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- Weekly App Store Picks: July 18, 2009
Once again, it’s that special time of the week when we all join hands, take a deep breath and exhale as we take a spiritual journey through the latest app picks for iPhone.
Before we reach app zen though, it’s time for a refreshing run through of the week’s iPhone news and Apple happenings.
Credit cards at the ready, the week opened with the resurgence of the Apple tablet rumor. Fueled by word from component suppliers in China, the rumor is that we could apparently see an Apple tablet retailing by October this year.
One year on from the App Store’s launch and Apple is feeling particularly pleased with their paradigm shifting achievement. So pleased in fact that they dropped a big number in celebration: 1.5 billion App Store downloads in the first year. Impressive indeed. I wonder if Nokia, Palm or RIM will ever catch up?
Our own Clayton Lai returned this week with Jailbreak, an ongoing series that’s all about getting the most out of your jailbroken iPhone. His latest offering explains how to spruce up your iPhone’s lock screen with calendars, Twitter feeds and more.
Still on the subject of jailbreaking, over on the iPhone 3GS there’s a new unlock in town: purplesn0w. It improves on the Dev Team’s ultrasn0w, providing a much more stable unlock, while improving battery life and wifi connectivity.
It seems that most users won’t notice any difference with the latest iTunes update, however Palm Pre owners are in for a surprise sandwich filled with the meat of disappointment: Apple has blocked Palm Pre syncing in iTunes. Pre owners, I adore your device, but it was bound to happen, it has happened, get over it.
And finally, Google has brought local web search to the iPhone. The service makes use of the iPhone’s 3.0 software update, which now includes HTML 5 Geolocation API support in Safari. This basically means that websites can determine your location and provide you with relevant and useful data. By which I mean adverts, lots of adverts.
Moving on to the picks, this week I’ve been looking at Worms, Spell Number, Zombies & Me and Tap Star.
Worms ($4.99)
This brings me back to the old days — all the cool kids got their console fix with the SNES or Genesis, but I had an Amiga 500. For a time, I had very little interest in chubby Italian plumbers or a blue hedgehog with an attitude problem. It was all about British dev studios churning out classic games: Sensible Software’s Cannon Fodder, Ocean’s Robocop and, of course, Team 17 with Worms. Featuring a brigade of cheeky well-armed worms, the game is a turn-based strategy, incorporating a bevy of weird weaponry, perfect for extended multiplayer gaming sessions. For the retro fanboys with a penchant for the Amiga, this is a definite download, but it’s also worth checking out for newbies looking for an explosive (and amusing) strategy fix.
Spell Number (Free)
So you’ve updated your iPhone to OS 3.0, or you’ve taken it one step further and bagged yourself an iPhone 3GS. Either way, there are a few tweaks and improvements that may make your Apple device even more wonderful. One such tweak, provided by Spell Number, activates Emoji — colorful and scrumptious emoticons, available exclusively to iPhone users over in Japan. Simply download Spell Number, enter the number 91929394.59, then press the Home button, go to Settings → General → Keyboard → Japan and activate Emoji. Unlike various other Emoji-activating apps for iPhone, this one is absolutely free and, notably, works for OS 3 and the 3GS. This is a definite download, especially for folks who would like to spice up their SMS and email messages with some Emoji goodness.
Zombies & Me (99 cents)
The slow-moving dinosaur of the game industry, EA, recently founded its own micro-game production studio to start churning out potential iPhone hits at a fast rate — one a month — while experimenting with new gameplay styles. Zombies & Me is the first release as part of this initiative and, surprisingly, it looks gorgeous, sounds scrummy and plays well too. The premise is simple, Granny’s house is about to be raided by hungry zombies and it’s your job to dash around the garden, leading the undead in to various bombs, while trying not to have your brains sucked out. Serious kudos to EA for stepping away from the big brand franchise factory methodology and investing in something a little more experimental.
Tap Star ($4.99)
Finally a viable competitor to Tap Tap Revenge hits the App Store. Created by Epic Tilt and with serious support from Sony Entertainment Music — clearly wanting to get in on the App Store game and leverage some of their content — comes Tap Star, a new rhythm action game. While Tap Star lacks the character and flair of Tap Tap Revenge, it makes up for this failing by bundling tons of tunes from Sony’s catalogue, including tracks from Elvis, Cyndi Lauper, Pink and Britney. I’ll be sticking with Tap Tap Revenge, it’s just so much richer, but fans of Sony’s catalogue in particular may want to check out Tap Star.That’s all the picks for this week. I’ll be back in seven days with more news from the week and picks from the App Store.
In the meantime, what apps have you been using this week?
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Переслать - Simplify Your Workflow With Dropzone
The real power of OS X lies in all of the hidden gems beneath what you see at first glance. Technologies like Expose, Spaces, Stacks, Spotlight and others help users tap the power of their Mac, while keeping the experience sleek and elegant. Aptonic's Dropzone, a third-party application designed to further simplify your Mac experience, fits into this group perfectly and naturally.
It’s Like an Intern for Your Dock
Dropzone is an application that resides in your Dock like any other app. The power of Dropzone comes into play when you begin dragging files onto its icon. Similar to the appearance of a Stack, Dropzone will expand giving you options of what to do with the file or files you've selected. Think of it like Automator for your Dock.
For example, if I have a handful of files selected, and drag them onto my Dropzone icon, I am presented with a series of choices, one of which is "Zip files and email." As simple as it sounds, dragging the files onto this icon zips the files automatically and attaches them to a new email message inside of Mail. Gone are the days of right-clicking to compress the files, attaching that to an email and then deleting the zip file when I'm done.
Another "destination" included is the ability to install applications quickly by dragging a DMG onto the "Install Application" destination. Behind the scenes, your Mac will mount the DMG file, locate the application inside, copy it to your Applications folder and launch it, unmount the DMG and move the DMG file to the trash.
Other destinations include quick access to uploading images to Flickr (including copying the image URL to your clipboard when its done) or upload files to your FTP server. Want those files zipped before upload? No problem. Just hold down the option key as you drag the files onto the icon. It's quick and simple and really does save time.
I'm the type of Mac user who likes to keep my Dock as simplified as possible, but I do enjoy the ability to be able to drag files onto an application icon and force the file to open in that application. Dropzone allows me to throw applications I use frequently inside of it and then I have the ability to do just that. Compared to attempting the same thing with a stack in Leopard, I only spawn Finder windows.
Taking It Further
Several optional downloads can extend the functionality of Dropzone. There are add-ons to allow you to start your screensaver, mount/unmount firewire drives, and set your computer to sleep, in addition to many others. Dropzone even includes support for popular web services, including the ability to quickly share photos via TwitPic, shorten a dropped URL via the Is.Gd service (and copy it to the clipboard automatically), and quickly share photos and documents on Posterous.
If you are comfortable programming ruby scripts, Dropzone also offers a scripting API to allow you to create your own "destinations" to further extend the application.
If you’d like to try out Dropzone, it’s currently available for Leopard or Snow Leopard users. Aptonic does provide a trial version of the software, and the cost is only $10 to purchase the full version. The trial does limit you to 15 days of use and up to five "destinations" at a time. I spoke with the developers at Aptonic and they informed me that updates through 1.0 will be freely available to users who register, but the $10 price is likely just an introductory price. Download the demo version here.
I’ll be the first to admit, much like Quicksilver or Spaces, once you get used to integrating this app, it really does save you time. If you have tried out Dropzone, let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
Market research you can use: Keep informed about Cloud Computing and IT Infrastructure. Learn more »Переслать - App Review: Phaze — Futuristic Racing Action
App Quick Stats
Years ago I discovered a little futuristic hovercraft racing game on the PlayStation called Wipeout. The concept was simple, and in many ways it was pretty much the same gameplay as Mario Kart or Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart. What set it apart was that there were no cartoon graphics, and no toy weapons, just stunning futuristic graphics, unique craft handling (being hovercrafts) and the most important element: speed. These crafts could go really fast.
So as an avid fan of the Wipeout series, when I found out about Phaze I immediately had to try it. Phaze is pretty much a Wipeout clone for the iPhone. There’s nothing new added, it just takes the concept and translates it. This suits me fine. The question is how good the implementation is. Does it capture the magic that got me hooked to Wipeout all those years ago?
Game Mechanics
The basic game mechanics are simple and combine the following components: race track, hovercraft, weapons and three laps. As you fly your craft around with other computer opponents, the aim is to finish first, second or third. As you race around the track you can fly over special markers that will either give you an instant speed boost or drop a weapon into your slot. There are various weapons such as bombs you drop behind you, or missiles or rockets to launch at an opponent ahead of you. You can also pick up speed boosts to use at your strategic time, or shield top-ups.
You control your craft by turning your phone in the desired direction and adjust your speed by tilting the phone up or down. There are 10 different crafts to be unlocked over the game, requiring you to finish the game in Championship mode on various levels of difficulty. Of course, each craft handles differently and has a unique combination of power (speed), shield (take more damage) and agility (ease to control).
If you hit the side of the tracks, you slow down and take damage to your shield. Bumping into other opponents, or being hit with weapons, also damages your shield. When your shield is gone, you blow up. It’s not over; a new ship will get brought into play — but you suffer a significant time loss as this occurs. You can’t afford to blow up unless you’ve got a very strong lead on the pack.
There are 16 tracks, with most also requiring you to complete the game in Championship mode to unlock them. These are available in four difficulty modes: Easy, Normal, Hard and Extreme. Once you’ve unlocked a track, it can then be played in Single Race mode.
What’s Great
I’m always very skeptical of accelerometer controls, but these handle impressively. They’re well tuned, and the sensitivity can also be adjusted manually in the options, although I found I didn’t need to touch them at all. I handed my iPhone to some friends who were also skeptical and they agreed — I had a hard time getting my phone back.
On my iPhone 3G the graphics and animations are very smooth and most importantly, that sense of speed is realized strongly — which is an absolutely crucial element to this type of game. One slight wrong move doesn’t just give you damage to your shields, but really slows you down. You feel it, along with the horrible metal grinding sound that provides great audible feedback.
The game autosaves when you exit it, even in mid-race, and allows you to have quick games while passing time without worrying about wasting any progress made. This isn’t absolutely stable, however. I received an SMS during game play and instead of saving my position and exiting cleanly, the game crashed — I lost several levels from my progress. This only happened once, however, and didn’t take me too long to catch up, so I suspect it was an anomaly.
What’s Missing
The biggest element missing from this game is an on-screen map overlay so that you can see where you are on the track, and more importantly, where the other players are. Knowing how far ahead or behind you are provides a crucial tactical advantage in these kind of games. Without it, you can feel like you are miles ahead and then with one small bump to the side of the track you get overtaken by three crafts without realizing they were even on your tail.
While you can choose to have the in-game music and sound effects or turn them off to keep listening to whatever you were playing on your iPhone, I’d prefer in-game sound effects with my music. Ideally they will update the game to support the 3.0 OS’s ability to select a personal playlist from the iPod.
While the graphics are smooth and look great, the tracks all have the same general look, except for the backgrounds for the level. A little more visual variety here would be nice. Additionally, a ‘mirror’ track mode would instantly turn the 16 provided tracks into 32 with little effort. You can also notice on some parts of tracks the clipping that occurs so only the next few segments of track is drawn. No doubt this is for speed, but it does look funny.
Summing Up
The issues with this game are minor, but for me, if addressed, would take this game from a Silver rating to a Gold. Ultimately, the comparison has to come back to Wipeout. The truth is that it doesn’t feel like a cheap Wipeout rip-off. It could be an official part of the family. It brings back those warm fuzzy feelings I had playing too much Wipeout on my PlayStation years ago, and has provided much enjoyment. For the small price, I think any other Wipeout fan would find the same.
Market research you can use: Keep informed about Cloud Computing and IT Infrastructure. Learn more »Переслать - Thanks to TheAppleBlog Sponsors!
We’d like to say thanks to this month’s sponsor of TheAppleBlog:
- Mozy: Back up your photos, music, and files with Mozy for as low as $4.34 per month.
Переслать - What to Expect From Apple's Quarterly Report on Tuesday
The conference call date for Apple’s latest quarterly numbers was finally announced this week as being at Tuesday at 2:00 p.m. PDT. The biggest question isn’t about profit or sales, however, but who will be doing the speaking: Could it be Steve Jobs?
Jobs was last heard on an Apple conference call in October 2008. While no reason was given for his presence then, it could be argued that his participation was designed to assuage concerns about his health. In January, Jobs took a leave of absence to deal with those health issues, and was later revealed to have undergone a liver transplant. Since returning to work at Apple in June, his highest-profile appearance has been as a spectator at a concert. Even if Jobs is not at the call, expect analysts to ask about his health. But that won’t be the only topic discussed.
- In terms of revenue and profit, the consensus is around $1.15 EPS on revenue of around $8 billion. As Apple has a history of setting the bar low on guidance, expect the company to beat that.
- Mac sales estimates are all over the place. IDC and Gartner have Mac sales down and flat, respectively. Individual analysts are projecting numbers from just over 2 million to as high as 2.5 million. Estimates have been trending up based on higher than expected sales of the new 13″ MacBook Pro. For the same period last year, Apple sold 2.496 million Macs.
- iPod sales are thought to be in the range of 11 million units sold, same as last year. However, the iPod touch has been doing increasingly well for Apple, selling approximately the same number of units as the iPhone in recent quarters.
- iPhone sales will likely be down or flat from the previous quarter, which saw nearly 3.8 million sold, the reason being anticipation of the iPhone 3GS. Sales of the original iPhone dropped by more than half in the quarter immediately before the release of the iPhone 3G.
Since the iPhone 3GS went on sale during the current quarter, Apple may comment on sales beyond the first weekend of one million units sold, but probably not. Don’t expect the company to be forthcoming about the rumored tablet for October, either, though there will no doubt be pejorative remarks about netbooks. As always, what is said, and who says it, will be reported by TheAppleBlog.
Hey, Mr. VC, Meet Pretty Mobile Things @ Mobilize 09 New ideas and new contacts. 1 day. $595 regular / $395 discounted »Переслать - CinemaView Apple-Geared Monitors Get Refresh Before Release
I’ve had my eye on CinemaView monitors since they were announced, but was a little put off recently by the lack of any forthcoming news. Now, Collins America, the makers of the upcoming CinemaView Mini DisplayPort compatible monitors that you can actually afford without selling any of your children, are letting us know that they’re not only still in the works, but that they’ve already undergone a refresh.
That probably means that the displays have yet to see a production line, since major changes in product offerings after you’ve already produced a thousand units isn’t generally regarded as a profitable approach. And Collins America’s changes aren’t minor, either. It’s dropped the 19- and 20-inch models entirely and added a new, high-end offering that makes me drool and is actually priced very reasonably, in line with previous offerings. Finally, it’s added an external HD TV tuner, too, so you can use your CinemaView as your television.
So, the lineup now stands at only two display choices (a 24- and a 47-inch) and a supplementary HD TV tuner that will work with either. Both displays feature 1920×1080 max resolution (read: 1080p), VESA-mount compatibility and four USB ports built in. They also connect to your Mac via a supplied single cable, and are made of aluminum (frame), and optical glass (screen), so they should be in aesthetic harmony with any current gen Mac owner’s setup. They’re priced at $499 and $1499, respectively.
The last piece of the puzzle, the CinemaView TV, will cost you another $399, but it does seem to pack quite a punch into a small package. It boasts four HDMI inputs, a Mini DisplayPort in/out, a composite/component in, and a digital audio in/out. Combined with the 47-inch display, it’s almost the perfect companion to a living room-based Mac mini, which is why I’m leaning towards it. For users who’d rather use their own existing TV, but wouldn’t mind having a little mini A/V receiver (which is what the CinemaView TV basically is), the device also has one HDMI out for connecting to traditional televisions.
Expected ship dates for the entire CinemaView line are also now posted. People looking for the 24-inch display will only have to wait until October, while those hoping to get their hands on the 47-inch and the CinemaView TV will have to cool their heels a little longer, since both have an anticipated street date of January 2010. You can place a no-obligation reservation for the device of your choice now via the CinemaView web site, but international customers might be in for some sticker shock, since there are some pretty hefty markups for orders from outside the U.S.
Market research you can use: Keep informed about Cloud Computing and IT Infrastructure. Learn more »Переслать - Open and Save Word Documents With TextEdit
Microsoft Word was one of my favorite and most-used applications back in the early days. I started Mac word processing first with Word 4 and upgraded to Word 5.1 in 1993. Amazingly, that old application still starts up and works fine in Classic Mode on my G4 PowerBook.
However, the disastrous Word 6 broke my Word habit, and Word 5.1 was the last Microsoft software I ever bought. I’ve turned to other software ever since for text crunching and word processing, and don’t really miss Word except when someone sends me a Word document, or when I need to send a file to someone who works in Word.
Word-Centric World
In a Word-centric world, odds are that you will encounter Microsoft Word-formatted (.doc) documents fairly frequently, in email attachments, files produced by Word-user colleagues, or informational data downloaded from the Internet.
Happily, this is not as much of a problem as it used to be for us non-Word users. Many, in fact most, word processors can open and save Word files these days with formatting rendered reasonably faithfully..
TextEdit Can Likely Handle It
If you’re using Mac OS X 10.4 or 10.5, you don’t need any other Word-savvy software other than OS X’s bundled TextEdit program, which these days warrants categorization as a full-fledged, albeit lightweight, word processor. When you need to open or save Microsoft Word-formatted documents, TextEdit can usually handle the job, and the version in OS 10.5 Leopard is the best iteration of the program yet. Unless you need perfect formatting rendition, TextEdit is up to the task.
TextEdit can open .doc files with basic formatting, such as fonts, text formatting (bold, italic, etc.), colors, line spacing, alignment and justification sustained reasonably intact. More advanced formatting, such as borders, style sheets, graphics, footnotes, bulleted lists, and such don’t often don’t survive the conversion accurately or at all. Most tables seem to translate OK, although not necessarily appearing exactly as they would in Word.
When you save a TextEdit document as a Word file, some of that sort of advanced formatting stuff actually will make the transition in the other direction, notably buttons, numbering and tables, but not style sheets. Just select one of the three Word document format options (Word 2007, Word 97 or Word 2003) and you’ve got a Word document file.
Consequently, as with the famous cartoon depicting a dog surfing the web with a computer, captioned: “On the Internet, no one knows you’re a dog,” with Leopard TextEdit, no one has to know you don’t have Microsoft Word. Which in certain circles, might help with your credibility.
Innovations. Markets. Profits. We Got An App For That: Mobilize 09 $595 Regular, $395 limited time Learn More »Переслать - App Developer Diary Part 3: All in the Timing
Taking a genuine behind-the-scenes look at developing an app for iPhone, the latest installment finds this journalist-cum-game-designer hidden behind a mounting pile of paperwork and planning.
Last time, we left off with me pondering the possibility of the project’s failure. I’ve moved on, though, and set aside my doubts, mainly because I need to focus on the rapidly mounting stack of deliverables that seems to have been pinned to me.
To start with, there’s the game design document, the all-encompassing bible covering every aspect of the game we’re making. The fundamentals go in here, alongside the seemingly irrelevant minutiae. It’s a massive undertaking.
There’s more, though. Markus has coded an empty level, featuring our ball character bouncing around the screen. On paper, the game mechanic I’ve designed sounds like fun, but we’ve not even tested it in practice.
The task that falls to me, as game designer, is to plan out a basic level featuring several different key components: scenery, obstacles and enemies. The key is that I make sure to squeeze in any gameplay concepts that I’d like to test out at this early stage.
And, amidst having to generate blueprints for a prototype level and write what amounts to a small book, we’ve hit upon a scheduling problem.
Real Mobile Development
The three coders, Matias, Markus and Benjamin, started this project as a quick, 3-month development. Their aim was to release for September and, if they struck upon success, release a bunch of new levels in time for the Christmas rush.
Naturally, taking advantage of the iPhone’s new software features, the extra levels would be an in-app purchase. A potentially shrewd move by the trio of coders, until I threw a spanner in the works of their clever calculations.Having worked at a mobile game studio, I’ve seen many games rushed out the door in time for what seems to be an unrealistic deadline — frequently a symptom of a studio that is run at the behest of its investors.
The investors have a quarterly plan and, for each quarter, want to see their profit targets met. To generate profit, product must be released. And so, to illustrate to the investors that profit can be generated, the studio produces a road map that specifies at least one release per quarter.
Lose/Lose Game
With everyone happy, development can begin. Except, in these situations, it rarely runs so smoothly. Frequently, the specific deadlines are arbitrary — they’re primarily set just to keep the investors happy, with no semblance of realism. As such, the games that are developed don’t reach their full potential. These games are essentially hastily organized attempts to garner profit before moving on to the next cash-generating attempt.
Everyone loses. The consumers receive a poor-quality product; the studio, reduced to the role of factory, farting out a stream of poor games, is demoralized; and the investors’ profit targets are barely hit.
Myself, Markus, Matias and Benjamin have a unique opportunity with this game. We’re not operating at the behest of a board of investors. Nor do we have a release schedule in which our game has to fit. What we have is an opportunity to spend a little more time on development, ensuring that this game reaches its full potential. And after explaining this to the team, they agreed — we now aim to release the game in February of next year.
With the release date moved from September through to February 2010, I’ve bought us around four months of extra development. With six months, three coders and me handling game design, art and sound, we’ve finally begun stacking the odds in our favor.
Next time: I speak to Mills, founder of mobile dev studio UsTwo, about the true cost of development. Only in the next thrilling installment of TheAppleBlog's App Developer Diary.
Переслать - Mozy vs. Carbonite: Mac Backup Smackdown
If you look at the amount of advertising out there these days, you’d think the Mac vs. PC war is a mere slap fight compared to the war being raged for your data backups. They want your data, and they want it now!
In one corner you have Mozy, which shares corporate DNA with former Mac backup champion, Retrospect. In the other corner is Carbonite, which began supporting the Mac this year. Mozy had almost a 2-year head start on Carbonite, but the software race doesn't always go to the first one out of the gate. I gave both products an intense 3-month test. Which one deserves your data? Read on.
Round One: Staying Power
I wouldn’t trust my data to a brand-new company that could go out of business when I need my data (X-Drive, anyone?). Carbonite and Mozy are both well established. Of the two, Carbonite has the better name recognition, referencing Han Solo’s preservation in the “Star Wars” series. But Carbonite also seems to attract bad press like the Millennium Falcon attracted mynocks.
A server failure in 2007 lead to quite a few lawsuits, but according to Carbonite, no data was lost. Additionally, Carbonite was caught using "the Force" to influence reviews on Amazon — and by the Force I mean its employees. Carbonite uses Rush Limbaugh as a spokesperson, and you can't get more controversial than Rush. However, Mozy has the "Mozy gal," who has almost as high a following as Deltalina. This is a tough choice, and we'll call Round One a draw.
Round Two: Setup and Installation
Carbonite cleans Mozy’s clock in software design. For reference, both Mozy and Carbonite require Tiger, but Carbonite is Intel only.
Both programs have assistants that automatically pick your critical data, as well as let you manually decide what to back up and how much bandwidth to use. Because these programs upload large amounts of data, the average system could take weeks to back up. Neither program will back up external media. Mozy claims it does, but if you detach it, it forgets the configuration. Carbonite flat-out refuses to back up externals. If you keep critical files, such as iTunes or iPhoto libraries, on something besides your main boot drive, neither product will back it up reliably.
Mozy is a background program that can easily be quit, reconfigured or uninstalled without asking for an Administrator password. Like the Death Star, one well-placed shot, or mouse click, renders this program useless. On the other hand, Carbonite runs as a daemon, requiring Administrator approval to change or quit. Mozy allows you to back up other users, but doesn’t always run when switching users.
Dare I say that Mozy operates like a clumsy blaster and Carbonite is the elegant light saber? The clear winner in this round is Carbonite. If you have more than one user account on your system, it’s time to go home, because Carbonite has won.
Round Three: Restoration
Carbonite takes a blow to the chin in this category. Both services offer a web-based restore program, not requiring installation of their software. Unfortunately, Carbonite does not handle Mac OS packages well, so I could not restore OmniOutliner and Keynote data files via its web site, since its software saw them as folders rather then files.
However, Carbonite restored those files properly after installing the client software. Unfortunately, after installing the client software for either product on the restoring computer, the services got confused and stopped backing up my old computer.
The process for restoring Mozy is a bit more complex. Mozy has you choose the files to restore, and emails you when they’re “ready." The prep for a 6GB file took about an hour. Mozy also allows you to order a DVD of your files at a rather hefty price of 50 cents a gigabyte, plus a processing fee of $29.95 and a next-day shipping charge of $40.
Neither company wins this round: restoration isn’t easy or efficient. Both programs, go back into your corners and make this process easier for subscribers.
Round Four: Support
Neither company includes phone support, but Carbonite allows you to purchase it for $19.95 a year and Mozy provides it with their “Pro” package. I tested support via free online chat sessions. Of the multiple times I contacted support for both real and made-up problems, both companies failed to provide quality tech support folks that could understand the most basic of questions.
Emailing questions was equally frustrating. I consistently received conflicting and contradictory information. This is very scary when we’re talking about backups. Carbonite annoyed me more because their reps would reference instructions they were going to email me, trying to quickly close the chat. Neither company wins this round and both deserve an upper cut for lousy tech support.
Round Five: Security
Mozy, how could you let your guard down? Its software, when used properly, has all your critical and very personal data stored on its servers. When resetting your password, no security questions are asked. All you need is access to someone’s email and you can quickly and easily reset the Mozy password on an account. Email accounts can be hacked and if all you need is someone’s email password to get into any file on their computer, well, that’s a foul stench even Princess Leia can smell from across the galaxy.
Carbonite forces you to answer a series of personal questions before it’ll let you reset, and not the standard biographical info you can find on the web about anyone. The clear winner in this security round is Carbonite.
Round Six: Cost
Both Carbonite and Mozy have limited trial versions, but these tests were done with the full versions. Mozy offers a multitiered plan of 2GB of backup for home users for free. Unlimited backups for home users are $4.95 per month (though 20 percent off codes are easy to find). Business users of the Pro version pay $3.95 a month plus 50 cents per GB. Carbonite is simpler at $54.95 a year for everyone ($4.58 a month, for those without calculators). Carbonite is less expensive, but Mozy does offer the free version. We'll score this round a draw.
The Winner
Overall, there's no clear winner in this fight. If you have multiple users on your computer, Carbonite wins by default because it easily backups all accounts and prevents others from tampering. Additionally, if security is of high concern, then Carbonite is also the winner due to Mozy's terrible security practices. However, if you have exclusive control of your email and don’t have multiple people using your Mac, then Mozy might be the better choice since it has the friendlier pricing plans. Who wins? I’ll leave that up to you to let me know in the comments, and/or with your wallet.
But wait, a new contender approaches the ring! New to the scene is Internet darling BackBlaze. The winner of the Mozy vs. Carbonite bout will go on to fight BackBlaze in a further review, coming soon. Make your predictions now.
Переслать - Jailbreak: The Lock Screen is a Barren Land (Part Two)
In my previous Jailbreak: The Lock Screen Is A Barren Land, I wrote about IntelliScreen and Lock Calendar, two apps for enhancing the Lock Screen of your iPhone and iPod touch. Today, in part two, I'll be exploring a handful of other tweaks you can make to the Lock screen.
HomeScreen and MultiBarLockscreen
HomeScreen 2.0 (aldwin, Free) looks and feels like Windows Mobile’s Today Screen. Instead of filling up the Lock screen with a list of current events, HomeScreen shows you only a total count of various system events such as appointments, missed calls, new mail, new messages and new RSS feeds. You can also have it display a calendar of the current month and a one-week weather forecast.
Visually, it’s lighter than IntelliScreen, which may appeal to those of you who prefer a minimalist look for your Lock screens. Note that, after installing HomeScreen, you will have to go into WinterBoard to activate it. Also, the first thing you’ll want to do is to change the weather location. Read this tutorial on how to do that.
MultiBarLockscreen (DouweM, Free) is another app that is similar to HomeScreen.
RemindYou
You can consider RemindYou (Make Your Day Media, $9.95) an “IntelliScreen Lite,” of sorts. Its sole function is to populate the Lock screen of your iPhone or iPod touch with a list of current and upcoming appointments. If you ask me, I’d rather spend the $9.95 on IntellScreen instead; the same price buys you a whole lot more features.
20 Second Lock Screen
If you are using any one of these Lock screen enhancement apps, 20 Second Lock Screen (Optimo, Free) is a Mobile Substrate plugin that extends the auto shut-off time of the Lock screen from five seconds to 20.
Twidget
Twidget (Plizzo, Free) puts Twitter right on the Lock screen. But chalk this one up for strictly the fun department, because it only lets you view and not reply to tweets. Requires WinterBoard.
NoAA
NoAA (Yanik Magnan, Free), or “No Album Artwork,” is a Mobile Substrate that hides album artwork on the Lock screen, and displays your wallpaper instead. This tweak doesn’t come with any configurable settings. To disable it, simply uninstall it from within Cydia.
Important note: Some of these Lock screen mods require either StatusNotifier or Notifier—Mobile Substrate plugins that provide system-wide notifications to work their magic, but neither of them are fully compatible with iPhone OS 3.0 at the time of writing. You are well-advised to check their respective changelogs before proceeding.
Market research you can use: Keep informed about Cloud Computing and IT Infrastructure. Learn more »Переслать - Bringin' It Back: Apple Reportedly Showing Renewed Interest in Matte Screen Options
Don’t get me wrong, I love my new 13-inch MacBook Pro. In many, many ways, it is far superior to any older computer I have lying around. I can’t get over how far Apple design and function has come. But I do have to admit to shifting and tilting the device around when I’m sitting on the couch with my window in the background. I suppose I could close the window, or rearrange my living room furniture, but I’d have much preferred just clicking a matte display option when buying my notebook. That option may reappear soon.
Or, I could’ve opted for the 17-inch MacBook Pro, which I’m sure is what Apple was hoping for, considering the $2,500 price tag. Sadly, I am not independently wealthy, nor do I have a job that justifies that kind of computer muscle. I just don’t like glare with my computing. Unlike some, I don’t find the MBP’s screen intolerable, just mildly annoying in certain lighting situations, but choice is still nice.
According to reports by AppleInsider, Apple is considering a reintroduction of matte screen options on machines other than the 17-inch MacBook Pro. This is according to “people who have proven familiar with the company’s plans.” Perhaps not the most reassuring of sources, but there is a lot of vocal support of such a move, so I wouldn’t be surprised if Apple was at least entertaining the thought. The company did, after all, reintroduce Firewire on the 13-inch MacBook (Pro) after much protest about its demise.
Professional users have even more reason to complain than I do, since the glossy screens and glare pose a serious problem when color and image accuracy are of paramount importance. I expect that any screen options Apple does introduce will also carry the $50 charge that currently attaches to the upgrade on the 17-inch model, but that’s nothing compared to the price of upgrading to the pricier model and still paying an extra $50.
I’m not saying the current screen is that big of a problem, but I can’t help but notice the difference between it and the screen on the 12-inch PowerBook I recently picked up as a hobby machine. Yes, everything appears more vivid, more rich, and just generally more impressive, but only in low-light situations. My home workstation is right next to a window, which is necessary to prevent me going completely stir-crazy, and the PowerBook looks a lot more at home there than the MBP does. Would I swap the screens if I could? I’d be mighty tempted, that’s for sure.
Market research you can use: Keep informed about Cloud Computing and IT Infrastructure. Learn more »Переслать - The Genius of Apple Camps for Kids: A First-hand Experience
I posted a while back about Apple’s freely available Summer Camps for Kids. These camps let children pick an iLife application that they’d like to learn about during a 3-hour session in an Apple retail store.
My son just attended his first Apple Camp and loved it. Since he’s younger — and because I was interested to see what it was all about — I went along with him for the 3-hour camp. The following is a recount of the experience, and what makes this Apple program so ingenious.
Welcome!
There were about a dozen kids on this particular day, each of whom were given a very cool green “Apple Camp” t-shirt upon arrival and sign-in. Geoff, the instructor, immediately learned the name of each camper. This seemed to be key in engaging the kids and keeping their interest and involvement for the remainder of the time. Now, my son is a bit on the shy side, but Geoff (and Apple) created such a comfortable environment that he had no problem interacting with the other kids and this relative stranger leading the group. This alone was a huge success in my book!
iTunes Store
This particular camp was focused on Garageband. As such, I expected a direct dive into the music-making iLife application, but Apple’s lesson plan started with the basics — a plan that came full circle in the end. They began by learning iTunes — looking for music in the iTunes store, specifically. Now I knew going in that this was essentially a great marketing campaign, designed to hopefully create life-long customers out of these kids, but Apple really went for the jugular!
The first thing the kids were shown how to do was search for music, movies, audio books, and so on in the iTunes Store. My son already knew about this, but hadn’t done it on his own before. (Now I’m thinking I’d better turn 1-click purchases off!) The intro to iTunes continued by showing the kids how to search their own music library for music they liked, and then create their own playlist, which they’d revisit later on at the end of the course.
Garageband
Now it was finally time to launch Garageband. To start, they were shown how to use the Learn to Play feature. (And let’s make sure everyone checks out the Artist Lessons that can be purchased at an additional cost! My son especially liked the Fall Out Boy lesson on “I Don’t Care.”) After a little playing with this premium content, they moved on to the Magic Garageband feature, where they saw how all the instruments went together to make a song. They were shown how to isolate some instruments and alter others, all the while getting a feel for Garageband’s potential and the user interface at the same time.
When they were finally given a chance to get into the Loops browser, a little bit of instruction was given on the user interface before they were set free to create their masterpieces from the available instruments and loops. And oh, by the way — there are additional Jam Packs that can be purchased for more loops! These references weren’t a big deal to me; after all, most of it was stuff I would love to buy anyway. Geoff went down the line during the free work time, helping kids as they went, and showing little tips as they seemed ready to absorb them. When it was time to save their music, they learned how to share it to iTunes and add it to their playlist. At this point they were given a blank CD, and taught how to burn their playlist.
Not Going Home Empty-Handed
So at the end of the Camp, my son came home with much more than just the knowledge of how to use Garageband to make some interesting music. He brought his work home on CD (which my wife is really glad to be listening to in the car…over and over again!), but also the desire to check out the iTunes Store, Learn to Play with real Artists, and tinker with endlessly available loops. Oh, and don’t forget the shirt that he’s worn for a couple of days, which has made him the envy of friends young and old!
Apple (and my hat’s off to the instructor, Geoff) did an incredible job of putting on a fun and informative technology camp for kids. Not only did the kids pick up some great skills and learn some new software, but Apple also managed to push some of its premium content at the same time. I’m OK with the marketing, too. I mean, it’s to be expected from a free offering! I was truly impressed with the program, and now my son is chomping at the bit for the next one, when he’ll get to learn iMovie. Great work, Apple. I’m sure you’ve secured yet another life-long customer in my son.
Market research you can use: Keep informed about Cloud Computing and IT Infrastructure. Learn more »Переслать - Google Brings Local Web Search to iPhone via Safari
As you may already know, one of the improvements that came along with iPhone 3.0 was mobile Safari’s ability to access the iPhone and iPod touch’s geolocation services. Geolocation is quickly becoming a feature that more and more web developers are looking at implementing, especially given that the recently released Firefox 3.5 and Chrome 2.0 support it. It boggles my mind how far we’ve come from the days of avatars and handles, when only a rare few ever shared their real name and photo online, let alone their actual, real-time location.
King of the Internet that it is, Google is spearheading the implementation of location services on the web. It recently introduced location support in Google Maps for Firefox and Chrome users, which works pretty much like the Maps app on your iPhone or Android device does, albeit using Wi-Fi signal towers for most computer users (who don’t likely have GPS capabilities in their machines), so it’s more comparable to the iPod touch. As of yesterday, Google’s mobile search site also supports geolocation, which works perfectly with the latest version of Safari for the iPhone.
Once you grant Safari (and Google.com) access to your device’s location, you’ll see a little blue dot on the main search page, with your location spelled out next to it. When you change locations, you’ll have to manually update by clicking a link next to that, but if you tend to stay in one place like myself, Google seems to be content to remember your choice for quite some time, so you won’t have to find yourself each time you visit.
Searching for things like restaurants, maps or directions, will then bring up results relevant to where you are. Even though the stated location doesn’t seem to be any more specific than the city you’re in, I found that a search for “closest grocery store” actually came up with results in my immediate area, although it did miss the one right across the street from me, so that could just be because I live downtown.
Still, it’s very handy to have Google be even broadly aware of where you are in the world when returning search results. Especially in a mobile device, which you generally use when you’re out and about, and therefore in need of on-the-spot directions and info about local amenities and services. Hopefully where Google has gone, others will follow, and we’ll see geolocation built-in to many more web apps and services. I would love to see some corporate websites like Best Buy work it into its retail store finder pages, but considering the rate at which retail chains usually implement new tech, I’m not holding my breath.
Market research you can use: Keep informed about Cloud Computing and IT Infrastructure. Learn more »Переслать - Mac Market Share Suffers From Netbook Envy
Depending upon which research firm you believe, preliminary estimates for Mac sales are either down or flat for the second quarter compared to last year. Either way, the netbook, or lack thereof, appears to be the problem for Apple.
From the Associated Press, IDC analyst Bob O’Donnel notes that “people are focused on $600, $700 notebooks. Guess what Apple doesn’t have: any notebook below $999.” Looking at the numbers for the U.S., which accounts for roughly half of Mac sales, would seem to confirm the theory that netbook is surging.
Source: IDC
Via Yahoo! Finance, IDC reports Apple’s market share for the second quarter at 7.6 percent, down from 8.5 percent last year. Still, that’s better than Dell, which is undergoing restructuring that looks a lot like demolition. In stark contrast, both Acer and Toshiba showed double-digit gains in market share due almost exclusively to netbook sales. Looking at the estimates from Gartner, the numbers are a little better for Apple.
Source: Gartner
Via AppleInsider, Gartner estimates Apple market share at 8.7 percent, a slight uptick from 8.5 percent last year. Again, Dell is in free fall compared to the relative weightlessness of Apple, and HP. Acer rockets on, while Toshiba will almost certainly blast past Apple next quarter, unless Apple introduces a MacBook mini.
Don’t count on it.
At last quarter’s conference call, Tim Cook reiterated Apple’s position on the netbook.
When I'm looking at what's sold in the Netbook market, I see cramped keyboards, junky hardware, very small screens, bad software. Not a consumer experience that we would put the Mac brand on. As it exists today, we're not interested in it nor would it be something customers would be interested in the long term. We are looking at the space. For those who want a small computer that does browsing/email, they might want an iPhone or iPod touch. If we find a way to deliver an innovative product that really makes a contribution, we'll do that.
What Cook didn’t say, but what also bears repeating, is that netbooks have cramped profits, too. Both Dell and HP have reported margins impacted by cheap portables cannibalizing higher-priced models. Apple’s margins are in the range of 30 percent, so there will be no MacBook mini, alas.
However, that “space” Cook refers to is almost certainly the perpetually rumored tablet, currently predicted for an October launch. While rumors also suggest a price around $800, it seems much more likely Apple would be looking to fill the gap in its lineup between the multitouch devices at $200-$400 and the Macbook at $1,000. This would put it at the price point O’Donnel mentions, $600-$700. If this turns out to be so, Apple’s market share in PCs will continue to stagnate or decline, at least as long as IDC and Gartner define what a PC is. With the advent of multitouch devices and the App Store, clearly Apple has other ideas on what the personal computer will be.
Market research you can use: Keep informed about Cloud Computing and IT Infrastructure. Learn more »Переслать - The Pursuit of Perfection: Hidden Gems in Apple Design
If you ask any of the Apple "fanboys" why they are so devoted to Apple, at least one of the reasons you will hear is that Apple "sweats the small stuff," which really proves its dedication to user experience and attention to detail.
Here's a few of my favorites that demonstrate Apple’s attention, not just to its hardware and software, but to even the product packaging. See how many you may have noticed before, and feel free to add any that I might have missed in the comments below.
Serial Numbers
In the world of computers, serial numbers are important for a variety of reasons, including verifying warranty status and determining the correct specifications, to name a few. Many Apple products feature, in addition to their standard serial number, a barcode that makes reading this serial number much easier for Geniuses or other technicians.Though some newer models have forgone barcodes, such as the 2009 model MacBook Pros and MacBook Air, barcodes can still be found on many other Apple products. In addition to serial numbers represented as barcodes, some Macs, like the Mac Pro, also include a barcode for the system's MAC address. Though it changes from model to model, Apple has often put these barcodes and serial numbers in easily accessible places.
On the Power Mac G5, the serial number was located on the inside of the tower, behind the aluminum side panel. On iMac G4s and eMacs, the serial number was located on the inside of the optical drive cover. This really made it easy to quickly locate a serial number if you couldn't access it through the OS.
Fiat Lux a la Mac
As many people leave their Macs running non-stop throughout the day, they have likely stumbled upon the infamous sleep light. Much like a heartbeat (or "snoring"), the little light pulses while your Mac sleeps. When the iMac G5 originally shipped, its sleep light indicator was bright! It didn't bother people during the day, but for those who kept their iMac in an office or bedroom, it could light up the whole room at night. Apple issued a firmware update that reduced the sleep light's brightness during evening hours, giving a much more relaxing pulse than before.
Beyond sleep lights, other indicators on newer Macs are typically hidden until needed. Take for instance the iSight indicator light, built into displays, which is seemingly non-existent until the camera is activated. Similar to the sleep light on the unibody MacBook Pros, the power light on the new aluminum Apple Wireless Keyboard blends in seamlessly until its activated. The thin aluminum that has been perforated with tiny holes for the light to shine through, but when there is no light, the keyboard looks seamless.
Indicator lights on power adapters are also worthy of mention. With once quick glance, you can easily see what is going on. If the light is amber, the battery is charging. If the light is green, the battery is fully charged and ready to go.Another interesting use of light is the Apple logo on the rear of the portables. The light that illuminates this logo is simply excess ambient light from your display. Go ahead and take a look. Lower the brightness on your display and watch the apple dim.
Product Shots
The next time you see a promotional shot for an Apple product, take notice of the time. For many years, whenever a Mac has been shown displaying the OS X desktop, the clock indicates the system version that the Mac ships pre-installed. This trend even carries forth to Apple's retail stores, where display signage and wall banners that showcase Leopard prominently feature the system clock at 10:50. Due to only having 60 minutes in an hour, showing a clock at 10:60 for Snow Leopard would not make much sense. Pre-release screenshots from Apple still display 10:50, so this trend will likely end soon.In the iPhone arena, all of the promotional images of the iPhone and iPod touch all display 9:42 (except one preliminary image,which displayed 9:41). What's the significance of this? Some think it may relate to the time the iPhone was originally introduced; others see it as a somewhat disjointed homage to Douglas Adam's “Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy.” Most of my research seems to confirm that 9:42 was the actual time of the iPhone announcement during Steve’s keynote in 2007.
Hidden OS X Easter Eggs
Apple's attention to detail moves beyond the hardware and into its software as well. Take for example the Clock widget in the Dashboard. Look closely at the second hand and notice how it vibrates much like a real clock does.For those that use Mail, as you drag the divider between the date column to expand or make the column smaller, the formatting of the date dynamically adjusts to fit. If there's room to display the time, it shows up. As you make the column smaller, the formatting reduces to fit. Most email applications would just truncate whatever did not fit in the column.
This is just a small list of a huge number of little details found on a lot of Apple products that really make them a joy to use. The tipping point, so to speak, is that Apple doesn't market any of these as "features," it's just the fact that they took the time to integrate them subtly into the Apple experience that makes it all worthwhile.
If you've found other examples of Apple's attention to detail, let us know in the comments!
Market research you can use: Keep informed about Cloud Computing and IT Infrastructure. Learn more »Переслать - Apple Issues Developer Updates for iPhone 3.1, Snow Leopard Preview
Yesterday evening was a red-letter night for Apple developers, especially if you happened to have both Mac and iPhone developer accounts. That’s because Apple dropped new builds of both iPhone OS 3.1 and Snow Leopard, bringing it to version 10A411. Users with an iPhone developer account can head to Apple’s Developer Connection web site and get iPhone 3.1 Beta 2 and its attendant SDK in the usual way, while Snow Leopard users should find the new build available when they open up Software Update.
iPhone OS 3.1 Beta 2
I wasn’t expecting any massive changes in an incremental decimal point update, and a Beta 2 at that, but apparently this latest build packs at least one big punch. Said punch is the ability for developers to communicate with their device wirelessly while debugging new apps and versions, over Wi-Fi. It’s not something end users will ever see or necessarily appreciate, but it’s hard to understate how much it helps on the development side not to have to depend on a hardware tether anymore.
Theoretically, at least, this clears up the dock connector for use with third-party peripherals that tap into OS 3.0’s new software access features. Hopefully that gets more developers working faster on integrated hardware devices, since it’s the one remaining OS 3.0 feature that has yet to see its potential realized.
One “feature” not everyone will be pleased with is the new beta’s built-in tethering trick block, which cuts off the workaround iPhone owners have been using to get around AT&T’s official reluctance. If it makes it through to the official release, I’m not sure U.S. iPhone users will be in a huge rush to upgrade, especially if the rumors of a $55 official tethering plan prove true. AT&T’s official stance at this point is that those particular rumors are not true.
Some additional improvements about which few details are available are battery life improvements, and more access to video functions for developers, which hopefully brings us one step closer to “true” augmented reality capabilities.
Still included in Beta 2 are the Voice Control via Bluetooth and non-destructive video editing features first introduced in Beta 1, which came out June 30.
Mac OS X “Snow Leopard” Build 10A411
This appears to be yet another minor update on the road to the Snow Leopard GM candidate, with all the usual bug fixes, security enhancements and stability improvements associated with that kind of build. The last update did see some UI tweaks, but at this point no new feature additions should be forthcoming.
Market research you can use: Keep informed about Cloud Computing and IT Infrastructure. Learn more »Переслать - iTunes 8.2.1 Released, Rains on Palm Pre's Parade
It appeared to be just another innocuous third-decimal-point minor update, but today’s release of iTunes 8.2.1 carried more than the usual “bug fixes and stability improvements.” (Those are still there, too.) For owners of the recently introduced Palm Pre unfortunate enough to have already downloaded and installed the update, it also ends the iTunes playlist syncing party. It was inevitable, since Apple clearly regards iTunes syncing as the exclusive, sacred territory of its own devices, but it probably still has a few Pre owners trying to turn back the clock.
TUAW’s Christina Warren first suggested that Pre syncing was blocked with this update, having spotted a crucial passage in the release notes stating, “Tunes 8.2.1 provides a number of important bug fixes and addresses an issue with verification of Apple devices.” While Warren didn’t have access to a Pre to test her theory herself, many Pre-specific sites and bloggers quickly confirmed that it was indeed the case that the device is no longer recognized. So far, the reports I’ve seen are specific to Macs, but I doubt the Windows version of iTunes would retain Pre syncing.
Interestingly, when Pre owners plugged their devices in, they found that iTunes came to the front, just as it does when you plug in an iPod or iPhone, but no device showed up in the source menu. This suggests that the program is still aware that the device exists, but that Apple has introduced some kind of blocking software to stop the process there. It also suggests that it might be possible for Palm or independent devs to create a workaround to get syncing functioning again.
In the meantime, if no fix ever does surface, Pre owners can always use doubleTwist or The Missing Sync for Pre to get around Apple’s blockade.
Market research you can use: Keep informed about Cloud Computing and IT Infrastructure. Learn more »Переслать - 10 Instant Messaging Apps for the iPhone
When push notification finally made its way to the iPhone, a lot of people were anticipating IMs pushed to their iPhone. At first, I scoffed at this idea. I'd always figured IMs were based around the "instant" part of the phrase, and someone pushing an IM to me might be disappointed if I don't get back to them right away. Well, guess who's been a big iPhone IM-er since 3.0 came out? Go on, you'll never guess. Yep, it's me. I'd like my crow with a side of au jus, and a loaded baked potato, please.
First a quick word of warning: by no means are my comments here to be construed as any sort of a formal review. While I've tried to run all of these apps through their paces, I wouldn't feel comfortable calling any of my comments a review — they're more like first impressions.
That said, while there are 10 apps we tested out, it quickly became clear to me this was a race between Beejive and IM+ Push. The important criteria for me were: the ability to connect to multiple IM protocols (and multiple accounts of the same protocol), the ability to do push notifications, and the app not requiring its own server-side account to operate. Price, as they say, was no object. When you get right down to it, the difference between many of these apps is only $5-7. My afternoon brownie indulgence costs more than that.
Over the last week, I've been receiving push notifications from at least one of these apps during testing, if not more than one, and I didn't notice a detrimental effect on my battery life — with the usual disclaimer that if I spent my entire train ride home IMing friends, I'd see a battery hit.
Without further ado, here are my findings.
IM+ Push ($9.99)IM+ Push is a very full-featured app with two specific features I enjoyed: I can set how long I'm online for up to three days (perfect for getting through a weekend); and I can change the wallpaper behind the messages. However, I found the app overall a tad on the slow side. As a speed comparison, by the time I had opened IM+ and viewed the IM, I would have also replied to the IM in Beejive. While it does claim to connect to Skype, I had some issues getting it connected, and never got a push from Skype.
IM+ Lite (Free)IM+ Lite is the free version of IM+ Push and the only differences between the two are that you can't change the wallpaper and the push notifications are email only.
Beejive ($9.99)I found Beejive to be the fastest app in my tests. I could very quickly see what IMs had arrived, preview them and reply to them. Like IM+, I can change the background, but I can only be online for up to 24 hours (which was the standard time period for all the apps). There was one nice feature I found in Beejive that I couldn't find a corresponding setting for in IM+: I can set how long I show as "available" after I close the app. One of the chief complaints from people I was IMing during this test were the frequent “crumpy is available”/”crumpy is away” notifications they were receiving. By staying "available" for 20 minutes, the person I was IMing with had a much better experience. It was a minor detail I hadn't thought of until a few people complained about it.
One other feature I liked is I can set how many IMs from contacts are shown when I launch the app. The default is I only see the most recent message from each contact, but I set it do display more, up to and including all messages.
Agile Messenger with Push ($9.99)For the price, I found Agile Messenger to be a very poor solution. You can only connect to one account of each protocol (I have two AIM accounts: my personal and a work one). I also found the type size on the IMs to be too small to read, and there was noticeable lag when typing.
AIM ($2.99/Free) There are two AIM apps from AOL, one that's free and one that's $2.99. I'm grouping them together since the only differences between the two are that the free one has ads and the paid version does not. While I found the app to be very responsive, there are two big issues I had: I can only be signed into one AIM account, and all push notifications have an SMS-style popup. I couldn't stop the pop-ups, but I could control how much information was displayed — the ranges are from "new IM" to the full contents of the IM, including sender information. The only reasons I'd recommend this app is if money really is an object, you only have one AIM account, and don't mind the obtrusive pop-ups.
Yahoo! (Free)Well, about all I can say is, "Yep, it connected to Yahoo." You can only connect to one Yahoo account and there is no push notification, nor any announced plans for push.
Palringo (Free)In my tests, Palringo failed on liftoff. It requires a server-side account, and when I went to setup the account via the iPhone app, the captcha image didn't even display — really, who needs captcha on an iPhone app? The app does not currently do push, although as of this writing they have submitted a push version for approval. At this point, for a free IM app, I'd recommend IM+ Lite over this one.
Skype (Free)Since the purpose of this article is IM apps, I'm going to gloss over the voice portion of the Skype app, which is arguable its greatest benefit. However, I was able to connect to my Skype account and IM with friends just fine. There are no push notifications for IMs, however.
Fuze (Free)Fuze is another one that requires its own server-side account to run. You can also only connect to one account of each protocol, and there are no push notifications. Also, for some reason even after quitting the app, it kept me online, but I didn't receive a test message I sent myself when I logged back in. As with Palringo, if you need an IM app that's free, go with IM+ Lite.
Chart of Instant Messenger Features
And the winners are!
For free apps, IM+ Lite blew the doors off the competition. I could connect to multiple protocols and multiple accounts.
In the paid category, while it was a close race, I felt Beejive edged out IM+ Push. While the ability to stay online longer than 24 hours was nice, I felt the speed and the ability to quickly see received IMs edged Beejive over the finish line.
As always, we welcome your comments about what IM apps you prefer.
Market research you can use: Keep informed about Cloud Computing and IT Infrastructure. Learn more »Переслать - The MacBook Air Is Doomed
What Apple fan of small-and-light computing doesn't remember that Macworld Expo Keynote? The one where, uncovering Apple's then-latest laptop and holding it aloft, Steve Jobs declared it "the smallest full-featured notebook in the world." By the self-satisfied smile on his face, you knew Apple was back in the ultra-portable market for good.
Two years and change later, it was canceled.
That would be the 12" PowerBook G4 of 2003 that met its demise in 2005, but what happened then seems eerily familiar in 2009. Since the manila-envelope unveiling at Macworld Expo 2008, the MacBook Air has gotten less Apple Event love than the time it takes Yael Naïm to sing “New Soul.” Phil Schiller spent about 30 seconds detailing a spec bump and a price drop at WWDC 2009, the same event at which the MacBook Pros saw major redesign. It was that seeming indifference to the Air that led me to ponder the history of the smallest PowerBook in relation to the fate of the thinnest MacBook. 
Comparative Updates: 12" PowerBook G4 vs. MacBook Air
Spooky, huh? The overlap is like looking at some old soul reincarnated and doomed to relive the same life of regret. Note that after the first revision that included new video options, both models subsequently received "drop-in upgrades," incremental increases in CPU and storage capacity. Also, the 12" PowerBook G4 ended its model life at $1,499, which is the same price as the MacBook Air now.
Of course, comparing the timeline of the PowerBook G4 with the MacBook Air hardly predicts the future of the latter — though a mirrored RAM boost for the MacBook Air would be nice. If there is any foretelling of the Air's future to be had, it’s more likely to be found in the demise of the PowerBook. That demise, in my opinion, would be the iBook.
When the 12" PowerBook G4 was introduced, it had several big advantages over the 12" iBook.
- G4 CPU vs. G3 CPU
- CD-RW/DVD vs. CD/DVD player
- GeForce4 420 Go and display spanning vs. ATI Mobility Radeon 7500 and display mirroring
- Infinitely Awesome Keyboard vs. Chicklet Keys
By the time the last iBook model was introduced, the only advantage left to the higher-priced PowerBook was the keyboard and the ability to run dual displays. When Apple switched to Intel, the MacBook did spanning, and the superior keyboard was no more. The black MacBook effectively replaced the 12" PowerBook G4 in the laptop lineup. The question now becomes whether the 13″ MacBook Pro is replacing the MacBook Air.
Feature Creep: MacBook Air to MacBook Pro
At Macworld Expo 2008, Steve Jobs might as well have likened the manufacturing of the MacBook Air from a sheet of solid aluminum to Michelangelo discovering David within a block of stone, so lavish was his praise of the technology. If you aren't familiar with the process, there's a video on Apple's web site, on a MacBook Pro page. Symbolism noted.
The timeline shows the migration of technologies from the MacBook Air to the 13″ MacBook Pro. Though it's a given that Apple always intended to diffuse the tech throughout its portables, the 13″ MacBook Pro puts these features in a design similar to the MacBook Air. Further, several MacBook Pro features are arguably missing from the MacBook Air, including: better battery life, more RAM, buttonless trackpad and SD Card slot.
Originally promising five hours of "wireless productivity," battery life declined with the second revision of the MacBook Air due to its faster CPU. The third revision brought battery life back to five hours with a change from a 37 to 40 W/Hr battery. However, the new built-in battery in the 13″ MacBook Pro has increased battery life to six hours. While it is possible the MacBook Air has reached the limit of battery life, the memory situation is not up for debate.
In January of 2008, 2GB of RAM in a MacBook Air was a good deal; not so much in 2009. Even Apple's white MacBook comes with 2GB standard. Worse, the high-end 13" MacBook Pro comes with 4GB standard. In stark and embarrassing contrast, the the high-end MacBook Air still has the same 2GB of RAM soldered to the motherboard. It’s a change that should have happened, but hasn’t, like the single-button trackpad.
Button, button, whose got the button, and why?
The MacBook Air was the first Mac portable to have multitouch input, with that functionality later duplicated across the Pro lineup. The question concerning the MacBook Air trackpad is why is there still a button? Clearly, Apple has moved away from that design with the high-end portables, a lineup that includes the MacBook Air at $1,499. A button-less trackpad may be more a matter of form than function, but what about the SD Card slot?
While one could argue that the SD Card slot might not fit into the MacBook Air, certainly no Mac laptop would benefit from such a feature more than one without an optical drive. Instead of purchasing a SuperDrive, you could boot OS X off an SD card for troubleshooting, or even installation. Imagine where that could lead.
When asked about bringing Blu-ray to the Mac at an Apple Event in 2008, Steve Jobs replied that "Blu-ray is just a bag of hurt." By this, Jobs meant Apple didn't want to burden Mac users with the "cost of the licensing and the cost of the drives.” While that sounds altruistic, it's a little difficult to understand, as companies like Dell have sold sub-$1,000 laptops with Blu-ray drives for over a year.
More understandable would be history repeating itself with Apple and removable media. In 1998, Apple introduced the original iMac without an integrated floppy drive. The future is clearly digital downloading, the way video is rented and sold at the iTunes Store. Unlike the floppy, Apple has a vested interest in speeding the demise of the optical drive. Should Apple remove the optical drive on Pro lineup, the impact would be immediate for the MacBook Air.
The handwriting for the optical disc is not on the wall, but the back of the MacBook Pro case.
Removing the optical drive and supporting structure from the 13" MacBook Pro could reduce the weight by as much as half a pound. How much could Apple engineering then do to reduce the size of the motherboard? Adding a longer, thinner battery could allow for a wedge-shaped case, making the 13″ MacBook Pro look and feel a lot like the MacBook Air. Would a prospective MacBook Air buyer then pay an extra $300 for one less pound in weight? It’s the story of the 12″ PowerBook G4 all over again, though the story won’t end this year.
Fall is for iPods, perhaps desktops, but not laptops, and not during an Apple-less Macworld Expo in January 2010. Between February and April would be a good guess for the next round of laptop updates. Ironically, a last MacBook Air update in the spring would nearly complete the comparison to the 12″ PowerBook G4. Sometime later that year, the first MacBook Pros without optical drives could be introduced, leaving Apple’s latest foray into ultra-lights to vanish into the thinest air.
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When reading TAB writer Darrell Etherington’s article on how Mac users were left out of the Microsoft Office 2010 launch party, the first thing that struck me was that not only that it’s true, but it’s also nothing new. For the most part, Mac user are left out of most launch parties.
Aside from Microsoft, consider these other examples:
- The Mac wasn’t invited to the Quicken launch party, but isn’t it nice of Intuit to throw it some crumbs next year?
- The Mac wasn’t invited to the Google Chrome launch party. But it’s OK, because Sergey Brin said it was “embarrassing.” Right. As if Google just forgot about the Mac, and was blushing about it. It wasn’t embarrassing, it was planned; don’t insult us by acting like it was some sort of mistake.
- The Mac wasn’t invited to the Adobe Photoshop Elements 5.0 or 6.0 launch parties. In fact, the 5.0 party was completely canceled for the Mac.
The above are just some of the Big Boys who operate “business as usual.” There are plenty of examples in the smaller development houses as well.
I know Windows has the commanding market share and user base in the PC world. I understand why you’d choose Windows if you just wanted to write for one platform. I have zero problem with this. However, I do take issue with vendors that support both platforms still spitting out one after the other instead of twin releases.
Don’t tell me it’s a resource issue; I see Apple do it all the time. Ever notice Safari comes out on both platforms at once now? As does iTunes, and QuickTime. Sure, Apple must cater to the larger Windows user base while not ignoring its own, but my point is Apple is proof you can release to both platforms simultaneously. Other vendors don’t do this because they don’t care enough about the Mac to change their ways, not because it can’t be done. Much like Mr. Brin, they’ll pay lip service to the Mac, but I’d prefer to judge them by their actions.
Any time Mac users get to thinking that Apple’s great success the last dozen years has changed how developers view the Mac, it hasn’t. Twelve years ago it was seen as a tiny percentage of PC users (maybe 2.5 percent globally). Today, it’s still seen as a tiny percentage of PC users (maybe 4 percent). True enough, so the Mac sits last in line despite the BS from various vendors. The only thing that’s really changed is how developers talk about the Mac.
The Mac user base used to be a lot more vocal about this. I’m not sure why it has gotten so quiet lately.
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