according to jeff

I’ve added WeatherBug Elite to my iPad. This simple app gives me a snapshot of the current weather conditions, including weather radar, temperature, dew point, and temperature predictions. There’s even a playback mode that will animate the radar image to show how a storm is moving.

While I always perceived WeatherBug on the PC to be a gateway for unwanted applications and/or adware, the iPad version isn’t hampered with any of these concerns. (And, to be fair, my impression of the PC version of WeatherBug is based upon a version from several years ago. That software may have changed its ways.)

Not only is WeatherBug able to show my current weather conditions, but it can also show the weather conditions of other locations. So, whether I’m traveling, or want to see the weather where some one else is traveling, or am just curious about the current weather conditions in, say, Sydney, Australia, I can find out!

What are people saying about PocketBible on the iPad?

“… I’m almost in heaven.”
— Gaijin

“I can honestly say it’s awesome–it has already changed (and improved!) the way I do my own Bible study.”
— Jen

“I’m feeling completely justified for having based my iPad purchase on this app… maybe not sanctified, but indeed justified.”
— J.Sam

“This is one of, if not the finest app in the App store. It is everything you said it would be and more. This is by far the best Bible software available for the iPad, and makes my iPad into the “study friendly” device I had hoped for.”
— Steve K.

“This is by far the best Bible software I have ever used.”
— Phil

“Woo-hoo! It is awesome. This is the best app for my iPad! Really!”
— Brian

“Loaded on my Ipad last night. All I can say is that it is stunning and incredible.”
— John C.

“The first app in the App Store to cry out for 6 stars!”
— NNR

“Beautiful iPad app!!! Love it. This update made my week.”
— Carolyn

“The iPad version is truly the killer-app. Just knowing it was coming had me drooling, and the release didn’t disappoint.”
— Aardwolf

“Verily, I am thankful unto God for leading me to this application … Like the skillful work done by Bezalel and Aholiab, I commend your work. Well done.”
—gomo

“If the AppStore gave out awards for the best app, this would win it hands down. It has the cleanest and easiest to use UI of any app I’ve used on my iPad. If I could I would give it 10 stars not just 5.”
— RS.C

“I’ve been using Laridian products since they were founded and consider them the absolute best of the mobile Bible apps. This latest is no exception and is already my preferred app for the iPad. It’s fast, has a great user interface and tons of resources. It has earned a place on my dock.”
— naapitb

Because we’re fair and balanced, we offer an opposing viewpoint, offered by the user of another Bible product.

“The interface for this app is confusing. Make a wrong move on the touch screen and you can really get yourself lost within the program.”
— Quaczar

Read Matthew Miller’s first-impressions review of PocketBible on his iPad. A more in-depth review is promised soon.

PocketBible for iPad now available in the App Store

Read John Fidel’s review of PocketBible on his iPad.

Laridian’s PocketBible for iPad is Here

I’ve had my iPad for about a month now, and have concluded that I am an iPad fanboy.

While the iPad can be used to watch movies and listen to music and lots of other stuff, too, my use of the iPad has really boiled down to the following.

• Reading the Bible via PocketBible from Laridian — as I write this, we’re finishing up the free iPad update, so this should be available to you “soon” also.
• Reading my Amazon Kindle books — faithful readers may recall that I am a fan of the Kindle 2. Since a Kindle reader is available for my iPad, I can now download and read books on my iPad, just as I did on my Kindle. This is particularly nice because my wife, who didn’t think she would like reading on the Kindle, likes reading my Kindle. So, now she reads on the Kindle and I read on the iPad. Plus, we can share the same Kindle library!
• Quick and easy Web browsing — the iPad turns on and off so fast that it is ideal for quickly checking a Web site, such as facebook or my Yahoo fantasy baseball teams. While a laptop is nearly as portable, there’s something liberating about how quickly the iPad turns on and off. No need to lift a lid, boot up or login, wonder if I should plug in to charge the battery, etc.

Before the iPad was released, proponents of eBooks were concerned about two possible issues with the iPad.

1. The weight of the device would tire the hands
2. The backlight would tire the eyes

I was concerned about these as well, but have now used the iPad enough to have an informed opinion about them.

1. The weight of the device would tire the hands — the iPad is noticeably heavier than the Kindle. The added weight (and perhaps the size) mean that I don’t use the iPad during some activities, where I might have used the Kindle before. For instance, the Kindle is easily held while walking on a treadmill. I don’t think I’ll hold the iPad while on the treadmill. However, this might be resolved by adding a stand to the treadmill or buying a case that makes holding the iPad easier.
2. The backlight would tire the eyes — I haven’t noticed an issue with this. While I find the Kindle equally easy to read, the iPad’s backlight means that it can be read “in the dark”. The Kindle requires some kind of external light.

The iPad screen is absolutely beautiful. However, one side-effect is that it collects fingerprints like a dime-novel detective. I’m constantly needing to polish it with a fine cloth. (In fairness, however, when the iPad is on, the fingerprints are not noticeable.)

The battery life has been equally impressive. While it won’t run as long as my Kindle, it lasts much longer than my iPhone. Of course, my iPad doesn’t have a cell radio that it is powering and monitoring, so the comparison isn’t exactly fair. Nevertheless, I find that I sometimes need to ration my use of my phone to get the battery through the day. I never have to do this with the iPad.

The iPad case feels slick, like the original iPhone. As a result, I had to get over the feeling that I needed to grip it carefully to avoid it slipping through my hands. With use, however, I find that it is easily held onto and my perception of slickness, while not going away entirely, has lessened.

Partly as a result of the slickness and partly because I’m hip like that, I’ve been on the lookout for a stylish folio case. I was hopeful that Rickshaw Bagworks would meet this need. However, their first iPad offering is a sleeve, not a folio.

I opted for the non-3G version of the iPad, which also means that my iPad doesn’t have a GPS receiver. Since my iPhone has 3G and GPS, I decided that simple WiFi connection would be more than sufficient. This has proven correct; I’ve not yet been a situation where I needed 3G nor GPS.

Some have lamented that the iPad doesn’t do multitasking. Meh. Everything starts and stops fast enough. Fullscreen apps are easy to use. I haven’t missed it. (Plus, iPhone OS 4 is to have some sort of multitasking. I’m not yet convinced it will be a positive step forward.)

Others have lamented the lack of Flash support. Meh.

Perhaps the biggest disadvantage of having an iPad is getting ribbed by your friends for being a gadget-boy. Just shake it off, and tell yourself that they’re just jealous. Because, probably, they are!

I splurged today and bought a new app for my iPhone: FlightTrack.

One of the features that makes the iPhone such a great experience is the ability to find and download apps via iTunes and the AppStore, either directly on the phone or from the computer that I synchronize with my iPhone. So, as I was sitting in the airport, ready to send Bethany off on her flights to Oberlin, Ohio (actually to Detroit and then to Cleveland), I found, purchased, downloaded, and configured FlightTrack to show the status of her “to” and “from” flights.

At $4.99, FlightTrack is one of the more expensive iPhone apps. However, it is super easy to use and very convenient.

FlightTrack provides the same information that is available at www.flightstats.com. It provides arrival and departure times, gate numbers, weather information, and even a flight map. For instance, Bethany’s flight is currently over Lake Michigan at 29,000 feet and traveling at 475 mph.

While it’s kind of fun to follow a flight, I expect that it will be most useful to determine if a flight is on time or delayed.

Yesterday, Apple announced the iPad, which is projected to ship in the US in March (WiFi version) and April (WiFi + 3G version). My status as an iPhone developer doesn’t get me any super-secret inside information. Apple didn’t rush a review copy to me. I don’t know if the three Laridian iPhone apps are among the “most” of the 140,000 apps that will “just work” on the iPad. (However, I expect them to work just fine.)

So, just like most of you, my faithful readers, I’ve only seen the information at the Apple Web site, watched the video, and read some reviews and opinions from other Web sites, such as:

• Wired: Would You Buy an iPad? Wired Readers Weigh In
• Wired: How Will the Apple Tablet iPad Change Our Kids’ Lives?
• CNet Poll: The Apple iPad: Will you buy one?
• Telegraphs (UK): Apple iPad review
• Engadget: Apple iPad first hands-on!
• LA Times: The iPad shows up the Kindle; will Apple’s iBooks store challenge Amazon?

Some of these articles and article commenters seem to get it, such as the author of How Will the Apple Tablet iPad Change Our Kids’ Lives?. However, I’ve been surprised how many are not getting what seems so clear to me.

This quote from Wired’s Would You Buy an iPad? Wired Readers Weigh In article reveals the confusion.

Though Apple’s Steve Jobs introduced the iPad as a device that would occupy the world between smartphones and laptops, potential customers aren’t convinced. A full 71 percent of 934 readers polled said they won’t buy an iPad, because they are happy with their smartphone and notebook.

To understand the iPad, you have to first understand what it isn’t. Steve Jobs makes that clear in the above quote. The iPad isn’t a phone. The iPad isn’t a laptop. That is, the iPad isn’t expected to do all of the things that you might do with your phone or your laptop. Yet, 71% of the poll respondents “won’t buy an iPad, because they are happy with their smartphone and notebook.” These 71% don’t understand what the iPad isn’t.

So, if the iPad is not a phone or laptop, what is it? From the Apple video, it’s pretty clear: the iPad is a mobile media machine.

• Surf the Web.
• Read a book.
• Listen to music.
• Watch a movie.

Sure, you can install the iPad version of Pages and write a term paper on it, but that’s not the primary purpose. So, comparing it to a laptop isn’t reasonable.

But comparing it to my iPod and Kindle is. And, based on what I’ve seen and read so far, the iPad is looking pretty good. Yes, it costs twice as much (or more), but look at all of the extra stuff that it can do!

Here are some of the common complaints or concerns that I’ve seen.

• The iPad name suggests that Apple has a serious lack of women in it IT department.
  Seriously? I never made that connection. iPad is just a derivative of iPod. And beside, the IT department has nothing to do with a product’s name. That would come largely from the marketing department.
• “Ink” technology (i.e. Kindle) is better on the eyes than the backlit LED that the iPad uses.
  I really like reading my Kindle, so I’m a fan of Ink technology. Still, I can’t read it in the dark without a pretty bright light shining on it. And, I usually spend most of my day in front of a computer screen, and my eyes don’t feel fatigued at the end of the day. So I’m not yet convinced that this is an issue.
• The iPad doesn’t allow multitasking, so I can’t listen to Pandora streamed from the Web whilte I read.
  OK, you have a point. On the other hand, the iPad is an iPod. My iPhone doesn’t multitask either, but I can listen to music from the iPhone’s “iPod” feature while doing anything else. Plus, I don’t listen to Pandora. Now, if you were to tell me that something important was missing, like that MLB won’t have an app for listening to live baseball games, I might agree with you.
• The Web browser doesn’t support Flash.
  OK. This might be annoying every now and then. However, my Kindle not only doesn’t support Flash, it doesn’t support ANY Web browsing.
• Once again, Apple comes out with an overpriced toy.
  I admit, when I saw Apple introduce the iPad as a magical and revolutionary device at an “unbelievable” price, I was skeptical. I wouldn’t classify the $499 price for the least expensive model as “unbelievable”. While it is expensive, it’s not necessarily outrageous.

The iPad has been “announced” for a full day now. I haven’t seen one in person. But, based upon what I have seen and read, I think it looks very promising as an upgrade to my Kindle.

iPod Mechanic (now at imechanic.com) is an iPod repair service that I’ve previously used and written about (Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3).

Now, according to this article in MacWorld, iPod Mechanic is in legal trouble with Apple, who is unhappy not only about the use of the word “iPod” but also alleges fraudulent repair practices.

My experiences — some good, some not so good — with iPod Mechanic had led me to conclude that it was a small company that was simply unable to meet the demand for its services. Now I’m not so sure that that was all that was going on.

I have one of the original iPhones; it is the best mobile phone that I’ve ever had.

Now there’s a new iPhone from Apple: the iPhone 3G. The iPhone 3G uses a faster data network and sports a GPS, plus includes several software enhancements, including the ability to add non-Apple programs to the iPhone. The iPhone itself is less expensive, but the data plan is an additional $10 per month over the $20 per month paid for the EDGE network.

I’ve not yet opted to buy a new iPhone, but I did decide yesterday to upgrade my iPhone to the new 2.0 operating system and software.

Before beginning, I upgraded to the latest version of the iTunes software (version 7.7) and made sure that I wouldn’t need my phone for a few hours. My friend Jim had recently performed the upgrade, and said that it took several hours to complete.

Several hours was an understatement. After about three hours, with iTunes appearing stuck on “restoring iPhone software”, I googled and found this article, which suggests that the upgrade can take up to 6 hours. The article suggested to let it continue to run overnight and that aborting the upgrade could disable the phone. So, with some concern, I decided to let it continue to run overnight. Over the course of a few hours, I saw the progress meter inch forward, from perhaps 5% complete to 10% complete. “Maybe it will finish overnight,” I thought, with a glimmer of hope.

Nope.

This morning I searched the Apple support site and found this article. I followed those instructions (with a few additions of my own):

1. I disconnected the iPhone USB cable.
2. I held down the iPhone power button to make the iPhone turn off.
3. I “force quit” iTunes.
4. I rebooted my MacBook.
5. I started iTunes again, and it notified me of a new version (apparently released since yesterday afternoon). I let it install version 7.7.1.
6. I temporarily changed my power management settings to not sleep the computer or screen (I didn’t want to have to keep pressing a key turn the screen on so that I could see progress).
7. I plugged the iPhone USB cable back in, while holding down the “home” button as suggested in the Apple article.
8. iTunes informed me that the iPhone needed to be restored.
9. I started the restore.

Within 30 minutes, the restore, upgrade and activation completed. The phone is working and the new 2.0 software is installed. I’m not sure what caused the hang-up, nor which of the steps above actually fixed it. It may have been the iTunes 7.7.1 update, or putting the iPhone into recovery mode, or simply rebooting, or something else entirely. On the one hand, I’m disappointed that the upgrade process wasn’t flawless; on the other hand, I’m glad that I found an article at Apple that helped resolve the problem.

OK, so Saturday night I went to a concert given by a bunch of guys that I’d never heard of.¹ People like Andrew Peterson, Jill Phillips, Andy Gullahorn, Ben Shive.²

I’d learned about the concert while trying to schedule the draft of a fantasy baseball league with my friend Otto. While Otto had suggested drafting on Saturday night, his friend Aaron had a conflict because of this guy Andrew Peterson’s concert. I mentioned that to my daughter, who immediately expressed interest in attending the concert.

Since I’m a pretty good dad, except when I’m not, we bought our $15 tickets at one of the local Christian novelty stores bookstores.

The concert was held at Cedar Valley Bible Church. (Excluding our own church, we probably know more people at CVBC than at any other local church.) As the doors were to open at 6:30, we arrived at 6:15, fully expecting to find some other music-loving friends already in line ahead of us. Instead, we found only 10 or so had arrived before us. When the doors opened at 6:45 (not that I’m bitter about it), there was quite a crowd (including our music-loving friends and the aforementioned Aaron) behind us. I led us to seats on the seventh row, and then my daughter led us to seats on the fourth row.

The concert opened with Andrew, Ben and Andy. Ben and Andy are referred to as The Captains Courageous. Throughout the concert, Ben played piano, keyboard, and accordion. From our fourth row seat, I didn’t see much of him. Andy and Andrew both played various guitars and sang. In fact, most of the musicians seemed comfortable with many instruments. Talent abounded. I consoled myself by telling me that my voice is an instrument as well.

Andrew Peterson and the Captains Courageous played several songs, which I, of course, hadn’t heard before. I particularly enjoyed The Chasing Song. Between songs, Andrew would talk of faith or just offer a funny anecdote. He came off as a pretty genuine fellow. I particularly enjoyed the humor of Andy Gullahorn (who also earned bonus points for talking about attending his church and sermons that he’d recently heard).

Also in the first half, Andrew introduced Jill Phillips. She sang several folksy songs before introducing her favorite songwriter (and husband) Andy Gullahorn. Andy then took the lead and sang a few songs as well.

Andrew, Jill, and Andy
(plus three rows of heads as a free bonus)

The second half of the concert was a series of songs and readings focusing on the triumphal entry and the resurrection of Jesus. It wasn’t entirely clear to me, but I think that some of these songs are from Andrew Peterson’s upcoming album Resurrection Letters Volume II and some were from Resurrection Letters Volume I (which is to be produced and released after Volume II). I thought that the second half was good, but I enjoyed the first half more. My wife, on the other hand, preferred the second half.

There are several things that I like about this concert. Most of the songs and instrumentation were of a folksy nature and weren’t overdone. The percussion wasn’t cookie cutter drum set. Some songs featured the accordion and others a steel guitar. The venue seemed intimate, which suited the musicians. The church and staging made the concert seem more like a coffee shop event than an arena concert. And finally, many of the songs were worshipful.

I definitely enjoyed this concert more than a typical night at the symphony, and would definitely attend another concert. I may even listen to an album or two so that all of the songs aren’t new to me next time around!

1. This isn’t exactly true, but “a bunch of guys that I’d never heard of” is more compelling than “a bunch of guys that I’d never heard of, and Andrew Peterson who I knew a little about because of his song Queen of Iowa, but I’ve not really ever listened to his music.”
2. I have friends who can have what sounds like an intelligent conversation about the drummer from some obscure band such as Rush. I can’t do that.
3. Yes, I know that Rush isn’t obscure. I just like to tweak you.