Favorite Things: PlugBug

Posted on April 23, 2012 by Ammon

This past Christmas Santa was puzzled by one particular item on my wish list—the PlugBug from Twelve South.

PlugBug Dual Charger (Photo credit: Photo Giddy)

Now, I’d been a good boy, so despite his initial misgivings Santa obliged and Christmas morning had a shiny, red PlugBug waiting for me in my stocking. Since then, it’s earned a spot amidst my favorite things.

The PlugBug is a small device that slips on your standard MacBook Air/Pro power adapter to give it a turbo-powered USB charger. It provides a full 10 watts of power via the USB slot, so your iPad or iPhone charge much (much, much, much) quicker than leaving it plugged into your Mac’s standard USB slots.

Small enough to toss into your laptop bag, the PlugBug is great for those occasions when you don’t have enough outlets to go around for all your gadgets whether you’re at home, in the office, or on the road.

If none of this is making any sense to you, check out this video from the Twelve South.

It’s a little bitty, teeny weeny, thing they call the PlugBug…

When I first saw the PlugBug I knew I wanted one. The concept is so simple that I’m surprised Apple hadn’t thought of it themselves. If they don’t buy the company, they should at least license the idea from them. After using it (all the time) for the past few months I love it just as much as when I first received it.

If you’ve got a MacBook, an iPad (or iPhone), and $35 then you owe it to yourself to pick up a PlugBug. You won’t regret it.

All images are from my flickr, unless otherwise noted.

TwelveSouth’s PlugBug Is The Cute Power Parasite That Can Solve All Your iPad Charging Woes [Review] (cultofmac.com)

Favorite Things: Belkin Mini Surge Protector and Dual USB Charger

Posted on February 25, 2012 by Ammon

If you’re a geek like me you probably carry a plethora of gadgets and gizmos around with you everywhere, even when you travel. This can be especially problematic if you’re staying at an older hotel with limited outlets available to recharge your laptop, iPad, iPhone, etc.

English: A Belkin surge protector. This is a s...

Image via Wikipedia

Several months back I picked up the Belkin Mini Sure Protector and Dual USB Charger from Amazon to remedy this problem and it quickly became one of my Favorite Things.

Not only does this travel-friendly little wonder power up to five of your favorite devices, but since it’s a real, bonafide surge protector and not just a power strip, it provides extra peace of mind knowing that your gear will be protected.

You can pick up the the Belkin Mini Surge Protector for between ten and fifteen bucks. It is a must-have for any (US-based) road warrior. You’ll be thanking me, I’m sure.

Belkin Mini Surge Protector Dual USB Charger (kk.org)
Belkin Mini Surge Protector and Dual USB Charger | Tools and Toys (toolsandtoys.net)
You Don’t Need All Those Chargers: How to Consolidate Your Extra Bricks and Still Power Your Gadgets [Power] (lifehacker.com)

Favorite Things: DODOcase for iPad 2

Posted on January 21, 2012 by Ammon

Sleek. Elegant. Sophisticated.

You could use those three words to describe the DODOcase for iPad 2, but then I’d be forced to call you a pretentious schmuck.

As soon as I got my iPad 2 I knew exactly which case I wanted for it—the DODOcase. I’d read the glowing reviews about it on blogs like Engadget and TUAW, but (more importantly) it fit my own personal criteria. I wanted an iPad case that would do the following:

Look great
Protect the front and back of my iPad
Not announce to the entire world that I have an iPad

I’m happy to report that the DODOcase succeeds on all counts.
For the uninitiated, the DODOcase looks like a large Moleskine notebook.

DODOcases are made using traditional bookbinding processes right here in the good old US of A. The do a fantastic job of telling their own story here.

For about six months I’ve been extremely satisfied with my DODOcase purchase. The other day, however, I noticed that the bamboo frame of the case had a large crack in one of the corners and was precariously close to falling off completely.

I wrote a quick note to customer service describing the issue and explaining my concern that the case hadn’t lasted longer. I also and attached the image below to my note.

One minute later, I had a response. That’s not a typo. That’s not an exaggeration. Let me say it again. One minute later, I had a response.

The email was from a real, live human being who apologized for the problem, thanked me for sending them the picture and provided full resolution in their first communication.

The customer service agent advised me that super glue might work, but also offered to send me a replacement. I chose the latter and three days later I had my new DODOcase.

DODOcase Bookplate

Ever since advent of overseas call centers fueled by large corporations’ rise in apathy over the care of the people who buy their products and services we have come to expect poor customer service. Sadly, a company that cares about those who pay its bills is the exception and not the norm.

DODOcase is that exception. They are the Nordstroms of iPad cases. They sell fine products at a premium, but not only are you getting an excellent product, more importantly, you know that they will stand by their products and treat you right.

I’ll warrant that my DODOcase gets at least as many stares as my iPad itself. Everyone compliments me on my handsome notebook and if when they get the chance to look inside they’re even more impressed.

Are you willing to pay more for a premium product or premium customer service? Have you found a company or product you like that offers both? Sound off in the comments below.

All images are from my flickr, unless otherwise noted.

DODOcase wins TUAW Best of 2011 award for iPad cases (tuaw.com)
President Obama likes his iPad 2 wrapped up in a DODOcase (thenextweb.com)
DODOcase Adds Monogramming, Auto Wake/Sleep Magnet To Their iPad 2 Cases (techcrunch.com)
Customer Love: DODOcase (mailchimp.com)

Seven Things No One Should Buy from Sky Mall

Posted on November 12, 2011 by Ammon

There are two parts of each plane trip I absolutely loathe—take-offs and landings. No, it’s not that they make me airsick, I just hate not being able to use any of my electronic devices.

The only thing left for me to do during this period of time is to browse the current issue of Sky Mall. While scanning the catalog is a guilty pleasure of mine, no one on any account should ever buy anything Sky Mall. Ever.

A few months back I remember seeing a post on Freshly Pressed highlighting some of the miscellaneous oddities to be found in the pages of Sky Mall. I’d like to contribute my own list of seven things no one should buy from Sky Mall (or from anywhere for that matter).

Below are seven items I can’t believe are for sale on SkyMall along with my snide remarks about each.

What does the Camo Slanket says about its owner? I’ve given up on life and I don’t want anyone to be able to find me.
The Toilet Dog and Cat Water Bowl really perplexes me. I thought the idea was to train your pets NOT to drink from the loo?!?
No, I’m sorry. No matter how you good you are at turning on and off the TV you and your Magic Wand Remote Control will not be getting into Hogwarts this term.
The Brobdingnagian Sports Chair was made for the outdoorsman who wants to feel like a kid and look like an idiot again.
Jumpin Jammers are the perfect nighttime apparel for the young lady who really, really wants to look like one of the Bratz Babyz.
The product description for the Golden Pierogi claims that it’s destined to be “become a family heirloom”. For what family, may I ask, the Clampetts?
I’m still of the opinion that giant inflatable animals do not increase car sales, but it looks like you can buy big blue inflatable gorillas (albeit sans yellow boxer shorts) from SkyMall.

With each release there are hundreds of ridiculous products no one needs and definitely should never buy. On the rare occasion that I find something that piques my interest the forces of reality drag me back to Earth.

What’s the looniest thing you’ve ever seen in Sky Mall? Did you buy it? Sound off in the comments below.

Quick Tip: Reorganize Channels on Your Roku Homescreen

Posted on May 20, 2011 by Ammon

Image via PDFuu.com

One of the things I love about the Roku is its ability to add and remove channels on-demand. Beyond just Netflix and Hulu Plus, this means that I have a much more granular level of control over what access to entertainment we have in our home.

One thing I struggled with in the past, however, was organizing my home screen—whenever I added a new channel there just didn’t seem to be a quick and easy way for me to get it placed in an order that made sense to me.

Image via my flickr.

You see, when you add a channel to the Roku it doesn’t ask you where you want it. Your new channel is unceremoniously plunked at the far left.

The only way I could figure out how to reorder my channels was to delete them and add them again in the order I wanted them to appear. This wasn’t very elegant or efficient.

So, after a highly productive two minute chat online with Roku’s Tech Support, I resolved the issue and would like to share the results with you.

Just Press *

Using the Roku remote, browse to the channel you want to move.

Image via my flickr.

Press the Options button (outlined in red).

Image via my flickr.

A popup menu will display. Select the option to “change channel position” and press the OK button.

Image via my flickr.

A dashed line will appear around the channel’s icon. Press either the Left or Right buttons on your remote to position the channel.

Image via my flickr.

When you’re satisifed with where the channel is press the OK button.

Image via my flickr.

Repeat steps 1-5 as needed. Smile smuggly, knowing that your Roku channels are finally in precisely the order you like them.

Image via my flickr.

According to the Roku Tech Support rep, this feature isn’t documented in either their manual or on their help site (I did check beforehand). Please also note, this tip works only with the Roku XD and XDS models.

Did this help you love your Roku a little bit more? Sound off in the comments below.

Roku says up to 20 percent of users cutting the cord (lostremote.com)
Internet TV On The Rise: Roku Hits 15 Million Channel Downloads (readwriteweb.com)
Roku Now In Big Retail Stores (crunchgear.com)

iPhone Fail

Posted on March 22, 2009 by Ammon

Now that some of the initial hype over last week’s big iPhone 3.0 announcement has died down I thought it would a perfect time to reflect on iPhone 2.0.

I’m not talking about the iPhone 3G, this is way earlier. In a time before the Web was 2.0 and when 56k was still considered a decent connection speed, even before Apple’s OS had an X in it. Back then I worked for a company called BigPlanet.

BigPlanet’s core business was to have completely computer illiterate (and inept) sales persons market the “iPhone” to folks who wanted to get on the Internet, but didn’t know how to do so, or why they really wanted to get on it in the first place.

The iPhone sold for around $299 and came with a 2 year contract for BigPlanet’s less than stellar ISP service ($29.99/month for Internet plus and additional $5 for iPhone connectivity). Sounds like Apple and AT&T might have taken a page out of this playbook.

Infogear, the company that produced the iPhone was bought by Linksys and then eventually passed on to Cisco. This is where the grounds for the infamous Cisco vs. Apple suit came from.

Anyways, a while back we went up to Dallas to visit some friends and I noticed that they still had an original iPhone in all of it’s dilapidated splendor. I couldn’t resist taking some pictures for posterity’s sake.

I really can’t do justice to how pathetically craptacular the iPhone actually was, but I’ll try. In addition to being a phone, you could (in theory) use the small, gray-scale, touchscreen to browse the Web. The iPhone was capable of rendering basic HTML and some JavaScript, and was a complete piece of junk. You could navigate either by using the built-in qwerty keyboard or using a stylus on the touchscreen.

Behold, the iPhone in all of its majesty!

Tilt screen down