Google Phone is Almost Here! September 30, 2008
Posted by Steve in : Breaking News, Technology, Tech Tips , add a commentThe first mobile phone powered by Google was launched last week, ready to do battle with Apple’s iPhone for the top spot on many people’s Christmas gift list. The long-awaited smart phone, the T-Mobile G1, which was unveiled at a press conference in New York, will go on sale in the US next month (Oct 22), and T-Mobile announced they will begin selling the G1 phone for $179, the first to run Google’s Android operating system.
Check out the first video review of the Google Phone here.
Android has been compared to Apple iPhone interface and the G1 phone happily adopts the best features of the iPhone and BlackBerry — two of the best smart phones on the market. It has the easy-to-navigate and intuitive touchscreen, like the iPhone. But, like the BlackBerry, it has a qwerty keyboard, which slides out, and a “trackball” that helps you navigate around the screen. It’s features include: downloadable applications, 3G data service, WiFi, 3-megapixel camera, 256 MB storage and microSD slot, a slideout keyboard and a full web browser. Local T-Mobile stores will have demo units, but the carrier is only selling the G1 at stores where T-Mobile offers 3G service. Sprint Nextel also plans to sell a Android phone in the future.
What’s promising about Android is it is open platform that developers can make interesting programs. One that caught my eye uses the phone’s camera to scan barcodes. The phone then scans the Internet shops for prices of that product. Since the Android operating system is being offered for free to phone makers, there will be many flavors of the phone. Unlike the iPhone, which has only one model, there will be a lot of variety.
The arrival of Android signals the opening round of the battle between Google and its rivals, such as Nokia and Apple, to create software for the next generation of mobile phones that allows users to connect seamlessly to the internet.
At $179 with a two-year contract, the G1 will cost $20 less than the 3G iPhone. But for all of the hullabaloo about Android’s impact on Apple, Google’s efforts appear to be targeted directly at Microsoft’s Exchange, a multifaceted e-mail server software, says Pablo Perez-Fernandez, a wireless analyst for Global Crown Capital, a San Francisco boutique investment firm. “The tight integration of Google’s mobile applications and business services, such as maps, Gmail, calendar and search, essentially eliminates the need for an Exchange server for a wide range of companies,” Perez-Fernandez says.
Solar as Alternative? June 30, 2008
Posted by Steve in : The City, Methods & Strategies, Adaptive Reuse, Tech Tips, Energy Efficiency, Entrepreneuring, Sustainability , add a commentI am beginning to look into solar options but I live in Illinois (never really known as the land of the uninterrupted sun) so I wanted to find out how to calculate whether an investment in solar makes sense in Chicago. I learned that the total solar energy available to the earth is approximately 3850 zettajoules (ZJ) per year, while worldwide energy consumption was 0.471 ZJ in 2004, according to the US Department of Energy. Even if you aren’t a solar panel installer, you can tell that there’s way more solar energy available than the world will ever need.
Doing my homework, I found FindSolar.com, a Web site sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, the American Solar Energy Society, and the Solar Electric Power Association.
To get started, select your state and county, power company, and the type of system you’re interested in-whether it’s electric, hot water, spa/pool heating, or space heating/cooling-as well as your average utility expenditure. The online calculator then determines the average cost of a solar-electric system based on the data you’ve provided, plus any state or local rebates you qualify for. If you’re ready to start pumping out those rays, you can contact solar installers and distributors in the site’s directory for quotes or additional info.
Google Maps and CTA = Excellent Public Transportation Directions April 8, 2008
Posted by Steve in : The City, Chicago, Technology, Chicago Fact, Tech Tips , 1 comment so farAlright Chicago — way to link up with Google!
Chicago Transit Authority riders can now plan their trips using the Google Transit Web site, Mayor Richard M. Daley and CTA officials announced Tuesday. Through a new partnership with Google, mapping and directions for CTA bus and rail services are available in 11 languages on the Google Transit Web site, according to a release from the CTA.
Google’s new Transit Chicago map gives detailed public transportation routes, like O’Hare to Wrigley Field. This initiative expands on Google’s popular mapping features and driving instructions to provide information for transit riders. Chicago is now the largest U.S. city to offer this service to transit riders, joining Seattle, San Francisco, and Portland, Oregon, among others.To access travel information, customers enter an originating address and a destination address. Tabs will allow customers to obtain public transit directions and provide the ability to customize the date and time of the transit trip.
When accessing the public transit data, step-by-step written directions will appear with fare information included. A map of the route represented by icons appears and clicking the icon will display an estimated schedule for the departure of the next train or bus. A link on the Google Transit page will take visitors to CTA’s web site at www.transitchicago.com to easily access additional CTA information.
You can reach the site here.
I-Phone Joins the Suits March 6, 2008
Posted by Steve in : Breaking News, Technology, Tech Tips , add a commentApple made a major announcement today – they will begin offering “enterprise” support for the iPhone – meaning direct support for Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync!
One of the most requested corporate features is support for Exchange, Jobs said. To meet the demand, Apple licensed Microsoft’s ActiveSync protocol for connecting the iPhone’s e-mail client directly to an Exchange server. As a result, e-mail, calendaring and contact items can pushed directly to the smartphone, a feature that Apple demonstrated at the event. In addition, Apple will be adding Exchange as an e-mail option on the iPhone, along with Yahoo and Google mail and other options. Apple will build software for easy configuration of the device to an Exchange server.
Apple is currently testing the iPhone enterprise features, including the Exchange support, with Nike and Disney, Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior VP of worldwide product marketing, said. “It’s real and it’s exciting,” Schiller said of the new technology.With this announcement, Apple has moved with great intentionality to take on the Blackberry by allowing its iPhone to link up to corporate email systems. Until now, the Blackberry has been the preferred gadget of the business community as it allows executives to synchronize Microsoft applications, such as Microsoft Outlook email, contacts and calendar, with the smartphone. Many businesses shied away from using the iPhone as it does not work well with their email systems.
Apple hopes these steps will convince corporations to adopt the iPhone as the device of choice for mobile workers.
It’s a New Year — Can You Go Without? January 26, 2008
Posted by Steve in : Breaking News, Technology, Methods & Strategies, Tech Tips , add a commentAs our new warehouse ministry center gets closer to opening and I begin a long transition from staff to the marketplace as CEO of a social network for sports fans, I was reminded this week that while
technology has made so many things better, we are beginning to get caught in a mobius trap where there is no down time and we are always connected. So I ask you….
Can you agree to keep the cell phone, IPod, Wii, game Boy, laptop, desktop, Mac Airbook and other assorted technolgy gadgets off during your vacation and alow yourself to experience a revitalizing time of rest and renewal.
Can you do it?
Look at what the results of a recent survey on whether people could unplug on their vacation:
An AP-Ipsos poll found that one in five people toted laptop computers on their most recent vacations, while 80 percent brought along their cell phones. One in five did some work while vacationing, and about the same number checked office messages or called in to see how things were going. Twice as many checked their email, while 50 percent kept up with other personal messages and voice mail. Sizable numbers are interrupting their unwinding time to check in at the office and, even more so, to keep up with the social buzz. Reasons vacationers performed work-related tasks included an expectation that they be available, a worry about missing important information, or in some cases the enjoyment of staying involved (Source: Associated Press, June 1, 2007, http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18983920/).
iPhone - Is it worth it? June 25, 2007
Posted by Steve in : Breaking News, Technology, Methods & Strategies, Tech Tips , add a comment
It retails for $500….It has lead to a huge increase in Apple’s stock price since the announcement of the iPhone in January. The hype around Apple Inc.’s upcoming iPhone is abundantly clear. So is the hysteria. But is it worth it? Will the gadget - which triples as a cell phone, iPod media player and a wireless Web device - be as “revolutionary” as Apple CEO Steve Jobs has claimed? Will it revolutionize your life?
The proof will come June 29 when the iPhone gets into users’ hands. The all-touch-screen device, which lacks a button keyboard, will force users to get accustomed to typing messages on a virtual keyboard instead of regular buttons. It will also be using a slower 2.5-generation network instead of a 3-G network, which might also hamper the experience of data transfers or Web access. Many people are already clamoring for the gadget. More than 1 million people have signed up with Apple and AT&T for more information.
I am in the market for a replacement to my 2 year old Treo 650 — but I am not sure I want to make the swap to a rookie in the phone business. While Apple does many things well, they have not been a long term player in the phone business. Should I wait and see? Are you planning to switch? What do you think?
Ministry Travel: Ensure the Lowest Fares May 29, 2007
Posted by Steve in : Technology, Methods & Strategies, Tech Tips , add a comment(Yahoo) Have you ever bought an airline ticket from ministry travel only to see the price fall in the enusing weeks and your frustration rise as you try to manage costs? Now there is something you can do about it.
Few customers realize it, but many airlines will give refunds if they cut the price after you have bought a ticket. Alaska Airlines, JetBlue, Southwest, United and US Airways all offer vouchers for the full price difference — if the price drops $200, you can get a $200 coupon towards a future trip. Others offer vouchers, or cash, after deducting change fees (which can run up to $100). In industry jargon, it is called a “rollover,” and in most cases it only works if you bought the ticket directly from the airline. (It generally won’t work if you bought them via a Web site such as Expedia.com or Orbitz.com, unless the price drops in the first 24 hours.)
The rollover policies have been in place for decades, but, until recently, it has been tough for consumers to figure out when their flight’s price has changed. The catch is you have to call while the lower price is in effect to get your rollover. That is where a new Web site, Yapta.com, has come up with a clever way to take some of the anxiety out of buying airline tickets.
Yapta, a company run by a former Alaska Airgroup Inc. pricing vice president, was launched May 22. It tracks fares on specific flights you select before or after you buy a ticket. That is an improvement over Web sites that just track markets, but don’t allow you to specify which flights you really want. You can use Yapta before you buy to alert you by email to pricing changes on a particular trip, or let you know if the price drops after you’ve bought a ticket and you’re eligible for a refund. In order to obtain the voucher, you need to phone the airline directly. (You usually can’t snare one online.) So as you are planning on attending that future multi-site conference, input your preferred flights and when they get to your budgeted level, it will notify you and you can then purchase the tickets.
One woman, who signed up with Yapta to test the site before its launch, paid $800 each for four tickets from San Francisco to Kona, Hawaii. A few days later, she got notification from Yapta that the price had dropped to about $400 per ticket. She called United Airlines and got tickets reissued at the lower price plus four $400 vouchers. “There’s no way I would have been checking sites to see if the price went down,” she said.
Check it out now here.
Tech Tip: Gmail Attachment Upgrade May 23, 2007
Posted by Steve in : Technology, Tech Tips , add a commentGmail just upgraded the maximum attachment size from 10 MB to 20 MB. While Gmail in the past let some larger (10+Mb) files, they have now increased the sending size to 20 MB in one message. This may still not work for the folks at the other end as the are few mail providers that will accept a such a big message, (Yahoo Mail Plus, or other premium accounts).
Tech Tips: 99 Email Productivity Tips May 17, 2007
Posted by Steve in : Methods & Strategies, Tech Tips , 1 comment so farWhen people read out a phone number, they use “phone rhythm.” No one has to explain “phone rhythm,” we all just seem to do it automatically, “…713…555…12…34″. Similarly, when we answer a phone call we all say, “Hello.” No one taught us to do that, but somehow we all seemed to pick it up.
So why is it that when it comes to emails, there are no accepted standards? Even though 6 billion emails are sent every day, almost no one agrees about simple things like email etiquette, how to organize a note, or whether emails are considered private or not.
The 99 tips in this article make up the best in email practices. From how to ethically use the ‘BCC:’ to what attachments will make your mobile emailing compatible with everyone else’s, this list covers everything you need to know about emailing.
Etiquette
We’re all guilty of bad manners once in a while, but when it comes to emailing, some people are downright clueless. Here are my favorites:
10 Most Commonly Used Passwords May 15, 2007
Posted by Steve in : Technology, Tech Tips , add a comment
Top Ten Common Passwords
Is your password DOA? Is it so simple anyone can crack it? Well, no matter what the experts say, the vast majority of us are likely to choose a password we can remember. Unfortunately, cyberthieves know this weakness all too well, and try to hack into accounts just by using the most common passwords online first. In a church environment, many folks here used to use quite simple passwords. We now require at least 8 letters and numbers at a minumum, which seems to work reasonably well.
PCMagazine just came out with a list of the most commonly used passwords, so if yours is on the list, I recommend you change it immediately.
- password
- 123456
- qwerty
- abc123
- letmein
- monkey
- myspace 1
- password 1
- blink182
- (your first name)
In addition to the list above, here are some things the editors at Switched recommend you avoid:
- Your birthday
- Your pet’s name
- Your girlfriend/boyfriend’s name
- Your street name
- Your social security number
- Your favorite color/number
Are You an Omnivore or a Mobile Centric? May 7, 2007
Posted by Steve in : Tech Tips , 1 comment so far
(Pew Internet) A new study released this week by the Pew Internet and American Life Project called “A Typology of Information and Communication Technology Users”, showed that fully 85% of American adults use the internet or cell phones – and most use both. Yet the proportion of adults who exploit the connectivity, the capacity for self expression, and the interactivity of modern information technology is still only a modest 8%.
The report categorizes Americans based on the amount of information and communication technologies (ICT) they possess, how they use them, and their attitudes about the role of ICTs are in their lives. Ten separate groups emerged in the report, which classified about 31 percent of Web 2.0 participants as Elite Tech Users, meaning they often use these kinds of functions. Another 20 percent were classified as Middle-of-the- Road Tech Users, and a full 49 percent fall into a category called Few Tech Assets. Here is a description from Pew of the 10 ICT types — Where are you? Where is your church staff? Where is your congregation?
The ‘Elites’
Tech Tip: 500 Free Fonts - Check it Out! April 8, 2007
Posted by Steve in : Technology, Tech Tips , add a comment
I am a big fan of freeware and shareware. So I was doubly excited when I saw a Lifehacker post talking about 500 free fonts available to all folks to use. As I checked it out, many of the fonts are very creative and would fit nicely with many of the things we are doing at Park Community Church in Chicago. This is a great gift to all communications directors, as they continually look for new, creative fonts to use in all of their communications.
Check out fonts500.com, and browse through their 500 fonts of freeware, shareware, demo version or public domain. 
You can preview each font using your own writing samples; you then download each font as a zip file quickly and easily. As I perused the site, there are five pages of really good fonts here, many of which I would like to use in the next month!
Free Media Sources March 31, 2007
Posted by Steve in : Weblog, Movies, Tech Tips , 1 comment so farAt Park Community Church, a contemporary, non-denominational church of about 1,250 urbanites (20-45 year old) in Chicago, we are always looking to find the right way to express ourselves in our 8 minutes with God daily devotionals, in HTML emails, on our website and in print. Many times, we search and search for the right image to express the related content. The following is a great post by Gina Trapani at Life Hacker who lists out six great places you can find legally-republishable content on the web to impress the boss with a great multimedia presentation.
As the internet has evolved, so have the amount of free media available for you to use. Thanks to organizations like Creative Commons, licenses like the GNU Free Documentation License, and the public domain, there are tons of photos, songs, movies and documents freely available for you to download and republish without fear of the copyright police.
1. Creative Commons search interface
Video, music, images and documents
Creative Commons’ recently released tabbed search interface looks up CC-licensed photos from Flickr, any file type on Yahoo! and Google, and videos on Blip.TV. Very convenient. (Before you go publishing, be sure to check exactly which CC license that perfect photo carries - whether or not it can be modified, used for commercial purposes, or should include attribution.)
2. Wikimedia
Video, music, images, documents
User-edited Wikimedia Commons contains over 700,000 pieces of freely available, modifiable (even for commercial purposes) media that’s categorized and tagged by users. Need a photo of Chicago for your blog? Type Category:Chicago into the Wikimedia search box. (more…)
Today’s Tech Tip: Music in Powerpoint Presentations March 29, 2007
Posted by Steve in : Tech Tips , 2commentsTECH TIP FOR POWERPOINT:
At Park, we use a lot of Powerpoint presentations as we meet with our leaders in order to share our vision to reach 1% of Chicago with the Gospel. Many people want to play music in their Powerpoint presentations. Usually, inserting music only works slide by slide. So how do you insert music or narration that continues throughout the presentation (for PowerPoint 2002 or 2003.)
Follow these six steps:
- Create your Powerpoint presentation.
- Upon completion, choose Insert, Movies and Sounds, then choose one of the options, such as Sound From File. Locate the sound and insert it. (You see a sound icon, which you can drag off the slide if you don’t want it to appear during your presentation.)
- Then you will see a message appears asking how you want the sound to play. Usually, you choose Automatically, but if you want the sound to wait for your mouse click, choose When Clicked.
- Next, you right-click the sound’s icon and choose Custom Animation from the shortcut menu. The Custom Animation pane opens with your sound file listed.
- Click the arrow directly to the right of the sound icon and choose Effect Options. In the Play Sound dialog box, choose the Effects tab.
- In the Stop Playing section, choose the After XXX slides option. Enter a large number (up to 999) in the box so the sound will play throughout all your slides. Note: PowerPoint counts each display as a slide, so if you show some slides more than once, they count.
- Click OK to close the dialog box.
Today’s Tech Tip: Tables in Word January 12, 2007
Posted by Steve in : Technology, Tech Tips , add a commentDo you have to create tables in Microsoft Word but not sure how to do it? Well, Microsoft has made it quite easy with a simple WYSIWYG command, using Word’s automated formatting and its very helpful ability to create tables from plus signs and hyphens. Here is all you need to do when you want to add a table to your Word document.
Type a plus sign, then a few hyphens, then a plus sign, then a few more hyphens, then a plus sign, and press Enter. The result is a table with the cell borders where the plus signs were. As with any Word table, you can then add a row to the table by going to the right-hand cell and pressing the Tab key.
Today’s Tech Tip: Organizing Your Outlook January 10, 2007
Posted by Steve in : Technology, Tech Tips , add a commentDid you know that you can read an email, then change the subject line to better organize your emails? This little trick has helped me greatly over the years.
Let me give you an example. Let’s say I receive an email from someone that has a subject line that reads “re: your last request” and that email contains detailed plumbing costs from my plumbing sub-contractor for the construction project we are working on with our new church building at 1001 N. Crosby.
To store this email with a better subject line, I change the RE: line to say “BUILDING: New Plumbing Costs” and then file the email in my building folder. Then I click the X in the upper right corner. Outlook responds with “this email has changed, do you want to save the changes.” Click “Yes” and the subject line has been changed!
This way, when I open my building email folder, I see right away that this email deals with the plumbing costs versus it just showing “re: your last request”. This has helped me quickly scan my emails and see what I am looking for. Also, I have found another quick tip is to start the subject line with a capitalized word for one of my main 2007 objectives (like BUILDING, PERSONNEL, MULTI-SITE, COMMUNICATIONS, WEBSITE, TECHNOLOGY, STRATEGY, etc). This lets me group my emails in my inbox without creating a ton of folders. Try it out and let me know what you think.
