NonSociety – Live Differently. Meghan Asha Tech Addict

Following My Lifecast: Here's a glimpse into my life. Scroll to the right to view chronologically, and click 'earlier' to see more.

Jan 29, 10 11:05am

iPad Accessories

With the launch of the iPad at a price point that blew most of us away (starting at $499), I thought I’d go over some of the iPad’s accessories options:

  • The iPad Dock: Just like most of Apple’s products, the iPad dock is used for charging and syncing the device. I don’t use the docks I have often, unless I’m using accessories like powered speakers.
  • The iPad USB Power Adapter: I’ve never carried a dock on a trip with me, so I’m happy they included the USB Power Adapter that lets you charge your iPad directly through an electrical outlet.
  • The iPad Keyboard Dock ($70): I’m still not sold on the iPad’s touchscreen typing, so I’m incredibly happy that you can purchase an iPad Keyboard Dock that also acts as a dock for charging your iPad. The dock features a rear 30-pin connector in addition to an audio jack.
  • The iPad Camera Connection Kit ($30): I really expected the iPad to include a camera, but unfortunately I think we’ll have to wait for version 2.0 to include this feature. The only fix right now to get video and photos onto the iPad is with the Camera Connection Kit, which allows you to connect your digital camera to the iPad via USB or the SD Card Reader.
  • The iPad Case ($40): Like most of Apple’s design, this case is modern and stylish.
Jan 29, 10 10:38am

A short recap of my favorite gadgets from the Consumer Electronics Show.

Jan 29, 10 10:34am
FASHIONABLY FIT Setting a workout routine and sticking to it can be tough, especially since unless you’re at the Biggest Loser ranch dropping double digits every week, there generally aren’t immediate results.  Focus.  Sticktoitiveness.  Willpower.  These are words often used to motivate people to keep at it. Easier said than done. Fortunately, there’s a whole industry of exercize accessories to help track your progress, make your workout easier and more enjoyable, and measure if you are acheiving your goals.  So, gear up and get going… Fitbit: The goal is 10,000 steps per day.  A pedometer counts your steps, as well as tracks distance walked, calories burned, speed and other stats.  Fitbit takes the pedometer a few steps further by also tracking your sleep quality and syncing with Fitbit’s fitness and nutrition tracking website.  The Fitbit tracks your motion in three dimensions and converts this into useful information about your daily activities.  Seeing the calories you’re burning and the increase in daily steps (try to increase by 2,000 steps per day unitl you hit 10,000) can be a great motivator. iPod Shuffle Stainless Steel Edition: No need to strap cumbersome mp3 players to your arm.  The iPod shuffle is the “world’s smallest music player,” yet it comes in 2GB or 4GB, holding up to 1000 songs.  The Apple Store exclusive in stainless steel is a sleek way to enjoy your favorite songs, well, shuffled. iLuv 1303 Sweat Proof In-ear Sports Ear Clips: These sports earphones are perfect for working out.  They’re compact and lightweight, and the ear-clip design prevents them from slipping out of the ear during an intense workout.  Most important?  They are splash proof for joggining in the rain or dripping with sweat during a fierce workout. Nike + iPod Sports Kit: Set your playlist and track your stats (ala pedometer) at the same time with the Nike + iPod Sports Kit.  Nike+ lets you play your mix while tracking your progress on an iPod nano. The transmitter fits in to the sole of a Nike+ shoe, records your running stats and transmits the information to your iPod for download.

FASHIONABLY FIT

Setting a workout routine and sticking to it can be tough, especially since unless you’re at the Biggest Loser ranch dropping double digits every week, there generally aren’t immediate results.  Focus.  Sticktoitiveness.  Willpower.  These are words often used to motivate people to keep at it.

Easier said than done.

Fortunately, there’s a whole industry of exercize accessories to help track your progress, make your workout easier and more enjoyable, and measure if you are acheiving your goals.  So, gear up and get going…

  • Fitbit: The goal is 10,000 steps per day.  A pedometer counts your steps, as well as tracks distance walked, calories burned, speed and other stats.  Fitbit takes the pedometer a few steps further by also tracking your sleep quality and syncing with Fitbit’s fitness and nutrition tracking website.  The Fitbit tracks your motion in three dimensions and converts this into useful information about your daily activities.  Seeing the calories you’re burning and the increase in daily steps (try to increase by 2,000 steps per day unitl you hit 10,000) can be a great motivator.
  • iPod Shuffle Stainless Steel Edition: No need to strap cumbersome mp3 players to your arm.  The iPod shuffle is the “world’s smallest music player,” yet it comes in 2GB or 4GB, holding up to 1000 songs.  The Apple Store exclusive in stainless steel is a sleek way to enjoy your favorite songs, well, shuffled.
  • iLuv 1303 Sweat Proof In-ear Sports Ear Clips: These sports earphones are perfect for working out.  They’re compact and lightweight, and the ear-clip design prevents them from slipping out of the ear during an intense workout.  Most important?  They are splash proof for joggining in the rain or dripping with sweat during a fierce workout.
  • Nike + iPod Sports Kit: Set your playlist and track your stats (ala pedometer) at the same time with the Nike + iPod Sports Kit.  Nike+ lets you play your mix while tracking your progress on an iPod nano. The transmitter fits in to the sole of a Nike+ shoe, records your running stats and transmits the information to your iPod for download.
Jan 29, 10 10:25am
Last night, I had a nightmare that someone stole my computer - I was more than miffed thinking I lost all my irreplaceable data. Do you ever have stress dreams about tech malfunctions and failures? For the past couple of weeks, it seems like this is a reoccurring theme, as I’ve found myself waking up in a cold sweat over lost external drives, malfunctioning phones, and computer robberies. With that, I’m doing my version of tech maintenance: backing up all my data, cleaning my desktop, and going through unwanted space sucking files.

Last night, I had a nightmare that someone stole my computer - I was more than miffed thinking I lost all my irreplaceable data. Do you ever have stress dreams about tech malfunctions and failures? For the past couple of weeks, it seems like this is a reoccurring theme, as I’ve found myself waking up in a cold sweat over lost external drives, malfunctioning phones, and computer robberies. With that, I’m doing my version of tech maintenance: backing up all my data, cleaning my desktop, and going through unwanted space sucking files.

Jan 27, 10 2:04pm
Ten minutes till we go live! Tweet us at @crunchgear with the hashtag

Ten minutes till we go live! Tweet us at @crunchgear with the hashtag

Jan 27, 10 9:25am
THE APPLE TABLET IS ALMOST HERE!!! What’s more exciting than waiting in line for an iPhone? Today’s Apple Tablet announcement! It’s like Christmas time with geeks all waiting on Santa Jobs’s big delivery. Some of my less enthusiastic friends have asked me if the tablet will simply be a bigger version of the iPod Touch. Judging from Apple’s innovation and the rumors, it seems Apple is aiming to create a product that will revitalize and redefine the publishing industry. Gizmodo’s Brian Lam is pretty on par with how Apple’s tablet could help change the industry: “The eventual goal is to have publishers create hybridized content that draws from audio, video, interactive graphics in books, magazines and newspapers, where paper layouts would be static. And with release dates for Microsoft’s Courier set to be quite far away and Kindle stuck with relatively static e-ink, it appears that Apple is moving towards a pole position in distribution of this next-generation print content. First, it’ll get its feet wet with more basic repurposing of the stuff found on dead trees today.” Will this new medium create a new form of expression? I really hope Apple continues to blow our minds with this new product launch.

THE APPLE TABLET IS ALMOST HERE!!!

What’s more exciting than waiting in line for an iPhone? Today’s Apple Tablet announcement! It’s like Christmas time with geeks all waiting on Santa Jobs’s big delivery. Some of my less enthusiastic friends have asked me if the tablet will simply be a bigger version of the iPod Touch. Judging from Apple’s innovation and the rumors, it seems Apple is aiming to create a product that will revitalize and redefine the publishing industry. Gizmodo’s Brian Lam is pretty on par with how Apple’s tablet could help change the industry:

“The eventual goal is to have publishers create hybridized content that draws from audio, video, interactive graphics in books, magazines and newspapers, where paper layouts would be static. And with release dates for Microsoft’s Courier set to be quite far away and Kindle stuck with relatively static e-ink, it appears that Apple is moving towards a pole position in distribution of this next-generation print content. First, it’ll get its feet wet with more basic repurposing of the stuff found on dead trees today.”

Will this new medium create a new form of expression? I really hope Apple continues to blow our minds with this new product launch.

Jan 26, 10 4:57pm

THE BIG REVEAL: MY APARTMENT MAKEOVER

My decor dreams are now a reality with the help of Jami Supsic and Megan Alagna. Jami had the vision and completely transformed my entire space into something out of a magazine. Megan coordinated every last detail, making sure it was perfect. The best part about the whole process is that I kept within my budget.

Thank you ladies for making my home a modern boudoir sanctuary!

Jan 26, 10 11:31am

In decorating my apartment, I found that I was obsessed with mirrored furniture. Most of it was way out of my budget, except for this lovely mirrored lingerie chest by Pier One.

Jan 26, 10 11:10am
A rainy day teaser of my new window seats that make taking catnaps a dream. *Window seat fabric generously provided by Kravet

A rainy day teaser of my new window seats that make taking catnaps a dream.

*Window seat fabric generously provided by Kravet

Jan 26, 10 10:41am

Bo Concept’s Bed Concept

Hotels are not cheap in the city, so I wanted to make sure that my visiting friends could stay with me (even though I lack an actual bedroom). That’s where one of my favorite home decor finds come in from Bo Concept. It’s a multifunctional ottoman that converts into a bed and is less hassle than using an Aerobed.

Jan 26, 10 10:41am

MODERN WALLPAPER

I always hated wallpaper, probably because I thought of it as something used in your grandmother’s house. To me, all the designs seemed too busy and annoying to leave any semblance of peace in a small space. After much discussion with Interior Designer, Jami Supsic, I decided that my bare white walls could use a dash of wallpaper. So we reached out to Graham & Brown, a company that has a variety of wall coverings that are anything but ancient. Only two walls were decorated in the entryway adding the perfect Elle Decor-esque statement with minimal effort.

*Wallpaper generously donated by Graham & Brown.

Jan 25, 10 11:33pm
DRAPE ME IN! And now for a minor reveal of my decorated space. One of the major changes that added a degree of whimsical drama is the drape fabric by No. 9 Thompson. Jim Thompson makes incredible fabric, and has now made it more affordable to a younger hipper demographic with the No. 9 Thompson line.  Jami Supsic (the mastermind of this project) selected the fabric to go along with hues of both the couch and the sofa. I never knew adding drapes to a space could make it all the auxiliary items come alive. Brilliant! *Drape fabric generously donated by No. 9 Thompson.

DRAPE ME IN!

And now for a minor reveal of my decorated space. One of the major changes that added a degree of whimsical drama is the drape fabric by No. 9 Thompson. Jim Thompson makes incredible fabric, and has now made it more affordable to a younger hipper demographic with the No. 9 Thompson line.  Jami Supsic (the mastermind of this project) selected the fabric to go along with hues of both the couch and the sofa. I never knew adding drapes to a space could make it all the auxiliary items come alive. Brilliant!

*Drape fabric generously donated by No. 9 Thompson.