Myke stole my wish list item! That’s right. You’ll have to listen to this week’s Pen Addict Podcast #81 to get the details and hear me ramble on endlessly and see, what has to be, the longest link list in the history of the podcast.
Enjoy!
Wireless Speakers (and other sound options)
As the holidays swiftly approach, I’ve noticed a plethora of ads (televised, paper and digital) for wireless speakers. This seems like the go-to gift this holiday season — something to plus-up an existing digital device like a phone, tablet, laptop, etc. There are lots of options from the colorful Jambox by Jawbone to the descriptive, if uninspiringly-named, Sony Bluetooth Wireless Speaker. There’s also the Bose SoundLink Mini which has a pleasing design look as well as the respectability of the Bose brand name behind it. All three of these device come in around $200. The Jambox offers three sizes that range in price from $149 to $299; the model comparable to the SoundLink and Sony model selling for $179.
The Sonos Play1 is also a wireless speaker but without the built-in rechargeable batteries of the other models.
I currently own a Tivoli Model One which I keep in the kitchen to listen to NPR or I use the auxiliary port to plug in an iPod. It has extremely good sound quality for such a small device. Tivoli now offers a bluetooth version of the Model One for $260.
I think anyone of these speaker units would be a great desk accessory. Both the Jambox and the Sony Speaker include built-in microphones to double as a device for conference calls. If you intend to use a wireless speaker in your home or office exclusively, the Sonos or Tivoli models might work well though neither have a built-in mic either. While I prefer the understated looks of the SoundLink Mini (and I already own the stunning Tivoli Model One), I would be inclined to purchase a device with a built-in mic, especially for in-office use.
Do you use wireless speakers? Have you tried any of these devices? Are you adding wireless speakers to your holiday wish list?
Link Love: All Caught Up!
Pencils:
- Staedtler Noris HB Review (via Pencil Revolution)
- PaperMate Earth Write HB (via A Penchant For Paper)
- Chronicles of Bodleian : A pencil-only reading room! (via La Vie Graphite)
Pen and Ink:
- A Return to Paradise: Thoughts on Fine Pens (via Ben and Brew)
- The Best Pen (via The Wire Cutter)
- Pilot Razor Point Review (The Pen Addict)
- Pilot Precise P-700 0.7mm Gel Roller Ball Review (via The Unroyal Warrant)
- Noodler’s Blue Eel Ink (via Unroyal Warrant)
- Ink By Bottle or Cartridge (via Fountain Pen Quest)
- Pilot Metropolitan Animal Prints (via From The Pen Cup)
- Kaweco Art Sport Fountain Pen (via Ed Jelley)
- Pens for Aid (via Leigh Reyes)
Notebooks:
- Selecting the Perfect Planner Part One, Two and Three (via European Paper)
- Paper & Journals: The Paper Index (via These Beautiful Pens)
- Paperblanks Notebook Review (via Notebook Stories)
Spincil
A 2B beechwood pencil that doubles as a top? Ortie Design has created this clever little bit of entertainment. While I’m not sure what the large bulb does for the weighting of the pencil, watching the graphite markings while it spins would be totally mesmerizing.
Looks like the Spincils are currently available only in shops in France and neighboring countries.
( via Gizmodo)
Batkid Successfully Saves Gotham
(This post is completely and entirely off-topic. Apologies to all and a promise to get back to business ASAP)
As a loyal listener to the Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast, AKA PCHH, I often spend my Friday afternoon thinking about “what’s making me happy this week.” This week, and Friday in particular, I spent the day glued to a live feed from SF and the adventures of Batkid.
So, this week, San Francisco is making me happy, for giving a little boy the chance to be a hero.
Curious iApp Discoveries
I started this post because I found some unusual iPhone apps recently but then I got to thinking about it and decided maybe folks would like to see some of the apps I use regularly as well. So, here are the highlights of the apps I use almost daily as well as some funky little tidbits I’ve found recently. (The screenshot is my home page as of this morning, truth.)
- Dots: Dots is a beautiful time-waster game in chunks of 30 seconds. Its free and its addictive. You’ve been warned.
- Device 6: This looks like a game made for me. Its a thriller/puzzle/mystery game wrapped in beautiful design and a mysterious man in a hat. I just got an iTunes gift card so I’ll be downloading this ASAP. $3.99
- Connor: Connor NYC is a high-end bespoke stationery company that produced an iPad app to create e-stationery
- Squarespace apps: I’m familiar with Squarespace as a blog/commerce/website venue but did not know that they offer several apps to create on-the-go notes, portfolio viewer from content on their Squarespace site and a sleek site controller. Squarespace Note app does not require an account and its free.
- Dictionary.com: I love the Word of The Day feature and being able to look up words on the go. Free.
- Gmail: I have tried lots of email apps for the iPhone including Sparrow and the default Apple Mail app and I am stuck on Gmail. The new divided tabs that separate updates from social from pormotions and your actual email is genius. It saves me tons of time and lets me see my mail from all the spam, newsletters and miscellany. Genius.
- Cardstar: This app has the ugliest icon ever and it makes me cringe when I look at it but it is the wallet-lightening joy of an app. It will scan the bar codes off all those frequent shopper cards, hotel/airline points accounts, etc and store them in your iPhone complete with the scanner-readable bar code. Other apps have better icons but THIS one works. And its FREE.
- Fantastical: Why do I need another calendar app? Because Fantastical lets me type “Meet with Stephanie at 3pm today” and voila! It places a meeting in the right time without having to remember that today is the 15th. I thought it would be more cumbersome to type out a whole sentence to schedule a meeting but its not. I like it so much, I just paid $2.99 to upgrade to the new iOS 7 version.
Other apps I use all the time are Tweetbot, WordPress, IFTTT, USPS Mobile, Delivery Status, Wake, Riposte and Evernote. I’ve tried lots of photo editing apps and use AfterLight most often. What are your favorites?
Vanity Fair Desks
Each month, in Vanity Fair magazine (and on their website) there is an annotated photo of a famous person’s desk. For the pen geek, its a treat to see that Jerry Bruckheimer collects ornate fountain pens, that Lorne Michaels office looks just like the set created for Sutdio 60 on the Sunset Strip, and Trey Parker and Mat Stone’s office is just as messy as you thought it would be. I love Aaron Sorkin’s vintage Pen & Pencil ashtray shown in the photo above.
They also have a digital version of the My Desk column called My Phone that shows digerati’s home screens and they discuss their favorite apps.
(via Vanity Fair)