The year 2011 was quite a year musically.  It seems everybody and their mother was making music — even Dr. House and the dog from Family Guy released their own albums.  But the music wasn’t all for the dogs.  Here are my awards for the best and worst of 2011 (and everything inbetween).

BEST CHRISTIAN ALBUM – Switchfoot’s Vice Verses.  I’ve been hard on Switchfoot ever since they severed ties with Columbia Records in 2007 and tried to do the hip indie thing.  This album makes up for all that junk that followed their last truly good album, Nothing Is Sound.  Every single track is awesome.  From fist-pumping adrenaline to deep, somber reflection, this album is filled with awesomesauce.

BEST SECULAR ALBUM – Coldplay’s Mylo Xyloto.  The lush musical textures surrounding “Paradise” and “Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall” are paradise to my ears.  Too bad every track isn’t as good as those two.  Still, Coldplay lands my top pick for 2011′s secular album of the year.  First runner up in 2011 is Adele, who proves it doesn’t take any gimmicks, just raw talent, to be a musical success.

BEST SONG – “Pumped Up Kicks.”  Many of this year’s hottest acts were characterized by their throwback to classic sounds (Bruno Mars, Adele, etc.), and who better captured that than Foster the People?  I like the way this song takes you inside the life and mindset of a troubled character.  The only way we can start to turn the tide in senseless violence is to begin to understand the mindset of those that commit these atrocities.

UP AND COMING AWARD - Royal Tailor (“Hold Me Together”), The Afters (“Light Up The Sky”) and Chris August (“Starry Night”).  If these guys are showing us what’s coming up in Christian music, I’m excited!!!

COOLEST BAND NAMES - Anthem Lights and The City Harmonic.  I have no idea what they sound like, but I’m digging the names!

COUNTRY SONG OF THE YEAR – Jason Aldean’s “Dirt Road Anthem.”  I never thought the rap/sing combo could work in a country song, but it did, and I love it!  Stripping the verses down to primarily rhythmic changes allows the choruses to add on melodic changes and elevate the song.  It’s such a good formula that regular singers are starting to rap during verses (Jason Aldean, Mat Kearney, etc.), and rappers are pairing with singers to sing the choruses.

AWESOMEST COUNTRY GROUP - Lady Antebellum.  They truly owned the night in 2011 with yet another hit album, Own The Night.  If I sold my soul to the devil for anything, it would be to sing like that guy from Lady A.  Wait, there’s two guys?  No, not that one.  The other one.

BUSIEST SINGER AWARD – Rihanna.  Search iTunes for Rihanna.  Find a song she’s not in.  I dare you.

NOT TAKING YOURSELF TOO SERIOUSLY AWARD - LMFAO’S Sorry for Party Rocking.  How can you not smile when you listen to the crazy lyrics.  And the synth-driven, sonically maximized sound exemplifies the ear candy we came to love in 2012.  First runner-up goes to Nicki Minaj’s Pink Friday.

COOLEST SONG ABOUT FLORIDA AWARD – Lady Gaga’s “You And I.”  So, one day, I’m listening to the radio and hear Lady Gaga singing about how much she loves Florida.  But when I buy the album, I realize she’s been cheating on me with Nebraska.  Then, I find out she recorded different versions for radio stations in all kinds of different states, and now I just feel so dirty…

MOST CREATIVE DUDE AWARD – David Crowder.  The DC*B never disappoints, and their musical creativity seems to know no end (though it will end after their final album is released on Jan. 10, 2012).  Just when you think they’ve done it all, here comes a Christmas album filled with techno, bluegrass and everything in between!

BEST KEPT SECRET - 10,000 Reasons by Matt Redman.  Speaking of unrealized potential, Matt Redman’s new live worship album should have generated more buzz than it did.  It’s easily the best worship album of the year.  And Nathan Nockels’s producing is always a key part of that winning recipe.  I was in the crowd at the recording of this album, so be sure to listen for my out of tune voice in the background!

STILL GOING STRONG AWARD - Passion Worship Band.  After all these years, Passion is still churning out relevant worship music.  Their latest, Here For You, doesn’t disappoint.

BAD SONG SELECTION AWARD - Glee Cast.  Compared to their bestsellers that topped the iTunes charts in their first season, now they’re just floundering.  Why are they having these kids sing all these old songs.  Do they really want to secure the grandma demographic?  And what’s up with the heavy-handed political and moral overtones in their scripts now?

BAD STUDIO SELECTION AWARD - Kristian Stanfill.  I’ve been a fan of Kristian before anyone knew him.  From the first time I heard him at North Point Community Church, I knew he was going places.  Shortly after, he was at Passion.  Shortly after, he was signed by Louie Giglio’s record label.  It’s too bad that they seem to be skimping on the recording budget for him.  Chris Tomlin gets mixed and mastered like the pro he is.  But Kristian’s albums always seem tinny and irritating.  I like the production value much better on his old indie record.  Let’s get this guy into a better studio in 2012!

UNREALIZED POTENTIAL AWARD – Javier Colon, the winner of NBC’s The Voice.  This guy can sing like an angel.  He’s been signed with a record label before.  Then he went indie.  Now he’s on a label again.  But he still hasn’t found the right formula for success, even with all the recent notoriety.  He just needs the right producer to work with and some decent distribution.  I sure hope he finds it in 2012.

ONE TO WATCH AWARD - Elenowen.  Another talent brought to light through NBC’s The Voice, and I can’t wait for their next project!

COMING INTO HER OWN AWARD – Laura Story.  Thanks to her breakout hit, “Blessings,” Laura Story is on the map in a big way.  You’ve heard her songwriting before (“Indescribably,” for instance), and now you get to hear her own voice sing her great lyrics.  She’s one of the best, if not the best, Christian songwriter out there today, so I’m glad the spotlight is finally landing on her!

STILL DON’T GET IT AWARD – Gungor and Bon Iver and John Marc McMillan and Florence + The Machine and Mumford and Sons and Toby Keith’s “Red Solo Cup.”  Am I missing something here?

BARELY HANGING ON AWARD – Hillsong, Kelly Clarkson, David Cook, Owl City.  I hope they make it, but 2011 wasn’t the best year for any of the above.

PUT A FORK IN IT AWARD – Smitty (Glory), SCC (Re:creation) and Point Of Grace (Winter Wonderland).  They all proved that it’s time to put the mic down and step away slowly…

WORST COVER BAND AWARD – Newsboys, for giving us yet another cover (“God’s Not Dead”).  And, let’s be honest.  You’re not Newsboys anymore.  You’re Tait.  And Peter Furler is not Peter Furler.  He’s Newsboys.

THE “MEH” AWARD – Shawn McDonald, Josh Wilson, Mandisa, Francesca Battistelli, Shane & Shane, Kirk Franklin and Phil Wickham.  Yawn…

MOST HERETICAL LYRIC AWARD – MIKESCHAIR’s “Someone Worth Dying For.”  I was a sinner — not someone who, in and of myself, deserved anything.  That’s what makes God’s grace so amazing — I was not worth dying for, but He saved me anyway, to the praise of the glorious riches of His grace.

That’s about it!  What makes your top list for 2011?

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Remember a little while ago when I said the iPhone 4S was something of a disappointment and that I was glad I didn’t own Apple stock?  Well, I’ll just go ahead and take that back…

Quite to the contrary, the iPhone 4S is flying off the shelves and shattering previous sales records.  And on top of that, Apple just released fourth quarter financial data.  Let’s just say that things are going extremely well for Apple, with all their major product lines showing very significant growth.

Why is Apple so dominant… even during the Great Recession… even with the release of an underwhelming iPhone?  People want simplicity and usability, and Apple is delivering that in every product.  But I’m still holding out for the iPhone 5 (summer, 2012, baby!).

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For as long as I can remember, I’ve clung to the false idea that one can lead and bring about positive change without encountering critics.  My experience thus far in life tells me this is by no means true.  Still, I often look to my idols — Andy Stanley, Mark Driscoll, Steve Jobs — and long for their supposedly critic-free lives.  They lead on Easy Street, right?  Wrong.  Check out the video below:

I believe Steve Jobs has brought about more positive change than any other leader in my lifetime, but even he had critics.  Why?  Because change was involved, and change is never easy.  I’m just glad Steve followed his vision instead of letting the critics take the wheel.

This video is cool because we know how the story ends.  I don’t even want to try to imagine what the iPhone would look like if Apple had bowed to its critics.

Also, the specific way Jobs handled his critics is inspirational to me.  In the video above, you can see how he compassionately acknowledged that change is hard.  He even admitted that Apple had made mistakes and would continue to make mistakes.  But, that didn’t change the fact that they were heading toward their vision and would not be derailed.

There’s an art and a science to taking criticism well — accepting the kernel of truth but rejecting the personal attacks… making some course corrections but not allowing negativity to eat you alive.  It’s an art I’m still learning, and thankfully, I’ve got some great examples of leaders who do it very well.  Furthermore, the “advanced class” is learning not to just tolerate and endure critics but to lead them — to take them with you on your journey instead of discarding them.  That’s tough, but as you can see, Steve tried to do it.  And that’s my ultimate goal too.

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A ton of people have asked me what I think about the iPhone 4S, so I figured I’d blog my reaction as well.  I’m happy — but not for the right reasons.

First, I’m happy that I’m not an Apple stockholder.  The iPhone 4S is an incremental step, but it’s not enough.  No NFC (near-field communications).  No LTE (4G speed).  Apple’s corporate identity is as the chief innovator,  the industry leader.  The iPhone 4S does not serve to maintain their position by most people’s evaluations.  (Sure, the 1080p video recording with great optics and image stabilization is great, but it’s not enough.)

Second, I’m happy because my iPhone 4 will not look outdated later this month.  Because they didn’t introduce a thinner, sexier body design, my phone will look just as much up-to-date next week as it does this week.  Based on leaks, people were expecting an ultra-thin teardrop design, reminiscent of the iPad 2.  The leaks got our hopes up, but alas, it looks like those leaks are for the next iPhone design, due out next year.  :(

As for the presentation itself, Tim Cook underwhelmed me.  He didn’t appear to have Steve Job’s infectious love for the technology he held in his hands.  He was nervous and hesitant at times.  In short, he didn’t give me GAS (gear acquisition syndrome).  And the small venue didn’t help.  It was a very subdued presentation in a very small conference room.  In many ways, it looked like the upstart Apple of many years ago, not the mature industry leader Apple had become under Jobs.

However, two very important developments should not get lost in all the negativity.  First is iCloud, which I believe will usher in a wonderful change in the way all of us use “the cloud.”  Second is Siri, which I believe marks the first step toward the day when we interact in a more human way with our machines.  One day, when we can order around our car and our refrigerator in natural language, we will have Apple to thank.

All in all, Apple gave a very underwhelming presentation of a very underwhelming phone… but they also introduced several cool technological advances that will certainly change the way we all interact with our computers for a long time.

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I had two bad experiences with companies this weekend, but only one won me over with good customer care in the end. The other… not so much.

Yesterday, Bagel Brothers of New York opened a new restaurant in our part of town. We were excited to try it out and went in to try… what else, a bagel!  The cashier told us that it was buy-one-get-one-free.  Jessica wasn’t hungry, but you can’t beat free, so we both ordered bagels.  We asked for plain bagels with plain cream cheese, but they were out, so we got fancier bagels instead.

When the bill came due, the cashier asked for over $7.  I literally did a double-take. I asked her to repeat the amount.  She explained that the fancy bagels were extra, and that the buy-one-get-one-free offer did not apply to them.  That would have been good to know beforehand!!!  Long story short, they ended up getting a lot more money out of us that day than we intended to spend.  They made a quick buck.  But they lost in the long-run because they left a very sour taste in our mouth.

My other experience was with TiVo. The company sold me a defective TiVo Premiere, and I haven’t been able to use it since I got it.  Very frustrating!  Today, I finally broke down and called their customer support number.  I expected the worst.  I thought they’d blame it on the CableCard and make me call Comcast.  I thought they’d run me through several levels of support before getting someone who really knew what they were doing.  I was wrong!

TiVo wowed me with their competency and care. I didn’t have to navigate a huge phone tree.  I didn’t have to hold long.  I didn’t have to speak to more than one person.  We got my issue resolved, and a new TiVo is on its way to me, as we speak.  They’re even paying shipping both ways!  All it took was a few minutes on the phone with a knowledgable and helpful person who had the authority to get the situation fixed.

So, at the ends of the day, one company got a quick buck, while the other got a loyal customer for life. Which would you rather have?  Let that answer inform how you deal with customer support issues in your company!

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Thanks to AT&T’s horrific service, for the past week I haven’t been able to use my iPhone as… well, a phone. It’s pretty much an iPod Touch right now, but that’s OK because I have a backup plan – Voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP).

If you’re not a nerd, you probably haven’t intentionally used VoIP before, but if you’ve ever heard of “magicJack,” you know the basic premise — your voice travels over the Internet instead of a phone line or cellular signal, saving you big bucks!!! I actually use four VoIP services.  The quality is great, and some of them are free!!!

Here are the VoIP services I use, and I bet they can save you some money too:

• Toktumi – Pronounced “talk to me,” this is the great service behind my media production company’s vanity toll free number.  When people call, I can use an iPhone app or a phone plugged into my home computer to answer.  When I answer, it’s a VoIP call, meaning I’m not using my cell phone minutes, and I don’t need a traditional landline.  But the coolest part happens when I don’t answer.  After a preset number of rings, Toktumi answers with an automated attendant.  It plays a custom greeting, depending on who is calling, and then it gives them a menu of options that leads to pre-recorded information or transfers the call to another number (i.e., press 1 for Bill, 2 for Jessica, etc.).  Very cool!  It’s just $15/month, and that includes unlimited VoIP minutes.
• Google Voice – In addition to my vanity toll-free number, I also have local numbers in the markets where I do business.  These numbers are from Google Voice, and yes, they are vanity numbers that spell “FUN” things too, haha!  While Google Voice is not a VoIP provider, per se, I use an iPhone app called Talkatone that allows me to place an receive calls from my Google Voice number over the Internet.  I can also place and receive calls right from within GMail.  Again, this means I’m not using cell phone minutes, and I don’t need a landline.  But wait, there’s more!  When I don’t answer my Google Voice number, again, callers get a custom greeting.  If they leave a message, Google transcribes it and emails it to me.  It basically turns voicemails into text messages.  Oh, and did I mention that text messaging with your Google Voice number is free?  Yep, very cool.  Total cost: $0.00.
• netTALK – The netTALK iPhone app makes your iPhone into a VoIP phone for free!  You don’t get your own number, so you can’t get incoming calls, but it’s a great backup for times when AT&T’s service sucks.  You can even record your conversations with the app, as well as get free conference calling and 411 directory assistance!  Last time I checked, when you call someone with this VoIP app, it shows up as “Unknown Caller” on CallerID.  That’s a great side benefit if you ever want to call someone and not give out your number!
• magicJack – Last (and least) is magicJack.  We subscribed to magicJack for a while and used it as a replacement for an expensive landline.  The downside is that you have to leave the computer it’s plugged into running all the time.  If it locks up, your calls go straight through to voicemail.  It’s not very configurable, and the quality is merely OK.  It’s also not free, but it’s so cheap that it’s almost free.

So there you have it, four great options for cheap or free calling via VoIP technology! I love having them at my disposal, especially on days like today when AT&T lets me down.  I mean, wow, I’m paying AT&T $100/month, and they can’t do something a free VoIP service can do — place a simple phone call.  Wow.  These are also great options for iPod Touch owners, who now have a few good apps that will basically turn the iPod into a VoIP iPhone.  Heck, you can even use your iPad as a phone with these apps.  That’s always a crowd pleaser!!!

Have you ever used VoIP before?  Will you give it a try this year?

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Apple unveiled iCloud as part of a marathon two-hour session at their conference for software developers. There were tons of demos, points, sub points, sub-sub points, etc.  They detailed Mac OS X Lion, iOS 5 and, of course, iCloud.  You could get lost in all the details.

But, for me, their message could be summarized in three simple words: “It just works.” What makes Apple unique and popular is that their stuff just works.  You don’t have to be a computer geek to use a Mac, an iPhone or an iPad.  And now, you don’t have to be a genius to get your data in “the cloud.”

What makes Apple’s iCloud different than Microsoft’s, Google’s and Amazon’s clouds?

• First, it’s not just about music. iCloud syncs your photos, songs, apps, books, documents, contacts, calendars and mail – your entire digital life (except for videos).
• Second, it’s free! The only part that costs anything is syncing your music to the cloud that you didn’t purchase from iTunes, and that’s just $25/year.
• Third, Apple’s iCloud is not about streaming your music — it’s about syncing to your devices. This is good, I think.  Why would I send all my songs to Amazon’s cloud and then have to use my 3G data to stream it on my phone?
  
• Third, it’s built in. There’s no iCloud app to install.  iCloud is seamlessly integrated with all your Mac products!
• Fourth, it’s completely transparent. It happens without you thinking about it.  It happens without your constant attention.

It’s this fourth point that I think will take Apple far above and beyond its competitors — it just works! Microsoft has been advertising its “to the cloud” campaign for a long time, but have I used it yet on my PC?  No!  Why?  I don’t understand it.  I don’t want to configure it.  And I don’t trust Microsoft.  Will I use Apple’s iCloud?  Absolutely!  Why?  It just works!

Finally, someone is going to do the cloud right! For instance, once you purchase a track on iTunes, you can re-download it easily to any of your devices at any time.  Contrast this with Amazon’s restrictions of downloading.  I recently purchased an MP3 album from Amazon.com, and the download locked up.  I tried to restart it, but found that Amazon only allowed me one download.  I had to call customer support to get another shot at it.  I was on hold with foreigners for almost two hours trying to get that stupid album to download.  Wow.  Thankfully, Apple is setting a new standard that it’s OK to allow customers to re-download purchased tracks.  (Now, if we could just get Apple to match Amazon’s pricing on MP3′s…)

My only reservation about iCloud is that it may not affect as many customers as Apple thinks. It seems like the more Apple devices you have to keep in sync, the more you’ll benefit.  But really, how many people have a MacBook Pro, an iPhone and an iPad?  Still, it is also compatible with PC’s, which will help more people benefit, though to a lesser extent.

All in all, I have to say, “Good job, Steve Jobs!”  I’m looking forward to iCloud!

How about you?  Do you have a use for “the cloud” in your daily life?  What cloud would/do you use?

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This weekend, I caught up with Christian recording artist Shaun Groves. I asked him about his upcoming album, Third World Symphony, and specifically the way he’s involving fans in the process of its creation.  It’s really an interesting model of how independent artists are funding and publicizing their works.  Check out the interview below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxLKBx1KNcw

Shaun recently shared some of his new songs with our congregation and allowed me to make a live recording (Pro Tools and video). I’m working on editing it now.  Hopefully, it’ll turn out well enough so that he can use it on his Website and/or [fingers crossed] maybe even as a bonus track on the upcoming album.  You never know!  Anyway, I thank him for giving me the chance to take a shot at it.

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On Easter Sunday, we looked at four reasons it makes sense to believe the account of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection are true. (For the complete sermon, please visit Wade’s Message Archive page.) Clearly, you don’t have to check your brain at the door to be a Christian. In fact, when you look at the evidence, it is hard not to conclude that a miraculous event occurred on that Easter morning!

The question many people ask, though, is this: “Why is the Resurrection important?” They say, “Jesus paid for my sins on the cross, so why is it important that He also came back from the dead?” Paul offers some insight in 1 Corinthians 15. He says that, if there’s no resurrection, there’s no Christianity. Our faith is useless if the resurrection is just a myth. I explained why that’s the case at the end of last week’s sermon.

Below is an excerpt of that message. Click here to listen to this excerpt.

Paul says in verse 14, “If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.” And down a little further, in verse 17, he says this: “And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. 19 If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.”

So this is where the rubber meets the road this morning. Who cares if Christ is risen? Why do we talk about all this stuff? Why do we celebrate Easter? Paul says it very clearly: If Christ is still dead, that means He wasn’t from God. And that means, He was a liar. And that means that when He died on the cross, He didn’t really pay the penalty for our sins. And that means we’re still guilty before God. And that means when we die, that’s pretty much it. Game over. So, eat, drink and be merry, because this is all you’ve got, folks.

But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead. All that evidence we went over — Paul knew it. He knew that Jesus really did come back from the dead, and he said this: He’s the first of many to come. And so that means that we do have hope, that there is a hope beyond the grave.

I know there are people right now in our audience who are struggling with death, who are dealing with their own mortality or the mortality of a loved one. Jessica’s dad, if you didn’t know, has had colon cancer. And it’s recurred a third time. He’s only 49 years old. He got it once, and surgery took it out — chemo, radiation. And within a few months, it was back. Surgery — cut it out — chemo, radiation. Within a few months, it’s back.

All of us face reminders that whether it’s tomorrow or the next month or the next year or decades from now, this life doesn’t last forever. But thanks to the resurrection, and thanks to what we celebrate on this day, we know that Jesus was raised from the dead, and He’s the first fruits — the first one of many to come. Because Jesus was raised, we know that we have a life beyond the grave too. And whether it’s a heart attack or a stroke or cancer, these diseases can stop us from breathing, but they won’t stop us from living. There’s a hope for us beyond the grave.

And there’s a hope for us for the payment for our sins. That’s where the rubber meets the road, folks. That’s what Easter is all about. It’s the linchpin of our faith. If you ever doubt the faith, if you ever doubt Jesus, I want you to think about the linchpin of our faith. He really died, He really was buried, and He really came back to life. That proves what He said was true. That proves He was the Son of God. That proves that He paid the penalty for our sin. And that proves that there is a life for us beyond the grave too.

I want you to be part of that! The Scripture says that the way we’re linked up to this resurrection life is through faith. Faith is as simple as coming to God and saying, “I can’t do it on my own. I’m guilty. But I’m trusting in Jesus, that He paid the penalty for my sin, died, was buried and was raised to new life. And I’m trusting in Him for my salvation.”

I hope you’ll join us for our new series, “Shift.” As we explore the implications of the resurrection together, we’ll see that God is calling us to shift our power source, shift our perspective on life, shift our purpose in life and shift our plans for our lives.

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I love this time of year. More specifically, I love being a photographer in the spring.  God is painting in his brightest hues right now, and his masterpieces are all around us.  But you have to be quick before the bright buds fade away.

At the first sign of spring, I grab my camera and drive around, looking for the perfect shot. As I drove my family back from Pipestem State Park last weekend, the journey took twice as long as usual because I was constantly pulling over to take a picture.  I’m sure it drove them crazy, but it was almost a healing experience for me.  Having barely survived a crazy, crazy week, it was a 180-degree flip to take things slowly on purpose.

What a great mindset this is — searching for beauty! Would you try it this week?  If the speed limit is 35, go 25.  Look left.  Look right.  Peer up ahead.  Search out the sky for beauty!  And then capture it, even if it’s just with a mental picture.  Capture that moment, and enjoy God in it.

Maybe we should take this mindset with us the rest of the year too. What would it look like if we looked for the good all around us?  In the office?  In the airport?  In the checkout line?  What if every mundane minute of our lives could be turned into a search for beauty?  God’s hidden it all around us, tucked away in the personalities of our co-workers and the faces of strangers on the sidewalk.

It feels like many of us do the exact opposite — searching for what’s wrong. We nitpick everything and everyone, scrutinizing every last detail, looking for something to complain about.  At least I do.  I’m paid to do that.  Whether it’s pointing out a “jump cut” in a video or a violation of the “rule of thirds” in a photo or even reminding a guitar player that he needs to tune, I’m constantly critiquing and criticizing.

This weekend reminded me that, while there is much to point out that is wrong, there is also so much to appreciate that is right. I wish I could capture the feeling of my trip back from Pipestem and spread it out across all my days… living my life as through the lens of a camera that’s constantly seeking beauty to capture.

To see more pictures from my weekend, check out Whitt Media’s Flickr page.

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In my previous post, I wrote a hands-on review of the new iPad 2. I said that the iPad has a great advantage over its competitors, but it isn’t because of the hardware (it has only 512 MB RAM and a .7 MP camera, for instance).  No, it stands head and shoulders above the rest because of its software — namely the beautiful iOS operating system and the plethora of apps available to suit any need.

It’s easy to miss the elegant simplicity of Apple’s design philosophy because it’s so transparent — things just work. This is true of both hardware and software.  For example, the iPad is lightweight and balanced in your hand  – something you might not notice until you pick up a Motorola Zoom and see what a heavy, unbalanced tablet feels like.  Similarly, the software’s design is also transparent.  You may not notice how easy the operating system is to use until you try to figure out how to use a Microsoft or Android device.

The iPad doesn’t come with any instructions — it’s that easy. You just pull it out of the box, turn it on and start using it.  It’s intuitive.  You would think that every device produced nowadays would be that simple to use, but just look at the initial setup of Microsoft’s XBox, for example.  Not so simple.  When geeky programmers are in charge, design zen isn’t exactly top on the priority list.  With Apple, you get the feel that the user’s experience drives the creative process — not the technology.

The first software we should talk about is the iPad’s operating system. iOS 4.3 incorporates some great new features.  AirPlay lets you wirelessly show your photos on a TV or projector.  Home Sharing lets you stream media off your home computer.  Safari gets an update for even faster browsing.  Multi-tasking works beautifully and efficiently.  Most importantly, it just works.  No crashes.  And no hours of tweaking needed.

An operating system is only as strong as the apps that it runs, though, and the iPad has no shortage of apps.

Here are a few of my favorite iPad apps so far:

• The Daily – This rock star app fully utilizes the iPad’s multimedia capabilities, as it delivers the day’s news in a beautiful and interactive news magazine.  From videos to 360-degree photos, from live Twitter integration to local weather, this app represents the future of news reporting.  It’s only $.99 per week to subscribe, and it’s well worth it.  My only qualm is that Rupert Murdoch is the man behind the app, and he hasn’t been known to be so “fair and balanced” in his reporting in the past.  If The Daily starts to show political leanings in its reporting, they can kiss me and my $.99 goodbye!
• Flipboard – This app makes your Facebook, Twitter and Google Reader feeds into a beautifully laid out newspaper.  It also can add many other sections, such as Engadget, USA Today or its own news feed.  Zite is also a great news aggregator.  They call it a “personalized magazine.”  Early Edition also can make your RSS feeds into a cool looking newspaper.  Maybe most usefully, News360 aggregates news from all sorts of different angles (from the left, from the right, etc.), so you don’t get spun one way or the other!
• iBooks – Apple’s eBook reader is awesome!  I’ve used it to read through all the PDF manuals that came with my software lately.  Imagine how many trees I’ve saved!  I’ve also read several free Mark Discoll and John Piper PDFs, as well as ePub files of classics by Luther, Pink, Tozer, Lewis and more I downloaded for free!  I’ve also saved sermon notes and musical lyrics as PDF files to flip through on stage.  (The iPad looks much cooler than a music stand.)  I also have the Kindle, Nook, Kobo, and Stanza readers, but I’ve never found them necessary.  It’s good to know they’re available if needed, though.
• YouVersion Bible – Reading the Bible is a variety of awesome translations is easy with the Bible app.  Almost all versions (except the NIV) are even available for free offline downloading.  Plus, it’s easy to share verses, look up others’ notes and pace yourself through a variety of reading plans.  Want the Bible read to you aloud?  Check out the Bible.is app!  Want the deepest study tools available?  The Logos app can’t be beat (but you have to purchase the resources, and it ain’t cheap)!
• WebMD – For hypochondriacs, this app, along with Medscape, can’t be beat.  You’ll find out what you’re suffering from in no time!
• Lynda.com – For subscribers to the Lynda.com library of tutorials about multimedia software, the iPad app makes it easier than ever to watch and learn!
• Hootsuite – This wonderful social media app allows you to manage all your Facebook profiles, Facebook pages, Twitter users, LinkedIn accounts and more!  You can easily monitor all these accounts at once, including Twitter lists, mentions and searches.  You can also post to multiple accounts and even schedule the posts to appear later.  Plus, unlike the Web-based version, the iPad app doesn’t limit you to just five accounts (for now).  Echofon is my backup Twitter client.  Friendly is my backup Facebook client.
• Pages, Keynote and Numbers – The iWork suite of apps for the iPad is amazing!  For only $9.99 each, you get a really easy-to-use and intuitive productivity bundle.  You can even save things in Apple’s formats, Microsoft’s formats (.doc, etc.), or as Adobe Acrobat files.
• 2Do – As far as GTD (Get Things Done) apps go, I’ve found that this one gives you the most bang for your buck.  I was initially surprised that the iPhone and iPad didn’t come with a Tasks app.  It really is something that should come bundled, but even so, for busy people, you’ll need a good system of categorizing, prioritizing and delegating tasks — more than a simple task list.  2Do does all that and more and doesn’t charge a subscription fee!
• Air Display – This $9.99 app is worth every penny!  It makes your iPad or iPhone into a second (or third) monitor for your Mac or PC.  Plus, your touches control whatever ends up on that monitor.  I place my Pro Tools transport controls there.  I’ve also used it as a foldback monitor during worship for lyric cues.
• ProPrompter – As I alluded to in my previous post, I’ve turned my iPad into a video prompter with this app and the iMobile Prompter kit.  This $9.99 app has almost all the features of PC applications which cost hundreds of dollars.  Plus, by using your iPad as a prompter, you have an ultralight, ultraportable system, complete with its own power source and the ability to remotely control the software (start and stop, change scroll speed, etc.) from another iPhone or iPad!
• Netflix – If you’re a subscriber, then you shouldn’t be without this app.  What a great way to watch movies in bed, in the hot tub or… wherever!
• Navigon – Want a GPS device but don’t want to spend hundreds of dollars?  Turn your iPhone or iPad into one!  (This one app works on both.)  The directions are even better than those provided by my Jeep’s onboard GPS or my wife’s Garmin Nuvi.  Highly recommended.
• Angry Birds HD – As far as games go, Angry Birds is king.  Fruit Ninja HD, Cover Orange, Back Breaker, Hit Tennis 2 and HLGolfLite are a few of my other favorites.  It’s a bummer that you have to buy a more expensive version of Angry Birds that is optimized for the iPad, but that’s not the case with most apps nowadays.  Any app that has a plus sign by it is optimized both for the iPad and iPhone, so definitely look for these, even if you don’t currently own both.  It’ll save you money one day when you cave in and get them!

This list just scratches the surface of the wide variety of apps available — about 80,000 and constantly growing as I write this. Keep in mind that even if there is no iPad app for your specialized need, you can still use one of the 300,000 available iPhone apps on the iPad (that is, if you can put up with half resolution graphics).  I’ve kept around several iPhone apps, such as the guitar tuner and metronome that I’m used to using.

In the end, it’s all about the apps. No matter how great the hardware, if it won’t do what you need it to do, it’s just a paperweight.  And that’s why the iPad 2 is a clear winner.  I’ve pointed out my favorite apps.  Now, what are yours?

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After much research and scouting, I got an iPad 2 on launch day — and without any waiting in lines! (It helps that I live in a small city where the demand for technology is very low.)  I did a little legwork to find out which stores would have it, and then I showed up at 5 p.m..  It was that simple!  (I did have a backup plan by also ordering one at Apple.com that same morning.  I’ve since cancelled that order.)

I’ve been waiting on this day for a long time — a year to be exact. I decided that I wouldn’t buy the first generation iPad when it came out because I wanted to give Apple time to work out all the kinks and incorporate customers’ critiques of their product.  It turns out some of that waiting was in vain because the iPad 2 isn’t really that much greater than the first generation iPad.

The new iPad is great, but it doesn’t render the first generation iPad obsolete by any stretch of the imagination. Many were expecting Apple to listen to their customers and add a USB port, add an SD card slot, upgrade the display, etc.  But Apple doesn’t design by democratic vote, and none of these became reality.  (If I had a vote, I would’ve made OS X part of a tablet, but that’s another blog post for another day…)

Thinner, lighter, faster

What did become reality, though, is that Apple made the device even more sleek, beautiful and powerful. Apple is a master of marketing, and they drove that message home from the very first announcement.  It’s thinner.  It’s lighter.  And it’s faster.  It’s an incremental upgrade.  The same iPad as before… but better.  Oh yeah, and it has cameras and a gyroscope now too.  But mainly, it’s thinner, lighter and faster.

The design is second to none. It’s a beautiful and elegant device.  It feels as thin as a sheet of paper, and it’s lighter than anything in its class.  It’s a joy to use.

Same battery life, same price

As Steve Jobs said when he presented the iPad 2 to the world, you would think that something would have to give to be able to make the device both thinner and more powerful. But, thanks to technology, the battery still lasts 10 hours!  I tested it out, and that is a very accurate figure!

More importantly, somehow, they’ve kept the price down — starting at under $500. That may sound like a large chunk of change to some, but let me put it in context.  I was shopping around for a camera prompter last year.  (A prompter uses a piece of two-way glass to reflect a script to the reader, who appears to be looking directly into the video camera.)  I saw two great options.  The first was $500 but didn’t include the monitor, so you had to use an iPad in it.  The other was $1,500 and did include a monitor.  So, basically, you pay an additional $1,000 if you want a monitor included.  And even then, all you get for your $1,000 is a monitor (no processor, no touchscreen, no Bluetooth, no WiFi, no software, no battery).  You still have to worry about running the prompter software on a computer and getting the video and power to that monitor.  Plus, unlike the iPad, you can’t play Angry Birds on it in your spare time.

That puts the $500 price tag of the iPad in perspective! Where else are you going to get a touch screen monitor, dual-core processor, memory, WiFi, 3G, Bluetooth, speaker, microphone, video camera, etc. for $500?  You can’t do it.  Or can you???

iPad Alternatives

There are alternatives out there, but none I’ve seen are worthy competitors. I saw an Android tablets when a coworker bought one for his daughter.  Sure, it was cheaper than the iPad, but it was a hideous device — poorly designed, dimly backlit screen, hard to setup and no good apps.  He ended up taking it back.  You get what you pay for!

Some say the competition is catching up to the iPad, but they’re definitely not there yet. The best competition to the iPad, in my mind, is the 11-inch MacBook Air.  If you need OS X and a keyboard, go for that instead of the iPad.  But, as far as ultraportables go, in my book, those are the winners, and they own the playing field!

Don’t Forget The Little Brother

After I got the iPad 2, I played with it nonstop for two days, so much so that I forgot all about my poor old iPhone 4. Left in the corner all by itself, it ran out of battery.  It was yesterday’s news.  When I went back to it on Sunday and charged it up, I saw it in a whole new light.  It was like holding a mini-iPad!

Maybe the biggest magic of all isn’t what Apple’s been able to do with the iPad, but the fact that they’ve squeezed all the specs of the iPad and more into an even smaller package — the iPhone 4. It’s got the gyroscope and accelerometers.  It’s got great processing power.  It’s got cameras (even better ones than the iPad 2).  And it’s got a beautiful touchscreen (with better resolution and better glare reduction).  It’s got all the iPad has, plus more, and it fits in your pocket!  Wow!!!  Let’s not take that for granted.  The iPad makes the iPhone seem all the more magical when you think about it.

As I look at my iPhone 4 and iPad 2 side by side, I’m reminded of some corners Apple had to cut to keep the iPad 2 under $500. Without cellular companies subsidizing the price of the iPad, they definitely had to make some compromises on hardware specs.  They could’ve used better glass on the display to reduce finger prints and reflectivity.  They could’ve upped the screen’s resolution to at least 1280 pixels wide (720p resolution).  They could’ve included a camera with higher than .7 MP resolution.  They could’ve included a vibration motor.  But, with those improvements, the price would have soared up at least another $100, and this was meant to be a tablet for the masses.

I’m OK with those compromises for now, even though I secretly can’t wait for the next iPad to get Retina Display technology. In fact, the entirety of the iPad 2 seems like an iPhone 3G — from the dpi of the display to the curve of the casing.  It seems a bit outdated from day one.

Body and Brains

The single biggest selling point in the iPad for me, though, is not the hardware but its software. (If I were buying on hardware specs alone, I’d pick a tablet with 1 GB of RAM instead of 512 MB, for example.)  No, what’s most important to me is the variety of apps available and how smoothly they run.

Imagine the most beautiful tablet in the world — even thinner and lighter than the iPad.  Now, imagine that there are no apps to run on it. Kind of a bummer, huh?  It’d be like an empty jug of milk — not much use, no matter how beautiful the jug is.  In my field (audio/video), there are some seriously awesome apps for the iPad.  Why would I buy a tablet from RIM or Android or HP if the apps I want to run don’t work on their devices?

It’s all about the apps — so much so, that I’m going to write a whole blog post devoted to my favorite iOS apps. (And I’ve downloaded over 300 of them, so I have a pretty good selection to draw from.)  If you thought Angry Birds was as good as it gets, wait until you see what I can do with my iPad!  We’ll see you in a few days!

Category: Cool Stuff, Geek Stuff, Reviews, Technical Wizardry | 3 comments »

Christianity Today gave Passion: Here For You three out of five stars, a mediocre rating. I unfortunately have to agree that it represents a small step backward for Passion.  As CT’s review says, “the music is getting a little predictable.”

Last year’s Passion album, Awakening, has been playing in my Jeep’s CD player literally since this time last year. It has never come out.  That’s how unbelievably awesome that album was.  I already certain this year’s album will not have the same fate.  There are just too many weak tracks.

Passion assembled an all-star team of songwriters in preparation for the event, but it seemed like all they did was put worship cliches in a hat and draw them out to create songs:

• sing Your praise
• stand in awe
• shout your name
• I will sing
• let every nation

And those are just the lyrical cliches from one verse of one song! These guys had plenty of great songs they could have used on the album if they had ventured more into the latest releases from Chris Tomlin and Kristian Stanfill, as well as the upcoming CD by Matt Redman.  I would have rather had live versions of those songs or even more Hillsong cover songs than generic worship songs that will be here today and gone tomorrow, forgotten in the sea of other safe, status quo songs.

The music and production are, unfortunately, just as much cliched as the lyrics. As one of my friends said, it’s like they’re just repeating musical ideas and chord progressions.  They’ve got to find some inspiration to stay fresh!

If underproduction hurt most of the tracks, overproduction definitely killed one. It’s one of my very favorite new songs, “All My Fountains,” that I’m talking about.  Having watched the Passion 2011 livestream, I know that the board mix ROCKED!  And having attended the Lift Conference and heard the song live, I know that it was UNBELIEVABLE!  But hearing it on the album, something’s missing.  Rather, something’s been added.  Producers put swelling electric guitar parts and synth pads into what was an acoustic song (complete with an upright bass and cajon).  They added swung sixteenth note claps that weren’t there.  They added kick drum beats during the bridge (before we got to the part of the song where the full drum set comes in).  All in all, I just want it back the way it was live!

Maybe I’m being too hard on the album. Maybe these new mixes will grow on me as they become more familiar.  But I honestly hope I never let lyrical cliches grow on me.  As I mature as a songwriter and music producer in my own right, maybe the natural progression is to move from consumer to critic… and then from critic to creator.

In sum, this album is not phenomenal, but it’s also not a disaster. It is worthy of your $10!  Ultimately, let’s hope it’s just a small step backward as Passion continues to lead the way in relevant, meaningful worship to our great God!

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I blogged about my wreck well over a month ago, and unfortunately, my Jeep is still in the shop. I’ve been driving a rental car (a ballin’ Dodge Charger) all this time, and it’s been pretty cool.

One of the “benefits” of the rental car is Sirius XM satellite radio. You can’t beat the selection of music — my favorite is Hits 1.  And everybody is raving about the digital quality… that is, everybody but me.

Call me an audio purist, but I can’t stand the compression artifacts of satellite radio. I read on Wikipedia that their bitrates vary between 4 kbps and 64 kbps (compare that to iTunes or Amazon.com downloads of music with bitrates of 256 kbps).  That level of compression just completely trashes the high-end (cymbals, the presence in vocals, synths, guitars, etc.).

I realize that not everyone is an audiophile, but I don’t know how people can stand this level of compression… and even pay for it month after month.  The sad thing is that many people don’t even notice the compression artifacts anymore because all music is so compressed.  (Some younger people even prefer compressed music.)  But as for me, it literally gives me a headache and makes me feel like my ears are becoming more stupid by the moment.

People of Sirius XM:  If you are reading this, please change your ways! How can you charge as much as you do and only offer 64 kbps music?  Maybe we could cut the number of channels in half so you could offer 128 kbps?  Or, better yet, I read that you have quadruple redundancy?  Why don’t we just reduce that to double redundancy so I can enjoy music that hasn’t been thrashed beyond belief by compression?  I, for one, will never subscribe to your service until you at least rise to the 128 kbps standard!

[ht: Mark Grapengater for the image]

P.S. For another way technology is making us dumber when it comes to music, check out this article.

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Where I work, we use Easy Worship for lyrics and media during the service.  We’re pretty happy with it.  There are many alternatives out there, from Media Shout to ProPresenter, but really, nearly all the church presentation programs do the same thing.  Their core features really are very similar.  That is, until now.

There’s a new program coming, and it has some unique selling points.  It’s Mac and Windows compatible.  It makes generous use of the “cloud.”  And it features iPad and iPhone control apps.  These are just a few of the features I’m excited about trying out.  Read all about it for yourself at:

http://proclaimonline.com/

Plus, they have a contest underway right now, where over $25,000 worth of prizes are being awarded to hundreds of winners.  So check it out, already!

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