iPod, iPhone & Mac Mania

myCooktop!

2010-06-30T08:56:00.001-05:00

The Apple iPad. The magical device with which you can surf the web. Read email. Play games. Create presentations. You can even read books on the iPad.

But you still can’t cook on it! -- Until now*! --

Introducing myCooktop™ – the 21st century solution to fast home cooking!

Not only can you conduct a day’s work on your iPad, but you can now use it to cook dinner! Forget your giant, inconvenient stove. Forget your messy oven. Never empty the ashes in your grill again. myCooktop grills, it boils, it roasts, it fries… *Seriously – don’t try to cook anything on your iPad. It will probably void your warranty and will definitely make it smell bad. Otherwise, have fun pretending to cook a fabulous virtual meal! And be careful! Don’t touch the burners - they’re HOT!

Buy today!

Coming Around

2010-01-31T20:01:00.001-05:00

After a few hours more than I care to remember in the car, I've started to come around about the iPad. I think the problem I was having with it was that I was trying too hard to compare it to a netbook or notebook computer. This isn't about that. It's about a whole new class of computer.

Movies will be subpar on the iPad

2010-01-27T22:36:00.003-05:00

I'm a big fan of watching movies in their intended aspect ratio. Watching a movie like Star Wars or Avatar on anything less than widescreen is a travesty. Guess what - the iPad has a 4:3 aspect ratio. That's the same as your old time CRT television. So you'll see big black bars at the top & bottom of whatever movie you watch. Bigger than an iPhone for sure, but most netbooks and laptops have a true widescreen aspect ratio or are pretty darn close.

TUAW has a great article about it:

iPad vs Kindle

2010-01-27T21:04:00.003-05:00

No competition in my mind - Kindle is the winner. Here's a great comparison from Engadget.

Pretty. Damn. Funny.

2009-12-18T09:05:00.002-05:00

Where in the world is Steve Jobs?

Best. Quarter. Ever

2009-10-19T17:49:00.002-05:00

3.05 Million Macs (74% MacBook/MacBook Pros)
10.2 Million iPods (50% are first time buyers - how is it that 5.1 million people last QUARTER along didn't already have an iPod? How is anyone left in the world without an iPod?)
7.4 Million iPhones
$1.67 Billion profit

Not too shabby.

Read more at MacRumors.com.

Mac OS X kicks Windows 7 Ass

2009-10-16T19:55:00.003-05:00

This time it's just not me shooting off my mouth. It's engadget.

Dead Time Capsule? Memorialize It

2009-10-16T08:02:00.003-05:00

Definitely a creative way to try to spur Apple into action. TimeCapsuleDead.org lets people post their frustrations away. While Apple is probably investigating the cause of the deaths, they're always silent about it until a fix is found, which will hopefully be soon.

Netbooks Suck - Michael Dell Says So

2009-10-14T18:41:00.002-05:00

Well, he didn't use the word "Suck", but other than that I've quoted him verbatim.

C64 on the iPhone??!!

2009-09-06T18:16:00.002-05:00

Oh yeah - C64 plays just a few games right now, but more are coming. I'm crossing my fingers for Beach Head II, one of my favs on the C64. Good times. Pick it up today.

iPhone Sex

2009-08-20T21:11:00.003-05:00

Yeah baby....

NPR iPhone App

2009-08-18T16:13:00.003-05:00

Even though it's a liberal media outlet, I still like NPR. They do have some good stuff from time to time. Today they released their first dedicated iPhone/iPod Touch app. Looks like a good one with the standard fair you find from media outlets. I'll play around with it and if I find anything cool or otherwise, I'll let you know.

Download for Free

Apple is Bigger than Dell and HP COMBINED

2009-07-29T08:07:00.002-05:00

Market Capitalization:

Apple: $143 billion
HP: $100 billion
Dell: $27 billion

Who should be shutting down and giving money back to shareholders now Michael Dell?

Porn Finds the iPhone

2009-06-25T07:20:00.005-05:00

Yep, you read that right. With the new parental controls in iPhone firmware 3.0, the first application with nudity is now available in the iTunes App store. Hottest Girls, for a mere $1.99, will gain you access to over 2200 photos of women dressed from scantily to nothing at all. It will be interesting to see if this was something that Apple knowingly allowed or merely let slip through its infamous erratic and inconsistent application approval process. But get it now while you can.

Update: As suspected, Apple has pulled the app.

WWDC - "Meh"

2009-06-09T18:33:00.007-05:00

So like the Apple Fanboy I am, I was diligently refreshing the live blog feed from MacRumors and watching the 2 hour keynote via QuickTime last night.

The Good:
Snow Leopard. The biggest news is that existing users can upgrade for only $29. That's incredible. Take that Microsuck! From an everyday user's perspective, there's not a lot of wizbang new features. This release is all about speed and stability. In addition to freeing up 6GB of space on your hard drive, Snow Leopard should be significantly faster on your existing Mac with it's rebuilt Finder, QuickTime, and more.

iPhone 3.0. As an iPhone Developer (Shines Brighter Software), I've been running the 3.0 software for a while. It's noticeably faster and has a lot of great new features. The two best by far are the Spotlight search and landscape mail (and other apps). Spotlight is awesome because you no longer need to hunt and peck for stuff on your phone. If you need to find anything - ANYTHING, swipe to the left of the main home screen and start typing. Spot light begins to find stuff right away - applications, emails, text messages - anything on your phone. Sweet. Landscape is long overdue and just makes reading emails and others better. The copy & paste feature is well done (shake to undo), but in all my years of using mobile devices, I can think of 2, maybe 3 times I needed to use copy/paste. I personally never saw what all the fuss was about. But since I've said it, I'll probably have 32 copy/paste needs in the next 10 minutes.

iPhone 3Gs. Faster phone, digital compass, 3.2 megapixel auto focus camera with video, voice control. While Apple is pushing the video thing most, to me the feature with the most potential is voice control. Call anyone, dial by voice, control the iPod by voice, etc. Sweet. The autofocus camera with video is a nice upgrade and the ability to edit videos is cool.

The Bad.
Where to begin. Well, I'm disappointed with the new iPhone in that I was hoping for a bit of a design change. Not a lot, but just something. The rumor photos had a matte finish which would have been a LOT better than the slippery (and scratch-prone) plastic back of today. I'll get over it though. Update: The new iPhone 3Gs have a fingerprint-resistant oleophobic screen. Whatever the hell that means.

AT&T. Wow, they really dropped the ball here. Two significant new features of the iPhone OS 3 are rendered useless until "sometime this summer". MMS (multimedia messages) gives users the ability to send and receive videos, photos and more via SMS. AT&T is apparently not ready. Tethering allows you to use the iPhone's internet connection. AT&T is not ready for that either. Lastly, existing iPhone 3G users have to wait until they're 1.5 years into their contracts to be eligible for the subsidized pricing. While I can understand and appreciate that they need to recoup what they've invested into the phone, I believe they're missing an opportunity here. I don't know a single iPhone user (and I know a lot of them) that are happy with AT&T. We're all counting down the days to be able to jump ship. Letting current iPhone 3G users upgrade at the subsidized pricing would lock them into another 2 years of painful service. If I've got to wait 6 months for the phone, I might as well wait another 6 months to (god willing) get the new iPhone 3Gs on another carrier. Apple, if you're listening to your users, you WILL NOT renew AT&T's exclusivity another year. Ugh. Update: Gizmodo has told me to quit whining. And they've got a point. I'll shut up now.

Quicktime. Well, the new QuickTime interface looks great, but the new icon is a purple abomination. That's all I've got to say about that.

The In-Between.
The new MacBook Pros. They fall in the "in-between" category. The better battery life, better price, better storage, better RAM and better screen are welcome updates. However, I don't understand the move to rid the computer of the ExpressCard slot and replace it with SD. The only SD device in my home is the Wii. I see no practical use for an SD card reader. "Pro" users who have a camera probably use a DSLR and they use CF cards. While personally I have no need to swap batteries, I can appreciate the need for road warriors who are not always going to be near a charge. Although if you really get 7 hours on a charge, you would think even road warriors would find a charge within 7 hours. I wouldn't hesitate to upgrade to the new model though - for me it's perfect. Better price, larger drives, more RAM, etc. Everything I'd take advantage of. Except that stupid SD card slot.

Find My iPhone. Cool feature and could help a lot of people. The requirement to have the $99 MobileMe sucks.

$99 iPhone

2009-05-24T06:19:00.001-05:00

AT&T has refurbished iPhones for $99 (8GB) and $199 (16GB) here.

Nationwide iPhone App

2009-05-15T07:36:00.001-05:00

Seriously great iPhone App from insurer Nationwide. Maybe I should think about switching...

Congrats, Steve

2009-05-13T06:59:00.003-05:00

Steve Jobs finally won approval to raze his 17,000+ square foot mansion purchased a long time ago and replace it with a smaller, more environmentally home. It's been a long road for Jobs, so congrats!

More Details

New Mac Ads

2009-05-13T06:53:00.004-05:00

Apple posted a couple of new Mac ads overnight. One, Elimination, is taking a stab at the Microsoft Laptop Hunters campaign. The others, Customer Care and PC Choice Chat are fun....

Download An App, Win A Prize

2009-04-10T13:07:00.003-05:00

Apple is about to hit 1 billion downloaded applications from the iTunes App Store. Download an application and automatically be entered into the contest. Win a $10,000 iTunes Gift Card, Time Capsule, MacBook Pro and an iPod Touch.

Might be a good time to purchase, oh, I don't know, maybe BeerSnap, Wine Journal, Driven or hmmm, WineSnap.

New Palm Pre Looks Intriguing

2009-04-03T07:16:00.004-05:00

I must admit I'm intrigued by the new Palm Pre. See the video below. The one big advantage over the iPhone that I can see is the ability to run applications in the background. While I don't think it truly comes up often in real life, it would be handy on occasion. Apple claims running apps in the background significantly decreases battery life so it will be interesting to see how Palm fares. Maybe they've found a creative solution.

This is also the first multi-touch smartphone since the iPhone. Google Android and Blackberry Storm have so far stayed away from what is perceived to be an Apple patent. However, the patents Apple have don't cover multi-touch. It is said that Google did not include it at the request of Steve Jobs. Don't forget, Google Chairman and CEO Eric Schmidt sits on Apple's board. Google also has a lot of incentive not to piss Apple off. Palm on the other hand, really has nothing to lose as it has seen it's market share tumble almost as fast as Motorola's.

This will be fun to watch.

Obama Gives Queen iPod

2009-04-02T07:23:00.004-05:00

I may not like his politics, but I do love that he's a gadget freak. On Obama's recent visit to the UK, he presented Queen Elisabeth with an iPod. I'm not sure which model, but I would hope a Touch. Maybe the queen needs to keep track of her vast wine collection with Wine Journal. :-)

Happy Birthday Apple!

2009-04-01T07:56:00.000-05:00

Apple is 33 years old today....

You Get What You Pay For

2009-03-28T07:26:00.001-05:00

9 to 5 Mac shows you exactly what you get for the PC featured in Microsoft's new ads and it ain't pretty.

Thin is In

2009-03-27T07:26:00.002-05:00

ZDNet has a great review of the thinnest, lightest laptop computers out there - Dell Adamo, Apple MacBook Air, Sony Vaio Z and Voodoo Envy. If you're in the market for the lightest, thinest and and most stylish laptop, you owe it to yourself to check it out.

2009-03-11T15:11:00.002-05:00

Apple's got a new iPod shuffle. The thing is insanely small and TALKS to you. So if you forget the name or the band of the song playing you can use the controls built into the earbuds to hear the iPod talk to you. Pretty slick. No controls on the ipod itself. Apple confirmed that the use of third party headsets won't work-for now. But it's working with third parties on solutions.

Pretty cool.

App Me Out To The Ball Game

2009-03-05T07:22:00.005-05:00

One of the first and best iPhone apps has been updated for 2009. MLB At Bat lets you see real time scoring, pitch-by-pitch, and even watch clips of game highlights. Essential for people like me living in Atlanta trying to keep up with my beloved Chicago Cubs.

Get MLB At Bat on the iTunes App Store.

New iMacs a Better Deal than HP and Dell

2009-03-04T08:22:00.001-05:00

Not even taking into account the better operating system, included software (iLife), and overall better fit, finish and experience, iMacs are still $100-$250 cheaper than the comparable HP & Dell all-in-one systems. The only thing those products have that the iMacs don't is a TV Tuner which you really need can pick up for the Mac (not built-in though) for $40-$60.

via Fortune Apple 2.0

Doesn't Get Anymore Blatant Than This

2009-02-26T16:43:00.001-05:00

Happy Birthday Steve!

2009-02-24T12:52:00.001-05:00

Steve is 54 today. Happy B-Day big guy. Get well soon.

Microsoft Retails Stores

2009-02-14T08:57:00.000-05:00

Here they come...

Oh My

2009-02-09T20:13:00.001-05:00

This is why Vista sucks so bad...

Sony's New Stupid Box Thing

2009-02-09T19:58:00.001-05:00

OMG - Hilarious.

Sony Releases New Stupid Piece Of Shit That Doesn't Fucking Work

AT&T Sucks Less When You Pay More For Their Inadequacies

2009-02-09T19:31:00.002-05:00

I can't really represent it any better than iPhone Savior has. In a nutshell, if you get sucky 3G reception at home (who doesn't), you can now pay even more for the sucky service if you want it to suck slightly less. Yep, no pricing details are available, but expect $5-$10 more a month if you want to boost your signal at home. Incredible. Man, I hate AT&T. The iPhone is the only thing that keeps me with them. The second the phone is available on another network, I'm jumping ship. Unless of course AT&T finally gets a clue and improves their service. Yeah, pigs will fly and hell will freeze over too.

My Latest Q&A At My First Mac

2009-02-08T07:39:00.002-05:00

I love shameless self-promotion. Check out my latest round of Q&A over at My First Mac....

Review: FastMac TruePower MacBook Pro Battery

2009-01-27T07:40:00.005-05:00

The battery on my MacBook Pro died a couple of months ago. Apple wants $129 for a new one, so I was happy to find a battery that was not only cheaper, but claims longer battery charge and life - The FastMac TruePower Battery. It even looks like the original Apple battery. A number of online reviews seem to like the battery, so I thought it was safe.

Well, real life doesn't match brief web site reviews. In the time I've had it, the aluminum cover (which doesn't really match the color of the laptop) on the battery has already peeled off a couple of times. The worst part is that the battery now only holds an 80% charge. I've attempted to contact FastMac on a couple of occasions but have been unable to get through. I'll keep trying and post an update. I hope they'll do the right thing and replace the battery or refund my money.

Update: I was finally able to get through to customer service. They are replacing my TruePower battery with an Apple OEM. No hassle, no mess, no fuss. According to the rep I talked to, they are moving manufacturing of the TruePower battery and they're temporarily unavailable. Have to wonder if I wasn't the only one having problems. Regardless, I'm happy.

Happy Birthday Mac!

2009-01-24T08:43:00.003-05:00

Today is the 25th anniversary of the Apple Macintosh Computer. Below is its introduction in 1984 by Steve Jobs (dude, what's with the bow tie?).

It Was 25 Years Ago Today

2009-01-22T19:54:00.001-05:00

The famous (infamous?) Apple Macintosh super bowl commercial is 25 years old today. In two days, the Macintosh itself will be 25. My how time flies...

State of Smartphones

2009-01-15T20:05:00.001-05:00

Engadget has a great post comparing the iPhone, new Palm Pre, Blackberry, Windows Mobile and Android feature sets and staking a claim as to whom is currently ahead.

Learn Objective C

2009-01-15T19:54:00.002-05:00

Interested in learning how to program applications for the iPhone or Mac OS X? Stephen G. Kochan dives into the topic with a highly-rated book appropriately named "Programming in Objective-C". Written in a tutorial style, the book is excellent for beginners and experts alike.

Shameless Promotion Part Deux

2009-01-15T08:23:00.002-05:00

I've got a total of 4 iPhone apps out there now:

BeerSnap - just like WineSnap, but for Beer.
Driven - Track mileage driven, ridden, hiked, etc. using the iPhone's built-in GPS
WineSnap - quickly note the details of a good wine.
Wine Journal 2.0 - Formerly Vinoriffic, Wine Journal 2.0 was just released and offers more fields, photos and more.

Shameless Promotion

2009-01-12T10:32:00.003-05:00

Check out my latest iPhone/iPod Touch Application - WineSnap. WineSnap is a derivative of Wine Journal (formerly Vinoriffic), but is closer to our original vision - a simple application to quickly note the name of a great wine you've had while out. That's it. No cataloging, etc. Just a quick note. Check it out (opens iTunes).

Latest My First Mac Post

2009-01-09T15:43:00.002-05:00

I'm doing Q&A over at My First Mac nowadays. Check it out.

New Matte Screen Option for MacBook Pro

2009-01-08T21:00:00.003-05:00

Nope, I'm not talking about the new 17" MacBook and it's $50 matte option. Techrestore is now offering to matte your MacBook Pro screen for a mere $199. If you just can't stand the glossy screen, it's at least an option. Or wait until Apple starts offering it any week now.

(Via 9to5 Mac)

Farts Make $10K a Day

2008-12-24T07:58:00.004-05:00

Man, what have I been wasting my time with Vinoriffic or Driven for? I could have been making potty joke apps and making ridiculous amounts of money!

Buy it now!

Update: I broke down and bought this for, uh, market research (yeah, that's it!). I must say, despite the topic, it's a very well done application. Plus it was a hit with my nephews at Christmas!

Not That I Needed Another Reason To Like Her

2008-12-12T16:59:00.000-05:00

Mmmmm.....MacBook

New iPhone App - iAuto

2008-12-11T22:29:00.004-05:00

Check out iAuto from Mobiletelligence, a subsidiary of my employer OneSpring. It's a free app that lets you search for cars and trucks to buy. Sort & filter based on your preference. It's a cool little app - check it out!

Desperate for XP?

2008-12-02T08:45:00.003-05:00

Apparently businesses are buying used PC's just to get XP off of them. It's cheaper than buying a new PC and downgrading it. Is Microsoft even paying attention anymore?

via Gizmodo

The New MacBooks Are Green

2008-11-25T07:43:00.000-05:00

SnapTell Is Awesome

2008-11-22T17:20:00.003-05:00

This is just simply a cool iPhone app. Take a photo of any CD, DVD, Video Game or Book and SnapTell will give you links to learn more about the item or even buy it. Future versions will have price comparison across multiple online stores, ratings and more. Very nice. I tried several items in all sorts of quality and it worked 100% of the time. Sweet.

iPhone vs. Blackberry Storm

2008-11-15T20:17:00.003-05:00

CNN Money's Apple 2.0 blog has a great comparison of the iPhone and Blackberry Storm. I'm definitely intrigued by the tactile feedback of the Blackberry's touchscreen. Both phones have their pros and cons. The article does a good job of being non-biased. Check it out.

Update I had a chance to briefly check out the Storm. Long story short, it's nice. While cool, I don't think the physical click of the screen adds anything to the experience and the build quality is a little lower than I had expected. But definitely a solid option.

Obama Mac

2008-11-07T22:33:00.002-05:00

I guess this cancels out the fact that he's a White Sux fan.

Once You Go Dell, You Never Go Back

2008-11-07T22:29:00.002-05:00

This guy had a really good experience with Dell and would recommend it to anyone. Not.

Please Fix The iPhone

2008-10-31T19:47:00.003-05:00

Here's a great site where you can vote for the features you'd most like to see on your iPhone. You know I'm a fanboy, but there are some things that really annoy me about the iPhone. Like copy and paste. And the ability to hide applications I never like notes. And the ability to listen to the iPod via Bluetooth. And a lot more. Check it out and make your voice heard.

MacBook for Sale

2008-10-28T20:42:00.003-05:00

With the aforementioned MacBook Air purchase, we have a 2006 White MacBook for sale on eBay. Check it out.

Air

2008-10-25T19:47:00.002-05:00

We have a new Mac in the family. We just upgraded my wife's computer to a MacBook Air. Best Buy is selling the previous generation of Airs for $1299, which is $50 less than what Apple is selling the refurbished models on the web site.

This thing is insanely light. I'm in process of setting it up and transferring files. Will give a full review soon.

The box it's in is tiny, but weighs 3 times as much as the computer!

Happy 7th iPod!

2008-10-23T12:25:00.002-05:00

Wow, can you believe the iPod is 7 years old now? The Unofficial Apple Weblog has a great gallery of iPods over the years.

(Most) PC's Are Crap

2008-10-22T21:03:00.003-05:00

My year-and-a-half old MacBook Pro recently went comatose. I certainly wasn't happy, but was damn glad I had AppleCare. It turned out being the logic board which Apple replaced within 3 days at no cost to me, other than the loss of the computer.

In the meantime, my company allowed me to pick up a backup computer. Now most of use (all but one actually) use Macs. But the lure of the low price tag compelled them to an HP.

Now many fault for Apple for the limit in choices of their computers. I for one welcome it. Shopping for a PC is a ridiculous exercise is frustration. Even though my search was already limited to HP's, there are an insane number of PCs to choose from, all within the same price point, all with different specs. It's truly insane. I researched online and went to two stores and I'm still not sure what my choices were or what they meant. I took the easy way out and chose a PC based on size and price.

It was a 14" HP laptop. God only knows what the model is and what the specifications are. But hey, I got a good deal - $650 and a free printer.

Oh joy. I get a plastic hunk of crap loaded with a crap OS (Vista). The seams don't quite fit together, the cooling fan sounds like a jet engine, the screen is sub par. Sure, it was only $650, but man, you get what you pay for.

Apples are definitely worth the premium. Sure, I know there are nicer and more expensive PCs out there. But what I saw was truly a pile of crap.

UpdateOkay, it's been pointed out that I may not be comparing Apples To Apples hear (pun intended, deal with it). Yes, it's not fair to compare a $650 PC with a $2400 Apple Mac. But I would gladly pay $1299 for a new MacBook over the $650 PC any day.

Finally, something I don't mind my tax dollars being spent on

2008-10-22T19:39:00.002-05:00

Congress returning from their ridiculously long vacation may be receiving iPhones.

Latest Thoughts

2008-10-15T17:57:00.005-05:00

Okay, now that some time has passed, I've absorbed information from the media event, Apple web sites, etc, and can now offer up some more thoughts.

Yawn.

Yep, that's it. Okay, don't get me wrong, the MacBooks are the nicest/hottest notebook computers on the market. And that's whether you run Mac OS X, Winblows or both. The new gorgeous screens, zippy graphics cards, mongo trackpad, faster system bus, lighter/stronger form factor, et al, are nice. If you're in the market for a new notebook, you'd be mistaken not to buy one of these.

BUT.

As an existing MBP user (and Apple Fanboy), I'm really disappointed. There's really nothing in this product refresh that's really all that compelling or innovative. I think Apple played it WAY too safe. They should have blown people out of the water with a touch screen or integrated back scratcher or both. C'mon Apple, you let HP come out with a touch screen desktop? HP? And you know they have a notebook in the works (Update: Yep).

Why a touch screen? I dare anyone that owns an iPhone to tell me they haven't tried to touch a button in a dialog box on their notebook to clear it. It's a natural progression from the current input methods. Yeah, the big glass trackpad is nice, and certainly has utility, but BORING. I'm sure Apple is working on it, and whatever they come up with blow away anything HP or Microsoft or anyone else can do. But they need to step on the gas. As they pointed out in their own media event, they have a window of opportunity here to capitalize and they're going to squander it by playing too safe.

And yes, the manufacturing process and benefits of the new MacBooks are interesting, but John Q. Public could really give a rat's ass. They want sexy looking computers which work at a nice price point. The geeks love that stuff, but the new Mac buyers don't care.

BTW - Engadget has posted a nice list of various resources to get information about the new MacBooks.

New MacBooks

2008-10-14T20:14:00.005-05:00

The details are everywhere, but here's the summary:

MacBook Pro. Unibody construction (I feel like I'm talking about an SUV) makes it smaller, lighter and more rigid. Dual mode nVidia graphics cards let you choose between battery-saving basics (but still faster than Intel integrated graphics) or super-powered performance. Glass trackpad is larger and has multi-finger gestures. No button -the trackpad itself is the button. More on that later. Screen comes in 15.1" glossy with a nice black bezel. More on that later. Firewire 800 port is backwards compatible with Firewire 400(adapter needed) More memory, more hard drive space, yada yada yada. Starts at $1999

MacBook. Two new models. Basically a smaller MacBook Pro - same aluminum enclosure, ports, glass trackpad, etc. 13.1" glossy screen. Starts at $1299 unless you want the old "White MacBook" with none of the new features for $999. No Firewire port.

24" Cinema Display. Looks like an iMac. Built-in iSight, glossy screen, easy hook-up cables to MacBook, stereo speakers, built-in microphone. Even has a MagSafe power cord.

MacBook Air. Marginal refresh. Same sky high price of $1799.

Thoughts - definitely a nice upgrade. I'm skeptical of the buttonless trackpad - Apple does not have a good track record with mice/mouse functions. Glass trackpad I guess is nice, but seems gimmicky. I'm sure when I see/feel it I'll have a different opinion. Glossy screens look great, until you get them into a brightly lit room or outdoors. Would like to see a matte finish option. Graphics card is nice. Easy hard drive upgrade/replacement (under battery) is a welcome change (as I contemplate upgrading the hard drive on my MBP) Overall, these will be popular. It doesn't have enough "holy wow!" for me to trade in my early 2007 MacBook Pro though. Would love a 24" Cinema Display, but at $900, I can find other 24" displays much cheaper. I'm headed to the Apple Store tomorrow to see if they have the new items and will update with any impressions, etc.

Ummmm....

2008-10-14T12:03:00.002-05:00

Words cannot do this justice.

(and you thought this would be about the new MacBooks...)

New MacBooks Are A Comin'

2008-10-10T06:25:00.003-05:00

Not that this hasn't been reported in a bazillion other places, but Apple is holding a media event next Tuesday October 14 to unveil new MacBooks. What secrets will they hold? What magical powers will they possess? What worldly ails will they cure? Only time will tell!

The Woz is Nuts

2008-10-07T19:12:00.003-05:00

In a recent interview with The Telegraph Steve Wozniak says the iPod has lived a long life at number one and will die off as did the transistor radio and walkman. Um, yes, it will eventually die off as does all technology. But he's not really comparing Apples to Apples (pun intended, deal with it). Not only has the iPod has evolved over the years, it has something the transistor radio and walkman never did - an ecosystem. iTunes, accessories, plug-ins, the works. I appreciate his contribution to the computer industry, but what is his relevance now? What has he done lately? Segway Polo champion?

Apple Doesn't Need Jobs

2008-10-06T18:06:00.002-05:00

Steve that is. At least according to Ezra Gottheil, an analyst at Technology Business Research (who/what?).

Ezra says there is a stable leadership in place and the company will run fine. While I certainly believe that, I don't want to be caught holding a bunch of stock when Steve finally decides to call it quits.

While Jonathan Ive and Phil Schiller are great guys, I'm just not sure they could generate the same amount of "boom" that Steve does at keynote speeches.

:-)

Via MacsimumNews

Apple Finally Gets Smart

2008-10-01T10:08:00.003-05:00

Apple has finally dropped the NDA (Non Disclosure Agreement) that has stifled developers from talking to each other, helpful books being published and more. About damn time dumbasses.

We have decided to drop the non-disclosure agreement (NDA) for released iPhone software.

We put the NDA in place because the iPhone OS includes many Apple inventions and innovations that we would like to protect, so that others don’t steal our work. It has happened before. While we have filed for hundreds of patents on iPhone technology, the NDA added yet another level of protection. We put it in place as one more way to help protect the iPhone from being ripped off by others.

However, the NDA has created too much of a burden on developers, authors and others interested in helping further the iPhone’s success, so we are dropping it for released software. Developers will receive a new agreement without an NDA covering released software within a week or so. Please note that unreleased software and features will remain under NDA until they are released.

Thanks to everyone who provided us constructive feedback on this matter.

Via MacRumors

Put Congress In Your Pocket

2008-09-29T18:29:00.004-05:00

For my overly enthusiastic politico friends - here's a must-have app for your iPhone or iPod Touch. Get easy access to all the information you need about any person in Congress.

This is fairly timely given the current situation our government has put us in. Tell them how much they suck and drive down their approval ratings even lower in the toilet than they already are.

:-)

Apple Changes App Store Review Policy

2008-09-29T07:26:00.002-05:00

Apple now requires users to actually own an iPhone/iPod Touch application in order to review it. Novel concept. As an iTunes App Store developer, I certainly welcome the change.

Via TUAW

Apple Has An Official YouTube Page

2008-09-29T07:17:00.002-05:00

I guess this is going to be a slow Apple news week as we all wait for new MacBooks in a couple weeks. Apple launched a new official YouTube page.

With the exception of an iTunes tutorial, it's all ads. Maybe they'll put some classic ads and things that are more interesting than ads.

(Via Macenstein)

Vinoriffic is Live

2008-09-16T14:36:00.006-05:00

My first iPhone/iPod Touch application, Vinoriffic, is live on the iTunes Apps store. Vinoriffic lets you quickly capture information about a wine that you've enjoyed and even purchase it right then and there.

I'm excited to see the feedback to know what to put in the next version. If you like it, or think it has a lot of potential, give it a good review on the store. If you don't like it or don't think it has potential, don't review it. :-)

I'm committed to enhancing the application based on what features people request most. The app went live last night some time and I've already had some feedback which is great!

Update Version 1.1 has been submitted to Apple for approval. 1.1 addresses an bug that prevents the proper wine from being returned in some searches. 1.5 is also coming soon with a vastly improved buy interface. 2.0 is starting to take shape with the addition of fields requested by some users.

Mac OS 10.5.5 is Out

2008-09-15T18:54:00.000-05:00

Download y'all! Just run software update.

iPhone 2.1 Firmware Update Is Out

2008-09-12T19:38:00.003-05:00

Get it now. It's worth the wait! Better signals, battery life, faster interface, Genius, and more.

Genius, Initial Perspective

2008-09-10T20:15:00.004-05:00

Finally got a chance to try the iTunes Genius feature on my MacBook Pro. Even though it has 1/1000 of my music collection, the Genius feature put together a great playlist. All songs flowed nicely into each other and were of the same tone. Kudos Apple!

Way2Poppy's Take

2008-09-10T18:27:00.003-05:00

Watching the keynote now (yes, I know, a couple days later - I've been in Jury Duty).

Highlights:

iTunes
- 65 million iTunes accounts
- 8.5 songs
- 125,000 podcasts
- HDTV Shows - $2.99
- NBC is back (aww, that Hulu thing didn't work out? Shocking.)
- iTunes 8
--- Grid view (I've used it a little, don't like it so far)
--- Genius (Signed up for it, haven't used it yet, be ready for a future post)

iPod
- iPod has a 73.4% market share of all audio players
- Over 5000 iPod accessories
- 90% of all US cars offer iPod integration
- Apple has sold over 160 million iPods since 2004.
- New 120 GB iPod classic (no 80GB or 160GB)
- New iPod Nano
-- Thinnest iPod ever made
-- Oval shape
-- Aluminum
-- Glass
-- Enhanced user interface (hold center button down for contextual menu)
-- Accelerometer (shake to shuffle - very cool)
-- Genius list creation
-- Voice recorder built-in
-- 24 hour music/4 hour video battery life
-- "Green" iPod (Mercury, PVC, Arsenic, BFR free)
-- nano-chromatic colors (silver, black, purple, green, pink, blue, yellow, orange, red)
-- 4GB - $149; 16GB $199

New Accessories
- Arm band
- Headphones
-- Volume Controls
-- Next/Previous/Pause/Play
-- Microphone
-- $29
- In-ear Headphones
-- 2 drives - woofer/tweeter (very nice)
-- Same controls
-- $79

iPod Touch
- Thinner
- Stainless Steel Back
- Integrated Volume Controls
- Built-in speaker
- Genius playlist creation
- Built-in Nike+iPod
- 36 hours music/6 hours video
- "Green" iPod (Mercury, PVC, Arsenic, BFR free)
- "Funnest iPod Ever"
- 8 GB $229/16 GB $299/32 GB $399
- 2.1 software (free to 2.0 users; $9.95 for 1.0 users)

iTunes Applications Store
- 3,000 Applications (but no Vinoriffic yet)
- Users have downloaded over 100 million applications
- Only 60 days old

iPhone
- 2.1 update - fixes lots of bugs (fewer call drops, better battery life, faster iTunes sync - about f'ing time)
- Free to all iPhone owners
- Available 12 September 2008.

Special Guest
- Sold 16 Million albums
- #1 male artist in iTunes history
- Jack Johnson

Too Poppy: The Lovers, The Dreamers, and Me

2008-09-09T14:16:00.003-05:00

I have no doubt Way2Poppy will weigh in with more introspective reactions to Apple's announcement today, but - as a music fan - here's my take:

Too Poppy: The Lovers, The Dreamers, and Me
The quintessential digital music player got a refresh today - Apple announced the new iPod classic, the new and rainbowy iPod nano, new iPod shuffle flavors, and the new iPod touch. A new version of iTunes is also available for download. You'll hear about the details elsewhere, but my initial reactions:

Can't wait to try Genius.
I like the iPod nano more than I thought I would.
But I still favor size over style.
Talk to me in another generation about iPod touch.

WTF???!!!!????

2008-09-05T20:18:00.001-05:00

Someone please explain this to me. Seriously. This is the softer side of Microsoft? What, retardation?

Why I Don't Go To DragonCon

2008-09-04T09:42:00.002-05:00

'nuff said.

September 9, 2008

2008-09-02T14:55:00.002-05:00

From sista blog Too Poppy:

It's been a looooong time since Apple has significantly upgraded the iPod and after dropping mine down the garage stairs for the first time in its two-and-a-half years of existence, it's good to know that change may be a-coming. Although, if the new iPod looks at all like this, I'll keep my trusty ol' classic working as long as possible (BTW, the drop resulted in not even a scratch - at least Brandon Wilde is playing fine today.)

Apple confirms September 9 Special Event: "Let's Rock"

Upgrade Your Damn Phone

2008-08-29T18:55:00.001-05:00

You're ruining it for the rest of us.

Steve Jobs' Obituary

2008-08-28T10:20:00.003-05:00

Yep, you read that right. The geniuses at Bloomberg accidentally published a draft of Steve Jobs' obituary.

Read what Bloomberg plans to say when Steve eventually passes away, which I hope is a long ass time from now.

It's important to note that it is typical for a news outlet to prepare obituaries for prominent figures so that they can react quickly when the eventuality happens.

Top 10 Web Site Redesign Mistakes

2008-08-23T09:22:00.001-05:00

Embarking on a web site redesign can be a daunting task. If you don’t get it right, the damage can be immeasurable. Avoid these (too) common mistakes on your next web site project:

read more | digg story

Get Ready for the Microsoft Onslaught

2008-08-21T07:27:00.004-05:00

Microsoft is gearing up to roll out their new marketing campaign to answer Apple's very successful "Get A Mac" ads.

Because if there's one way to show people how "with it" you are, it's to contract with a 90's icon whom hasn't done anything "with it" in over a decade.

BTW - there is a handful of new Get A Mac ads out.

The Second Coming

2008-07-11T20:46:00.003-05:00

Yep, I waited in line today. And yep, I totally underestimated the line and length of time it would take. I naively thought the lines wouldn't be as bad as last year since it wasn't new here, people would be more casual about it, etc. Duh. Finally got my phone after 5.5 hours in line and didn't have a working phone for another hour.

The time was mostly due to Apple and AT&T insistence that you can't leave the store without an activated phone. So you have a million people trying to all activate phones at the same time and Apple nor AT&T couldn't handle the traffic. It was taking anywhere between 15 and 45 minutes or more to purchase and go through the two-step activation process.

I'm a bit disappointed with Apple. One of the great things last year was that you could buy the phone quickly and easily and activate it at home. Sure there were activation issues last year, but I didn't have any and even if I did, I'd at least be in the comfort of my own home. That said, I waited in line with fun people and the Apple Store employees were there amazingly helpful selves.

On to the phone. I have not had much time to play with it, but I love the feel of it in my hand. It's a tad lighter than the previous iPhone, thicker in the middle, but with tapered edges which make it look & feel thinner. The interface is zippy and the 3G network is definitely light years better than the pokey EDGE network.

I have yet to download any Apps, but I'll definitely be trying a game or two and the MLB app. Cool stuff. This is going to be huge for Apple. The analysts have already doubled their estimate for iPhone sales next year to over 40 million.

iPhone 3G Details

2008-07-02T08:06:00.003-05:00

Apple has posted a guided tour of the new 3G phone

AT&T has posted pricing, purchase and upgrade details.

AT&T has also posted videos on how to prepare for purchasing the 3G phone:
Existing AT&T Customers; New AT&T Customers.

AppleInsider details how to “hand down” your 1st Gen iPhone.

Some further details:

Data plans are $10 more a month for 3G.

There is still some confusion as to how MS Exchange mail will work. According to AT&T, if you want Exchange mail and ActiveSync you need to be on the “Enterprise Data Plan” which costs $15 more a month. But they’re not saying they will disable the feature for non-enterprise plans. There is no detail on this for 1st Gen iPhones.

Text messages are no longer included as part of the data plan. They’re either 20 cents a message or $5/month for 200 messages, $15/month for 1500 and $20/month for unlimited. So don’t send me any text messages anymore. :-)

Existing iPhone users will pay an $18 activation fee; new iPhone users will pay $36

It is true that you have to activate the iPhone 3G before you leave the store, so I’m betting that July 11th will be nothing short of nightmarish. Certainly not the pickup an go of last year. Apple hasn’t announced when they will start selling the iPhone, but I’d be surprised if it was different than AT&T.

Happy Birthday iPhone!

2008-06-30T07:56:00.004-05:00

Believe it or not, it was 1 year ago today that the iPhone went on sale. Ah, I remember it vividly. Waiting in line for 6 hours with a couple friends, lawn chairs, and a couple beers smuggled in via travel mugs. Memories. And with the 2nd generation iPhone going on sale in 10 days, 16 hours, 2 minutes and 11 seconds (but who's counting?), I'll be repeating history.

Good Luck Bill!

2008-06-27T06:43:00.003-05:00

Today is Bill Gates' last day at Microsoft. If you've been living under a rock for the past 2 years, he is retiring to start spending his 58 billion dollar fortune. He's got some charity or something. Frankly, I'd be more than happy to help him spend the money. He could even give some of it to my favorite charity - Give Chuck The World Foundation.

Engadget has declared today Bill Gates Day. Mr. Gates will be speaking to all Microsoft employees later today.

Regardless of what you think of Microsoft, Bill Gates has achieved amazing feats in his 33 years at the helm. I could list some/all here, but it's too much work and a simple Google search will take care of it for you.

My Latest My First Mac Article

2008-05-17T08:00:00.000-05:00

What Are My Choices In Using a Mouse With My New Mac?

Why You Don't F*ck With Nature

2008-05-15T07:00:00.003-05:00

Ants! And these aren't the kind that invade your grandma's living room. These suckers get into electrical equipment and cause all sorts of trouble. With multiple queens and resistance to current pesticides, these things are around to stay. And just like fire ants, killer bees and kudzu, I'm sure it's only a matter of time before they're found all over the southeast and attacking the iPod, iPhone & Mac Mania Blog global headquarters.

AT&T Offers Refurbed iPhones

2008-05-14T16:58:00.002-05:00

AT&T has refurbished iPhones on sale. Buy the 8GB for $249 and the 16GB for $349 with free shipping. I believe I've ranted in the past about the advantages of buying refurbed, so I'll spare you this time.

Of course, keep in mind that the 3G iPhone is right around the corner, sometime between any second now and June 24th, depending on who you believe.

Via SlickDeals

HBO Shows Added to iTunes

2008-05-13T07:38:00.004-05:00

As rumored, HBO shows are now available on iTunes. The cost per episode is $2.99 which is $1 more than what other shows cost. Since HBO is a premium network, this does actually make sense to me and is not necessarily a break in Apple's stringent pricing.

Need Another Reason To Buy A Mac?

2008-05-10T19:11:00.000-05:00

Built-in theft detection.

iPhone To Launch in Late June/July?

2008-05-07T07:24:00.002-05:00

AT&T is telling employees that vacation requests for late June through late July will be limited. They did the same thing last year for the iPhone launch. Considering the deafening rumors mill for this time frame, it's pretty much a guarantee.

iPhone Simulation Developer's Kit for iRise

2008-04-29T16:07:00.004-05:00

I've been working on the OneSpring iPhone Simulation Developer's Kit (SimDK™) for iRise. The press release we did with iRise got picked up today by MacWorld and PC World (where they butchered my name)! Cool stuff!!

Update: My name has been corrected! :-)

IBM is looking to switch to Macs

2008-04-16T20:21:00.000-05:00

What the title said.

Put It On Your Calendar -

2008-04-14T15:51:00.002-05:00

14 April 2008 - The beginning of the end of Blockbuster & Circuit City.

New Mac Clone

2008-04-14T15:27:00.007-05:00

It's been a while since the last authorized Mac clone was run out of business by Mr. Jobs. Here for your litigation pleasure is an announcement from a small company out of Miami selling an unauthorized Mac clone, the OpenMac.

It certainly does fill a gap in Apple's lineup. If you don't want the built-in monitor of the iMac or notebooks, your choice is either the Mac Pro or the Mac Mini. The Mac Pro is great if you're just that - a pro. It's got the horsepower and expandability to rule the world. However, if you're not a pro, it's the Mac Mini for you. The underpowered, integrated graphics, low memory mini. Want to upgrade the processor? Can't. Want to upgrade the graphics card? Can't. Want more the 2GB or ram? Can't.

Macenstein has a great writeup about it.

This one will be interesting to watch as I'm sure the Apple legal team is sharpening their pencils.

Update: It looks to be a hoax.

This is why I'm an Apple Customer

2008-04-06T18:02:00.004-05:00

Well, one of the reasons. I recently had two issues with iTunes. I purchased a season of Scooby Doo (for the kids of course) on my AppleTV, but only 3 of the 8 episodes downloaded for some reason. I reported a problem with my purchase, and within 4 hours or so, I had a response with some troubleshooting ideas. They didn't work. Without a hassle, they reinstated the 5 missing episodes and I was able to download. Great customer service.

I have been listening to 3 purchased albums from a very cool band, Ike, recently. Unfortunately, on one of the two albums, three of the songs have a blip in the middle of the track. Very annoying. I again contacted iTunes and without question or hassle issued 3 download credits and asked that I wait three weeks so they could investigate. Awesome customer service.

iTunes Number One

2008-04-03T17:45:00.003-05:00

Apple announced today that iTunes is the number 1 music retailer, surpassing Wal*Mart. Pretty impressive.

A Drunk Jeff Goldblum Sells the iMac

2008-03-31T18:41:00.001-05:00

This is hilarious:

It is the original iMac commercial with Jeff Goldblum, but slowed down 30%. So basically he's just a drunk fast-talker.

Apple Number 1

2008-03-31T06:39:00.001-05:00

Apple was recently named the number 1 brand with world impact. Microsoft was named number 1 brand in need of a makeover.