While I applaud Apple’s effort to bring the iPhone notes onto my desktop through Mail sync, the implementation leaves a bit to be desired. Twice now I have lost a significant amount of information due to the way Apple syncs the notes.

If you use your iPhone to take notes on the fly as much as I do, you know how painful it is to think about losing any of those precious bits of data. Mark/Sync used to work pretty well, or just emailing them one by one. Generally Apple’s sync works, with one notable exception:

If you leave a note open (that is, you don’t press “Done” or go back to the main notes menu) and then sync with your computer, for some crazy reason Apple will actually pull the old version of the note from your computer and erase any recent additions you’ve made to the note on your phone. Worse yet, even if you’ve saved the note (pressed “Done”) since your last sync, it will STILL grab the one from the computer rather than even reverting back to your last mobile version, which would be slightly less catastrophic.

Lessons learned here until Apple fixes this: 1) Always press “Done” on your note before syncing with your computer. Always! 2) Generally if you are in the habit of putting new thoughts on new notes instead of updating an old one, you’ll probably be better off.

I love my iPhone, but every once in awhile Apple just really gets it wrong. It’s surprising since I’m so used to everything else working so well. No one should have to close/save anything that seems to do so automatically and worry about losing information. I might look into switching app’s, and have Evernote installed. But Apple’s notes are just quick and easy. The screenshot below is from Apple’s Web site. I only wish “Never leave a note behind” were true in this case.

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Andy Swindler Categories: Gadget, Technology

I guess this is somewhat old news, but I got to see a Steelcase Walkstation in the flesh last night at the Office Concepts party in Chicago. I have to admit when I first heard about this concept a few days ago, I snickered a bit, but the idea is growing on me.

At first I imagined someone trying to run, or even jog, while typing or trying to concentrate. I know when I work out the blood doesn’t seem to flow first to the brain, but your mileage may vary.

I was told that the contraption was intended for walking and working instead, at around 2.5 miles per hour. This could make more sense. Everyone should walk for at least half an hour every day. I’ve always believed humans were not meant to be shackled to a desk all day long, and this might be the next step towards a healthier working lifestyle.

Especially with innovations in the gaming world of controller-less interfaces that use cameras and microphones to detect body motions and sound, it’s not hard to imagine a virtual environment where after donning some kind of headgear you can be “walking” through a sunny glade, collaborating with people you “meet” (actually seamless video-teleconferencing) in a pretty natural way.

With a price tag around $5,000, the Steelcase solution isn’t for everyone, and the do-it-yourselfers are already proving anyone can make a treadmill desk for a lot less money. But you probably won’t get the nifty buttons that allow you to adjust the desk height on the fly.

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Andy Swindler Categories: Entrepreneurship, Fun, Gadget, Technology

I’m typically skeptical of new whiz-bang Web sites, tools, and features that set out to “change the way we work” until I’ve actually seen the benefit. Google Wave seeks to do just that. Rather than piling on one more piece of technology or layer of abstraction, they cleared the slate by asking, “How should all of this work?” rather than, “How could what exists be better?”

I’m intrigued because I’ve been having a lot of the same thoughts and discussions lately. Email has existed more or less the same way for well over a decade. People have built new interfaces, ways to tie conversation threads together, and new free services, but fundamentally the idea of sending messages with attachments back and forth in a time-shifted manner is the same.

Google Wave seeks to reinvent real-time interaction and collaboration by treating these interactions in a centralized, consistent manner. This makes sense to me. The more applications we layer on and rave about being “the new thing” (Twitter comes to mind), the more fragmented our communication becomes.

Google Wave may or may not be the answer, or it may just be a step in the right direction. At a glance it seems to be trying to solve something that’s been nagging me for awhile. We are so focused on the tools, we often lose sight of what we are trying to communicate and the value contained therein. At the end of the day, what matters is that we want to share ideas and messages with people who will find them relevant in the most efficient manner possible, no matter when or where they happen. If we’re developing a global hive mentality through our communication technology, it will depend on messages seamlessly interacting across mediums, languages, locations, and context. This is a lofty goal, but it’s one worth shooting for.

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Andy Swindler Categories: Entrepreneurship, Social Media, Technology, Web

Over the past couple of weeks a series of unfortunate events has led me to spread my computing across two laptops and a Mac Mini (Long story starting with a flat tire and drowned MacBook Pro). We typically use SuperDuper to move the information on computer into another as part of our regular backup strategy. In this case, I’ve been using Apple’s built-in function to transfer the files and settings, which works incredibly well.

Through all this I realized that the love and personal attachment I’ve always felt for my Mac’s has transferred from the physical machine to the “soul” of the machine. Before I get too spooky, let me explain. I’ve been using Mac’s for two decades. They’ve always been a significant purchase (most computers are), but I really used to geek out on the machine itself. Apple has almost always excelled at merging beauty of form with the highest practicality of industrial design (longevity, durability, easy access to replace parts, etc.). Since I lean on the side of function in design, nothing impresses me more than artists and designers who truly innovate and move the industry forward by creating brilliant art without sacrificing practicality. (And yes, even at current prices Mac’s are still practical over the long haul if you compare their average lifespan to equivalent PC’s)

The new MacBook Pro is no different in continuing the practical work-of-art tradition, but the software has evolved to make moving from one computer to another painless and simple. So simple, in fact, that it’s not difficult to imagine that what you’re actually doing is moving the soul of the computer (that is, everything you do to make it uniquely your own) to another body. Taken a step further, it’s not hard to imagine that this soul will one day live in the cloud and that you’ll be able to access it from any computer or mobile device. Let’s not talk about Matrix-esque hard-wiring quite yet.

At first I was slightly disappointed in myself for losing this enamor for my computer. I wrote it off to growing up, or just the fact that with the business I now own several computers when I used to hold onto just the one. But then I realized all I’ve done is stopped caring so much about the physical body of the tool, and now focus entirely on how I use the tool. I still love my Mac. It’s just that now “my Mac” isn’t really a computer, it’s some transient pile of ubiquitous bits and bytes that have a diminishing relationship to the body they inhabit. I guess you really can’t judge a MacBook by its cover.

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Andy Swindler Categories: Fun, Gadget, Technology

Apple Introduces Revolutionary New Laptop With No Keyboard

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Andy Swindler Categories: Fun, Gadget, Technology

In a nutshell, a podmap combines driving directions like you’d get on MapQuest of Google with voice recognition so that you can speak to your destination and get a file with visual and written directions. Like a podcast, you would be able to take this file with you, put it on various devices, etc. I enjoy the GPS navigation system built into my Prius, but the one thing it’s missing is some way to download destinations I look up on my computer rather than punching in addresses manually. Not the end of the world, but I always seem to want just one more feature. Good thing they keep making them better!

Apple filed for a patent back in January 2007, so I’m eager to see what comes of this new technology.

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Andy Swindler Categories: Entrepreneurship, Gadget, Technology, Web

Running through a KVM I used to use, the Apple mouse gives you only vertical scrolling, but requires you move your finger horizontally (on the 360-degree scroll ball). Living with this minor annoyance for awhile, I realized that it’s actually far more ergonomic to move your finger slightly left and right rather than typical scrolling which requires activating far more muscles in your arm.

On a side note, I find it amusing to have to clean my mouse ball after a decade without it.

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Andy Swindler Categories: Gadget, Technology