Goodies

I've been getting lots of goodies lately, and I thought I'd break the mold of my blog and provide some product reviews. (Before the conspiracy and conflict-of-interest folks ask, I don't have a monetary interest in any of these companies.)

1. Yojimbo. This software enables you to create a free-form database of stuff. For examples, order confirmations, passwords--all the crap that you never know how or where to file and therefore where to find a few months later. Old-time Mac users may recall Quickdex--Yojimbo is similar. Now, I put any info on my computer that I'll need “someday” into Yojimbo. $39.

http://www.barebones.com/

2. Nikon D200. What a camera. The waiting list was months long until someone helped me at B & H Photo. The wait is worth it. I used to have a Digital EOS--the D200 just “feels” more solid. It's like the difference you hear when you close the door of a Porsche versus a Corvette. (I'll do a car review when I can convince a car company to loan me one! :-) )

A great review pitting the D200 against the Canon 5D is here:

http://snipurl.com/oaz7

3. Traffic Gauge. This is a little gizmo that updates traffic on the major freeways in fifteen or so cities. The one I got covers 900 square miles in Silicon Valley. Now, before I start going somewhere, I check my Traffic Gauge although I am tempted to go to the location that looks blocked in order to test the product. :-) $79.99 plus $6.99/month

http://www.trafficgauge.com/

4. Cingular 8125 cell phone. Cool phone: slide-out keyboard plus GPRS and WiFi support. Runs Windows; you know how I feel about Windows as a computer operating system, but it's a lot better than most phone operating systems. (Imagine if Apple ever made phone.) Two bummers: GPRS doesn't cut it compared to EVDO, and Cingular doesn't offer insurance for this model.

For one day, I had a Verizon XV6700 which has EVDO and WiFi and insurance. However, Verizon's coverage didn't work at my office, and if you're on EVDO or WiFi, the phone can't send or receive calls, so I returned it. “Can you hear me?” indeed.

And here's a humorous story: ActiveSync works very well with the 8125. However, this would mean maintaining my Tiny Vaio--which is too much trouble. So, I ordered a MacBook so I could dual boot in Windows and Mac. How's that for irony?

Ordering a MacBook has created a chain of other expenses including buying additional power supplies (since that changed), and now my PCMCIA EVDO card won't work. Oh, yeah, and my Empower adapter for use of the power outlet on United Airlines doesn't have a connector for the new magnetic power supply thing. Do you think Steve Jobs has these problems?

5. Eskyguide. I travel a lot, so I'm always looking up flights. The travel sites that sell tickets don't work for me because I need to know all the flights, not all the flights that the site is selling. I have a OAG Flightplanner membership, but an elementary school project team must have designed the site. And it's being improved at the same rate as Directv's software--if you know what I mean. I found a better site for my purpose and perhaps it will help you too:

http://www.eskyguide.com/search/

I wish that when you copy and paste the results (as I do to put it in my calendar and to tell people what flights I'll be on), it would yield a nicer result that this junk:

9:00am Depart San Francisco CA US (SFO)
Arrive Honolulu HI US (HNL) 11:31am United Airlines
5h31m Meal Codes: F 73
777

The problem is that it's hard to know that “73” is the flight number, so I have to cut junk away.

6. iClock. A massive improvement over the clock that comes with a Macintosh. It's great because it shows the time in multiple cities. It also shows day, date, and time in the menu bar.

http://snipurl.com/p81g

7. Hard Facts: Dangerous Half Truths and Total Nonsense. A most interesting book. It says that you shouldn't believe the bull shiitake of experts and gurus without solid, scientific evidence. This impugns my writing, speaking, and blogging, so I have mixed feelings about telling you to read it. :-)

This is a short article about the topic by the authors of the book to give you a taste of what to expect. (Click on the picture to download)

As Len Posen pointed out in a comment, you can also listen to Moira Gunn interview Bob Sutton, the co-author, at:

http://www.itconversations.com/shows/detail1021.html

Written at: Atherton, California

Technorati Tags: entrepreneurship

Comments

[Tudor Tihan]

Mr. Kawasaki,

I find your point no. 7 interesting to me because it seems to say that the large companies loose touch with reality (higher the altitude, thinner the air.. and intelligent creatures require air, right?).

I have no experience with management in large companies, but I would have thought that the idea to verify the facts and causality to be self evident, common-sensical.

I do have to draw a line when the article suggests to base everything on data. Reason and logic can only deal with data that has happened. Humans need to balance data that was with data that will be. Apple did react and transformed an accounting aid machine into a desktop publishing, when evidence appeared. I doubt though that logic and number crunching caused the vision of Apple, the competitor. Or lets just remember that Intel's business plan seems to have been 1 page long. I'd have to assume that it was actually 1 line, a visionary statement.. Perhaps, "Conquer the world" ? :) I wonder what data could lead to having such a vision...

[Creative One]

Hey GK, I didn't know you reviewed products.... I would like to know what you think of a Tablet PC(Slate Version)? If you have a chance to test one. I know you are a Mac person, but 2 options are always better than 1.

[Charles]

Since you claimed you had no financial interest in any of the products you reviewed, it was probably a bad idea to post a concealed SnipURL link to an Amazon Affiliate page that pays you a fee for every book sold through your link.

[Grant Hutchins]

I've always wondered why Verizon uses the "Can you hear me?" tagline. Every time I see it I want to lampoon it, which is just so darn easy.