In this video, I describe an Adobe Air application designed to enhance your Twitter experience. The name of the application is called DestroyTwitter and you can download it at http://www.destroytoday.com/projects/destroytwitter . The description on the website reads: “DestroyTwitter is a robust but compact Twitter application built to run on Mac, Windows, and Linux using Adobe AIR. It consists of a series of canvases that constantly update to keep tweets current and up-to-date using notifications that appear immediately after a new tweet arrives. DestroyTwitter also features complete direct messaging functionality. Messages and tweets can be replied to with the original visible for quick and easy reference. A search function is also available to track anything that’s being talked about.” I’ve found that DestroyTwitter is a good compromise between Twhirl and TweetDeck. It provides a single pane interface with visual notifications, but also is flexible enough to have a 3 pane interface. With DestroyTwitter you seem to get the best of both worlds. This demonstration aims to show the major features and preferences of the application. As a TweetDeck user, I found myself missing features such as TwitScoop integration, multiple search panes, and better filtering. If you can live without these features, you should consider DestroyTwitter over TweetDeck. As for Twhirl, DestroyTwitter lacks multiple account, ping.fm, seesmic, identi.ca, and friendfeed support. If Twhirl could get DestroyTwitter’s UI with all of its features, it would be a force to be reckoned with. DestroyTwitter does Twitter and does it well, so if you in the market for a new Twitter client, give DestroyTwitter a try.

In this video, I review an application for the iPhone/iPod Touch called the Concise Oxford English Dictionary (COED).  This application provides extremely fast dictionary lookups at your fingertips.  The speed of the application is the first thing that really impressed me with this application.  The “search as you type” feature in the dictionary is a very useful feature especially if you’re on the go or if you are unsure of the word spelling.  The application includes hotlinked words within each definition so that you’re one tap away from another lookup.  The rich history feature is great for those who research strings of words and may need to go back and review.  At $19.99, I was, at first, put off by the price of this application, but found that some of it’s competitors were actually higher!  If you’re looking for a great way to quickly lookup words on your iPhone/iPod Touch, consider the Concise OED app.  Fore more information about COED and Prelude, visit http://www.preludemobile.com.  Take Care!

In this video, I review an application for the iPhone/iPod Touch called AirPhones.  This application converts your iPhone or iPod Touch into wireless headphones!  What does that mean?  It means that whatever is playing on your computer, you can wirelessly listen to the media.  It requires a server component to be installed on your computer.  The bad news is that it currently only supports Intel Macs but a windows and universal binary for Mac (PPC support) is coming soon.  If you do have an Intel Mac, and want to stream  your entire media library sound to your iPhone/iPod touch, then AirPhones is a must have.  It’s currently $4.99 (I say $3.99 in the video) and you can find out more about it at http://www.airphonesapp.com.  It also currently works on LAN connections and not over the internet.  Enjoy!

In this video, I review a game called LightBike for iPhone and iPod Touch.  It is available for $0.99 for a limited time but has a regular price of $2.99.  LightBike supports 1 or 2 players on a single device or Wifi mode on multiple devices on a LAN.  The folks behind LightBike claim that they will be bringing internet support soon.  Controls are fairly simple for LightBike:  You tap the left and right sides of the screen to move in either direction and you tap the middle of the screen to accelerate.  The gameplay is responsive and works as advertised.  I can imagine a really fun experience once internet play is added.  I recommend LightBike for all you TRON fans, but it can also be a great experience for those who have never heard of TRON.  Take care!

In this video, I review the wireless keypad for the Sony Playstation 3 (PS3) console.  This wireless keypad attaches to the PS3 Six Axis controller and is available for sale today for $49.99 USD.  The device has a USB connector at the top which is used to charge it.  It has its own battery which isn’t replaceable much like the Six Axis controller.  Thankfully, it has it’s own power switch to turn the keypad on and off manually.  It has buttons for the Select, Start, and Playstations buttons which work with your existing controller.  Along the top of the device are two meta buttons, one blue, and one orange.  To type the orange and blue keys on the keypad, one would have to use the each respective meta key.  Shift is not used for these characters and is only used for capitalization.  As for comfort, I couldn’t type very well until I figured out that I needed to slide my thumbs up from the normal position.  Once I did that, I was able to type fairly easily.  A great feature of the wireless pad which I have not seen before, is that the entire keypad acts as a trackpad!  To turn this on, there’s a toggle button along the bottom which looks like a finger.  The sensitivity of the trackpad is not great (given it’s design, it’s understandable), but it is usable for couch surfing and basic tasks.  Also along the bottom are two more keys:  A message box button and a friends list shortcut.  If you have a PS3, and send messages to your friends, this is a good investment.  It’s also good for Playstation Home usage and also if you use the web browser on the PS3.  The touchpad feature is new and innovative and I applaud Sony for doing something this cool. Again, this keypad is $49.99 USD at your local store or online.  Take care!

In this video, I demonstrate a great social application for the iPhone and iPod Touch called Pinger.  Pinger merges all your favorite social networks with your address book.  Pinger has a tab called “Friend News” which displays just about everything you care about in one location.  Whether your friends are on Myspace, Twitter, or Facebook, you can see what they’re up to right here.  What’s also nice, is that if you wish to add a Facebook Friend to your iPhone address book, you can do so with one click!  The tight integration with your address book is what makes Pinger so powerful.  Some have even replaced the iPhone “Phone” application with Pinger since they use social networks so much.  If this sounds like your cup of tea, Pinger is free on the iTunes App Store.  Enjoy!

In this video, I get another question regarding Windows 7 on my HP Mini 1000.  Coheed, a regular member of our chat room, writes: “I’d like to see you do a followup on your 1050NR Review. Something that shows how Windows 7 is running now, and if you’d choose to go back to Windows XP.”  Since I don’t have a lot of heavy software on the HP Mini, I simply demonstrate various multitasking efforts with the browsers I have installed.  I open a few tabs in Google Chrome and Firefox and play some videos on Youtube and Hulu.  I also launch some Adobe Air applications like Twhirl.  The 2GB of memory I installed on the HP Mini really helps with multitasking, but not necessarily with speed.  I’m satisfied with Windows 7 as it is since everything I want to do on the HP Mini works.  I don’t foresee myself going back to Windows XP until the Windows 7 beta expires in August.  I hope this answers your question, Coheed.  If you have any questions about the HP Mini or any other topic, send an email to help@bwana.tv.  Enjoy!

In this video, I demonstrate how to make great coffee at home using a French Press.  What is a French Press?  According to Wikipedia (http://bit.ly/MUNm), “A French press consists of a narrow cylindrical jug usually made of glass or clear plastic, equipped with a lid and a “plunger”, made of metal or plastic, which fits tightly in the cylinder and which has a fine wire or nylon mesh acting as a filter. Coffee is brewed by placing the coffee and water together, leaving to brew for a few minutes, then depressing the plunger to trap the coffee grinds at the bottom of the jug.”  This method was first patented in 1931 by Attilo Calimani.  In the video, I utilize methods gleaned from coffeegeek.com, but I’m by no means an expert.  The most important parts of this method is to ensure the coffee is ground coarse and not fine.  Also, you’ll notice I heat the water to around 200F which is below its boiling point of 212F.  If you boil the water, it’s too hot.  I stir the coffee with a chopstick for reasons I don’t quite understand other than a silver utensil could damage the pot.  After the coffee brews for 4 minutes, you must depress the plunger using only the weight of your hand.  If you force it down, it could make the coffee shoot out of the pot, or even worse, damage the pot and your hand!  The result is a silky smooth cup of coffee that is beyond what you’re used to from Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts.  The French Press we bought is a 12 cup, Bodum Chambord.  You can find it at your local Bed, Bath & Beyond for $50.  We went to our local Starbucks and picked up a couple of blends of coffee and asked them to grind them for us (specifying it’s for a French Press)  As I perfect the method of brewing French Press coffee, I’ll venture out to try better blends.  Enjoy the video! Background music is 90BPM Number 10 http://bit.ly/hMIz and 90BPM SY55 http://bit.ly/3h9OMZ from Soundsnap.

In this video, I demonstrate the Ustream.TV application for the iPhone.  Judging by the iTunes App store reviews, people believed this application to stream popular TV channels like ABC, CBS, and NBC.  What it does, is feature streams from the Ustream.TV community found at the website, ustream.tv.  You may not have heard of a lot of these shows since they are produced by people like you and me.  These aren’t movie stars or celebrities, but regular people with a webcam and microphone.  The application is rough around the edges, but is decent for a first revision.  I was hoping I would be able to broadcast from the application like the Qik app (which requires a jailbreak), but this functionality can’t seem to get past Apple’s approvement process.  I suspect AT&T has a great deal to do with this.  If you want to watch my show (Tues & Thurs 8:30PM, Mon & Fri 7:00PM) you can find me in the featured section, and have fun.  Enjoy.

In this video, I discuss a musical application for the iPhone called Ocarina.  Ocarina is made by a company called Smule which is popular for their social applications for the iPhone.  This application costs $0.99 on the iTunes App Store.  In my option, this application really demonstrates the iPhone’s technical abilities that none other can match.  To use Ocarina, all you have to do is blow into the microphone!  By doing this, it actually plays notes just like a flute.  When you create songs, you can share them with other Ocarinians around the world.  Using the interface, you can listen to other songs that other people play and favorite them if you wish.  By far, this is the coolest app on the iTunes App Store and it only costs $0.99!  I highly recommend you check out Ocarina today and learn the make music with your iPhone!  Enjoy!