TechnologyIQ with Douglas E. Welch

Sunday, July 27, 2014

Noted: Gmail for iOS has been updated, now supports even further integration with Google Drive via iPhone Hacks

Gmail for iOS has been updated, now supports even further integration with Google Drive via iPhone Hacks

Officially updated on July 24, the newest version of Gmail for iOS brings it up to 3.14, and adds plenty of small additions alongside one major upgrade. First and foremost, Gmail for iOS now includes improved integration with Google Drive, so that you can attach documents from your emails directly into Drive, which is meant to make saving bandwidth on your device possible, as well as make them accessible from anywhere you can reach your Google Drive.

"Noted" items are particularly good finds from my daily reading which I share via all my social media accounts.

Find more Noted items here

Noted: Google celebrates Chromecast's birthday with free All Access pass via Engadget

Google celebrates Chromecast's birthday with free All Access pass via Engadget

It's hard to believe that it's been a year since Google's streaming dongle arrived on the backs of TVs, bringing easy streaming chops to the masses. As a proper celebration, the folks in Mountain View are thanking both current and new Chromecasters with three free months of Google Play Music All Access -- starting today through September 30th. The company has been keen on adding new features to the accessory regularly, and in the festive announcement teased the ability to beam content while away from your WiFi and customizable homescreens as upcoming additions. Heck, with that bit of subscription savings, you'll almost have enough for a second unit.

"Noted" items are particularly good finds from my daily reading which I share via all my social media accounts.

Find more Noted items here

Noted: Hemingway, the Webapp that Helps You Proofread, Is Now on Desktop via Lifehacker

Hemingway, the Webapp that Helps You Proofread, Is Now on Desktop via Lifehacker

Windows/Mac: We're fans of Hemingway because the syntax highlighting makes it easy to glance at a block of text and edit for specific parts of speech. Now, the webapp is available for Windows and Mac.

"Noted" items are particularly good finds from my daily reading which I share via all my social media accounts.

Find more Noted items here

Noted: DIY Conductive Paint For All Your Wearable Needs via Hack a Day

DIY Conductive Paint For All Your Wearable Needs via Hack a Day

Conductive ink or paint is lots of fun. It opens up tons of possibilities for flexible and unique circuits — unfortunately, it’s pretty expensive. [Brian McEvoy] shows us how to make your own for cheap, and it works great!

He started trying to formulate his own recipe after playing with other Instructable guides and commercially available paint, and what he found is it’s really not that complex! Graphite powder, acrylic paint, and a jar with an airtight seal — seriously, it’s that simple! But, like any engineer worth their salt (he calls himself the 24 Hour Engineer), he had to do some tests to compare his formula.

More conductive paint resources from Amazon.com

"Noted" items are particularly good finds from my daily reading which I share via all my social media accounts.

Find more Noted items here

Saturday, July 26, 2014

Midsummer Book Sale -- All My Kindle Books 99¢ each for the next 30 Days!

That's right!

As a special Midsummer treat to all my loyal readers, listeners and viewers, all my books are now just 99¢ each for the next 30 days!

Offer expires August 24, 2014

For career-minded types, there is my original book, The High-Tech Career Handbook, Cultivating You Career Reputations and, for those looking to decide where to take their career, Career Compass: Finding Your Career North.

Social Media fans can check out Social Media Self Preservation and learn how to take advantage of social media without losing your mind.

Finally, fans of A Gardener's Notebook might like my collection of gardening essays, From A Gardener's Notebook.

Read the Kindle book using your Kindle, Computer or Mobile device!

Friday, July 25, 2014

Noted: LittleBits Now Lets You Build Your Own DIY Smart Home via Lifehacker

LittleBits Now Lets You Build Your Own DIY Smart Home via Lifehacker

We've known and loved littleBits for some time, and now, they just got a lot more useful with the introduction of cloudBit. CloudBit is a module, a.k.a. bit, that brings internet connectivity to anything. With the rest of the littleBit library, you can now effectively create your own internet of things, no fancy Google products necessary.

Additional littleBits Kits and More on Amazon.com

"Noted" items are particularly good finds from my daily reading which I share via all my social media accounts.

Find more Noted items here

Noted: Vellum Turns Twitter Links Into a Reading List via Lifehacker

Vellum Turns Twitter Links Into a Reading List via Lifehacker

There are all kinds of different services that pull links from social media accounts and turn them into reading lists, but The New York Times' Vellum is one of the more elegant and easy to use to use.

"Noted" items are particularly good finds from my daily reading which I share via all my social media accounts.

Find more Noted items here

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

New App: Phhhoto -- animated GIF creator for iPhone

I saw mention of this new app, Phhhoto (Free) in my reading today and gave it a quick try out on the patio where I was reading.

I though this test looked pretty neat. I'll probably play around with it a bit more in the next few days.

Download from the iTunes App Store

Noted: This App Teaches You How To Play Almost Any Song You Can Find Online And It's Awesome via Business Insider

This App Teaches You How To Play Almost Any Song You Can Find Online And It's Awesome via Business Insider

The problem is, I've run out of songs to play that are remedial enough for me to learn. That's where Riffstation Play comes in.

The online app gives you the guitar, ukulele, and even piano chords and notes to pretty much any song you can find online. It even includes a search engine.

The chord diagrams are on the right, while a bar displaying the chords scrolls below. It syncs to the video.

"Noted" items are particularly good finds from my daily reading which I share via all my social media accounts.

Find more Noted items here

On My iPhone…Linkedin Connected

Linkedin Connected

iOS

I have always been at a bit of loss of how to use LinkedIn in my own daily, workflow, but Connected could make it a bit more useful to me. This simple and straightforward app reminds you of pertinent, timely information about your LinkedIn contacts in an easy-to-browse interface. I have started to check it each day as part of my morning ritual and found it to be useful on several occasions.

From the iTunes App Store...

The new LinkedIn Connected app is a fast, easy, and smarter way to strengthen your professional relationships. Why is that important? Because most opportunities come from the people you already know, and fostering genuine relationships can help you be more successful. Connected gives you relevant updates about the people you know, so you can reach out when it matters most.

So invest in your connections today for opportunities tomorrow.

• Know when to reach out. Get notified about jobs changes, birthdays, work anniversaries, & more.
• Focus on the people who matter with relevant, timely updates.
• Make a great impression and start better conversations with pre-meeting intelligence.
• Build stronger relationships in just a few minutes a day.

Read More

Books on LinkedIn:

Video: First Impressions of the Parrot Flower Power - Wireless Indoor/Outdoor Bluetooth Smart Plant Sensor

A cool piece of technology I recently posted about in A Gardener's Notebook -- Douglas

Agn artwork

I take a look at the new Parrot Flower Power - Wireless Indoor/Outdoor Bluetooth Smart Plant Sensor which I received for free as part of a Klout Perk a few weeks ago. I've had it in the garden, monitoring an avocado seedling and gather data on water, fertilizer, sunlight and temperature using the iOS app on my iPhone.

Check out my collection of gardening essays, "From A Gardener's Notebook" now available as a Kindle eBook. (You don't need a Kindle to read it, though. Read it on your PC, Link: http://j.mp/fagnbook

Watch all past episodes of "In the garden…" in this YouTube Playlist

Music: "The One" by the Woodshedders (http://musicalley.com)

Please Like this video and/or subscribe to my channel on YouTube.

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"In the garden..." is a series for A Gardener's Notebook highlighting what is happening in my garden, my friend's gardens and California gardens throughout the seasons.

Monday, July 21, 2014

Noted: WineGlass Uses Your iPhone's Camera to Rate Wines via Lifehacker

WineGlass Uses Your iPhone's Camera to Rate Wines via Lifehacker

iOS: Some of us aren't quite sure difference between a Malbec and a Merlot. We get a bit overwhelmed by the wine list at a restaurant. Wine Glass scans the wine list for you and makes suggestions on which wines to order.

"Noted" items are particularly good finds from my daily reading which I share via all my social media accounts.

Find more Noted items here