Tag Archives: Apple

Let me get this straight…

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Would you ever purchase something without being able to see it, touch it, hear it? Well, apparently there are a lot of people out there that are willing to do just that with the new Apple iPad. According to Investor Village, and re-posted by Fortune’s Apple Blog, about 120,000 people have already pre-ordered the iPad. I’m just as curious as the next person to play with the new iPad when it goes on sale next month, but to buy it without ever getting to use it at an Apple store, that’s just not going to happen.

Copy cats in the land of birds…

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That’s about as creative a post heading you’ll get out me. Anyway, ever since we got to Louisville I’ve heard from multiple people “if you don’t like the weather, just wait 15 minutes” or something of the sort. Problem is, I used to here the same comment in Denver. I actually used it a bunch of times, once in a post a few years back (see here). It got me to wondering, outside of California, is this a pretty common theme where the weather is prone to big shifts within a single day or multiple days? I can only answer for the places I’ve lived and Denver seemed to have the biggest weather changes from one day to the next or even within a single day.

And in the not much to see here category we again have Louisville. Yesterday afternoon I moseyed on over to 4th Street Live, an area in downtown with popular bars and restaurants. First of all, 4th Street Live takes up less than a block of downtown. It’s pretty small. And outside of the Sports and Social Club, which had a good amount of people there, the other places – including Hard Rock – were empty. It was sort of disappointing as I was expecting more from what I had heard was a fun college town. Oh well.

On to a topic that usually falls on deaf ears, technology. A couple of days ago I updated my computer OS from Leopard to Snow Leopard. I wasn’t expecting much from the upgrade as it was more of a clean up upgrade from Apple. One thing I had heard was how it “creates” space on the hard drive, and they weren’t kidding. Before the upgrade I had a little over 16 GB of space available on my hard drive. After, over 32 GB’s! I’m not going to research the reason why right now, but I’m not complaining.

All over the place…

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This post is going to be all over the place. Hopefully they’ll be something in here for each of my millions of readers:

  1. This past week, for the first time, a friend asked me to set up a blog.  Most of you know her as Mary here at poulios.com.  To start, we purchased a domain name using godaddy.com.  Then we set up a blog using wordpress.com.  A few changes to the name servers at godaddy.com to forward the domain over to wordpress and now we have twohig.me for your reading pleasure.   We were also able to set up email for Mary using gmail.  If you’re not using gmail, you should be.  I’ve used hotmail (or whatever they call it these days), yahoo, and other sites here and there, and gmail is easily the best of the bunch. Continue reading →

If I could have waited just one month…

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During the month of December the connection to my wireless router was dropping multiple times per day, which usually means the router is going bad. That’s not surprising considering they usually only last a year or two. Well, early last week, the router died. As a result, I did some research and decided to buy the Apple Airport Extreme ($180), which has a USB port for connecting an external hard drive or printer. The main reason I wanted to hook up the external hard drive to the router is to be able to back up my data wirelessly, but Time Machine doesn’t work so well with a wireless external hard drive. So, I decided to go with the wireless printer option. On top of that, I bought a new 500 GB external hard drive last month for $140 to go with the new Mac OS, specifically to take advantage of Time Machine.

Why am I telling you this? Well, yesterday, Apple introduced a new product called Time Capsule, which is both a wireless router and hard drive. Lets do the math. During the past month I’ve paid $320 for a wireless router and external hard drive. The 500 GB Time Capsule, which is set to be available in February, will cost $300. It would have cost less to by a single product. How often does that happen? That sucks! On top of everything, Time Capsule would allow for Time Machine to backup wirelessly, which as I noted earlier doesn’t work so well when hooked up the external hard drive wirelessly.

There’s a reason I love technology, but sometimes I wish technology would be available when I need it, not just after I need it. Maybe I should sue Apple. I’m sure they knew this was coming out when I purchased the wireless router last week. I mean, if people actually bring lawsuits against Apple for lowering their prices shortly after the iPhone was brought to market, I’m sure there’s a lawyer out there willing to hear me out. Of course, I’m just kidding about that. It’s just my way of complaining about all the idiots out there that sue when things don’t go their way. Me, I just add a post to the blog :-) .

Post per day?!

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There seems to be some flack coming my way regarding the amount of posts on the blog, or lack thereof. Joker popped me an e-mail saying I should have one per day. He goes even further to say Curt Schilling adds a post at least once per week. My only question to that is, why are you reading Curt Schillings blog? He plays for the Boston Red Sox! I’ll try to do a better job with the blog, but can’t make any guarantees. I’m sort of liking this whole no work, no responsibilities concept.

I guess it would be a good idea to add Happy New Year to everyone in the blog. My New Year’s activities fell through this year and resulted in me being sound asleep before the New Year actually arrived. The plan was to head up to Silverthorne to hang out at a friends place. Silverthorne, for those of you not in or from Denver, is up in the mountains. On Sunday I-70 was closed due to high winds, blowing snow, and avalanche conditions. A lot of people were stranded up in the mountains until after 3 PM on Monday, when I-70 finally opened back up. Although the roads were open, driving conditions still weren’t great and traffic wasn’t going to be pretty with a lot of people leaving and going to the mountains to get to their New Year’s Eve festivities. So, I decided to relax at home and enjoy one of my Christmas gifts.

What Christmas gift, you ask? Well, my brother bought me the new Mac OS, Leopard. I spent the night on Monday installing the OS. At first, I tried to do an Archive and Install, which archives the old OS and installs the new one in its place. This option was supposed to make my data and applications available once complete. However, it didn’t seem to work. I was able to boot up using Safe mode, but the normal boot process left me with a blank desktop and no way to get to my data and application. So, I decided to do a clean install, which deleted everything and installed the new OS. I used a backup from earlier in the day to bring all of the applications and data over from the external hard drive. So, here I am blogging with my new OS. There aren’t a whole lot of noticeable upgrades from the old OS, but there are some that I really like. First is Time Machine, which is a backup tool which makes daily, weekly, and monthly backups to the external hard drive. I don’t even notice when it’s running, all that’s needed is for the external hard drive to be connected, which it isn’t all the time. I mean, why have a laptop if I’m going to be at my desk all the time. Apple Mail and iCal had some upgrades too. There is a whole slew of stationary options in Mail, which I haven’t used too much yet, but will just to annoy people with bigger emails. Mail also added a task list (which is shared with iCal) and notes tool, which is pretty cool, especially if you know how much I like to have task lists. And, something that I like is the ability for Mail to recognize dates with e-mails. Once it recognizes a date and I hover over it, it give me the option to add an iCal event using it. There are other smaller upgrades with in the OS, but I won’t get into all of them. Check out the Apple website if you want the full list.

Well, that’s about it for now. If another post is added during the next week, it’ll be from Keystone, where I’ll be spending the rest of this week. And again, Happy New Year!

Computer upgrades anyone?

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I’m jealous! A friend went out and bought a new iMac after Apple released the new versions yesterday. They look quite impressive and thin. And, as she stated – “If I can’t be thin, my computer might as well be.” From a personal perspective, that’s a great theory to live by. Along with the new iMacs, Apple upgraded the .Mac, iWeb (part of iLife), and iWork software.

The upgrades to iWeb and .Mac are particularly interesting. For some time now I’ve kept my eye on .Mac because it comes with a very good backup software, but I couldn’t rationalize paying $99 for backup software alone, even if there was 1 GB of storage space and e-mail provided. Well, that has now changed. .Mac and iWeb now support personal domain names. In other words, I can create my website using iWeb and then publish it to my personal domain name, which would be supported by .Mac. On top of that, they now provide 10 GB of available space, which is a 10x upgrade from what they used to offer.

The iWork software now includes a spreadsheet tool called Numbers. It seems to be pretty cool after reading a review on macworld.com. Although, the person that wrote the article notes that it will take an Excel user some time to adjust to the different layout of Numbers. Apple has apparently created the software to change the way users think of spreadsheets. Numbers, along with their word processor (Pages) and presentation (Keynote) software now makes for a reasonable alternative for Microsoft Office. Add the $79 price tag and it looks like a potential steal.

So, since I’m a budget freak, lets see how much that will set me back:
1. Mac OS 10.5 (Panther) – $129 (assumes same cost as 10.4 Tiger)
2. RAM – $150 for 1 GB (1 DIMM) or $300 for 2 GB (2 DIMM)
3. .Mac – $99
4. iLife – $79
5. iWork – $79
Total – $536 to upgrade to 1.5 GB RAM or $636 to upgrade to 2GB of RAM

Ok, so the total cost might be a bit much for one single purchase, but there’s nothing wrong with dreaming. The question now is, in what order do I buy them? Chance are, since I run Windows XP using Bootcamp and have Office 2003, iWork will be the last purchase. Since my contract with godaddy.com lasts until next March, I’ll probably wait until then to upgrade iLife and .Mac. That leaves the OS and RAM upgrades as my first purchase sometime around Christmas. Sounds like a plan. Any bets on whether I’ll stick to it. In providing full disclosure, I have had my eye on a new big screen TV and a new monitor for the desk at home :-) .

But the again, next year my laptop will turn 2 years old. Might it be time to retire this laptop to a family member and upgrade to a new one?! Ok, that’s a lot of money I’ve thrown around in the post, I’m going to have to stop now.

Best of Both Worlds

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We all would like to have the best of everything. For me, there is no time where this is more true then when it comes to gadgets. I’ve even said in the past that my love of gagdets is one day going to send me to the poor house. Well, this weekend I was able to cross out another item on that list of gadgets. It’s called Bootcamp and it’s free… sort of. Bootcamp is an application that allows an Apple computer running Mac OS/X to dual boot with Windows XP (and Vista). The application itself is free to download from the Apple website. However, I did have to pay for a full version of Windows XP. I decided to buy Windows XP Pro OEM (systems builders version) for about $140, which is a big discount over the retail version which runs about $300.

The reason I was drawn to using Bootcamp was the limited number of applications that run on Mac OS/X. Apple provides a good assortment of applications to do the basics (ie, iCal, Address Book, Mail, Safari etc.). However, there were two areas where the Mac wasn’t equal to the Windows computer.

First of all, Quicken for Mac is a run down version of the one made for Windows computers. It’s very disappointing how Quicken limits the functionality on the Mac version. But, I will say this isn’t limited to Quicken. The number of applications made for a Mac is limited. To an extent I can understand why. In the end, a software company wants to bring in the most money. And to do this, you want to create software that can be used by the most amount of people. In this case, Windows has a bigger base with computer users. It’s one of the reasons there are more virus’ out there for Windows computers. Why write a virus for a Mac computer when it will not create the most damage with users?

The second reason for running Windows on the Mac is for Windows Media Player. Now, don’t get the wrong idea. I’m not getting rid of my iPod now or anytime soon and will continue to use OS/X with iTunes until further notice. The problem is, I like to listen to internet radio. Specifically, baseball games on mlb.com. It’s the easiest and cheapest way for me to keep up with the mighty New York Mets. The mlb.com site, along with many others, work best with Windows Media Player. There are many sites that don’t work or have limited functionality on OS/X.

After about 3 hours setting up Bootcamp with Windows XP on Friday night (yes, this is what I did instead of going out), I’m all set. It’s amazing how simple it was. The majority of the time I was away from the computer while backing up my Apple files or letting Windows XP install. Choosing which OS to boot with is as simple as holding down the Option key while booting, using the arrow keys to select the OS, and pressing Enter.

So here I am, living in the best of both worlds. My calendar, address books, e-mail, music, photos, etc. live on the Mac partition. And Windows Media Player, Quicken 2005, and Windows Live Messenger are on the Windows partition.

By the way, this web browser I’m using on the Windows XP side, Internet Explorer 7, is a definite upgrade from version 6. It even has tabbed browsing. How cool is that?! Where have a seen that before. Oh, that right. Safari and Firefox have had tabbed browsers for a few years now :-)

Fanboys and Zealots

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This has become an annoying part of my web surfing experience for the past few years and it only seems to be getting worse. Why is it that a person can’t comment on a blog or article without being called names? On that same note, why is it that people can’t post basic opinions without having to go over the top with their comments? Case in point is my recent surfing related to the iPhone.

No surprise here, I love gadgets. As such, I like to read about them and test them out whenever possible. This attitude is probably going to put me in the poorhouse one day. But that’s a story for another day. During the past 2 weeks I’ve been reading zdnet.com, which is a website that provides news, reviews, and blogs related to all sorts of technology. There have been countless articles and blogs related to the iPhone, both positive and negative. In some cases, the writer of the article or blog makes good points and others are just way off base. But that’s not the worst part. It’s the people commenting on the article that prove how obnoxious people really are. If you say something good or bad about the iPhone you are instantly labeled a Microsoft or Apple Fanboy or Zealot. What is a Fanboy or Zealot you ask? Well, I had to go to one of my internet sources to find out (thanks Matt 1.0). In basic terms, it’s someone that will always promote a product by a certain company no matter how good or bad it is and will trash the other company at the same time. And that definition is being nice. Some of these people are just over the top in their opinions to the point it’s ridiculous.

Why is it that I can’t like or dislike a product without be called names like Fanboy and Zealot. How childish are we here?! Give me a break. I’m not going to shy away from the fact that I own an iPod Nano and a MacBook Pro and actually like both of them. It was after buying the Nano and getting to see first hand how smooth a user interface it has that I started thinking about buying a MacBook Pro. Are either of these products perfect? No. Do I think they are the best products to suit my needs? Yes. That is why I bought them. Does the mean I hate Microsoft and every product they make? No. News to the world. It is possible to like both Microsoft and Apple products! It’s also ok to say both positive and negative things about either one of them or to, dare I say, like one better than the other. So, to everyone that uses terms like Fanboy and Zealot for people like me that actually test products out and chooses the one they like best, get over yourself. You’re just making yourself look bad by calling people that you don’t know names.

Don’t get me into the sticks and stones speech. But, I’ll admit, these people really frustrate me.

P.S. – Sorry for asking and answering my own questions.

iPhone Update

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During the past week I’ve been reading a lot of articles and blogs about the iPhone, some from Apple die-hards who refuse to say anything bad about an Apple product, some from Apple haters who refuse to say anything good about an Apple product, and some from people that tried to provide truly unbiased opinions. Someone actually told me I’m one of the Apple die-hards, even if I don’t believe so. More on this subject to come in another post.

Reading through all of articles though, there seems to be one major misconception about the iPhone. First and foremost, it is not a smartphone. It is not meant to be a replacement for the work-a-holic types unable to drag themselves away from their work and their Blackberries. Although it is not stated this way, the best description I can give it is a multimedia device with PDA capabilities that can fit in your pocket. The iPhone is meant for the consumer (not employee) that wants to combine their cell phone and iPod into one device, while also providing web browsing functionality. Not only that, the iPhone is what Apple prides itself in producing, not products with thousands of features, but products that are as user friendly as possible. And that’s why people will be willing to pay a premium to purchase the iPhone.

However, in order to get the Apple die-hard opinion off my back, I will admit there are a few things about the iPhone that bother me. I won’t be surprised if all these items are fixed in next generation iPhones. Thinking back, the first iPod wasn’t groundbreaking, it was the next generation iPods that really caught steam. I expect the same to occur with the iPhone. So, some things I think it is missing or could be improved:

  1. First and foremost, the iPhone will only be available through Cingular Wireless / AT&T. About a year ago I changed from Cingular to Verizon because their customer service was just so bad. Not just that, they treat potential customers better then they treat current customers. This is an inherent problem with a lot of service companies, which is why I have a tendency to change them often. I treat service companies how professional sports teams treat coaches, like a carrousel.
  2. Apple has published specs noting the iPhone battery will sustain 5 hours of talk time and 16 hours of multimedia. My only concern is this might cause the constant user to have to charge the phone daily. Also, if the iPhone is like the iPod, the battery will not be easily replaceable. If it goes bad after a year or two, the consumer will be forced to by another cell phone. My hope is that it lasts at least 2 years, which is about as long as I would expect to own a cell phone. Another option would be to purchase the Apple extended warranty plan which will extend the warranty from 1 to 2 years.
  3. The price of the iPhone is a little concerning, although somewhat understandable. At $500 for the 4 Gb version, that is a hefty price to pay. A 4 Gb iPod Nano from Apple costs $200. That makes the phone and web browser $300, which is not out of the ordinary for a multimedia device. I would have liked it if there was a discounted combined cost, maybe $400 for the product. The iPod started at a pretty hefty price when it was first produced, it wouldn’t surprise me if the cost of the iPhone goes down when future generations are produced.

So, there you have it. I still don’t think I’ll be purchasing the first generation iPhone. It’s not worth the cost and frustration of switching over to Cingular / AT&T. But I can’t wait for it to be released so I can go to the Apple Store and play with it.