When I’m working onsite with a client though I’m almost always packing in a Dell 17" LCD monitor with me to setup and work with while there. You see, I’ve started working with dual-monitors and now I can’t hardly stand to work without them. Thus always carrying around a monitor in addition to my laptop bag. I do get a few looks from people that either think I’m stealing a monitor. Many of them I’m sure have never worked with dual-monitors though and just don’t get it.

The ability to have in my case 32"+ of screen real-estate is extremely valuable to me. I’m not worried about travelling light and mobile with the smallest netbook in my pocket. I’m interested in having as much computing power as I can, including monitor, in as portable a fashion as I can imagine. That doesn’t necessarily mean light.  What’s more important to me is quick and easy deployment.

I’ve been working on an idea for a self-standing monitor case that would protect the screen during transport and unfold around it to serve as a stand when you’re setup. Of course that is until someone develops me a laptop like this one.

Since I’m unpacking and packing up almost daily, I’m more interested in a monitor where the cables are quick to attach, remove and store. The same goes with other peripherals too, but improving the experience for those of us addicted to working with two monitors would be my priority.

Post from: EveryJoe

Working with Dual-Monitors Is a Must

Although the BlackBerry app is in beta and the developers caution users and testers to be careful in using the application, we need more of these types of devices being built for phones and mobile devices.

I do quite a bit of blogging and there’s plenty of times where I’m sitting somewhere without my computer and have a quick post idea. The ability to pull out my phone and start typing away would be terrific! Especially with the ability to take a quick photo or video with your phone and pop that into a post immediately!

The BlackBerry application currently works with WordPress.com and custom hosted WordPress installations. Just what I’d be using for my blogs and numerous other client sites.

Source: WordPress for BlackBerry App Launched in Beta

Image: Image created by Jason Bean from WordPress dashboard and product images from BlackBerry

Post from: EveryJoe

We Need More Mobile WordPress Applications

I want to be able to type out some quick blog posts while I’m out and about with my cell phone. My cell phone has a full, slide-out keyboard that I’ve become quite adept at typing on efficiently.

I’m very surprised that the WordPress dashboard doesn’t have a mobile friendly interface. Without that option available I’ve been wondering if perhaps someone hasn’t developed a mobile blogging application. My cell phone is running Windows Mobile 5. Does anyone know if that exists?

If it truly doesn’t exist, why won’t someone please develop it and let me know when it’s ready for me to test.

Post from: EveryJoe

Is There a Good Mobile Blogging App for WordPress

Brushes screen shot

In the hands of a gifted artist such as Jorge, the results of this application is short of amazing. You’d never guess that the cover artwork was done with the iPhone.

The great thing about drawing with an iPhone as your tool is that you can draw in the dark. The backlight makes it easy to draw under dim or low light situations. The draw back is that it’s harder to draw under sun light.

The Brushes application can simulate several brushes, as well as a host of colors including transparencies. Brushes also saves your strokes in the file and you can actually use the Brushes Viewer application for Mac OS X to view the step by step process of what you just did. The viewer application is free. You can export them as QuickTime movies.

Check out the story at the New Yorker blog. More information about Jorge can be found on his web site. Download the Brushes application here and visit the official web site here. Watch how the cover for “The New Yorker” was made below.

Post from: EveryJoe

Let Your Fingers Do The Painting

Laugh if you will, but your team won’t be coachable to any kind of championship if you don’t draw talented players. And these days, the best players have their pick of schools pretty much. With the talent comes a winning season, and with the wins comes money. As sad as it may be, college football really is a business, and without cash flow, you get canned as a recruiter or coach so that the school can bring in someone who CAN make the money reign down.

Image: sxc.hu

Auburn gets that, so they’re upping the ante. Last week, seven of the school’s assistant coaches rode around the state in an Auburn limo to visit a number of recruits, especially in Mobile.

If nothing else, this stunt created some buzz in the city, and that’s exactly what the school needs right now. With other southern schools “stealing” potential Auburn players, the school needed to make an impact – and the did.

Other schools may soon be considering similar stunts to help compete with the recruiting power of, say, USC. After all, if you’re Nebraska or Michigan, you may have a great program, but your location doesn’t really back you up. “Free ride and you get to live in a cornfield” doesn’t really have the same ring as “free ride and you get to live on the SoCal coast” does it?

Post from: EveryJoe

Auburn Recruits in Style

Bento app for iPhone and iPod Touch

The mobile app comes with 25 pre-designed and ready to use templates, which can have you up and running in minutes. They’re also customizable so that you can add other data that you want. It also ships with a blank template so you can create your own custom template.

It also integrates with the iPhone / iPod Touch’s existing applications, such as Contacts, Safari, Mail, Phone dialing and Google Maps for a better all around experience.

The app’s release is actually quite coincidental since I just downloaded the trial version of the desktop version of Bento. I think I really need a database app for some new things that I’m venturing into. I’m exploring to explore Bento and see if it fits my needs or should I go for broke and get Filemaker Pro. I do wish that there was a trial version for the mobile version of Bento. While $4.99 isn’t exactly a lot of money, it’s still money and in these trying times you really don’t want to be spending on something you won’t be using.

Check out the complete press release of the Bento for iPhone and iPod Touch.

Post from: EveryJoe

Bento for iPhone and iPod Touch Out Now

The MacBook Air is the closest thing that Apple has to an ultraportable. The Air is thin and light but the 13″ screen still makes it a wide laptop. It’s also quite expensive. The starting price for the Air is $1800.

Compare that to netbooks such as the Mini-Note which have 10-11 inch screens and priced somewhere between $400-$700 dollars. But because of the lower price point you get a slower processor and basically a slower architecture.

While netbooks are small and more affordable they’re not for everyone. If you travel a lot and use your laptop as your primary work computer then a netbook isn’t for you. I just can’t imagine spending a whole day with a netbook. It’s fine for checking emails and the occasional web browsing but not for a full day of typing out a document or doing a spreadsheet.

The Air however offers a full-size keyboard, ample screen real estate. While it’s not the most powerful computer, it’s enough for a full-days worth or word processing and doing spreadsheets.

The Air and netbooks in my opinion are totally different markets. The question is does Apple need to be in both markets.

Apple has said before that while they’re watching the netbook market, they don’t want to go into that market if they can’t offer anything substantial. If they feel that they can’t make a good contribution to that market then why get in to it?

In my opinion, Apple doesn’t need to be in the netbook market. If it’s email and web browsing you want, the iPhone/iPod Touch does a pretty good job at it. I’d be happier if Apple comes up with a slightly bigger mobile device that is similar to the capabilities of the iPhone.

I feel at this current time, Apple should just leave netbooks to the likes of HP and Acer.

Post from: EveryJoe

Does Apple Really Need To Make A NetBook?