I am pretty excited about the forthcoming Pogo Connect stylus for iPad and iPhone. While there has been a slew of stylus'...none have really excited me. After using each of them, I was largely disappointed. Granted I am not an artist but I just felt like I was squishing a rubber or felt nub around to get some dimensionality into whatever I tried to sketch.


The good news is that there is a new set of solutions on the horizon that offer a path to provide greater control over the sensitivity and tactile nature of using a stylus on a tablet. Ten One Design (the makers of the basic but popular Pogo Sketch) is about to launch a Bluetooth 4.0, pressure sensitive stylus that communicates the pressure of the pen to the application wirelessly on the iOS device.

Artists have enjoyed this capability with some high-end graphics tablets and will surely enjoy this advancement but for me the best benefit of this type of solution is that the application can ignore all touch inputs except for the pen. If you have used a stylus to take notes on a multi-touch tablet, you probably have had the experience of your wrist touching the display and drawing something on the screen. This stylus can address this and turn note-taking into a joy.

I am really looking forward to this and some other intelligent stylus solutions to see how my tablet experience evolves. I will let you know when the price and availability is announced shortly.

Below is a video quickly highlighting the Pogo Connect's sensitivity at play...

The Samsung Galaxy Nexus launches today on the Verizon's LTE 4G network and is the first phone to feature the Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) operating system. The new OS brings an all new interface and simplifies the overall experience on an Android phone.

The interface is rich with pictures, interactive widgets and has a more magazine-like feel about it.

The large 4.65 inch vibrant Super AMOLED 720p display is easy to read and the pictures from the 5 mega-pixel low-light camera are quite clear. It also features 1080p video recording capabilities.

Overall, this is the hottest Android smart-phone offering to date and is available for $300 with a 2-year contract on Verizon.


I have also posted a write-up on WouldntMind.com: Great Holiday Gifts for Cool People You Know, WouldntMind.com Holiday Gifts for Good Little Boys and Girls and a WouldntMind.com: 2011 Holiday Video Gear Wish List.

I am always on the lookout for more great gift ideas for friends, family members or your favorite kids. Please feel free to share in the comments below if you have your eyes on something I haven't considered.

This website is all about "great products" that can be turned into "great gifts". The past few months I have been posting each week some of the cool new products as they come to market. Be sure to check out Wouldntmind.com for a complete line up of reviews and product evaluations.

Recently I also compiled a couple lists of great gifts of Him and Her as well as a list for the Little Boys and Girls.

Be sure to check these write-up for great suggestions on product people Wouldn't Mind getting.

I have also mentioned Nielson's research on popular items on kids and adults minds. Check out the Nielsen's report here.

So what would a thermostat for your home heating and air look like if a guy left Apple and made it?

It would learn your preferred temperatures and schedule.

It would sense when you left the house or came back.

It would give you tips about your energy consumption.

It would be a wi-fi device and you could control it from anywhere.

It would be cool looking.

It would be simple to use.

Well Tony Fadell is that Apple guy and Nest is his company.

Nest replaces most home thermostats and runs $249 and professional installation for the first unit is $119 and $25 for each additional.

Katherine Boehret over at AllThingsD has written up some details about this forthcoming home technology.

Today at an event in San Francisco, creator Ren Ng demonstrated his company's (Lytro) brand new camera architecture that allows a very bright F/2 lens with an 8x optical zoom to capture the entire viewable scene within a new file format. It is quick with instant capture...no shutter lag. Each picture is roughly 22 megabytes in size which would make it comparable to a RAW file captured in a high-end Digital SLR camera.

What is captured by the camera is quite different than traditional cameras today. Lytro's light-field technology creates a new, proprietary file called and LFP. Inside of this file is what Ng called "11 mega-rays" of data. Thus the camera's light-field sensor can capture more than 11,000 points of light in each picture. This data can then be processed currently on a Macintosh application to create 2D or 3D imagery, changes to the focus and outputted at an assortment of sizes.

Ng has won awards on this area of research and the Lytro company was formed with $50 million in funding to produce this camera. Ng says the camera will go on sale in early 2012 in a $399 (8 gigabyte - 350 pictures) and $499 (16 gigabyte - 750 pictures) formats.

There is a lot of unanswered questions but the demos today were impressive. There are supposedly a set of accessories like a tripod mount. There is no flash, no Windows support, no video capture, no evidence of GPS, no expandable memory and no wi-fi connectivity.

It is also unclear what the images look like at higher resolutions for print applications. Lytro keeps referring to high-def which basically refers to 1080p resolution. The demos today were outputted to TV's and Facebook at 1080x1080 resolution. The images can be shared online and even allow viewers to manipulate the pictures themselves.

While it has a long list of short-comings, the instant picture aspect is very enticing. You can preorder the camera here it you want to be the first on your block. I think I'll wait a bit.

Anyone that has spent any time with me will know I carry my Canon Powershot S95 everywhere I go. I love its pocketable size and amazing F2 aperture lens that results in some amazing photos. The announcement today of a forthcoming Powershot S100 is something I will keenly follow as the details unfold on comparisons with its predecessor.

The new camera looks quite similar on the outside except for some subtle hand grips that may or may not be a welcome addition. But the guts of this device is all new...

Also available in this brushed titanium finish

1) An all-new 12 mega-pixel imaging processor from Canon debuting on the S100 imaginatively called DIGIC 5. This new processor is 2 mega-pixels higher resolution than the S95 and is 6 times faster, allowing for more complex image processing and noise-reduction. In theory this could help but the proof will be the inevitable side-by-side comparisons.

2) A new lens that offers greater range of zoom comparing its wide-angle (24mm vs 28mm) and improved zoom up from 3.8x to 5x. It maintains its F2 aperture at wide-angle same as the original but goes up to F5.9 (not great) at full telephoto. The original stopped at F4.9 but that was because it was only a 3.8x zoom. Adding the extra zoom capability in such a small size inevitably results in this drop off. So I'll be interested to see the photos generated from full zoom in night-time and non-full daylight shots.

3) With the power of the new image processor, the camera also is afforded some pretty amazing upgrades in the video capture area. The camera now shots full resolution video 1920x1080 at 24 frames a second. Canon has also added the ability to zoom during recording...a feature lacking in the S95.

This isn't your regular inexpensive point-in-shoot camera clocking in at $430 retail pricing. But as I've written about before, the photos that come out of an S95 can easily be mistaken for photos taken with high-end prosumer camera gear.

All together, this sounds great but I'll post an update once I get time to play with one. You'll catch my write-up at Wouldn't Mind This blog.

Look for the S100 to be available in November.

You can read a brief hands-on comparison report with images at dpreview.com

Canon also announced the PowerShot SX40 HS which shares similar technical inners but includes an impressive 35x optical zoom (24mm - 840mm) as well as some other key features for products in this zoom camera category. This is not a product I usually look into but might follow-up with some details when it comes out in September.

PowerShot SX40 HS

Press Release if you are interested is below...

Canon U.S.A. Announces PowerShot S100 and PowerShot SX40 HS Models With New DIGIC 5 Image Processor Providing Enhanced Resolution and Faster Shooting Speeds

Featuring Full HD Video Recording, High-speed Burst HQ and Intelligent IS

• A large 3.0-inch wide LCD screen for easy viewing of those images and menu options.
• GPS capabilities² where satellites collect data of the latitude, longitude and altitude of an image's location, which is then stored to the image's EXIF data³. A map utility software is included with the camera to view the locations where images were captured. There's also an internal GPS logger to track the day's photographic route.
• A full range of shooting and recording modes similar to those found in DSLR cameras including RAW + JPEG and a control ring on the front of the camera for quick, manual adjustment of key functions such as ISO, zoom and focus.
• Compatibility with the HF-DC2 High-Power Flash, which is an optional flash accessory that operates wirelessly and increases the effective flash range up to approximately 30 feet.

• An incredible 35x optical zoom range (24mm-840mm) with image stabilizer and a 12.1-megapixel CMOS image sensor -- part of the HS SYSTEM – the camera can capture low-light images of enhanced image quality up to ISO 3200.
• A 2.7-inch wide vari-angle LCD has been included for easy viewing of images and menus from almost any angle.
• Improved Smart AUTO settings to ensure the settings are intelligently selected based upon the cameras 32 predefined shooting situations.
• The Zoom Framing Assist button, which helps the user steady the camera when tracking a moving subject at extreme telephoto settings keeping it in focus.

Cook, Jobs & Schiller in 2009 | Source: Getty Images.

Let's talk a bit about Tim Cook and some scenarios around Apple's near-term future.

Tim has been Steve's No. 2 for many years and joined Apple in 1998. He stepped in to temporarily fill Jobs' shoes in 2004 and 2009 as Steve was going through the challenges and complications of pancreatic cancer.

The facts going forward as I see it:

1) Tim is a strong leader - What many people will tell you is that Tim is a dedicated and proactive leader and operational manager. He can and will run Apple like a well-oiled clock. Tim's roots are in fulfillment, operations and logistics and this shines through his professional and laser focus execution.

2) Tim is NOT Steve - Steve was the visionary. A master "producteer". Someone that develops insights, empathy and understands how to translate the vagaries of the marketplace and technologies into an entire product value-stream (end to end execution).

3) What you will hear about Apple's product pipeline - You will hear how Apple will have a pipeline of products "primed" for the next 12-24 months as that is how long it takes to translate concepts into reality. And the near-term is probably pretty solid indeed.

4) What you will NOT hear about Apple's challenges -  Forget about the obvious "Who will conceive of the next iDevice?" and ask yourself "Who will handle the near-term missteps?" Apple makes mistakes. Okay I said it! Who will be "navigating" the OVERALL Vision and Strategy on a "real-time basis" is not clear. Apple's style of innovation is not a "process" and it is born from a fire from a vision of what was seen as impossible but was possible with Apple's vast resources. Apple's strength is putting all the disparate pieces together is a cohesive manner. No one at Apple has demonstrated THAT overarching ability.

• I believe the Cloud services which are in their infancy will suffer without Steve. Online products change on a dime. You have to zig-and-zag to address consumer and competitive pressures. I believe this is an area that we will see the cracks first.
• iPhone5 and iPad3 will obviously drive revenue in the next 24 months as these platforms are clearly matured to the point that they will be available on all four major carriers in the US...probably simultaneously. And the rest of the world right behind. (For tablet purchasing advice @ WouldntMindThis)
• Macintosh computers are hot right now but they will probably fall into the "status quo" for the company.
• The "hidden in-between" product. An iPad/Macbook hybrid is probably in the cooker. Something super light and simple but with a keyboard. The Macbook Air serves this space but trust me...a device that is simpler than a Mac but with a keyboard is probably out there somewhere in the Cupertino halls. Add some custom user experiences into that form-factor/package and you probably have the uber-communications platform.

Today Steve Jobs stepped down as CEO and appointed Tim Cook at CEO. Steve will maintain his role as Chairman of the Board.

Steve posted the following note:

I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple's CEO, I would be the first to let you know. Unfortunately, that day has come.

I hereby resign as CEO of Apple. I would like to serve, if the Board sees fit, as Chairman of the Board, director and Apple employee. 

As far as my successor goes, I strongly recommend that we execute our succession plan and name Tim Cook as CEO of Apple.

I believe Apple's brightest and most innovative days are ahead of it. And I look forward to watching and contributing to its success in a new role. 

I have made some of the best friends of my life at Apple, and I thank you all for the many years of being able to work alongside you. 

Steve