California Bullet Train Gets Federal Funding

California Bullet Train Gets Federal Funding

California's Bullet Train is coming!!! Actually it is already here with the BulletTrain Express, but that is a different story. The U.S. Transportation Department announced today that they were investing $624 Million in bringing the California High-Speed Rail to life. This new funding adds on top of the already announced $715 million.

So what does the California State BulletTrain have to do with BulletTrain beside the fact they are both amazing? I was inspired by the original Japanese BulletTrains, so 10 years ago, in 2000, when I founded BulletTrain, I named it BulletTrain after these amazing technological wonders, and as a California based company, and as a native of California, I am so happy to see these long overdue BulletTrains finally coming to California!!!

Tufts University VisWall Center for Scientific Visualization Will Be Using The BulletTrain Express Keyboard

...National Science Fondation...
Tufts University VisWallCenter for Scientific VisualizationWill Be Using The BulletTrain Express Keyboard
Tufts University will be using the BulletTrain Express Keyboard Platform in their University Information Technology Department (UIT) for an extremely profound project they are working on named VisWall. Lionel Zupan is heading up this very exciting project which is just amazing!!!
The VisWall is 14x8 feet and has a super high-resolution screen that has 4 times more pixels than a high-def TV screen. Tufts University's VisWall located in the Center for Scientific Visualization is supported by the National Science Foundation. I think they are going to love the BulletTrain Express!!!!

Fast Train Moves Past Train Station In Slow Motion

Fast Train Moves Past Train Station In Slow Motion
This video is not of a BulletTrain, but of a train moving quickly through a train station and it's completely mesmerizing. It was at 210 frames per second while the train moved at 35mph, and this video is playing back at 30 frames per second. Simply Amazing!!!

A letter from a reader on the Lunatik iPod Watch Case...

Lunatik Case for Apple iPod Nano

As some of you know, I am also the editor and publisher of Jake's Rolex World which you can always find at RolexMagazine.com. Perry is a reader of Jake's Rolex World and he sent in this email today:

Hi Jake,

I know you’re into great designs, check out this little gem being developed for the new iPod Nano.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1104350651/tiktok-lunatik-multi-touch-watch-kits?ref=email

I’ve pledged to secure my Lunatik and I can’t wait to receive it.

Kind regards

Perry

Here is my response:

Hi Perry,

I am familiar with the Lunatik, and saw their video earlier this week.

Maybe I am slow or just missing something, but can you please tell me why in the world you would want to wear an iPod Nano on you wrist?

It just does not make any sense to me and here is why:

First and foremost, the iPod Nano has no Bluetooth, so if you want to listen to music you have to have the headphone jack plug in your watch on your wrist!?!?!? This makes zero sense and strikes me as being extremely uncomfortable and it would ALWAYS get in the way.

The Nano does not play video, or have a phone or do anything except play music, or maybe play a slideshow, so what is the advantage of having it on your wrist?

Plus, if you want to see what time it is, you have to push a button to turn on the screen. This defeats the "at-a-glance" nature of wearing a wrist-watch.

Also, you have to recharge it all the time. The whole point of having an automatic watch is you don't have to wind it, and a quartz watch only needs to have its battery replaced every 5 years, but having a watch you have to plug-in every few days seems highly non-sensical to me.

It strikes me that the Lunatik is perfectly named in the sense you almost have to be one to waste your money on its novel design. In my opinion, from what I can tell so far, this product is a shining example of "design for design sake" which makes no sense to me. It's like putting a Cadillac medallion on the front of a Mercedes, or wearing ski gloves on the beach in Tahiti.

Speaking of the beach in Tahiti, another challenge is that the iPad Nano is not waterproof, so if you get it wet, it could ruin it.

Of course, as a designer, I am open-minded and realize, I might have this completely backwards, so please enlighten me as to why you or anybody would want to wear an iPod Nano on their wrist?

Warmest regards,

Jake

So if anybody wants to school me on what I am missing here, please do so in the comments or send me an email. Of course it is impressive they have already raised a quarter of a million dollars, when their goal was to raise only $15,000.

The Beatles Finally Make It Onto iTunes!!!

The Beatles Finally Make It Onto iTunes!!!

Twist & Shout!!!!

Finally!!!! What took so long!?!? It is good to see the Beatles finally landed in the Apple iTunes Store!!! So seeing the all new Camaro Convertible which is based on the 1969 Camaro Convertible, and the Beatles in iTunes–it's Deja vu all over again!!!

To celebrate the Beatles coming to iTunes, Apple is sharing a FREE historic online Beatles concert, which is actually their first American concert, filmed live in Washington, D.C. on February 11, 1964. This amazing historic concert really gives you a powerful glimpse into the Beatles magic, ethos and origins. Talk about history in the making!!!!!! What a treat!!!!!!!!! Go John, Paul, Ringo and George!!!!

2011 Camaro Convertible Revealed on Video

2011 Camaro Convertible Revealed on Video
If you are a daily reader of Jake's Rolex World, you know how excited I am about the upcoming 2011 convertible Camaro, which I think is the coolest, best looking car I have ever seen. Chevy will be formally introducing the Camaro Convertible this Friday at the Los Angeles Auto Show, and they just released this video that show the all-new Camaro Convertible. Absolutely gorgeous!!!!

Rolex Coolness: John Houston-Apple Think Different Poster

Rolex Coolness: John Houston

Apple Think Different Poster

White Gold Rolex Oyster Quartz Datejust

If you are a daily reader of The BulletBlog, you know I am also the editor and publisher of Jake's Rolex World Magazine and Blog, which you can always find at RolexMagazine.com. I recently came across this vintage Apple poster that featured world-famous director, writer and actor, John Houston wearing his Rolex OysterQuartz, which is pretty cool.

John Houston's career achievements were amazing and he directed many movies which are now considered classic, like The Maltese Falcon (1941), The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948), Key Largo (1948), The Asphalt Jungle (1950), The African Queen (1951), Moulin Rouge (1952), Moby Dick (1956), The Misfits (1960), The Man Who Would Be King (1975) and Prizzi's Honor in 1985.

Upcoming Camaro Convertible Spy Shots

Upcoming Camaro Convertible Spy Shots

As many of you know, I am super-excited to see Chevy finally launch the all-new Camaro Convertible which will make its formal debut later this month at the Los Angeles Auto Show. Camaro5.com recently showed of these two spy shots that somebody took in Ontario, Canada of what appears to be a production-spec prototype driving down the highway.

Amazing Washington Post iPad Commercial

Amazing Washington Post iPad Commercial
This Washington Post App for iPad features Benjamin Bradlee and Bob Woodward. Me thinks they need MagicStands!!! What a world!!!

MacBreak Weekly Taping Jake Ehrlich & Leo Laporte November 9, 2010

MacBreak Weekly Taping

Jake Ehrlich & Leo Laporte

November 9, 2010

Yesterday I was fortunate to have been invited by Leo Laporte to sit-in on the taping of MacBreak Weekly, up in Petaluma, California. MacBreak Weekly is my absolute favorite podcast, so getting to sit-in Leo's ultra-cool studio was an amazing experience I will never forget.

The New York Times was taking photos during the pre-show, and Alex Lindsay, Andy Ihnatko and Merlin Mann were all on the show. The one thing all four cast members have in common is they are some of technologies greatest luminaries.

Meeting your heros and role-models in person is always a trip. The whole experience was just incredible, and I mentioned to Leo Laporte that I am the President of his fan club ;-) He really is just amazing!!!!!!!

Leo Laporte is the founder of the TWIT network, which produces many, many amazing shows. Of course that is me on the left with Leo Laporte in the photo below.

Thinking Different about "Think Different." : A Note from Jake

Thinking about "Think Different."

A Note from Jake

Hi Everybody,

I just want to thank everybody who helped make the BulletTrain launch of the MagicStand for iPad and the BulletTrain Express Keyboard Platform for the Apple Wireless Keyboard and Magic Trackpad so successful.

The history of computers has really been a story of people thinking. One of the first to "Think Differently," ironically, was Tom Watson Sr., the founder of IBM who not only espoused the notion of always thinking, but had a sign above his desk (as seen below) that said "Think." Yes, the IBM Thinkpad was named the Thinkpad after Watson's "Think" motto.

I grew up on Apple computers and when I was 16 years old, on January 24, 1984, I cut 5th period and went to the Computerland in Mill Valley, California and waited for the UPS man to show up with my 128k Mac–sound familiar?

In many ways, I imagine I was really part of the original Apple generation, meaning I was part of the first generation to really grow up with Apple computers, just the way I was part of the original Sesame Street generation.

On this very happy occasion, I just wanted to thank Apple for all it has done to change and improve the world of computing and let you know that at BulletTrain, we are looking forward to helping move the state of computing forward into the 21st Century.

"Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The trouble-makers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules, and they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify them. But the one thing you can't do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do." –Apple

Wired Aluminum Tray Turns Desktop Keyboard Into Laptop Keyboard

WIRED Magazine

Aluminum Tray Turns Desktop Keyboard Into Laptop Keyboard

Wired Magazine Gadget Lab published this very nice review in their Gadget Lab on November 2, 2010

I have been looking for something like the BulletTrain Express Keyboard Platform for years. It is little more than a mock lower laptop-case into which you slot your Apple bluetooth keyboard and Magic Trackpad. Thus appointed, you now have yourself a rather comfortable, notebook-like setup.

I find a notebook layout way more comfortable than the standard desktop layout. The trackpad is always ready to hand below the keyboard, so you aren’t forever reaching off to the right or left to mouse around. I actually tried to use my Magic Trackpad below my keyboard in this manner but it just gets in the way of the spacebar.

The Express has a hole for the trackpad and a cutout for the battery-holding cylinder at the back of Apple’s keyboard. In this picture you can see how much it resembles the top of a MacBook Pro, only with a way bigger trackpad:

It does add some thickness to the keyboard, but no more than a laptop does already. Hell, you could even lean back and use this in your lap.

The only thing putting me off is the price: It costs $100, enough to buy a second Magic Trackpad and let me double-fist my mousing setup to bet RSI. Well, there’s one more thing: Unlike the MacBooks, there is no option on the desktop to ignore the trackpad while you type. That could get old, fast.

BulletTrain Express Keyboard Makes Your Desktop Into A Laptop...

BulletTrain Express Keyboard Makes Your Desktop Into A Laptop

Gizmodiva.com had this to say about the BulletTrain Express:

The BulletTrain Express Keyboard Platform is a great way to turn your desktop keyboard into a laptop one. For those who can't stand the desktop layout, this is God sent. The Express has a hole for the trackpad and a cutout for the battery-holding cylinder at the back of Apple’s keyboard. It looks like the top of a MacBook Pro.

However, it does have a bigger trackpad. It isn't much of a bother that it adds thickness to the keyboard as it is very comfortable.

BulletTrain Express Platform: All Aboard The Apple Train Review by Technabob

BulletTrain Express Platform: All Aboard The Apple Train

Review by Technabob

Technabob wrote this interesting review of the BulletTrain Express Platform.

Let’s get this out of the way – if you bought an Apple computer, part of why you bought is its appearance. There’s no denying that. I own a MacBook, and even though it’s the white plastic one I still like how it looks compared to other laptops. With that in mind, BulletTrain’s Express Keyboard Platform becomes slightly less ridiculous.

As its name implies, the Express Keyboard Platform is a slab of aluminum with depressions where an Apple wireless keyboard and Magic Trackpad fit perfectly. That’s all it’s for. It’s somewhat practical, especially if you use your Mac as an HTPC, or if you have a large monitor and sit far away from your desk, but equally important is that it’s stylish. It matches the peripherals. Not that ridiculous isn’t it? Then you read the price tag: $99 (USD), and its absurdity skyrockets once more.

Then again, BulletTrain clearly knows their market. Even if the keyboard and the trackpad also work with Windows PCs, the company ignores that and goes straight to Apple marketing speak. The Express Platform “reinvents the desktop keyboard”, it “literally looks like it’s hovering in the air”, it is “the ultimate mouse killer”, it combines with the peripherals to make – I’m not kidding – “a magnificent ménage à trois”. And my favorite – “it has a specially designed feature on the back that allows it to hang-on just about any nail or screw.” That’s Apple talk right there. It’s not a hole, it’s a specially designed feature.

The Express Keyboard Platform is definitely not a bad idea. It’s somewhat practical and it complements the peripherals nicely. But is it worth $99? If you think so, you can order it at BulletTrain’s website. Apple keyboard and trackpad not included.

BulletTrain Express & MagicStand Videos

BulletTrain Express & MagicStand Videos

Hi Everybody!!!

I just put up some videos that show how the BulletTrain Express Keyboard and MagicStand Work. It is amazing how much more effectively a video can communicate ideas!!!!

Using A Desktop Mac As A Giant Laptop

Using A Desktop Mac As A Giant Laptop

A 27 inch iMac Bolted To A Coffee Table!!!!

We have been getting the most interesting email inquires!!! Many people have been writing in to ask us if the BulletTrain Express Keyboard Platform has a flat bottom and can be used sit flat on your lap and be used like a laptop? The answer is a resounding "YES!!!!"

Nick wrote in and asked:

"Can you show me a picture of the bottom of the BulletTrain Express? I want to see how lap friendly it is?"

I wrote back to Nick and told him it was designed to be 100% lap-friendly and mentioned we would soon be putting up images of our patent pending design for everybody to see as well as an HD video that showed exactly how it worked.

I also asked Nick whey he asked if it was lap friendly? He responded by telling me he had a 27 inch iMac bolted to his coffee table and offered up this photo of his current keyboard setup.

Nick said:

"I'm currently using the following setup gaffer's taped together (and braced by a coster) on my couch. I'm sure you can see the downsides. (Yeah, I know. It's probably not healthy that I've got a 27" iMac bolted to the coffee table. In my defense, I can only say that at least my girlfriend put her iMac on the coffee table *first*.)"

Of course, I was stunned and asked Nick if he would send a photo? A few minutes later he bought a BulletTrain Express Keyboard from BulletTrain.com, then he sent in this photo and told me he took it with his iPhone and told said:

"Here's a very fine iPhone picture. I'm using the Innovative 7500 arm, which is quite decent, although it suffers from a lousy tilt mechanism. It uses friction on a pin to maintain position, so as you can imagine, tilting down is easy while tilting up requires two hands. I also tried the Ergotron MX, but that suffered from inadequate reach and ugliness.

"At any rate, I'm order #2301633. I look forward to getting it - if nothing else, it'll be worth it to avoid the absolute joy of changing the batteries when the assembly is taped together. :)

Nick"

So I was stunned and even more confused so I asked Nick if you would take a photo from further away, showing how he sits and how he positions his keyboard. He sent in this next photo and said:

"Notwithstanding my finger, this is the best shot I've been able to get firing blind with the iPhone. As you can see, the couch is extra deep here."

I was really kind of blown away that Nick had essentially created a 27 inch Macbook, by bolting his 27 inch iMac to his living room coffee table, but in a weird way it makes perfect sense.

The 27 inch iMac screen is the absolute ultimate screen, and Nick really has the ultimate Apple Mac, but his desktop keyboard was not serving him well. Nick is obviously going to be totally stoked when he gets his BulletTrain Express.

We have had many people writing in sharing similar stories with us about how they tried to velcro their keyboard and trackpad together, or tape them together. Tonight we put up this image of the BulletTrain Express on the BulletTrain Express microsite, and added a discussion about how great it is for a Mac home theater setup.

Akihabara News Review BulletTrain Express Keyboard Platform

Akihabara News Review

BulletTrain Express Keyboard Platform

Akihabara News wrote this review about the BulletTrain Express Aluminum Keyboard Platform:

BulletTrain Express Aluminum Keyboard is the latests accessory to fondle

No sooner does Apple release some news than scores of manufacturers roll out some must-have accessories to compliment the new arrivals.

Last week amongst all the exciting news from Apple came the announcement that the Magic Trackpad, released mid-summer, will have a more dominant role in human-computer interaction, with news of Mac OS X Lion’s adoption of iPhone-type touch scrolling.

The design of the Patent Pending BulletTrain Express Aluminum Keyboard is based on a laptop keyboard with trackpad and is an anodized piece of aluminum designed to fit with the Apple Wireless Bluetooth Keyboard (latest model, without numeric keypad) and the Apple Wireless Bluetooth Magic Trackpad.

The assembled trio looks tidy and can be easily stowed away. The product claims to be more ergonomic than a regular keyboard to use, due to its built-in wrist-rest, and hails the merits of killing the mouse. Personally, I am a MacBook user, and I always carry a mouse with me, but if you love mouse-less computing, I think this must be the product for you.

Some other key features include compatibility with the iPad and the ability to use the BulletTrain Express Platform as a remote control if you have an Apple Home Theater. Rings in at $99.

Ubertizmo Review: BulletTrain Express Keyboard Platform

Ubergizmo Review

BulletTrain Express Keyboard Platform

Ubergizmo wrote a short review of the BulletTrain Express Keyboard Platform:

BulletTrain Express Adapter Turns Your Keyboard and Magic TrackPad Into a MBP Surface

Did you ever want your iMac to feel more like a MacBook Pro?

While this isn't a casemod to do that, you could still get the same keyboard and trackpad feel of the MacBook Pro with the BulletTrain Express.

This item is simply a large chunk of aluminum that allows you to fit your Apple Bluetooth Keyboard and Magic TrackPad into it, giving you the feel of typing on a MacBook Pro.

While it's nice to have a large chunk of aluminum on your desk, you do have to question whether it's worth your money to shell out $99 for something that doesn't really do anything.

CrunchGear Review: BulletTrain Express Keyboard

CrunchGear Review

BulletTrain Express Keyboard

CrunchGear just wrote a review of the BulletTrain Express and said:

BulletTrain Adapter Turns Your Keyboard And Magic Trackpad Into A Usable Surface

Have you ever wanted to control your iMac with a laptop keyboard and trackpad? Sure you have. Thanks to BulletTrain, you can!

Basically this company selling a big hunk of aluminum shaped like a laptop keyboard without the keyboard or trackpad. Your Apple Bluetooth keyboard fits into a slot at the top and the Magic Trackpad fits into a hole underneath. Once everything is connected, you basically have a laptop keyboard and trackpad for your desk.



Is it worth $99 for a static piece of metal? Considering scrap aluminum costs about a dollar a pound, it’s clear that most of the value is in the styling and milling. The company also makes a stand for your iPad, stating that it offers “a stand-up stand-up performance in bed.” The less said about that the better.

Home Entertainment Magazine Review

Home Entertainment Magazine

BulletTrain Review

Home Entertainment wrote a complimentary review and said:

Jake Ehrlich, the CEO and designer for BulletTrain, has come up with a way to make anodized aluminum sexy. Leave it to someone in San Francisco. This collection of Apple accessories is a stunning compliment to Mac users' desktops. More than pretty faces, these products make sense.


Jake makes the case against computer mice as ineffective for navigating. "Ping-ponging" (moving your hand back and forth between the keyboard and mouse) creates a false economy of motion.

Add to that the wasted motion of having to constantly pick up and move the mouse back to center, and you see why the BulletTrain Express Platform was designed. When using its large, stationary trackpad, your wrists wrest comfortably on the wrist-wrest.

MagicStand for iPad users can sit upright from 90 degrees down to 0 degrees (flat). It also has a "Steep Typing Angle" that allows you to type on it just like on a laptop.

Maximizing viewing angles for watching your favorite video content is a breeze for both portrait and landscape positions, making the iPad look like its actually levitating above the surface upon which its sitting.


If you are an Apple / Mac user and spend as much time in front of a computer as you do sleeping, it check out.

BulletTrain MagicStand for iPad: Part of the Patent Process

BulletTrain MagicStand for iPad

Part of the Patent Process

As we prepare to launch the BulletTrain MagicStand and Express Keyboard this next week, I can finally show them off in public!!

In the photo below we see David Olsen who is the intellectual property attorney for BulletTrain in my office on a weekend afternoon. In the photo, David is examining a prototype of the BulletTrain MagicStand for iPad during a Patent review meeting. On the left side of the photo you can also see a prototype of the BulletTrain Express Keyboard for the Apple Wireless Bluetooth Keyboard and Magic Trackpad.

Introducing the Coolest Car Ever Made: The 2011 Camaro Convertible...

Introducing the Coolest Car Ever Made

The 2011 Camaro Convertible

Today Chevy showed off the first production photos of the upcoming 2011 Camaro Convertible. In my personal opinion, this is the coolest, best-looking, best-performing car ever made!!!!!!

Almost 30 years ago, when I was early 15, before I was old enough to drive, I fell in love with the stainless Rolex Submariner and the 1969 Chevy Camaro. When I was 16 I bought my first stainless steel Rolex Submariner, and I drove a 1969 Camaro. I was very unimpressed with the way the 1969 handled and that was the last time I ever wanted an American car.

The irony is that when I was in high-school I wanted to be an automotive designer, but I realized American cars were absolute cardboard junk, and I did not want to move to Germany, so I ended up designing clothes and computers.

So essentially, all my adult life, there was NEVER an American car I wanted to own. This struck me as being totally bizarre that I lived in a country that put a man on the Moon, and designs things like the Apple iPhone, but made half-baked cars.

Today, that all changed, and I am very excited to introduce you to the first American car I would be happy to own–The 2011 Camaro Convertible.

The V8 SS version should start around $40,000 and do 0-60mph in 4.5 seconds. In order to get this kind of performance out of a Mercedes SL you have to spend $200.000 for an SL AMG, and in my personal opinion, this looks way cooler!!!!!

With the advent of the Chevy Camaro Convertible, I can proudly say, the American Muscle car is back with a vengeance!!!!!!! This car is ultra-cool and I can't wait to get one!!!!!!!

Fascinatingly Bizzare China iPhone 4 Launch

Fascinatingly Bizzare China iPhone 4 Launch
This really goes to show that we are living in a global village. It is so neat to see Apple stores located in mainland China, that are identical to the one down the street in the San Francisco, Marina. Somehow China no longer seems like it is located on Mars, but it's located just a state away;-)))
This video shows a modern China that is so antithetical to the whole Maoist China. I always new Communism wouldn't last in China. After all, the Chinese invented capitalism.

Apple Computing Horsepower and Form-Factor Progress over 10 Years

Apple Computing Horsepower and Form-Factor

Progress over 10 Years

This incredible graphic by Brett Jordan illustrates how much computing technology have advanced over the last 10 years. It is amazing that a computer that fits in your pocket can completely blow-away an Apple computer form just a decade ago!!!

Tech Coolness: David Pogue Dragon Dictate For Mac "Finally, Professional Dictation Software for the Mac."

David Pogue Review

Dragon Dictate For Mac

"Finally, Professional Dictation Software for the Mac."

David Pogue is the Technology writer for the New York Times and he just wrote a fascinating review of the all-new for Mac Dragon Dictate for The Mac. He said it is basically BulletProof. I am excited to check it out!!!