Archive for the ‘Technology’ Category

My initial take on the iPad

Monday, April 26th, 2010

Pros: Perfect screen size; there’s an app for almost everything; crisp and clear; fast
Cons: It doesn’t do or support everything a person might want it for
Rating: 4 out of 5

Also posted on Epinions.com.

 

I know we usually review books here, but we do occasionally tackle a few other things as well, like kitchenware and the occasional bit of computing equipment or software. Since I’ve been using my iPad daily since it came out, I decided it was time to give my initial impressions. Just for reference, I have the 16G wifi model, case, and keyboard with dock. Why did I go for the low-end model? Well, I’m not an early adopter. I like to wait until the second or, preferably, third round of a product so the bugs can be worked out and the price can come down. However, the iPad fits my needs so well that I couldn’t resist—but I also know that a first-gen device like this will probably need to be replaced sooner than a later one, so I didn’t want to spend the money for a truly top-end device.

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“The Pocket Idiot’s Guide to the iPhone,” Damon Brown

Friday, September 14th, 2007

Pros: Walks you through your iPhone’s functions in easy language
Cons: Rather lacking in helpful information; too much “fanboy” attitude; the manual has more information
Rating: 1.5 out of 5

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“Programming C#: Fourth Edition,” by Jesse Liberty

Tuesday, April 10th, 2007

Pros: Good Reference for C#
Cons: Content on the CLR and .NET “kinda meh” (technical reviewer term)
Rating: 4 out of 5
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“Agile Web Development with Rails: Second Edition,” by Dave Thomas and David Heinemeier Hansson with Leon Breedt, Mike Clark, James Duncan Davidson, Justin Gehtland, and Andreas Schwarz

Saturday, February 3rd, 2007

Pros: Thorough, clear, and complete
Cons: Now what do I do with my other Rails books
Rating: 5 out of 5
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“Rails Recipes,” by Chad Fowler

Saturday, February 3rd, 2007

Pros: Recipes I’d actually use and insight into Rails
Cons: Give me a minute… I’m thinking
Rating: 5 out of 5
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“The Zen of CSS Design: Visual Enlightenment for the Web,” by Dave Shea and Molly E. Holzschlag

Thursday, February 1st, 2007

Pros: Beautiful, Inspiring, Did I Mention Beautiful
Cons: Needs Less Appreciation and More Practical Instruction
Rating: 3 out of 5
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Bejeweled 2 Deluxe

Tuesday, December 19th, 2006

Pros: Great variety of play modes; pretty graphics; neat variety of effects; nifty music
Cons: None
Rating: 5 out of 5
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Bookworm Deluxe

Monday, December 18th, 2006

Pros: Whimsical, fun, educational
Cons: None
Rating: 5 out of 5

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“Agile Web Development with Rails: A Pragmatic Guide,” by Dave Thomas and David Heinemeier Hansson with Leon Breedt, Mike Clark, Thomas Fuchs, and Andreas Schwarz

Sunday, November 26th, 2006

Pros: Clear and Thorough
Cons: Part/Chapter Layout
Rating: 3 out of 5
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“Ruby on Rails: Up and Running,” by Bruce A. Tate and Curt Hibbs

Thursday, November 23rd, 2006

Pros: Concise, Clear, Well Organized
Cons: Insufficient
Rating: 2 out of 5
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