Posts About ‘Technology’

Clone Wars Adventures

Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010

Ok, let me get it right out in the open so there is no confusion. We are BIG Star Wars fans around here. When my son showed an interest in the movies I can’t fully express how psyched I was and how great it was to take him to the movies to watch them.

We’ve since watched all the films and were very surprised how awesome the television show The Clone Wars turned out to be and it is something we always watch together. It makes for something fun to bond over and a passion we both share.

Because of this, I’m psyched to share the news that this fall, Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) will release Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures, a free-to-play, action packed virtual world. Focused on creating a fun and safe online environment for kids and families, Clone Wars Adventures will offer  minigames, dynamic activities, social events and thousands of customization options.  Players can even battle it out with friends alongside iconic Star Wars characters like Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda, and Ahsoka Tano.

Dylan has been playing Free Realms for a while now which is also from SOE, so we’ve seen the game play on that and for an online game it is top notch. Watching the trailer for this new adventure made us even more psyched about the release.

“Clone Wars Adventures is the ultimate destination for fans of The Clone Wars series and will bring the action and excitement of the show to players online so they can experience The Clone  Wars universe firsthand” said John Smedley, president of Sony Online Entertainment. “We’ve worked with LucasArts and Lucasfilm to create a virtual world that is seamlessly integrated with the TV series and a true extension of the show. It’s also just flat-out fun to play.”

Virtual worlds hold a lot of promise for companies and game players. I’ve watched as Dylan has jumped from one to another figuring out which one he likes the best. One thing that I know will be appealing to players in this game is that they are going to allow you to fly through space in various starfighters, play as a clone trooper in tower defense challenges and even solve challenging puzzles which is something I know my son enjoys. It sounds like there is a lot of variety which is key in keeping a kid’s imagination and to bring them back to play over and over.

Of course, this is a business venture, so there will be plenty of options for kids to upgrade their accounts to buy new outfits, equipment and other virtual goods. The possibilities are really endless and I’m glad to read about the built in parental controls. Of course, I’m probably looking forward to playing as much as Dylan is at this point. I can’t wait to play.

There is no official release date yet except for “this fall” so stay tuned. Until then enjoy some screen shots from the game.

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Posted in Entertainment, Technology | 2 Comments »

Father’s Day Gifts: Technology

Saturday, May 29th, 2010

If you haven’t figured it out yet, all of us around here at Digital Dads are some form of geeks. We love our technology no matter if we are using it to stay connected, work on the road, take photos or for some down time. Guys love their toys and we wanted to be sure to provide you with some of our favorite gift options for Father’s Day.

If we found an affiliate link for the product we will be using it, but of course buy from the vendors that you like and let us know of any other gifts you think we might have missed.

Canon PowerShot S90
Pictures make the world go around and while there are tons of great digital SLR cameras out there, sometimes you want something small and compact that can still take great pictures. We love the Canon S90 because while you can pop it into Auto mode and shoot beautiful photos, it also has tons of manual modes for the seasoned photographer to tweak to their hearts content. It takes a standard SD card and is small enough to fit in your pocket.

If you are looking for something more high end, we are all fans of the Canon 5D Mark II or the Canon 7D. Both are amazing cameras if you have the budget for them.

Apple iPad
This is one gift that any Dad would love to have. Trust us when we say that after a week with an iPad, anyone is going to love having the device in their house. Don’t believe us, watch what Emily thinks of it.

We’ll leave it up to you if the WiFi only one is enough or if the 3G model would be a better purchase. Every day new content is being released for the iPad and it makes the perfect coffee table computer. If you pick one up, consider getting a case for it as well. There are a lot of them out there, but we like the simple basic one from Apple that gets the job done great.

Sony Dash
We’ve gotten to know the team at Sony pretty well and they sent us a Dash. I’ve been using it as an alarm clock since my wife was sick of having the clock on her side of the bed go off early in the morning when I had to get up and catch an early flight or train.

While the UI leaves a lot to be desired, we’ve heard rumors of an update coming very soon. You can add all sorts of apps to it so that besides the time and weather it also pulls in other things. For instance, I’ve currently got mine showing a web cam of Jackson Hole, Wyoming (a dream place to visit), my flickr photos and the latest from The Onion. I love that it has a nighttime and power-saver mode for those times when you don’t need all the information. For the Dad who loves to always be connected this is a fun idea.

Google TV Logitech Box
If the iPad introduces us to the idea of no longer being bound to the sofa and TV for video entertainment, then the Google TV Logitech Box introduces us to the idea that you no longer need to be bound to broadcast television for an entertaining TV experience.  By harnessing Google’s search prowess and the internet, video viewing is taken to the next level with Google’s newest appliance.  The box can even be used with your paid television subscription—but why would you?

We debated having this on the list since it doesn’t actually come out till the fall, but it was too cool to pass up. Stay up to date on the latest here.

Crosley Revolution Turntable
The digital music revolution changed the game for all facets of music—production, distribution, and consumption.  For those who still savor vinyl, then the Crosley Revolution Turntable is for you.  Providing musical freedom at 33 1/3, the Crosley’s minimal design allows you to focus on what is important,  the crisp sound of vinyl.  Minimal in design, the Revolution includes accouterments that will satisfy any geekofile—battery powered, dual headphone jacks, built-in stereo speakers, and USB for analog-to-digital conversions.  This isn’t your fathers record player.  The Crosley Revolution is a turntable for the new millennium.

Red Dead Redemption
If the Dad in your life owns a gaming system of any sort you should get this game immediately. Set in the wild west, you play a gunslinger on a mission to clean up for his past. The free form game plays means that this game will rock for the most hardcore of gamers or the most casual. The visuals are beautiful and you could honestly spend hours just riding around in the world until you forget that the setting son is nothing but computer pixels.

Of course, since this game is from Rockstar Games (the creators of the Grand Theft Auto series) this is not a kids game. There are plenty of guns and blood so keep that in mind before you have your kids play along with Dad.

Griffin Simplifi Dock
We like to keep our desks organized and when we first reviewed one of these we fell in love. It serves as both an iPod/iPhone dock as well as a compact flash and SD card reader all in one. As if that wasn’t enough it has 2 USB ports in the back as well. We loved this product so much that we’ve bought several of them for all the desks in our lives.

What we are really hoping for though is that Griffin will come out with a new version that will also work with the iPad. But, we haven’t heard anything yet.

Kodak Pulse
Several of us here are avid photographers and are always on the hunt for a good digital picture frame. There are many of them out there and when Kodak gave us one of these to play with, we honestly were not expecting much different, but were pleasantly surprised. With a built in touch screen, anyone with a WiFi connection will be up and connected in no time. The frame allows photos to be uploaded from Facebook and the Kodak Gallery or have them e-mailed directly to it. We are still hoping they add a Flickr option in the future.

While we wish the frame came in bigger sizes (it only comes in a 7 inch version as of now), we do think this would be perfect for grandparents who have a WiFi connection because it allows for the newest pictures of the grand kids to be e-mailed directly to the frame for nice surprises. It can store thousands of photos so you won’t outgrow it anytime soon.

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Posted in Gifts & Holidays, Technology | 3 Comments »

Family Friendly iPad Apps

Saturday, April 17th, 2010

In case you hadn’t heard the news, Apple released a new product called the iPad.

If you over simplified the description of what one is, you could call it a big iPhone and while that isn’t far from the truth it is really not an accurate description. It is their first true tablet computer and one that I believe does have a place in your family and I wanted to highlight some of the apps for it that we are already enjoying.

Now, please remember that it hasn’t even been out for more then two weeks and these are only the ones that we’ve discovered or have been told about that are made for the iPad.

There are a ton of great apps that were released before the iPad that are family friendly and they will work on the iPad, but I wanted to focus on applications that have been built to take full advantage of the new platform rather than just working. I’m also not including prices because I know many have special pricing when I bought them and could change at any time. All links will go directly to the iTunes store.

In no particular order:

  • Netflix
    You will need to have a Netflix account in order to utilize this, but what is great is that a portion of their library is now available for live streaming to a variety of devices including the iPad. So as I laid on the couch last weekend recovering from knee surgery with a couple of clicks I was watching Singles in my lap on this application.
  • Artist’s Touch
    One of my students at the University of San Francisco told me about this program so I checked it out because I knew the kids (and me) would want to be able to sketch and draw. Out of all the applications we have tried, this is the best for simple doodling with enough options to really let an artist grow in it. Allowing you to choose from a variety of papers, textures, colors and creation tools, I might never get the iPad back from Emily ever again. One word of advice, unless you are a finger painting master I suggest buying a Pogo Stylus that my friend Whitney Hoffman told me about. It does a great job working as a stylus and the ones that come with a Nintendo DS don’t work. I know because I tried! *laugh*
  • The Weather Channel
    Every morning now when the kids ask us, “what is it going to be like today?” we tell them just to look at the iPad. If you share your location with it, the local weather comes right up and clearly shows in animated pictures what the day and the week ahead looks like. If you want more detail it also has live streaming video weather, radar and other goodies.
  • Epicurious
    We love to cook and every family should spend time in the kitchen together. Pulling new content from the web keeps this app full of fresh recipe ideas with big, bold pictures and shopping lists. Although you can’t print them out yet (a failing of the iPad, not the app), I could easily see us setting this on the counter in a cookbook holder while we made dinner. They have the ability to star favorite recipes, so we’ve been going through starring some new ones to try. Great way to get the kids involved in what you are eating.
  • Doons
    Laura and the kids love to play casual games and this has quickly become one of their favorites. You are presented with a screen of funny faced blocks and you must shoot up new ones to make groups of three or more and they will fall away. As you level up, it of course gets harder and harder. Simple fun that as long as a child can match colors they could play this.
  • Tumbles
    Based on the wildly popular Scope or Pop’em style of game, this takes it further by taking advantage of the accelerometer in the iPad and physics. You can now tilt, tap and move around the balls on the screen to line them up before popping them. I’ve gotten so many laughs out of watching Laura tilting the iPad around and around while playing this game. It is her all time favorite style. While, not my cup of tea, I do like that it has a head-to-head option so that we can play against each other.
  • Labyrinth 2 HD
    Remember those old wooden boxes in class, that you turned the knobs to navigate a ball through a maze without falling into to holes? Well that is this, but in addition to the classic vibe, has been updated with lasers, fans and trap doors. I love watching the kids try to figure out the puzzles and trying over and over until they figure it out. Sounds easy, but it isn’t. Frustrated me in no time! I’m not much a puzzle fan.
  • Marvel Comics
    I don’t want to start a DC vs. Marvel fight or anything like that and personally I’m rooting for a third party like Panelfly to push forward and come out with one big comic reader, but for now this is the app to get. The panel by panel reading takes care of the “I don’t know what order to read in” that Emily told me is why she doesn’t get comic books. One warning though, they make it super easy to buy more and I found myself spending a chunk of change in no time, which I haven’t done on comics since I was a teenager.
  • GoodReader
    While not the sexiest of apps, it is one of the most useful. Able to open up documents of every common type it also will connect with locations that you store your documents including Dropbox, Google Docs and iDisk. It sounds overly simple and not needed until you actually start using it and then that is when you realize you must have this.

I’m sure as we use it more, I will find more, but I wanted to give you some starter suggestions in case your house now has an iPad in it.

What applications have you found that you and your family like?

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Posted in Technology | 6 Comments »

Tracking Our Kids

Thursday, March 25th, 2010

Location services such as Gowalla and Foursquare are changing the way some people keep tabs on where their friends are and what they are doing. But, could technology like this be used to help parents keep track of their kids? Should we even be thinking about this possibility?

Cast of Dads #13 (listen or subscribe) focused on that topic. One of the other Dad’s likes how his son and him are using Foursquare to keep each other updated on where they are. But, of course this is passive and it only works IF they check into a location.

There is technology out there, and more coming I’m sure, where we could almost monitor our kids movements similar to the way scientists track migrating whales and antelope. But, do we want this? Is it even really needed or have we really gone to far in our constant worry that the big evil world out there is going to swallow up our kids.

While the peace of mind something like this might give me, I think right now I lean more towards the side of letting them being kids. Letting them go and do what they are going to do. I know they are going to tell me they are going one place and end up at another. They are going to sneak around and do things they don’t want me to know. It is all part of growing up and figuring out boundaries.

I want my kids to know that I trust them. My parents let me go out and wandering around without them knowing exactly where I was and guess what? I turned out ok. Generations of kids have gone out without this technology and somehow society has continued to push forward.

The world is not any scarier then it use to be. It is just that we all hear about the bad more then the good now. The media loves to throw us into a panic over almost anything because everyone watches and tunes in for more, but the boogieman that we all worry about has always been out there since the dawn of time.

My kids need to know I trust them. If I’m tracking their every move I don’t see how that can ever happen.

What do you think?

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Posted in Technology | 22 Comments »

Two Great Playstation 3 Family Games

Thursday, December 17th, 2009

Sony sent me a PlayStation 3 and a couple of family friendly games to try out with my family. This is going to be an ongoing relationship with them that I’m looking forward to. I am a total casual gamer so I’m hoping to be able to find some new favorites from this.

Buzz! Quiz World

buzz

The first game was the Buzz! Quiz World Bundle which in addition to the game comes with 4 wireless controllers. These allowed me and the family to spread out in my office and get comfortable while we played. Definitely a plus when you don’t have to be tethered to the gaming station with wires!

Anyone that is a fan of trivia will love this game and don’t worry about knowing all the answers. With a database of over 5,000 questions you are not going to be hitting repeats anytime soon.

One problem we did run into is that this is geared more towards adults than it is kids. I would love to be able to adjust the settings so that I could make the questions more kid friendly. More often then not, both kids would announce they were just hitting buttons because they had no idea what the answer were.

That being said, we did have an absolute blast playing. The ability to pick unique avatars for your character as well as fun names from a pre-determined list gave us all good laughs. The silliness of some of the game types adds to the fun. Laura and I commented more then once that we hope to get to play this with some other adults.

Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack In Time

rachetclank

Dylan loves adventure games and we had both played previous releases in in this series before so when Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack In Time showed up he instantly popped it in and started playing.

While there is plenty of destruction in this game it is done in a very G rated way. Everything that is destroyed falls apart and gives you nuts and bolts to collect. There is no blood or other things found in many games and because of that I feel it is one of the most family friendly game series out there that is also engaging enough to keep kids into it.

The visuals and story line are something straight off the big screen. During the cut scenes, you might forget that you are actually watching a video game rather then a movie. In fact they should think about making this into a movie. I know I’d go see it.

I liked how instead of playing a single character, the plot actually switches back and forth between the two main characters and the shift in game play between the two of them may be a bit startling at first, but you quickly fall into the groove. I am not much of a puzzle fan, so some of the unique game play was not appealing to me, but Dylan loved it. The ability to customize weapons and the addition of game play in space brought some great new features that fans of the previous games will welcome.

Dylan completed the game and loved how it ended, but I’m still working my way slowly through it and hope to actually finish it because I want to know what happens.

I’m glad that Sony gave me a chance to try out the games and I look forward to reviewing other games in the future. I hope that if you are looking for some last minute gifts for the holidays, you’ll consider either of these as great options.

Disclosure: cmp.ly/1/qzpqrt

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Posted in Technology | 18 Comments »

Weekend Productivity

Saturday, November 21st, 2009

I like just laying around on the weekend as much as the next guy, but sometimes we need to get things done. Sometimes it is the famous honey do list type of things, but sometimes there are things that we want to get done on our own.

To Do Sticky Note

I have found that to maximize the chance of success there are a few things you need to do.

  1. Set Clear Goals
    The more vague your goals are, the more likely you won’t get them done. Be as specific as possible. Don’t set the goal of “make a sit down dinner.” Instead set it as “make a dutch oven pot roast for dinner.” Being specific up front focuses you even more on the end goal.
  2. Make a List (in your head doesn’t count)
    This can be on a sticky note, whiteboard or the nearest scrap of paper, but putting it down on paper makes it more likely to happen. This is extra important if you have more then one goal because you can check them off as you complete them. This gratification will help you push forward.
  3. Don’t Do Too Much
    A million tiny tasks or a handful of major ones will both kill you. Don’t give into the temptation to try and do too much. Recognize your limitations and set the right number of goals. Nothing sucks more then having to push something off to the next weekend.
  4. Tell Other People Your Goals
    When you are accountable to someone, it is a great motivator. It is very easy to tell yourself you are going to do something, but the more people you tell the more likely you are to stay focused and succeed.
  5. Celebrate Victory
    When you complete a group of tasks or at the end of the weekend when your list is all checked off be sure to reward yourself. It might be something simple like sitting down for a beer break or some time playing video games. Just be sure to congratulate yourself.

What got me thinking about all this was the final project for the #SonyDads initiative in which we were suppose to take part in a field trip with our families and document it. Every time we went to do this the weather was horrible and so I figured I’d document a rainy weekend in our house instead since I was out of time and options.

In the end it was a boring weekend, but it was a productive one for me as you can see in the video where I cleaned up my office and set up my photography closet. Interesting how starting out in one direction ended up with this.

The video was filmed with with Sony HDR-XR500 camcorder. I’m really glad I got to check this unit out. It certainly delivers good results even when the guy behind the camera is me. *laugh*

This post is part of series called the “Sony DigiDads Project” by Sony Electronics where a group of dads, including C.C. Chapman, Jeffrey Sass, Max Kalehoff, Michael Sheehan, and Brad Powell, have been given the opportunity to test and review Sony gear. If you want to know more about this project, head on over to the Sony Electronics Community.

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Posted in Technology | 9 Comments »

Internet Safety For Kids – Be Involved. Not Stupid.

Monday, November 16th, 2009

There are evil people on the Internet. Right now there is some child abusing scum just waiting to find an unaware child on the Internet. Guess what? There are those same people who want to abuse your children in your neighborhood, at the mall and in every corner of the world. The real truth is that the world is full of bad people and that includes online.

Now that I’ve got that out of the way, I need to slap a little reality into all the parents out there who are scared to death of their kids getting online.

Dad surfing with Son

I recently spoke at an elementary school about Internet Safety. It was a small group of parents, but I was excited about it because I wanted to really answer their questions. As the organizer of the event explained some of what the school was already up to (including the awesome idea of a secured Ning site for their students to interact with other students around the world) and two police officers briefed them on all the scary facts about online dangers, I began to get worried. I could see that some of the parents were genuinely scared when they found out their kids were talking to other kids and adults (school staff in this case) online. But, I also knew I had my kids in the room with me and I wanted to show them from one parent to another why all of this is a good thing and not something to run away from.

If you are a parent, you need to realize that your kids ARE going to be online. They are going to set up social networking accounts, talk to complete strangers on them, watch videos, chat, etc. They are going to do this no matter if you let them or not. They may not do it at home, but they will do it at school and when they are hanging out with friends. Just like experimenting with drinking, drugs and each other, it is part of growing up. We all went through it and turned out ok for the most part so it is up to us to help our kids get through it as well.

With all of these issues and especially the online piece the answer is you MUST be involved. You too must be checking out these sites and using them so that you understand what they are all about and can teach your kids how to use them. You are responsible to teach them the right and wrong way to use the Internet. Just like you are responsible for teaching them about safe driving, safe sex and say no to drugs. It is up to YOU to teach them..

Some practical advice I gave to the parents that night and that I want to share with you:

  1. Get Yourself Online
    I don’t want to hear you whining about not having time or barely understanding e-mail. Your kids are growing up with a computer as an integrated part of their lives and will always be. If you have a computer in the house then they are going to start using services like Facebook, YouTube and others and you must understand them as well. These services are free and honestly the only way to understand them is to use them. Make sure to always check the privacy settings on each service as they are not all the same, but they are all important as they control who can see what about you. Still confused? Ask your kids to show you them or find someone at your children’s school who can answer your questions.
  2. Put The Computer In a Family Space
    I won’t allow my kids to have computers in their rooms even though they keep asking me for it. When we got them a computer last Christmas, we put it in the living room. That way when they are on it we can always see what they are doing. We also have several laptops in the house and they know they can’t bring those up to their room either. Anything they should be doing online they should be comfortable doing with us around. Plus, this way I can see how long they’ve been online and kick them off it when appropriate.
  3. Monitor Them
    I’m not talking about secret spying, but Emily and Dylan both know that we have parental controls turned on the computer. They know that I can go back and look at every site they’ve been to. This is not a secret and it is important that they know this. I don’t want to snoop around and I won’t ever go into their e-mail or track their IM conversations, but keeping a web history that they can’t delete is something I will do. The newest Mac OS and Windows 7 both have these sort of controls built in. There are other software options out there that can do even more then this, but the basics can be covered by what you have.
  4. Talk to Your Kids
    I’ve made it very clear to the kids what is inappropriate. Just like I taught them not to talk to strangers or ever get in someone else’s car, I’m also teaching them what not to do online. First names only, never give a home address, being vague about where they go to school and the town they live in. User accounts are always a silly name rather than their own. They never give out a phone number. All things that hold true online and off and as they begin to get older and use it more, I will talk to them more about it. It is part of our every day conversation and it is not uncommon to hear “You’ve got to see this video on YouTube” come up at dinner. And just like “the talk”, this can not be a one time thing. You have to keep talking about it.
  5. Don’t Fear Google
    If I hear one more time “your kids might see porn if they mistype something into Google” I am going to scream. Google has simple settings that you can set on your computer to hide that sort of content. It isn’t perfect, but it will filter out the majority of it on your home computers. Plus, guess what? Your kids are going to see naked people at some point in their lives. They might actually go and seek it out on the web out of curiosity or other reasons. Shocking I know.

    But, again it is up to you to teach them what is right and appropriate and what is not. Search engines are amazing tools. Just the other night i was showing my son how to filter for images for a project he was working on and I had no worries about porn coming up when we searched for “vikings” because I knew the settings I had set would keep it clean. But. school computers, or ones at friend’s house might not have these settings so that is why you must talk about this rather than trying to hide from it.

These are just five tips, but they are five important ones.

To all the parents who think that not allowing their children to get online and sheltering them from the Internet is the solution I have one thing to tell you. You are ignorant and stupid. Sorry to be so blunt, but I refuse’t sugar coat it for you.

Sheltering our children from everything that might be bad in the world is never the solution. No one can live in a bubble and turn out ok. Children need to learn what is good and what is bad and how they are suppose to operate online in order to be successful in their lives. Just because the computer might not be important or needed by you, they are never going to know a world without them.

You need to instill in them what is appropriate. Just like you are going to teach them how to respect others, how to drive a car and how to do good in school. How to act online is just a new part of the parenting puzzle and you are responsible for this whether you like it or not.

I live and breath in this space and I can tell you that the amount of good things that have happened far outweigh the few bad things. I’m more worried about my kids and what might happen to them out in the real world then I ever will be about what they might run into online.

Don’t be stupid. Get active and get involved with your kids online. That is the way a good parent should act.

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Posted in Technology | 41 Comments »

iPhone Picture Time

Sunday, November 8th, 2009

Remember when our fathers or grandparents would pull out the little picture portfolio from their wallets and purses and show pictures of their families? They’d always be full of pride and eager to show them to anyone who they might come in contact with. They got outdated quickly and you’d always have to explain when the pictures were taken. As the tradition got passed down to my generation we might have a single picture of our families in our wallets to show people. As the kids grew up this wasn’t as important and many wouldn’t even bother.

iphonegirls

At a recent conference something hit me as I talked to some friends and we all whipped out our iPhones to show pictures of our kids. No longer did we have to wait until school pictures happened to have a new picture of our kids. Thanks to this device we can now show the latest of hundreds of snapshots or videos.

I try not to judge, but when I see a fellow Dad pull out their iPhone and notice that the wallpaper is of their kids I instantly like them a bit more. I will always have pictures of my kids or family as a wallpaper so that every time I turn on the phone it is the first thing I see. You have no idea how much of a pickup this is when you are on the road and away from them. That single picture has cheered me up more times then I can accurately expressed.

Technology is empowering us to capture and share memories like never before. I am constantly taking pictures or videos and then never doing anything with the video. Last night I went to Karaoke with some friends and I found myself video taping some of it. What am I ever going to do with the video? Most likely nothing, but because I can capture it I’d rather do that then look back in the morning and think, “man I wish I had fired up the video camera.”

Certainly an iPhone is not the only option for this. Most phones can handle this sort of request and if yours don’t almost every point and shoot camera now takes great photos and video of some sort so you have no excuse. I recently purchased a Kodak Zi8 and have found myself shooting more video then ever. As the technology gets smaller and better it makes not capturing moments of life inexcusable.

I certainly don’t miss the fading pictures and plastic portfolios unraveling from friends wallets at the bar. Long live the digital picture albums in our pockets!

Photo Credit: Marlooz Veldhuizen

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Posted in Technology | 8 Comments »

A Library in Your Hand

Wednesday, October 14th, 2009

I’ve always been someone who loves to read. Ever since I was little I could be found reading books. It is something that I’m hoping my kids continue to do. I love that both of them are assigned to read at least 20 minutes every night as part of their homework. They can pick the books, but they have to read. I love that.

So when devices like the Amazon Kindle and the Sony Reader came on the market I was cautiously excited because I could see the potential but I wasn’t sure I was ready to give up my paper just quite yet.

I purchased a first generation Kindle and version 2 when it came out as well. I love being able to bring this simple device on a plane with me rather then a hard cover book. Being able to carry piles of books on a single device so I can read whatever I want makes it even more appealing. I’m not sure how I managed before owning one.

Sony Readers

As part of the Sony Dads project I was loaned a Sony Reader Pocket Edition™ to review and then send back. They also hooked us up with a couple of coupons so we could buy some books to read on the device for free. I ordered a copy of Candor by Pam Bachorz and The Road (because I want to read it before seeing the movie). I really wanted to spend some time with the device so that I could really review it.

There are a few things I liked about the device, but not many. The size is amazing. It is bigger then an iPhone, but smaller then the Kindle. In my comparisons it was a bit bigger then your usual paperback, but much much thinner.

I also love that when reading a book it actually gives you an accurate count of the number of pages that are left when reading. The Kindle doesn’t do this and it drives me nuts. It may not be all that important when reading a business book, but it is something I want when reading fiction. Finally, the screen is as advertised and it is easy to read in mixed lighting situations.

Now for the list of things I don’t like and there are many:

  • There is no buying directly from the device. In fact that is no wireless connectivity on it so when on the road you are stuck with what you put on it ahead of time. I’m a big impulse shopper and have bought more then one book directly from my Kindle while sitting in an airport.
  • The overall buying experience leaves a lot to be desired. You must download and install a program onto your computer in order to shop. Has Sony not heard of web browsers? Let me buy from anywhere I am rather then forcing me to buy from the computer I install your software on!
  • I’ve heard some complaints about the selection being lacking, but I found everything I was looking for so it wasn’t a problem for me.
  • I could not find a way to auto sync purchases to the reader. I finally figured out that I had to connect it to the computer in order to put any books on it, but I also seemed to have to click and drag them in order to put them on the device. I could have easily missed how to do this though.
  • I wasn’t a big fan of the look of the device. The line of buttons up the side is overkill and actually confused me at first because I guess I expected the UI to be easier to use and not needing so many buttons.
  • I wish it let me make the text smaller. You can make it bigger, but I want a smaller size then the smallest they offer so I don’t have to flip the page as often as I did. As a fast reader with good eyes this drove me nuts.

Needless to say, I won’t be recommending this product for the holidays. I had high hopes for the device. Especially after I opened it up and saw how small it was. That jazzed me up, but I was quickly deflated after using it for a bit.

Everyone knows how to pick up a book and use it and if I can’t pick up a device like this and figure out how to use it then that is a big problem that Sony has to fix before this will be mass adopted.

This post is part of series called the “Sony DigiDad Project” by Sony Electronics where a group of dads, including C.C. Chapman, Jeffrey Sass, Max Kalehoff, Michael Sheehan, and Brad Powell, have been given the opportunity to test and review Sony gear (lent to us by Sony). If you want to know more about this project visit the Sony Electronics Community.

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: http://cmp.ly/1

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100 Faces

Tuesday, October 6th, 2009

I’ve been having a lot of fun with this whole Sony Dads project. It isn’t even the equipment that they loan us to play with that is most fun for me. I like the stories they are asking us to tell without giving us many guidelines. They are like the bumpers on a bowling alley. They set them up for you, but then you use them as you see fit. Personally I’m using these as inspiration to try out new things and get creative again.

This go around we were tasked with something they were calling 100 Faces.

Liang Trip to Cragsmoor, NY

Since I’m an avid photographer and my Canon 50D is never far from me if not permanently strapped to my hand I wasn’t sure if I was the right person to test the cameras. They sent us both a Sony A330 DSLR and the Cyber-Shot DSC-TX1 . The first being their entry level digital SLR and the later their newest slick point and shoot on the market.

Yes, I shot a bunch of pictures with both and even filmed a quick video with the point and shoot the minute the batteries were charged, but I am also biased. After playing with the A330 for a bit I posted this video review of it. I’m use to being able to customize lots of things when I shoot pictures and I couldn’t do everything I was use to. So instead of only having me review it, I gave my kids the cameras and let them take pictures with them whenever they wanted. The results are here in this video The 100 Faces by The Chapman Kids (special thanks to Now is Now for the use of their music) :

Both kids had a blast with the cameras and overall I’m really happy with the photos that are produced. The point and shoot has one of the coolest features I’ve seen in a long time with a built in panoramic mode. Turn it on and then just pan the camera and it takes an instant panoramic shot and the results are stunning. Dylan and I had fun playing with this as you can see in this shot.

I was also pleasantly surprised to discover that the A330 can either take a standard CD card or a Sony Memory stick. Kudos on realizing that the memory stick is not the way everyone goes. Unfortunately, on the DSC-TX1 it only takes a Sony memory stick and worse yet it needs a proprietary cable in order to attach the camera to the computer. These two reasons along means that I’d never buy one of these cameras. I want electronics that work with each other rather then requiring me to carry extra cables, readers and special cards.

Neither of the cameras would be something that I personally would purchase, but I’m not the target audience either since I’m already shooting with a camera further up the food chain then both. I will say that if you are in the market for a starter camera on the digital SLR level then check out the A330 when you look at others because it can hold it’s own on most levels I believe. Dylan especially loved the pull out and tilting screen that allowed him to take pictures over his head or low on the ground.

This post is part of series called the “Sony DigiDad Project” by Sony Electronics where a group of dads, including C.C. Chapman, Jeffrey Sass, Max Kalehoff, Michael Sheehan, and Brad Powell, have been given the opportunity to test and review Sony gear (lent to us by Sony). If you want to know more about this project visit the Sony Electronics Community.

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