Gadget Heaven

I am in it! Today I unboxed two really cool tools. I am the lucky person who tries out new hardware for our university department. Today I opened two new sleek, slender, may I say sexy, digital wonders. One was the newest iteration of the iPod. I already have an iPod that I will share with someone else in the department and migrate to this new one. The other is a Motion Computer. Oh wow! How lucky am I??? Here are reactions to each:

iPod

• Oh my, Apple does know how to package things! I was presented with a small black box, about the size of an index card, gently encased in shrink wrap. Getting into the box did NOT require a screwdriver, blowtorch, or even a Leatherman. Indeed I just used my thumbnail to barely break the wrap and peel off. Opening the box was like opening a jewelry box. The top lifted off instead of having an end flap. It is a nice sturdy box, the kind you actually WANT to keep with the loose ends that go along with the device.
• Inside was nestled a sleek little black wonder. It makes my previously beloved iPod look white and clunky. Yep, I am fickle. Out with the old! In with the new!
• With the old iPod, there was a disk to install. That would have been an issue for me since I want to install this to an HP table computer that lacks a disk drive. Not a problem! As soon as you hook your iPod to your computer, you go right to the Apple site, register, and get the software you need.
  
• Of course you end up at iTunes with lots of music, books, etc. for sale but what the hey? I LIKE iTunes. I have not bought anything though. Not yet...but...
• THERE IS NO POWER CORD! How cool is that??? You just charge up by hooking up to your computer. I think that the old one was that way too, will have to check.
• My new lil' buddy went right to my previous collection of iTunes music and synced without even being asked. It did ask if I wanted my pics done too, and of course I said yes!
• How about documentation? Well there is not that much but this device is so intuitive that you don't NEED much.
  
• I had the little wonder up and good to go in less than 30 minutes, including syncing with my previous music and images.
• Do I love Apple for their style and user-friendliness? YES I DO!!!
• In fact here is a little secret I will share...as soon as I get a chance, I am going to finally allow myself to get an iPhone. I am hooked after playing with my nephew's this past weekend. He has been using his for several weeks and gave me the affirmation I have been using, a positive reaction from a fellow gadget lover who has been using the phone for several weeks, enough time for the novelty to wear off.

OK so how about the motion computer? I will make that my next entry since I like to keep them short.

UPDATE SEVERAL HOURS LATER...I took Iola for a walk and just got back. I do have a habit of naming inanimate things that I really like:

• My car is Yolanda Dos Honda (Yolanda Uno gave up her life to save mine in summer 06 rollover)
• My titanium heart valve is named Fido. He never fails me!
• My Sony Vaio laptop is named Vera.
• And now...my new iPod is named Iola. I never named the other one.
  

Iola kept me going for two extra laps, I was walking with Merle Haggard, Robert Earl Keen, Alice Stuart and other lowbrow favorites of mine. I think I even tired out my dog! To sum up, I like my iPod even more than I did when we first met. She is so light and easy to carry, and gave me great company. I only have one video so far, a vlog I downloaded from NASA recently. But it looks great! Take a look at NASA's video podcasts. I know kids will like them. This one is about stability and features a skateboarder but also gets into rockets.