Smarter Recurring Events

I am often creating events for the same thing, for the same time, in the same calendar and for the same duration, but on different (and varying) days. Instead of offering recurring events, why not allow me to drag a “template” of sorts from a sidebar into a day? This template could save whatever information the user chooses (title, start time, end time, alarms, etc), and it will prompt to fill in the blanks wherever needed (if the end time, for instance, isn’t in the template, it will ask what time the event ends at).

Clothing Store Accounts

I have accounts at various online clothing stores, yet none seem to save my sizes. Why not allow me to define my sizes in my account page, and only show me what’s in-stock in my size (and default to that when adding to my cart). A smarter implementation of this will take into account fit — if the store knows a particular brand of shirt will fit 1 size smaller than indicated, also show me those products.

Automatic Flickr Tagging

Flickr knows when and where I took a photo. But it also knows where and when other people took photos. Why not crowd-source tags? When I upload a photo with geolocation data that places it near the Eiffel Tower, it’s probably going to be a photo of the Eiffel Tower. It would be fantastic to provide a list of frequent tags in that area, and allow me to add those with one click.

Better still, since it knows when photos were taken, this would work for events, too. If a bunch of people upload photos taken at a concert at a venue on a specific date and time, it knows about that event, and what tags people are applying to those photos.

Google’s handing out Samsung’s brand new Honeycomb-powered Galaxy Tab 10.1 like candy here at I/O 2011 today, a tablet that’s slated for general availability early next month. […] A quick glance at the app drawer reveals a fairly stock load, too, though there’s an early build of Samsung Apps (currently loaded with nothing but garbage test content), Samsung’s Music Hub app (which we couldn’t get to open without throwing an error), […]

From the Honeycomb 3.1 announcement:

Android 3.1 tablets will support “a ridiculous number of input devices” and they even showed an Xbox 360 controller hooked up to a tablet, although it didn’t seem to work.

And the official screenshot released with the announcement (check out the icons and text vs. the light background):

Also, Google announced a coalition of companies to try to address the Android orphan device/fragmentation/lack of updates issue:

Of course, we’re aslo curious about a few things: do these partners get early access to Android source, which has been the source of some controversy in recent months? If so, where does that leave companies like Dell, which is notably absent from the list? And exactly how many updates are required in that 18-month period? Every update Google releases, or just major ones? We’ll look for more answers and let you know what we find out.

We just asked Andy Rubin how the 18-month update commitment will work in light of every manufacturer’s customizations […]. They’re “actively thinking it out right now” with the partners that have been announced — they’ve been “tasked with figuring out how to make it work.”

All this is just from today. Google held a massive conference where they showed off new products, yet they’re broken, in-progress, coming soon or buggy.

It’s the experience, stupid.

As far as I can tell, this is only available in the US, and the pricing will vary by ZIP code; if you live in Anchorage, you can only get the Sunday edition for $3.75 per week including digital access, and that’s still less-expensive than a digital-only subscription.

• It’s really thin. I don’t have an first-generation to compare it against, but the thickness is almost perfect. It’s right in between that sweet spot of being thin enough to feel like an e-reader, but not too thin that it feels fragile.
• I got the 16GB black WiFi-only model. My iPhone can function as a WiFi hotspot, and the white surround makes the screen look dim. I can’t fit my iTunes library on any of the available models, so there’s no point in spending $200 more for the additional space. iTunes Home Sharing more than compensates.
• There are a couple of small areas where the metal back meets the glass front that weren’t rounded properly at the factory. They’re just a little sharp.
• Setting up was a nightmare. Like when I bought my iPhone, I had to reinstall iTunes multiple times before it would get to the setup screen. Weird.
• Apps are the entirety of the experience. Web browsing isn’t faster, I don’t think, but it feels like it is. Flipboard is phenomenal. Pulp is an interesting experiment on the Mac, but it’s absolutely joyous on the iPad.
• I’m trying very hard not to add any iPhone-specific apps to this. Someone pointed out how un-Apple it is to be able to run iPhone applications in a little frame. If I could find that tweet, I’d link it up.
• Writing HTML tags with this keyboard is hard. It’s probably worth finding an app that can post to WordPress with Markdown.
• After being spoiled with a retina display (still not sure what I should capitalize there), the iPad display looks noticeably cruder. Helvetica (as opposed to Helvetica Neue) is also more apparent.
• The magnifying loupe is also notably cruder. It’s really blurry.
• The single most-important thing you can do is enable multitasking gestures. The four-finger swiping feels very natural.

iPad 2 — count on it — Correct

<p><strong>iOS 4.3</strong> &mdash; count on it &mdash; <strong>Correct</strong></p>
<p><strong>Random House on iBookstore</strong> &mdash; very likely &mdash; <strong>Correct</strong></p>
<p><strong>iOS 5 preview</strong> &mdash; maybe &mdash; <strong>Didn't happen</strong></p>
<p><strong>Developer show-off</strong> &mdash; sadly very likely &mdash; <strong>Correct</strong></p>
<p><strong>Steve Jobs</strong> &mdash; unlikely &mdash; <strong>Wrong, but pleased to be</strong></p>
<p><strong>Mac OS X Lion</strong> &mdash; somewhat likely &mdash; <strong>Didn't happen</strong></p>
<p><strong>MobileMe changes</strong> &mdash; very likely &mdash; <strong>Wrong</strong></p>
<p><strong>White iPhone 4 information</strong> &mdash; you&#8217;re joking, right? &mdash; <strong>Correct</strong></p>
<p><strong>White iPad</strong> &mdash; more likely than the iPhone &mdash; <strong>Correct</strong></p>

Of ten predictions, six were absolutely correct. It’s a pass.

iPad 2 — count on it

The event is very clearly about an iPad upgrade. Put all your money on that, if you can find a friend stupid enough to match your bet.

iOS 4.3 — count on it

A new iOS device means a new version of iOS. 4.3 has been in developer beta for a couple of months now, and it seems like it’ll be the version shipping on the second-generation tablet.

Random House on iBookstore — very likely

Random House, the world’s largest book publisher, announced today that they’re switching pricing models to the same kind Apple uses. It would be a major boon to the store (whose name I’m not comfortable typing more than once).

iOS 5 preview — maybe

Apple has done next-generation iOS previews in the March/April timeframe for the last three years. It might make sense to combine them into one event. If there is iOS 5 talk, I’m betting on a revised notification system, new voice controls and a new Maps application. None of the NFC stuff will be announced.

Developer show-off — sadly very likely

Five-or-so developers show off their apps in a clumsy manner. Oh, the joy and the suspense. Note that I like the idea of such an opportunity, but most developers that have demoed their apps over the years are lousy public speakers.

Steve Jobs — unlikely

I don’t think he’ll make an appearance. It’ll be a Phil Schiller/Scott Forstall show. PC Magazine points out that he might appear via FaceTime, which would be unlikely, but possible.

Mac OS X Lion — somewhat likely

On the one hand, it’s very clearly an iPad event. On the other hand, they recently issued the developer preview. I think they’ll save it until WWDC.

MobileMe changes — very likely

White iPhone 4 information — you’re joking, right?

Update: on further thought, this might actually happen.

White iPad — more likely than the iPhone

Quick note: I want to claim this before anyone else does. I think the second-generation iPad might have a carbon fibre internal frame and back, and I think the back will be painted. Think flatter, bigger iPhone 4. This way, they can do both the front and back in white or black.

I honestly have two posts waiting in the queue that are far more substantial than a simple list, I just haven’t edited them. I figured a fun little post would be good, in between social critiques. The following list of albums are ones which I can listen to in their entirety, where every song is good, and the albums are a cohesive body of work. They are my favourite albums. Without further ado, and in no particular order, number one:

Dark Side of the Moon — Pink Floyd. The Wall is arguably a better album. It tells a story, it’s captivating and it’s Pink Floyd’s magnum opus. However, it’s long. Really long. It’s an extremely difficult album to listen to in a single sitting; one must listen to the first half, then take a break before plunging into part two. Dark Side is a perfect length. It’s less than fourty-five minutes long and every moment is crammed with perfect instrumentation, beautiful sonic textures and colourful imagery. Every square inch of vinyl glass and plastic is used, and no playing time is wasted. It’s one of the very best.

The Earth Is Not a Cold Dead Place — Explosions in the Sky. Despite the novella of a title, Earth is a masterpiece. It’s arguably the band’s best album, and despite having merely five songs, it runs for slightly longer than the Pink Floyd album above. True to the band’s style, and indeed their genre, much of the album is spent in suspense, waiting for the perfect sonic climax in each song. Every song is a little gem. Every song is precious, and every song captures a certain subtlety, yet every song is breathtaking.

Sing the Sorrow — AFI. AFI’s signing to a major label was met with an amount of disdain by longtime fans, who were certain they were about to lose the precious punk stylings that made their mark. But with larger production budgets and a different studio, AFI cranked every knob to “11.” Fast became faster, hard became harder, quiet became eerier. The style that the band perfected on their previous two full-length albums reached its peak on Sorrow, before they turned a bit screamo (and now alt-rock). This album, though, is magnificent.

The Downward Spiral — Nine Inch Nails. If ever there were a true Nails concept album, this is it. Over the course of its one-hour runtime, we experience the slow self-destruction of the protagonist, introduced with the perfectly sadistic Piggy: “nothing can stop me now, ’cause I don’t care anymore.” The album was recorded at Sharon Tate’s former home, and listeners can almost experience the effect it must have had on Reznor. The album is often violent, occasionally sinister and even distressing, with the melancholic A Warm Place and the classic Hurt. 1999′s The Fragile may be a more musically mature album, but for pure, unadulterated listening pleasure, nothing beats Spiral.

Beggars — Thrice. Every so often, an album comes along that truly moves me, with both the passion infused into the songs and the sheer technical and musical abilities of the band members. I’ve loved Thrice for a long time, and I’m still a massive fan of The Artist in the Ambulance. But no other band I can think of has matured to the same level Thrice has. Music reviewers go mental for Radiohead, but I’d argue that Thrice is better, and not just by a little bit, either. Beggars proves that. Every song ties together, and each are crafted not to technical perfection, but to emotional brilliance.

The Beatles — The Beatles. Earlier, I argued against two prominent double-disc albums (The Wall and The Fragile), instead opting for their single-disc counterparts in the pantheon of great albums. It may seem weird, then, that my favourite Beatles album is the White Album. Like the others, though, I have a very good reason: every song is good. That’s not to say Revolver had a bunch of bad tracks, but White has always seemed to me to be the most cohesive body of work they ever recorded. From “Back in the USSR” all the way to “Good Night”, it’s thirty songs of sheer wonder. Well, twenty-nine — I’ll excuse the existence of “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da” because of the huge influence “Helter Skelter” has had in the last 40 years.