Andy Laub

Today fall was in the air. Students (and teachers) are headed back to school, the weather this morning was – dare I say – crisp, and of course, Apple kicked off September right with their annual iPod event.

Since the advent of the iPhone these announcements haven’t meant a whole lot to me – it’s been my primary iPod since the day I got it and it’s the only device I have with me most of the time. However, running has given me a newfound appreciation for a smaller breed of iPod, a lightweight, pared-down option that I simply never had a need for in the past. Currently I’m running with a third-generation “fat” nano. Size and weight-wise I have no complaints, but I will admit to the clickwheel being somewhat finicky at times, the fact that it (like most other iPods) requires the additional receiver for Nike+ functionality, and the issue of storage when I’m lacking pockets (solution: armband).

Which is why the new iPod nano is amazing. As is usually the case, commenters on sites like such as Engadget are quick to point out the device’s shortcomings; namely that it no longer plays video or takes photos. The common sentiment is that kids like it for that sort of thing, which shows that these people are missing the point: this isn’t for kids.

There was a time when an iPod nano was the de facto teenager accessory, but as iOS has gained more attention and the devices are quickly becoming ever more competent and affordable, the iPod touch is the logical heir to that throne: the popular iPod. While the old iPods had “games” and “apps”, the touch actually makes good on that promise. And granted, the price difference is somewhat significant, but the difference in capabilities between the iPod touch and even the old, video-enabled nanos was even more pronounced. Many may even find (or have found) that the extra money is better spent there than towards a DS or PSP. And now that the touch has a (HD!) camera, the nano couldn’t/can’t compete.

Which is fine, actually, because the old lineup didn’t make sense in that regard. Apple is finally making it clear with broad strokes that if you need or want to do anything other than listen to music, get an iPod touch. Easy decision. And for those of us who only want music, and would like it in the smallest possible package (with a screen, please), this new nano is a godsend. While I’m wary of the touchscreen, I’m ready to believe it can’t be worse than the crazy scroll wheel on my current iPod, and happy to acknowledge that all my other concerns have been addressed beautifully.

And duh, Apple wants the popular iPod to be an iOS device.

Edit: as it turns out, the Nike+ receiver is not built-in, which is enough of an issue for me to downgrade this to “not sure if want” status.

Apple is a strong advocate for keeping things simple. This is especially evident in their hardware design, as one may gather from the fact that most of their hardware has only one switch or button. And generally, this strategy seems to work like crazy for them, effectively setting them even further apart from their competition.

However, there are some decisions that can be subjectively classified as missteps on their part. The new iPod shuffle is a demonstration that maybe not having any controls on the device is an idea that should’ve remained on the drawing board. I can’t say for sure as I haven’t played with one (and probably never will), but most of the complaints I’ve heard thusfar have centered around the decision to take the controls off of the device and make them part of the component that you’re more likely to replace or lose (the headphones). I don’t disagree with that particular sentiment, as having to carry specialized headphones for two different devices (iPhone and shuffle) is a concept that seems vaguely, uh, mentally deficient.

The one-button mouse, while an Apple icon, is another great example of their overzealousness for simplicity. The Mighty Mouse is a drastic improvement in terms of functionality, but only when you compare it to their previous offerings. Beyond that, it doesn’t offer much that can’t be found in even the cheapest optical scroll mouse. The scroll ball is nice – until it stops working, as it has now in every Mighty Mouse I’ve owned.

But the device where the button shortage bothers me the most is the iPhone. I pretty much despise the whole “slide to do whatever” mechanic – I would love to have the option to turn that off and just use some combination of the hardware buttons to bypass it. I’d even be fine if they used the Accept/Decline buttons that are present when the phone receives a call while unlocked. I don’t enjoy sliding my fingers around the screen for no reason; especially when it’s in an attempt to accomplish something that’s more easily achieved by pressing a button.

And that’s the crux of the matter. There’s no question that Apple makes some amazing products, but sometimes it seems they favor perceived simplicity to actual simplicity.

You may know that I am some sort of dock fiend – if I own a gadget, I’d like to have a dock for it. At least, if it’s a gadget that I actually like. My 3G iPod came with a dock; I bought one with my 5G iPod, and I bought a dock with the iPhone.

I was happy to learn that the two iPod docks were basically interchangeable, which meant that the older one always stayed at work while the newer lived on my desk at home. But what makes me even happier is that the iPhone 3G works in both, in addition to its own. This is good news, but it’s not without its hangups:

• The “work” dock was plugged into a wall charger – the FireWire charger that came with my first iPod. It always worked to charge the two iPods, but will not charge the iPhone – you’ll need a USB charger for that.
• My stereo at work is unshielded, which means some nasty GSM buzz in the speakers every so often. This isn’t a symptom of the dock so much as two incompatible technologies having it out, but it’s worth mentioning. I’m still trying to figure out how I want to approach that.

Still though, it works out nicely – for whatever it costs me to buy a new USB cable I can now have a nice charger for my phone at work, and there’s no additional unplugging going on when I need to sync the iPhone or the iPod at home.

Friday night. Saw the new Mustang. It is definitely one of the best-looking cars this year. First impressions? Bad-ass. Super-wide. Bargain – well, it is if you don’t get a loaded one. I priced one out online last night (GT Manual) with a final result of about $26,000. That’s pretty impressive. Other cars I didn’t know I would really like this year:

• Chrysler 300C / Dodge Magnum
• Nissan Titan
• Subaru Legacy
• Scion tC

Anyway, got bored with my iPod (though they’re not that exciting to begin with) so now it’s German. I know nothing else.

I voted today. I hope it makes some sort of difference. That’s all I’m saying about that.
More things:

New iPods – eh, I guess they’re alright. I don’t really have a use for putting pictures on an iPod – I mean, it might come in handy if we see connectivity to camera phones or something, but that would require a much higher resolution picture to even make the iPod a worthwhile storage option. I am kind of sad that the 60 gig HD is exclusive to the iPod Photo, but then again I’m not buying another one any time soon so it doesn’t really matter. The U2 iPod is a neat admittedly gimmicky thing, but I wouldn’t consider any iPod that doesn’t include a dock, especially since for $10 more than adding a dock for your U2 iPod (which I don’t even suppose would match?) you can double your storage and get a dock anyway.

Grand Theft Auto – still fun.

I don’t overly know what else is going on. I am counting down the months (kind of) until my cell contract expires (I’ve got awhile – it’s July) and I can finally get a new one. I don’t know that I’ll stick with what I have now. Sprint is a viable option, but we’ll see what kind of phones are available when the time comes. I have always been a fan of Nokias although Motorola almost kind of has me liking them with the V600. Unfortunately, poor Mac support is enough to drive me away.

Cingular is merging (merged?) with ATT Wireless. Good for them. We’d be all set if they’d just come to Wausau (or buy Cell One)

Here’s a thought, Apple. You now have an iPod store. Don’t fill up the top space of the regular store with the iPod crap. I swear to God, if you change from a computer company that makes music players to a music player company that also makes computers I will drop you like a hand grenade.

I think… I’ve seen a couple between Nelly in the Flap Your Wings video and Carmelo Anthony on Cribs. I guess it makes sense – it exudes that same sort of badassence that the Escalade did in a more compact package. And damn, they look good in black. Now that I think about it, G-Unit had one of them in one of their videos, or maybe just the 300C. That’s pretty cool. My mom still thinks they look like a hearse, though, but she also laughed when I told her I liked the Infiniti FX. Speaking of parents and cars, my dad is now the owner of a charcoal Honda Accord V6. I am so proud. One more thing: I predict that at some point in the near future, both Saturday Night by Ozomatli and Steriogram’s Walkie Talkie Man will hit the top of the iTunes chart due to their appearances in iPod commercials.

I have to ask, when did HP’s commercials get better than Apple’s? It must have been when they started using the plusses. I liked those – the ones where the pictures were put into a collage to make a scene etc, etc. But the new ones for the HP iPod are good too. Better, in my opinion, than Apple’s own. I think things started going downhill for Apple when they did that iMac tongue commercial – that was pretty dumb. And now the iPods are shipping in multicolored boxes? C’mon. I don’t need a bunch of pretty colors on the box for my monochromatic music player. HP can at least justify it by using photos on their boxes.

Speaking of that iPod thing, I remember way back when the hPod was announced – it was that bluish grey HP color. Now it’s… well, it’s white. Wow, it’s so different from the Apple version! I’d better go get one right away! The only change that I can recognize is the addition of the HP logo on the back.

Anyway, my dad and I went car shopping yesterday, and I’m trying not to get too excited, but it sounds like he’s leaning in the direction of the new Accord.

Well, at least that is what someone I know likes to say. I’m not sure I really feel that way. Granted, it is relatively more almost Christmas than it was, say, a month ago, but I don’t think it warrants decorations or anything. As a matter of fact, Christmas decorations should be held off until 2 weeks before, if not completely banned. There’s nothing worse than Christmas lights still up in August. Well, OK, there are worse things, but it is still pretty bad. Anyway, we were in the Twin Cities last weekend for some good old-fashioned enjoyment.

We went to malls and IKEA and bought some things, nothing exciting (shirts!). I saw the Porsche 997 which really, really is gorgeous. Other cars of interest included (but were not limited to) a couple new Acuras (the 05 RSX, TSX, and TL), Volvo V50 (I sat in one, which I haven’t had a chance to do since the car show in February), the new Subarus (just got a chance to more closely examine them), and finally, in a parking lot for Toys R Us of all places, a Lotus Elise. I don’t know if I’m getting more excited about it than I should, but it’s the first one I’ve ever seen and it was totally unexpected. The Porsche was a pleasant suprise, but it was a fairly prestigious dealership so I probably would have been disappointed had they not had it. The Lotus, though, that is a nice little package. Which reminds me, we also looked at the MR2 Spyder, another nice little package, albeit less unique (and half the price).

You may have also noticed the new “music” category on the right. I signed up for the iTunes affiliate program to see what the deal is, so we’ll see what comes of it. I would highly recommend In The Shadows and Two Way Monologue (the song more than the album). And of course, Walkie Talkie Man is the song in the new iPod commercial.

Lord, won’t you buy me an Acura TSX?

Homestar Runner .com has some very nice features right now, including not only a Decemberween in July special, but also a video they did for They Might Be Giants, who I guess have a new album out. I think I might get it, but I want to see if it’s going to be on iTunes first.

I am continually trying to convince myself that I do not need a car. There are so many nice ones out there, and some of those are actually affordable by someone in my position. I actually am leaning back toward good ol’ Honda, with the Civic Si and the Acura RSX. Both of these are reasonably-priced with good-sized engines for their small statures (same as Abe’s El..er, CR-V). I am very fond of smaller, low-down cars. I drove a Nissan Murano on Friday and while it had more than adequate power (Nissan’s 3.5L V6), it was verging on being uncomfortably high. It’s not a bad car at all, but the dealership we were at confirmed my beliefs – Nissan is great at design, but not at build quality / resale value. Hondas have some of the highest resale out there which is great if you buy new, drive little, and sell early.

There’s also a new iPod.

An article about Sony’s upcoming “iPod killer” led me over to their store today, where I was sidetracked (again) by their limited-edition X505 notebook. This is quite a machine, and looks are in the “to die for” category, but it’s hard to believe that it’d make a good everyday computer. I have to wonder what kind of person would spend 3 grand on system like this. I certainly couldn’t justify it. It’s a great-looking package but I don’t think it could surpass my laptop in any aspect but portability, which itself is a mixed blessing. With every pound dropped you lose some features critical to the overall experience. I’m not even sure it has speakers. With the X505, Sony is apparently out to prove that a notebook can be cool or practical, but not both.

My internet explorations also brought me to Alfa Romeo where I spent about 20 minutes drooling over cars that will never make it here (and some that won’t make it anywhere). I wish Alfa would come back to the States. Same goes for Seat, Peugeot, Citroen, etc. Maybe I should just go to Europe again. The biggest shock for me the last time I came back was how much rattier the cars here are. In Munich, every other car is a BMW. They’re not all new ones, but they’re in spectacular condition because of Germany’s stricter maintainence laws.

It seems to be a fairly common sentiment that the best packaging around right now belongs to Apple’s iPod. While I agree that the iPod packaging is clever and attractive, my vote for the best goes to Crank Brothers. Never heard of them? Crank Brothers created a bike pedal known as the Egg Beater, called such because of it’s resemblance to (surprise!) an egg beater, which has now evolved into multiple lines of pedals, all of which use the same basic concept. Good things have been said about these pedals (none of which were from me, but I like them alot), and a lot of compliments have also been made about the packaging. Crank Brothers has designed a package that makes you feel that you are opening the most important pedals in the world. It’s a fairly simple design, involving an outer sleeve that slides off (similar to the iPod’s) and a box with thicker sides. The pedals are inside, surrounded by black foam, and anything else you’d need is on display for you. I had initially only seen the packaging for mine, the Candy SL, but I saw the packaging for the standard Egg Beaters last night, and it’s every bit as nice, something that can’t be said about Apple. True, my iPod came in a fantastic piece of packaging, but I can’t say the same about my Powerbook. It feels as though Crank Brothers also used higher-quality materials, as well, versus Apple’s liberal use of white styrofoam. Finally, I like that the CB packaging doesn’t use any plastic bags (it’s not necessary in this application). And you get a sticker.

So anyway, I got new pedals yesterday, which resulted in the crank arm getting stripped when I tried to put one of them on. I took it to the bike shop and he was able to put the pedal on, which is good. However, I have been kind of done with this crank since I got it so I ordered a new one, now that I finally had an excuse. As it turns out, the bottom bracket was exceptionally loose so he tightened that for me also. I like that place a lot. If they had a website I would link to it.

I got the iPod. It’s greeeat. How was your Labor Day? I watched Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, and therefore, it was all good. So yeah, the iPod is awesome. It will be a nice replacement for the stubborn cd player I have at work currently. And this thing is slick. Everything is run through firewire, maglie calcio meaning you only have one cable to plug in for data/power, and then another for audio. And the clever thing is that not only is there a headphone jack on the pod itself, but it has a line out on the cradle, meaning all necessary cables can be run behind. The only thing I wish it did was sort by file name instead of using the tags for mp3 files. That would have saved a bit of headaching on my part, but hey, it’s good. Oh, and work was good too.

Back in July, I applied for a job as an Internet Designer. Rather than go back to school, I would work. I was working in an internship with this same company at the time, and interviewed for the position in mid July. As it turns out, I was offered the job on Friday and I accepted it. I am very excited about this–it’s absolutely fantastic. I ordered an iPod, you know, for fun. The 15 GB. And wow, is that G5 great, or what?