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Free Starbucks For Voters
I voted early, but if you’re waiting till the 4th here’s another incentive to do your civic duty. Starbucks is giving away free coffee to voters. Here are the details from mystarbucksidea.com:
It will work like this: After you vote Tuesday (11/4), head to your local US Starbucks and we’ll give you a FREE tall (12 oz) cup of brewed coffee at no charge (limit one per customer). If you live in an area without voting proof, then we’ll use the honor system.
iPhone Interface Assets
The introduction of the iPhone brought with it the worlds third big platform to design for. But until recently, there haven’t been many tools to help interactive designers mock-up their creations.
The nice folks at Teehan+Iax have created a terrific .psd file that will help. It’s loaded with all the GUI assets you’ll need to previsualize that killer app. All the elements are fully editable and will have you pitching your iPhone goodness in no time.
E-spres-oh
In my circle of friends I’m thought of as a coffee sommelier of sorts. While it’s true I know my way around a Starbucks, and I’ve indoctrinated a few newbies, I actually get the different espresso drinks confused sometimes.
For those of you faking it like me, here’s a handy chart that breaks down the diffrent espresso based drinks, complete with phonetic pronunciations. Now you can be the coffee geek in your circle.
Use this power for good.
Is Starbucks Lowering Prices?
A couple of days ago I tried the new Iced Doubleshot drink at my local Starbucks. The barista suggested I use vanilla syrup instead of the classic, and she was right, it was delicious. In fact, it’s been my drink of choice ever since.
Over the week I’ve noticed something wonderful. I’ve been saving money. I’m not sure why, but it’s true.
Here’s why I’m confused. My go-to drink has been a Grande Iced Mocha (it’s hot here in Florida). A Grande Iced Mocha is made up of two shots of espresso, milk, chocolate syrup… and you guessed it, ice. That will cost you $4.06. The Doubleshot is made up of three shots of espresso (though since the machines pull two shots at a time, most baristas will add the forth, rather than waste it.), vanilla syrup (or whatever flavor you want), milk and ice. But the Doubleshot will only cost you $2.60.
Is this a marketing trick to offer a lower priced option in this tough economy, without making it feel like the brand is on sale? Is it an accident? The barista tried to convince me that it’s because there is slightly less milk in the Doubleshot, and that the price of milk has gone up. Has milk gone up enough that a few ounces make a $1.46 difference per drink?
I don’t really care either way. I’m very happy with the lower priced option. Just curious…
Personal Rant: Why is there only one shot of espresso pictured on starbucks.com with a drink called the Doubleshot?
Adobe Tutorials
There is so much great content online for creative professionals these days. There’s no excuse for not staying current and sharpening your skills. I’m writing this post while watching a tutorial I found on tv.adobe.com.
Adobe’s new tutorial section offers tips and tricks that, of course, highlight their software. But despite the occasional hard sell, you’ll find some great tutorials, and tips that will keep you in the know.
Apple.com Tutorials
I stumbled upon Apple’s ‘Find Out How‘ section of their website today. This section hosts a very cool collection of video tutorials covering:
Mac OS X
Photos
Movies
Web
Music
Documents
If you’re new to the Mac, you’re going to love these tips and tricks. But even for a Apple Fanboy seasoned Mac user like me, there is a lot of great content to learn from.
Free iTunes Songs From Starbucks
Starbucks has a great iTunes promotion starting today that brings together two things that I love… music and a Venti Iced Mocha- four-pump, two-percent, no whip (or whatever you’re drinking these days).
Just ask your barista for the Song of the Day, and you’ll get a card with the iTunes download code. They’re giving away a different song every day between now and November 7, 2007.
You better pop in early, as my local dealer of the last legal stimulant Starbucks was out of today’s song by the time I dropped in for my afternoon pick-me-up.
$100 iPhone Credit
Making good on Steve’s promise, Apple has released directions on how to get your $100 iPhone credit. They handled this in the best possible way…all online.
Simply visit this page, where you enter your phone number and your serial number, then Apple will text you with an access code (your welcome At&t), enter that code into the site and you get your credit in the form of a bar code that you print and take to an Apple store or use online.
I’m thinking of some new headphones…
Desktoptopia
Every now and then I get on a customization kick and will want to change out my background to keep things fresh, but I have to admit I hate searching for good desktops. Most of the ones you find are crap.
Enter Desktoptopia.
This little app pulls desktops from a collection made by designers/for designers. It puts a little icon in the menubar where you can load the next background, go back to the last one and even rate or reject a background. I have it set to change every 30 minutes, and so far all the desktops have been brilliant.
Not bad for $20.
iPhone Buying Strategy
O.K. First in line honors have passed in a few cities already. So, you may be getting a little nervous about your chances of getting your hands on the elusive iPhone. I want one, but if you’re like me, Friday (ok maybe Thursday), is the limit to how long you’ll camp out for one.
That gives us 24+ hours to organize, prioritize and strategize. Start with these five easy steps to iPhone buying success.
1. Settle on your spot
High-traffic store in high-density urban area? Store in the sticks? Tough choice, and you’re on your own here, since there’s been nothing but rumors about how many iPhones each store will have in stock come 6:00. Either way, you’re faced with this formula: Number of people in line - Number of iPhones = Number of dissatisfied customers, and betting that you’ll be close enough to the front to not be among the difference.
Me, I’m going for the mall. Why? Well mostly because it’s over 95° here most days, so the air-conditioned mall will make my wait a little more comfortable. Plus, you can’t camp out in a mall, so we’re all on a level playing field come Friday morning.
In any case, you can do a search from the comfort of your chair to choose your spot. To locate brick-and-mortar stores, use the AT&T Find a Store site or the Apple store list for the U.S.
2. Go on environmental recon,
Once you have your spot(s) set, check out the surroundings. If you’re familiar with the locale, no problem. If not, or you need a reminder, use one of the online mapping sites/services, such as Google Maps, to sniff out the important factors, including:
STARBUCKS (choose a location based on proximity)
Bathrooms
Food
Water/Drinks
Free Wi-Fi
There’s a good chance a Starbucks will be close, if not next door to and also across the street from, where you’re waiting. It’s top on the list.
If you’re in the big city, check out Gizmodo’s “The Ultimate iPhone Camping Guide,” which has mapped spots around one Apple store in each of the following: New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.
3. Pick your line buddy
There are worse things in the world than waiting in line for a few hours — such as waiting in line for a few hours next to someone who thinks showering is optional, or that guy who thinks Steve Jobs came down from Sinai with an iPhone in one hand, an iPod in the other. If you don’t have a line buddy - get one!
4. Pay someone to feel your pain
Not surprisingly, entrepreneurial types (college students) have offered their services as line waiters for the iPhone. The San Francisco area’s Craigslist was the first place we saw standing-for-profit ads, with prices ranging from $150 to $250 on Monday, but by Tuesday the upper end had climbed to $300. The payee swaps for the stand-in at the magic hour approaches, of course. In other cities, prices were lower. Seattle, for instance, topped out at $120. Maybe it’s the nicer weather this time of year.
5. Don’t stand in line, go online
Apple’s online store will be selling the iPhone on Friday, too, so rather than brave the crowds or pay some schmo, you can kick back and click. You won’t get the phone on Friday — no pre-orders allowed on the iPhone — or even Saturday or Sunday, but you’ll get one eventually. The caveat, of course is that although Apple has committed to selling online, and simplified the activation process via iTunes, it’s provided no clues about how much stock it will carry or more importantly, how long the ship-to wait time will be. (The iPhone prices, however, remain the same, and include free shipping.)
This can be your fallback in case, after cruising your designated spot on Friday, you have to call “no joy”. No problem. Head home, and wait in virtual line, finger poised over the mouse.
However, it’s not clear exactly when Apple’s online Store will start selling…
Good luck my friends, and check back here on Saturday. If I’m successful, I’ll post un-boxing pics.
