Dragon Dictate might be the best dictation option for Mac users, but it's not very good at that

For the last few months, I’ve been experimenting with dictation software on the Mac. Previously, I had used the built-in dictation software in Windows Vista and Windows 7, but it was annoying to launch a virtual machine every time I wanted to dictate something. On the Mac and purchase an (expensive) copy of Dragon Dictate for Mac. So far, my experience has been less than positive.

What I Was Looking For

I use dictation software for dictation, not control my computer. I was looking for a product that would allow me to speak naturally to my computer as a way to accelerate my writing. See, I am a professional writer and regularly churn out thousands of words per week. Although I can type very fast, I find that dictation allows me to sit back and collect my thoughts without being distracted by the keyboard.

It is critical for me that the software I select recognizes my words consistently and does not require a great deal of post-speech editing. In other words, I want to be able to carefully talk through an entire piece without going back and doing word by word checking after the fact.

Since I write on technical topics (I specialize in enterprise data storage), it is critical that the dictation software is flexible in allowing bizarre spelling and capitalization combinations. It seems that every enterprise product and company has some strange combination of capital letters and made-up words!

Dragon Dictates (Sometimes)

Dragon Dictate has proven frustrating in regular use, especially for a software package that cost nearly $200. Although it is quite adept at recognizing flowing speech, it utterly fails to be useful in regular applications and workflows.

Adding new words to the Dragon dictionary is frustratingly complicated, requiring nearly a dozen steps with keyboard, mouse, and the GUI. Why can’t an end-user dictate a new word? Alas, this seems to be impossible. Spelled (or even typed) words don’t appear to be added to the dictionary and will be mis-recognized even in the same document.

Dragon stubbornly refuses to learn certain words, as well. I can’t figure out how to tell it to spell the word “minutes”, for example, rather than the abbreviation “min.” though there is such an option in Dragon’s PC product. It is frustratingly inconsistent at recognizing common punctuation marks and commands, often typing “exhalation point” or “go to and” rather than “!” or moving the cursor to the end of the line. I can’t figure out how to tell it to spell my name without a “V” and it even mis-recognizes its own name as “DragonDictate” (no space).

But by far the most frustrating aspect of Dragon Dictate is its incompatibility with just about every native application I use. The only satisfying dictation experience relies on the ultra basic text editor included with Dictate. Although it is supposed to be compatible with Microsoft Word, actual usage is frustrating. And attempting to use dictate in other applications makes me want to throw my computer out the window, as illustrated in the video below.

Stephen’s Stance

I am utterly frustrated with Dragon Dictate for Mac. It shows sparks of brilliance but is so tarnished by the obnoxious experience of actually using it that I have half a mind to demand my money back. And it certainly did cost quite a bit of money, especially compared to the free and less frustrating speech recognition software bundled with Microsoft Windows!

I’d like to see Dragon improve this product in key areas:

1. Add a simple, streamlined dictated command to add a word to the dictionary – “add that” should allow you to spell and train in one go
2. Fix the obnoxious behavior outside the Dictate “notepad” window – or add an “insert only” setting to not “guess” where you are in a document and overwrite things
3. Fix the weird “add extra characters after the cursor” bug demonstrated in my video
4. Allow me to fix one or two words, not a whole phrase, and allow me to fix it outside the Recognition window’s (limited) choices
5. Add a “no abbreviations” setting to the Mac version so it stops correcting “minutes” to “min.”
6. Allow me to say “always recognize it this way” for words like “Fibre Channel” and “Stephen’s stance” (not “fiber channel” and “Steven’s stance”)
7. Improve recognition of common commands and terms (“explanation point”? Seriously? When has anyone ever dictated that?)

See Nuance Responds to My Dragon Dictate Concerns for detailed information on these concerns

Finally, I suggest that Dragon does something to lower the price. I got mine at a steep discount, but it was still $129, which is pretty stiff for a utility of limited utility. The included headset and USB adapter are of mediocre quality and aren’t worth more than $20. If Dragon brings Dictate to the Mac App Store at $49 and fixes the bugs it might be worthwhile. But for now, it earns a “don’t buy“.

One more thing: 90 days of support? For a product costing over $100? Seriously? I was so frustrated at my initial attempts to use Dictate that I stuck it on the shelf for months before giving it another shot. Now I have to pay for support. Or not.

© sfoskett for Stephen Foskett, Pack Rat, 2011. | Dragon Dictate for Mac: Utterly Frustrating
This post was categorized as Apple, Everything, Features, Personal. Each of my categories has its own feed if you'd like to filter out or focus on posts like this.

Intel's "Olympus 2" is a Thunderbolt prototype board

People like me who bought a 2011 MacBook Pro are eager to explore the new Thunderbolt interface. Although no peripherals are available yet, there was much excitement about the interface at the recent NAB Show in Las Vegas, and many pre-production products were on display. It appears that LaCie will be first to market with a Thunderbolt storage device, but Promise will follow a few months later. And there were many intriguing interfaces on display as well, including Fibre Channel and video links, along with rumors about Apple’s plans for the Thunderbolt iMac.

Technology Demos Abound

Perhaps the most telling aspect of the Thunderbolt presence at the NAB Show was the overall level of excitement about the interface. Vendors and consumers alike were thrilled by the possibilities of this new technology, and preproduction Thunderbolt hardware brought a steady stream of visitors to booths as diverse as Adobe, AJA, Blackmagic and Matrox, as well as Promise, LaCie, Sonnet, and G-Technology.

Intel set the stage for a Thunderbolt-filled NAB Show

One high-profile Thunderbolt exhibit was Intel’s own pavilion. Located in a different exhibit hall from the rest of the infrastructure technology, Intel placed Thunderbolt on display alongside their new 10 Gb Ethernet adapters. The Ethernet representative joked with me that the only time anyone wanted to talk to him was while they were waiting for the Thunderbolt station to free up. This was my experience too, as there was a steady stream of visitors every time I stopped by. Intel was demonstrating the Promised Pegasus array with Final Cut and a DisplayPort monitor humming along at 800 MB per second.

Adobe integrated a Promise Pegasus array and a Blackmagic A/V adapter using Thunderbolt

Adobe was another company demonstrating the possibilities of Thunderbolt rather than a specific product. At their stand was a Promise array connected to a Blackmagic Thunderbolt video converter, all tied together with Adobe software and running on a MacBook Pro.

G-Technology: Diving Into Thunderbolt

G-Technology, soon part of Western Digital, showed the possibilities for future Thunderbolt products

They did not have production hardware ready for the show, but G-Technology was pleased to be able to demonstrate their commitment to Thunderbolt using Intel’s reference board and a passive PCI backplane. Although tightlipped, the G-Tech engineer did note that he was impressed with the ease with which they were able to roll out a functioning Thunderbolt prototype. This bodes well for future product development efforts.

This little AV-oriented company recently got a big boost in profile: Having recently been purchased by HGST, they now find themselves owned by Western Digital, the world’s largest hard disk drive manufacturer. It is likely that Western Digital will come out with a variety of RAID devices built on the G-Technology base, including a line of Thunderbolt storage products to compete with LaCie and Promise.

LaCie, Promise, AJA, Blackmagic, and Matrox

I’ve devoted separate articles to the main products on display at NAB Show, so I suggest taking a look at these individually:

• LaCie Little Big Disk Thunderbolt Preview
• Promise Pegasus Thunderbolt Preview
• Promise SANLink Thunderbolt Preview

Each Little Big Disk features two Thunderbolt ports, and LaCie demonstrated daisy-chaining four of the devices at NAB

There were two main categories of products on display at the NAB Show: Storage arrays and I/O interfaces. LaCie looks to be the first out of the gate with a Thunderbolt storage array. Their Little Big Disk is even bus powered, and portable enough to be of interest to MacBook Pro owners. It is likely that LaCie will follow on with a solid-state drive (SSD) boasting better performance, and I would bet that a 4- or 5-disk RAID array will follow before the end of the year.

The Promise Pegasus R4 is a desktop RAID system featuring Thunderbolt connectivity

Promise had both a storage array and an I/O adapter on display at the show. The Promise Pegasus is a 4- or 6-drive RAID storage system boasting up to 800 MB per second in ideal conditions. The SANLink, a Fibre Channel interface for Thunderbolt, is a bit puzzling until one considers its desktop use cases. The Pegasus shows what a desktop Thunderbolt peripheral looks like, and together with the SANLink presage Apple releasing Thunderbolt-equipped desktop computers like the forthcoming iMac.

The I/O interface boards at NAB were skewed toward multimedia, as was the show itself. Blackmagic, AJA, and Matrox all had digital video interfaces for Thunderbolt on display, but it is difficult for an infrastructure guy like me to adequately judge the merits of these products. One thing is certain: AV pros are excited to get their hands on these devices!

Stephen’s Stance

That NAB Show is a hotspot of Thunderbolt interest should come as no surprise: The broadcast and media professionals present represent a nexus of Apple customers and storage power users. Because they have been dragging their feet on eSATA and USB 3, Apple ran the risk of alienating this core customer group. But Thunderbolt promises to deliver a new level of performance and a whole world of peripherals. The excitement was palpable!

© sfoskett for Stephen Foskett, Pack Rat, 2011. | The First Thunderbolt Peripherals On Display At NAB Show
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We have barely scratched the surface of what this little cable can do!

Apple and Intel introduced the impressive new Thunderbolt interconnect last month on the MacBook Pro line, but folks like me who bought one have nothing to connect to yet. It was exciting to see the wide variety of Thunderbolt peripherals on display at the NAB show in Las Vegas last week, but none of these will ship to end-users before the middle of the summer. But evidence is mounting that Apple will be the first out of the gate with a Thunderbolt peripheral, it just won’t be the sort of peripheral you might expect. I am hearing rumors that the new iMac, to be introduced this month, will be both a Thunderbolt host and peripheral in one! Read on for what this means in the real world.

A Quick Review of Thunderbolt

Before we dive into this discussion, it is probably wise to revisit the latest information about the Thunderbolt interconnect. Although Thunderbolt MacBook Pros are widely available and Intel, Apple, and others have been talking about the technology quite a bit lately, there is still much confusion about just what this new interconnect is all about.

Thunderbolt includes both PCI Express and DisplayPort video

Put simply, Thunderbolt passes two important protocols between a computer and its peripherals:

1. Video, in the form of a full DisplayPort signal
2. Data, in the form of two full-duplex 10 Gb PCI Express lanes

These two signals are multiplexed onto a Mini DisplayPort interface. Although envisioned as an optical interconnect, Thunderbolt is today an electrical interface that uses copper wiring.

The Shape of Things To Come

There is one key reason to be excited about Thunderbolt: This high-bandwidth connection promises to change the physical shape of computers, since external devices can be accessed with the same performance as internal devices. In fact, design engineers who have worked with Intel’s initial chips report that integrating existing PCI Express peripherals with Thunderbolt is a piece of cake: The chips don’t know that they are located outside a computer!

Historically, laptops have been severely limited when it comes to I/O bandwidth. One reason for the lackluster performance of most portable computers is that they are strangled by slow interfaces like USB, FireWire, and ExpressCard. But Thunderbolt changes everything.

My new MacBook Pro has far more I/O capability than the iMac sitting on my desk, and perhaps even more than the Sandy Bridge desktop system I built for my lab! Packing all this I/O bandwidth into a single cable connection allows us to do magical things: We can put a wide variety of peripherals, from displays to storage networking, on that one little port and everything can operate at full speed.

This changes the very shape of the computer. No longer do we need to reserve empty space inside the box for full speed peripherals. Instead, a compact machine like a laptop or an iMac can connect to external devices without sacrificing performance. The next-generation Mac Mini might even be stackable, with a variety of expansion bases produced by third parties.

The iMac as a Peripheral

But things get weirder and more wonderful if we consider that the PCI Express lanes found on a Thunderbolt connector can even extend one computer’s resources to another. It is already possible for a MacBook Pro or other DisplayPort-enabled device to use the iMac as a monitor. Yet this leaves the keyboard, hard disk drive, camera, and other peripherals idle.

But what if we could use every part of the iMac as an extension of the MacBook Pro or vice versa? Plugging a Thunderbolt-equipped MacBook Pro into a new Thunderbolt iMac could allow the desktop system to take on the personality of the laptop entirely, sharing all peripherals and connections transparently and at full speed. The running operating system would instantly see the iSight camera, keyboard and mouse, network expansion ports, and of course the display panel.

But let’s take things a step further: What if the MacBook Pro and iMac shared their CPUs and graphics adapters as well? Grand Central Dispatch, built into Snow Leopard, could use these to accelerate rendering or gaming, using the high-speed PCI Express interconnect to share all the resources of both machines as a single compound computer.

Stephen’s Stance

Who doesn’t want an eight-core MacBook Pro with a 27-inch high-resolution display? Who wants the hassle of synchronizing documents and files between a desktop and portable computer? Why not just merge everything into a single computer over the high-speed Thunderbolt interface?

There is no reason this cannot be done, and I have heard many hints and suggestions that this is exactly what Apple is planning to introduce next week. The supply of iMacs is running short, and no one doubts that Thunderbolt will make an appearance on the replacement device. The only question is whether Apple will allow this kind of host to host interconnect, and how integrated it will be.

Jan Tångring consulted electronic experts and found this to be a credible idea at least. Read in Swedish (English translation)

© sfoskett for Stephen Foskett, Pack Rat, 2011. | Will The First Thunderbolt Peripheral Be The iMac?
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The new Apple MacBook Pro lineup is here! Here's why I bought one!

Yesterday, Apple refreshed the entire MacBook Pro line. Although the new machines look identical to the old ones, massive changes were made below surface. I have been waiting to upgrade my now three-year-old Santa Rosa-based MacBook Pro, and seize the opportunity yesterday to pick up a brand-new 13 inch model. What made me pull the trigger? Read on!

New Guts, Old Glory

There were many rumors ahead of yesterday’s launch regarding a new case design for the MacBook Pros.  Many suggested that Apple would introduce an all-new wedge-shaped case reminiscent of the recently launched MacBook Air, or even a thinner and lighter shell using the ”liquid metal”  technology they recently acquired. Instead, the new MacBook Pro line looks exactly like the previous one, complete with a machined aluminum unibody enclosure.

Underneath that skin, however, just about everything has changed. Where the “Arrandale” Core i5 and i7 CPUs used in the previous 15 inch and 17 inch MacBook Pros diverged from the “Penryn” Core 2 Duo used in their 13 inch brother,  the new MacBook is all “Sandy Bridge” inside. These second-generation Core i5 and i7 CPUs include many performance improvements, as we will discuss in a moment.

Another major area of improvement, and one which I have been waiting for for quite a while, is the addition of Intel’s Thunderbolt high-speed I/O port. Apple’s refusal to adopt USB 3, and their substitution of an SD card reader for the ExpressCard slot  found on the 15 inch model, left these supposedly high-end computers with pathetic I/O capabilities. I simply would not buy a new computer with a measly two USB and one FireWire port!

Stepping up to Sandy Bridge

Intel’s tick-tock strategy of new product introductions has served the company well for a decade. Each year, the company moves to a new smaller silicon process technology, increasing transistor density, performance, and energy efficiency in what is known as a “tick”. Then, in the “tock” phase, Intel moves to a new processor microarchitecture, complete with new instructions and features.

In this tick-tock strategy, Sandy Bridge is a “tock”, with new features that deliver performance gains beyond obvious clock speeds. Sandy Bridge features architectural improvements for performance, faster integrated graphics, and new instructions that will likely be used by Mac OS X in the future.

The company also made improvements to the underlying architecture, allowing faster performance than previous generation at the same clock speed. Independent tests have shown that Sandy Bridge processors perform 15 to 20% better than the previous generation at the same clock speed. Additionally, Sandy Bridge CPUs are capable of overclocking higher than previous generations when only one core is in use.

In practice, Sandy Bridge powered computers like the new MacBook Pro should be noticeably quicker than those using first-generation Core i5 and i7 processors, and should leave the old Core i3 and Core 2 Duo machines in the dust.

Graphical Changes

One of the most important advancements and Sandy Bridge after is the integration of Intel’s HD graphics processing engine with the CPU itself. These graphics processors run at full CPU speed, and can even be overclocked when the CPU cores are idle. Lower-end desktop processors in the Sandy Bridge line make do with just six graphics processing engines, but all mobile Sandy Bridge processors include a full 12. This means that every mobile device using Intel’s built-in graphics processing will perform well.

In tests performed by AnandTech, the Intel HD 3000 graphics included in the mobile Sandy Bridge processors perform competitively with low-end discrete graphics solutions. Although Apple continues to use a powerful discrete graphics engine in the larger MacBook Pros, the 13 inch model, it’s basic integrated graphics, should still perform well enough for office productivity and light gaming tasks.

The full-size MacBook Pro includes a discrete graphics card in addition to the Intel HD 3000 GPU. This time around, Apple has switched from Nvidia to AMD as a graphics card supplier, and the new Radeon HD 6490M and high-end 6750M should perform well indeed.

The 13 inch MacBook Pro retains the same 1280 x 800 screen resolution, a disappointment compared to the 1440 x 900 screen found on the 13 inch MacBook Air.  Although the 15 inch model starts at the same 1440 x 900 resolution as my old MacBook Pro, a 1680 x 1050 screen is available as a build-to-order option.  The 17 inch MacBook Pro uses a glorious 1920 x 1200 display.

Introducing Thunderbolt

For me, the most important change in the new MacBook Pro line, is the introduction of Intel’s Thunderbolt high-speed I/O interconnect. The familiar Mini DisplayPort connector found on the side of these machines functions normally, allowing an external monitor (or iMac) to be connected. And that’s about all that will be connected for the time being.

But, like a super hero, this new enhanced “Thunderbolt” port has a secret identity: Attach a special Thunderbolt-compatible device, like LaCie’s forthcoming Little Big Disk, and it transforms into an amazing high-speed I/O bus. As I discussed in detail yesterday, Thunderbolt opens a whole new world of possibilities for buyers of the new MacBook Pro.

Indeed, Thunderbolt is the one piece of technology I had been waiting for before upgrading from my old MacBook Pro to a new model. I have high hopes for this technology, and expect that we will see a number of compelling peripherals appear in the coming months.

Stephen’s Stance

The new MacBook Pro lineup from Apple is something of a paradox:  Ordinary buyers may not see a compelling reason to upgrade, since most of the changes are under the skin and too technical for them to grasp. Indeed, while shopping at the Apple Store yesterday, I observed another buyer examining the previous generation 13 inch MacBook Pro still on display. When the Apple Store associate told him about the new model that had just come out, his words were disheartening: ”It’s pretty much exactly like this one, just a little bit faster.”

Truth be told, the new MacBook Pro line from Apple is different and better from those that went before in many important ways. The performance of the Sandy Bridge CPU and graphics chips used is noticeably better, and the new Thunderbolt port is important bridge to the future. As this technology spreads throughout the Apple line, buyers will be glad that they waited until now to purchase a MacBook Pro.

In the next post in this series, I will discuss my own decision point explaining why I selected a base model 13 inch MacBook Pro instead of the larger and more powerful 15 inch model I had previously used. I will also benchmark and discuss the performance and capabilities of this new machine.

Note: Some of these links include affiliate codes that help pay for this blog. For example, buying an Amazon Kindle with this link sends a few bucks my way! But I don't write this blog to make money, and am happy to link to sites and stores that don't pay anything. I like Amazon and buy tons from them, but you're free to buy whatever and wherever you want.

© sfoskett for Stephen Foskett, Pack Rat, 2011. | 2011 MacBook Pro Review: Introduction
This post was categorized as Apple, Everything, Features, Personal, Terabyte home. Each of my categories has its own feed if you'd like to filter out or focus on posts like this.

It’s hard to compare big numbers: Just how fast is 10 gigabits per second anyway? To help out, I’ve prepared another napkin-tastic infographic!

This illustration shows the number of ports required to match a single 10 Gb/s Light Peak connection (or 10 GbE link) in terms of real-world throughput. I used my own benchmarks to come up with real-world performance. Since these average 80% efficiency, I estimated that Light Peak would deliver 80% of its theoretical bandwidth, or just about 1000 Megabytes per second.

It’s important to remember that, despite the doom and gloom predictions, Light Peak is not intended to replace any existing port type. It is a high-speed interconnect for multiplexing these protocols. In other words, a Light Peak connection will carry multiple USB 3.0, FireWire, Ethernet, or other signals not some new special protocol. And Light Peak probably won’t use light at all at first: It will run over conventional copper wiring, perhaps combined with USB 3.0!

It’s fun to imagine what such a port would mean to the physical design of portable computers. A future MacBook Air could have a single combined port carrying either USB 3.0 or 10 Gb/s Light Peak over copper (“Copper Peak”?). This could connect to a “dock” or break-out box, or perhaps the ports could be embedded in a monitor or even the power adapter. This remote block could include everything we might need: 1 Gb Ethernet, FireWire 800, USB 3.0, and ExpressCard (PCI-over-Light Peak isn’t that far-fetched).

About the only thing Light Peak will have difficulty carrying is full-bandwidth video. Apple’s current DisplayPort cables already carry 10.2 Gb/s of data, and the DisplayPort signal driving a 27″ 2650×1600 display would saturate a Light Peak connection. Unless Apple has something up their sleeve (multi-link Light Peak?) we’re not yet looking at single-port computers!

© sfoskett for Stephen Foskett, Pack Rat, 2011. | Infographic: Real-World Port Throughput Relative To Light Peak
This post was categorized as Apple, Features, Personal, Terabyte home. Each of my categories has its own feed if you'd like to filter out or focus on posts like this.

Introducing the simple and effective Aerobie AeroPress

Computer geeks like me love coffee, the stronger the better. We computer folks are also known for experimentation and a “do it yourself” ethic. Some of us even love to get outdoors and toss around a flying disc or football. What happens when you mash up all of this? You get the Aerobie AeroPress, the hacker coffeemaker.

What Makes Good Coffee?

Everyone has had a terrible coffee experience, but how many of us have had the opportunity to brew smooth, rich, and delicious coffee at home? The truth is, there is a very fine line between bitter and smooth, muddy and rich, and sour and succulent when it comes to coffee. It takes the right grind, water temperature, and timing to make a delicious cup of coffee, and most coffee makers get all three things wrong. It’s easy to make a bad cup of coffee from good beans using poor equipment or technique!

I started out not liking coffee all. I was used to church basement percolators and convenience store drip, probably the worst coffee there is. Then I got a Cuisinart automatic grind and brew machine, and my eyes were opened to the possibilities of fresh tasting coffee. I also experienced the joy of French press coffee at independent coffee shops and my own kitchen. But none of these brewed coffee solutions really match the tastes of a perfectly pulled espresso.

The issue, it seems, is the amount of time that hot water stays in contact with the ground coffee beans. The French press comes close, but Bodum’s recommendation of a 3 minute brew time leaves an unpalatable edge on an otherwise delicious cup.

Can Espresso Be Brewed?

Espresso is an entirely different concoction from brewed coffee, although both use the same basic ingredients. An espresso machine forces hot water through a compacted coffee puck at high pressure, extracting caffeine and flavor in an instant and leaving behind the sour, bitter taste of the roasted bean. Pulling an espresso takes skill and expensive equipment, putting it out of reach for most home kitchens.

Enter the AeroPress, perhaps the greatest invention in coffee since the French press. Like the exotic Clover machine now owned by Starbucks, the AeroPress is a hybrid that brews coffee and extracts it quickly enough to produce a delicious espresso-like cup. The clover uses suction and costs thousands, but the little AeroPress uses hand pressure and is available for under $30!

Introducing the AeroPress

The Aerobie AeroPress really is an amazing coffee-making tool!

I spent years hearing about the AeroPress, always wondering if it was all it was cracked up to be. But one day, a friend received one as a gift, and the coffee he made right before my eyes was every bit as good as the best barista.

Looking like a giant plastic syringe, the AeroPress takes fine ground coffee and a few ounces of hot water, brews for under 20 seconds, and extracts the good stuff. It’s way quicker than any coffee maker, even a French press, and cleanup is super simple. The whole contraption is even small enough to fit in a suitcase!

The AeroPress uses paper filters, reducing sludge in the bottom of the cup, but also impacting the production of creama on the surface of the espresso. But the end product really is indistinguishable from a machine pulled espresso when it hits the tongue.

The Hacker Coffee Maker

Apart from the delicious coffee it produces, my favorite aspect of the AeroPress is the experimentation it allows. This truly is a coffee maker for hackers!

The simple operation of the AeroPress allows one to experiment with the main variables of coffee production:

1. Grind size
2. Water temperature
3. Brewing time
4. Water to grind ratio

A good basic cup uses one scoop of fine ground coffee, 175° water to the second marker, and 20 seconds of stirring. But each of these variables can be changed, and the outcome is surprising. Brew too long in the coffee becomes bitter; boiling water makes the coffee turn sour; and a course grind weakens the cup. The possibilities are endless!

Stephens Stance

The Aerobie AeroPress really is all it’s cracked up to be. Any self respecting coffee lover should have an AeroPress in their arsenal, and most will find it becoming an everyday companion. The ability to manually control all of the variables ought to appeal to the hackers reading this, and I guarantee that experimentation will yield astonishing results.

I received a Cuisinart automatic burr grinder for Christmas (I have great kids) and it’s an awesome pairing, allowing me to ensure a perfect grind for the AeroPress! Yes, this is the same “Aerobie” that makes flying discs and other fun stuff.

Note: Some of these links include affiliate codes that help pay for this blog. For example, buying an Amazon Kindle with this link sends a few bucks my way! But I don't write this blog to make money, and am happy to link to sites and stores that don't pay anything. I like Amazon and buy tons from them, but you're free to buy whatever and wherever you want.

© sfoskett for Stephen Foskett, Pack Rat, 2011. | Aerobie AeroPress Review: The Hacker Coffee Maker
This post was categorized as Everything, Features, Personal. Each of my categories has its own feed if you'd like to filter out or focus on posts like this.

HP's Photosmart eStation is drool-worthy, but do iPad users really want a "Zeen" Android tablet?

Apple’s AirPrint technology hasn’t gone very far yet, but it promises to allow iOS devices like the iPad and iPhone to reach more-broadly into the realm of general computing. After all, who doesn’t need to print a document or photo occasionally? But the range of AirPrint-compatible printers is exceedingly limited: You have to choose from one of less than a dozen HP models! Since I’m an avid iPad user and my printer just gave up the ghost, I decided to take a look at the offerings.

Apple’s AirPrint is a promising new technology. It allows an iPad running iOS 4.2 or greater to discover and print to compatible devices wirelessly, with no drivers or configuration. Just tap “Print” under the “Send To” icon and the iPad displays compatible printers and can send content to them. It uses Apple’s Bonjour/Zeroconf networking protocol and officially requires a compatible printer. However, it was quickly reverse-engineered for Linux/CUPS use, and the AirPrint Activator software enables printing to any Mac-connected printer.

Why Buy AirPrint and HP?

There are lots of great printer choices out there, but this small selection is a great cross-section, albeit from a single manufacturer. So why buy one of these over any other printer? I see a few reasons:

1. Anyone who uses Apple products will probably prefer buying one with AirPrint compatibility, all other things being equal. Since the printers listed here span most of the home and small-office range, there’s no reason not to pick one of them.
2. As for the HP brand:
   1. I’ve had good luck with HP printers. After a series of Canon and Epson printers, my latest HP PhotoSmart C6180 lasted almost five years and remains a solid performer in terms of print speed and quality. I print photos and documents, and about the only feature I wish it had is duplexing.
   2. HP’s latest all-in-one line also includes decent scanning, photo card printing, and e-fax capability, along with other unique features which we’ll get into in a few minutes.
   3. The dominant market position enjoyed by HP means that ink is widely available, though not cheap. I was scared away from Brother printers after discovering (or rather not discovering) how hard their ink was to find!

I wouldn’t necessarily tell anyone not to buy Epson, Canon, Lexmark, or the others. But HP’s line is right up there in quality and features. I’m glad HP and Apple are working together to bring these features to market!

The availability of AirPrint Activator means any printer can use AirPrint, and other manufacturers will no doubt support the protocol eventually. But right now, HP is it for official support.

Decoding HP’s Names and Numbers

I find HP’s web site terribly confusing to navigate. I got more information from a quick walk through Staples than browsing their direct-sales focused site! Even Amazon’s listings are more useful than HP’s too-wide tables.

Even more confusing is HP’s odd name/number scheme: Consider the cool “Envy 100″ printer. It’s product number is D410a, which is easy to confuse with “C410a” that identifies the Photosmart Premium Fax. But the Envy 100 is also called the CN517A! Can’t we just have sensible model names and a single product ID number? And why does both the cheapie D110A and fancy D410a start with the letter “D”? It’s all meaningless alphabet soup to consumers.

Stephen’s Stance

Although this is by no means a definitive list of features, here are the key differences between the various AirPrint-compatible HP printers. There are essentially three lines to choose from:

1. The Photosmart e line consists of inkjet all-in-one printers for home users including the basic D110A, the mid-level B210A, the premium C310a, and the Fax-capable C410a.
2. The fancy Envy 100 and Photosmart eStation add features for premium buyers. The Envy 100 is a stylish transformer, while the eStation includes a “Zeen” Android tablet.
3. Then there are the office-oriented LaserJet Pro models, the CP1525nw, M1536dnf, and color CM1415FNW. Note that all of these require a firmware upgrade for AirPrint compatibility.

I’ll be posting more details on these printers in the next few days, as well as making my buying own choice. We shall see what I end up with!

Note: Some of these links include affiliate codes that help pay for this blog. For example, buying an Amazon Kindle with this link sends a few bucks my way! But I don't write this blog to make money, and am happy to link to sites and stores that don't pay anything. I like Amazon and buy tons from them, but you're free to buy whatever and wherever you want.

© sfoskett for Stephen Foskett, Pack Rat, 2010. | Which AirPrint Printer Is Best?
This post was categorized as Apple, Everything, Features, Personal, Terabyte home. Each of my categories has its own feed if you'd like to filter out or focus on posts like this.

© sfoskett for Stephen Foskett, Pack Rat, 2010. | How Fast Is It? A Storage Infographic
This post was categorized as Apple, Computer History, Enterprise storage, Features, Personal, Terabyte home. Each of my categories has its own feed if you'd like to filter out or focus on posts like this.

The Sony NEX-5 packs the optics and sensor of a digital SLR into a compact body

The world of photography is like so many others: A vast gulf separates the amateurs and enthusiasts, from equipment to nomenclature to skills. I am decidedly in the amateur camp when it comes to photography, but I recently upgraded to a new compact interchangeable-lense camera, the Sony alpha NEX-5. It is an excellent match for my needs, allowing me to expand my skills and explore more advanced photographic techniques without sacrificing portability and ease of use.

Exploring Photography, Exploring the World

I have become increasingly dissatisfied with the photographs I’ve taken. Much of the blame rests on my meagre skills as a photographer, of course, but these have been improving to the point that I’ve touched some limits of point-and-shoot digital cameras. They lack the image processing, customizability, and shot-to-shot performance of larger cameras, but it was poor low-light capability that really hampered my photos.

A photographer friend explains that a camera is like a funnel in the rain, only collecting light (photons) instead of raindrops (water). The skill of photography is matching the size of the opening to the varying conditions encountered while exploring the world. Compact point-and-shoot cameras use tiny sensors and poor optics: Skill and trickery can extract decent photos from them, but the bigger sensors and better optics found on larger cameras make them far more flexible and adaptable.

The art of photography is another matter entirely. The world we live in is full of beauty, leading to the wonderful truism that the best camera is the one you have at hand. Some people are happy to carry a large camera and a variety of lenses and accessories wherever they go, others are content with snapshots from a pocket camera or cell phone, and many don’t care to take photographs at all. The unfortunate remainder regret not having an appropriate camera whenever and wherever they find themselves.

In my travels for work and pleasure, I have always tried to capture what I see using whatever camera I had at hand. I progressed from a cheap but tiny HP Photosmart camera to a Nikon PowerShot E4300, a Canon SD850, and a Canon SD1100 over the past decade. I carefully researched and selected the Canons based on their usability, optical image stabilization, and above-average sensors and optics, but portability was critical. I am not a camera bag guy, and a camera I can’t slip into a jacket pocket would sit at home.

I am proud of a few of the tens thousands of photos that resulted, but too many are grainy, dim, blurry, or washed out. The tiny sensors and basic lenses of these cameras simply couldn’t match my growing aspirations. This left me in a quandry: I wanted a larger sensor and better optics but knew I wouldn’t lug a huge D-SLR wherever I went.

Sony alpha NEX: Portablility and Quality

I was introduced to the nascent world of prosumer cameras by my friends Simon Seagrave and Greg Ferro. Simon’s Canon PowerShot G11 impressed me with its build quality, flexible manual controls, and fine optics, though the tiny sensor lacks low-light sensitivity. Greg’g Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 opened my eyes to the possibility of large SLR-like sensors and interchangeable lenses in a compact camera. I strongly considered the Olympus PEN E-PL1 before hearing about Sony’s NEX-3 and NEX-5.

The Sony NEX, like the Panasonic/Olympus Micro Four-Thirds system and the Samsung NX10, omit the mirror and pentaprism viewfinder of a true SLR in favor of compact dimensions. The resulting cameras can be as small as some point-and-shoot models when equipped with a reasonably-sized lense, and fitting one with a non-zoom lense (a prime or “pancake” in the vernacular) results in an eminently-pocketable camera without sacrificing image quality. Some call these “Mirrorless Interchangeable Lense Cameras“, but there are many other names besides.

The APS-C image sensor used in the Sony NEX cameras is 50% larger than the one used in Four Thirds cameras, and 13 times larger than the 1/2.5" sensors used in compact point-and-shoot cameras like my Canon PowerShots

Sony went one step further than their competitors, designing a compact digital camera from the ground up. The DSLR-standard APS-C image sensor is the only holdover. It’s 50% larger than a Micro Four/Thirds sensor and an amazing 13 times larger than the sensors used in typical point-and-shoot cameras like my Canons. Although 14.2 megapixels is impressive, Sony’s latest “Exmor” sensor is more about quality and sensitivity than pixel count. The rest of the camera was designed around this sensor, with an emphasis placed on minimizing the physical size of the camera while preserving the critical lense-to-sensor corridor.

The NEX-3 is small and light, but the NEX-5 is even more compact. Its magnesium body seems shrink-wrapped around the optics, with bulk chisled out around the standard tripod nut and lense mount. The NEX-5 would be almost as tiny as my old SD1100 without the lense and flash, but a realistic configuration is larger. Attach the 16 mm pancake and flash and it matches the E4300 – pocketable for jacket if not trousers. It is amazingly light as well, though quite a bit heavier than most compacts. Equipped with the 18-55 mm zoom, a NEX camera is much smaller than an equivalent SLR, but solidly in the “camera bag” class.

Purchasing the NEX-5

My first hands-on experience with the NEX line came in early September at Microcenter in Sunnyvale, CA. Although the staff wasn’t much help, they let me take my time exploring their NEX-5 demo unit. I was immediately taken buy the little camera, and was surprised by how small it was relative to the Nikon and Canon D-SLRs and even the Olympus and Panasonic Micro Four Thirds cameras.

They had just received their initial shipment, and I purchased their sole NEX-5 kit: A silver body with the 18-55 mm zoom lense. I also picked up the 16 mm “pancake” lense, happy for a $150 package discount, though I skipped the shotgun microphone, optical viewfinder, and weird Sony “body wrap” cases. The total cost was $798 plus tax, matching just about every online retailer I could find. I’m using a 16 GB Class-6 SDHC card I purchased previously.

Since this is an on-the-go portable camera, cases and straps are important. Most camera bags are take-it-all duffels designed with D-SLRs in mind or point-and-shoot slip cases. I wanted something that would protect the camera and both lenses but still fit in my laptop backpack or suitcase. I located the small hard-sided Case Logic MSEC-4 EVA Molded Camcorder Case that just fits, and the NEX-5 and 16 mm pancake will also slip into an old leather pouch I used for the Nikon E4300. I am currently using a Canon hand strap rather than the bulky neck strap included in the box.

My Experiences

Image quality is superb, with reviews gushing about low-light/high-ISO sensitivity, color accuracy, and good (if not pro) optics. I’m not really able to judge these things, but I can definitely state that it’s night-and-day better than any camera I’ve used. The big sensor and optics allow me to skip the flash in most cases, eliminating the too-bright snapshot look of so many of my photos. For the first time I have a camera with real depth of field flexibility and manual focus, and I’m loving my up-close photos.

Sony’s automation really improves my shooting as well, with Intelligent Auto mode adding quality to quick shots. If I want more control I can use Program Auto, or the shutter- or aperature-priority modes. The in-camera high dynamic range (HDR) and bracketing functions are only moderately effective, but the “Hand-held Twilight” feature is really impressive, combining six images to eliminate low-light noise. I’ve only begun to explore the various shooting modes but feel that Sony was wise to include consumer-oriented features and automatic operation with quality components.

The NEX menus leave something to be desired, however. Basic functions like ISO and white balance are buried in menus and seem haphazardly scattered, and button functions change in a way that isn’t always logical. I wish the camera included manual knobs or even consistent shortcuts for basic shooting parameters. Although Sony’s shooting tips are context-sensitive and genuinely helpful, the hard button taken up could be reassigned to a more-useful function.

Battery life is good if not great, and I am not as bothered by some reviewers with the long-ish time it take to power on the camera. Responsiveness is excellent, as is continuous-shot performance, and everything feels solid and ergonomic. I love how the camera body, lense zoom and focus rings, and control buttons fall to hand, and the tilting LCD is sharp and bright.

The NEX-5 has only basic video controls, but it shoots both 1440×1080 MPEG4 and 1920×1080/60i AVCHD. Video quality is remarkable – it’s a different world from my Canon SD1100, Kodak Zi8, or iPhone 4, and better than most consumer camcorders I’ve tried. It is comparable to the Canon Mark II footage shot by the video team hired for Tech Field Day, though their pro three-CCD Panasonic camera leaves it in the dust. Shooting with the 18-55 mm zoom is particularly nice, retaining autofocus and stabilization.

Sony Style Lock-In?

I’m not really a Sony fan, but the NEX cameras are thankfully free of many of their foolish lock-in “ecosystem” hobby horses. I never considered buying a Memory Stick-only camera, and was glad to see Sony (finally) add support for standard SD memory cards. In fact, the dual-purpose slot on the NEX-5 fits an SD card better than Sony’s own Memory Stick PRO Duo media! The NEX cameras use standard Mini USB and HDMI cables, reducing travel weight, and are fully supported by the Apple software I use: iPhoto is compatible with NEX RAW photos, the MPEG4 videos work everywhere, and Final Cut Pro reads the AVCHD video without a plug-in.

The new E-mount lenses are found only on three Sony cameras, but this is to be expected for an entirely new lense/image system. Third-party E-mount lenses are already appearing, and Sony just released an expensive 200 mm zoom. An adapter is available to mount the wide world of Sony/Minolta A-mount lenses, though stabilization and auto-focus are disabled.

My biggest “ecosystem” complaint is the proprietary flash/microphone mount. The included flash is better than that on most compact cameras and small enough to leave attached, but it’s no powerhouse. It would have been nice to have compatibility with the wide world of third-party flash units, but a standard hotshoe just wouldn’t fit in the slim NEX body.

That the same mount also includes a proprietary microphone connector is a much bigger issue for me. Indeed, the lack of a conventional microphone jack was almost deal-breaking. The secret to great video is often the quality of the audio, and even the very good in-body microphones on the NEX-5 leave much to be desired. I am hopeful that the connector will be reverse-engineered and an 8 mm mic adapter accessory will appear.

Stephen’s Stance

The NEX-5 is a winner, combining excellent hardware, good (if sometimes-frustrating) software, and amazing portability. I just can’t get over that I can pack the camera and two lenses in a case smaller than an equivalent D-SLR body! Foregoing the zoom in favor of the 16 mm pancake transforms the camera into a pocketable companion for many occasions, relegating the iPhone 4 camera for emergency use only.

I expected to love the 16 mm “pancake” lense and leave the zoom behind, but am finding myself doing the opposite so far. The versatility and quality of the zoom makes it worth its weight and bulk, and I expect the prime will only see “snapshot” and macro use. I also find myself leaving the flash attached “just in case” though I rarely use it.

Overall, the NEX-5 is well worth the money for an enthusiastic amateur like me. Photo and video quality are a world better than any compact camera and rival the D-SLR world. I preferred the Sony’s smaller size and imaging performance to the “mirrorless” competitors from Olympus, Panasonic, and Samsung, though their controls and standard hotshoes are better. Solid construction, better “feel”, and AVCHD video in the NEX-5 was worth the $100 premium over the NEX-3. All things considered, there isn’t a better camera on the market for someone like me.

Note: Some of these links include affiliate codes that help pay for this blog. For example, buying an Amazon Kindle with this link sends a few bucks my way! But I don't write this blog to make money, and am happy to link to sites and stores that don't pay anything. I like Amazon and buy tons from them, but you're free to buy whatever and wherever you want.

© sfoskett for Stephen Foskett, Pack Rat, 2010. | Sony NEX-5 Camera Review
This post was categorized as Features, Personal, Terabyte home. Each of my categories has its own feed if you'd like to filter out or focus on posts like this.

Donate your conference backpacks to school kids in need!

Trade shows are a veritable swag-fest, some with great loot and some with junk. I’ve been critical of the booth babe and chotchkie phenomenon, but my friend Kevin Houston has a better suggestion: Donate your (useful) swag like backpacks and pens to school kids in need.

Kevin first suggested this to me at HP Tech Forum after I refused the giveaway backpack I wouldn’t have used. It turns out that he’s been doing this for a while, with a focus on the backpacks so many vendors distribute. It’s funny – my own son uses my VMworld 2009 backpack and I have to admit it’s a well-built and useful bag. But I hadn’t thought of the underprivileged kids out there who could use it even more.

Did you know that 41% of kids in the United States come from “low-income” households? According to the NCCP, over half of the kids in Arkansas, DC, and Mississippi are under financial stress. I’m sure back-to-school time is a serious disappointment for many kids whose parents can’t afford a new backpack, pencils, and other school supplies. Many don’t realize that school districts can’t afford enough supplies either. In fact, it’s so common that the IRS allows teachers to deduct up to $250 in out-of-pocket expenses to equip their classrooms with basic supplies.

So I’d like to echo Kevin’s call: It’s time for us techies to lend a hand and support education. The next generation needs us! When you come home from VMworld and similar events, load that backpack up with school supplies (notebooks, pencils, scissors, and the like) and donate it to a local school. They’ll be glad for the help!

Photo by Kevin Houston

© sfoskett for Stephen Foskett, Pack Rat, 2010. | Donate Your Swag to School Kids In Need
This post was categorized as Enterprise storage, Everything, Features, Gestalt IT, Personal, Virtual Storage. Each of my categories has its own feed if you'd like to filter out or focus on posts like this.