by Michael Sheehan on January 9, 2012
in CES, Consumer Electronics, Gadgets, General, Hardware, Intel, Microsoft, Opinion, Review, Tech News, video
Remember when netbooks were the “next big thing”? A few years ago, everyone wanted one of these small, compact and seemingly essential computers. But after a few years, the fog lifted from people’s eyes as they realized that the small form factor wasn’t the only thing that people needed. They wanted the best of all worlds, a small, lightweight, portable laptop that is fast and boast solid performance, has stellar battery life and looks slim, sleek and edgy. This new form-factor, based on a reference design from Intel, actually now has a name - Ultrabooks - and you will be hearing more and more about them in 2012, especially over the next few weeks with CES 2012 upon us.
Over the past few weeks, I have had quite a bit of hands on time with an ASUS Zenbook UX31E, which, for all intents and purposes, is a perfect example of an Ultrabook. It has a sharp-looking design, weighs next to nothing and does not compromise on performance, given that it is powered by a second generation Intel Core i5 processor. The Ultrabook is no netbook. It’s not even close.
Some UltrabookDads Videos
Instead of reading, I have a couple of videos that you should watch instead, one by me and one by Jeff Sass. (Jeff and I go back quit a few years to some Sony project work we did together. More recently we have participated in the Intel Advisor programs and events, and we both are part of the Cast of Dads.)
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A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of meeting with the Ford folks at a San Francisco 49er game. There I got to see a preview of the new 2013 Ford Escape, which is billed as a “smart utility vehicle.” I didn’t actually get to test drive it, but I did have a chance to test out a new, innovative feature that I’m sure will prove to be a “life-saver” for parents and adults who frequently have to lug groceries or bags and load them into the hatch.
Ford has introduced the first “hands-free” lift gate which allows the driver to simply “kick” to open the lift gate, assuming they have the keyless dongle on their person (e.g., in a purse or pocket). By simply kicking under the back of the car, the Escape senses the motion and automagically opens the lift gate. It can be closed using the same gesture as well.
Below, you can see this process in action…with a little bit of a surprise! This video is also available on YouTube directly.
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A while ago, I wrote a blog post about how I do blogging. That was over a year ago. Times have changed, tools have evolved and processes have gotten better, at least for me. I still believe that how your blog or write is extremely personal in nature and what may work for me, might not for others. I would, however, like to offer some “best practices” that I use that I have found provide efficiencies for me.
To quickly outline how I write an article or blog post, here is a high-level process and the free tools I use. However, I’m going to go into a bit more details with the Evernote and DropBox steps as these are 2 items that I find to be core to my process. Oh, and you might want to take a look at my “10 Strategies for Finding Quality Time to Produce Content” for some tips on content writing.
So, here’s how I currently do my blog writing:
- Concept – save a title for an article (Evernote)
- Start Writing – get your ideas down (Evernote)
- Create Media Content – take pictures and photos (Picasa, DropBox)
- Consolidate – move it all to your blogging software (Live Writer)
- Review/Editing – edit it all, print out and read (PAPER!)
- Post & Promote – get your article live & share it (WordPress, Twitter, Facebook)
Those are pretty much the 6 easy steps that I use as well as the free tools that I use for each step. Let’s take a closer look at each of these steps and how I uses the various tools.
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by Michael Sheehan on May 5, 2011
in Apple, Consumer Electronics, Gadgets, General, Hardware, Intel, iPad, Microsoft, Mobile, Opinion, Tablet
Part of being an Intel Advisor is getting insights and information directly from inside Intel. This month’s conference call with Intel and other Intel Advisors was no different and we learned about a hot topic in the Tech industry – the tablet race. Leading our discussion was Mark Miller, director of outbound marketing from Intel’s Netbook and Tablet team. Not only did we learn Mark’s take on tablets and other mobility devices, but also he explained Intel’s vision to take ON tablets and these devices and move the space forward.
It was a candid discussion from the get-go. Intel’s mobility (netbook and tablet) group was recently formed in order to better define and shape the tablet and netbook marketplace. Miller admits that Intel is not yet where they want to be within the tablet marketplace, but he also clearly outlined their thoughts and directives to change this as well as provide insights as to how Intel will work to develop the next generation of mobility products.
Below are the usage categories of tablet-like devices that we currently enjoy, however Intel is looking to evolve this, as I outline further within this article:
(image source: Intel AppDeveloper)
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