tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90323487455652422832024-03-12T21:17:42.563-07:00Apple News For Youthelastmemehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14860843372583436286noreply@blogger.comBlogger50125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9032348745565242283.post-77562031438587745892011-12-22T04:50:00.000-08:002011-12-22T04:50:00.379-08:00iPhone 4S launch; a mixed bagAppId is over the quota<br />AppId is over the quota<br /> By Jason D. O'Grady | October 16, 2011, 9:14pm PDT</P>Summary: The iPhone 4S arrived in U.S. stores on Friday and people had a mixed bag of results with activations.</P><P><IMG class="alignnone size-full wp-image-11411" title=2011-1014-iphone-4s-in-store-ogrady alt="" src="/2011-1014-iphone-4s-in-store-ogrady.jpg" width=475 height=356></P><P>This year I wasn’t up for an iPhone upgrade, but my wife was. So she’s</EM> the lucky recipient of a new 32GB <STRONG>iPhone 4S </STRONG>(in white, natch) with a matching two-year agreement to match. She stayed with AT&T for a) grandfathered unlimited data and b) faster download speeds.</P><P>Rather than pre-order or wait in line, we just sauntered into the Apple Store in Atlantic City at around 4pm on Friday. When I called at 12:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. all models of the iPhone 4S were in “limited supply” — Apple parlance for “in stock… but no guarantees” — so there was no rush. The Apple Store was packed but there wasn’t a line. The whole transaction took about 20 minutes and we activated her 4S in-store without a problem.</P><P><IMG class="alignnone size-full wp-image-11410" title=2011-1014-iphone-4s-white-ogrady alt="" src="/2011-1014-iphone-4s-white-ogrady.jpg" width=475 height=317></P><P>The best part was setting up the iPhone 4S from her iCloud backup using the Apple Store’s Wi-Fi connection. Although we didn’t wait for all of her apps to re-download, she was able to download her contacts and calendars while in-store. A message popped up stating that apps would be re-downloaded when the iPhone was back on Wi-Fi. A flawless experience overall.</P><P>Bob Fish, on the other hand, couldn’t get his pre-ordered iPhone 4S activated on Friday. Here’s the error message he got while trying to activate his 4S via iTunes:</P><P><IMG class="alignnone size-full wp-image-11405" title=att-activation-pending-ogrady alt="AT&T iPhone 4S activation pending" src="/att-activation-pending-ogrady.png" width=475 height=166></P><P>After having no luck activating via iTunes he took his iPhone 4S to his local AT&T Store to ask if they could activate the phone and they said that they “got a message” to send everyone <STRONG>to the Apple Store</STRONG> to get their phones activated. Ultimately, he made the trek to his local Apple store where he sailed through the activation process using the in-store Wi-Fi connection.</P><P>Users on Twitter and this MacRumors discussion thread reported problems activating the iPhone 4S on AT&T on Friday when its servers apparently buckled under the heavy load of activations. </P><P><IMG class="alignnone size-full wp-image-11406" title=att-activation-error-iphone-ogrady alt="" src="/att-activation-error-iphone-ogrady.png" width=320 height=480></P><P>The iPhone 4S activation woes come on the heels of problems with Apple’s iOS 5 servers on Wednesday, which prevented many users from downloading, installing and restoring Apple’s latest mobile OS.</P><P>What was your experience like with the iPhone 4S? Any drama? </EM></P><IMG alt="" src="/413188-60-42.jpg" width=60> <P>Jason O'Grady+ is a journalist and author specializing in mobile technology. He has published six books on Apple and mobile gadgets and his PowerPage blog has been publishing for over 15 years.</P><br /><p><a href=" http://www.zdnet.com/blog/apple/iphone-4s-launch-a-mixed-bag/11404" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">View the original article here</a></p>thelastmemehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14860843372583436286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9032348745565242283.post-23522651539555347892011-12-21T14:30:00.000-08:002011-12-21T14:30:00.333-08:00He called Apple television five years ago, but it is a good idea?By Jason D. O'Grady | October 25, 2011, 7: 18 pm PDT<P>Summary: has emerged the mythical Apple TV! A passage in the biography of Steve Jobs's Walter Isaacson has resurrected an old dinosaur of a rumor that I first broke in 2006.</P><P><IMG class="alignnone size-full wp-image-11487" title="apple-television-ogrady" alt="I called the Apple Television five years ago, but is it a good idea? Jason O'Grady" src="/apple-television-ogrady.jpg" width="475" height="343"></P><P>There has been an increase in the rumors about the mythical <STRONG>Apple TV</STRONG> recently and a passage in the new biography of Walter Isaacson, <STRONG>Steve Jobs</STRONG> has risen that old dinosaur of a rumor. In the work of the book told his biographer that he had cracked the mystery the saying of "integrated television":</P><BLOCKQUOTE readability="5"><P>I would like to create an integrated TV is completely easy to use. It could be perfectly synchronized with all devices and with iCloud. You will have the user interface more simple that you could imagine. He had finally cracked.</P></BLOCKQUOTE><P>Jason Calacanis told CNet UK in October 2008 that "I knew first-hand that Apple was working on a television network." But more than two years before (January 06, 2006) he wrote about the PowerPage about how <STRONG>Apple could launch a television at the Macworld Expo 2006</STRONG>.</P><P>I wrote this post based on the edge of a nearby spring which had been reliable in the past. Of course the Apple TV fails published in MW06 (Apple released a Core Duo iMac and MBP15) but my contact was pretty sure about it.</P><P>Also, it is obviously not out yet, so saying "Call Me" could be a tad premature.</P><P>Analyst of Piper Jaffray Gene Munster has been beating the drum of the Apple TV a few months ago and recently wrote in a research note <STRONG>you can get to late 2012 or early 2013</STRONG>:</P><BLOCKQUOTE readability="11"><P>Service of Apple iCloud for storing media simplifies the own several Apple devices and share content between them. stores iCloud programs of television and photographs, but believe that Apple can add films. While a solution of TV in alive along with shows previously transmitted "recorded" in the cloud continues being an obstacle important, perhaps this code is precisely what believed positions of work has been "cracked. We also believe that Apple could use Siri, its voice recognition, technology of personal assistant to strengthen its offer of TV and make it easy to enter information like show titles or names of actor in a TV (usually with a remote control).</P></BLOCKQUOTE><P>Bloomberg added fuel to the fire when reported Jeff Robbin Apple - the fame of the iPod and iTunes Music Store, is heading an effort to internal Apple TV. It seems that this story may have legs after all, five years later.</P><P><IMG class="alignnone size-full wp-image-11484" title="apple_tv_ogrady" alt="I called the Apple Television five years ago, but is it a good idea? Jason O'Grady" src="/appletvogrady.jpg" width="380" height="269"></P><P>Despite getting an early point in a plasma of Apple, <STRONG>I don't think that it is a good move for the company</STRONG>. They simply don't want to have to remove a 50-my wall 60? TV when I want to upgrade in a year or two. It is better to have the smarts in an easily updatable table - which is for the current Apple TV.</P><P><IMG class="alignnone size-full wp-image-11482" title="cablecard-ogrady" alt="I called the Apple Television five years ago, but is it a good idea? Jason O'Grady" src="/cablecard-ogrady.jpg" width="400" height="251"></P><P>I suppose that Apple could solve the problem through the construction of the "television" in a card that can be inserted into a slot on television (a bit like a CableCard, above), but it is a stretch at best.</P><P>Also, Apple already has a TV. <STRONG>Is called the iMac</STRONG>.</P><P><IMG class="alignnone size-full wp-image-11488" title="apple-imac-tron-ogrady" alt="I called the Apple Television five years ago, but is it a good idea? Jason O'Grady" src="/apple-imac-tron-ogrady.png" width="475" height="456"></P><P>Is an Apple TV a good idea or bad idea?</P><P>Scale model of the Apple TV: Tabletis.com, firing of CableCard: ArsTechnica</P><IMG alt="" src="/413188-60-42.jpg" width="60"> <P>Jason or ' Grady + is a journalist and writer specializing in mobile technology. He has published six books on Apple and mobile devices and your blog PowerPage has been publishing for more than 15 years.</P><br /><p><a href=" http://www.zdnet.com/blog/apple/i-called-the-apple-television-five-years-ago-but-is-it-a-good-idea/11477" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">View the original article here</a></p>thelastmemehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14860843372583436286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9032348745565242283.post-31951815799021234512011-12-21T04:21:00.000-08:002011-12-21T04:21:00.393-08:00Only Verizon iPhones get live NFL access (Point VZW)AppId is over the quota<br />AppId is over the quota<br /> By Jason D. O'Grady | October 26, 2011, 7:52pm PDT</P>Summary: If you’re a fan of the NFL, your decision about what carrier to choose for your new iPhone 4S just got a lot easier. Go with Verizon Wireless if you want to watch NFL games on your device.</P><P><IMG class="size-full wp-image-11511 alignright" title=screen-shot-2011-10-26-at-103836-pm alt=nfl-mobile-2011-iphone-ogrady src="/screen-shot-2011-10-26-at-103836-pm.png" width=197 height=206>If you’re a fan of the <STRONG>National Football League</STRONG>, your decision about what carrier to choose for your new iPhone 4S just got a lot easier. It’s simple really, go with <STRONG>Verizon Wireless</STRONG> and download <STRONG>NFL Mobile</STRONG> from the App Store.</P><P>Verizon Wireless has a four-year exclusive contract with the National Football League – a deal the WSJ values at $720 million – making it <STRONG>the only mobile phone provider</STRONG> that can deliver live video from NFL games.</P><P>This means that if you want to watch NFL games on your iPhone you must be on the Verizon Wireless CDMA network (and in the U.S.). NFL Mobile is also available on the Android Market, but only to devices running on VZW.</P><P>iPhone users on Verizon Wireless can use the NFL Mobile app to watch every ESPN Monday Night Football, NBC Sunday Night Football & NFLN Thursday Night Football game. If that wasn’t enough, you can also watch every touchdown from every game live on NFL RedZone. It still doesn’t have live video from every game on Sunday afternoon (like Sunday Ticket, for example), but it’s amazingly slick to be able to catch the game while you’re mobile.</P><P>Although NFL Mobile is free on VZW’s 4G/LTE devices, the iPhone doesn’t qualify and a premium Verizon Video subscription is required ($3/day, $10/month) to access live in-game video.</P><P>One interesting aspect about the distribution of the NFL Mobile app is that Apple is filtering and restricting certain apps in the App Store by carrier</EM>. In other words, you can’t download the NFL Mobile app when accessing the App Store from an iPhone on AT&T (or other non-VZW carrier). Certain apps are only visible when visiting from certain carriers. (Could Android’s notorious fragmentation be creeping into iOS and the App Store?)</P><P>Only Verizon devices will carry the NFL, at least through 2014. While it’s bad news for iPad/iPhone users on AT&T, it’s great news if you’re on Verizon.</P><P>Updated with screenshots from the Monday night game on the iPhone 4S over 3G in the greater Philadelphia region:</P><P><IMG class="alignnone size-full wp-image-11517" title=nfl-mobile-2011-iphone-ogrady-3 alt=nfl-mobile-2011-iphone-ogrady-3 src="/nfl-mobile-2011-iphone-ogrady-3.jpg" width=475 height=316></P><P><IMG class="alignnone size-full wp-image-11518" title=nfl-mobile-2011-iphone-ogrady-2 alt=nfl-mobile-2011-iphone-ogrady-3 src="/nfl-mobile-2011-iphone-ogrady-2.jpg" width=475 height=316></P><P><IMG class="alignnone size-full wp-image-11519" title=nfl-mobile-2011-iphone-ogrady-1 alt=nfl-mobile-2011-iphone-ogrady-3 src="/nfl-mobile-2011-iphone-ogrady-1.jpg" width=475 height=316></P><IMG alt="" src="/413188-60-42.jpg" width=60> <P>Jason O'Grady+ is a journalist and author specializing in mobile technology. He has published six books on Apple and mobile gadgets and his PowerPage blog has been publishing for over 15 years.</P><br /><p><a href=" http://www.zdnet.com/blog/apple/only-verizon-iphones-get-live-nfl-access-point-vzw/11509" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">View the original article here</a></p>thelastmemehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14860843372583436286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9032348745565242283.post-13388084305792501022011-12-20T17:54:00.000-08:002011-12-20T17:54:00.375-08:00Tactical shopping with Black Friday apps for iOSAppId is over the quota<br />AppId is over the quota<br /> By Jason D. O'Grady | November 23, 2011, 12:01am PST</P>Summary: Here are the top iPhone apps for helping you make the most out of Black Friday.</P><P><IMG class="alignright size-full wp-image-11750" title=iphone-shopping-ogrady alt="" src="/iphone-shopping-ogrady.jpg" width=275 height=220>I don’t like malls and I like them even less</EM> on the day after Thanksgiving — a.k.a. <STRONG>Black Friday</STRONG>.</P><P>The problem is that there are some Black Friday deals that are <STRONG>only available in the meat space</STRONG>, forcing millions of brave bargain hunters to camp out at dawn in front of big-box retailers. Adapting with the times many Black Friday deals are now available online, and before and after Friday, making bargain hunting even more complex.</P><P>If you fancy a tech gadget at a low price, there are Black Friday deals to be had. You just have to be smart and plan your shopping quest in advance or risk waiting in long lines or worse, not getting a deal that you did</EM> wait for.</P><P>Enter the iPhone. If you choose to take part in the madness here are some iOS apps can help you make the most out of Black Friday.</P><P><STRONG>TGI Black Friday 2011</STRONG> (iTunes, free) is one of my favorite BF iOS apps because it has lots of features (newest ads, popular deals, deals by store, deals by category and search) and its fast. You can search thousands of deals, create a personal shopping list and get push notifications.</P><P><IMG class="alignnone size-full wp-image-11747" title="TGI Black Friday 2011 iOS app" alt="TGI Black Friday 2011 iOS app" src="/tgi-black-friday-2011-ios-app.png" width=475 height=332></P><P><STRONG>BFAds.net Black Friday</STRONG> (iTunes, free) has early access to the season’s sale advertisements, offline mode and a large companion website — in addition to the requisite shopping features that you’d expect.</P><P><IMG class="alignnone size-full wp-image-11745" title="BFAds.net Black Friday iOS app" alt="BFAds.net Black Friday iOS app" src="/bfadsnet-black-friday-ios-app.png" width=475 height=334></P><P>Others on my short list:</P><STRONG>RedLaser</STRONG> - Scan any barcode and instantly comparison shop between online and offline stores.<STRONG>Amazon Deals</STRONG> - Lighting Deals appear hourly (but sell out fast).<STRONG>FastMall</STRONG> - If you have to go to the mall you might as well be a jedi.<STRONG>SaleLocator</STRONG> - Specials near you via GPS.<STRONG>Apple Store</STRONG> - This amazing app lets you shop Apple’s online and offline stores. Now with self-checkout! (see screenshot below)<STRONG>Lemon</STRONG> - Scan receipts with your iPhone camera to track purchases.<STRONG>Slice</STRONG> - Greps your email account and tracks purchases and shipping.<STRONG>Black Friday by Fat Wallet</STRONG> - Get push notifications when new ads are leaked.<STRONG>Black Friday Survival Guide</STRONG> - News and leaks in real-time.<STRONG></STRONG><STRONG>eBay</STRONG> - Some of the best deals are on eBay.and don’t forget to check out the <STRONG>Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade</STRONG> app!<P><IMG class="alignnone size-full wp-image-11753" title="Apple Store app - Easy Pay - Jason O'Grady" alt="Apple Store app - Easy Pay - Jason O'Grady" src="/apple-store-app-easypay-ogrady.png" width=285 height=427></P><P>There are a ton of BF apps on the App Store but these stand out from the crowd. Do you have a favorite?</P><P>Photo: GoMo News</P><IMG alt="" src="/413188-60-42.jpg" width=60> <P>Jason O'Grady+ is a journalist and author specializing in mobile technology. He has published six books on Apple and mobile gadgets and his PowerPage blog has been publishing for over 15 years.</P><br /><p><a href=" http://www.zdnet.com/blog/apple/tactical-shopping-with-black-friday-apps-for-ios/11740" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">View the original article here</a></p>thelastmemehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14860843372583436286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9032348745565242283.post-48961435614199683822011-12-20T06:32:00.000-08:002011-12-20T06:32:00.708-08:00My favorite iPad apps - Fall 2011 EditionAppId is over the quota<br />AppId is over the quota<br /> By Jason D. O'Grady | October 10, 2011, 12:01am PDT</P>Summary: A roundup of my favorite iPad apps de jour. I presented a few of these over the weekend at the Main Line Mac User Group but ran out of time. Here’s the full list.</P><P><IMG class="alignnone size-full wp-image-11340" title=mlmug_ogrady_2011 alt="" src="/mlmugogrady2011.jpg" width=475 height=121></P><P>I gave a talk at MLMUG on Saturday on <STRONG>iOS 5</STRONG> and my <STRONG>favorite iPad apps</STRONG>. After I demo’d iOS 5 and my favorite feature: AirPlay video mirroring I only had enough time for the first four apps below. But, as promised, I’ve included a full list of my favorite iPad apps below.</P><P><STRONG>Gallery: Top iPad apps available now - images and brief descriptions</STRONG></P><P><IMG class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-10160" title="Emerald Observatory iPad app - Jason O'Grady" alt="Emerald Observatory iPad app - Jason O'Grady" src="/screen-shot-2011-05-16-at-22112-pm.png" width=475 height=355></P><P><STRONG>Emerald Observatory</STRONG> ($0.99) — A desk clock that displays a wealth of astronomical data.</P><P><IMG class="alignnone size-full wp-image-11341" title=solar-walk-astronomy-app-ogrady alt="" src="/solar-walk-astronomy-app-ogrady.png" width=475 height=356></P><P><STRONG>Solar Walk</STRONG> ($2.99) a stunning way to explore the Solar System and the Milky Way galaxy.</P><P><IMG class="alignnone size-full wp-image-11342" title=star_walk_ogrady alt="" src="/starwalkogrady.jpg" width=475 height=356></P><P><STRONG>Star Walk</STRONG> ($4.99) A mind-blowing augmented reality app for astronomy. Just point your iPad into the night sky and see a live map of the constellations above. Star Walk is one of my all-time favorite iPad apps. Period.</P><P><IMG class="alignnone size-full wp-image-11344" title=planetary_ipad_ogrady alt="" src="/planetaryipadogrady.jpg" width=475 height=633></P><P><STRONG>Planetary</STRONG> (free) — Creates a beautiful 3D universe from your music library that you can fly through. Artists are stars and albums are planets and tracks are moons. Touch an artist’s star to “fly in” closer where you’ll see their albums as orbiting planets. Touch an album to fly into the planet and you’ll see its tracks orbiting as moons. Load up your iPad with a bunch of classic rock discographies (Stones, Beatles, Zeppelin, whatever) and prepare to have you mind blown!</P><P>Following are a list of my favorite iPad apps that I didn’t have time to present on Saturday (although a few were demo’d at lunch afterward):</P><P><STRONG></STRONG><STRONG>Games</STRONG></P><P><STRONG>News/Weather</STRONG></P><P><STRONG>Productivity</STRONG></P><P><STRONG>Painting/Drawing</STRONG></P><P><STRONG>Books/Magazines</STRONG></P><P><STRONG>Video/Entertainment</STRONG></P>Apple’s Music & Videos apps - for movies, TV, audiobooks, podcasts, etc.HBO Go (free for subscribers)XFINITY TV (free for subs)TiVo (free, only works with Premiere TiVo hardware)<P><STRONG>Music</STRONG></P><P>What of your favorite iPad apps did I miss? </EM></P><IMG alt="" src="/413188-60-42.jpg" width=60> <P>Jason O'Grady+ is a journalist and author specializing in mobile technology. He has published six books on Apple and mobile gadgets and his PowerPage blog has been publishing for over 15 years.</P><br /><p><a href=" http://www.zdnet.com/blog/apple/my-favorite-ipad-apps-fall-2011-edition/11339" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">View the original article here</a></p>thelastmemehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14860843372583436286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9032348745565242283.post-71444632203081607262011-12-19T16:47:00.000-08:002011-12-19T16:47:00.226-08:00Chart: Mobile OS update frequency (spoiler: iOS trounces)AppId is over the quota<br />AppId is over the quota<br /> Jason D. O'Grady+ developed an affinity for Apple computers after using the original Lisa, and this affinity turned into a bona-fide obsession when he got the original 128 KB Macintosh in 1984. <P>He started writing one of the first Web sites about Apple (O'Grady's PowerPage) in 1995 and is considered to be one of the fathers of blogging. He has been a frequent speaker at the Macworld Expo conference and a member of the conference faculty. He also co-founded the first dedicated PowerBook User Group (PPUG) in the United States.</P><P>After winning a major legal battle with Apple in 2006, he set the precedent that independent journalists are entitled to the same protections under the First Amendment as members of the mainstream media.</P><P>O'Grady is the author of The Nexus One Pocket Guide, The Droid Pocket Guide, The Google Phone Pocket Guide, and The Garmin nuvi Pocket Guide (Peachpit Press), the author of Corporations That Changed the World: Apple Inc. (Greenwood Press), and a contributor to The Mac Bible (Peachpit Press). In addition, he has contributed to numerous Mac publications over the years, including MacWEEK, Macworld, and MacPower (Japan).</P><P>When he's not writing about Apple for ZDNet at The Apple Core, he enjoys spending time with his family in New Jersey. </P><br /><p><a href=" http://www.zdnet.com/blog/apple/chart-mobile-os-update-frequency-spoiler-ios-trounces/11583" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">View the original article here</a></p>thelastmemehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14860843372583436286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9032348745565242283.post-10985463519293778802011-12-19T05:56:00.000-08:002011-12-19T05:56:00.098-08:00iTunes Movie Trailers for iOS puts HD trailers in your pocketAppId is over the quota<br />AppId is over the quota<br /> Jason D. O'Grady+ developed an affinity for Apple computers after using the original Lisa, and this affinity turned into a bona-fide obsession when he got the original 128 KB Macintosh in 1984. <P>He started writing one of the first Web sites about Apple (O'Grady's PowerPage) in 1995 and is considered to be one of the fathers of blogging. He has been a frequent speaker at the Macworld Expo conference and a member of the conference faculty. He also co-founded the first dedicated PowerBook User Group (PPUG) in the United States.</P><P>After winning a major legal battle with Apple in 2006, he set the precedent that independent journalists are entitled to the same protections under the First Amendment as members of the mainstream media.</P><P>O'Grady is the author of The Nexus One Pocket Guide, The Droid Pocket Guide, The Google Phone Pocket Guide, and The Garmin nuvi Pocket Guide (Peachpit Press), the author of Corporations That Changed the World: Apple Inc. (Greenwood Press), and a contributor to The Mac Bible (Peachpit Press). In addition, he has contributed to numerous Mac publications over the years, including MacWEEK, Macworld, and MacPower (Japan).</P><P>When he's not writing about Apple for ZDNet at The Apple Core, he enjoys spending time with his family in New Jersey. </P><br /><p><a href=" http://www.zdnet.com/blog/apple/itunes-movie-trailers-for-ios-puts-hd-trailers-in-your-pocket/11372" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">View the original article here</a></p>thelastmemehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14860843372583436286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9032348745565242283.post-69082414775907170012011-12-18T17:28:00.000-08:002011-12-18T17:28:00.554-08:00WorldPress.com releases Retro Mac blog theme in homage to Steve JobsAppId is over the quota<br />AppId is over the quota<br /> Summary: The blog service WorldPress.com on Friday released its Retro Mac theme, which offers the black-and-white look of the Finder interface that came with the first-generation Macs.</P><P><IMG class="alignright size-full wp-image-11329" title=retro-mac-os-theme alt="" src="/retro-mac-os-theme.jpg" width=280 height=337>The blog service WorldPress.com on Friday released its Retro Mac theme, which offers the black-and-white look of the Finder interface that came with the first-generation Macs.</P><P>The Just Another WordPress Weblog said that it will evoke some serious computer nostalgia.” Still, the theme is filled with customization options.</P><BLOCKQUOTE readability="7"><P>For all the memories it brings — and its throwback design — this theme has modern functionality under the hood. Create your own custom menu to replace the first set of icons in the sidebar, upload a custom header image to display below the blog title, or set a custom background. Also included are two footer widget areas and a full-width page template that drops the sidebar.</P></BLOCKQUOTE><P>The original 128K Mac interface used 32-by-32-pixel icons. For Lion and the Leopards, developers must create versions of program icons from 512-by-512 down to 16-by-16 pixels.</P><P>In a post from a few years back, I mentioned Marcin Wichary’s amusing (and useful) interface resource called the Graphical User Interface Gallery GUIde. It has many different interface elements from many OSes from the past and present, including Mac, Windows and Gnome and BeOS. It also traces standard file type icons, sounds, splash screens. Check it out.</P><P>And by the way, the Mac icons were better than their Windows counterparts in the olden days and still are today.</P><IMG alt="" src="/413168-60-42.jpg" width=60> <P>David Morgenstern has covered the Mac market and other technology segments for 20 years.</P><br /><p><a href=" http://www.zdnet.com/blog/apple/worldpresscom-releases-retro-mac-blog-theme-in-homage-to-steve-jobs/11326" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">View the original article here</a></p>thelastmemehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14860843372583436286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9032348745565242283.post-85276320097705011942011-12-18T05:09:00.000-08:002011-12-18T05:09:00.161-08:00Growl goes paid and why I upgradedAppId is over the quota<br />AppId is over the quota<br /> By Jason D. O'Grady | November 14, 2011, 12:01am PST</P>Summary: Growl was previously free, but version 1.3 now costs $1.99 from the Mac App Store. Here’s why it’s worth it.</P><P><IMG class="alignright size-full wp-image-11668" title=growl-update-available-ogrady alt="" src="/growl-update-available-ogrady.png" width=448 height=109>If you use a Mac, odds are you have <STRONG>Growl</STRONG> installed.</P><P>Growl is a notification system for Mac OS X that allows applications to display on-screen alerts.</P><P>Growl was previously free but <STRONG>version 1.3</STRONG>, released November 3, now costs <STRONG>$1.99</STRONG> from the Mac App Store.</P><P>Growl team leads Christopher Forsythe and Rudy Richter outlined the major changes in a blog post:</P><STRONG>Growl is no longer free to download</STRONG> - Growl as a paid application allows for good changes. We now have people working on Growl full time. Money earned through purchases in the App Store go directly to benefiting Growl. Growl is now available in the App Store at a cost of $1.99 US (different in other regions). Without changing to this paid Growl model, Growl would have died off and would no longer be around to use at all. Growl is however still Open Source, there is more on that later in this post.<STRONG>…but you don’t need Growl installed to get notifications.</STRONG> - When developers update their application to support Growl 1.3, Growl will no longer be required for them to display a notification to you. Think of these updated applications as Growl, and the Growl application as Growl Pro. The Growl 1.3 SDK includes a framework which can display a notification, even if Growl is not available. Developers use the same API. Please see our documentation in the SDK regarding Mist.<STRONG>Growl 1.2 and older will not work with Sandboxed applications</STRONG> - Sandboxing is meant to protect users from bad things happening (which is a good thing!), but it has consequences for applications which are doing good things too (like Growl). Apple announced this summer that Sandboxing is a requirement for all applications in the Mac App Store. As our developers who went to WWDC this year quickly realized, the impending Sandboxing requirement would have broken Growl entirely for applications in the App Store, for everyone, without a large amount of changes. Growl 1.3 introduces support for Sandboxed applications.<STRONG>Out-of-date applications don’t work with Growl 1.3</STRONG> - Due to the changes in Growl 1.3 in order to get Growl into the App Store, some applications currently do not work with Growl and will need to be updated. Some applications have already updated to address this problem. If you are a developer who requires assistance with these changes, please contact us and we’ll be happy to help. Users can use Growl Version Detective to help mitigate this problem, but long term changes need to come from developers.<STRONG>Growl has always been, and will always be, open source</STRONG> - Growl has always been Open Source, and will remain Open Source for as long as people want to be able to modify the code. The source for Growl is available at our our Google Code Hosting project, under the BSD license.<P>My favorite feature in Growl 1.3 is its in-app whitelist.</P><P><IMG class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-11671" title="Growl now includes whitelist - but it'll cost you $2" alt="" src="/screen-shot-2011-11-14-at-125550-am.png" width=475 height=473></P><P>Previously, when an app was annoying me with too many Growl notifications, I had to hunt down the right setting in the offending application. But now, you can easily toggle an apps ability to Growl in Settings > Applications.</P><P>So, are you buying?</EM></P><IMG alt="" src="/413188-60-42.jpg" width=60> <P>Jason O'Grady+ is a journalist and author specializing in mobile technology. He has published six books on Apple and mobile gadgets and his PowerPage blog has been publishing for over 15 years.</P><br /><p><a href=" http://www.zdnet.com/blog/apple/growl-goes-paid-and-why-i-upgraded/11667" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">View the original article here</a></p>thelastmemehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14860843372583436286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9032348745565242283.post-8068988101419356672011-12-17T18:43:00.000-08:002011-12-17T18:43:00.549-08:00Users, developers react to Apple iOS 5's new Music app on iPad. Hate it!AppId is over the quota<br />AppId is over the quota<br /> Summary: While the Music app on smaller iOS devices may be acceptable, users of the new player software on the iPad say it’s more than several big steps backward, especially when listening to large files such as audiobooks.</P><P><IMG class="alignright size-full wp-image-11424" title=music_icon_200 alt="" src="/musicicon200.jpg" width=200 height=200>While the Music app on smaller iOS devices may be acceptable, users of the new player software on the iPad say it’s more than several big steps backward, especially when listening to large files such as audiobooks.</P><P>Reader Andrew Morton called the software on the iPad “iPod Lite.”</P><BLOCKQUOTE readability="6"><P>The new OS has moved us from the iPod.app to the Music.app. As a consequence, we no longer have the pop-over panel for music files that had the 30-second rewind button or chapter list. The only controls left for us poor(er) users is the forward/reverse buttons and the short progress slider. Using the buttons is worse than having to go back to the wheel iPod; at least it had a wheel. And making small time adjustments to a 10-hour file is quite a challenge.</P></BLOCKQUOTE><P>I received a series of thoughtful posts from longtime developer Chris Tomlinson, who is now working in Kathmandu at the Tibetan Buddhist Resource Center Digital Library preserving texts and developing cataloging and search software.</P><P>He said with no display of the Chapter Title for a selection, there’s no useful way to know where one is in an audiobook. Of course, audiobooks often have several dozen chapters in a segment that usually comprises about 100MB.</P><BLOCKQUOTE readability="16"><P>The iPhone (and I presume iPod Touch) version of the Music.app retains the chapter viewing and selection functionality from previous iOS 4.3. Only the iPad version of the app has lost the functionality. Without viewing of chapters and their titles and direct selection of chapters, Audiobooks in the Music.app are basically unusable on the iPad.</P><P>I routinely record and assemble lectures and seminars for various groups and deliver them as *.m4b audiobooks — with chapter marks, titles and so on. The users that I distribute these audiobooks to have a variety of devices: iPods, iPhones and iPads and so on. Now the ones with iPads won’t be able to listen to the audiobooks effectively.</P><P>The Audible player and the Bookmark app player are not solutions because the interface provided from the iPod/Music shared library area does not provide access to chapter information. Audible I suppose has no incentive to support non-DRM’d audiobooks and Bookmark uses whatever interface is provided by Apple to the shared area.</P><P>Essentially, the only app that can be used to access chapterized non-DRM’d audiobooks is the Music.app, which is no longer functional on the iPad.</P></BLOCKQUOTE><P>Tomlinson doubted that the Apple developers were experienced with the demands of audiobook listening when designing the controls. He said he was aware of this issue before the GA of iOS 5 but said he could only file warnings into Apple’s Developer Bug Reporter database.</P><P>I suggested to Tomlinson that this might be an “opportunity” for a third-party developer. He said it was unlikely that any developer outside Apple would have the juice to do it properly for audiobooks.</P><BLOCKQUOTE readability="7"><P>The iOS 5 SDK does not make available any access to chapter information in decrypted streams which is why only Audible and Apple have players with chapter access for DRM’d audio. Audible can do it because they control the DRM of their streams.</P><P>A third-party will have to make arrangements with Audible for example - and that would have to be a large third-party (like Apple) - in order to develop a full featured player. A small third-party could develop an app that plays non-DRM’d audiobooks complete with chapter information but I expect that without access to decrypted DRM’d streams they can do no better than the Bookmarks app.</P></BLOCKQUOTE><P>Tomlinson said that he hoped that an update to the Music app would be forthcoming, without having to wait for an “entire iOS 5.x monolithic update.”</P><P>I suggest that users post a message about this issue at Apple’s feedback page for the iPad.</P><IMG alt="" src="/413168-60-42.jpg" width=60> <P>David Morgenstern has covered the Mac market and other technology segments for 20 years.</P><br /><p><a href=" http://www.zdnet.com/blog/apple/users-developers-react-to-apple-ios-5s-new-music-app-on-ipad-hate-it/11422" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">View the original article here</a></p>thelastmemehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14860843372583436286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9032348745565242283.post-85583253709192108612011-12-17T06:27:00.000-08:002011-12-17T06:27:01.292-08:00Spreaker: podcasting at the intersection of social and mobileAppId is over the quota<br />AppId is over the quota<br /> Jason D. O'Grady+ developed an affinity for Apple computers after using the original Lisa, and this affinity turned into a bona-fide obsession when he got the original 128 KB Macintosh in 1984. <P>He started writing one of the first Web sites about Apple (O'Grady's PowerPage) in 1995 and is considered to be one of the fathers of blogging. He has been a frequent speaker at the Macworld Expo conference and a member of the conference faculty. He also co-founded the first dedicated PowerBook User Group (PPUG) in the United States.</P><P>After winning a major legal battle with Apple in 2006, he set the precedent that independent journalists are entitled to the same protections under the First Amendment as members of the mainstream media.</P><P>O'Grady is the author of The Nexus One Pocket Guide, The Droid Pocket Guide, The Google Phone Pocket Guide, and The Garmin nuvi Pocket Guide (Peachpit Press), the author of Corporations That Changed the World: Apple Inc. (Greenwood Press), and a contributor to The Mac Bible (Peachpit Press). In addition, he has contributed to numerous Mac publications over the years, including MacWEEK, Macworld, and MacPower (Japan).</P><P>When he's not writing about Apple for ZDNet at The Apple Core, he enjoys spending time with his family in New Jersey. </P><br /><p><a href=" http://www.zdnet.com/blog/apple/spreaker-podcasting-at-the-intersection-of-social-and-mobile/11528" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">View the original article here</a></p>thelastmemehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14860843372583436286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9032348745565242283.post-69839901864033798882011-12-16T17:16:00.000-08:002011-12-16T17:16:00.191-08:00Five reasons why I won't be buying an iPhone 4SAppId is over the quota<br />AppId is over the quota<br /> @toddybottom The iPhone 3GS isn't a very good phone? <P>I love mine! Bog standard 16Gb model, handset replaced once under AppleCare due to dust ingress - no quibble, they just did it. I've never dropped a call (to be fair, ymmv on that count) and it has been rock solid. It will take iOS5 (although I expect some slowdown possibly).</P><P>I'm probably going to upgrade to the 4S at some point, but when the new handset didn't appear in the summer, I spent the money instead on an iPad 2. Which I also love. <IMG border=0 alt=wink src="/wink.gif"></P><P>But who knows? I like the style - new hardware platform (3G, 4) and then a performance boosted version with a sprinkling of extra features (3GS, 4S) as the next handset.</P><P>What is incredible is that the 3GS is still being updated with the newest OS for the device, whereas my wife's SE Xperia X10 Mini Pro, purchased a few months after my 3GS, received one update to an already outdated Android release and then nothing more. THAT is planned obsolescence - hackers have proved that you can fit up to 2.3 on it, but SE refuse to update past 2.1, and if you want the SE software that makes the small form factor screen possible to work with, you can't root and update the phone.</P><P>Whereas my lovely 3GS is going to get a feature bump when I get home tonight <IMG border=0 alt=grin src="/grin.gif"></P><P>Oh, btw, I do hope Siri crops up on the iPad 2 at some point. I know it won't, but it would make sense to have it "iClouded".</P><P>"Siri, please reschedule that meeting and send to my iPhone." </P><P>"I'm afraid I can't do that Dave..."</P><P>"Uh-oh..."</P><P>Actually, maybe not... </P><br /><p><a href=" http://www.zdnet.com/blog/apple/five-reasons-why-i-wont-be-buying-an-iphone-4s/11365" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">View the original article here</a></p>thelastmemehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14860843372583436286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9032348745565242283.post-10208225346426665912011-12-16T05:16:00.000-08:002011-12-16T05:16:01.196-08:00TigerDirect selling HP TouchPads tomorrow; but only in $280 bundlesAppId is over the quota<br />AppId is over the quota<br /> Jason D. O'Grady+ developed an affinity for Apple computers after using the original Lisa, and this affinity turned into a bona-fide obsession when he got the original 128 KB Macintosh in 1984. <P>He started writing one of the first Web sites about Apple (O'Grady's PowerPage) in 1995 and is considered to be one of the fathers of blogging. He has been a frequent speaker at the Macworld Expo conference and a member of the conference faculty. He also co-founded the first dedicated PowerBook User Group (PPUG) in the United States.</P><P>After winning a major legal battle with Apple in 2006, he set the precedent that independent journalists are entitled to the same protections under the First Amendment as members of the mainstream media.</P><P>O'Grady is the author of The Nexus One Pocket Guide, The Droid Pocket Guide, The Google Phone Pocket Guide, and The Garmin nuvi Pocket Guide (Peachpit Press), the author of Corporations That Changed the World: Apple Inc. (Greenwood Press), and a contributor to The Mac Bible (Peachpit Press). In addition, he has contributed to numerous Mac publications over the years, including MacWEEK, Macworld, and MacPower (Japan).</P><P>When he's not writing about Apple for ZDNet at The Apple Core, he enjoys spending time with his family in New Jersey. </P><br /><p><a href=" http://www.zdnet.com/blog/apple/tigerdirect-selling-hp-touchpads-tomorrow-but-only-in-280-bundles/11588" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">View the original article here</a></p>thelastmemehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14860843372583436286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9032348745565242283.post-15242123278540296182011-12-15T17:37:00.000-08:002011-12-15T17:37:01.934-08:00iOS 5.0.1 available over-the-air; fixes battery bugs (Gallery)AppId is over the quota<br />AppId is over the quota<br /> Jason D. O'Grady+ developed an affinity for Apple computers after using the original Lisa, and this affinity turned into a bona-fide obsession when he got the original 128 KB Macintosh in 1984. <P>He started writing one of the first Web sites about Apple (O'Grady's PowerPage) in 1995 and is considered to be one of the fathers of blogging. He has been a frequent speaker at the Macworld Expo conference and a member of the conference faculty. He also co-founded the first dedicated PowerBook User Group (PPUG) in the United States.</P><P>After winning a major legal battle with Apple in 2006, he set the precedent that independent journalists are entitled to the same protections under the First Amendment as members of the mainstream media.</P><P>O'Grady is the author of The Nexus One Pocket Guide, The Droid Pocket Guide, The Google Phone Pocket Guide, and The Garmin nuvi Pocket Guide (Peachpit Press), the author of Corporations That Changed the World: Apple Inc. (Greenwood Press), and a contributor to The Mac Bible (Peachpit Press). In addition, he has contributed to numerous Mac publications over the years, including MacWEEK, Macworld, and MacPower (Japan).</P><P>When he's not writing about Apple for ZDNet at The Apple Core, he enjoys spending time with his family in New Jersey. </P><br /><p><a href=" http://www.zdnet.com/blog/apple/ios-501-available-over-the-air-fixes-battery-bugs-gallery/11625" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">View the original article here</a></p>thelastmemehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14860843372583436286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9032348745565242283.post-11014014556073469112011-12-15T03:51:00.000-08:002011-12-15T03:51:00.247-08:00Apple adds Photo Stream via Aperture 3.2 UpdateAppId is over the quota<br />AppId is over the quota<br /> Jason D. O'Grady+ developed an affinity for Apple computers after using the original Lisa, and this affinity turned into a bona-fide obsession when he got the original 128 KB Macintosh in 1984. <P>He started writing one of the first Web sites about Apple (O'Grady's PowerPage) in 1995 and is considered to be one of the fathers of blogging. He has been a frequent speaker at the Macworld Expo conference and a member of the conference faculty. He also co-founded the first dedicated PowerBook User Group (PPUG) in the United States.</P><P>After winning a major legal battle with Apple in 2006, he set the precedent that independent journalists are entitled to the same protections under the First Amendment as members of the mainstream media.</P><P>O'Grady is the author of The Nexus One Pocket Guide, The Droid Pocket Guide, The Google Phone Pocket Guide, and The Garmin nuvi Pocket Guide (Peachpit Press), the author of Corporations That Changed the World: Apple Inc. (Greenwood Press), and a contributor to The Mac Bible (Peachpit Press). In addition, he has contributed to numerous Mac publications over the years, including MacWEEK, Macworld, and MacPower (Japan).</P><P>When he's not writing about Apple for ZDNet at The Apple Core, he enjoys spending time with his family in New Jersey. </P><br /><p><a href=" http://www.zdnet.com/blog/apple/apple-adds-photo-stream-via-aperture-32-update/11373" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">View the original article here</a></p>thelastmemehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14860843372583436286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9032348745565242283.post-9086574993565986012011-12-14T14:07:00.000-08:002011-12-14T14:07:00.912-08:00More on iTunes Match's new ID3 tagsAppId is over the quota<br />AppId is over the quota<br /> By Jason D. O'Grady | November 15, 2011, 8:00am PST</P>Summary: I started matching my iTunes library at around 2pm Monday and let it run and it hadn’t made a dent. Here’s how to tell which of your tracks is matched.</P><P>On Friday Apple released <STRONG>iTunes Match</STRONG>, its service that allows customers to store up to 25,000 music tracks on iCloud then sync them to all their devices for $25 per year.</P><P>More details are starting to emerge on the new service and Macworld notes that iTunes 10.5.1 — which is required to use iTunes Match — contains two new IDS 3 tags for viewing the status of your matched music:</P><P>The new tags can be displayed in iTunes by control-clicking</EM> on the field names at the top of iTunes (when viewing in List or Album List modes) or by going to View > View Options and then checking the two new options (below).</P><P><IMG class="alignnone size-full wp-image-11675" title=screen-shot-2011-11-15-at-103441-am alt="The new iCloud ID3 tags in iTunes 10.5.1" src="/screen-shot-2011-11-15-at-103441-am.png" width=475 height=446></P><P>Once the new columns are exposed, they’ll appear something like this in your iTunes library.</P><P><IMG class="size-full wp-image-11674 aligncenter" title="More on iTunes Match" alt="More on iTunes Match" src="/screen-shot-2011-11-15-at-102637-am.png" width=349 height=79></P><P>Update: Apple has posted a useful table on how to understand iTunes Match’s iCloud Status icons:</P><P><IMG class="alignnone size-full wp-image-11685" title=screen-shot-2011-11-15-at-93510-pm alt="iTunes Match: Understanding the iCloud Status icons" src="/screen-shot-2011-11-15-at-93510-pm.png" width=475 height=177></P><P>Nunyabinez has posted some additional details on how iTunes Match works on the MacRumors forums:</P><STRONG>You can’t choose to exclude songs</STRONG> other than taking them out of your library.If a song is matched, <STRONG>it becomes available to download in 256K AAC</STRONG>. If a song is not matched it is copied in its current format and bit rate up to 320K. If the file is Lossless however, it is converted (presumably by your computer) to a 256k AAC file and then uploaded.<STRONG>Nothing happens to your local music when you run match</STRONG>. If you have a lower quality song that was matched you can remove it from your local library and then replace it with the 256k version. What happens is you delete the song, but the entry in iTunes stays, but a little cloud now shows up in a newly added column that shows you that you have a song that is in the cloud but not in your library. You can click on the cloud and it will download it to your local library, where again it is now permanently yours at the higher bit rate.<STRONG>Match uses your meta-data.</STRONG> If you in an anal-retentive fashion have made lots of custom edits to your files, that is what gets copied to the cloud. Even if you replace your songs with the upgraded versions you keep your previous meta-data.<P>The full post is recommended reading if you plan to pony up the $25/year for iTunes Match.</P><P>I started matching my iTunes library at around 2pm Monday and let it run until around 8pm and it hadn’t made a dent – 1631 of 6371 items uploaded. I’ll let it crank for the next couple of days and hope that it completes soon, although I doubt it.</P><P>What about you? Are you buying?</EM></P><P>Related:</P><IMG alt="" src="/413188-60-42.jpg" width=60> <P>Jason O'Grady+ is a journalist and author specializing in mobile technology. He has published six books on Apple and mobile gadgets and his PowerPage blog has been publishing for over 15 years.</P><br /><p><a href=" http://www.zdnet.com/blog/apple/more-on-itunes-matchs-new-id3-tags/11673" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">View the original article here</a></p>thelastmemehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14860843372583436286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9032348745565242283.post-38396640681415064022011-12-14T03:07:00.000-08:002011-12-14T03:07:00.376-08:00OWC Mercury On-The-Go enclosure for MacBook Air SSD (Review)AppId is over the quota<br />AppId is over the quota<br /> By Jason D. O'Grady | November 1, 2011, 10:00am PDT</P>Summary: Don’t relegate your old MacBook Air’s SSD to a drawer when you upgrade to a higher-capacity model. Instead, you can put it into service using an external enclosure from the folks at OWC.</P><P>MacBook Air. Check.</P><P>SSD upgrade. Check.</P><P>Now what do you do with with the original 64, 128 or 256GB SSD blade that you just removed from your MacBook Air?</P><P>After you upgrade your SSD, you’ll have a smaller one leftover that looks like this:</P><P><IMG class="alignnone size-full wp-image-11553" title=mba-2011-ssd-ogrady2 alt="" src="/mba-2011-ssd-ogrady2.jpg" width=475 height=130></P><P>A lot of professionals that use a MacBook Air as their primary machine will find themselves upgrading the stock Apple SSD before too long. It’s just not possible for people that are used to spacious and cheap spinning winchester discs to whittle all their data down to 64, 128 or even 256GB — making an SSD upgrade inevitable.</P><P>After getting a larger SDD for my MBA 13 (I opted for a <STRONG>Mercury Aura Pro Express</STRONG> from OWC) I found myself with an expensive Apple SSD blade that <STRONG>I didn’t know what to do with</STRONG>. Rather than simply sticking it into a drawer, I recommend picking up an OWC Mercury On-The-Go enclosure ($70, below) which acts as a surrogate home for your older, smaller SSD.</P><P><IMG class="alignnone size-full wp-image-11554" title=owc-mercury-enclosure-for-macbook-air-ssd alt="" src="/owc-mercury-enclosure-for-macbook-air-ssd.jpg" width=475 height=317></P><P>It looks exactly like OWC’s standard On-The-Go enclosure — which I’ve used for years — except with a small daughtercard that adapts the standard SATA connector to a smaller ZIF 40-pin interface for the MBA SSD. Once installed the old SSD acts like a normal external disk — albeit a fast one.</P><P>So there you have it. Don’t relegate your MBA SSD to a drawer when you upgrade. Put it to good use in an external enclosure from the folks at OWC.</P><P><STRONG>Update:</STRONG> If the clear, lucite On-The-Go enclosure isn’t your cup of tea, OWC’s Mercury Elite Pro mini ($110) enclosure also accepts a MacBook Air SSD.</P><P>Update2: The On-The-Go enclosure is only $35 with the purchase of either Aura SSD and the Elite Pro mini enclosure is only $70 with Aura purchase;</P><IMG alt="" src="/413188-60-42.jpg" width=60> <P>Jason O'Grady+ is a journalist and author specializing in mobile technology. He has published six books on Apple and mobile gadgets and his PowerPage blog has been publishing for over 15 years.</P><br /><p><a href=" http://www.zdnet.com/blog/apple/owc-mercury-on-the-go-enclosure-for-macbook-air-ssd-review/11540" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">View the original article here</a></p>thelastmemehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14860843372583436286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9032348745565242283.post-78501696536422048322011-12-13T13:04:00.000-08:002011-12-13T13:04:00.303-08:00iPhoto 9.2.1 update fixes 3ivx bug; addresses compatibility with iCloud and iOS 5AppId is over the quota<br />AppId is over the quota<br /> Jason D. O'Grady+ developed an affinity for Apple computers after using the original Lisa, and this affinity turned into a bona-fide obsession when he got the original 128 KB Macintosh in 1984. <P>He started writing one of the first Web sites about Apple (O'Grady's PowerPage) in 1995 and is considered to be one of the fathers of blogging. He has been a frequent speaker at the Macworld Expo conference and a member of the conference faculty. He also co-founded the first dedicated PowerBook User Group (PPUG) in the United States.</P><P>After winning a major legal battle with Apple in 2006, he set the precedent that independent journalists are entitled to the same protections under the First Amendment as members of the mainstream media.</P><P>O'Grady is the author of The Nexus One Pocket Guide, The Droid Pocket Guide, The Google Phone Pocket Guide, and The Garmin nuvi Pocket Guide (Peachpit Press), the author of Corporations That Changed the World: Apple Inc. (Greenwood Press), and a contributor to The Mac Bible (Peachpit Press). In addition, he has contributed to numerous Mac publications over the years, including MacWEEK, Macworld, and MacPower (Japan).</P><P>When he's not writing about Apple for ZDNet at The Apple Core, he enjoys spending time with his family in New Jersey. </P><br /><p><a href=" http://www.zdnet.com/blog/apple/iphoto-921-update-fixes-3ivx-bug-addresses-compatibility-with-icloud-and-ios-5/11498" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">View the original article here</a></p>thelastmemehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14860843372583436286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9032348745565242283.post-92107749775820741552011-12-13T00:41:00.000-08:002011-12-13T00:41:01.283-08:00Cards for iOS puts Apple in the snail mail biz; pits it against American Greetings and HallmarkAppId is over the quota<br />AppId is over the quota<br /> Jason D. O'Grady+ developed an affinity for Apple computers after using the original Lisa, and this affinity turned into a bona-fide obsession when he got the original 128 KB Macintosh in 1984. <P>He started writing one of the first Web sites about Apple (O'Grady's PowerPage) in 1995 and is considered to be one of the fathers of blogging. He has been a frequent speaker at the Macworld Expo conference and a member of the conference faculty. He also co-founded the first dedicated PowerBook User Group (PPUG) in the United States.</P><P>After winning a major legal battle with Apple in 2006, he set the precedent that independent journalists are entitled to the same protections under the First Amendment as members of the mainstream media.</P><P>O'Grady is the author of The Nexus One Pocket Guide, The Droid Pocket Guide, The Google Phone Pocket Guide, and The Garmin nuvi Pocket Guide (Peachpit Press), the author of Corporations That Changed the World: Apple Inc. (Greenwood Press), and a contributor to The Mac Bible (Peachpit Press). In addition, he has contributed to numerous Mac publications over the years, including MacWEEK, Macworld, and MacPower (Japan).</P><P>When he's not writing about Apple for ZDNet at The Apple Core, he enjoys spending time with his family in New Jersey. </P><br /><p><a href=" http://www.zdnet.com/blog/apple/cards-for-ios-puts-apple-in-the-snail-mail-biz-pits-it-against-american-greetings-and-hallmark/11379" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">View the original article here</a></p>thelastmemehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14860843372583436286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9032348745565242283.post-91684053844921225542011-12-12T10:18:00.000-08:002011-12-12T10:18:00.650-08:00Rate the Cooknote: pass or fail? (Verdict: pass, but just barely)AppId is over the quota<br />AppId is over the quota<br /> By Jason D. O'Grady | October 5, 2011, 4:14pm PDT</P>Summary: Tuesday’s Cooknote was mostly a re-hash of WWDC with an evolutionary iPhone revision tossed in for good measure. Make no mistake about it, Siri saved the event from being a total bust.</P><P><IMG class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-11302" title=tim-cook-praying-oct-4-ogrady alt="Apple's Tim Cook prays that no one notices his event is a rehash of WWDC - Jason O'Grady" src="/tim-cook-praying-oct-4-ogrady.jpg" width=475 height=315></P><P>Tim Cook took the stage for the first time as Apple CEO on Tuesday and the reviews are mixed, to put it kindly.</P><P>Everyone</EM> noticed that that Cook’s style is different that Steve’s, well duh. Many people seem put off by the affable Alabamian’s southern drawl (”he sounded like he was chatting to friends over mint juleps”) referring to his laid-back style as undramatic and even uninspiring.</P><P>To be fair, too many people expected Cook to be Jobs 2.0, but folks, it ain’t gonna happen. Comparisons to Jobs were inevitable, but I didn’t expect them to be scathing. I think that people took out their frustrations on the lack of an “iPhone 5? on Cook.</P><P>TechRadar called the Cooknote “a rather pedestrian run-through of Apple’s recent successes along with a smattering of new product news” — and in retrospect it’s hard to disagree. Cook followed the Jobs playbook to the letter, right down to the jeans, sneakers and black shirt. (To his credit, Cook wore a button down</EM> black shirt, because a mock turtleneck would have been downright creepy).</P><P>Cook also carried on another Jobs tradition: utilizing a parade of executives to demo the various wares. While Scott Forestall was a natural choice for the iOS stuff, I’m not sure that he should have delegated the big iPhone 4S reveal to Phil Schiller. I agree with BNet’s Erik Sherman, Jobs would never</EM> have done that. Cook should have announced the iPhone 4S, he’s the CEO.</P><P>Then there was the factual errors and misleading stats as noted by Sherman, including these gems:</P>Apple has a 23 percent personal computer market share as of August 2011 (closer to 6.5%)Apple has sold 250 million iOS devices (this includes the phone-less iPod touch and iPad)iOS is the largest mobile operating system, with 43 percent compared to Android’s 33 percent (did it include touches and iPads?)<P>Then there was that line about the Sony Walkman. Cook stated that ”it took Sony 30 years to sell 220,000 Walkman cassette players” when Sony has publicly stated that it sold <STRONG>186 million</STRONG> of the cassette Walkman. And if you want to pad numbers Sony also sold 46 million of the CD Walkman and 4.6 million of the MD Walkman which my calculator tells me is a total of <STRONG></STRONG><STRONG>236.6 million</STRONG> Walkmen — making Tim wrong by a factor of 1,075. Yes, it appears that Apple missed not one, but three</EM> decimal places.</P><P>Then there was the products, or lack thereof.</P><P>The iOS 5 and iCloud part of the presentation felt like a 45 minute of rehash of WWDC 2011 in June. Embarrassingly so. Apple should have either a) held stuff back from WWDC or b) demoed new use cases for some of the already well-known features.</P><P>But it wan’t that</EM> bad, was it?</P><P>Yes it was, according to Zach Epstein who concluded on BGR that Tuesday’s event was “Apple’s fall from grace.” But Epstein’s piece was so bad that Jonathan S. Geller had to backpedal and rush out a puff piece two hours later claiming that it was “Apple’s rise to greatness.” Which is it?</EM></P><P>Tim cook should send the Siri team on a Hawaiian vacation because they saved the event from being a total bust. Speech recognition is major feature that I’ve been wanting for a while, and it finally puts iOS on an equal footing with Android. If Siri hadn’t been demonstrated I have a sinking feeling that angry Mac users would #OccupyCupertino and demand Cook’s head on a silver platter.</P><P>And what’s this business about Siri only being available on the iPhone 4S? I understand that it requires a lot of horsepower to do the processing but Apple offloads some of that to iCloud, so you can’t tell me that Apple couldn’t have made it work with the iPhone 4. The Siri Assistant app worked on a number of previous iPhones (if you grabbed it before Apple pulled the plug), as do Nuance’s Dragon Go and the Google Search apps.</P><P><STRONG>This is planned obsolescence at its worst</STRONG>, Apple’s undoubtedly holding Siri back to sell more iPhone 4Ses.</P><P>Tuesday was mostly a re-hash of WWDC with an evolutionary iPhone revision and it was Siri that pushed the Cooknote over the line to pass — but just barely.</P><P>What’s your grade? Pass or Fail?</EM></P><IMG alt="" src="/413188-60-42.jpg" width=60> <P>Jason O'Grady+ is a journalist and author specializing in mobile technology. He has published six books on Apple and mobile gadgets and his PowerPage blog has been publishing for over 15 years.</P><br /><p><a href=" http://www.zdnet.com/blog/apple/rate-the-cooknote-pass-or-fail-verdict-pass-but-just-barely/11296" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">View the original article here</a></p>thelastmemehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14860843372583436286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9032348745565242283.post-49256597680220376932011-12-11T21:23:00.000-08:002011-12-11T21:23:00.707-08:00Creating highly-redundant, low-cost Mac servers with Lion Server and Mac minisAppId is over the quota<br />AppId is over the quota<br /> @Goldie07 <P>Yeah, but I couldn't count on them to run for 8 years.</P><P>Nor could I expect one built in 2005 to have a power consumption of 15-30 watts, depending on load. And know that if/when I replace it then the power consumption will be even lower.</P><P>Yeah I can waste my time cobbling something together, but why not use a well built and efficient machine, rather than trying to pinch intellectual property to save a short term buck, whilst throwing many more bucks at your power utility?</P><P>I am currently looking at power use here, to that end I have a power meter on my Mac Mini as I thought it might account for a slab of our base load, as I have found out it is using next to none of it.</P><P>I had previously retired 2 Mac G4 towers from around 2000, purely to reduce baseload, as they were running perfectly. I sold one as a working unit, and the other has replaced a friend's Core Duo PC, the 450MHz G4 tower works better.</P><P>So why anyone would bother with lower quality hardware running an OS they have stolen is beyond me. Yes STOLEN!!! </P><br /><p><a href=" http://www.zdnet.com/blog/apple/creating-highly-redundant-low-cost-mac-servers-with-lion-server-and-mac-minis/11682" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">View the original article here</a></p>thelastmemehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14860843372583436286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9032348745565242283.post-40952599012349692702011-12-11T07:46:00.000-08:002011-12-11T07:46:00.137-08:00Will Apple's AMD Trinity-based MacBook Air see the light of day?AppId is over the quota<br />AppId is over the quota<br /> By Jason D. O'Grady | November 21, 2011, 12:01am PST</P>Summary: An attack of the MacBook Air clones in underway, funded largely by Intel’s $300M Ultrabook Fund. Will it push Apple to jump ship for AMD? We’ll have to wait until next year to find out.</P><P><IMG class="alignnone size-full wp-image-11724" title=amd-roadmap-2012-ogrady alt="Is Apple testing an AMD Trinity-based MacBook Air? Count on it" src="/amd-roadmap-2012-ogrady.jpg" width=475 height=228></P><P>Last week Partially Accurate’s Charlie Demerjian declared that a MacBook Air with AMD processor was dead. (MacRumors picked up on the storyline that Apple had late-stage prototypes of an AMD Fusion-based MacBook Air). Demerjian claims that an AMD Llamo-based MacBook Air was really, really</EM> close to production but that it never saw the light of day because AMD dropped the ball.</P><P>The problem is that Demerjian’s posts creates more questions than answers.</P><P>For starters, Apple’s going back to Intel’s $300 million dollar Ultrabook dinner table (a.k.a. “plan B”) doesn’t explain why Intel has passionately executed its Ultrabook initiative — which is squarely aimed at the MacBook Air. Why is Intel attacking the product line of one of its exclusive partners?</P><P>When Dell was the king of the hill, Intel paid it $6 billion not</EM> to use AMD processors, so it makes no sense that Intel would attack Apple with MacBook Air clones. Logic would dictate that Intel would want to keep preserve it’s relationship and exclusivity with Apple — at all costs.</P><P><STRONG>Just a week earlier </STRONG>I raised questions about Intel’s intentions with Ultrabooks and the prospect of a closer relationship between AMD and Apple. This leads me to think that Demerjian’s information is coming from either Intel or Apple.</P><P>The post comes across like a decoy because it mentions the AMD Llano rather than Trinity. Llano is AMD’s first generation fusion processor, Trinity is the second generation (see table above). Nobody actually thought Apple would use Llano. Analysts were long ago saying that AMD’s Trinity and Krishna processors would make more sense.</P><P>Why was this post about Llano rather than Trinity? Could it be a clever decoy staged by Apple to help keep their plans secret? (Especially after my piece may have blown the lid off their plans?) Could it be retribution by Intel for Apple testing Trinity in the MacBook Air?</P><P>If the FTC gets enough evidence that Intel is, in fact, punishing or threatening/bribing Apple despite their Consent Decree, Otellini himself could go to jail - assuming that the U.S. Department of Justice has any teeth.</P><P>At the end of the day, it’s out of character for Intel to pull a “we are going to copy you” stunt on a precious, exclusive, premium manufacturer like Apple. If Intel was willing to pay Dell $6 billion, then I’m pretty sure that it wouldn’t pull the Ultrabooks stunt on Apple without a compelling reason.</P><P>What’s more likely the case is that Apple did</EM> consider the Llano processor but that it didn’t</EM> like it. Apple probably wanted to look at Trinity instead. Intel probably didn’t pay Apple enough to keep it exclusive and Steve Jobs was never the type of CEO to be Intel’s lap dog.</P><P><STRONG>Apple is either still considering using Trinity, or has already decided to use it.</STRONG></P><P>AMD has repeatedly stated that it isn’t having production issues with Trinity, and that is probably the same thing they are saying to Apple every day. A silent begging war is going on between Intel and AMD for Apple’s affections. That’s why, in that recent interview about Ultrabooks, an Intel executive said that it’s “up to Apple” to decide whether the MacBook Air is officially an Ultrabook.</P><P><STRONG>Was that a veiled threat? </STRONG></P><P>Based on Intel’s history of coercive tactics, its Ultrabook Fund and worldwide release of Macbook Air clones begins to look like a simple bribe and threat strategy. Intel’s executive was simply telling Apple that it isn’t too late to dump Trinity.</P><P>Again, dumping Llano was old news. In fact, it never even seemed to be a possibility. Instead we should be asking who led Demerjian to focus on Llano, rather than the true candidate, Trinity?</P><P>It looks like we’ll have to wait until Apple’s planned overhaul of the MacBook Air in 2012 to find out if Intel was successful in keeping Apple from using AMD’s Trinity processors.</P><P>Related:</P><IMG alt="" src="/413188-60-42.jpg" width=60> <P>Jason O'Grady+ is a journalist and author specializing in mobile technology. He has published six books on Apple and mobile gadgets and his PowerPage blog has been publishing for over 15 years.</P><br /><p><a href=" http://www.zdnet.com/blog/apple/will-apples-amd-trinity-based-macbook-air-see-the-light-of-day/11725" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">View the original article here</a></p>thelastmemehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14860843372583436286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9032348745565242283.post-92002109159894225972011-12-10T19:44:00.000-08:002011-12-10T19:44:00.867-08:00The mother of all iPhone car mount: ProClip USABy Jason D. O'Grady | October 21, 2011, 10: 30 am PDT<P>Summary: I struggled to find a half decent vehicle mounting solution for my iPhone in the past, but the iPhone 4 ProClip USA mount changed all that and definitely is the mother of all car mounts.</P><P><IMG class="alignnone size-full wp-image-11455" title="proclip-usa-iphone-ogrady" alt="" src="/proclip-usa-iphone-ogrady.jpg" width="475" height="356"></P><P>If you're like me, probably has an iPhone (or two) and you live by it. Not only to make phone calls and text messages, but for Internet access too. My iPhone is never far away from me, in fact I have a sinking feeling if I have lost my iPhone for more than a few minutes.</P><P>Although it is illegal to the driver to use an iPhone (in most of the United States of anyway) it is a very useful device in a car. Maps, GPS and navigation are the most obvious examples of practical uses of an iPhone in a car, but also depend on audio books, podcasts and music to make my trip more manageable. In fact, I do not know what would do without my iPhone in my car, probably go completely crazy to hear announcements.</P><P>That being said, I've struggled to find a half decent Setup for my iPhone in my car. I normally plug it and only bolster him in some place of my script. The problem here is obvious: as soon as taking a corner my iPhone goes flying on the ground, usually outside its scope.</P><P>I found the answer in a montage of car <STRONG>Clip Pro United States</STRONG> - the mother of all car mounts. I have used several years and normally abandoned because they do not work well or simply fell. ProClip USA mounts vehicle are robust, well built and are available for almost all vehicles in the market.</P><P>Can be mounted ProClips place your vehicle, as shown in this diagram:</P><P><IMG class="alignnone size-full wp-image-11456" title="proclip_usa_locations_ogrady" alt="" src="/proclipusalocationsogrady.jpg" width="475" height="302"></P><P>You need two parts for mounting the device in your script. Together, these two parts create a mounting solution:</P>a montage of the vehicle - specific to the holder of the device vehiclea - specific to the device<P>I opted for the following settings for my Honda Pilot:</P>Honda Pilot-2009 2012 - ProClip Centre Mount (Item #: 854197)-$ 29. 99apple iPhone 4 used a case - support adjustable with tilt swivel and pass through the connector for the connection of the Cable (article no. 516165)-$ 79,99<P>This configuration suits my iPhone 4 and 4S in bumpers of Apple case impeccably and it can easily be rotated between horizontal and vertical orientation depending on the application. I opted for the owner of the device with the pass connector so that it could easily connect my iPhone to power without having to fish around a power cord.</P><P>ProClip Setup is very solid and of high quality. So much so that probably I will get one for my Droid Bionic, which I prefer on my iPhone for navigation in the vehicle. This thing is the mother of all vehicle mounts and well worth the price of admission, especially for travelers and people otherwise they spend too much time in their cars.</P><IMG alt="" src="/413188-60-42.jpg" width="60"> <P>Jason or ' Grady + is a journalist and writer specializing in mobile technology. He has published six books on Apple and mobile devices and your blog PowerPage has been publishing for more than 15 years.</P><br /><p><a href=" http://www.zdnet.com/blog/apple/the-mother-of-all-iphone-car-mounts-proclip-usa/11452" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">View the original article here</a></p>thelastmemehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14860843372583436286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9032348745565242283.post-70412650291458747292011-12-10T08:01:00.000-08:002011-12-10T08:01:00.794-08:00R.I.P. Steve JobsAppId is over the quota<br />AppId is over the quota<br /> Jason D. O'Grady+ developed an affinity for Apple computers after using the original Lisa, and this affinity turned into a bona-fide obsession when he got the original 128 KB Macintosh in 1984. <P>He started writing one of the first Web sites about Apple (O'Grady's PowerPage) in 1995 and is considered to be one of the fathers of blogging. He has been a frequent speaker at the Macworld Expo conference and a member of the conference faculty. He also co-founded the first dedicated PowerBook User Group (PPUG) in the United States.</P><P>After winning a major legal battle with Apple in 2006, he set the precedent that independent journalists are entitled to the same protections under the First Amendment as members of the mainstream media.</P><P>O'Grady is the author of The Nexus One Pocket Guide, The Droid Pocket Guide, The Google Phone Pocket Guide, and The Garmin nuvi Pocket Guide (Peachpit Press), the author of Corporations That Changed the World: Apple Inc. (Greenwood Press), and a contributor to The Mac Bible (Peachpit Press). In addition, he has contributed to numerous Mac publications over the years, including MacWEEK, Macworld, and MacPower (Japan).</P><P>When he's not writing about Apple for ZDNet at The Apple Core, he enjoys spending time with his family in New Jersey. </P><br /><p><a href=" http://www.zdnet.com/blog/apple/rip-steve-jobs/11309" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">View the original article here</a></p>thelastmemehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14860843372583436286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9032348745565242283.post-30736364181267221502011-12-09T18:39:00.000-08:002011-12-09T18:39:00.541-08:00Siri = Eliza? (Update: she knows her)AppId is over the quota<br />AppId is over the quota<br /> Jason D. O'Grady+ developed an affinity for Apple computers after using the original Lisa, and this affinity turned into a bona-fide obsession when he got the original 128 KB Macintosh in 1984. <P>He started writing one of the first Web sites about Apple (O'Grady's PowerPage) in 1995 and is considered to be one of the fathers of blogging. He has been a frequent speaker at the Macworld Expo conference and a member of the conference faculty. He also co-founded the first dedicated PowerBook User Group (PPUG) in the United States.</P><P>After winning a major legal battle with Apple in 2006, he set the precedent that independent journalists are entitled to the same protections under the First Amendment as members of the mainstream media.</P><P>O'Grady is the author of The Nexus One Pocket Guide, The Droid Pocket Guide, The Google Phone Pocket Guide, and The Garmin nuvi Pocket Guide (Peachpit Press), the author of Corporations That Changed the World: Apple Inc. (Greenwood Press), and a contributor to The Mac Bible (Peachpit Press). In addition, he has contributed to numerous Mac publications over the years, including MacWEEK, Macworld, and MacPower (Japan).</P><P>When he's not writing about Apple for ZDNet at The Apple Core, he enjoys spending time with his family in New Jersey. </P><br /><p><a href=" http://www.zdnet.com/blog/apple/siri-eliza-update-she-knows-her/11413" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">View the original article here</a></p>thelastmemehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14860843372583436286noreply@blogger.com0