iTunes Match, does it match my needs? I use iTunes to manage my music. Go ahead and mock me. I’ve grown accustomed to it and haven’t found a better alternative. But I’m still not sure that iTunes Match is a product for which I have a need. I might follow, the lead of Clayton Morris and use it to replace low quality rips from my past I suppose. At “256-Kbps AAC DRM-free quality”, it would indeed beat the quality of my old CD rips. I still rip CDs at only 192. So, I might consider the $24.99 per year subscription to do a one time upgrade. But do I want to be limited to devices that play AAC? Not so much. Not only can MP3 play on my iOS and Android devices they can even play on that old feature phone I take out and dust off every once in a while. If I have to convert all those files, is iTunes Match still worth $24.99? I love Apple and even iTunes, but like MobileMe of yore, iTunes Match just doesn’t make sense to me.

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The battery is still charging so I haven’t had a chance to really play with our new camera. But I wanted to share the video of the unboxing. The Sony Alpha a55 resolution isn’t the greatest at 16.2MP. But the Translucent Mirror Technology™ makes it possible to fire off pictures really quickly. It also makes quick auto focus possible in movie mode. I love the GPS tagging on my HX5V and I’m happy to have it on my new camera. The Canon T2i was my second choice but it lacked the Sony’s sweep panorama, in-camera HDR, GPS tagging, and continuous focus during video. When I found the camera on sale at 42nd Photo, that was the tipping point. My local Wolf Camera matched their price. Since Danny had answered so many of my questions and let me play with several different cameras, I wanted to buy the camera from him.

I had also considered the Canon T2i, Sony NEX 5N, and Sony NEX 7. In the end, I didn’t feel like my level of expertise warranted one of the more expensive NEX cameras. I know what lenses I intend to buy and when I compared the price of body and lenses the choice really came down to the T2i or the a55. So, I’ll give the a55 a trial and, if it works out, I’ll keep it. If not, I’ll move on to the T2i.

First a55 Pic

Looks like my “friends” at Teamviewer are upgrading their software. For years, I provided my family with computer support over the phone. And, then, one day (drum roll please) TeamViewer waltzed in and said, “Why don’t we just let you operate their computer for yourself?” I have used their free non-pro version for about a year and a half. My family loves not having to decipher what I’m asking them to do. I love being able to just get on, get it done, and go on with whatever I was doing before my “service request”. Or better yet, to talk about what’s going on in the life of my loved ones. It was already a great product and I’m looking forward to testing the beta of TeamViewer 7.

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