iPhone – Ad Hoc

Twelve South BookBook Wallet Case for iPhone 6 Plus

February 10, 2015 John Federico1 Comment

A number of years ago, I decided to simplify the number of items I carried day-to-day and consolidated my wallet and iPhone protection into a single case. (You can find some unique handmade items on Etsy.)

To date, I used a sleeve case with pockets on the outside for credit cards, ID, etc. This is primarily because I always preferred a "naked" iPhone instead of one that's in a case all the time. I've always liked the way the phone felt in my hand but also, a phone without a case is easier to fit into the mounts I typically have in my car.

All that changed when I purchased the iPhone 6 Plus.

I gave up my Unlimited Data Plan. (And Survived.)

July 21, 2013 John Federico2 Comments

I swore that there were only two reasons that I'd stay with AT&T as my wireless carrier:

1. My thousands of rollover minutes and;

2. My grandfathered, unlimited data plan for iPhone

This past week, I proved myself wrong on both counts.

Here's why.

Pure Wireless Digital Audio: WaveJamr from RadTech

September 16, 2012August 25, 2019 John Federico

I love my Apple TV. Not just because of the video it allows me to watch, but the music it lets me play from our iPhones or Macs using Airplay.

I really want whole-house audio (a la Sonos, without the ridiculous cost) and Apple's Airplay can help me do that.

I have a bunch of high-quality stereo speakers from a variety of sources (PC speakers, home stereos, etc.) that I can place all over my house, but the only way that I can get whole-house audio is to purchase and install an Apple TV in every room while outputting audio to each via the TOS (optical) audio connector on the Apple TV.

But I really don't want to spend $99 per room to make this happen - plus an additional $30 for a TOSLink adapter for each set of these analog speakers.

I got to thinking: how small can Airplay device really get? Maybe someone makes one?

So, I started trawling the Interwebs and here's what I found: nothing. (At least as far as Airplay goes.)

What I did find was a product in the form factor that I wanted, but one that uses Bluetooth instead of Airplay.

It's called the WaveJamr from RadTech.

Sparrow Acquired by Google

July 20, 2012August 25, 2019 John Federico

My favorite mail app (for both Mac and iPhone) was just acquired by Google. Or should I say, acq-hired.

New Gmail Interface for iPhone

June 28, 2011August 25, 2019 John Federico

This morning, I discovered a new Gmail interface on the iPhone. At the top, you'll now find links to your other Google Apps (Calendar, Docs, Talk, etc.). But they're not just simple links, tap one and pull down and boom - you've got pretty icons to help direct you to the proper app.

New iOS Podcasting Workflow

June 14, 2011August 25, 2019 John Federico

Since I began podcasting in 2006, I've been using a variety of methods to record audio, both in the studio and remotely.

I use Macs exclusively and my experiments have included full simultaneous multi-track recording in Garageband using a Firewire mixer, to simply using a conference phone and a pocket recorder to capture phone interviews.

I finally settled upon Audio HiJack Pro for both local and remote recording as the software enables me to capture both sides of a Skype conversation in a single audio file.

This setup worked great for years with only minor hiccups. Finally, a few weeks ago, I had some weirdness occur in this setup and I lost an entire 90-minute episode.

For whatever reason, the Skype connection dropped. We immediately reconnected and everything sounded fine during recording. However, when I played the file back, the audio coming from the studio mics from that point forward was completely garbled. (My caller sounded fine, which was even more strange.)

Sure, we had a good conversation - in fact, it would have been a great episode - but I wasted everyone's time by not having a better solution for monitoring the audio.

Fixing It

To say that I have a few gadgets in my studio would be a gross understatement so I decided to take stock of my gear and pull together a simple, reliable method for capturing local and remote audio.

Here's the result.

Why did Twitter partner with PhotoBucket? iOS 5.

June 6, 2011August 25, 2019 John Federico

Twitter has gotten into the photo sharing game, but not on their own - they've partnered with PhotoBucket. Apple's WWDC Keynote (which is happening as I write this) tells us why: Twitter is going to be heavily integrated with Apple's iOS 5, the operating system for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. Having worked with for a… Continue reading Why did Twitter partner with PhotoBucket? iOS 5.