No tech news today everyone…well not yet anyway. I just wanted to share this with all of you since I’m starting Java programming again…
courtesy of xkcd
Archive for August, 2008
Business Cards, time to give them the boot?
Now, I’m not business person by any means, but I think old style business cards are cool. Of course the plain white ones are boring and tough to keep track of unlike these. TechCrunch thinks otherwise and just posted about a kind of virtual business card using the iPhone. From the people who brought you Twinkle on the iPhone/iPod Touch, Tapulous has come up with a cool way to exchange business card-like information known as FriendBook. When two iPhones or iPod Touches are next to each other, all the users have to do is shake the device and the info will exchange automatically. How cool!
More iPod Nano rumors from Gizmodo!
Gizmodo has released a few mock-up photos of the new iPod Nano. Thin is back, and I am happy for it. In reality, the fat Nano was just to go along with America’s obesity dilemma….its time to think THIN. These mockups, made by Umpa on Flickr, could very well be the new/old look of the Nano. Notice the wide screen. Very cool indeed, looking forward to it.
could this be the new look for iPod Nanos?
Nervous about college so I’m up late…. From Gizmodo: Apple Event, September 9th
According to Gizmodo (do I really have to link to it?) an Apple Event is rumored to be happening on Sept. 9th, 2008. Probably Kevin Rose’s new iPods?
Spore Origins, the Spore minigame
On another note, MacRumors has released information about a companion game for the long anticipated evolution game Spore. The game, known as Spore Origins consists of the life of a cell. It is a “spinoff” of Spore and can be used in the real Spore game. It is said to only be $4.99 in Apple’s App store, but is NOT I repeat, NOT compatible with the iPhone or iPod Touch. The official version of Spore is available September 7th for Mac, PC and Nintendo DS…..probably iPhone.
Windows Vista just a backup to Windows “Vienna”
I just recently read about this rumored Windows OS, known as Windows 7 or codename “Vienna.” Now I knew about Windows 7 coming out thanks to Gizmodo having screenshots of Windows 7 Mobile. According to Windows Vista Update, Vienna aka Blackcomb is:
Originally, internal sources pitched Blackcomb as being not just a major revision of Windows, but a complete departure from the way users today typically think about interacting with a computer. While Windows Vista is intended to be a technologies-based release, with some added UI sparkle (in the form of the Windows Aero set of technologies and guidelines), Vienna is targeted directly at revolutionizing the way users of the product interact with their PCs.
For instance, the “Start” philosophy, introduced in Windows 95, may be completely replaced by the “new interface” which was said in 1999 to be scheduled for “Vienna” (before being moved to Vista (“Longhorn”) and then back again to “Vienna”).
Interesting. It also mentions something about an entirely new Taskbar that has been in the R&D “Lab” since 1999!
Also mentioned was that… “Microsoft is investigating a pie menu-type circular interface, similar in function to the dock in Mac OS X”
Well not to be on Apple’s side or anything, but they’ve had the dock awhile now, but perhaps a circle dock would be neat as well…. I really like the sound of that.
The Smell-Good, Look-Cool PC
Apparently the folks at Asus have decided that to heighten the pleasure of using a laptop device, one must be able to breathe in the fresh aroma of the morning breeze, or the blossoming of many beautiful flowers. Along with some cool designs, Asus has designed four of these smell-good machines with the following four scents:
From Left: Flower Blossom, Musky Scent, Morning Dew, Aqua Ocean, Hot Girl
Not sure about the Musky Scent, but I’m sure all the best smell great. Nothing like smelling Brine or Flowers whilst searching online.
Courtesy of Gizmodo and Far East Gizmos
Kevin Rose iPod Predictions or “Inside Info”
Co-founder of Digg and major influence Kevin Rose has released some specs about the upcoming iPod line as well as iTunes. There are some big changes in the lineup and Kevin has told us the following:
- Revamp of entire iPod line.
- Small cosmetic changes to Touch, Nano to see significant redesign (see pic below).
- iPods to see fairly large price drops to distance itself from the $199 iPhone.
- iPod touch 2.1 software, iPhone to get update very soon after.
- iTunes 8.0 (“it’s a big update w/new features”).
- All of this coming in the next 2-3 weeks.
In my opinion, its about time the iPod line got a revamp, its getting a little stagnant. As an owner of a 1st Generation iPod Touch, I’m kind of interested to see the “cosmetic changes” as well as the 2.1 software (I’m getting the “unjailbroken” software because they have a free tetris game and the NES games on mine suck to play). Eventually the 2.1 software will reach the iPhone as well. The picture Kevin posted of the new Nano is reminiscent of the older models of the Nano as well as another competing media player. Of course, who could forget the long awaited ITunes 8.0? I’m running Mac OS X again and I have to say that if I could use AirTunes and Sync my iPod Touch with SongBird, I would change in a heartbeat. Perhaps Apple will give it more user customizability? Perhaps not.
Although this info comes from Kevin Rose, it could very well be wrong. According to TechCrunch, Kevin stated the following:
“A month before the original iPhone release in 2007, Digg’s Kevin Rose
made a set of bold predictions. Citing inside information, he said the device would have a slide out keyboard, a touch screen and two batteries (one for the MP3 player, one for the phone).”
Well, one out of three ain’t bad huh?
Hope his predictions/assumptions are right, I can’t wait for a new iTunes…Oh and here’s Kevin’s video
Apparently I’m not cool enough with Ubuntu…
I saw this on reddit today and I thought I would share it. Microsoft’s new Photosynth website is all about pictures. The idea is to make a 3D “world” through the photos you take (roughly and simply). I’m not going to lie, its a pretty sweet idea, I think Microsoft pitched it awhile back but it didn’t take off as much as they had hoped. With Photosynth you can essentially “drag” the photo around to see everything in it. Anyway, the point of this post is to chuckle at Microsoft’s dry humor towards “coolness.” As Apple and Mac computers as well as the iPhone are considered to be “cool,” the team at Photosynth decided to jab a little fun at this. If you try to install Photosynth software on a Mac/iPhone or apparently Linux, this message comes up:
Unfortunately, we’re not cool enough to run on your OS yet. We really wish we had a version of Photosynth that worked cross platform, but for now it only runs on Windows.
Trust us, as soon as we have a Mac version ready, it will be up and available on our site.
Well i guess I am just too cool.
Superheros or Vigilantes?
Now I found this on Reddit a bit ago and its both nerdy/techy as well as funny. Apparently two little ninjas (19 year old Ninjas in fact) in New Jersey found out their friend was getting into some drugs….The plan? To give these drug dealers a sort of cease-and-desist letter and scare them by carrying weapons and dressed in black ninja garb. Needless to say they got caught by Police. Not very good ninjas. Anyway, here’s the link to the video, I highly recommend it.
I hope these kids don’t get anything but probation, they just made a stupid mistake. A really stupid mistake.
From DailyAppleCrisp.com: Apple is Flailing at the Edges…and I agree
Now, as many of you know I am an avid Apple/Mac fan. I’ve had a problem or two in the past, but over the past year or so, my Macbook’s hard drive has failed 4 times. I had to send it back 3 times (once they put the wrong hard drive in), and most recently I have sent it back. Now, to me this is fairly ridiculous, as everyone raves over Apple products and how well made/put together they are. I have to disagree. Over the course of about two years I have had numerous problems with Apple products; My previous mention about my MacBook, excluding the case cracking and my first generation iPod Touch that lost sound quality (crackling in left ear, not from headphones). I tried to make excuses for Apple’s poor quality, saying I had a lemon computer and they would replace it, but to no avail. I received a new motherboard and hard drive recently, but its still not a new computer. As of right now I am running Ubuntu on my MacBook (along with dual booting Mac OS X for if I have future problems). Its running quite smoothly, which I am satisfied with and also, all of my drivers (spare iSight, working on that) are in perfect working order, all with free alternative software.
From TechCrunch:
My first computer, purchased by my parents after nearly a year of begging, was an Apple II+. That was 1982. I was a Windows user for the next 20 years, but went back to Mac when they switched to Intel chips a couple of years ago. Since then I’ve bought seven Macs for myself, as well as at least one of every iPod and both iPhones. A lot of these were test devices that I’ve passed on to friends and family.
My obvious enthusiasm for Apple products is fairly evident to readers of this blog. But recently I’ve had a string of bad apples come my way, so to speak. It’s time for Apple to stop screwing around and start paying attention to product quality.
I’ll excuse the one hour of battery life I seem to be able to get out of my iPhone. An arrangement of extra power cords (USB, car, wall) and external batteries gets me through the day. I’ll also excuse the fact that iTunes seems hell bent on not syncing applications from my desktop to my iPhone, and inexplicably removing apps from my phone without any notice. I love that damn phone, and it will take a lot more than lost apps and dropped calls to get it out of my hands.
But I don’t have the same blind dedication to other Apple products, and a string of costly problems has left me more than frustrated.
Mac Mini, Macbook Air, Macbook Pro and Macbook, All Failed
I was pretty excited about my Macbook Air, which packs a ton of hardware into a slim and elegant case. But it was unable to stay connected to Wifi for more than a minute or so, even on the brand new Apple Time Capsule router we’re using at the office. I took it into the Apple store – they kept it for a few days and said nothing was wrong. I argued with them and they did nothing. And since I waited more than two weeks after buying it to bring it back in, I couldn’t simply return it. That $1,800 piece of hardware has now been dismantled for parts for a project we’re working on here.
A high end black Macbook made it through one meeting before having some sort of hardware problem that shut it down for good. I still have a few days left to return it for a refund.
The one year old Mac Mini I was using to drive my living room television failed a month ago. It turned itself into a brick. Parts of it are on my coffee table.
My main travel computer, a seven month old Macbook Pro, had a keyboard failure two weeks ago. Apple repaired it and I’m using it now.
That leaves three other Macs in good working order. One is a Macbook pro that my dad now uses. The other two are iMacs that have never had any problems.
But having major issues with four out of seven computers is, um, unacceptable.
MobileMe Has Screwed Up My Work Ecosystem
I have Macs in my main office and my bedroom, as well as my travel computer. I have spent years getting .Mac, which syncs calendar, contact and email data across machines and in the cloud, working properly. It tended to break a lot, but if you kept the OS constantly up to date and were willing to tinker with it, it was a great way to keep synced across any number of computers. I didn’t really care which one I picked up to access email, write a post, etc.
Then came MobileMe and the Apple’s automatic transfer of .Mac customers over to that ridiculously broken new service. I had a suspicion it wouldn’t work at first given how touchy .Mac was, and so I didn’t touch anything on my old computers. But I have never gotten it working on the new Macs I purchased, and now .Mac has failed on all of the synced machines. No more calendar access, contacts syncing, etc.
Apple keeps giving customers free time on the service as a way to apologize for the problems. But that isn’t good enough. I’m not price sensitive to the $99/year they’re charging for the service. But I need it to work, and I need it to work right now.
The failed computers could just be a coincidence, although the wifi problem with the Macbook Air is well documented. The MobileMe debacle, though, is affecting everyone. Apple shouldn’t have merged the services, at least old .Mac customers wouldn’t be enraged today. They need to get their house in order or they risk alienating all these new customers they’ve added over the last few years. The new buyers aren’t Apple fanatics and won’t sit quietly as they try to access broken services via failing hardware.
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Apparently I’m not the only one with Apple problems. Product reliability is key and is something Apple is neglecting….that and competent technical support.
-Pat
