I don’t think that I’m this bad when it comes to Apple products…but I can see how some people are.
EVO 4G Salesman Confronts an iPhone 4 Shopper
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Dear Apple: Stop the Anti-Flash Crusade
Hi Apple,
I’d like to talk to you today about your decision to not support Flash.
We get that you’ve spurred lots of innovation over the years, but your image has taken some serious hits lately what with the anti-porn defense for the app store, violent search warrants, and factory worker suicides. You were the bad boy on the block, eschewing our perceptions of lifeless corporate routine by shaking things up and well, thinking different. But now, you’ve missed the mark by telling us what to think and tarnished that grand image you’ve cultivated over all these years.
I’ve no problem with your decision to not support Flash. You’ve given us one of the best operating systems on the planet and we thank you for it and it’s your decision as to what technology you wish to employ on your devices. However, what I do have a problem with is the manner in which you’ve chosen to justify that decision. Beating up on another company’s technology, especially one with such a rich history of supporting your products is kind of a dick move.
In fact, it’s starting to look like you’ve gotten a little too big for your turtleneck. Innovation needn’t be fueled by slanderous undermining. As new technologies emerge, their efficiency will propel their adoption just fine, without the need for browbeating their predecessors. Much in the same way the advantages of digital distribution became apparent over traditional media, so too will web developers latch on to the next means of producing dynamic web content, leaving Flash to gracefully join the likes of 10baset networks and vb6.
You know we love you Apple, and we want others to see what made you so special in the first place, but as it stands today we need you to go back to being the hammer- not the telescreen.
Sincerely,
Joshua
MobileMe to be Free?
MacDailyNews recently reported a rumor that Apple intends to soon begin making its MobileMe service completely free. MobileMe is Apple’s very own mini Google in a way, keeping information such as data, calendars, photos, contacts, and the like synchronized across all of your Apple mobile devices and Macs. Personally, the only real alluring feature for me in considering this was to use the remote location and wipe features for the iPhone. It sure would’ve been nice if those features could’ve been made free through iTunes, but alas, for now you’re stuck paying $99 for the privilege.
If this does prove to be true, I’d imagine there will be some seriously upset current subscribers that already paid $99 this year. However, I can definitely see the business perspective merits of such a move. If Apple really does want to continue ramping up the competition against Microsoft and Google, this would certainly make some waves. Microsoft recently made another play as well by offering Office 2010 for free online a la Google Docs.
Further adding weight to this latest rumor is the continued silence surrounding Apple’s mysterious, massive data center that has yet to come operational in North Carolina. It stands to reason that if MobileMe is made free that we can expect a significant increase in the number of subscribers and it’s likely the server farms housed within Apple’s Area 51 would have the power ready to adapt to the influx of new users. Either way we’ll have to wait and see.
Steps Taken to Tidy my iMac
I love my iMac as I’m sure I’ve made clear on more than a few occasions. As much as I love it though, I’m still a relative noob having enjoyed the merits of OS X for only a little more than a year now and was unclear on how to keep a lot of my files and applications well organized. After doing some research (and a bit of trial-and-error) I found a lot of great ways to keep things easy to locate so I can spend less time searching for what I need and more time being productive. I’ll list out the changes I’ve implemented below.
Geekend Updates – April 30, 2010
Movies:
Top 10 new cult Movies – via LikeMe Daily
Games:
Halo 2 Still Alive on Xbox Live with 14 Players Left – via Gossip Gamers
Technology:
Desktop Clutter Art A Go-Go – via Gizmodo
WWDC 2010 Officially Announced – via TUAW
Humor:
Nothing Means Anything on the Internet: A PSA – via FunnyCrave
Review: iPad
Having now spent plenty of time with my precious iPad I thought it was time to do an honest review of how I feel about the new hotness. I’ve downloaded dozens of apps, put it through the ringer from a battery standpoint, and even inadvertently stress tested it a bit when I accidentally stepped on it the other day. So how does it stack up against a tried and true notebook or smartphone? Read on…
The 5 Best iPad Apps at Launch
Having made extensive use of my iPad so far, I thought it only fitting to do a post about what some of the best apps are that you can download for it. I’ve spent a lot of time checking out a variety of apps, but the ones listed here I feel are absolutely best in class and a safe bet for you to check out on your iPad. So, read on to see what I feel are the 5 best iPad apps at launch and click on the link of their name to check it out in iTunes.
1. Evernote – Free
I’ve been a fan of Evernote for a long time, and the iPad app is no exception. It continues to offer the same awesome functionality as their iPhone, Mac, and Windows apps. One feature I’m particularly fond of is the ability to record audio notes using the iPad’s built-in microphone while you type if you wish. This has come in handy for me in various meetings or if I need to give myself a quick reminder. It’s fast, responsive, and the larger interface afforded by the iPad’s spacious screen make it a natural fit in the business world. Best of all? For all of this functionality it’s still completely free.
2. Twitterific – Free for the trial, $4.99 for the pro version
There are certainly other Twitter apps out there, but the interface in Twitterific is fantastic. The pop-over menus make interacting with your followers a breeze and the pro version offers support for multiple accounts. After using the free version for a couple of weeks, I couldn’t stand not having access to multiple accounts so I shot for the upgrade and have been most pleased ever since. It’s very smooth, looks fantastic, and rarely has any connection hiccups with Twitter.
3. Netflix – Free
It’s true the iPad’s screen isn’t technically HD, but that doesn’t mean that videos don’t look phenomenal on it. Such is the case as well with the official Netflix app. I’d have thought that streaming over WiFi would’ve lost something in the quality, but it looks as good as ever, allowing you to manage your queue, watch nearly anything instantly, and also manage your account and DVD rentals as well. If you’ve got the official iPad case or some other stand that can keep the iPad horizontal (though it still plays movies in vertical orientation), and you’re a Netflix subscriber, this one is an absolute no-brainer.
4. iBooks – Free
Sure this may be a first party app, but that doesn’t make it any less noteworthy. Some serious readers may scoff at the iPad’s ability to function as a reader, but for those of us that don’t mind reading off an LCD screen, this is as good as it gets. The iBooks app has a range of options from bookmarking pages and adjusting the brightness and text size to searching the entirety of a book for a particular word or passage. It’s unfortunate that you can’t take notes about what you read, especially given the educational applications of the iPad, but we may yet see this in a future update.
5. NPR – Free
I know, I know. It sounds pretty boring, and to a lot of people talk radio is. However, I didn’t put this on my list because I’m a die-hard NPR fan. I put it on here, because this is a milestone for how news media is evolving. It’s got a slick interface, seamless integration with iTunes, audio streaming and more. I sincerely doubt that people will ever be willing to pay for news again, despite what some others may think, but the option becomes more tempting when you see this kind of polish in its delivery.
So there you have it. What other apps have you been using on your iPad?
Apple’s Next iPhone ‘Leaked’
If you head on over to Gizmodo you can take a look at a plethora of other pictures of the purported new iPhone from Apple. I’m sure many of you are ready to call shenanigans, but the guys over at Gizmodo have carefully examined, tinkered with, and agreed that this iPhone is the real deal. It came from an anonymous source who found it in a bar, which, isn’t inspiring really, but what is inspiring is that after dissecting the device and poking around its innards, all of the hardware was meticulously crafted and multiple components had Apple’s name on them. Further lending validity to this device being the new iPhone is the fact that when connected to iTunes it is recognized as an iPhone.
There’s video of the device itself, but nothing of it operating as Apple apparently nuked the device remotely. From what the guys over at Gizmodo could discern, the following features will be present in the next iPhone if this alleged prototype is any indication:
- Better camera with flash
- Front-facing camera
- No more tapered edges, opting for a flush, flat look and feel
- Slightly heavier due to larger battery
- Back casing remains plastic, likely in a bid to increase reception for the internal antenna
- Two volume buttons instead of a continuous rocker
- Microphone located at the top of the device as well as the bottom, possibly in a bid to increase call clarity
- Aluminum edging with exposed seams (however, it’s possible this will be changed once the final model makes its debut)
- Screen appears slightly smaller, though much higher resolution as was evidenced by the ‘Connect to iTunes’ screen
Now, I’m not going to say that this isn’t a legitimate leak, but what I will say is I think this may be a purposeful, coordinated marketing effort by Apple to jump-start the hype machine prior to its announcement at the WWDC this summer.
What do you think of the new device? Was it a leak, or a carefully orchestrated marketing effort?
Video: Unboxing the Official iPad Case from Apple
Despite having purchased multiple special editions of various games and even the iPad itself ,for whatever reason I decided to do my first ‘unboxing’ video using the iPad’s official case. I can’t rightly call it a review on account of not having put the gadget condom through its paces yet, but just the same I thought I’d throw a video together. So check out the video below if you’re one of those eager to know what to expect from the only official protective solution for Apple’s latest wonder device!
7 iPhone OS 4.0 Features Revealed
A couple of days ago I made some predictions surrounding what Apple would be announcing for its latest version of the iPhone OS 4.0. Not to toot my own horn, but I was right on more than a few of them (including my prediction that Jobs would wear a turtleneck were he in attendance). So let’s get right to it and take a look at the 7 announcements regarding the latest iPhone OS and how they’ll affect us as iPhone die-hards.