Samsung is definitely doing great things in the tech space. Their televisions are unmatched, their smartphones give the iPhone a run for its money, and their marketing is unparalleled. But now they’ve taken a step in the wrong direction with the Series 9. It starts with a commercial I saw a mere seven minutes ago.

The commercial went something exactly like this:

“Just when you think you have it all. Something thinner and sexier comes along to replace you. Introducing the new Samsung Series 9 with the Intel Core i5 processor. The world’s thinnest 15-inch laptop. It’s time for some fresh air.”

Now I’m not going to lie. The commercial was well executed. Well designed and structured. Excellent voiceover and background music (what’s that song?). It was just two parts that got me. One was visual, one vocal.

Strike 1: The visual problem was the comparison. When the commercial opened up...

Today, my friend Sam Soffes launched Cheddar, his task manager app for iOS. It’s different. For one, it supports Markdown and Twitter like hashtags.

Also, and most importantly, I actually use it. There are many to-do apps out there, but not many compel the user to actually continually use it. For some reason, this one does. Maybe it’s because I’m friends with its creator? Maybe not.

I think it’s the simplicity, yah know? Nothing major, nothing fancy. Just type and hit enter. Maybe it’s the smirk that Sam tries to hide in the beginning of his promo video. Maybe it’s the H&FJ font, etc.

Nevertheless, the point of this article is to tell you about Cheddar and to persuade you to try it out. It’s a free slice of gourmet cheese – seriously.

I’m Content Expert/Editor now. Deal with it.

[in-depth piece coming never soon]

Flipboard, noted as the best “social magazine” app on iOS, has finally hit Android. The final application is nearly indistinguishable from its beta counterpart, except for new YouTube and Google+ integration (that’s a lot of Google stuff).

And you know what this means? Yet another “iOS-exclusive” app gone Google. The funny thing is, however, that Flipboard’s co-founder Evan Doll worked at Apple… as a senior iPhone engineer.

Brian Chen of The NY Times added to the story:

“The move might create tension between the startup and Apple, which handpicked Flipboard as one of its favorite apps of 2010.”

Flipboards comeback?

“They would love for us to be iOS exclusive from now until the end of time, but we’re trying to reach as big an audience as we can. We’re trying to be Switzerland.“

Then again, this has become a sort of trend in the app atmosphere. Developers testing the waters on...

I’m honestly super excited to see which direction web design heads in this year. There’s no doubt about it. Design is surely taking off. I’ll hopefully be visiting most of these conferences in hopes of not missing the launch.

You know, those things you use to list out the tasks for the day. But that’s the thing. Do you actually use them? I for one can tell you that I currently have/use/have signed-up for numerous task management services. Unfortunately, however, I can’t remember the last time I checked any one them¹. I rely on my sketchy memory.

I think this defeats the purpose.

The point of a task manager is to manage your tasks (no, really?). However, most services seem to chase the design, sharing and collaboration quotas, while forgetting about the main goal – management. Or maybe I’m wrong. Maybe it’s just me that can’t seem to check these apps on a daily basis. Regardless of which is the case, this is my post. So I’ll continue with what I have to say. I’ll (hopefully) solve my own problem.

Clears throat…

I love apps. Specifically GTD (get things done) and task management apps. I love comparing...

In this brain dump, I won’t go into how I’m all for using your iPad like a laptop. Enough people have covered that. Rather, I’m here to point out the best solution I’ve seen thus far.

Brydge

It’s on Kickstarter. Fund it. Yes, that means you too, Viticci and Shawn :)

Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t Google Drive… 0.8 x Dropbox?

From Google:

Today, we’re introducing Google Drive — a place where you can create, share, collaborate, and keep all of your stuff. Whether you’re working with a friend on a joint research project, planning a wedding with your fiancé or tracking a budget with roommates, you can do it in Drive. You can upload and access all of your files, including videos, photos, Google Docs, PDFs and beyond.

From Dropbox:

Dropbox is a free service that lets you bring all your photos, docs, and videos anywhere. This means that any file you save to your Dropbox will automatically save to all your computers, phones and even the Dropbox website.

Dropbox also makes it super easy to share with others, whether you’re a student or professional, parent or grandparent. Even if you accidentally spill a latte on your laptop, have no fear! You can...

Seriously. Seize the day.

Seriously, I don’t. Most likely because I don’t even use a HDD. Rather, I’m all about SSDs. They’re just so fast! But that’s besides the point. You’re here because you want to know how I avoid my drive altogether.

The Setup

MacBook Air 13.3" Mid 2011

• Storage: 256GB SSD
• Processor: 1.7GHz i5
• Memory: 4GB RAM

Out of that 256GB SSD, only 249.82GB is actually available to use. Nevertheless, 229.58GB of it is “free.” How? Simple. The cloud.

Before we get into where my files actually are, let’s first take a look at what is normally stored on a computer. Documents, photos, videos, movies, music, contacts, and apps.

Now let’s take a look at where my files are.

• Documents - Dropbox (maxed out account)
• Photos/Videos/Movies - iOS devices & external drive
• Music - mostly on Spotify (a.k.a. cloud)
• Contacts - Google and iCloud
• Apps - can only be on the computer (8.88GB on Air)
• ...