Results tagged “tech” from karlo.org

I just bought a new monitor for the first time since 2000. I had a great 16" SGI LCD I bought when they got out of that business -- $600 for what was a $3000 monitor at the time. But it was getting obvious that it was time to replace the old screen, so I bought a Dell 27" UltraSharp Widescreen Flat Panel Monitor to replace it. It's a $1000 but when I did the math on the cost per hour of my last LCD it was obvious that I get my money's worth -- it came to less than $0.06 per hour or so, roughly.

So far, it seems to be pretty good -- but I'm having a bear of a time trying to get it even moderately calibrated. A lot of reds and oranges, in particular, seem to be wildly flourescent - the Firefox logo is a primary offender. If I can't find a way to get the color under control (short of buying a calibrator) I'm going to have to return this monitor and get an Apple 23" Cinema Display or something else with more reasonable color performance.

The worst part is that Dell makes a big deal out of the color accuracy of this monitor on their web site. But then they don't really provide any great guidance on getting it calibrated properly.

I just set up a new account with PhoneTag this morning. Those who know me have probably realized I hate voicemails - both leaving them and receiving them in an era where everyone either has SMS or email on their mobile phone. For $0.35 a message, or about $10 a month up to 40 voicemails, PhoneTag converts your incoming voicemails into emails or SMS and sends them to your phone. If you choose to receive emails, there's also an attachment with the recorded voice message attached.

This is absolutely fantastic (if it proves out as working properly) for a number of reasons:

• You can read the emails and handle them far faster than the linear, awkward interface of standard voicemail (and even the better system on the iPhone.)
• You can file messages right along with your email records in a single system for later review - and the text is searchable right along with your emails
• You can forward any voicemail to anyone else with email, without transcribing it

I think the real question here is why this isn't just a default option when you get a cell phone.

"This sounds overly simplistic, but I really do think Apple just split the mobile world into two choices: settle for a free phone or buy an iPhone. There just aren't many reasons to do anything else."

Mike Davidson, "Apple Just Killed the Market for Phones"

This morning I twittered about the need for a countdown to iPhone3G widget... ask and ye shall receive. Isn't the Internet swell?