentally Friendly

Okay, by now you get the point.  You’re probably sick of the point: covering the beautiful new iPad 2 in a case seems counterintuitive.  But then along came Temple Bags.  I had heard about the company through the grapevine and was intrigued by their business model.  The Los Angeles based company creates all their canvas and leather bags and cases from vintage military materials and repurposed World War II bags.  It’s a great story and certainly pleasing to the environmentally friendly, but for my money, I still want a great case.  Temple Bags delivers.  I went with the iPad 2 Leather Smart Case, and from the moment I laid eyes and hands on it, I was smitten. 

Protection & Functionality

The thing is beautiful, well crafted, and incredibly lean. Yet it maintains a rigidity perfectly capable of protecting my iPad 2. It’s painstakingly engineered to provide an exact fit for my investment.  It’s no paper bag on a supermodel, this is an evening gown with a matching pair of Manolo Blahniks and it fits like a glove.  Admittedly, I’m a beauty junkie, but you’ve probably already ascertained that.  However, I also demand functionality, and the Temple Bag did not disappoint.  It has a brass eyelet to provide a full range of view from the rear facing camera. And when the case is opened, it provides full access to all the iPad 2’s controls.  Heck, it even somehow manages to turn the thing on and off when you open the cover, a function I heretofore believed was unique to the Smart Cover. 

The magnetic flaps that close the case also function to provide a stand for the iPad 2, almost exactly as the Smart Cover does.  Unlike the Smart Cover, however, all worries about scratching the iPad 2 are out the window.  When the case is closed, it looks like you’re carrying a trusty leather notebook that you’ve used since you first learned to scribble notes.  With it open, well, it’s the iPad 2 inside, and what’s not to love about that?

Summary

The Temple bag may be a bit pricey ($189), but well worth the cost in my humble opinion.  I guess the only problem I have with the case is merely something that hasn’t even happened yet. Leather can change shape so that something that once fit (like a glove) no longer fits.  So far, the leather straps on my case have stretched a little, but the magnetic closure is adjustable so it hasn’t been a problem.  So for now, I’m happy as can be.  I mean, you don’t kick a supermodel out of bed because she may not be as pretty in the future, do you?  Well, I wouldn’t, and I won’t do that to my case.  And as I head out to my next meeting, Leather Smart Case and iPad 2 in hand, I can’t help but think my case is whispering to onlookers, “Don’t hate me because I’m beautiful.  Just appreciate the fact you get to look at me.” 

I couldn’t have said it better myself.

Templebags.com

Therefore, this three-part series will examine some of the best hardware upgrades for your media storage. We are going to use a 2006 Mac Pro to demonstrate the upgrades, but you should be able to achieve similar results on any iMac or PC.

Kicking off this series is the OWC Mercury Extreme Pro SSD (solid state drive) to improve the overall speed of our system.

Boot Drive – OWC Mercury Extreme Pro SSD

There are a quite a few drives when it comes to choosing the right SSD for your system. We decided to try out the Mercury Extreme Pro SSD from Other World Computing because it’s supposed to very fast while also being one of the most affordable drives out there. It also uses the highly acclaimed SandForce Processor which should help prevent write speed degradation commonly experienced by SSD’s.

Installation:

Installation of the SSD was a breeze. Its’ very similar to installing any other (mechanical) hard drive. The Extreme Pro comes in a 2.5″ form factor, however, so you’ll have to place it into an adapter to fit it into any of the 3.5″ Mac Pro slots. Other World Computing recommends the Icy Dock adapter. You can also install the SSD into the second optical drive bay if you own a Mac Pro 2008 or later. Unfortunately, this isn’t easily achievable on the 2006 model, since the optical bay isn’t wired with SATA connectors.

The Icy Dock adapter will convert any 2.5inch SSD into a 3.5inch compatible hard drive.

I actually recommend purchasing a 2.5″ SSD over an 3.5″ alternative, even if you’re planning on installing the drive into a desktop computer. A 2.5″ drive will give you the flexibility to also install it into a MacBook Pro down the road, for example. These drives aren’t cheap so flexibility is a good thing!

Performance:

Other World Computing promises “Ultra High-Performance” compared to mechanical hard drives. To test this claim we’ve set up an exact mirror image of our boot drive on the Extreme Pro SSD as well as on a 7200rpm drive from Seagate for a side by side comparison.

In our sequential, uncached speed test the Mercury Extreme Pro achieved write speeds of 155MB/s and read speeds of 199MB/s. That’s compared to 60MB/s write and 62/MB read speeds on our 7200 Barracuda drive. The difference was even more dramatic in our random, uncached speed test. 152MB/s write and 192MB/s read vs. 23MB/s write and 26MB/s read speeds. It even topped the SSD in the newly released MacBook Air which peaked at 126MB/s write and 113/MB/s read. The Mercury Extreme Pro’s overall Xbench score of 324 points destroyed the mechanical hard drive which only scored 38 points. The MacBook Air SSD was able to scoop up 248 points.

Those are the bare numbers, however, which I’m usually not a big fan of. I find it much more interesting to note how upgrades actually affect daily user operations. And let me tell you; the perceived speed enhancements from upgrading your boot drive to the Mercury Extreme Pro are amazing. Applications—even large ones such as Adobe After Effects and Apple’s Aperture—open almost instantaneously. No dock-bouning. No hard drive noise. No wait. The system boots within seconds—compared to minutes—while day to day operations simply feel snappier.

A quick boot tests demonstrates how dramatic the difference between SSD and mechanical hard drive will actually feel in a real world situation. For this test we booted OSX 10.6.5 with Photoshop CS5, Illustrator CS5, After Effects CS5, Microsoft Word 2011, Chrome 5, and Firefox 4 set to auto launch. Take a look at the video below for a side-by-side comparison:

If you couldn’t stand sitting through the above video (can’t blame you) here’s the quick and dirty summary: the Mercury Extreme Pro SSD booted in 27 seconds from start to finish compared to 3 minutes and 21 seconds for the mechanical drive. That’s a real life improvement by 7.5x!

I doubt that any graphics card update, that extra 0.13GHz of CPU power, or even an additional 2GB of RAM would be able to impact your system on such a dramatic scale;; at least not in terms of day-to-day usage. An SSD upgrade will be noticed even with the most common tasks.

File Management – Limited Storage

There’s no question that this drive is fast. Unfortunately, all SSD’s come with a caveat: limited storage space.

For our test we chose the 120GB model—minuscule compared to the latest drives in the mechanical hard drive world. And while OWC does offer drives with up to 480GB of storage the cost ($1579.99) is most likely prohibitive for all but the most extreme users out there. And even then, it still can’t compare to a Western Digital drive with two ($90) or three terabytes ($260).

Hence, we currently can’t recommend the Mercury Extreme Pro—or any SSD for that matter—as a storage solution. Instead we recommend using it exclusively as a boot drive while moving most of your media to external drives, or in the case of the Mac Pro, to one of its internal hard drives.

Many websites go as far as recommending you to move your entire user folder to a mechanical hard drive. And while there are many tutorials to make this change, I recommend against it. The reason is simple: only files that are stored on your SSD will actually benefit from the speed improvements. Therefore, you want to keep as many of your system files as possible on the SSD, while moving your large media files to a mechanical hard drive.

Here’s our recommendation for getting the most out of your Mercury Extreme Pro:

Keep your OSX installation files, user folders, and applications on the Mercury Extreme Pro. Snow Leopard’s footprint is fairly small, so this shouldn’t be a problem with a 120GB SSD. You can free up additional space by deselecting unneeded languages and printer drivers during the OSX installation.

You should definitely consider moving your iTunes, iPhoto, and Aperture libraries off of your SSD, however. Yes, this will prevent fast access to those media files, but let’s face it: you simply don’t have 3TB of SSD storage at your exposure. (We will take a look at speeding up your media drive in the second part of this series.)

Fortunately, moving your iTunes, iPhoto, and Aperture libraries couldn’t be easier. First, drag your iTunes media folder, as well as your iPhoto and Aperture libraries to a new location on your media drive. Then open iTunes, iPhoto, or Aperture—while holding down the option key—and point the programs to the new location. Done!

Option-click iPhoto to invoke this dialogue box.

In addition, I also recommend creating a ‘documents’ folder on your media drive with a shortcut placed in the finder sidebar. That way you’ll always have easy access to the new location.

In my opinion this workflow will offer you a healthy balance of disk speed and space utilization.

Conclusion – What Are You Waiting For?

After reading this review, it shouldn’t surprise you that I’m a big fan of OWC’s Mercury Extreme Pro SSD. It’s blazingly fast, easy to install, and competitively priced. At $259—for the 120GB model—this may be the single best upgrade you’ll ever make to your aging computer system. If you’re tired of spinning beach balls, and stalling launch times, you should definitely give the Mercury Extreme SSD a try. It was definitely love at first boot for me.

The Mercury Extreme Pro SSD is available directly from Other World Computing. Available models range from 40GB for $99 up to 480GB for $1579.99. For the purpose of a boot-drive we can highly recommend the 120GB option for $295.99.

I have a strong feeling that I’m not alone with this experience. The recently unveiled MacBook Air seems to evoke a high range of emotions. It certainly is tempting, isn’t it?

That’s why this review won’t focus on technical specifications or benchmarks. You already know that the MacBook Air uses a past-generation processor, limited storage space, and virtually no opportunity to upgrade your machine down the line. Yet, we seem intrigued by this incredibly thin machine. Why? More importantly, though: will the initial satisfaction last beyond the initial buyers rush?

Know Your Expectations

Before we take a closer look, however, it is important that you know your expectations. Sit down for a moment and think about your daily usage scenarios. Also consider what type computers (and I’m counting the iPad here) you already own.

I’ve been using the 11″ MacBook Air (1.4GHz Core 2 Duo, 2GB, 128GB) for just a few days but I can already tell you that this is by far the best portable computer I’ve ever used for writing, researching, blogging, and daily business correspondence. Yes, it’s just as portable as the iPad (as a matter of fact it even fits into the same bag) but offers all the flexibility and true multitasking capabilities of a full blown computer system. This doesn’t mean that it completely outshines the iPad in every possible way, however. In my opinion, the iPad still remains the best device for media consumption. The MacBook Air, however, beats it hands-down for light content creation.

Beyond simple text and image manipulation I also tried Photoshop CS5 to edit a full size, 21MP RAW image from my Canon 5D Mark II without experiencing any frustration, whatsoever. Was the experience as smooth or snappy as it would’ve been on a MacBook Pro? No, but at no point did I feel frustrated or restricted. Again, a far superior experience to manipulating images on iPad. The same goes for the videos in this review which I shot on the 5D (at 1080p) end edited on my MacBook Air using Final Cut Pro. Encoding may be slower, but the process isn’t painful. (One annoyance I experienced in both Photoshop and Final Cut Pro was that certain windows were too large for my screen. Hence, I wasn’t able to resize the RAW image editor window in Photoshop or the Canon E-1 plug-in in Final Cut Pro. Suddenly, that ‘any corner resizing‘ feature in OSX Lion makes a lot more sense!)

Final Cut runs adequate on the MacBook Air

Often resize corners aren't accessible on the small screen.

If you’re a creative professional, however, don’t expect the Air to replace your primary machine quite yet. Exporting the same 720p video, for example, took 11 minutes on the Air compared to 7:15 minutes on a 2.4GHz Core2 Duo, 2009 MacBook Pro and 5:45 minutes on a 2 x 2.66GHZ Dual-Core Xeon, 2006 Mac Pro. Also, remember that you’ll be limited to 4GB of RAM and that there’s no firewire for speedy data transfers. If push comes to shove, however, it’s reassuring to know that applications such as Final Cut Pro are still an option on the MacBook Air.

Hence, the 11″ MacBook Air strikes me as the perfect companion to a more powerful pro-machine. Would you be able to use it as your primary computer? Possibly. Especially if your main tasks involve writing, researching, blogging, as well as light iPhoto/iMovie usage. If that’s your plan, do yourself one favor and opt for the 128GB model. Your ever expanding iTunes library will thank you later.

My recommendation changes slightly if you’re considering the 13″ MacBook Air. I could definitely see how the 13″ model could be the primary machine for quite a few more people. Especially if you are willing to commit to the 4GB model with that 2.16 GHz processor upgrade. This configuration should be plenty powerful for most excluding creative professionals and gamers. At the same time, I don’t really see as many compelling reasons for the 13″ inch as a secondary computer.

MacBook Air – Killer Features

So far I’ve spent most of this review focusing on the Air’s appeal without actually mentioning most of its features. However, between the iPad, MacBook Pro, and MacBook Air Apple hasn’t made the purchasing decision very easy so I feel this detour was appropriate. Now that we’ve set the expectations and come to understand the scope and general limitations of the MacBook air, however, I’d like to take a look at some of the features that I found most impressive.

Size/Design

After Apple introduced the iPad I was truly convinced that I’d never be able to fall in love with another laptop again. Sure, I’d have to keep using my Laptop for work, but write a 2,000 word review about one? Probably not. Leave it to the company that brought us the iPad to prove me wrong. The Air is just as portable as the iPad and the design just as sexy. The 11″ especially feels like something completely new and fresh. This is really hard to grasp unless you go see and feel it with your own eyes and hands. There’s absolutely nothing ‘cheap’ or ‘netbooky’ about the Air. This is a complete computer in an extremely compact, yet durable design. Everything about it feels just right. The MacBook Air truly brought sexy ‘back to the mac’.

Keyboard/Trackpad

Yes, it’s true. The MacBook Air features the same full sized keyboard and trackpad (even though a bit shallower on the 11″) that you’ve come to expect from Apple’s Pro machines. Writing is just as comfortable (if not slightly better) as it’s always been on a MacBook Pro and leaps and bounds better compared to the iPad.

Speakers

They’re not nearly as loud or clear as the build in speakers on the MacBook Pro, but the simple fact that Apple was able to integrate a pair of decent STEREO speakers into this thin design simply blows me away. Listen below for a direct comparison between MacBook Pro 15″ and MacBook Air 11″ at maximum volume. Surprisingly good for a computer this size, wouldn’t you say?

Instant On

Seeing is believing:

Display

Last but not least, the Air’s display truly took me by surprise. I had no idea how much better it would be compared to my MacBook Pro. The screen is so incredibly sharp that both iPad and MacBook Pro pale in comparison. No seriously, I can barely stand looking at my 15″ MacBook Pro Screen after working on the Air. It’s like the difference between iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4. Once you see it there’s no turning back. It’s really that much better.

MacBook Air – What’s Missing

Besides the obvious three (raw computing power, limited disk space, and virtually no upgrade path) there were a few other things that irked me. Let’s have a look:

3G Modem

As previously mentioned, the MacBook Air is just as portable as the iPad, yet it’s missing the iPad’s killer feature: an integrated 3G modem. You simply can’t slide the Air out of your bag and immediately start surfing the net unless you are in reach of a WiFi Hotspot. While the Air may be an ‘instant-on’ machine, it’s not an ‘instant-on-the-web’ machine. Of course you could always tether, or get a USB modem, but that’s neither as sexy or convenient as the integrated 3G experience on iPad. It’s time for Apple and the cell phone providers to work out some data arrangements that can be shared among all of our portable devices without having to rely on external hardware. I am not holding my breath, but the Air yearns for mobile connectivity. Perhaps Apple is waiting for the rumored ‘open sim’?

For 3G access you have to tether the MacBook Air to a wireless modem. (Demonstrated here on a jail-broken iPad)

USB 3

Sure, as of this writing, not even Apple’s pro line features the vastly superior USB standard, but with firewire MIA and storage space at a premium, the faster USB standard would’ve been a truly welcoming addition. At least Apple had the hindsight to hook up the existing USB ports with enough juice to power a portable USB drive without the need for an external power supply. I’ll take what I can get at this point, but the next revision better bring USB 3 to the table!

Backlit keyboard

On my MacBook Pro the backlit keyboard has always just kinda been there for me without me truly taking notice. And I have to admit that I’ve never really regarded it as an essential feature. Until I took the Air into my bedroom and turned of the lights. I guess you don’t really know what you’ll be missing until it’s taken from you. Also, I had apparently forgotten how hard it is to type in the dark. Bummer!

Power Supply

Okay, now I’m really nitpicking here, but I was a little disappointed that Apple hasn’t managed to shrink the included power supply even further. The MacBook Air consumes very little power, so for some reason I fully expected Apple to blow me away—yet again—with another ‘oh my god, I cant believe how small they have become’ power supply. They didn’t. It’s not large, by any means, but it’s no iPad charger either. I wish it were.

From left to right: power supplies for MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, and iPad.

Bottom Line

The new MacBook Air allows us a glimpse into the future of mobile computing. Flash Storage, slimmer designs, increased portability, and minuscule power draw. If the time’s right for you to jump on board, however, depends on how you use your computer. If you’re a writer on the go, this should be a no-brainer: buy. The same goes for power-users: stay away. If funds are limited (second computer isn’t an option), and you do a little bit of everything, the decision becomes more difficult.

Ultimately, if you are of the patient kind, holding out a little longer may be worth your while. I would be shocked, if not at least some of the Air’s standout features will make their way into the next refresh of the MacBook Pro line. While we may not see an all-out SSD MacBook Pro anytime soon, I think it’d be reasonable to at least expect some sort of hybrid drive before OSX Lion is released next summer. The same goes for USB 3.

Either way, the Air proves that the Mac may still have its best years ahead of itself, even in pre-iPad times. So burn your obituaries; the Mac’s here to stay and I have a feeling that this is just the beginning. Welcome back, buddy. We missed you.

The MacBook Air is now available on Amazon. No tax. No shipping. You’ll also support our site if you order from the links below:

Apple MacBook Air MC505LL/A 11.6-Inch, 1.4 GHz, 64GB – $994

Apple MacBook Air MC506LL/A 11.6-Inch, 1.4 GHz, 128GB – $1194

Apple MacBook Air MC503LL/A 13.3-Inch, 1.86 GHz, 128GB – $1294

Apple MacBook Air MC504LL/A 13.3-Inch, 1.86 GHz, 256 GB – $1594

PS: I wrote this article on the 11″ MacBook Air. I also edited all images and videos on the machine. Not once did I wish for access to a more ‘powerful’ computer.

Pro Tip: Utilize the ‘software reinstall drive‘ when you first receive your MacBook Air to re-instal OSX from scratch. This can save you a few GB’s of space. During install choose ‘customize’ and deselect all optional languages.Then install only the iLife applications which you’ll be truly using on a regular basis (in my case: iPhoto and iMovie). This will only take 25 minutes of your time but free up 2.5GB of storage. Of course you could also use ‘Monolingual‘ and ‘Appzapper‘ but then you wouldn’t have an excuse to utilize that slick USB installation drive!

Pro Tip #2: Quicktime 7 is no longer an installable option from the ‘software reinstall drive’. Follow this tutorial to get it back.

In the list of new features in iPhoto ’11, “fun” is more prominent than “functional.” During the keynote, special emphasis was given to the new slideshows in iPhoto ’11, which do not disappoint. They are especially rewarding if you have put forth the effort to tag faces and places. With just a few clicks I was watching a slideshow of a trip, and the ease of use combined with the fun imparted by the theme made the experience a genuine delight.

Faces and Places both received a usability upgrade in iPhoto ’11 as well. Their function remains the same, but the interface seems much more accessible now. For example, the new Info column exposes an easy was to tag people in your photographs and add a location. While not a glamourous update, it is a welcome one.

Another prominent new feature is the fullscreen mode. When using iPhoto ’11 in fullscreen, I get the distinct impression that I am looking at a mockup of an iPad app. In fact, the fullscreen mode of every new iLife application seems tailor-made to be used with OSX Lion’s Mission Control, where screens can be swept from side to side. It’s nice, but it all feels a bit too inspired by iOS. During this time where much ado has been made about multitasking in iOS, the best multitasking computer continues to be the traditional desktop, where multiple windows can be open at once and all easily managed. The new iLife suite (and, by extension, Lion) sadly breaks this great feature by introducing a uni-tasking environment, where just one app is on the screen at any given time. Sound familiar?

BUGS

iPhoto ’11 was not billed as a complete rewrite of iPhoto, but it feels like it has some very 1.0 bugs. The beach ball has made a very unwelcome return, and the celebrated fullscreen mode caused my iMac to crash so hard it required a hard reboot. After it came back up iPhoto entered fullscreen without a problem, but I was left with serious doubts about its reliability. Some of the keyboard binding have been neglected as well. The escape key usually brings you back one level, for example, from inside an event back out the the main window. In iPhoto ’11 this seems to be missing.

iPhoto ’11 is also sluggish. Whenever I add a location to a group of pictures, the application becomes slow to respond or totally unresponsive, throws up a beach ball, and I have to wait up to 30 seconds until it has finished. Similarly, my co-author Philipp saw multi-second delays when confirming names in Faces. Adding metadata to an image should be an instant operation, and in previous versions of iPhoto, this has never been a problem.

ROUNDUP

In all, I believe these small bugs and performance issues can be easily fixed with a quick software update. If you are the kind of person who is really excited to play with the new slideshows and themes, these bugs shouldn’t stop you from buying iLife ’11. If it’s stability you are after, you might want to wait to upgrade until Apple has released a fix that addresses the these glitches and performance issues.

Organizing time effectively can be one of the most challenging aspects of work for small business owners and freelancers alike. You’ve got a million things on your mind, a growing number of projects to complete, and too little time to manage them all. Trying to stay on top of every task often feels like someone is pointing a stun gun straight at your chest. You’ll get less done simply because too much time is spent thinking about managing time. It’s a stressful catch 22.

To alleviate this problem, it’s important to get tasks out of your mind and place them into a collection system instead. Simply writing down chores that need your attention—even on a blank piece of paper—will already reduce your perceived stress levels. But you can do better!

As a matter of fact, there’s a multitude of so called GTD (Get Things Done) software solutions for the Mac that will allow you to not only store all of your tasks but also keep them organized for easy access.

One that works extremely well for me, and that I will use for the second part of our series, is ‘Things’ from Cultured Code.

Introduction To Things

At its most basic level, ‘Things’ is a software solution that will allow you to quickly enter tasks into a streamlined interface and help you keep track of what’s most important to you at any given moment. The software also allows you to attach tasks to specific projects and put them in context with tags. You can enter due dates, add notes, and even delegate tasks to other teammates. Basically, ‘Things’ can be kept very simple, or grow with your projects and needs. It’s really up to you.

Things Workflow

The clean interface is divided into three parts. ‘Collect’, ‘Focus’, and ‘Active Projects’. When in a rush, I usually add tasks to the inbox which is part of the ‘collect’ part of the program. Here you can collect anything that may come to your mind at any given moment. When you have a little more time, you can attach the various tasks to specific projects, set due-dates, and add notes.

Once due dates are added, tasks will show up in the ‘focus’ area of the program. Any task that becomes due will then automatically move to ‘Today’ at the beginning of each work day. A red indicator on the dock icon will visually alert you how many tasks are currently due. Upcoming tasks will show up in ‘Next’ and are sorted in order of priority.

You can also add repeating events such as paying rent, collecting fees, or filing your taxes. These will show up under ‘Scheduled’. Tasks that you can’t be bothered with at the moment but that may need your attention at some unspecified point in the future can be dragged to “Someday”. Simply review these tasks once in a while to see if their priorities have changed, and if so add due dates or drag them into one of the other categories. I promise you, it will feel good to have all of your tasks collected in one place!

The most powerful aspect of ‘Things’ (at least to me), however, is the ability to create specific projects and and easily assign tasks to them. If you’re anything like me you have to juggle a wide variety of projects on a daily basis. When we recently redesigned ‘The Apple Press’, for example, I quickly created a new project labeled ‘Apple Press Redesign’, tagged it with ‘Apple Press’ and attached all tasks regarding the redesign to this project. This helps me to keep focused on the project that I decide to work on for any given day.

The 'Next' section allows a quick glance at upcoming tasks

Projects are a very powerful tool to organize your tasks

To speed up your workflow, ‘Things’ also allows you add tasks via systemwide shortcuts straight from ‘Mail’ or ‘Safari’, for example. This is called ‘Quick Entry and Autofill’ and works with a multitude of applications. This not only allows you to quickly add tasks from other programs, it also attaches highlighted text as a note, and includes a link to the current URL (worked with Safari and Firefox, but not Google Chrome) or email automatically. If you’re into shortcuts, this will be a godsend.

Things Mobile: Syncing Across the (Apple) Board

As mentioned above, using ‘Things’ for Mac is a very streamlined experience, and most likely the place where you’ll spent most of your time with the program. Many tasks, chores, and ideas will cross your mind, however, when you’re not by your computer. Fortunately, Cultured Code is also offering ‘Things’ for iPhone and iPad. Both versions work great in collaboration with ‘Things for Mac’ but can also be used as standalone programs. You can add, review, or edit tasks; write notes; and attach them to existing or new projects. Personally, I use the iPhone version to be reminded of upcoming responsibilities and to quickly add tasks on the go. Due to the larger screen, the iPad version is great to review or organize your tasks during lunch, for example. On iOS 4 devices that support multitasking ‘Things’ also alerts you of upcoming responsibilities via the local background notification API, so you never miss a deadline.

Obviously, you’ll want to make sure to keep your various ‘Things’ versions in sync with each other. Unfortunately, this currently works only if all of your devices are joined on the same WiFi network. Once set-up, however, syncing is as easy as opening the Mac, iPhone, and iPad instances of ‘Things’ and letting the program take care of the rest. Syncing your devices usually takes just a few seconds, but you’ll have to remember to actually open the program on your iPhone or iPad so that it can sync with the Mac.

Syncing takes just a few seconds...

...before you can view and edit tasks on iPad.

Also, the iPhone and iPad versions of ‘Things’ currently can’t sync with each other without the Mac version present on the same, local network. This can be a real problem, of course, if you’re away from your primary computer during a long business trip. For many, this may a deal-breaker. It’s definitely the weakest spot of the ‘Things’ suite for me, as I absolutely despise having to remember to sync my data.

Fortunately, Cultured Code is aware of the problem and is currently beta testing a cloud sync solution for ‘Things’. Once the new system is rolled out, all devices will stay in sync automatically, without having to remember to sync each instance manually over your WiFi network. If instantaneous syncing is important to you, however, you may want to hold of on ‘Things’ until the system is implemented and tested.

Things Review Summary

If you’re overwhelmed by the tasks facing you each and every day you should give ‘Things’ for Mac, iPad, and iPhone a try. The interface is gorgeous and the design simple. If you teach yourself to persistently make use of the program, you will notice a positive impact on your productivity. And once Cultured Code finally releases their cloud syncing system, it will be one of the most useful products you’ll come across for your Mac, iPhone, and iPad.

Unfortunately, each application must be purchased separately. Things for Mac at $49.95, Things for iPhone at $9.99, and Things for iPad at $19.99. That’s $80 for the combined package. Sure, you could get away with just using one of them, but ‘Things’ truly shines when used in tandem with Mac, iPhone, and iPad.

If it helps you organize your life, however, $80 may be a small price to pay for a little peace of mind.

You can purchase Things for Mac directly from the Cultured Code website. Things for iPad and Things for iPhone are both available in the iTunes store. A free trial is available for the Mac version.

PS: Cultured Code has a slick little interface for upcoming features. Have a look if you get a kick out of great website design!

Coming up soon: The Mobile Office – Part III: Bill & Payments

“Must be a problem with my camera” I kept telling myself for months, too lazy to actually look into the problem even though it always bothered me. Too lazy to do something, until I received an email from the folks at Datacolor, writing me about their latest product: SpyderLensCal.

According to Datacolor, almost all autofocus systems in DSLR cameras and lenses are manufactured within certain allowed tolerances. If lucky, your camera body and lens have the same tolerance data and work fine together. If not, the only professional solution is to send the camera body and lens to the manufacturer to have them calibrated together (which can be both time-consuming and costly). Datacolor’s SpyderLensCal instead attempts to provide a fast and reliable method to measure and adjust the focus performance of your camera and lens combinations.

Sounds almost to good to be true, right? Well, we got ourselves a unit and put it through a quick test for you.

The Spyder LensCal System

The SpyderLensCal is actually a very simple product. It’s not much more than a flat piece of plastic that folds up to be either mounted on a tripod or set up on a flat surface. Once set up, it basically looks like a black and white square with a diagonal ruler attached to the side. No cables, no processing power, no magic. So how is this system supposed to work?

The little quick start guide basically asks you to align your camera and lens to the center of the target area, set your lens to AutoFocus and take a picture in Aperture Priority mode with your lens wide open for a shallow depth of field. You then view the image on the camera LCD and zoom to maximum magnification, navigating to the intersection of the target and the ruler. If your camera/lens combination are calibrated correctly, the the line at “0″ should be in sharp focus. If it isn’t, you’re either suffering from front or back focusing issues and should adjust your camera’s lens calibration (more on that below).

Sound easy enough. But does it work?

SpyderLensCal Practice Test

To test the SpyderLensCal system I put it to the test with my Canon EF-135mm 2.0 USM, the same lens that has been giving me focus issues for months. So, how did the lens do? Shockingly bad, actually! As you can see in the picture below my lens had major focusing issues. The lines behind the “0″ mark were much more in focus than the ones in front. So I wasn’t imagining my focus problems after all!

Before Calibration (click image for high resolution)

After Calibration (click image for high resolution)

To correct the issue I entered the “AutoFocus/Drive AF Microadjustment” menu on my Canon 5D Mark II and selected the “adjust by lens” sub-menu. Since the numbers on the Spyder LensCal ruler and the AutoFocus adjustment numbers in Canon’s menu don’t correlate, I was conservative with my adjustment, at first, and set it to “-5″. I then went ahead and took another picture. The focus was still off. Turns out, that in my specific case, I had to set the AutoFocus adjustment to “-20″ (which coincidentally is also the maximum amount of adjustment that Canon allows) to get fairly good results. If I could have set it at “-25″, I probably would have.

The Microadjustment Focus Menu on the Canon 5D Mark II	The default setting for the EF-135mm lens
Adjusting the Focus to -20	Adjusted Lens Setting

Either way, the SypderLensCal calibration system, not only confirmed my suspicion that I had focus issues, it also helped me correct them. As a matter of fact, I will contact Canon in the morning to request free service on my lens to offset this major focus problem. I will use the calibration pictures to make my case.

The other Canon lenses that I tested were either in perfect focus or off by just a few units. All together, I tested and corrected a total of 4 lenses in under 30 minutes. The SpyderLensCal may be simple in concept, but the results are powerful. Set your camera to aperture priority mode, open up up your lens, focus on the target, and shoot. Then zoom into the resulting image, check the ruler, and make corrections if necessary. It the picture isn’t sharp at “0″, your camera/lens combination is off! Simple as that. End of discussion!

SpyderLensCal Review Conclusion

If you’re experiencing focus problems with your camera/lens set-up I can strongly recommend the Datacolor SpyderLensCal system, even if it may be a bit pricey at $59 for basically a piece of plastic. It’s still cheaper, and definitely much quicker, than professional calibration service and may be all you need to get your camera/lens combination back in focus. I’ll be definitely using mine with each new lens I purchase for my 5D Mark II.

Keep in mind, however, that the SpyderLensCal can only visualize focus issues, not fix them. To actually fix the focus issue you’ll need a camera that has a “lens micro calibration” feature. Fortunately most professional DSLR cameras, such as my Canon 5D Mark II, do. Other camera’s that will work include: Canon 50D, 7D, 1D MkIII, 1D MkIV, 1Ds MKIII, 1DIV; Nikon D300, D300s, D700, D3, D3s, D3x; Sony A850, A900; Olympus E-30, E-620; Pentax K7, K20. If your camera isn’t on the list, check your manual before you purchase this system.

You can pre-order the SypderLensCal calibration system directly from Datacolor. Pre-orders will ship on September 30th. Let us know in the comments if you have any questions.

The ZAGGsparq 2.0 is a compact, black, box, similar in size and shape to a MacBook Pro charger (3.50″ Height x 3.50″ Width x 1″ Depth). On the inside, however, it’s all battery. 6,000 mAh worth of Lithium Polymer battery to be precise. That’s enough juice to re-charge your iPhone 3-4 times and top of your iPad from 0% all the way back to 60%. Put in perspective, that’s an additional 5 to 6 hours of video playback on your iPad.

All Battery in a Simple Design

Most battery packs we’ve come across are designed to fit snuggly around the iPhone. While that approach is obviously convenient, it also adds extra bulk and weight to the phone itself; even after you have fully depleted the external battery. You’ll also have to purchase a separate battery for each device you own. And what about your Bluetooth headset?

Hence, the flexibility of not having to physically wrap an external battery around your iPhone is exactly what makes the Sparq such an enticing product. It’s one hefty battery pack, in a compact design, that can charge a multitude of USB powered devices with absolute ease of use. You can keep the Sparq in your backpack, gym locker, or the front pocket of your airline seat.

Once you run low on power, simply plug your iPhone, iPad, or any other USB powered device in one of the two USB ports and you’re ready to go. The simplicity of the design is also its most stunning feature.

Charge Multiple Devices at Once

As mentioned above, the Sparq offers not one, but two USB ports for charging up to two USB devices at same time. The top USB port is optimized for devices that can take advantage of optimized charging (max 2000mA @ 5V) such as the iPhone and iPad. The bottom port uses the standard USB specification and is great for general use devices such as bluetooth headsets or book readers.

Best of all: I confirmed ZAGG’s claims, that the optimized USB port re-charges an iPhone 4 at almost the same speed as Apple’s power adapter plugged straight into an outlet. (1h:33m vs. 1h:26min from ~50% to full charge.)

To re-charge the Sparq itself, it simply plugs into a standard outlet. No cables required.

You can also continue to charge your devices while the Sparq is plugged into an outlet. This will allow you to leave your separate wall chargers at home while traveling. Just keep in mind that the Sparq’s internal battery may charge a bit slower while other devices are charging of the unit at the same time.

While charging, 4 battery indicator lights, on the back of the unit, will illuminate one by one. Once all lights are lit the device is fully charged again. You can also press a small button below the indicator lights to see the current battery level during usage.

Moody Indicator Lights

One abnormality we’ve noticed is that the indicator lights don’t always seem to be 100% accurate. Sometimes the unit dropped down to 2 remaining lights within the first hour of charging. This doesn’t seem to affect performance in any way, however. The Sparq also seems to drain some juice on its own if left unused for a couple of days days. Once again, this could be simply related to the inaccuracy of the indicator lights. Either way, it shouldn’t be too much of an issue if you use the device on a regular basis.

ZAGGsparq 2.0 Recommendation

After reading this review it shouldn’t surprise you that we are rather charmed by the ZAGGsparq 2.0. It is pure power in a portable, compact design, that isn’t limited to charging just one device at a time.

If you are yearning for that quick, mid-day, re-charge for your iPhone, iPad, or USB powered accessories—without permanently attaching a separate battery pack to each—we can strongly recommend the ZAGGsparq 2.0. Simply keep one in your purse, backpack, or car and it’ll keep you powered throughout the day.

You can purchase the ZAGGsparq 2.0 for $99 directly with ZAGG. It is currently on sale for $71.86 on Buy.com.¹

Let us know in the comments if you have any questions.

1. Associate Account Link

The Incase Snap Case is one of your choices for a free “fine, have a one” case from Apple. I picked it because it had the shortest shipping time, and now it’s here. This review will be short because there isn’t much you can say about a single piece of plastic.

The case snaps tightly over the sides of the iPhone, providing side protection but does not cover the top or bottom. It doesn’t always snap on properly, requiring some fiddling to ensure a snug fit. Because it wraps around the corner of the phone, you have to pry it off with two fingers from each hand on the top and bottom. Since you only have two hands, the phone will then fall to the floor. This case retails for over $30. It employs the same technology as a Tupperware lid, only worse, because it has a hole in it.

The Muzetto is a line of vertical, messenger bags that are available in sizes from 15.5″ x 11.75″ x 2.7″ for a 15″ Laptop down to 10.5″ x 8.5″ x 1.5″ for personal items. The 10″ Portable Muzetto measures 11.5″ x 9.3″ x 2.0″, which makes it the perfect match for the iPad with some room for additional accessories.

First Impression & Design

The first thing one notices about the Muzetto is how elegant the leather exterior looks and feels. The build is solid and the bag wears very comfortably. The padded shoulder strap is adjustable and should fit most sizes. Also, this bag does not feel like a purse. Quite the opposite. The Muzetto sports a professional, yet stylish, look that will work great with shorts, jeans, or even a suit.

To keep the bag closed WaterField Designs decided to rely solely on the weight of the flap instead of using magnets or zippers. This allows the bag’s contents to be accessible at a moments notice without comprising their safety. I was a bit weary of this concept at first but learned to love it rather quickly when being able to access my wallet from within the bag while riding my bike without having to fumble with any zippers. It’s rather genius, really.

Inside The Bag

The inside of the Muzetto is lined with a gorgoues, bright golden colored fabric, perfectly complementing the elegant exterior. The bag features two separate main compartments, each of which is divided into two smaller sub-spaces. The main compartment fits your iPad (with or without a case) as well as an Apple Bluetooth keyboard, for example. The pocket within this compartment features the bag’s only zipper, making it perfect for important documents such as passports or other travel documents.

The smaller compartment on the front of the bag is lined with soft fleece and will hold various iPad accessories such as chargers, cables, and power adapters. In addition, there’s a square pocket that’s perfect for your wallet or iPhone. We only wish that WaterField Designs would’ve included two of these, so that we wouldn’t have to choose between them.

On the backside of the bag there’s an additional, document sized, slide-in compartment that can fit anything from business papers to travel documents, or a newspaper.

Overall the interior of the Muzetto is very compact while still fitting your most important documents and accessories. If you pack too many items, however, the bag will start to bulge unsightly.

Our biggest gripe with the interior may be the fact that you can’t separate Apple’s bluetooth keyboard from the iPad. Both items fit only into the bag’s main compartment, which could potentially lead to the keyboard scratching up an unprotected iPad. An additional divider would’ve been a nice addition.

If you keep your iPad in a case, or don’t use a separate keyboard, however, this won’t even be an issue for you. Also, WaterField Designs offers a matching, multi-layered ‘SmartCase’ to add an extra layer of protection for $59.

Even though both iPad and keyboard... ... fit, they must share the same compartment.

Comfort & Protection

I’ve seen other reviewers describe the Muzetto as heavy. I didn’t get that impression at all. Weighing in at just a little over 1lb the bag feels solid without compromising comfort. There’s no noticeable fatigue, even after wearing the bag for multiple hours.

In addition, the bag will offer generous iPad protection for light use and travel. If you’re into extreme off-road biking, or other hazardous activities, however, you may want to choose a bulkier bag with thicker protection. (Or get the matching SmartCase mentioned above.) In my opinion, the Muzetto is the perfect trade-off between size, comfort, and protection for the busy city traveler.

The busy city traveler can easily fit his iPad office into the Portable Muzetto.

Bottom Line – Our Recommendation

The 10″ Portable Muzetto is a compact messenger bag without frill or fuss, making it the perfect choice if mobility is a priority. The Muzetto will fit your iPad, iPhone, Keyboard, important accessories, as well as your most important documents for the day. In addition, the professional look & feel will also appeal to many guys out there.

The 10″ portable Muzetto will cost you $189 plus shipping and is currently available for pre-order in six different colors at sfbags.com. It’s not the cheapest iPad bag out there, but at least you know that you’ll be paying for quality. Go for it!

Pros:

• Elegant look & feel
• Compact, yet practical
• Contents are easily accessible
• Comfortable
• Sturdy
• Fits iPad, keyboard, documents, as well as a few accessories

Cons:

• Apple Keyboard and iPad must be placed within the same compartment
• Only one front pocket
• A bit pricey

The official WordPress app is a disaster. The comments on the app will tell you that, as will anyone who has ever had the misfortune of using it. Even the esteemed Andy Ihnatko has nothing but harsh words for it. This mess of an app has lost more than one draft for me, and offers no real formatting options. It’s terrible at posting pictures, even worse at plain ol’ text, and generally a waste of time, space, bits, and money (it’s free, still too much). Other apps have equally poor reviews, and after my experience with the WordPress app for iPad, I had no desire to test them.

I ran a quick google search to see if the standard standard web interface for posting to a wordpress blog would work using Mobile Safari on my iPad. According to everything I read, it wouldn’t. Frustrated with the lack of a quality app, I thought I would try it for myself. The result: everyone else is wrong. You don’t need an app. The standard web interface to wordpress works just fine!

I wrote this post entirely on my iPad, including taking and uploading the screenshots.

Here are a few tips to make your experience better:

On the iPad, you can scroll inside a text box by dragging with two fingers. This is not new information to most people i suppose, but it was news to me. This is important, since you will be typing your post inside a text box on the website.

The buttons on top of the text box work as expected. To make text bold or insert a link, just tap and hold to select the text, then tap the desired button.

Uploading images is the hardest part of using the web interface. Since the iPad has no user-accessible file system, you cannot tap the image button and expect to upload a picture. You can, however, use that same button to select any image that has already been uploaded to your blog, and insert it into your post. I used the previously mentioned crappy WordPress app to make a draft post, and attached the images I wanted to that draft. The pictures got uploaded to my site, and I was then able to go back to Safari and select them from the “Media Gallery” and insert them.

The website I tested on is powered by wordpress software running on it’s own server. I have not been able to test the interface on a wordpress.com hosted site, but I assume that interface is the same. YMMV.

Happy Blogging!