There were a lot of changes in the social and technology worlds this week. My job at Faves is to keep you up-to-date on, well, my favorites. The folks at social collaboration platform Tracky and I created this handy dandy infographic just for you. By the way, it’s not too late to enter my giveaway for the new iPhone 5, that is, if winning stuff sounds good to you.
Really like this infographic? Feel free to repost or share on your blog. Just remember to attribute it to @Tracky and Sarah’s Faves.
For those who don’t know, I’m a gadget geek. That’s my sweet spot. I love bright, shiny objects. If I could have bluetooth installed somewhere on my person, I would. What? Who said that?
I’ve been on a quest to create the perfect work environment both in the office and when I’m mobile. In my line of work having dual monitors is essential (and not just because it looks cool). Setting up a dual screen in the office is no problem. In fact, I’ve had many (MANY) dual screen set ups and they’ve all functioned well. But, it’s not a set up I can pick up and easily move. That means when I’m outside the office (which is a lot), I feel like I’ve lost my best friend.
No more sad trombones for this gal. I have discovered the perfect set up (for me). It works in the office and I can take it with me wherever I go. What is this magical dual screen recipe of goodness you ask? I’ll share it with you, my fabulous faves readers.
Here’s what you need:
Laptop or desktop (if you want to be mobile, go for the laptop)
iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch
If you’re using an iPad, I highly recommend the Twelve South Hover Bar ($79.99) for display. If you’re using an iPhone or iPod Touch, get a stand to put next to your computer.
Air Display for iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch ($9.99) NOTE: You can also use Air Display to connect two Macs or one Mac and one PC.
Wireless access
My current setup looks like the photo above. My MacBook Pro is set up next to my iPad which is attached to the side of a desk (but it could attach to any table, really) via the Hover Bar. It took all of five minutes to set up. If I need to get up and go, takedown is about 10 minutes, but only because I need to pack my preciouses in protective gear. (You may notice an Apple bluetooth keyboard near the iPad, but it’s not in use during this set up.)
Using the iPad as my second screen I typically keep my email, calendar and Tweetdeck open at any given time. I also use my second screen it if I need to Skype and want to keep my main desktop free to use. I can easily drag and drop between screens, making my workflow more efficient. Oh yah!
By the way, if your office workstation includes an iMac you can actually attach the Hover Bar to the side of the iMac, making your second screen extremely easy to maneuver and use.
FYI: I am in now way compensated or affiliated with Twelve South or the makers of Air Display. I’m merely an excited geek who wants to share her gadgetry with the masses.
If you get swept up in the excitement and buy your Apple product on launch day, you’re missing out on some pretty big savings. dealnews analyzed the last three years’ worth of Apple deals to find out when it’s the best time to buy:
Did you know Amazon, MacMall, and MacConnection are authorized Apple resellers and almost always undercut Apple Store prices? Now you do.
To know me is to know I love infographics. Now I can make them out of my photo data on my iPhone from Photo Stats App. Sign me up. Wait, I already did.
Available on iTunes for $.99
Because I can’t design for squat, I’m constantly looking for ways to appear more creative. It doesn’t hurt that I’m an iPhoneographer hobbyist as well (people who like to take and share photos with their iPhones). Now I can bring together visual storytelling and iPhoneography. Photo Stats App, developed by Swedish creative mobile development company Dear Future Astronaut, lets you analyze the photo data stored on your iPhone and do something useful (or pretend useful) with it.
How else would I know that I:
take the majority of my photos in the evening
use portrait for 78% of my photos
really love the built in camera function as it accounts for 96% of all photos taken
took the most photos from my iPhone on February 17, 2012
The information is cool, but the way it’s displayed is even cooler. Here’s a screenshot from one of the 11 stats the app pulled after searching my photos:
You can choose from two free* display themes with an option to upgrade if you’d alike another look for your stats. Interested? Download this little gem right here.
Are you going to use Photo Stats App infographics in an innovative way? Let me know for a chance to be featured on Sarah’s FAVES.
Make your Timeline truly pop with creativity…right from your iPhone. No graphic design degree needed. For artistic talentless people like me, that’s a win.
Who can resist an opportunity to show off their most FAVE thing in the entire world? Shhhhhhhh. Don’t tell my husband. The new (and soon-to-be enforced for everyone) Facebook Timeline offers some prime real estate for photos at the top. However, one of the issues is figuring out exactly how to use the space. It’s even more complex because most standard photos don’t fit Facebook Timeline’s cover photo space. It’s what keeps me up at night. Just kidding…it’s really a crying baby.
****Before you read further, this is not a free app. Just thought I’d be up front. And no, they’re not paying me nor did they comp me the app. I paid the $1.99 just like everyone else.****
You know I wouldn’t post about it if it weren’t easy to use. Remember, I don’t post if I don’t think my mom couldn’t use it. No offense, Mom.
Here’s how it works:
Used a service like PicFrame or DipTic? It's the same concept.
The next part may take some time (especially if are a detail person). You need to select the photo or photos you’d like to use and begin to customize your look. You can change the background image, make the photo borders rounded, tweak the margin size, rotate photos…the choices could overwhelm some at first.But don’t despair. The outcome is worth it. Once you get your pictures in order it’s time to add text and there are a lot of fun text options. In my example above I used “3dumb” with a thick white outline. You can change both the text and outline colors and even throw in a drop shadow.
All done? Good. Now you can upload that photo direct to Facebook or save it to your iPhone’s photo album.
