What Is It With Lego's and Mac's?

What is it with Legos and Mac's? I did a post last year on the L-Mac, an actual working Mac computer built out of actual Lego bricks and I thought that would be the last of that, but apparently it's not. Now other Lego inspired Mac's are popping up like dandelions in spring, and all made out of those wonderful children blocks!

As you can see above, via Gizmodo, someone has decided to construct their own miniature Lego version of the G4 lamp-style iMac ! Unlike the L-Mac, it's not a real working Mac, but thanks to the fact that it uses a photo-display it can play, via a tv tuner, television shows and, of course, pictures and other videos!

Engadget says the following about this miniature Lego G4 "Junior" seen below:

"We tend to go a little weak in the knees for anything in miniature, so this iMac G4 "Junior" made with a 7-inch digital photo frame and a bunch of LEGOS sent us into hysterics. DIY-er Bjarne Tveskov says the creation is inspired by the film Luxo Jr., and though it has no functional G4 innards, it does do dislay basic, totally adorable smiley faces........."

Well, I tend to agree, it's certainly cute and even adorable. I've always been keen on miniatures, but still, I would much prefer the L-Mac that I originally posted on, or secondly the hackintosh Lego Mac Pro seen via Gizmodo below. This Lego computer was built from a PC that was hacked to run OS X. Like the L-Mac it can actually run OS X, so it's more than just skin-deep beauty were talking about.

No doubt, someone, somewhere, at sometime in the future will try their hand at building another Mac built out of not just Legos, but some other material as well. Legos are great and all, but I like to see someone build a Mac out of something else besides.

I don't know about you, but I think one of the smartest would be a Mac built entirely out of SMARTIES! Not only would a Smartie built Mac be a smart thing, but it would also automatically qualify for being one of the most delicious Mac's ever built and an absolute joy to recyle - via your mouth and stomach!

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Thursday, April 30, 2009

Good Tech Gone Bad!

You love tech, I love tech and most everybody else loves tech. And why not? There's a lot to love. From giant, brilliant plasma and LCD televisions, laptops, desktops, smart phones, hand-held and gaming consoles and you name it, tech products fill our lives, from the time we get up to the time we go to bed.

However, not all tech stories are necessarily good ones, as good tech can easily become bad tech.

For example, take the case of a poor Floridian teenager who spent $2,164.89 for a brand spanking new MacBook Pro. Excitedly, he brought it home only to find that it wouldn't surf the net, play games, play music, or, for that matter, do much of anything period, except just sit there! Of course, that's to be expected of most bricks, which, by the way, is exactly what Ryan unexpectedly found when he opened his new MacBook Pro's box! At least when he opened it, the brick was carefully wrapped in protected bubble-wrap!

The Consumerist.com reported that Best Buy, where the MacBook Pro was purchased, refused to refund Ryan's money or to replace it, stating that the problem was squarely Apple's since the purchase was already shrink-wrapped. Apparently, the idea that one of his trusted employees could be anything but, never entered the manager's mind. The thought of an employee ripping the MacBook out of it's package, then replacing it with a brick and then using one of Best Buy's own shrink-wrapping machine's to cover up the crime was more than the manager cared to think of.

Meanwhile, poor Ryan wrote:

"When I got home I opened the box and found a paving stone packed with bubble wrap, instead of the MacBook Pro.

I returned to the store and the manager, "Keith", was not too willing to help me out. He kept falling back on the line "Apple seals the boxes, not us.

I have sent an email to Best Buy corporate and have contacted my credit card company. Unfortunately, they can't do anything until the charge posts.

So right now, I paid $2, 164.89 for a very nice red brick."

Wow, just imagine how much it would cost to build and finish a five bedroom brick house with bricks at that price! Poor kid, I hope it all sorts itself out soon.

Unfortunately, as bad and weird as Ryan's MacBook Pro story goes, he's not alone. Like Ryan, Jodi Wykle had a similar experience when she gifted her son with a new Nintendo DS for his birthday. Her son was anything but thrilled however.

Instead of opening his Nintendo box to find his DS, or for that matter, a big red brick, her son was 'rocked' to find, well - rocks! Yes, this is another kid who had the displeasure and shock of discovering nothing but a bunch of small rocks wrapped in Chinese newspapers!

As was the case with the MacBook Pro, so too was the case with the Nintendo, because no one at Wal-Mart, where she bought it, or at Nintendo themselves, would help her out, saying that it wasn't their problem! However, at least Wal-Mart caved in and eventually refunded her $138 when they found out that this same DS box was previously returned earlier by another customer for the exact same reason! Somehow it got placed back on the shelf, which is kind of mysterious, but at least Jodi got her money back and a $20 gift certificate to boot!

Hopefully, Ryan will also eventually get his money or a new MacBook Pro soon as well, because paying over two thousand buck's for a brick has got to hurt.

One of the most recent cases of good tech gone bad, was the case of the man who got billed a whopping $62,000 for downloading the movie, Wall-E on his phone! I have seen Wall-E, it's a great movie, but seriously $62,000! Ain't no movie that good, is there? After all, Alberto, the poor sap who got floored with that particular nasty bill, wasn't actually trying to make a movie or anything, he just wanted to download one for his little son to watch!

After contesting the charges, Alberto's very generous carrier eventually, out of the goodness of their blessed little hearts, finally reduced the charges to a measly $17,000, or what the carrier claimed was their cost of doing business! How nice of them.

Alberto downloaded the movie while vacationing in Mexico, so I guess, when all is consider, he's lucky all he got was the downloading charge, as he could have gotten 'Swine Flu' in the process and the associated medical costs as well. My tip for Alberto: Don't bother buying any lotto tickets, because with your luck, well... you know what I mean?

You can read more cases like Alberto's, including the hard-core football fan, Wayne Burdick, who got billed $27,000 for simply streaming one measly game of football via the internet while also on vacation. You can read about his case and others, including Alberto's, from the fine folks over at ABCNews.com

Then there are other bad tech cases, of course, such as Tamatha Tovar, who brought her video game loving son a PlayStation from Wal-Mart only to find it loaded with disgusting porn! No wonder the poor six-year old ran crying to his mother after discovering a naked women on it's screen saver the moment he turned it on. Also, on the PSP was what she claimed was hundreds of pornographic images, the last kind of images you want your son or daughter to have access too. Wal-Mart kindly offered her a replacement, but not an apology which also seems a wee bit strange, don't you think? Sadly, this is not the first, nor will it be the last time innocent kids are exposed to this filthy rubbish this way.

So, despite all of the good tech news out there, there's always a couple of weird, unthinkable bad stories of good tech gone wrong. It's just life, I guess? As these cases clearly point out - watch out! That's because you never know, you and I could easily be the next unfortunate victim of good tech gone bad ourselves if were not too careful! If it can happen to Ryan, Jodi and Alberto and Tamatha, well it can happen to anybody, including little old you and me.

In conclusion, there are lots of idiots and just plain down-and-out crooks out there, people who are just waiting to take our money any way they can, be it by replacing an expensive MacBook Pro with a brick, or what have you? Again, we all have to watch out, however, that we are not included in one of these good tech gone bad stories.

I suppose it's mostly the luck of the draw I guess, but we can all do our part in avoiding a nasty and expensive good tech, gone bad story by always paying for our tech gadgets, plus other purchases, with a credit card. And for crying out pizza, with anchovies on top - we should never, ever, stream content or download full-length movies while on vacation within or from another country!

Just ask Alberto; he'll tell you.

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Wednesday, April 29, 2009

New Apple Devices To Use OLEDs?

Despite the worldwide economic meltdown, both rumors and facts are now emerging that suggests that not only is Apple planning to introduce some kind of new computing device, be it a netbook, tablet, or something entirely different, it is now possible that they may actually also include OLED screens.

After numerous reports yesterday that Apple was in deep talks to produce a version of the iPhone for Verizon, rumors have been flying fast and thick that something is in the air. Now, according to the Washington Times these plans may not necessarily be for an iPhone, or even an iPhone Lite, but rather for something different - a "media pad", an enlarged iPod Touch like device that would be perfect for viewing movies, photos, surfing the net and listening to music.

Of course, and this is just pure speculation on my part, but I believe that such a media device would also be built around the vast and growing software library of apps offered through Apple's highly praised AppStore! Wow, talk about a new device getting a running head start, the AppStore could provide it in spades and help make such a new device an overnight success!

Combined with both iPhone calling features (via WiFi) and offering features found on iPod's, netbook's, and regular laptops, such a new media device would combined all of their best features, as well as newer ones of it's own! This could possibly make such a new Apple device potentially a very real netbook killer in it's own right! In fact, according to a report in Fortune, at least according to another report in BusinessWeek, someone who has actually seen the device, which apparently Apple's been working on for the past 18 months, says this about the device:

“We are talking about a device where people will say, ‘Damn, why didn’t we do this?’ Apple is probably going to define the damn category.”

What ever it is that Apple is planning, what has really peaked my interest is the possibility of Apple using OLED's. This makes sense when you consider that sometime ago Apple signed a massive contract with LG that would provide Apple with an endless supply of high quality 9 and 10 inch touch screens. Hopefully, if they can get the cost down, OLED touch monitors could emerge as one of it's best and most compelling features. After all, Apple has already paid LG one-half billion dollars upfront, so for that kind of money anything is possible.

OLED is a technology that puts LCD's and Plasma displays to shame. Unfortunately, OLED as great as it is, is also very expensive to produce and is why it's use has been so limited to date. They have been used in smaller displays such as in stereos and what have you, but producing larger OLED panels have thus far been problematic and very expensive. Sony has an 11 inch OLED tv on the market that sells for as much as many large screen LCD's, so imagine what larger OLED panels would go for?

Hopefully, however, newer production techniques will give way to cheaper and larger OLED panels and if Apple can get such larger OLED devices to market first, it could help give it a leg up, as they say, against it's competitor's.

All I know is that Apple is up to something - something different and something big! Big as in being a game changer. Apple has made it's point many times that it wasn't interested in producing cheap netbooks, or for that matter tablets. However, both the iPhone and the iPod Touch are devices that in many ways are like netbooks and tablets, but only smaller versions that fit in your pocket, so it makes perfect sense for Apple to build on those advantages.

As great as they are, those small built-in screens have their limits. They are great for phone calls, but when gaming and surfing the net, well, a fellow or a gal could always use a little more screen real-estate.

Is Apple about to give us that real-estate? Is Apple about to unleash a tablet or a netbook? Or is Apple getting ready to release something really different - a super iPod Touch media player with OLED screens?

I don't know the answer to that. I just know that they are up to something, and as I said, something big and something really different. It could be a really different type of netbook or tablet of course, but I don't think so. Something tells me it's going to be along the lines of a super-duper iPod Touch. An iPod Touch Media Player on steroids!

If it's true, then, as speculated, Apple could unveil such a device as early as next month during it's annual WWDC (worldwide developer conference). If so, well, that would be bloody-dang fantastic! We all know that Snow Leopard and new iPhone's are coming and should rev up a lot of excitement, but imagine just how much more excitement such a new and different super-duper iPod Touch like media player would bring to bear?



And that's my 2 cents 4 this Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Mockup via: Engadget

Verizon's iPhone: How Soon?

Well, it's about time! Yes, reports are coming in that Verizon is in active discussions with Apple for it's very own version of the iPhone! Apparently, USA Today has said that such discussions began even before Steve Jobs left for his medical hiatus and have be going on ever since.

Tim Cook, Apple's COO, has dismissed Verizon's current CDMA technology as one that has no future, therefore, it's believed that any future Verizon iPhone would make the direct leap to Verizon's planned G4 technology which is schedule to appear sometime in 2010.

So, could we really see a Verizon iPhone soon?

Well, that will depend to a large extent on whether AT&T can convince Apple to extend it's exclusivity with the iPhone beyond it's original date, which ends soon. The iPhone has been such a huge factor in AT&T's profitability that they have been investing heavily to upgrade it's network to better take advantage of the iPhone, so expect them to do all in their power to keep Verizon and others from getting their hands on the device anytime soon.

Well, as much as I can appreciate AT&T's desire to extend the iPhone's exclusivity in America, for the iPhone itself and for all of those who love it, but hate AT&T, it's important that Apple end any exclusivity for the iPhone as soon as possible.

What's even more important about Verizon finally getting a second chance to offer the iPhone, is that it should mean that all other carriers could also be given the opportunity to carry the iPhone as well! The more carriers, the more opportunity for the iPhone to grow it's market share and, naturally, as a result, Apple's financial sustainability.

After all, no one wants to limit themselves to the whims and dictates of anyone company, be it AT&T or whom ever. Limiting the iPhone to just one company also limits customers options if they ever run into problems with said company. By allowing other carriers, for example, to carry the iPhone, at least if a customer is unhappy with their existing carrier, they will have option to take their iPhone and their business elsewhere. This keeps AT&T and others, for example, on their toes and forces them to take their customers iPhone complaints far more seriously than they would otherwise have to!

Limiting the iPhone to just one company limits the iPhone's appeal. On the other hand, however, opening it up, to other carriers, should also likewise open up it's adoption rate and it's potential to become a much better device, with much better choice, better options and better service for all concerned, and thus making for a better iPhone experience and a better future for Apple's most important product to date.

So, will we see a Verizon iPhone soon? I don't know, but, hopefully, not only will we see a version of the Phone on Verizon, but also on other carriers as well, and hopefully shortly after AT&T's iPhone exclusivity runs out next year. As far as I'm concerned the sooner, the better!

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Monday, April 27, 2009

Snow Leopard Server To Challenge Windows Servers On Pricing and Features

Snow Leopard Server, according to a report in AppleInsider is going to be offering low cost, secure mobile access to the iPhone and could prove to be quite an embarrassment in Microsoft's claims of the so-call high Apple tax! Some say that his could result in the Snow Leopard Server making for a lower cost, but better featured server than anything that Microsoft is planning.

AppleInsider points out that Apple's web site has some time referenced on "Remote Access" as an upcoming feature for Snow Leopard Server. It's only described as being a combination of new "push notifications to mobile users outside our firewall" and, as well as a proxy service providing "secure remote email and address book access to all of your contacts, calendars, and select internal websites.

You can read AppleInsider for more of the juicy details, but the interesting thing here is how this goes against Microsoft's Mac bashing campaign, one where they harp on, with some success, that you can buy a Windows desktop, laptop or netbook (something Apple has yet to sell, if ever?) for far less than a Mac version. Hinting, in the process of course, that lower costs makes PCs a better deal!

But are they really?

Of course, their spin is that when it comes to dollars, Windows PCs need far less of them. They deliberately ignore the fact that they are also less secure, less reliable, use inferior and 2nd rate components, have less battery life, feature less quality in both their hardware and software side, and most importantly, they are far less pleasing and satisfying to use. PC users may pay less cash, but they get less satisfaction too, and especially compared to what Mac users are accustomed to, as you can see here.

Recent steps by Apple to shore up it's upcoming Snow Leopard on both the consumer and the server side, should further continued to distance it from the PC as being the most cost effective solution over those of Windows and Linux equipped machines. PC's may start out cheaper, but in the end they are more expensive, less secure and more frustrating to use! Not exactly what I call a bargain in the end, regardless of it's lower starting price!

Snow Leopard Server, as AppleInsider further states:

"By offering Snow Leopard Server as a much cheaper alternative to Microsoft's server software and the Client Access Licenses companies must pay per user, Apple will send a particularly embarrassing response to Microsoft's recent ad campaigns portraying Mac hardware as "cooler and sexier" but higher priced than the low end of generic PCs using Windows. That's because while Dell can slightly undercut comparable XServe hardware costs from Apple before adding Windows Server, Microsoft's software licensing dramatically balloons the costs businesses face to deliver the same features Mac OS X Server can, which Apple bundles on its Mac servers at no extra cost."

By skimming over the tea leaves, it's becoming more apparent that Snow Leopard, both the consumer and server editions, are going to big leap forward and should help to dampen much of the praise that Vista 2 (Windows 7) has been generating!

Personally, I can't wait, I'm eagerly waiting for the final beans to spill in June at Apple's WWDC event, because something tells me that this new Apple cat is going to turn into something much faster, more powerful, fuller-featured and overall much bigger than what Apple has been letting on.

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Friday, April 24, 2009

Graph via: AppleInsider

The German Mac Browser: iCab 4.1

Germans are great engineers, making some of the finest automobiles, cameras, optic's and what have you? Now those clever Germans have been really busy improving their already great Mac browser, iCab, now at version 4.1.

One of iCab's 4.1 highlights is that it recently passed the Acid 3 Test, making this browser as schnell (fast) as one of those sexy BMW's. iCab now also features a convenient Top Ten Pages view that you can access via it's Navigator feature. The browser is not only fast, but more importantly, it's very stable and secure!

Since lacking time to do a complete review, I recommend the great iCab review from the fine folks over at Applelinks. I just wanted to take the time to say that I welcome the improvements, which are many, in the latest iCab and suggest that you download the free trail version. Yes, that's right, this browser isn't completely free, but neither is it completely expensive either - only $2.99! Such a small price for a such great browser, in the end, it equals a great deal.

All-in-all, the more browsers a platform has, the better it is for that platform. As somewhat of a browser addict myself, I have and still use a million different ones, or so it seems. Yes, having a lot of different browsers may seem a little bit redundant, but the real fact of the matter is that each and every browser has, along with it's low points, certain particular high points that makes it a better choice for certain surfing needs. When it comes to security, like banking, my main choice is still FireFox. For cool features and speed, well that would be the recent Safari beta. However, I still use OmniWeb, Camino, Shiira and, of course, iCab. iCab's biggest draw back is the idea of having to pay for a browser when every other browser is now free, but at only a measly three bucks, iCab is worth every single penny and then some! I find iCab to be speedy and nifty, a very good browser if ever there was one.

In conclusion,what can I say: I love German food, beer, women, cars, country side and now I can add iCab to my list of fine German must haves, and one that I highly recommend. So, if you can't take a fine German Mercedes, BMW or Porsche out for a test drive, then by all means at least you can take iCab for a test drive, and I think that your going to end up liking the overall feel and speed in the end. iCab is one cab that should help get you to anywhere you wish to go on the net, cheaply, securely and quickly!

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Thursday, April 23, 2009

Is Apple About To Introduce New OLED Netbooks Soon?

Even though we should all take this with a very large grain of salt, one LG official has hinted that Apple may be introducing a new Mac NetBook computer that would feature the Holy Grail of screens - an OLED version!

I can only hope and pray that this will indeed be true, because even though the recession is still raging and the costs of these units are typically very high, meaning that at first their going to be aimed mostly for the richer crowd at first, they should eventually trickle down and become much more affordable for us poorer folks to buy. However, when there's a will, then there's a way, and this particular poor boy is going to get one even if he has to to persuade someone into buying the Brooklyn bridge from me!

LG executive Amitabh Tiwari stated that LG-branded OLED displays “should be here by the end of 2009”! You can read more on this subject here.

Well, if your ever seen the little Sony OLED XEL-1 then you don't have to be told how great, or just how absolutely stunningly these displays are to see! Images from an OLED display is nothing short of mind-blowing, so much so that they make all other displays look pathetic in comparison. OLED images are the equivalent of the real thing - but only better! It's like looking out of a very clean glass window, except, again, that many swear it's even better than that!

In some cases the resolution isn't as high as some tradition television's, so another big surprise is that they still manage to put all other display systems to shame, be they HD, LEDs, LCDs, Plasmas, etc. All of these technologies are great, don't get me wrong, but in comparison with a well built OLED screen none of them can hold a candle to them. OLED's are just that incredible!

Sadly, as you would expect, they don't come cheap. Sony's little 11 XEL 1 starting price was around $1,500 at the time, and that's for an 11 inch screen. As you can see, at the top of the post, in the YouTube video, the Sony OLED technology is above and beyond anything that has come before it. I't expensive, but Sony, among others are working on building much bigger and better OLED displays, at lower entry points soon.

If it's true that Apple is about to add OLED net book, and hopefully before anyone else does, it should be a big, big win and should help Apple capture even more and significant amount of market share. Apple couldn't hold it's competitor's off for too long, but long enough to give it a really big head start, and one that would be hard to catch up with. The talk is that Apple will first start off with an OLED netbook, and then adding OLEDs to the rest of their products as OLEDs prices tumble..

In conclusion, all I will say is: I want, I want, I want, I really, really want an OLED based iPhone, iPod Touch and a 15.4 inch MacBook Pro, and someday a 24 inch OLED iMac! Hey, a guy's got to dream, doesn't he?

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Video and pics via: OLED-Display.net

Sharp Beats Apple With It's LCD Track Pad!

Sharp's new Mebius PC-NJ70A would normally be just another ho-hum, everyday, boring piece of kit, but thanks to it's new video track pad it really stands out in the crowd big time, beating it's competition, including Apple, for the distinction of being the very first to use an LCD video track pad.

Apple itself was also rumored to be working on such an LCD video track pad, but ended up instead going for it's glass, but none video, multi-touch version. Too bad as many were excitedly looking forward to one, and that's especially true after some cool mock-ups had been leaked. Now, however, Sharp has managed to upstage Apple for the title of being first to offer this whiz-bang feature.

Sharp's new video track pad features a 854 x 480 resolution LCD built into the palm rest, which can automatically adjust the brightness based on it's surrounding light, allowing it to act as a secondary display and being useful for things such as an equalizer, or a notification system, app launcher, digital meter, etc. In fact, the possibilities of an LCD optical track pad are about as boundless as the human imagination!

Apart from the video track pad, the 1.6GHz Atom based portable, with it's 10.1" screen, 1GB or RAM, 160GB hard HDD, Ethernet, WiFi, Bluetooth, and it's multicard reader, the Mebius is basically just another ho-hum netbook. Without that cool video track pad, well, this netbook would be quite boring indeed, but with it, it really makes it shine and stand out from it's competitor's, including Apple! I love the look of this thing, and that goes especially for the black model as you can see at the beginning of this post - it's so Apple-ish! Why, frankly, it helps the Sharp to out Apple - Apple!

As you can see in the Dailymotion video below, Sharp's new optical track pad is not only cool looking, but, I believe, it's also the wave of the future, since such video track pads could be easily made adaptable for many different needs or specific applications.

Mebius NJ70A Hands-On: The world first netbook with optical
Uploaded by AkihabaraNews

In a photo app, for instance, one could zoom in or out of photos, just like the magnifying glass features found in today's photo apps. The advantage, however, of such a system is that it could help reduce the clutter found on the main screen at least to a certain degree.As stated earlier, when using a music app, like iTune's or Microsoft's WinMedia Player, an LCD video track pad could become an equalizer, or it could display the name and any album's cover art! In a game, the video track pad could display gaming statistics, leaving the main screen as clutter free as possible, much like the dual screens on the Nintendo DS hand-held gaming device.

Personally, as great as Apple's multi-touch track pads are, I was extremely disappointed when Apple failed to introduce an optical component as expected. Apart from being a whiz-bang component, a video track pad, as I already stated, can also be used in various different and helpful ways. With it's LCD track pad Sharp has shown, with it's new Mebius note book, that the track pad can be more than just a boring device, and that with a little imagination it can offer a far better solution to what's seen in most of the track pads of today, Apple's multi-touch ones included.

So, in conclusion, I can only hope that Apple wises up by putting some more oomph into it's track pads, by adding an optical track pad, one just like, if not better, than the very cool optical track pad in the Sharp Mebius PC-NJ70A .

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Mebius photo via: Engadget

Mac Site-4-the-Day: DashboardWidgets

I will take the time, since I'm short on it, to present my "Mac Site-4-the-Day: DashboardWIDGETS.com". This, as it's name implies, is a site that is a repository for OS X widgets for all you widget lovers out there. And boy, do they have a mess of em too! Like try over 200 some pages of them!

DashboardWIDGETS allows you to surf from 3 to 30 widgets per page in the 18 following categories:

- Application Interfaces

- Communications

- Counters

- Date & Time

- Decorative

- Fun & Games

- Math & Science

- Multimedia

- News & Blogs

- Phonebooks

- Post & Upload

- References

- Schedules

- Searching

- Shopping

-System Utilities

- Weather & Traffic

- And Other Miscellaneous Widget's

In other words: there's bound to be something here for just about every dashboard loving widget guy or gal.

Thanks to DashboardWIDGETS.com you can easily explore a different widget each and everyday of the year! As a suffer of extreme hypertension I can really appreciate a Dashboard widget such as the Blood Pressure widget that allows you to monitor your blood pressure over a set period of time.

Also, as a lover of clocks and timers, I can also appreciate Simple Timer, which does exactly what it's name implies. If your like me, and you love jokes, then you sure to love a wonderful widget called, "Joke by Kids". This widget will provide you with endless hours of funny jokes that have been submitted by children from the world over, such as this one:

"Why did Bob eat his computer?"

"Because it was an Apple computer!"

So, in conclusion, if your a lover of Dashboard Widgets, then by all means, be sure to check out this interesting Mac site for yourself and have fun exploring a wonderful cornucopia of funny, interesting, informative and just plain fun widgets for yourself.

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Monday, April 20, 2009

AT&T's iPhone Exclusivity to End, or Not?

Regardless of why, AT&T benefitted nicely when Verizon rejected the chance to be the exclusive iPhone carrier, something that it now obviously regrets.

At the time, they claimed that Apple simply wanted too much control, but what ever the reason was, they lost out big time.

However, all is not lost as Verizon is now stating that it may likely have an iPhone deal within place after the advent of it's new 4G network.

Speaking to the Wall Street Journal, Verizon's CEO, Mr. Seidenberg, explained that Apple will be 'more likely' to want to work with Verizon after AT&T's exclusivity ends and when it starts the wider distribution of it's 4G standard, that will eventually replace it's current 3G network.

This comes not long after reports that AT&T, the iPhone's exclusive carrier, is seeking to extend it's iPhone exclusivity agreement until at least 2010/2011. But a lot of people are questioning the benefit of extending that exclusivity, and whether it would be of any benefit to anyone other than AT&T itself, as Cult-of-Mac recently brought up in a recent post.

For the record, I will say plain out, that extending that exclusivity to AT&T, or anyone else for that matter, would be wrong for many reasons. Certainly, I can understand AT&T's desire to extend it's exclusivity agreement, and as CEO of AT&T, Randall Stephenson, it's his duty to do all in his powers to make it so. However, limiting the iPhone to AT&T will also limit the iPhone appeal and it's chances of increasing it's market share.

For AT&T such an iPhone exclusivity has been a good thing, a very good thing indeed. The iPhone has increased it's own share of the mobile market in the process, and that of AT&T's bottom line. If I were Randal Stephenson, I too would be pulling out all the stops to ensure that the iPhone remained in place as long as possible.

For many, getting an iPhone meant never thinking twice about dumping their existing mobile carriers, even at the cost of incurring a financial penalty. For many others, however, the opposite was and still is the case. As much as they may have liked the iPhone, they were not going to go out and switch carriers just to get one. This is still the case with many today.

AT&T's attempts to extend it's iPhone exclusivity comes at a critical time for Apple as it's competitors increasingly advance in their own attempts to come up with their own potential iPhone killer's. These include the Storm and the new Palm Pre, among others. In fact, some are predicting that the biggest threat to the iPhone, the Pre, may finally come to market as early as May 17 - a mere month away!

Even though I believe deeply in being loyal and dedicated to one's friend's, family and business associates, and I would like to see Apple help AT&T out by extending it's iPhone's exclusivity on an emotional level, I, on the other hand, also believe that Apple has a moral obligation to it's customers, it's potential customers, and to it's stock holders. AT&T's iPhone exclusivity has helped both it and Apple, but in doing so, it has effectively also limited the iPhone's reach and it's potential market penetration, and thus also Apple's bottom line.

A lot of people who would have loved to own an iPhone don't, and that's simply because AT&T itself has been one of the biggest obstacle's to the iPhone acceptance! A lot of people, and for various reasons, won't under any circumstances deal with AT&T. To many it's the worst mobile carrier by far, with the worse service and the worse customer support. If one loves the iPhone but has an issue with AT&T, where and who can they turn to? They're simply either stuck with AT&T's crappy service, or two, they simply have no choice but to give up on the iPhone itself! Not a good thing for the iPhone, Apple, or the potential customers it could have had if it were not that AT&T exclusivity.

The iPhone exclusivity between Apple and AT&T has served it's purpose, and it has, in the past, benefited both companies in the process. But now it's time to move on, so that Apple can not only build better iPhone's, but so that it can also extend the iPhone's reach to potentially more millions of new customers, customers who would have loved an iPhone, but were denied because of the iPhone's current exclusivity with AT&T.

So, in conclusion, Apple should be thankful for AT&T in helping to establish the iPhone as the most talked about, and the most coveted of all smart phones. For AT&T, they should be equally thankful that they had the first chance to not only offer the iPhone, but to benefit from it. Now it's time to end that exclusivity and allow other carriers and their customers to experience and benefit from the same.

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Friday, April 17, 2009

Apple and the Recession: How Bad Will It Hit?

The current economic upheaval gripping the entire world has been hard on most companies, but what about Apple? In a world were holding down costs is more important than ever, how can a luxury brand with traditionally high prices, such as Apple's, expect to survive?

After all, many long time companies such as Circuit City are no more! The current recession has put it and countless others, including many other big names, out of business.

Could Apple be next?

Obviously, no company is going to be able to completely escape all of the negative effects of the recession, including Apple, but thus far it has managed the economic stress far better than most. The recession has played it's part in hurting Apple's market share in the U.S., where it declined some 7.4%. During the fourth quarter of last year, however, it stood at 8.0%, so the 0.6% drop is better, I guess, than what some have feared.

Recent observations by Piper Jaffray and Gene Munster , however, show that Apple is much better positioned to weather the current economic downturn than most, if not all, of it's peers on the PC side. Apple is a luxury brand, and luxury brands, it should be noted, never, if ever dominate market share, nor are their sales impacted to the same manor or degree as the cheaper brands. These recent observations show that Apple is selling on average some 22 iPhones and 28 Macs per store, each and every day, which is a lot better than what some might have expected and it is one of the reasons why Pipe Jaffray is maintaining it's buy rating on Apple's stock, and increasing it's price target to $180. This is actually higher that Apple's stock was at it's pre-recession high of around $172 per share.

In the high-end computer market, as CNet.uk clearly observes, Apple is "cleaning up in the high-end". How long will that continue, of course, will depend on just how long, and just how severe the recession lasts. Apple may be holding up well, even remarkably well at the moment, but that doesn't mean that it can't slip or decline drastically in the future. Clearly, Apple has reasons to be concerned, but so far the recession has yet to give it any reason to panic.

The recession is hitting high-tech firms hard, but it seems to be hitting PC companies a lot harder than it is for Apple. One of the factors that is propping up PC manufacturers during the recession has been the emergence of the netbook. This low spec, low price device has done a lot to help keep the PC numbers of Linux and Windows PC from declining much further than they have, and it is one of the reasons why Apple may be about to enter the netbook market very soon if it wish's to reverse any slide in it's market share.

But will Apple finally go against it's image of being a high-priced luxury brand and introduce some kind of low-priced netbook? Some are betting on it, but whether or not it will be along the lines of today's current form and function of netbooks, or be something else, it is still too early to say, but like many out there, I too would be willing to bet that Apple is about to do just that and introduce some low cost, netbook/tablet device, and one that will help it maintain not only it's market share, but actually grow it, even if the recession is somehow prolonged.

Hopefully, the recession will begin to lose steam soon and things will begin to return to normal, and people will start spending again - and spending not only on low-end netbooks, laptops and desktops, but on the higher-end versions as well. I believe that if the recession is prolonged, Apple will be able to survive in the interim, but as comes to an end, it will flourish!

So, will the recession hit Apple much harder than it has - could it even threaten it's existence? That will depend on how much longer and more severe it remains, and just how Apple acts to cushion the effects with cheaper netbook like devices.

Many long established companies have, during this recession, gone bankrupt and many are tottering on it! Could this also happen to Apple? Yes, theoretically that's possible, but highly, highly unlikely. If Apple, which just happens to be one of the best run, most profitable hi-tech companies on the planet, could be toppled by this recession, then I hate to think about the rest of it's competition, most of which are all heavily in debt, badly managed and barely profitable? No, if anyone can beat the recession, it's Apple.

In conclusion, even though the recession has effected Apple and will continue to do so, lowering it's market share and it's profit margin's, I don't think it will impact Apple to quite the same degree, or in quite the same way as the rest of the industry.

In other words: It's probably safe to say that Apple is here to stay, damn the recession or not!

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Thursday, April 16, 2009

The Funny Side of Microsoft's Anti-Mac Ad Campaign!

Regardless of what you may think of Microsoft's recent string of anti-Mac ads, one thing is for sure - they have kicked up a hornet's nest from Mac fans! Love them, or hate em, by far the best and the funniest take on them comes from LandlineTV's rip-roaring parody, which you can see in the above YouTube video.

My recommendation: simply sit back, relax, press the play button and enjoy this spin tickling spoof for yourself - it's absolutely hilarious!.

So, many thanks to: LandlineTV, YouTube and to Gizmodo for bringing this to my attention.

I love it!

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Will The Next Crop of iPhone's Feature a Dedicated Business Model?

The iPhone, that incredibly popular consumer device that has completely and forever changed the mobile scene, is a great phone alright, but it's still primarily a phone designed for the consumer. Even though it's increasingly being used as a business phone, what is the chance that we will ever see an iPhone designed primarily as a dedicated business phone, and how soon can we expect to see it?

Before I give you my 2 cents on that, I like to point out that many rumors and reports are coming out regarding the next version of the iPhone. For example, AppleInsider, among others, are reporting that Asian sources are indicating that Apple is about to release not one, not two, but three different models of the iPhone.

Hmmmm... could one of them be an iPhone business model?

Well, if it's true that many iPhone's are about to enter the market, it's certainly reasonable that one of those could, in fact, be an iPhone designed primarily as a business phone. For one thing, I have never forgotten Steve Jobs' words when he revealed the first generation of the iPhone, and when he said, with a subtle smile, something to the effect, "this is just the beginning, we got a lot more models to come."

The China Times, for instance, has recently stated that among the three new expected iPhone's, one model would offer only EDGE c connectivity, while yet another would consist of a newer 3G model, and still another will be a Chinese market specific model. Again, but will we ever see a fully dedicated business model - an iPhonePro, or Super iPhone as I like to call it?

Taiwanese sources, on the component side, have also reported on what it believes to be a list of components. Among these, it's interesting to note, that Infineon may be about to replace Broadcom as the iPhone GPS chip supplier. Interesting as it is, it still doesn't answer if Apple is actually building a dedicated business iPhone.

With so many different types of customers, customers with diverse needs and wants, it's only natural that Apple would choose to energize the iPhone by making a much broader range of different models. Furthermore, I believe that Apple will include among them a luxury or business iPhone model. Apple needs to address the enterprise market if it wish's to compete head-to-toe with the likes of RIM and Palm. Having a business model could help to keep the iPhone head-and-shoulders above all of it's competitors. Any investment made on the advance business model will, of course, benefit all iPhone users, regardless of their particular model, as I'm sure that many of it's advance features will eventually trickle on down to the lower and mid range ones.

I'm convinced that Apple will do whatever it needs to do in the enterprise sector to give the business user every thing that they demand and come to expect, and yes, that includes having some type of physical keyboard, something that I've been harping on for some time now. And there's a reason for that - millions of users demand and insist on one! How long can Apple continue to ignore them? Not long, if you ask me.

AppleInsider is also reporting that, as a business phone, the consumer iPhone has not only been found ready to meet the challenges of a business phone, but even more interestingly, it's been found to be a better choice than the business leader - the BlackBerry! All the more crucial that Apple quickly act in order to up the ante by providing one or more high-class, business iPhone's.

ComputerWorld reports that according to studies from Forrester, it's now known that growing numbers of iPhone corporate users are much happier and much more productive when using the iPhone over those of other bussiness-class phone's. And that, it must be remembered, is corporate users that are using the current iPhone - one that is designed first-and-foremost as a consumer device! Can you imagine if Apple actually designed a dedicated business iPhone from the ground up? I can, and not only that, if not in June, than surely soon thereafter I'm certain that we shall finally get to see such a business-class phone.

BusinessInsider hits it right on the head when they suggest that if you can afford to wait, then by all means don't buy any phone until at least this coming June. The reason is that Apple, RIM and Palm are all expected to unveil new and more capable mobile's around then. Palm has it's upcoming Pre which looks like it will be a big hit, and RIM is expecting to show off new models, but it is Apple that all eyes will be focused on.

The iPhone's recent sneak-peak of it's newest OS upgrade, version 3.0 was exciting, but apparently, Apple has still a lot of features buried deep within it's code that it conveniently left out of it's unveiling, features such as video capabilities, etc. These are features that suit business users well, and no doubt Apple will take advantage of them in any business-class iPhone.

With all of the extra information coming forth on both the iPhone's coming hardware and software coming to light, a lot of people have a lot of reasons to anticipate that not only will there be more than one model of the iPhone, but that at least one them will be specifically targeted for business. For one, am eagerly looking forward to the next crop of iPhone's, because regardless of whether it's in the lower, middle or the upper-end range, I suspect that Apple's next's crop will be more exciting and more far more advanced than any of it's competitor's, and that especially goes for the what will be the king of all iPhone's, it's new business class model!

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Unibody iPhonePro mockups via: 9t05Mac

Color Me Purple - The $2,100 Prince iPod!

A lot of people really love their music idols. They have been known to spend oodles and oodles of hard earned cash on their records, concerts and merchandise.

Some people are so obsessed with their idols that they will even fly all the way around the world, concert-hoping, in a vain chance to get an up-and-close glimpse of their favorite idol.

That said, then I guess that the very purple iPod Touch (pictured above) should prove to be quite irresistible to you, that is if your a really big fan of the artist formally known as Prince (or what ever name he is called these days?) and you also just happen to be rich enough, or if you ask me - crazy enough - you can now plunk down a whopping $2,100 smackaroo's for your very own limited edition of this purply Prince iPod.

And just what will your $2,100 iPod get you besides the color purple? How about every single piece of music ever recorded by Prince? Nope, no way brudah! You will, however, receive all of this - a measly 15 songs and a 40 minute video of Mr. Purple himself! Mind you, it's a very exclusive video, and when you really sit down and think about it, even during this brutal recession -- what's a measly $2,100 compared to the honor of honoring your favorite purply artist?

Personally, however, if you ask little old me, I can think of a lot of things that I would rather do with all of that cash - like buying myself (if I was a fan) a normal iPod Touch and filling it with most, if not all of the artist's music and that of other artists as well.

With only 950 of these baby's on sale, these exclusive iPod's are bound to touch the harts and wallets of millions of Prince fans everywhere, so I'm sure that they will sell out like the old proverbial purple pancakes! So, what ever you do, please place your order immediately to avoid any possible disappointment, otherwise you might just end up at the end of the day feeling a little blue, or is that feeling a little purple?

Will I buy one? Nah, but then again I don't like pancakes, Prince's music, the color purple, or frankly, spending anything over two bucks for anything period! In other words, count me out!

However, working out at only $150 per song, I find it rather hard to believe that there are some people out there who are still bitching that Apple recently raised some of it's iTune selections from 99 cents to a $1.29! Go figure?

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Monday, April 13, 2009

Photo via: Engadget via AllThingsD via Prince

Microsoft's Anti-Mac Ads - What You Won't Hear

Microsoft's recent ads have hit hard at the Mac, suggesting that it's way over priced, underpowered and offers consumers far less choice than that of a Windows PC. Naturally, this has caused quite a ruckus among the Mac faithful, but is it all true, and are Microsoft's ads really being honest?

Some, for example, point out that Lauren is a fake, that she is just a paid actress, not a real customer, prompting a flurry of rebuttals in response. Tom Reestman, writing for The AppleBlog, for example, wrote an excellent post on that particular ad and, as well, as this newer one.

AppleInsider also just did an excellent post on how Microsoft paid a consultant to create a very inaccurate study on the so-called high "Apple tax". Trust me, this study doesn't paint a very pretty picture, any more than it paints an accurate one.

Rather than write on what Microsoft has been saying lately, I would rather write on what it's not been saying in these ads, and what your not likely to hear it say anytime soon. One thing that you won't find Microsoft saying or talking about in it's new ads is - Vista, no, not one single word! I don't know about you, but this all sounds a little-bit fishy to me. After all, Microsoft is a software company, it doesn't make computers, just the OS that most of them run on, and yet their whole point seems to be about how cheap some other company's hardware is! Strange don't you think, that in it's ads, Microsoft never really mentions it's own Windows software, or why it makes PCs better than a Mac, or for that matter, Linux!

The question. of course, is why? It would seem to me that they can't dare mention their software for the simple reason that if they did, they know bloody well that they would lose hands down! The impression is that Vista sucks, and that it sucks big time, therefore Microsoft really doesn't have much of a choice but to concentrate on other people's cheap hardware in an attempt to mask their own software's bad image. Hopefully, Vista 2, or as it is now called, Windows 7, will help to address some of the reasons for Windows bad reputation, but we will have to wait and see?

Another reason Microsoft likes to point out the PCs cheaper hardware costs, and something it isn't going to tell you in it's ads is this: PC hardware may come cheap, but Microsoft's own software doesn't!

That's right folks, where Apple only charges you $129 for a simple to choose OS (there's only two versions - OS X client for consumers and OS X server for servers!) Microsoft, on the other hand, won't be mentioning anytime soon that their buggy software not only sells in a million different versions, but that those versions can cost you up to $500 or more at retail! I dare Microsoft to advertise that little blaring omission! Don't hold your breath - because funerals can be quite expensive these days!

Microsoft also loves to compare Apple's high-end computers with low-end PCs, suggesting that lower prices always makes for a better computer! In other words: don't expect to see Microsoft say or do a fair comparison with that of a high-end PC to that of a high-end Mac! Microsoft knows that if it did that, actually dare to compare a high-end PC to that of a high-end Mac, not only would the Mac be around the same price, but in many case's, it would, in fact, be cheaper than the high-end PC! Don't believe me? Let's do a fair comparison - let's say between a MacBook Air with an equivalent high-end PC alternative, such as the ones the Air directly inspired such as the Dell Adamo or the HP Voodoo Envy laptop, and then see which is actually the cheaper - and thus based on Microsoft's own logic - the better computer! You will find, in these cases, that the Mac is often hundreds of dollars cheaper then comparable PCs! Likewise, just compare a high-end all-in-one PC with that of the high-end iMac. What do we find? Pretty much the same thing, as you can see listed below:

- Sony VAIO 22-inch, Amazon price: $2,299.83

- iMac 24-inch, Amazon price: $1,729 to $2,099 (oh, by the way, did you notice that the iMac had better specs, over all, than the VAIO - not to mention a better overall build quality!)

This idea of Microsoft comparing a high-end Mac computer to a low-end pc, especially since Apple doesn't make low-end computers, unless you count the Mini, is totally crazy, and, quite frankly, I think that one has to be a little-bit crazy themselves to believe them. Many people have written on how the computers that Microsoft uses in it's ads not only have lower prices, but also much lower specs and a much lower build-quality than that of the Mac's, something which they just conveniently gloss over, touting Mac's as being just a sexy, but otherwise, nothing more than a mere children toy and an expensive one at that!

Of course, there is some truth to Microsoft's ads, but they are deliberately twisted and skewed to make the Mac look bad, and thus Windows look better in the process. These ads are mostly based on the idea that hardware and software between the pc and the Mac are pretty much the same - with the only difference being that a PC has lower prices, thus making them automatically the better choice! Of course, there is only one little problem with this assumption - it isn't true! Not by a long shot.

Is lower pricing really the only difference between Mac's and PCs as Microsoft would have you believe?

I don't bloody well think so!

That's much like saying, if you can afford it, not to buy a Mercedes, because a Ford Focus has a lower price, and therefore it's a better car! Of course, there's nothing wrong with buying a Ford Focus, but come on - I don't see where the Focus's lower price automatically makes it a better car than a Mercedes simply because of it's lower price! Do you? Basically, if you apply Microsoft's logic, then they are shooting themselves in the foot, because, since Linux is not only cheaper than Windows - it's Free and offers far more choice - then according to it's logic, it must also be better than Windows too - therefore let's skip both the Mac and Windows and go for the cheaper, and therefore much better choice - Linux! Maybe I'm missing something here, but something doesn't quite add up with this kind of logic! The question is, whether or not, most people will recognize this, or will they simply be sucked into Microsoft's propaganda spin?

Microsoft, of course, is spending big money on it's anti-Apple, anti-Mac ads for a reason - their scared to death of Apple's rapidly growing success and market share gains - all at their expense, by the way! They also know that Apple's success is a very real threat to it's own and they are prepared to stop it at all costs, including launching that massive $300,000,000 anti-Apple campaign, a campaign designed to deliberately twist the facts with half-truths, lies and blatant omissions and unfair and unbalanced comparisons! Microsoft is going to say a lot things in these ads, but one thing that we're not going to hear a lot from them will be - the truth! So, get ready to hear a lot of cleverly masked untruth's, twisted facts among purposely omitted ones, as these ads take their course!

As far as the old Mac vs PC debate goes, PCAuthority.com says, that these Microsoft ads don't add anything to clear up the matter of which platform is better, but rather it simply masks the truth behind them in a cloud of half-truths, deliberate omissions and twisted convoluted and fuzzy logic, as I have repetitively stated.

Hey, what did you expect - it's a Microsoft ad after all!

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Friday, April 10, 2009

The Case For A Physical iPhone Keyboard: Will It Ever Get One?

Dan Frommer, from AlleyInsider, writing for Fortune , goes on to give several reasons on how he feels that Apple could beat RIM with the iPhone. You can read them for yourself, but I would like to take a moment to highlight one of those reasons, namely Apple's refusal to include a physical keyboard.

Like Dan, I too feel that it's important for Apple to include one. Yes, as Dan points out, the iPhone's 3.0 beta software will go a long way to make typing on the touch keyboard a much more accurate and pleasurable experience, but, at the same time, it will do nothing to satisfy those hard-core users who, for one reason or the other, simply insist on having one.

It's certainly possible that a touch-screen keyboard could be every bit as good as having a physical keyboard, but there is this persistent perception in the minds of many people that a physical keyboard is a better option, if not a downright indispensable one. As Steve Jobs once quoted, "perception is reality". How true, and therefore how true is the need for Apple to eventually include a physical keyboard for those folks who want or demand them. If those people were small in number it really wouldn't be much of a problem. The problem, of course, is that a great number of people do want them. These numbers are too large to ignore, and if Apple, as Dan points out, really wants to increase it's iPhone's sales numbers, it would do well to consider, at least as an option, giving people the option of finally having an iPhone with a physical keyboard.

What such an iPhone would look like, what it would add in the terms of extra cost, size, weight and bulk, I don't know, save to say it shouldn't add too much to any of these. It would add a lot, however, I believe, to Apple's bottom line in terms of the increased profits that it would make by the resulting increase in iPhone sales. It makes sense to have several different models of the iPhones, ones with and without physical keyboards. After all, no car manufacturer would settle on making just one type of automobile. Mercedes, for example, not only makes those big and fabulous Mercedes S-Class sedans, but it also makes those odd looking and diminutive Smart Cars, as well, in addition to SUV's, trucks and what have you? Likewise, Apple can't afford to allow the iPhone to be a type of one-trick pony, a type of Model T Ford! It has to eventually offer various and different types of the iPhone, ones for different people, with different needs and budgets - including models with physical keyboards!

As you can see from Olivier Demangel's iPhone concept illustrations, a keyboard slider need not take away from the slim and simplistic beauty of the iPhone, one of factors that makes Apple products so drool worthy in the first place. In fact, I think it actually adds a bit to the overall look and appeal of the iPhone. For many, a physical keyboard is not such a big deal, but for many, many others, having a physical keyboard is indeed a very big deal and without one, for them, it's no deal period! Rumors are floating around that Apple, at this year's WWDC in June, will finally include at least one model of the iPhone with a slider keyboard, and one that would especially go a long way in satisfying the ever important enterprise market.

So, will the iPhone be getting a physical keyboard anytime soon? Well, for one, I'm totally convinced that it has to, therefore, it will! But when? That I don't exactly know, but I do expect it will be coming relatively soon, be it either from Apple itself, or from a 3rd. party source. Whether it will be built-in, or whether it will be an optional add on, we will just have to wait and see. One thing, however, that I firmly believe, is that Apple can't afford to wait too much longer, or RIM, Palm and every other iPhone competitor will end up eating Apple's lunch!

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Thursday, April 09, 2009

iPhone concept illustration via: Ubergizmo

3D Animated Glory: BumpTop 4 Windows

If your a Windows user and you wish to impress your cool OS X and Linux friends, well, BumpTop, a 3D graphical layer for Windows, just might make your smug and savvy OS X and Linux friends feeling a wee bit jealous! That's because BumpTop transforms the overly boring 2D Windows desktop into a gloriously cool 3D environment, and one that would make any Mac user down right drool in envy!

Five years ago Anand Agarwala came to the simple conclusion that Microsoft's OS wasn't anywhere near as efficient at using it's desktop real estate as it could be, so he decided to spice it up a bit and make it not only more efficient, but visually really, really cool in the process, as you can plainly see by clicking on the above YouTube video.

Besides being visually stunning to look at, what really makes BumpTop so impressive is how it treats your computer desktop as if it was a real physical desktop. You can drag things, pile them up, you name it, it's as close to being a real desktop as you can virtually get. BumpTop works with any processor running at 1.4 GZ or above, but it's obvious, the faster the processor, the better BumpTop will perform. It also stands to reason that a dedicated graphic card (the faster and more powerful - the better) is a also must have, even though some may get by with only built-in graphics, but in a more limited way.

Anand, who is only 27, is offering Window users two versions of BumpTop, a free version, and a paid version that goes for $29 dollars. Whether it's cool enough and practical enough is somewhat subjective, but I wouldn't mind having an OS X version right now, and who knows, hopefully, Anand's new company will soon share the love with us OS X and Linux users? There is a sign up for us poor non-Windows folks, so I signed up right away, because I'm a fool for anything cool!

Some of the free versions features, or as they like to call them, " Awesome Stuff", are as follows:

- Sticky Notes

- Toss files onto USB keys

- Most used files automatically grow

- Flipping through Piles

- Thumbnail Previews (Webpages, PSDs, HDRs and more) and a limited Customer Support.

Naturally, the paid version offers even more "Awesome Stuff", such as:

- Physics Engine

- 3D Visualization

- Piles

- Intuitive Gestures

- Themes,

- Widgets (for FaceBook, Twitter, email and printers.

All-in-all, if your a sucker for cool visuals effects like little old me, then BumpTop is sure to please. I'm just torn between buying it now and running it on Windows, or waiting for the Mac version to arrive? It's a tough choice, because I certainly wouldn't want to purchase a separate version for each OS that I use, Ubuntu, Windows XP and OS X, and that goes especially in this brutal recession. Since OS X is my primary OS of choice I think it's best to wait. Unfortunately, for me, BumpTop, is just so damn visually cool, I'm not sure that I can!

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Wednesday, April 08, 2009

Special thanks to CrunchGear and VBeat for bringing BumpTop to my attention.

Apple's Upcoming NetBook: The iPhone?

Some people believe that Apple will eventually introduce either a new tablet pc, or better yet, a Mac version of the netbook, and some are even suggesting that it could morph from that of the iPhone itself! But is that really possible?

Well, according to ZDnet's, Jason D.O' Grady, people are expecting a lot more from Apple this year and I have to agree with him. In his post titled, "iPhone could morph into a tablet pc," he brings out some very interesting reasons as to why that just might be the case.

The iPhone, as he points out, is clearly becoming the future for the Cupertino giant. It's a smash hit by any means that you might wish to measure it by. It has totally changed the game, and likewise, Apple itself. Since Apple practically invented the idea of small, cheap portable devices with it's Newton digital personal assistant, it's indeed quite inconceivable that Apple would simply sit back, as Jason states, and allow others such as Asus, Acer, Dell among others to cash in on the netbook craze. As Jason also says, Apple is simply just sitting back and bidding it's time, while others thrash it out among themselves. Eventually, Apple will move in and when it does - watch out!

Since the iPhone is already a very credible alternative to both tablet pcs and netbooks, it is certainly plausible that Apple could effortlessly morph the iPhone into either a tablet or netbook like device, and something that would possess both the capabilities of said devices, but yet, at the same time, it would be something totally different and unique and something that would go beyond the confines of today's smart phones, netbooks or tablets.

The iPhone already allows you to easily connect to the net, play music, video and what have you, and it's a device who's power can easily fit in your pocket. However, there is one thing that both netbooks and tablets offer over the iPhone - a bigger screen! This is something that a newer iPhone/tablet/netbook like device would remedy. True, the iPhone is a great device already, but that small screen, even though great for many things, certainly does have it's limits. By morphing a larger screen iPhone into something that is more than just a smart phone, Apple would have automatically created something that is also more than just a tablet or a netbook! It's even conceivable that it would be classed as something that was an entire new type of category altogether?

With Apple's huge mountain of cash, close to some 30 billion dollars or more, and it's huge software lead offered by it's AppStore, Apple can easily afford to sit back and watch the competition do all the dirty work, but not forever, or as Jason put it, Apple simply "can't keep it's head buried in the sand forever" - it has to take a stand, one way or the other. By all accounts, Apple will make that move at this years WWDC, and again quoting Jason's post:

"Apple is paying close attention to the netbook space and is taking a second-mover approach, just like it’s doing with the Apple TV. Cupertino is sitting on the sidelines and letting others make all the mistakes and spend their precious money on R&D. Then when the timing’s right, they’ll release a category killer that sets a new bar.

Barclays analyst Benjamin Reitzes told his clients that Apple’s “very strong free cash flow” will allow it to release an ultraportable Mac “later this year” in addition to a new line of iPhones. Collins Stewart analyst Ashok Kumar takes it one step further writing that “[Apple] has also set in place a supply chain ecosystem to support the launch of a touch-screen tablet in [the second half of 2009].” He went on to write that “the product will be positioned between a iPhone and Mac and will likely be a platform that supports TV/Gaming/Web.”

I agree. Eventually not only does Apple have to address the tablet pc and the netbook craze, but it has to do it soon and do it better, far better than what others have done thus far. I think, like Jason, that Apple should slowly expand the iPhone into a mini-tablet like device, and one that eventually would combine TV, radio, the internet, telephony, gaming, among others.

Of course, we can all speculate to the cows come home, but that doesn't mean that any of our speculation will, of course, actually happen. However, I do think that the arguments Jason makes in his post are certainly valid and that we shall eventually indeed see a dichotomy develop in the iPhone line, one that makes the iPhone more than just an iPhone and more than just a tablet pc or netbook!

Again, like many others, I'm predicting that Apple is going to come out swinging with it's next iPhone replacements, come this June. This, my friends, could be a "Super-iPhone" - on steroids! Whether it eventually morphs into a netbook, or a tablet, or even something altogether different, this new "Super-iPhone" is going to be big, very, very big and it should neuter any threat posed by competitors such as Palm with it's new Pre! If only half of the recent iPhone leaks, that have been making the rounds lately, turn out to be true, then Apple's competitors may once again find themselves eating and choking on Apple's dust.

So, will the iPhone morph into some kind of netbook or tablet pc? Not only could it - it will! I'm certain of it, and with that said, I will conclude with Jason when he writes:

"Think about it. The iPhone is white hot right now and it’s basically become a life support system for a steady drone of iMacs and Mac Pros that are slowly becoming commodities. The iPhone, its apps, rich-media content and the services built around them are the future of the company and Apple knows it. That’s why Cupertino’s much more likely to build a larger iPhone before it builds a smaller MacBook."

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Tuesday, April 07, 2009

iPhone concept via: Factory City

Hidden iPhone OS 3.0 beta Secrets Emerge

Last week Apple seeded it's latest iPhone OS 3.0 beta 2 to developers and according to rumors, AT&T is very excited about what it will offer and it has been frantically gearing up for it's release and the increase demand that it will bring. In fact, Electronista says that:

"Engineers have reportedly been told that the update is necessary due to a predicted tenfold spike in the amount of traffic on the network following a 2009 iPhone update and a sudden influx of video streaming."

A ten fold increase in traffic, if it happens, is nothing to sneeze about and it's becoming increasingly apparent that what Apple showcased at it's unveiling of it's OS 3.0 sneak peak was just that - a sneak peak! Obviously, Apple has been holding back on a lot of the precise details. However, that hasn't prevented developers and the press from discovering new and interesting secret features hidden deep within the iPhone's new OS 3.0 software.

Some of these new and hidden features include:

- A new low powered 802.11n chip for the iPod that, according to AppleInsider, should also be finding it's way into the new iPhone.

- New video editing graphic abilities. Again, AppleInsider is reporting that an Australian site has discovered new video editing controls hidden within the iPhone's OS 3.0 beta.

- FM Transmission Capability is also a new feature that Apple has said nothing about, but is now being reported by Gizmodo hand MacRumors.

This, of course, is not only interesting, but it automatically begs the question: what else is Apple hiding? Your guess is as good as mind, but one thing, that I'm totally convinced of, is that there are probably a lot more of these goodies hiding within OS 3.0 then Apple would want us to know about quite yet. Whether or not Apple will enabled them all immediately when the newest iPhone model is introduced, or whether it wait to make use of them some time later, I can now only guess at - but trust me, I have the sneaky feeling that we haven't seen anything yet!

The reason I say that is because I know that Jobs and company are anything but dummies. They knew that the competition would be hot on their tail and would eventually overtake Apple if they didn't pursue a very aggressive approach to it's future iPhone's development plans. Already the Pre, Palm's much praised iPhone killer, has been generating considerable buzz, and other companies such as Nokia, Samsung and RIMM haven't been standing still either, coming out with one, after another, slick alternative to the iPhone. None of them, except for maybe the Palm Pre, comes even close to having the functionality and sex appeal of the iPhone itself, but, they could, if Apple is lazy, pose a very real and significant threat to the iPhone in the future.

This is why Apple has to up the ante dramatically, and this is exactly why I'm also so convinced that Apple plans to come out swinging with the next iPhone in a big way. No, Apple, nor anyone else for that matter, may not be able to deliver quite the sensation that the original iPhone did, a phone that completely changed the industry overnight, but I'm convinced that the next iPhone is going to be a real show stopper and go far beyond what has been revealed to date.

So, in conclusion, as we get nearer to the iPhone's next eventual release date, I believe that we can also expect, in the meantime, to continue to see even more of these secret hidden features popping up. In the end, these now emerging hidden secret features, combined with what has been officially revealed, should eventually make for an iPhone that will make all current smart phones out there look pathetically down-right dumb! Exactly how many or just what these features might eventually entail, we just don't know yet, but they should continue to make the iPhone the envy of the industry and it's competitor's scrambling in frustration to keep up with!

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Monday, April 06, 2009

iPhone graphic via: TheBoyGenious

iPhone Game 4 the Day: RealMaze 3D!

I got my first computer way back when, in the olden, or dinosaur days of computing, when 16KB of RAM was a big deal. My first computer was a Commodore PET and one of my all time favorite games, one which I played for hours on end, was this simple maze game where you were a mouse who's sole purpose was to find a hidden piece of cheese in a maze. Yuppers, that maze was amazing, no doubt about it, all of which brings me to my iPhone "Game-4-the-Week": RealMaze 3D!

As amazing as my old maze game was, it's absolutely nothing compared to Starscene's incredibly beautiful RealMaze 3D for the iPhone/iPod Touch! My old maze game was like that of an old model T Ford to a modern day Ferrari in-comparison. For one thing, this baby isn't your father's kind of maze game! That's because, as the developers says, it's more than a mere 2D maze dressed up in 3D, a lot more. This baby is a real 3D maze where you must climb up and down ladders in an ever increasingly more complex and mystifying maze, and a game that makes my old maze look down right pathetic. No, this is not a game where the path is straight and narrow, but rather a game who's paths are deviously twisted and complex, so you better watch out, or you just might need to call 911 for assistance in order to get yourself out!

Some of the features, as listed by the developer, include fantastic lighting effects, and beautiful graphics which create an atmosphere of mystery and intrigue that helps to make this game as much fun to get lost in as it is trying to find your way out. In addition to it's sublime soundscape and it's smooth and fluid movement, the game also features the following:

- Player-friendly: always resume an interrupted game wherever you left off, at any time. Play your iPod music if you like.

- Touch or tilt control, or a combination of both. Tilt is auto-calibrated whenever you start or pause a game.

- Optional compass to help you get your bearings, so if yo get really, really lost, you can at least leave a trail of bread crumbs behind in order to help you find your way back.

- A choice of five different maze sizes, from a "Tiny" one, to an ever increasing "Insane" one, all of which are designed to keep you busy depending on how much time you have to spare.

- History list of your best times, to help you keep track of just how fast you can escape.

Well, when I look back at all of the hours, upon hours and hours of fun that my simple maze game gave me, what can I say? For a measly 99 cents this is one game that's a no brainer, because as you can plainly see from the games YouTube trailer, at the beginning of this post, RealMaze 3D is one hell of an amazing maze and one that's worth every single penny and then some!

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Friday, April 03, 2009

Motorola's Evoke AQ2: A Real iPhone Killer or iPhoney?

As you can see in the above YouTube video, the Evoke QA4 is finally Motorola's answer to the iPhone, but the question is: is it an iPhone killer, or is it just another iPhoney?

Well, as nice as it is, as nice as it may look at first glance, I don't think this phone is going to have much of a chance of killing off the iPhone anytime soon, because, quite frankly, it's too late to the party. Unfortunately, for Moto, it also comes at a bad time - a time of one of the greatest recessions in all of recorded history!

Motorola's bad timing also means that the Evoke will be facing a virtual avalanche of much stiffer and much better iPhone wannabe copy cat offerings from the likes of Palm, Nokia and BlackBerry, etc. The end result should ultimately find that the Evoke QA4 is going to be very hard pressed to evoke much of a response from anybody, anywhere. As Crunch Gear's Peter Ha said:

"..... reminds me of something that launched two years ago."

Again, in other words: it's late to the party, too, too late! Too bad! This is because Motorola desperately needs a hit product, something like it's now aging Razr line to help lift it out of it's present slump, returning it to it's glory days when Motorola was a much bigger and more significant player in the mobile space . Unfortunately, for Moto, the Evoke isn't the ticket to do the trick. Talk about bad timing, the Evoke not only comes during a brutal recession, and at a time only when RIMM, Palm, Nokia, etc. are offering much more sophisticated and more advanced models, but also at a time when Apple itself is just about to launch a much more sophisticated iPhone OS (version 3.0), along with much more advanced hardware to go along with it!

As much as I wanted to like Moto's new iPhone pretender, it doesn't do enough to help differentiate itself from the other iPhone wannabe's, let alone the iPhone, thus leaving me feeling rather unimpressed and disappointed. It's rather fat and boring, and by the time it hits the market sometime in Q2, not only will it be too late, but it will also be just a little too dull and just a little too "iPhoney" looking for my tastes, so I will conclude with Peter Ha's last words:

"This one doesn’t do much for me and probably won’t do much for you either...."

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Thursday, April 02, 2009

OS X Market Share, How High Can It Go?

Since it's April 1st. I was tempted to do some joking around, like announcing that Microsoft just bought Apple with the intent of closing the whole thing down, but instead I decided to simply note that Apple's market, according to NetApplications, now stands at a rather respectable 9.77 percent. This is up slightly from the 9.71 percent of last month, which is nothing dramatic, but then again, nothing to sneeze at either. The Mac, in other words, is holding it's own and nicely at that.

The question is: has OS X's market share gone as far as it can, and two, if not, then how high can it go?

First, before I answer that, it's interesting to note that NetApplications also showed a slight increase in Linux's market share, which increased grew ever so slightly from some 0.89 percent to 0.90 percent of the market. I'm curious to know just what percentage of that figure would be for the various and individual distro's, such as Ubuntu, Red Hate, Suse, etc.?

Also Android's first time on the charts is quite impressive as it captured some 0.07 percent of the market. A very respectable first-time showing indeed. It will be very interesting to watch how the numbers for Android grow over the next few months and just how fast they grow. I'm sure they will increase substantially, but whether that will be enough to drag down the iPhone numbers , well, we will just have to wait and see. Personally, if you ask me, I expect both to increase very nicely, something I also predict to see for Palm's new raved about Pre.

Also in the mobile browsing space, Nokia's Symbian market share, at 0.06 percent, is slightly ahead of Windows Mobile which captured a modest 0.05 percent. It's also interesting that the long time Windows Mobile's share is even less than first-timer Android's! I'm not sure if this is a reflection on just how great Android is, or if it's a reflection on just how terrible Windows Mobile is? Even more interesting is the fact that the iPhone now totally dwarfs Microsoft's Windows Mobile internet share, and something made even more interesting when I remember how Steve Ballmer laughed when the iPhone was introduced, and his boasting on how he much preferred Microsoft's superior model. Even Sony's Playstation gets almost as much internet market share as does Windows Mobile, with a market share that is only slightly smaller, at some 0.04 percent!

Who's laughing now, Mr. Ballmer?

Of course, these numbers fluctuate from month-to-month, but it's the over all trend that is the important thing here. And that trend seems to be favoring OS X and Linux. Microsoft's Windows, on the other hand, has not only been stalling, but it's been shrinking for the past several years, and is now down to 88.14 percent. This totally dwarfs every body else, of course, but again, it's the trend that is important here. Will Microsoft Windows continue on it's downward slide? I honestly don't know, nor does anyone other than God Himself. However, personally, I have no doubt that Windows will continue to remain the dominant OS for many more years. However, thanks to increased pressure and competition from OS X and Linux, it no longer looks like Windows is quite as invulnerable as once claimed! No longer can Microsoft honestly boast that it has some 90 percent, let alone 95 or 99 percent of the market! Those days are over thankfully, and we owe it all to the stiff competition that OS X and the open source community has brought to bear on Microsoft. Trust me, if Windows 7 is as good as they say it is, well, it wouldn't be because of any innovation on Microsoft's part, but rather because of that very same stiff competition. If you take a casual look at Windows 7, or Vista for that matter, it's clear to see where Microsoft got it's inspiration from.

Windows 7 may be nothing more than Vista 2, but it's a much, much better Vista and for that reason alone I expect that Windows will be at least able to hold it's own. Of course, if Snow Leopard is anywhere near as good as it seems now to be shaping up to be, then again, that could change. What ever, I'm convinced that Windows will never again return to it's glory days. I expect that OS X will actually dip a little in market share, but only for a little while.

So, how high can OS X go? Well, it may never replace Windows as the world's main OS, not anytime soon that is, but if Snow Leopard and subsequent upgrades continues to advance and push the envelope, then I believe that the Mac can go higher, a lot higher and, possibly grow to a very respectable 15 percent of the market, and who knows, maybe even higher? Maybe, dare I say it - even grow to a 20 to 25 percent share of the market in the next three to five years! That's being very optimistic to say the least, but it's certainly doable.

At least I hope so anyway.

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Wednesday, April 01, 2009

Chart via: NetApplications