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The busy life of Cha Thompson |
| She started dancing at age 6 and continued performing through the birth of her last child at age 32. Now, she co-manages Tihati, an entertainment empire that presents Polynesian dance revues at major hotels throughout the islands and across the Pacific. But, that’s not all she does. She lends her organizational skills and personality to major charities. However, she much prefers the company of her 11 grandchildren. |
The new cosmetic surgery |
| Think laser instead of scalpel for many procedures. Honolulu cosmetic surgeons discuss the latest techniques and give advice on how to find the right doctor for your needs. |
Column:
Tech Talk
iPodding along anywhere
By James Kerr
It’s easy to join the MP3 mania
The Problem: Preparing for my recent trip to Asia, I looked at my tiny carry-on suitcase and wondered how many books I could fit in it.
Nineteen hours of sitting in airplanes and airports in just one direction meant I would need more than one. After all, the in-flight movie would likely be a rerun and the onboard magazines would only placate me for so long.
But I knew after I packed everything else, space would be tight; how could I squeeze in several paperbacks?
The Solution: I went to the mall and bought an iPod, Macintosh’s version of a portable audio player — and haven’t worried about space constraints since.
Every decade or so, an invention comes along that really changes our lives. Velcro was one of them. Duct tape, too.
Now we have the iPod. There’s a reason why you may have heard so much about it; it’s a neat, easy-to-use product offering terrific value.
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First, a confession: I didn’t grow up with a stereo system in my bedroom, nor was my car radio any good, so I never developed into an audiophile like many of my high school friends. When the iPod was introduced a couple of years ago, I appreciated its excellent design, but I never felt compelled to buy one.
Until now.
What I’ve discovered is that the iPod is much more than a digital Walkman, Sony’s portable CD player. It can lend unprecedented autonomy over how we leverage audio to improve our lives. It’s no wonder the younger generation has taken to it in droves. But, it’s not limited to them.
For example, do you like Bob Hope? Johnny Carson? Bill Cosby? Sites such as Apple’s iTunes have huge libraries of stand-up comedy acts.
Just connect your iPod to the USB port of your computer, go to the Internet and download what you want at prices that range from 80 cents to a few dollars for each item. Suddenly, sitting in a coach seat while flying over a long stretch of the Pacific doesn’t seem so awful.
How about an audio version of one of Stephen King’s books or a bestseller like Thomas Freidman’s “The World Is Flat”? How about a lecture from Dr. Phil, John “the football guru” Madden or even the famed, late physicist Richard Feynman? They’re also available online. You can even download sermons by Billy Graham.
Filled with such choices, your iPod becomes your best buddy when walking around the park, waiting for your spouse to finish shopping or just relaxing at home. Tune in to iPod, tune out distractions.
And iPod isn’t your only choice; dozens of similar players use the same standard MP3 audio compression technology. However, the iPod’s slick styling and ease of use makes it one of the best on the market today. Even better, it works fine with either Macintosh or a Windows XP computer.
Apple offers three types of iPods. The least expensive, the Shuffle, is about the size of a pack of gum and costs about $100. Ideal for the entry-level audio buff, it will hold about 240 songs and play 12 hours of audio between charges. It does not have a built-in screen.
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The iPod Nano costs about $250 and is slightly larger than the Shuffle. It comes with a small color screen for slide shows and will hold up to 1,000 songs. Many of the younger generation opts for this version because it can accommodate music videos.
For $400, you can get Apple’s top-of-the-line device, simply called “the new iPod.” It will hold up to 15,000 songs, 25,000 photos or 150 hours of video.
That’s right, video. Think VCR (videocassette recorder) meets Walkman. You can take your favorite TV show, movie and news broadcast with you to the park, the supermarket, anywhere! It’s like a portable TV; just download the videos you want from the Internet.
To learn more about Apple’s products, peruse www.Apple.com. It’s an informative, easy-to-navigate site.
If you’re interested in learning what kind of content is available should you invest in a player, check out www.iTunes.com. This site offers some 2 million songs, 2,000 music videos, 11,000 audio books, and hundreds of recordings of popular TV shows, like the latest episodes of your favorite NBC, Universal, SciFi Channel, USA Network, ABC and Disney shows.
Other useful sites include:
ptech.wsj.com
Read Walt Mossberg’s reviews on
players.
audible.com
Now giving away the Shuffle if you
become a member
podcasting.com
More choices for download.
Podcast.net
Well-organized podcast directory
rhapsody.com
One monthly fee for unlimited
downloading.
napster.com
They’re back…and legal, too.
shure.com
Highly rated headphones.
Happy listening!
James Kerr is President/CEO of SuperGeeks, a Hawai‘i-based computer service and repair company. He did a column about iPods in one of the magazine’s first issues. We decided it was time to revisit iPods because everyone is doing it.