Microsoft's Courier Is Officially Dead: The Tech World Mourns!

Many people have been excited and enamored by Microsoft's concept for a dual-screen tablet, the Courier, and they envisioned it as a virtual iPad killer.

Even though I never quite seen it as an iPad killer per say, I certainly thought of it as a very original and exciting concept nonetheless, but alas it doesn't really matter any more since it looks like Microsoft has decided to abort the Courier before it ever had a chance to even be born!

As Wired.com reported, "Microsoft did not ever publicly announce the device or show it at conferences.", therefore it was more of a dream on the part of many, rather than a real project with a real time table for production. Microsoft, like many huge corporations, is always investigating numerous concepts, some of which may see the light of day, while others don't. Clearly, as cool and innovated as the Courier seemed, it was never more then that of a concept on Microsoft's part. Unfortunately, too many people wanted to believe that it was more than that.

Even though I can understand why people would love the idea of the Courier, clearly they jumped the gun on this one. Even though I thought that the Courier was indeed a very cool concept, on the other hand, I saw some potentially really big downsides to it as well.

One of my big concerns was the Courier's dual screen connecting joint that attached the two screens together. It seemed to me to be a potentially very weak point, and one that made the tablet susceptible to a lot of potential hardware failure. I could see or imagine such a system cracking and breaking easily. Not only that, but having a folding dual screen would tend to make it somewhat difficult to hold. Lying flat on a table, yes, but in your hands I could see it bending and folding when you least wanted it to.

Microsoft, like all big companies, of course, has many such Courier concept projects on the go at any one time, and even though the Courier could always be revived, for the time being anyway it looks like this baby is completely dead in the water.

In conclusion, for me, what is really interesting isn't that the Courier was cancelled, but the possibility that Microsoft cancelled it because they have something far more interesting to take its place, and maybe something that utterly puts the Courier to shame? Again, maybe they don't, but the mere possibility that they might intrigues me much more than the Courier ever did.

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Friday, April 30, 2010

Courier RIP graphic via: Gizmodo

How Will HP's Buyout of Palm Effect Apple?

When it came to struggling Palm something had to give, and give it did. In a surprise move, cash rich HP stepped in and scooped up the troubled company for a measly 1.2 billion dollars, a mere fraction of what it was worth not that long ago, and the primary reason was to get access to its WebOS.

Personally, if anyone purchased Palm I was hoping that it would have been Apple, because Palm has traditionally been a thorn in its side ever since it took over the PDA market that Apple first created with its unsuccessful Newton Message Pad. Had Apple purchased Palm, it could have pull that thorn from out of its side and it could have secondarily prevented others from using Palm's extensive patent portfolio to help shield themselves against Apple's own multi-touch patents, and, in addition, Apple could have picked up Palm's considerable engineering talent that it could have readily employed on the iPhone and iPad.

As HP put it, "We're doubling down on WebOS" , which means that not only does Apple have to continue to put up with the Pre and Pixi, but more importantly, HP plans to scale down WebOS to other devices such as its upcoming Slate tablet. With a full blown desktop such as Windows 7 or Android on board, it was believed that the Slate, no matter what advantage its hardware specs gave it, was still at a considerable disadvantage when competing with Apple's own iPad because its use of the iPhone OS. Tablet OS's, such as the iPhone OS, are seen as being simply better equipped, making them lighter, less buggy and thus faster to use in tablets since they are so much less resource hungry.

Up until now, some people have felt that Apple's best response towards Palm was to basically to just do nothing, and simply allow Palm to continue to do what it has been doing best - namely, 'being successful at being unsuccessful' in the market place. All Apple had to do, in the end, was just to let Palm run itself into the ground, and el-presto - the end of the story. With little money and resources to take on Apple, on the surface, that makes some sense, but not so with HP with buying Palm.

HP isn't Palm, it is instead a giant among tech giants, but again so too is Apple. In fact, Apple is a much bigger company than HP, and not to mention, a much, much richer company with far deeper pockets. So what does HP's take over of Palm mean for Apple? Will it be good or bad for the Cupertino giant? The answer is that nobody, other than God Himself, can really know the future, but for one thing I can't see how it helps Apple in anyway, shape or form. On the other hand, likewise it doesn't mean it will eventually hurt it that much either For one thing, HP is a much more conservative company than Palm who apparently thought it could just willy-nilly do pretty much what it wanted to do with Apple's own multi-touch patents, and as well, iTune's syncing. Will HP do the exact same? I doubt it, but the war between Apple and the rest of the tech world to blatantly use its multi-touc patents is probably about to get a little more complicated and a lot more interesting.

In conclusion, how will HP's buyout of Palm effect Apple?

Again, that will depend on what HP does next with Palm's patents and specifically what it does with WebOS, and how Apple responds. All we know for sure is that Apple has just begun to stick up for its multi-touch patents by launching a direct fight against HTC, and and thus an indirect fight against Google's Android and all other comers, so it's going to be really interesting to see just how HP handles the issue of multi-touch as currently employed in WebOS, and how this will end up effecting how everyone else reacts to the idea of employing one or more of Apple's multi-touch patents. This is one area that Apple simply can't afford to ignore or especially to lose!

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Thursday, April 29, 2010

HP modified Palm logo via: Engadget

UPDATE: HP's new slate tablet has also been Killed. The possible reason may be found here.

Opera 10.52 Released For OS X: Is It Really The Fastest?

I have a confession to make: Opera 10.10 has been my default browser for months and months now.

As of today, however, it's NO LONGER!

That's correct, I'm done with Opera 10.10 because I've found a much better, faster and much more convenient browser to use.......

Opera 10.52!

Thankfully, Opera has finally released version 10.52 and its claims of being faster seems to be born out. Pages definitely seem to load quicker, scrolling seems smoother and the overall fit & finish just seems to be so much more polished.

The latest Opera, of course, still has all of the great features found in the previous version, such as its Visual Tabs, Opera Link, Opera's Turbo feature, and my favorite - Opera's Speed Dial. Other new features include:

• Enjoy unprecedented speed with our new Carakan JavaScript engine, Vega graphics library, and Opera Presto 2.5 browser engine.
• Opera includes industry leading support for Web standards such as HTML 5, SVG and JavaScript.
• Enhanced platform integration on Windows and Mac means that Opera looks and works better than ever on your operating system.
• Along with a unified toolbar, Opera now uses the Cocoa and Core Text frameworks for improved performance and a native Mac OS look and feel.
• Our improved dialogs will not get in your way or interrupt you. You can now switch between different pages without having to clear prompts first.
• Searching is easier than ever, with Web search integrated right in the address field. You can also find pages from your history and bookmarks, as you type.
• Displaying pages in the size you want is smoother than ever, with a new zoom slider in the status bar.
• Rest assured that browsing stays personal with private browsing. Once you close a private tab or window, the data from that session is removed from the browser without a trace.

Of course, I've only just downloaded and used the newer version for a wee bit now, so I won't go into the technical side so much, but their claims of being the fastest browser on earth seems to be born out the more that I use it. Opera also claims that it's easy to use, safer and more secure, as well as being more innovative and powerful. Well, as I said, I've only been using it for the briefest of time, but I'm really liking what I see so far, and from what I can tell from my brief use is that Opera 10 is looking like its probably going to continue to remain my default browser on my Macs for the foreseeable future.

So, is Opera 10.52 really the fastest browser on earth, maybe even the best browser?

Well, in conclusion, I'm not really that sure of yet, but it sure definitely does feel like it, so whether your a Mac user or a Windows user, this is one wickedly fast browser that you should download and at least take out for a test browse. The newest Opera may not be perfect, no browser really is, of course, but its definitely, based on my own personal experience with both the previous and, as well, the newer version, I'm willing to bet that your probably going to love this great piece of kit just as much as I do.

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Can The WePad Take On And Beat The iPad?

When it comes to manufacturing and designing high-quality products, be they in the form of automobiles, optics, aeronautics, cameras, or complicated and sophisticated engineering, or what have you, well, you'll have a hard time to find anyone who can do it better then those extremely intelligent and hardworking Germans.

Not many nations can match their work ethic or come anywhere near to the high-quality of their craftsmanship as seen in their products. Why, the very words "made in Germany' simply exudes quality and confidence.

When it comes to electronics, be it in computers, software or other high-tech gizmos, however, the world leaders are still clearly the Americans, and the American leader is clearly Apple which has been named most "innovated company" for the past five years or so.

One of Apple's latest success's, as we all know, is the iPad. The iPad has finally made tablet PCs exciting and fun and virtually everyone and their dog, it seems, is rushing madly to come up with a competing tablet that will match, or even beat the iPad.

The Question is: Who can beat the iPad? Can the Japanese beat it; the Chinese; the Europeans and specifically the Germans?

Honestly, I don't know the answer to that, but I do know that if anyone can do it, well, it most likely will either be the Japanese or the Germans, such as with their new WePad.

As you can see, in the opening photo, via their official site, and that of the video clip below (in German), the WePad certainly seems to have a lot going for it, including many features that the iPad lacks such as having USB ports, etc., but will it be enough to take on the super-hyped iPad? Again, that is something that time will reveal, but, in the meantime, you can decide for yourself by checking out the video below and these other videos found here.

In conclusion, can those Germans and their sleek looking WePad do the trick and beat the iPad at its own game?

The final answer has yet to be written, but as fine and as stunningly sleek and beautiful as the WePad looks, and no matter how great it works or how many features that it has that the iPad doesn't, I still believe it's going to be extremely difficult for anyone to compete against and overcome the marketing genius behind the iPad.

However, that doesn't mean that it can't happen, but that if it does, well, it's going to be difficult, very difficult, but clearly, once again, if anyone can do it, then I believe it is probably those hardworking Germans, be it with the WePad or with some other new fangled Android based tablet, but we'll just have to wait it out and see, won't we?

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Tuesday, April 27, 2010

The Complete List Of All Known OS X Malware

Today's post will be a short one, a very short one, since I will basically attempt to list all of the known Mac OS X malware out there.

Trust me, the list, at first, may seem a little bit long, but really it isn't. That's because a lot of the malware listed is simply variants of a few piece's of the same code, many of which can't really do much, if any real damage at all! Here's the list, as compiled by John E. Dunn, in his post on the "War On Error":

"Application.Osx.Cosmac.A, Application.Posx.Dldr.C, Application.Posx.Dldr.D, Backdoor.Mac.Subseven.A, Backdoor.Macos.Sub7me.A, Backdoor.Macos.Sub7me.B, Java.OSX.Inqtana.A, Java.OSX.Inqtana.Gen, MAC.OSX.Adware.MacSweeper.A,, Mac.OSX.Trojan.DNSChanger.A, Mac.OSX.Trojan.DNSChanger.B,, MAC.OSX.Trojan.DNSChanger.C, MAC.OSX.Trojan.Krowi.A, MAC.OSX.Trojan.Krowi.B, MacOS.AutoStart.A, MacOS.AutoStart.B, MacOS.Init29.A, MacOS.Sevendust.B, OSX.Trojan.PWS.Corpref.A, OSX.Worm.Inqtana.A, OSX.Worm.Tored.A, Trojan.Exploit.Macos.Icqes.A, Trojan.Exploit.Osx.Launch.A, Trojan.Exploit.Osx.Launch.B, Trojan.Flooder.Macos.Portassult.1.0(m68k).A, Trojan.Mac.Horse.A, Trojan.Macos.Chinatalk.A, Trojan.Macos.Cowhand.A, Trojan.Macos.NVP, Trojan.OSX.Dropper.A, Trojan.Osx.Exploit.Launchd.A, Trojan.Osx.Exploit.Launchd.B, Trojan.OSX.Jahlav.A, Trojan.OSX.Jahlav.B, Trojan.OSX.Loader.A, Trojan.Osx.Weapox.A, Trojan.Osx.Weapox.B, Win32.Worm.Mac.Opener.A, Win32.Worm.Mac.Opener.G, Win32.Worm.Mac.W97.Vmpc.G, Win32.Worm.Osx.Niqtana.A, Worm.MAC.Autostart.A, Worm.MAC.Autostart.B,, Worm.MAC.Autostart.D, Worm.MAC.Autostart.E, Worm.MAC.Autostart.F, Worm.MAC.Autostart.H, Worm.MAC.Leap.A, Worm.MAC.Opener.A, Worm.MAC.Opener.B, Worm.MAC.Opener.C, Worm.MAC.Opener.D, Worm.MAC.Opener.E, Worm.MAC.Opener.G, Worm.MAC.Opener.H,,, Worm.MAC.Opener.I, Worm.Mac.Opener.J, Worm.MAC.Opener.K, Worm.MAC.Opener.L, Worm.MAC.Opener.M, Worm.MAC.Opener.O, Worm.MAC.Opener.P, Worm.Macos.Autostart.A, Worm.Macos.Macmag.A, Worm.Macos.Macmag.B, Worm.Macos.Macmag.C, Worm.Macos.Tetricyrcle.A, Worm.OSX.Inqtana.A"

It's interesting to note that Mr. Dunn doesn't even own a Mac, in fact he has never owned one, but that hasn't stop him from keeping what he says happens to be a "slightly geeky" and a short hobby of his.

In conclusion, I like to point out that John has not only done a fine job in listing all of the currently known OS X malware, but, even more importantly, he's done a very fine job in illustrating how all of the various attempts by anti-virus companies and others to prove that OS X is just as susceptible or just as bad (if not worse ) than Windows is, in the end, nothing more, than "a joke"!

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Monday, April 26, 2010

Apple Stock: Apple's Amazing And Magical Performance

Well now, it seems that Apple's amazing recent financial quarter is having quite the impact on Wall Street analysts. Some of these analysts, such as Gene Munster of Pipper Jaffray, have even predicted that Apple's now high-flying stock, now valued at around $266 per share, could soar even higher, going as high as an astounding $1,000 per share! That's really quite the prediction, especially when you consider that just before Steve Jobs returned to rescue Apple barely a decade ago, that the stock was trading for around a measly $7 to $9 per share!

As Joshua M. Brown wrote for the financial site, The Faster Times, Apple's recent blowout earnings have created a virtual 'Wall Street frenzy', and completely unlike anything that he has ever seen in his decade of trading, and resulting in what amounts to a virtual lovefest by just about every major financial analyst out there. Mr. Brown backs up this virtual analyst lovefest by quoting twenty or so of the top Wall Street analysts, all of whom have recently raised their estimates on Apple's stock to around $300 or more for the short term.

Apple's amazing financial performance has recently resulted in making it the third, or depending on how you view it, the second largest company in America as far as market cap goes. Yesterday, when reporting on Microsoft's latest financial quarter, for instance, Engadget added this interesting little update:

"Update: Market Watch is reporting that Apple has today surpassed Microsoft on the S&P 500, with a float-adjusted market cap of $241.5b, compared with Microsoft's $239.5b. Exxon is still at the top. It's worth noting that this is a free-float index that only considers stocks readily available for trading, and not free-floating stocks such as those held by company insiders. According to the Wall Street Journal, that important caveat explains the discrepancy between those figures and what we're seeing in full market value, where Microsoft's $275.3b cap still bests Apple's $241.63b. So which is the largest tech company based on market capitalization? That depends on how you measure."

In conclusion, Apple's amazing transformation from a company that not that long ago was on the edge of complete and utter financial ruin, to its position of now being the darling of Wall Street, it's also easy to see that whether the iPad can be truly called a "magical" device or not, the financial performance of the company behind it, Apple, clearly makes it one "magical" company in its own right indeed!

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Friday, April 23, 2010

Rumors: Apple To Buy ARM Holdings

Rumors suggest that Apple has recently purchased Intrinsity, one of the biggest ARM based developers, in addition to its previous purchase of PA Semi.

Now, in addition to these two chip companies, there are now rumors swirling that Apple may also be interested in not only simply buying AMD chips, but all of AMD, lock, stock and barrel, as well! To top all of this, now comes even more rumors that the cash rich Cupertino giant may also be eyeing buying out British based ARM holdings as well!

The London Evening Standard is reporting that Cambridge base ARM Holdings is being seriously considered as a possible take over acquisition by Apple, and stated:

"A deal would make a lot of sense for Apple,” said one trader. “That way, they could stop ARM's technology from ending up in everyone else's computers and gadgets.” Traders reckon a bid would come in at around 400p a share, valuing ARM at more than £5.2 billion."

Arm, by the way, just happens to sell more chips than all of the other chip manufacturers combined, Intel and AMD included, and since Apple is the single largest purchaser of ARM chips it's only natural that Apple, flushed with a whopping 40 billion dollars plus, just sitting pretty in the bank, would also be interested in the idea of bringing all of ARM in-house.

The interesting thing about ARM was that it was originally created by Apple in partnership with Acorn of Britain, because Apple, at the time, needed and wanted a really powerful RISC base chip for use in its then Newton Message Pad. However, ever since and after Steve Jobs killed that particular device there was simply no longer any reason or need for Apple to continue its association with ARM, so it just simply sold off its shares in order to help consolidate it's books.

Apple, of course, wouldn't necessarily need to actually stop selling ARM chips from rivals such as HTC, DELL, Motorola, etc.. Apple, if it wished, could simply use revenues from ARM sales to its competitors to help finance super ARM chips that it could develop exclusively for its own use, thus enabling Apple, to sort of speak, kill two birds with one stone!

In conclusion, whether or not these rumors are just that - rumors, that I really don't know. One thing that I do know, however, is that if true, they could have a very huge impact not only on Apple itself, but indeed the entire world of tech as well, and this goes especially for the mobile sector! Buying out ARM holdings, by Apple, could be one acquisition that could also significantly alter the entire face and course of technology, and that for years to come!

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Thursday, April 22, 2010

THIS JUST IN: The SFGate has an interesting post on the reasons why Apple won't be buying ARM here!

Apple's Blow-Out Of A Blow-Out!

As you can see, by clicking on the above chart, via ZDNet, Apple's second quarter earnings were not only another 'Blow-Out', but in actuality you could say that it was more like that of a "Blow-out of a Blow-Out!"

Once again Apple blew away analyst's expectations by reporting a staggering profit of some $3.07 billion dollars on revenues of some $13 billion plus! Wow, what can you say but impressive, impressive indeed! In fact, it was so impressive that at one point Apple, in after hour trading, set an all time stock price of an equally staggering $264 per share! That gave Apple, temporarily at least, a market cap around $243 billion, before settling back down to around $258 per share earlier this morning.

The star of the show, once again, was the iPhone, which posted some really impressive and record breaking numbers that were up by some 131% in units shipped, and up some 124% revenue wise! In China, the world's biggest mobile market, the iPhone was actually up by an incredible and staggering 474%!

The iPhone was not the only thing that showed impressive growth either, as Apple's Mac sales were also up considerably, and that goes especially so for its desktop line which, for all manufacturers, have been steadily eroding due to the pressure from increasing laptop and netbooks sales. Mac laptops, themselves, were up by a very respectable 28%, but unexpectedly and more surprisingly, Mac desktops were up by an even more respectable 40%! Overall, Apple sold just under 3 million new Macs in the past 2nd quarter, which for a non holiday period makes it even all the more amazing.

Even though iPod's were expected to be down, what wasn't expected was that they were down by only a measly 1%. The iPod still sold a more than respectable 10.8 million units, and the really good news here was that more and more of them were of the higher end iPod Touch's, which helped to increase the iPod's overall revenue by some 12%!

In conclusion, when you consider that Apple has yet, once again, set even bigger sales records during what some say is the worse financial crisis in the past 100 years, then you can only conclude that Apple's 'blow-out of a blow-out' 2nd quarter is not only incredible, but maybe even a little-bit down-right miraculous! With the iPad not yet even in the equation, and selling like the old proverbial hot cakes, then we can only speculate on what Apple's next quarter might look like, but, from where I sit, and barring a major economic down turn, then it looks down-right positively bright.

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Apple's New Secret iPhone Is A Secret No More, Thanks To Some Good German Beer And A Little Bad Luck!

Unfortunately, for one young Apple engineer, Gray Powell, some good German beer led to a very, very bad out come when he misplaced, forgot and then lost the prototype to Apple's next highly anticipated iPhone!

Poor Gray Powell, but one lucky Gizmodo, who ended up with the missing device, and got to be the very first to reveal it, in all its pre-release glory, to the world in their exclusive unveiling seen here, which, by the way, includes lots of cool photos and videos of the device!

As you can see above, in this opening and exclusive photo, via Gizmodo, the next iPhone is a real looker. The new iPhone itself is a little heavier, but yet still considerably thinner and slimmer as compared to the current 3GS, and it includes, according to the Giz, the following new features:

"• Front-facing video chat camera

• Improved regular back-camera (the lens is quite noticeably larger than the iPhone 3GS)

• Camera flash

• Micro-SIM instead of standard SIM (like the iPad)

• Improved display. It's unclear if it's the 960x640 display thrown around before—it certainly looks like it, with the "Connect to iTunes" screen displaying much higher resolution than on a 3GS.

• What looks to be a secondary mic for noise cancellation, at the top, next to the headphone jack

• Split buttons for volume

• Power, mute, and volume buttons are all metallic"

Well, after the Giz's big unveiling, I sure hope that Apple doesn't go and change it all around, at the very last minute, just to spite us all, because it really is one great looking and feature packed phone. Unfortunately, the phone OS was remotely killed off by Apple, so Gizmodo couldn't boot it up for long, but when attached to a Mac or a PC, it clearly identified itself as the real deal.

In conclusion, as great and as yummy-in-the-tummy as German beer is known to be, the moral of the story is to never drink too much beer, be it German or otherwise, I guess. Unfortunately, for Mr. Powell that is one lesson that he had to learn the hard way, and I can only hope that Apple goes easy on the poor chap, because, quite frankly, I would much rather take my chances on entering a den of lions then to have to enter the office and face a very angry Steve Jobs after what this poor kid did!

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Tuesday, April 20, 2010

The Case For Apple Buying AMD

AppleInsider recently reported that Apple was in advance discussions of possibly adopting AMD chips in some of its future products. 

This, of course, could be either good or bad based on your point of view. Bad because Intel chips are currently faster and far ahead of AMD chips when it comes to performance, but good when you consider that it could also lower the overall costs of some Apple devices such as Macs, while also providing Apple with far more flexibility in the design and supply of chips.

According to AppleInsider:

"It is believed that Apple is working with AMD to expand its potential sources for CPUs in order to increase its flexibility and broaden its competitive options, but also likely in response to problems it has encountered with Intel. These issues include limited availability of new processors (which is rumored to have slowed Apple's notebook refreshes) as well as new chipset designs imposed by Intel that have blocked the Mac maker's plans to continue a partnership with NVidia to deliver a standardized chipset for use with its Intel processors across all of its consumer computer offerings.

Intel has fought against Nvidia to close the market for alternative chipsets for use with its CPUs, which resulted this week in Apple being forced to use Intel's own limited integrated graphics chips inside its new MacBook Pros instead of using more capable parts from Nvidia."

Well, as far as my 2 cents goes, this could be potentially great news for Mac users, but only if AMD chips where offered along side those of Intel based systems as an option, at least initially. Being able to select an AMD or an Intel based Mac could have several benefits. Intel, for one, couldn't continue to simply take Apple's business any longer for granted, and, as already stated, it would give Apple a far more secure and stable supply of chips.

However, as some people are suggesting, myself included, that Apple's interest in AMD may go way, way beyond simply using AMD chips in its products. Apple may be interested in something far much bigger like.......... buying AMD out - lock, stock and barrel! After all, at a recent conference call, when asked why Apple doesn't pay stock holders a stock dividend, Steve Jobs replied by saying something along the line: "It wouldn't be in the stock holders best interests, because having a huge stock pile of cash offers Apple the opportunity to make some very big and bold future moves!" I say that buying the world's second largest chip maker would definitely qualify as being a very big and bold move indeed!

When I think about it, this really makes a lot sense for various reasons, and especially when you consider Apple's purchase of PS Semi and its rumor purchase of Intrinsity. Apple buying AMD would be just another feather in its chip cap, not to mention its biggest feather.

Some people have been calling for Apple to buy AMD for years, and especially when its stock price was even lower than it is today. Some, like SeekingAlpha, even gave some very credible reasons as to why Apple should buy AMD. The question now is: has that time finally arrived?

However, considering the big lead that Intel chips currently now enjoy over those from AMD, some might argue that buying AMD now might be a little foolish. Indeed, it might be foolish, but so would not considering the option of doing so too. For one thing, it wasn't that long ago when AMD chips were considerably more powerful than those from Intel. In other words: it happened before, and there is no reason why AMD couldn't do it again!

Think: Intel might be a much bigger company than AMD, with more cash and resources, thus making it hard for AMD to compete with, but it's also true that Apple itself is a much,much bigger company than Intel, with even more cash and even more resources behind it than Intel! With Apple behind it, AMD could easily be transformed into a much bigger and much more competitive foe! It should also be remember that Apple has been recognized as the most innovative company on the planet for literally years now, and that innovation is surely to spill over to AMD if it ever became a part of Apple's own ecosystem. Just as Apple was able to develop a customized version of the Arm Cortex chip, the A4, that easily out performs all others in its class, so too, I believe, that Apple could do the exact same with AMD chips.

In conclusion, only time will tell if Apple ever decides that it wants AMD, but one thing is certain, in the meantime, just the mere talk of Apple buying AMD should be more than enough to put the 'Fear-of-God' into the hearts of its competitors, and that goes especially so for Intel.

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Monday, April 19, 2010

Are Apple Fans Fanatical? You Decide.

Apple makes headlines for various reasons such as its innovated products, its marketing and, of course, its fans, some of which can be described as being a little bit on the fanatical side at times, such as the one seen on the left, or the one in the YouTube clip below, who proposed to his girlfriend via his iPhone, in what he appropriately refers to being an 'iProposal'.

From Apple logo hair cuts, to Apple tattoos, some Apple fans know no limits when it comes to displaying their affection for all things Apple, as NewMacOnline illustrates in this entertaining post.

One of my favorite illustrations from this short, but cool post is the one about the Mac Mini Toilet Paper Dispenser, seen below. Not only is it stylish, convenient, but its totally functional as well! Some Apple haters might be more inclined to think it is, like all things Apple, more like plain 'crap' , and should be simply 'flushed' down the toilet, but, as far as I'm concerned, they are just full of...... well, you know what?

Yes, some people actually have been known to go so far as to actually put their love of Apple and their Macs to music, as seen in these two clips below. Both feature catchy little tunes, if I do say so myself, but warning: the first song includes what some might deem to be a few inappropriate cuss words!

So, in conclusion, there you go, a look at what some might describe as being some fanatical Apple and Mac fans, but what I would call, 'my kind of people'!

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Friday, April 16, 2010

Running Flash Without Flash, On An iPad!

Wow, yesterday Gizmodo reported on something that could have a very big impact on the iPad's future overall success if, however, Apple only allows it, namely: the streaming of Flash video content, directly on the iPad, without the need of ever having to directly install or run Flash on the iPad itself, and all via a brand new transcoder technology!

Again, whether or not Apple would ever allow something like this, that I personally don't know, but, just like Opera Mini, hopefully, they will. Being able to view all of the content on the net, and rather just a measly portion of it, would be in the iPad's best interest and overall long term success.

As the Giz reports, this is made possible all thanks to RipCode, a company who's TransAct Transcoder V6 could easily, and on the fly, translate and stream Flash based content directly from the cloud to the iPad without any need for any special clients or modifications, or by the various host sites out there themselves. This would allow most, if not all Flash based sites such as YouTube or Hulu, etc. to run easily on a Flash-less device like Apple's newest whiz-bang iPad!

Of course, in order to work, individual sites would first have to adopt RipCode's technology (even though no special site recoding is required). That probably wouldn't be quite as hard as getting Apple to come onboard in the first place, but then again, you never really know, you know?

Well, all I will say, in conclusion, is that I really hope that RipCode's technology will be given the chance to strut its stuff, and thus helping to create a type of Flash-less - Flash! This would be an ideal temporary solution, until at least other technologies such as HMTL5 could become better and more widely accepted and adopted, because the sooner the insecure, buggy and resource hog known as Flash can be replaced by something like HMTL5, then all the better as far as I'm concerned. In the meantime, however, temporary solutions such as RipCode's are always appreciated and welcomed.

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Thursday, April 15, 2010

Flash-less graphic via: Gizmodo

Betty White Explains The iPad!

This just in:  Betty White explains all about the iPad to David Ferguson on the Late, Late Night Show. As you can see, in the above YouTube video clip, Betty White is not only very funny and totally awesome (go Betty, go!), but, who would have thunk it, at 88 years young.......  she's also Apple's oldest employee, and working at one of its Genius Bars! 

Any hoot, this clip is just that..... a hoot, so enjoy!

And that's my 2 cents 4  this Wednesday, April the 14th., already, 2010

The 2010 MacBook Pro Are Super, Super Fast!

People have been clamoring for Quad i7 based MacBooks ever since, well.... Intel announced the chips, and now, thankfully, at long, long last they are finally here in all their silicon glory. It's no wonder why people have been clamoring for them too, because, for one thing they're......... bloody, dang-tooting fast! Fast as in wickedly fast and up to a whopping 50% faster than their predecessors!

As you can see, from the opening graphic, via Gizmodo, this chart really says it all. After seeing this chart and reading Gizmodo, as well as others posts, all I'm going to say is that I really feel rather sad for anyone who may have recently, before the update, bought themselves one of the older Duo-Core MacBook Pros, because, to be quite honest, even though they may look the same on the outside, they are anything but on the insides.

Gizmodo also further pointed out that one interesting fact about the new updated MacBooks is that, contrary to what some were expecting, the on-the-fly switching of its integrated graphics to its dedicated graphics is not based on Nividia's highly publicized Optimus 'automatic switching technology' as originally expected, but rather on Apple's own clever implementation of the same idea. Gizmodo quotes Ars Technica as saying:

"Apple's approach in the new 15" and 17" MacBook Pros differs from Optimus in two key ways. The first is that the switching is all handled automatically by Mac OS X without any user intervention (though there is actually a System Preference to deactivate it, if you choose). Apps that use advanced graphics frameworks such as OpenGL, Core Graphics, Quartz Composer or others will cause the OS to trigger the discrete GPU. So, when you are reading or writing Mail, or editing an Excel spreadsheet, Mac OS X will simply use the integrated Intel HD graphics. If you fire up Aperture or Photoshop, Mac OS X kicks on the NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M.Apple's approach in the new 15" and 17" MacBook Pros differs from Optimus in two key ways. The first is that the switching is all handled automatically by Mac OS X without any user intervention (though there is actually a System Preference to deactivate it, if you choose). Apps that use advanced graphics frameworks such as OpenGL, Core Graphics, Quartz Composer or others will cause the OS to trigger the discrete GPU. So, when you are reading or writing Mail, or editing an Excel spreadsheet, Mac OS X will simply use the integrated Intel HD graphics. If you fire up Aperture or Photoshop, Mac OS X kicks on the NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M."

All-in-all, the new updated MacBooks look like they are some fine and dandy machines alright, and maybe even down-right lust and drool worthy ones at that. Unfortunately, as much as I personally lust after one myself, I really can't afford its premium price. I'm probably going to buy myself a 27 inch i7 equipped iMac instead, for the meantime, because, quite frankly, I simply can't resist those gargantuan and amazing IPS LED screens for much longer, but, boy-oh-boy, let me tell, you here and now, when and if I ever get the extra cash then dammit, I'm buying me one of these suckers faster than you can pinch a pig's behind!

Yes, in conclusion, it would be lovely, absolutely lovely if Apple could lower their prices a tad bit, but then again, I'm not holding my breath on that one, because, quite frankly, these new and updated MacBooks are simply not your average, everyday, run-of-the-mill, plain Jane, or ordinary laptops. No way.... these babies just happen to be the most elegant, ultimate and luxurious laptops that you'll find anyware, at any price, and like one of those dream-worthy German masterpieces such as a BMW or Porsche, they too justifiably carry a premium price. However, personally, one day, oh, one of these bloody days...... I'm going to get me one of these babies, yes sir, you just wait and see!

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Wednesday, April 14, 2010

The 2010 MacBooks Are...... HERE!

There HERE!

Let the church bells ring out and let the singing and dancing begin folks, because it's party-time people - the 2010 MacBook updates are finally, after long, long last.... here! They are long over due, and the updates are drool worthy at that.

The 13 inch MacBook, for example, is getting Nividia's new Ge-Force 320M integrated graphics processor for up to 80% faster graphics and a whopping, get this..... 10 hour battery!

Whoopee!

The 15 and 17-inch Pro models will not only be getting i5 and i7 CPUs, but Apple's new automatic graphics switching technologies that allows for seamless switching between NVIDIA's powerful GT 330M and Intel's energy efficient integrated HD Graphics processors. All of the new MacBook Pro's come with a minimum of 4GB of RAM standard, and, if you got the dough, you know.... a 512GB SSD option to boot!

Cool!

In conclusion, you can check out all of the other mouth-watering details right here, but, in the meantime, it's clear to say that these long waited for updates are worth the wait!


And that's my 2 cents 4 this Thursday, April 13, 2010

Opening graphic via: Apple

Opera's Mini Finally Approved For The iPhone, Available Soon!

Finally! Apple has officially approved, the lightning fast, mobile browser, Opera Mini, for use on the iPhone and it's expected to be offered, FREE of charge, for download from the App Store soon! This is great news, indeed, because, as you can see in the above demo, Opera Mini for the iPhone is just so dang-tooting fast that it ......... just screams!

It was also reported , last night, that some people in the U.K, as well as those folks down-under in the 'lucky country' of Australia have already been able to download Opera Mini from the App Store! Lucky stiffs!

Opera Mini was only submitted to the Apple Store on March 23, so the fast approval is really great to see, and especially since a lot of folks were totally convinced it wouldn't be approved at all because it directly competed against Apple's own Safari. Even though Opera Mini doesn't feature Safari's nifty 'pinch-to-zoom' feature, its sheer speed advantage should help make up for that, and according to the fine Norwegians folks behind Opera:

"Early reviews of Opera Mini for iPhone praised the sheer browsing speed, powering through Web pages up to six times faster than Safari. Due to server-side rendering, Opera Mini compresses data by up to 90 percent before sending it to the phone, resulting in rapid page loading and more Web per MB for the end user. Those familiar with iPhone roaming charges will relish Opera Mini’s ability to deliver more for less, giving users the Web they want quickly, without, the high costs."

Wow.... up to six times faster than Safari, that's what I call absolutely amazing!

Ooh, baby, when you consider just how fast Safari itself is on the iPhone, then all I will say is that this is like ........ really, really smoking fast! Not only that, but having Opera Mini on the iPhone and the iPod Touch is not only good for we users of Apple's popular mobile devices, but for Apple itself, as it should help to stem at least some of the constant 'bitching' that we are constantly hearing about the App Store's so-called crappy approval process.

Personally, I believe that the more choices that we have available for the iPhone, Touch and now, hopefully, for the iPad, then the better it is all around. For one thing, having Opera Mini is just one less thing that the competition can boast that they have, but the iPhone doesn't. You can check out even more about Opera Mini at their official page.

In conclusion, I'm really stoked about seeing Opera Mini finally approved for the iPhone, Touch and, again, hopefully, in the near future, for the iPad platform as well. It's a great browser, and having it available for Apple's great series of mobile devices makes it all the better. Hopefully, too, this will also mean that there's hope that other mobile browsers, such as FireFox, will also someday be making their way to the iPhone, Touch and the iPad, as well.

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Tuesday, April 13, 2010

The iPad Is So Easy To Use, Even Babies And A 100 Year Old Granny Can Use Them!

As you can see from the above YouTube video, the iPad is so easy to use that even wee babies can use them, with the greatest of ease, as can a 100 hundred-year old granny, seen below with yet one more adorable clip of an iPad using techno-baby:





As ObamaPacMan.com pointed out, when it came to the sweet little centenarian, she was actually so thrilled and please with her spanking new iPad that she decided to composed the following little limerick, composed on, and dedicated to her new iPad:

“To this technical-ninny it’s clear In my compromised 100th year, That to read and to write Are again within sight Of this Apple iPad pioneer.”

Well, in conclusion, all I will say is that if anybody needed proof that the iPad was an easy and highly enjoyable device to use , well, then they need not to look any further than these three charming clips. I'm not sure which is the more charming, watching a 100 year old granny take to her new iPad like a duck to water, or the babies taking to them like ducklings to the same?



And that's my 2 cents 4 this Monday, April 12, 2010

iPhone OS 4.0: Bitching About The Bitcher's

Apple's sneak peak of its brand new and upcoming iPhone OS 4.0 might be officially over, but sadly, one thing won't be over any time soon, namely - all of the bitching concerning it!

Yes, it's funny how, before iPhone OS 4.0, people would bitch to no end about how the iPhone didn't have this or that feature, be it copy-&-paste, multitasking, or what have you, but the very minute that Apple adds them, instead of stop bitching - they just end up bitching all the more!

Yes, they bitch and they bitch, as anyone who reads the comment sections on the various web sites that covered the event will attest to. They'll bitch, as usual, that Apple is too late to the game, or that Apple is just copying or stealing things that they and their superior other devices have had ever since, well, oh, I don't know, the past century or so! They have all seemingly bitch, for what seems like forever now, about how the iPhone lacked multitasking, and now, after Apple finally adds it, you got it ..... they bitch that it's not really multitasking at all, but rather its just a form of task-switching! Maybe I'm crazy, but it seems to me that if it allows you to get the benefit of running several apps, all at the same time, then its multitasking! As they say, "if it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck and looks like a duck - then it's probably a duck" - plain and simple! But not so, of course, I guess if it has anything to do with Apple.

Well, personally I'm getting a little sick and fed up with all of these Android, Windows and other fan boys continuing bitching. They're all nothing but blatant cry babies and discontents, who just love nothing more than bashing anything and everything Apple!

Of course, with over 1,500 new API's, 100 new features, and what Apple likes to call seven new major tent pegs, I'm sure that there's a lot of things that these bitch's will find to bitch about, so frankly we're all in store, trust me, for a lot more of their bigoted bitching. This isn't to say that some people won't have a valid reason to feel like bitching, like the millions of iPhone users who's phones will be able to upgrade to most of OS 4.0, but not for the much clamored for multitasking feature, because that technically requires a minimum of at least 32 GBs of RAM to run. This includes, naturally, all of the first and second generations of the iPhone, and the first generation of iPod Touch devices as well!

Of course, Apple only announced a few of their iPhone OS 4.0 goodies. It didn't get to announce many other features, such as SpotLight's ability to search the web and Wikipedia, but don't worry, I'm sure the bitch's will be shortly bitching about that one too, and, no doubt, they will proudly boasting of how everyone else and their dead grandmother's cat have all had that particular feature for now like forever.

One exciting thing, that some are pointing out, is how the new iPhone OS 4.0 update is providing some critical evidence that the next iPhone will most likely include an extra front facing camera to accommodate for video conferencing. But will these whining wieners appreciate that? Nope, don't count on it, because, trust me, they will find something to bitch about that one too..... count on it.

Engadget is also reporting that Apple's WebKit2 will now be including a future Chrome-like splitting process. This, sand-boxing like, feature enables individual tabs to act as if they were their own separate and independent browser. It's a great feature and straight from those genius's at Google, but you got it - the bitch's will probably go wild bitching about how Apple copied, or more like stole, this great feature as well. Never mind that Google built its entire Chrome browser by using Apple's own open source WebKit, or how Google went out of its way to copy just about every other little feature from Apple's iPhone for its Android platform. They'll bitch about Apple, but never about Google, or Microsoft or any other company when they copy something from Apple. The question is why? That I don't know, but I sure wish I did. Another thing that these people love to bitch about is how Apple, those evil control freaks as they would put it, loves to stymie other peoples ability to innovate when ever they violate Apple's own patents, as HTC recently has been accused of doing!

In conclusion, I've come to realize that it really doesn't matter what Apple does or doesn't do, or just how really great any of its products are, because, in the end, bitch's will always invariably end up doing what all bitch's do the best anyway - bitch!

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Friday, April 09, 2010

A Revolutionary Idea: Hyundai's Electronic iPad Owners Manual!

In the past, I have to admit that I've never really been that crazy about Hyundai automobiles, but I have to give them credit for coming up with an idea that I hope will catch on with other car companies, such as Mercedes and BMW - electronic versions of their owner manuals on an included FREE iPad!

Yes, apparently Hyundai will be including a FREE and spanking brand new iPad with each and every new Equus luxury sedan that it sells, which will also feature its owners manual in an electronic iPad app, that will also make it far easier and faster to book service appointments, etc.

I have to admit that this seems like a very appealing and revolutionary idea - an electronic owner's manual and a FREE iPad to boot! However, not only that, but having an interactive owner's manual on an iPad is only the beginning, as I can see this going even farther in the future.

For one thing, I can see iPads that could be designed to fit and pop-in-and-out of your car's dashboard that would connect with your car's over all electronic systems. They would include iPad apps that easily could alert you of possible trouble down the road by checking your tires, oil, transmission, electronic and other information, etc.

Other sophisticated iPad apps could also include turn-by-turn navigation, weather information, a radio interface that would connect you to not only local radio stations, but internet and satellite radio stations as well. Of course, television and movie play back (for the back seat, or front seats while not driving, naturally) would also be possible, as would accessing the internet and giving you information about the location of the next gas station, restaurant, etc., and etc. Wow, when you really think about it, including a free iPad with your next vehicle could offer absolutely endless possibilities.

In fact, the more that I really think about it, the more that I can see the possibilities, and the more excited I become. Of course, simply from a marketing point of view, including a free iPad with your next car purchase is pure genius! The reasons is very simple, because, as we all know, that little word 'FREE' can catch people's attention big time and faster than a hot knife going through soft butter! However, when you realize that an iPad, being small, powerful and fully adaptable and programmable to just about any situation that you wish to throw at it, could easily be adapted or upgraded on the fly to help make your driving pleasure, well..... just all that much more pleasurable!

In conclusion, I think that Hyundai may be on to something big here, if not down right revolutionary.

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Thursday, April 08, 2010

2010 Hyundai Equus photo via: Carscoop.com

The iPad Is A Hit In The USA: Will It Be A Hit Over Seas?

The iPad launch has clearly been a success in the U.S. of A, but can it repeat that success in foreign markets?

Well, only a few days ago, Newsweek posted a story of how desperate foreigners could and were already purchasing iPads, via EBay, but at very, very inflated and rip-off prices.

According to the Newsweek piece, one desperate purchaser in the U.K., for instance, paid the incredible sum of $5,500.......... more than ten times the regular U.S. asking price! Total numbers of iPads now listed on EBay, in fact, is over some 2,600 units! Wow, as much as I would love to have an iPad now, somehow I don't think I would ever be that desperate to pay a whopping $5,500 U.S. for one, and especially knowing that the seller is nothing more than a dirty little 'scalper' and was deliberately ripping people off! Newsweek went on to report that, according to EBay:

“This happens with nearly any hot product,” said Carl Howe, an analyst at Boston-based Yankee Group. “Some people buy up copies and try to sell them on EBay to make a profit. There were iPhones going for $2,000 when they first came out.”

Fortunately, for those poor desperate souls who want an iPad now, at least compared to the person who paid $5,500, it's nice to know that the average selling price, on EBay, is only a more modest $777 for an iPad, but that is still a whopping one-and-a-half times the normal asking price, which is way, way too much to pay, especially knowing that Apple will be officially releasing it a little later this month to we foreigners.

For me, it would seem that if people are that desperate to pay up to ten times the original price to get their hands on an iPad early, and when you consider that demand in Germany is already reported to be some 3.5 times greater than originally expected, then I think it's safe to say that the prospects for the iPad success over seas are beginning to look good - extremely good, if not down-right guaranteed!

Of course, things could always change as competitors, such as HP and others, get ready to directly take on the iPad. So far, only a few glitch's have marred the iPad's introduction, such as some people reporting Wi-Fi issues. Again, there's always those people who are forever bitching about what the iPad doesn't include, and things that its competitors are sure to highlight out that they will include, like built in cameras, etc. Personally, I'm 100% certain that we can expect all of those missing features will be added later, in both future iPad software and hardware upgrades, but in the mean time, clever iPad users are resorting to all kinds of clever work-a-rounds such as turning their iPhones into an iPad camera, or by integrating them into their vehicles, etc.

In conclusion, I think it's safe to say, that the iPad is not only, but will continue to be a rip-roaring success in U.S., and it should also, and will, be a rip-roaring success over seas, and especially as Apple brings out ever more powerful, but less expensive and more feature rich models, then I wouldn't be a bit surprised that the iPad, which is just a miniature form of a mobile Mac, could also end up becoming an even bigger success than the desktop version of the Mac, the iPod, or even the iPhone, which is saying a lot, a lot indeed!

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Wednesday, April 07, 2010