LifeProof Case Review

The year is 2176 and once again, Evan Gabriel finds himself unable to resist helping out for the greater good despite his wariness in dealing with the military institution. He and his team of Navy special forces operatives, fresh from a major engagement involving political subterfuge and evil intentions on planet Poliahu, are assisting Mars defense forces with their ever-difficult task of planet security when they’re asked to perform a special, “off-the-books” incursion back on the planet which nearly cost Gabriel his life years before.

Eden.

The word rings horrific and haunting to Gabriel each and every time he hears it. His last mission to the planet resulted in the rescue of many school children being held by terrorists, but also in the deaths of his entire team; or so he thought. This time, Gabriel takes on another mission to Eden to rescue a Governor’s son; but plots are never that easy, are they? In this second installment, Gabriel comes face to face with his past and even he isn’t prepared for what he’ll find.

Image courtesy of Smashwords, Inc.

This second book was much like the first in that the formula for suspense and the vivid imagery capture you early-on, and hold out through to the end. This time around, however, we’re not discovering so much who Evan Gabriel is (as in the first book), but instead trying to figure out which direction the deception against him and his team is coming from. Plots interweave beautifully (as with book 1) to form the landscape Gabriel and his team have to traverse, and I was eager to go on to the next page in order to satiate my desire to get answers. Each page and chapter concisely help to further the plot, and I found it a pleasure to read large chunks before forcing myself put it down to accomplish other tasks such as feeding the children or doing laundry!

Steve Umstead also adds another dimension to his writing in that he is very meticulous about his inclusion of military customs, equipment and general life. As a former Navy Corpsman attached to a Marine Corps unit and, subsequently, a Military Policeman, I found it extremely easy to follow along with the military jargon in both books. But, you certainly don’t have to have a military background to follow along in either book because all the plot points and details flow without the need for any outside reference. Steve’s accuracy with military equipment and terminology are spot-on. There are also some easter eggs for those into military history or military reading in general and those are certainly nice gems to find (Marcinko, I’m looking at you!).

So without just completely giving every bit of the plot of Gabriel’s Return away, I’ll summarize by saying there is definitely subterfuge, there are explosions, and there are twists within twists. Steve Umstead has painted an extremely rich universe on a very dimensional canvas. I was kept guessing until the last chapter, and that’s not easy to do in a book of this nature. As Evan Gabriel and his team of seasoned-veterans progress through their trials on Eden, you’ll find yourself wanting to look behind every steelroot tree and in every hide in the jungle to find out what happens next.

As I’ve told others regarding book 1, Gabriel’s Redemption, if you’re a fan of science fiction, you owe it to yourself to read both of these books and see for yourself what a detailed and interesting universe Steve Umstead has created in the Evan Gabriel series. I can’t wait for the next book!

Steve Umstead is one of my contacts on Twitter, and he recently stopped by my blog and asked if I’d be kind enough to read and review his science fiction eBook Gabriel’s Redemption. “Are you kidding me?” I thought. Of course I would be. And, having read through this eBook on my iPad and iPhone as a ePub file, I can say I’m glad I got the chance.

Gabriel’s Redemption takes place in humankind’s future, after we’ve managed to figure out distant space travel and have begun colonization of planets far and wide. Evan Gabriel, the protagonist of this story, is a disgraced and dishonored former North American Federation Naval Commander living in the back-alley world of Jamaica. Gabriel had been a highly-valued member of the Special Forces community until the situation arose for a corrupt superior officer to use him as a scapegoat for insidious plots. The story opens up as Gabriel is visited by members of the NAF and subsequently re-activated to special forces duty for a unique mission.

The story starts out fast-paced, and doesn’t let up throughout. Gabriel is soon thrust back into the fray and offered redemption for his past “transgressions” by the man who was responsible for his downfall, now Vice Admiral Llewelyn MacFarland. The Admiral spins a horrific tale of drug runners heartlessly killing the indigenous population of Poliahu (one of the sparsely-colonized planets outside our own solar system) to harvest a portion of their brains to make one of the most potent recreational drugs known to man. Gabriel is then placed with a new special forces unit in preparation for the journey to Poliahu and for the confrontation with the drug runners. As you can imagine, the story isn’t as straightforward as Admiral MacFarland played it out to be, and things never go as planned.

Without delving too much into specific plot details, one thing that this eBook does and does well is that it’s very easy to get wrapped up in the storyline, and it’s equally difficult to put down because the pace is speedy enough to keep your attention. In fact, if I had to lodge one complaint, I’d have to say that the story seemed too short. It’s not because the story is actually short, it’s because there are rarely breaks in the action and I found myself reluctant to “shelve it for the night!”

Gabriel’s Redemption has a classic espionage feel (resurrecting an old nemesis for the main character, maybe?), mixed with good old science fiction savvy. You’ll also find some great references to Naval ships and such named after current-day persons (such as the NAFS Richard Marcinko, CAS-408, named after former U.S. Navy S.E.A.L. Commander and author of “Rogue Warrior”), as well as great descriptions of the special forces battle armor, weapons and tactics used during the book’s action sequences. Steve Umstead definitely did his homework and the result is a rich, involved plot laced with subtle comedic relief and topped with a healthy ladle of bravado.

If you’re into military-based espionage or military science fiction, Gabriel’s Redemption will not disappoint. Now, I eagerly await the next in the series!!

Image courtesy of Apple, Inc.

In the Summer of 2010, Apple, Inc. introduced a revolutionary device called the iPad. The iPad was Apple’s entrance into the still relatively barren tablet computer space. Apple is no stranger to digital product revolution; however, as it’s had mega-successes with its iPod digital music player line beginning in the first part of the 2000’s, as well as the quintessential iPhone smartphone in the summer of 2007. Apple also manufactures its highly-popular Macintosh line of computers under names like “iMac,” “Mac Pro,” “MacBook Pro” and “MacBook Air.” But, as with any piece of electrical or digital hardware (and software for that matter), Apple set out to raise the bar significantly with the introduction of its iPad 2 on March 2, 2011. Although they share a common name and lineage, the two iPad devices are worlds apart.

The delineation between iPads 1 and 2 can be looked at as minimal or profound, depending on your needs. Die-hard specification geeks might be at odds with practical users and Apple faithfuls in terms of the iPad 2’s feature list. They might feel as though Apple hasn’t done enough to necessitate an upgrade (a mere one year later) to the newer product, despite new features. So what, exactly, would drive hundreds of thousands of tech-geeks to stand outside Apple stores across the world? The devil is in the details.

The iPad 1 was a breakthrough for more than one reason, the least of which was the fact that Apple combined a user interface that was both simple and elegant. People all over the world were already familiar with how the iPhone worked; they were used to the myriad applications that could be instantly purchased in the Apple App Store from each device. The UI and App Store were the first features that unified the iPad 1 and iPad 2 experience right out of the box. If you had owned an iPad 1 and purchased an iPad 2, you weren’t going to need to learn a new interface or change the way you tapped, pinched or used the new model.

One of the next obvious features which is congruent between iPads is the screen size. Apple decided not to change the 9.7 inch (diagonal) screen in the newer model, so both have the same dimensions when it comes to actual viewable pixels. Apparently, 9.7” of viewable screen real-estate seems to be the right “sweet spot.”

Along with the above (more prominent) features shared between iPads 1 and 2, some of the other hardware was kept the same. The connection port on the bottom of both units is exactly the same. Those connectors, in turn, are the exact same as the ones used in the iPod and iPhone lines. With the charging and synchronization port also remaining the same, users won’t have to carry around several different adapters to power their products. Also, the opposite end of every Apple device connector is still via USB, which virtually every Mac and PC in the world have available.

The front of both old and new units are also the same: each has a single Home button in the lower, center portion of the face. This button serves the same function regardless of unit; it allows one to single click to take you back to your home screen, double-click in order to perform a unit-wide search (apps, contacts, emails, etc.) or triple-click to toggle special functions which can be specially-set by the user such as toggling the VoiceOver function or to toggle the screen color to white on black, depending on your preferences.

Now, those are just some of the more prominent similarities between the two iPads. Steve Jobs couldn’t just throw out the same hardware to the world, so there were some significant changes made to the iPad 2 that were not present in the iPad 1. The first, and probably most anticipated, was the addition of two cameras on the unit similar to the iPhone 4. One is a VGA camera on the front of the unit for using apps such as Face Time video conferencing or Skype. The second camera is a 720p HD camera for taking better-quality pictures in front of you, much more like a regular camera. The megapixel count for the HD camera is low for 2011 standards, which upset some, but the dual camera layout was quite welcome for most who just wanted to be able to “call” their family and be able to see them on their device at the same time.

One of the next “big” features introduced with the iPad 2 is that it is remarkably thinner than the original. When you hold one of each model in your hands (which I have), the iPad 2 is remarkably smaller in how thick the unit is and it’s quite a bit more comfortable. The comical commercials and jabs at the iPad 2 showcase its thinness by claiming that you can shave your face or cut a cake with it!

Next on the list of hardware changes comes in the form of the internals. The iPad 1 had a single-core processor, which means that there is literally only one processor in the unit that is in charge of how quickly applications open or how fast games operate. The iPad 2, however, introduced Apple’s new “A5” processor which is a dual-core model; it physically has two processors in the unit, which equates to a huge speed boost over its predecessor. Dual-core computers have been in the mainstream for a few years now, and we’re seeing quad-core processors and even larger burst onto the scene now. The iPad 2 is one of the first portable tablet computers to include more than one core.

The final big change the iPad 2 has brought to the table is for the user to have the ability to purchase a white-bezel model. With the iPhone 4’s introduction in 2010, potential buyers had only a black face/bezel color to choose from. Originally, there were to be black AND white models separately, but a year after introduction there is still no white iPhone 4. The white iPhone 4 is supposed to be available in April, however, which is almost a year after the initial black model’s debut. The original iPad followed the iPhone 4’s lead, with a black-bezeled model being the only one available. To this day, there has never been a white iPad 1 model released. With the introduction of the iPad 2, though, a black model as well as a white one were released for availability simultaneously.

Normally, the introduction of a new product is either met with fervor or apathy. Never has anyone seen the level of either of these feelings brought out more prominently than with the unveiling of either iPad model. Apple has definitely produced two similar, yet uniquely different pieces of hardware which have either caused pandemonium due to small available quantities or crippling hatred from those who wouldn’t touch an Apple product if it were the last item on Earth. One thing is for sure, the improvements and changes made to the iPad 2 have set a new bar for hardware manufacturers all over the world. It’s now a game of catch-up for anybody wanting to play.

Stay tuned!

New to the iPod Nano? Well, it’s one of Apple’s latest MP3 players, much in the same vein as the iPod Shuffle. It’s squarish, small, light, comes in a myriad of colors and has all the capabilities of the Shuffle, only it includes a 1.54-inch diagonal TFT touchscreen display on its front. Yes, a touchscreen. Trust me, with Apple’s genius-laced touch implementation, it’s very easy to use.

I have yet to see somebody strolling along with one of these creatures on. Sure, you’ll see a plethora of DKNY and Rolex wristwatches whilst perusing the local mall, but the idea of taking an MP3 player, in this case the 6th generation iPod Nano, and using it as one still isn’t mainstream. So why is putting a Nano on a watch band “controversial?” Well, I’ve read several reviews lately from some big blogs here and here, and it seems that there are enough nitpicks the authors have with using an iPod Nano as a watch that keep them from using it as such full-time. Some opinions range from the Nano being too big for a watch to it not having enough watch-like features to be a full-time replacement. But, there are hundreds of companies now manufacturing bands to allow use of the Nano as a watch, so that counts for something, right?

So, how does it stack up to this particular tech nerd? Here’s my experience…

First of all, I am always impressed when I take an Apple product out of the box. The design thought that goes into the packaging is sometimes just as impressive as the product itself. The Nano isn’t an exception. After I carefully unwrapped the plastic safety contraptions and removed the unit from the box, I was immediately greeted with yet another wonderfully-manufactured product. I purchased the “Graphite” colored Nano, which puts the finish color on-par with the substance that’s been in the center of our #2 pencils for decades. The tactile feel of the unit is smooth, yet a bit matte due to the brushed nature of the aluminum Apple uses. This is definitely not something that I’d be afraid to brandish around while exercising (hey, it’s Winter…I WILL start walking and hiking again when it gets warm!) or rolling around town with.

Once I unwrapped the cabling that comes with the Nano (standard iPod USB cable and basic Apple headphones), I plugged it into my MacBook Pro to synchronize with iTunes. It only took a few minutes to get all of my required playlists synchronized with the Nano, and since the unit was almost fully charged right out of the box, I was ready to rock. Since my ultimate goal was to use the Nano as a watch and an MP3/audiobook player equally, I had researched and pre-ordered an iWatchz watch band, which is manufactured specifically to fit an iPod Nano 6th gen onboard. My Nano had to sit around as a regular music player for a couple of days until the band arrived, but that gave me time to make sure I had all the touch controls down-pat.

Once the iWatchz band arrived, I opened that box and promptly married the Nano and watch band via an extremely simple plastic baseplate made to accommodate the Nano perfectly. The design of the band is such that you can add and remove the Nano in just a few seconds, depending on what situation you plan on participating in. One thing was immediately apparent once the two were together: I would absolutely NOT be ashamed to wear this watch in public. In fact, the graphite Nano complimented the black iWatchz band perfectly, and looked rather dapper, I must say. Seriously, it appeared as though the two were manufactured by the same company.

The watch band is made with the industry standard silicone materials and appears as though it is as durable as any other band of its type. The buckle assembly looks to be stainless steel, and overall, the band has a very nice smooth and sporty look.

What about the actual functionality of the watch? Well, I can honestly say that I like the fact that the watch face is black when I’m not using it, but it’s instantly a watch when I want it to be. You see, it’s just like an iPod Touch, iPhone or iPad in that it will be “asleep” until you want to do something with it. There are only three buttons along one side of the Nano (along the right side in this particular watch band): the sleep/wake button and the volume up and volume down buttons. Normally, if the screen is black and you press the sleep/wake button, the face would show your “home” screen, which is like a 4×4-icon iPhone screen. You can swipe through screens of icons (4 icons per “page”) and choose functions such as playlists, artists, radio (in conjunction with the supplied earbuds as the antenna), photos (yes, you can add your own photos for slideshows via iTunes and iPhoto or through disk use on a Windows PC), fitness (works with Nike Sport Kit products) and last but not least, the “clock” app. This is the main app that provides us with the ability to use the Nano as a watch.

So, as I said, normally the Nano will wake up to a homescreen of icons. However, there is a setting that allows you to set the clock as the visible item any time you wake up the Nano with the sleep/wake button. The downside? You have to press the button to display the watch when you want the time. Is this really a palpable problem? Not for me. The Nano watch looks very futuristic with a black face, and honestly, there’s not much effort involved with reaching less than a foot and lightly pressing one button to check the time. The normal watch functions of stopwatch and timer are present as well by swiping the clock face to the left.

I do have a couple of suggestions for Apple, however, seeing as the software version for the Nano currently stands at 1.0. I think that there should be a viable app ecosystem to include the iPod Nano as well as the iPhone, iTouch and iPad. For fitness folks, those who hike and bike and quite a few other groups, having an expanded choice in apps would be HUGE for both Apple and app developers. We’ve already seen how the app store for all the previously mentioned items is flourishing, and the Nano would add yet another layer of cash to those willing to step into the ring. It’s really a win/win situation. Another addition that would make this device that much further ahead of the curve would be to add Bluetooth capability. Right now, some of the accessories for the Nano (like the Nike Sport Kit) utilize an add-on adapter that plugs into the bottom of the Nano’s connection port to communicate with a carried receiver to perform tasks such as GPS tracking for long runs. If Bluetooth was built into the Nano unit itself, peripheral accessories such as Bluetooth headphones could be comfortably worn like they can with an iPhone. I think the possibilities are endless as to what you could do with a device profile like the Nano if you have the right software mix.

Overall, I’m very pleased with this combination. The watch is very comfortable, it doesn’t sit up high on my wrist like some watches (Casio G-Shocks have been particularly bad about this on my dainty wrists over the years), and the overall size of the watch is no bigger than a dozen others I’ve owned. I can plug in my earbuds (which protrude from the left side of the watch as it sits on your left wrist) while wearing the watch, and if I really wanted, I could even plug in the USB cable to synchronize the Nano as I wore it. A bonus to having this watch with me has been that it also works on the iPod compatible stereo system in my vehicle. I just plug and play no matter whether I’ve got my iPhone, iPod Nano or iPad plugged in.

The iPod Nano retails for $149USD and the iWatchz band retails for $24.95 making this watch more affordable than several of the watches I’ve purchased over the years (which have had less functionality, in my opinion).

I’m only now taking it for a spin, but I can already tell it’s going to play a huge part in my day to day operations from now on. I see great, new applications being offered for great prices such as Camera Bag Desktop for $14.99 and Apple’s Own Aperture 3 for a crazy $79.99. What’s also nice is that there are iPhone and iPad apps that have been ported to run natively on the Mac such as the immensely-popular Angry Birds and graphic apps like SketchBook Pro.

I’m excited by the possibilities, and look forward to having more developers hop on board the Mac train!

Mini City

Well, it’s been a while since I’ve posted anything, but I’ll tell you, it’s been a wild ride the last few months. I went from being a nearly out-of-work photographer to working a digital sales job, then back to being extremely busy taking and editing photo sessions. I also picked up a great part time teaching gig at one of our colleges in the visual arts arena; I’ve been teaching Photoshop, lighting in photography and portrait photography, and it’s been a blast.

Next semester I’ll be fairly busy as well. I’m picking up at least three additional classes, and come Spring, I hope to be in some classes myself. I see next Spring being chock-full of surprises, fun, stress and overall not-having-time-for-much-ness.

But, one thing I’ve picked up lately that I’ve been very dedicated to has been iPhoneography. Yes, it’s an actual “thing” now. There are so many great apps for the iPhone in the Photography category, it’s actually hard to keep them all straight. I’ve begun posting pictures on both iPhoneArt.com and Instagram, with some great social aspects being a result.

If you have an iPhone and love photography, it’s definitely something you should look into. I recommend the applications Hipstamatic, Instagram, Adobe Photoshop Express, Pic Grunger, Vintage Scene and TiltShiftGen amongst others. Take a look, take ‘em for a spin and have fun! Also, visit me at my iPhoneArt page!

I picked out the pleasantly antique-looking Chesterton Quote cover, and rung the whole shebang up at the register. My immediate first thought centered around which book I’d buy first (I’m actually still trying to decide that one…I also got a $50 gift card as part of the purchase) . My second thought? How often would I buy actual books anymore? Barring those books which I cannot get as eBooks yet (as it’s up to the publisher to actually release any given book in that format…and some don’t), I began thinking just how liberating the nook could turn out to be.

You see, I’m a hard core reader. I love books. I’ve read hundreds of books in my lifetime, and I don’t see that trend stopping any time soon. My job at Barnes & Noble is perfect for me: I get to mix tech AND books every day. But, will I become heartsick for the feel of a good leather-bound classic? Will the thought of turning paper pages create a hole in my experience? Will my senses long for the smell of freshly-printed works? Actually, I don’t think it will be as bad as it might sound.

Why, you ask? Well, I’ve been throwing around the pluses and minuses for a good, long while now, and I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s all a matter of simple practicality, space management, and some good old love of tech. I realized that, in the old days, I used to carry around an entire bag full of books and magazines when I traveled. Nowadays, you can’t take a flight with books like that without incurring a nice, fat fee. Plus, who would want to carry around an entire load of books when we’re usually carrying around so much more in the first place?

I also have to consider my dwelling and its ability to house a library…I just don’t have the bookshelf space I’d like to have. Sure, I’d love to have a “Library of Congress” sized space to put all the books I could, but the fact is that a lot of my books end up in rubbermaid tubs in our garage. That’s no way for a good book to hang out, in my opinion.

It’s no secret that I love the look, feel and smell of books. It reminds me of childhood when I stared at the bookshelves of my father and marveled at how one person could read so many books. I was raised reading and appreciating literature, and I still do to this day. But, having an eReader like nook makes my reading life just a little less cluttered and cumbersome.

Now, I can carry thousands of books on one device and they don’t take up any more space or weight than the 11.2 ounce device itself. I can download books, newspapers and magazines over WiFi or 3G connections (which means virtually everywhere nowadays), and I’m usually paying less for each book than I would to own a physical copy. But, if a book I want to read isn’t available in the eBook format, I CAN always purchase the real deal anyway. Options, options…

To me, the positives outweigh my innate need to hold or smell a real book. Practicality overrides simple tactile sense. I’ll still buy real books when and if the need arises. But, my tech-crazy tendencies definitely win out in this situation, which happily coincide with my alter ego, The Geek Source…

-Posted from my iPad.