10/08/2012 04:00:00 PM
THeDmoNSIOLd
Get health and fitness tips at Greatist.com
Tech Hero
Tech Hero is the company I'm currently working for as a Help Desk Manager. We offer a wide variety of services for local businesses in the Greater Central Florida Area
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Monday, October 8, 2012
Friday, July 6, 2012
Android App Review: Swype Beta Keyboard
As I'm writing this review, I'm actually using the Swype Beta keyboard from my Droid Razor. I have to say it's my favorite keyboard so far.
I used the older Swype for a short period of time, but it simply left something to be desired... It wasn't always super fast, word recognition was mediocre, and the aesthetics were nothing special. After that I moved to the 'hacker's keyboard' in favor of the sleek design and additional keys/features (like the directional arrows on the full keyboard).
Recently I read that Swype had released a new beta version. What initially caught my eye was the Dragon integration for voice recognition/speech to text (for those who don't know what that is, Dragon is a product by Nuance that has been around for ages. They are easily the top company in voice recognition. IPhone's Siri is actually built off of it).
There were a few small hoops that I had to jump through to get the keyboard, as it is not yet available in the market. I had to register for the beta, confirm my email address, download the "beta installer" then use that to actually download/install the keyboard. You'll want to make sure you select the option to allow you phone to install apps from unknown sources (this can be done in the applications manager found in your Android's settings page).
Using an android? Give Beta Swype a shot :) http://beta.swype.com/
I used the older Swype for a short period of time, but it simply left something to be desired... It wasn't always super fast, word recognition was mediocre, and the aesthetics were nothing special. After that I moved to the 'hacker's keyboard' in favor of the sleek design and additional keys/features (like the directional arrows on the full keyboard).
Recently I read that Swype had released a new beta version. What initially caught my eye was the Dragon integration for voice recognition/speech to text (for those who don't know what that is, Dragon is a product by Nuance that has been around for ages. They are easily the top company in voice recognition. IPhone's Siri is actually built off of it).
There were a few small hoops that I had to jump through to get the keyboard, as it is not yet available in the market. I had to register for the beta, confirm my email address, download the "beta installer" then use that to actually download/install the keyboard. You'll want to make sure you select the option to allow you phone to install apps from unknown sources (this can be done in the applications manager found in your Android's settings page).
Using an android? Give Beta Swype a shot :) http://beta.swype.com/
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Reseal your 'un-resealable' bags with a water/soda bottle
Image from Lifehacker
I know it's been a while, but here's a tip I thought was absolutely clever. I remember reading about it in the past, but it was brought to my attention again, and figured I should start actually doing it. Basically, you cut the top 1/3 of a bottle with a screw top lid (probably can't use the latest and greatest water bottles that are using those ultra thin lids), feed the top of the bag that you want resealed through the bottle (pushing it up through the 'bottom'), open up the bag and drop the sides down over the top of the bottle. Then put the cap on. Poof, your bag has been resealed for freshness!
That may sound a little confusing, but hit one of the links below for a better picture of what I'm actually talking about.
My credit goes to [Re-nest] via Lifehacker
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Cable Storage - The right way
It's common practice to wrap long cables using your elbow and hand, making big loops over and over... However this leads to twisted cables, knots, and tangles... Below is a link to an excellent tutorial video using two alternate methods (both based on the same concept of alternating the 'loop' of the cable). Check it out, it could very well make your life a lot easier.
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Ultimate Home Theater Setup
Lifehacker has published an excellent article on how to set up a kick ass home theater setup using an awesome streaming software called XMBC (which can actually be ran directly from an old school Xbox gaming console!)
Take a look at the link below for the full article and walk-through for the set up.
http://lifehacker.com/5900626/create-a-kickass-seamless-play+everything-media-center-the-complete-guide
Take a look at the link below for the full article and walk-through for the set up.
http://lifehacker.com/5900626/create-a-kickass-seamless-play+everything-media-center-the-complete-guide
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Scratch my last stylus...
Granted, it was a pretty easy/simple design. But after a little while of using it off and on and stumbling upon a better concept, I've decided to ditch the 'chips bag pen stylus' design and opt to use a much higher quality material. One I've been a fan of since I first heard about it's release and MANY various uses.
SUGRU! - Fix/Mod/DIY substance of the GODS!
http://sugru.com/gurus/categories/sugru-hacks/topics/conductive-sugru-capacitive-stylus-for-iphoneipad
That is a link to a sugru community user's concept design of a smart phone compatible stylus. Wow, that was a wordy sentence.
Anywho, the link above is a MUCH better idea. Why? Because Sugru is fricken awesome. Seriously. Just check out what it is and what it's capable of doing HERE.
To sum it up, all you'll need is some conductive foam (can be found HERE), some sugru, and a core of some sort (a used pen, long wooden dowel, etc. could apply here)
Unfortunately I'm currently out of Sugru, so I'll have to comment on this post down the road once I've ordered some and have had a chance to try it out. CAN'T WAIT!
SUGRU! - Fix/Mod/DIY substance of the GODS!
http://sugru.com/gurus/categories/sugru-hacks/topics/conductive-sugru-capacitive-stylus-for-iphoneipad
That is a link to a sugru community user's concept design of a smart phone compatible stylus. Wow, that was a wordy sentence.
Anywho, the link above is a MUCH better idea. Why? Because Sugru is fricken awesome. Seriously. Just check out what it is and what it's capable of doing HERE.
To sum it up, all you'll need is some conductive foam (can be found HERE), some sugru, and a core of some sort (a used pen, long wooden dowel, etc. could apply here)
Unfortunately I'm currently out of Sugru, so I'll have to comment on this post down the road once I've ordered some and have had a chance to try it out. CAN'T WAIT!
Friday, March 23, 2012
Stylus for your smart phone anyone?
I've been playing around with a game recently called 'Draw Something.' It's basically an app version of the classic "Pictionary" where users draw pictures based on a preset word and try to get another player to guess what it is they are drawing.
Now, the unfortunate thing about this game, is you have to use your finger... Which makes the more difficult words even harder to portray because you do not have that fine precision that you would have with a pen. Fortunately, I stumbled upon a tutorial on Youtube on how to make a stylus for the newer smart phones (aka: iPhone, Android, Windows Phone, etc). Your regular pressure based styluses won't work here as they are non-conducive.
Fortunately it's quite simple to make a conducive pen-stylus. And the only materials you need are as follows:
Foil Template (Located HERE)
Foil bag (most kinds of chips use them)
Pen
Scissors
Razor/box cutter (for small precision cuts in the foil)
Tape
The actual tutorial is located HERE
He's a little difficult to understand because of his accent, but the design works well. Also, I plan to make my own video tutorial (hopefully in the near future) to help make it a bit easier for those of you having a tough time understanding everything he says/does.
Good luck and have fun!
Now, the unfortunate thing about this game, is you have to use your finger... Which makes the more difficult words even harder to portray because you do not have that fine precision that you would have with a pen. Fortunately, I stumbled upon a tutorial on Youtube on how to make a stylus for the newer smart phones (aka: iPhone, Android, Windows Phone, etc). Your regular pressure based styluses won't work here as they are non-conducive.
Fortunately it's quite simple to make a conducive pen-stylus. And the only materials you need are as follows:
Foil Template (Located HERE)
Foil bag (most kinds of chips use them)
Pen
Scissors
Razor/box cutter (for small precision cuts in the foil)
Tape
The actual tutorial is located HERE
He's a little difficult to understand because of his accent, but the design works well. Also, I plan to make my own video tutorial (hopefully in the near future) to help make it a bit easier for those of you having a tough time understanding everything he says/does.
Good luck and have fun!
