Dan Epstein's Tumblog

I made some notes watching the new iPhone 5 presentation last night.  My initial reaction was impressed, but not “blown away”.  Phil Schiller and Scott Forstall, the two Apple SVPs who did most of the iPhone 5 presentation, ran through 7 major improvements:

Better screen, better color display.

Faster wireless and cellular connectivity.

Faster, more powerful processor (roughly 2X what’s in the 4S) with longer battery life.

Improved cameras (with panorama photos).

Better audio (speakers and mics).

“Lightning” connector (charger).

iOS 6 (new maps, Passbook, shared Photostreams, better Siri, Facebook integration).

There wasn’t a singular new feature and app that blew me away, but when you think about all the upgrades, it is pretty amazing. Especially given that the phone is smaller and faster.

Thinking about how to describe the new iPhone, this came to mind…

I’m a big fan of Charlottesville, so when my friends at Nest Realty asked if I would be in a video about why Charlottesville is such a great place to live and work, I jumped at the chance.  Here’s the video.

I’m looking forward to seeing what Apple comes out with today.  From Apple blogs and rumor sites, I’m expecting a new iPhone (“iPhone 5”), a new iPod touch, and a new iPod nano.  From the iOS 6 presentation at WWDC, we have a good idea of some of the new features that will be highlighted (Passbook, cellular FaceTime, better Siri, better maps, etc.).  

But what I’m most excited about is the chance to be surprised.  In some ways, I feel like the big Apple Presentations are like a good concert.  You know who will be on stage, you may expect some of the songs or setlist, but after that, what happens is anybody’s guess.  When the iPhone 4 came out, I was completely surprised by the Retina Display. Of course you expect a sharper screen than the previous version, but the Retina Display was a huge improvement.  When the 4S came out, I was surprised by Siri, as well as by how great the camera is.

Today, I’m hoping I’ll be surprised again.

Lean Startup Circle Charlottesville, a new Meetup group for folks interested in Lean Startup in/near Charlottesville met for the first time last night.  hack.cville gracioulsy hosted, and there were about 25 folks there.  The makeup was about half technical, half non-technical, mostly working professionals (2 students, both hack.cville participants).

First off, if you haven’t been to Hack.Cville yet, check it out.  Spencer’s created a really neat space for students to come make things.  I’m excited to see what it turns into, and what the students create.

John Thomas gave a great talk about what Lean Startup methodology is, and how he could have used it on a business idea five years ago.  He and Arin Sime also led a discussion about what the goals are for the Meetup group. While focusing on Lean Startup principles, it’s going to go beyond the literature (Ries, Blank, Maurya).  I think the group’s also going to serve as a sounding board/support group for folks working on their own startups.  If you’re interested in startups at all, I’d recommend coming to a meetup.

The next meetup is October 22, just before Startup Weekend on the 26th.  I plan to be at both.  Hope to see you there.

Nice bluegrass take on the Stones’ Wild Horses.  Vassar played fiddle forever.  Born in 1928, he played on records in the 70s (Old and in the Way), perhaps even earlier.  This is from a show in 1999, but the sound is timeless.  Available free on etree.

There’s a new Lean Startup Meetup Group in Charlottesville, organized by John Thomas and Arin Sime. I’m looking forward to the first meetup (tonight). I’ll be there, and will post some thoughts on it tomorrow.

If you’re interested in attending the meetup tonight, check for availability here. As of this posting, there are a couple of spots still open.

If you buy stuff online regularly (1x a month+), you should get an Amazon Prime account.  It’s $79 a year, and offers 3 benefits.

Free 2 day shipping on Prime eligible items. Upgrade to 1 day shipping for $3.99.

Free streaming of videos and TV shows from Amazon Instant Videos. You can watch over the web, or via the free iPad app, which offers streaming content.

Access to the Kindle Lending Library. I don’t have a Kindle, so I don’t use this, but I would if I had a Kindle. It sounds like this gives you one Prime eligible book for free each month to “borrow.” You can read a book for free each month.

Personally, it’s been worth it just for the shipping.  We’ve started buying all kinds of things on Amazon for the convenience. For example, instead of waiting for the weekend to go to Lowe’s hardware, I’ll just order lightbulbs / air filters / batteries / etc. on Amazon.

Since I’m now a frequent Amazon shopper, I also signed up for the Associates program (notice the amazon widget at the top right?).  I’ll be posting the stuff I really like up there soon.  First up—the Aeropress.