FlashPoint ShareDrive - thumbdrive with a brain

Now this is a good idea - a USB2 thumbdrive "with a brain". Just like any other thumbdrive, this device can be plugged into a computer's USB port and used to store data. Nothing amazing - yet. The kicker is that you can also plug into a non-computer USB-capable device and copy data to and fro! Just imagine - digital camera full but no computer handy to unload some pics? Simply use your camera's USB cable and plug it into the ShareDrive. With the press of a button you can now remove images from the camera! Ditto for mobile phones. The setup appears a little fiddly since users are required to move files into specially named 'load' and 'save' directories so that the ShareDrive knows what to copy, but hey it's a lot better than the alternatives. The drive is available in sizes up to 2GB.

Should I upgrade my antique?

Kroll's blog has posted a fascinating entry featuring a photo taken at an Apple Store a couple of days ago (the image to the right is a thumbnail, visit the original page for a larger version). The man on the left is bringing in his 17-year old Mac SE for upgrading advice! Take a closer look at the resident Genius Bar staffer's face. That's what we Brits call 'gob-smacked'

Mail.app nightmare over

Back in April, I posted a rant about Mail.app's handling of inline images. The gist of my tirade was that Mail.app insisted (nothing's changed - it still does) on displaying images inline, rather than as attachments. The problem here is that messages with inline images or PDF documents take an age to open. This glacial response time is infinitely more aggravating when there are several such emails to open in succession (for instance when searching for one particular image out of dozens emailed to you). Mail.app does offer you the ability to right-click an image and choose 'display as icon', but close and re-open the email and you'll find that Mail.app will blithely continue to display the image as if you'd never told it otherwise. Even worse, there is no global preference to alter this behaviour.

This glaring tidbit of user-interface idiocy is particularly frustrating for me since I was a long-time Eudora user prior to the arrival of Mail.app and Eudora has always, for at least a decade, clearly distinguished between inline images and attachment images. Those of you who have never used any email client other than Mail.app may wonder what I am blithering on about. The basic explanation is that 'inline' should mean that the image is displayed along with the text of your email, whereas an 'attachment' should properly be an image (or other file) that is sent with the email as a file attachment but is not displayed with the text of your email.

The 'official' description of the difference between 'inline' and 'attachment' can be found in this RFC document, the relevant part of which is:

2.9 Content-Disposition and Multipart

If a Content-Disposition header is used on a multipart body part, it applies to the multipart as a whole, not the individual subparts. The disposition types of the subparts do not need to be consulted until the multipart itself is presented. When the multipart is displayed, then the dispositions of the subparts should be respected.

If the `inline' disposition is used, the multipart should be displayed as normal; however, an `attachment' subpart should require action from the user to display.

If the `attachment' disposition is used, presentation of the multipart should not proceed without explicit user action. Once the user has chosen to display the multipart, the individual subpart dispositions should be consulted to determine how to present the subparts.

Thus concludes Mac History 101.

"So", I hear you ask, "why are you moaning about this again?". Despair not dear reader - there is a solution! I have recently discovered that I am not alone in my Mail.app nightmare. Adam Nohejl of Czech outfit Loki Software must have been a fellow resident of inline-hell, but unlike yours truly he actually did something about it, writing a wonderful piece of $6 shareware named Mail Attachment Iconizer. This program does one thing only, and by God does it well. Simply fire up the installer and Mail Attachment Iconizer will modify your copy of Mail.app and forever turn those inline images into image icons. Double click 'em and they expand into images or PDFs; double-click a second time and they revert to icons. Apple - are you watching? This is the way it should have been done from the start. :mad:

For those of you wondering why I switched from Eudora in the first place if it was so damned wonderful, the answer is that Eudora at the time did not make the transition to OS X very well and wasn't updated for at least two years. It also didn't have Mail.app's tight integration with Address Book and the iLife apps. Not to mention the fact that Mail.app is free, whereas Eudora requires an annual (annual!) payment for the ad-free version.

$80 keyboard skimps on letters

Xoxide's Das Keyboard is an all-black geek-chic keyboard featuring 104 keys, all of which are blank. The idea is that the keyboard is for "ÜberGeeks" who don't need to read no stinkin' keys anyway. Seriously, the idea is that without letters printed on the keys, your brain will adapt by doing a better job at memorizing the keys' locations, thus making you type faster and more accurately. The keys also have variable force-feedback so that keys you would use your weaker fingers on require less pressure to depress.

The manufacturers say:

If you are an elite programmer who can write sophisticated code under tight deadlines, someone who makes impossible projects possible, or a Silver Web Surfer your colleagues turn to when they need IT advice, this keyboard is for you. Shouldn't your keyboard reflect your status as one of the elite? We think so!

Das Keyboard is an enhanced 104-key USB PC keyboard equipped with 100% blank keys mounted on precision and individually weighted key switches. Since there is no key to look at when typing, your brain will quickly adapt and memorize the key positions and you will find yourself typing a lot faster with more accuracy in no time. It is amazing how slow typers almost double their speed and quick typers become blazing fast!

Most keyboards use a standard 55 grams of force required to register every key, Das Keyboard has 5 different levels of force. The keys are divided into groups and their feedback springs are weighted differently; from 35 grams to 80 grams, which correspond to the strength of the finger that touches the keys. The result is more comfort for your hands.

PimpRig have a hands-on review where they conclude:

Xoxide put it best on their site... ÜberGeeks Only. Only an Übergeek will fully appreciate this keyboard. When I first saw the $79.99 price tag of the Das Keyboard I originally thought, "yeah right! $79.99 for an old IBM keyboard with the letters scratched off?!" Now that I have had 6 weeks up close and personal with it I can say that this keyboard is worth that cash if, and only if, you are a solid typist already and you do a lot of typing. Anyone else will be too frustrated to thoroughly appreciate the subtle tweaks of the Das Keyboard. There is also the matter of "props" you immediately get when someone sees this keyboard on your desk or at a lanparty. It simply screams, "I am a 1337 typist!" Another added benefit is that of security against n00b users. No more will the family PC killer (my father springs to mind) want to use your PC. :)

Google Maps for your phone

I somehow missed it at the time but I've just discovered that back in April Google launched a Google Maps service on certain mobile phones. The service is a downloadable application which lets you view Google Maps (maps and satellite imagery tied together with driving directions and telephone directory information) on your mobile phone. Just like the computer version of Google Maps, you can drag the map around the screen. The mobile phone service also introduces a new feature named 'click to call' where you can phone up a local business simply by locating them on the map.

The service, named Google Local for mobile, is currently only available in the US and is officially limited to just over a dozen phones from a few manufacturers. Google say that 'most' Java-enabled (J2ME) phones released in the last year should be compatible, although phones from Sony-Ericsson are conspicuously absent from the compatibility list. There have been reports on the Google Local for mobile group that some unsupported phones are also compatible - notably the Treo, the SE W800i walkman phone, the SE P800/P900/P910, the SE K750i ... but not the Blackberry.

There are no charges other than data transfer charges for your phone's internet connection. The service is only currently available on certain networks, including Cingular, T-Mobile and Sprint.