Apple Store's new self-checkout: Nice, but not flawless
Apple's new EasyPay self-checkout feature lets you pay for your own items at the Apple store, but it doesn't yet have all the kinks worked out--at least in my experience.The EasyPay feature requires you to download the latest 2.0 version of the Apple Store app. To buy an item, you're supposed to scan its barcode with your iPhone's camera, at which point it's added to your shopping cart. You then pay for your goods using the credit card associated with your Apple ID and iTunes account.Beyond letting you pay for your own items, the app allows you to order a product online and then pick it up at your nearby store. But it was EasyPay that I was especially keen to try out.Over the weekend I headed off to an Apple store where I picked up two accessories for my iPhone--an AC adapter and a car charger. An Apple rep asked if I wanted her to ring up the items, but I told her I was interested in trying the self-checkout.I fired up the Apple Store app, expecting to find an EasyPay button or option somewhere easily accesible. But no such option appeared.I searched every screen and option of the app but could find no way to trigger EasyPay. At that point, the Apple rep came by to see if she could help. She also scoured the app for some trace of EasyPay but came up empty. Eventually another Apple rep joined us, and then another. So the four of us started working together to figure out how to launch this feature.Finally, one rep found another iPhone 4S with the updated Apple Store app and was able to open the EasyPay screen on her device. Comparing her phone with mine, she realized the problem. My phone did not have the Notification Service turned on for the Apple Store app, which is necessary for EasyPay to detect your current store location. To conserve power in light of the battery drain issue, I had disabled most of my Location Services.From there, the process proceeded relatively smoothly.With the app's GPS feature enabled, it found the location of the Apple Store, allowing me to pull up the EasyPay screen. I positioned the camera in front of the barcode of the first item where the app scanned and registered it. The app then asked me for my Apple ID and for my credit card's three-digit security code. Once the payment went through, an electronic receipt appeared and was saved in the app's EasyPay Receipts folder. I then paid for the second item using the same process and was able to walk out the door with both items in tow.Related storiesOfficial Apple Store app goes liveNew Apple Store app: Buy online, pick up in-store, check yourself outApple Store app now offers in-store pickup, self-checkoutOne limitation is that you can check out only one item at a time. So you have to go through the same steps for each item. That's not a deal breaker if you're buying just one or two items. But if you plan on Christmas shopping at your local Apple store for all your family and friends, then EasyPay may not be the quickest option.Also note that you'll need to bring your credit card with you or at least know your security code to make the purchase.Another limitation is that EasyPay works only with the iPhone 4 and 4S. Those of you with older iPhones or the iPad or iPod Touch are out of luck. I contacted Apple last week to find out why the option is only supported on the iPhone 4/4S, but the company never responded.I do have to tip my hat to the Apple reps who helped me. None of them immediately knew why EasyPay was not working on my phone. But they spent considerable time and research trying to track down the issue until the one person came upon the solution. Fortunately, the store wasn't too busy, so they didn't have a cadre of customers waiting for them. But still, their efforts were laudable.I think the experience is also a good reminder to those of us busy turning off notifications and other services on the iPhone in hopes of preserving battery power. You may just turn off a certain service not even realizing that you'll need it at some crucial point.Overall, EasyPay is a useful option. But whether it saves you time depends on the store itself. In a store with light customer traffic and several free reps, you'll find it quicker paying the traditional way. But in a packed store where all the reps are busy, you'll likely get out of the store faster going the self-checkout route.
Menstrual calendar apps...for men
Menstrual calendar apps...for men
The idea for the service started as a joke when Eisenberg and a group of friends, including several women, were drinking at a happy hour and talking about relationships. "From there the conversation transgressed, or digressed, whatever it is, into PMS," he said. The group reached a consensus that "Women don't appreciate it when you come home and maybe things are a little tense and the man says 'Hey, do you have PMS?'" Eisenberg said. One man said he avoids confrontations by tracking his wife's menstrual cycle on a daily planner. "So we said, 'Wouldn't that be funny to automate it and make it available to the masses,'" Eisenberg added. No doubt, there are some people who won't appreciate the humor of such a service, particularly given the history of societal denigration of women because of their monthly hormonal changes. But, as far as menstrual tracking services for men go, PMS Buddy handles things a bit more delicately than some.Take the competing app PMSTracker. "Tired of your wife/girlfriend/sister/mom/secretary biting your head off unexpectedly once a month?" the app summary on iTunes asks prospective buyers. Another one, called uPMS, markets itself as "an application for all guys out there suffering the monthly Psychotic Mood Shifts from their better halves."Another winner is IAmAMan, an app for "your private life planning." Like PMSTracker, it lets men track cycles of multiple females, but has the additional handy feature of offering passwords for each female so that if one of them "accidentally bumps into this application and makes you enter the password--she will be the only one to appear on the list." Good thinking!And then there is the PMS Meter iPhone app, which is purely for entertainment purposes and features "hilarious sound effects" and an "animated scanning sequence."Probably the most diplomatic of the lot is the MyMate app. "Being aware of what your women are going through and knowing where they are in their cycle is essential in being a more caring and understanding man; in short it will help you become a better mate!"MyMate also offers the ability for men to keep track of a woman's favorite color, song, perfume, likes and gift ideas, and it stores special event dates and her clothing size in "convenient European conversion."Eisenberg dismissed the critics of the PMS tracking service, saying that he has received 3,000 e-mails from men and women around the globe telling him how useful PMS Buddy is. "There are a lot of people out there that think we've been misogynistic, but we tell them it's a free country and if you don't like it don't use the Web site," he said. "We think it has an altruistic side to it. It helps people."Eisenberg, whose other venture is selling shirt collar stays packaged in a credit card size holder called a Collar Card, said his wife is very supportive of PMS Buddy. "I get a reminder, a heads up via e-mail, and I'll cut her some slack and not let things escalate when I get home if she is not in the best mood," he said.
The idea for the service started as a joke when Eisenberg and a group of friends, including several women, were drinking at a happy hour and talking about relationships. "From there the conversation transgressed, or digressed, whatever it is, into PMS," he said. The group reached a consensus that "Women don't appreciate it when you come home and maybe things are a little tense and the man says 'Hey, do you have PMS?'" Eisenberg said. One man said he avoids confrontations by tracking his wife's menstrual cycle on a daily planner. "So we said, 'Wouldn't that be funny to automate it and make it available to the masses,'" Eisenberg added. No doubt, there are some people who won't appreciate the humor of such a service, particularly given the history of societal denigration of women because of their monthly hormonal changes. But, as far as menstrual tracking services for men go, PMS Buddy handles things a bit more delicately than some.Take the competing app PMSTracker. "Tired of your wife/girlfriend/sister/mom/secretary biting your head off unexpectedly once a month?" the app summary on iTunes asks prospective buyers. Another one, called uPMS, markets itself as "an application for all guys out there suffering the monthly Psychotic Mood Shifts from their better halves."Another winner is IAmAMan, an app for "your private life planning." Like PMSTracker, it lets men track cycles of multiple females, but has the additional handy feature of offering passwords for each female so that if one of them "accidentally bumps into this application and makes you enter the password--she will be the only one to appear on the list." Good thinking!And then there is the PMS Meter iPhone app, which is purely for entertainment purposes and features "hilarious sound effects" and an "animated scanning sequence."Probably the most diplomatic of the lot is the MyMate app. "Being aware of what your women are going through and knowing where they are in their cycle is essential in being a more caring and understanding man; in short it will help you become a better mate!"MyMate also offers the ability for men to keep track of a woman's favorite color, song, perfume, likes and gift ideas, and it stores special event dates and her clothing size in "convenient European conversion."Eisenberg dismissed the critics of the PMS tracking service, saying that he has received 3,000 e-mails from men and women around the globe telling him how useful PMS Buddy is. "There are a lot of people out there that think we've been misogynistic, but we tell them it's a free country and if you don't like it don't use the Web site," he said. "We think it has an altruistic side to it. It helps people."Eisenberg, whose other venture is selling shirt collar stays packaged in a credit card size holder called a Collar Card, said his wife is very supportive of PMS Buddy. "I get a reminder, a heads up via e-mail, and I'll cut her some slack and not let things escalate when I get home if she is not in the best mood," he said.
Apple's Ping seems half-baked at launch
Apple's Ping seems half-baked at launch
When you sign up for Ping, it asks you to create a profile and by default selects 10 favorite songs to display there. But Ping doesn't gather these songs based on your ratings or frequency of playback. Instead, it sticks to songs that you've downloaded from iTunes. Yes, I downloaded a Cheryl Crow song once (it was free, it was for my wife, whatever excuse you want to accept), but that doesn't mean she's one of the 10 artists I want to represent me in public. Fortunately, you can populate your own list of 10 songs--but only from songs that are available for sale (and preview) on iTunes. Meaning no Beatles. Once you're signed up, it gives you a list of suggested artists to follow. Right now, the list has 14 pop/rock artists, none of whom are very interesting to me. (Enough Lady Gaga already, please.) That's OK, though, as it also lets you search for artists to follow. Except after I conducted about a dozen searches of rock and pop acts with tens of millions of record sales (Led Zeppelin, Fleetwood Mac, Neil Young) and more obscure indie favorites (Animal Collective, Mr. Bungle) only one showed up--Pink Floyd. Worse yet, I tried to follow somebody claiming to be Bruce Springsteen from New Jersey, but it turned out to be another user spoofing the Boss. (There should be a rock and roll jail for such crimes.) The lack of participation at this early stage is understandable, as Apple probably had to sign deals with artists prior to launch. But for artists not in the system, Apple should have linked to their iTunes bio, pictures, or something. Instead, you get an imposingly blank page with "Your search had no results." How many times will users be willing to see this page before giving up?Missed opportunities like this abound. When I click on "My Reviews," an error message pops up saying that "this person" (uh, that's me!) doesn't have any reviews. I'd like to write a review, but it gives me no information on how to go about it. Another example: I sent an e-mail invitation to my colleague inviting him to follow me, but when he accepted, I got no notification. He simply appeared in the "People Who Follow Me" tab. And unlike Facebook, where accepting a friend creates a two-way relationship, Ping is one-way only--I had to send him a second message before I could start following him.I'm sure that Ping will improve over time, especially as more of my friends jump aboard. That's often how Apple rolls--release, then iterate. In the meantime, if you want to follow me, search for Matt Rosoff. I'll follow you back.
When you sign up for Ping, it asks you to create a profile and by default selects 10 favorite songs to display there. But Ping doesn't gather these songs based on your ratings or frequency of playback. Instead, it sticks to songs that you've downloaded from iTunes. Yes, I downloaded a Cheryl Crow song once (it was free, it was for my wife, whatever excuse you want to accept), but that doesn't mean she's one of the 10 artists I want to represent me in public. Fortunately, you can populate your own list of 10 songs--but only from songs that are available for sale (and preview) on iTunes. Meaning no Beatles. Once you're signed up, it gives you a list of suggested artists to follow. Right now, the list has 14 pop/rock artists, none of whom are very interesting to me. (Enough Lady Gaga already, please.) That's OK, though, as it also lets you search for artists to follow. Except after I conducted about a dozen searches of rock and pop acts with tens of millions of record sales (Led Zeppelin, Fleetwood Mac, Neil Young) and more obscure indie favorites (Animal Collective, Mr. Bungle) only one showed up--Pink Floyd. Worse yet, I tried to follow somebody claiming to be Bruce Springsteen from New Jersey, but it turned out to be another user spoofing the Boss. (There should be a rock and roll jail for such crimes.) The lack of participation at this early stage is understandable, as Apple probably had to sign deals with artists prior to launch. But for artists not in the system, Apple should have linked to their iTunes bio, pictures, or something. Instead, you get an imposingly blank page with "Your search had no results." How many times will users be willing to see this page before giving up?Missed opportunities like this abound. When I click on "My Reviews," an error message pops up saying that "this person" (uh, that's me!) doesn't have any reviews. I'd like to write a review, but it gives me no information on how to go about it. Another example: I sent an e-mail invitation to my colleague inviting him to follow me, but when he accepted, I got no notification. He simply appeared in the "People Who Follow Me" tab. And unlike Facebook, where accepting a friend creates a two-way relationship, Ping is one-way only--I had to send him a second message before I could start following him.I'm sure that Ping will improve over time, especially as more of my friends jump aboard. That's often how Apple rolls--release, then iterate. In the meantime, if you want to follow me, search for Matt Rosoff. I'll follow you back.
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