Keeping Current

One of the great frustrations with the iPad was that although it should have been a great blogging tool, between the limitations of available software and input processes, it just wasn’t. (See An Ideal Blogging Platform for my reflections after a couple of months of iPad ownership.)

The 10″ Note addresses all of those weaknesses, and may well become not only a primary content consumption device but also a primary platform for content creation. The available software is just better: I am writing this with the free WordPress apply for Android which just works, where the iPad version was very frustrating. Text input is quick with SwiftKey, I can multi-task with Chrome to look up previous posts, and I can easily find and add content from other sources, always a challenge in iOS land. This post has taken about 20 minutes, entirely on the Note.

I’d also like to bring your attention to a great app from Google called Currents. This takes RSS or similar feeds and turns them dynamically into an attractive “on-line magazine”. It works brilliantly with photo-rich feeds such as the photography blogs I read. Here’s what it does with “Thoughts on the World”:

image

I didn’t have to do anything with my existing feed to get this result. Currents doesn’t work in every case – if a blog starts every post with the same boring advert then it doesn’t have much to work with – but the hit rate is quite high. It is could also do with a way to mark items as read, which is a major omission. However overall Google seem to have another hit, and currently it’s free.

Blogs away!

Posted in Galaxy Note, iPad, Thoughts on the World | Leave a comment

Time to Change My Tablets

As the iPad had reached 2 years old, without ever really ceasing to be a regular source of frustration, and as I’ve been very impressed with the Galaxy Note phone, last week I bit the bullet and purchased the iPad’s Continue reading

Tuesday, November 20, 2012 in Galaxy Note, iPad

Bye, Bye, Albuquerque

Day 15 Cold night. Perfect storm of badly fitted hotel windows, unusably noisy heater and no spare blanket. I haven’t been that cold since a night in the lodge at the top of the Tioga Pass. The Best Western Rio Continue reading

Sunday, November 11, 2012 in Travel, USA 2012

Up, Up and Away!

Day 13 4.30 start for the Balloon Fiesta! Sleep punctuated by police sirens (understandable in a large city) and train whistles (nope). We’d just got settled at the park, and Albuquerque had the most dramatic thunderstorm. Balloons and wind don’t Continue reading

Saturday, November 10, 2012 in Travel, USA 2012

Back to Albuquerque

Day 12 Looking for hairdryer in Taos hotel found secret stash of MORE pillows!!! After a couple of hours browsing in Taos we set off for Santa Fe via the famous “High Road to Taos”. First stop, the church of Continue reading

Saturday, November 3, 2012 in Travel, USA 2012

The Road to Taos

Day 11 Up at dawn to try and get golden hour light on the dunes – they are in shadow themselves in the evening. Lodge has world’s most powerful tap in world’s smallest basin. Oh well… Irish contingent dressed in Continue reading

… And Sand Dunes!

Day 10 Drove East from Durango through the Rockies. Another almost 11,000 ft pass, but roads not as interesting as yesterday . At coffee stop we were almost forced to purchase two enormous slices of pie, of which more later. Continue reading

Wednesday, October 31, 2012 in Travel, USA 2012

Mountains, Trains…

Day 9 A very pretty steam train runs from Durango up to the mountain mining town of Silverton, 50 miles and 3,000 vertical feet away. You can spend a pleasant day on the return train trip, but the problem is Continue reading

Master, Master, Give Us A Sign

Apparently this goes back to the notorious spare poultry dumping incident of ’06… 😀 Continue reading

The “Aztec Highland Games”

Day 8 Spent the morning wandering around Durango, then set off for Aztec, 30 miles south, which hosts what must be the world’s most unlikely Highland games. Spent the afternoon watching very large Americans with some Celtic heritage throwing tree Continue reading

Another Shot of Mesa Verde

Just in case you can’t picture Mesa Verde, here’s a more traditional shot of Cliff Palace, with Frances behind the lens this time! Continue reading

Monday, October 29, 2012 in Travel, USA 2012