iPhone post

This is my first post from my iPhone. Awesome

Longhorn != Vista?

So as many of you may know, Microsoft announced yesterday, that they will continue the production to XP until 1 year after the general release of Windows 7.  In addition, Bill Gates announced to shareholders that Windows 7 will be released next year.  If you do your math, that means that the time between the release of Vista and the yet unnamed Windows 7.  How can they possibly produce a quality OS in such a short period of time.    Microsoft spent over 5 years with many delays to produce a an OS that many consider trash.  This has led myself and  some of my friends to develop a theory that Vista was never a planned OS.  The following is probably completely bogus but I would love to here what others thing about this.

What if Vista isn’t Longhorn?  We have heard many people compare Vista to ME.  What was ME?  ME was a place holder for Microsoft.  They needed more time to develop the greatest OS they have ever made, Windows XP.  So what if Vista is just that.  Could Microsoft have been half way through the development of Longhorn and realized that they needed more time.  As a result decided, hey we needed an OS that will be ready for release soon for our investors.    Most Vista users will agree that Vista seems like a rushed OS.  Microsoft cut out many of the planned features of longhorn.  Things like WinFS that we all wanted to see got stripped.  What I am hypothesizing is that Microsoft started to develop Vista after longhorn.  They took the NT kernal, the best of XP, and what they had complete of longhorn and called it Vista.  Meanwhile another team continued to develop Windows 7.

Now we have developed a lot of crazy ways to support our conspiracy, but I don’t want to type that all out now.  Maybe I will add that later.  But lets take a look at what this would mean if this is fact not fiction.   XP was released in 2001 and I am theorizing a 2009 Windows 7 release.  That would be an 8 year development  for Windows 7.  With a dev time that is that long it should be the best OS Microsoft has ever released.  Yes and that includeds the Holy Grail that is XP.

So my question for all you that are reading this conspriracy theory is:  What do you all think?  Do you have anything to add that may be of intrest.  I am sure I have a lot of bad thinking here, but take this entry as food for thought.

Sorry guys

I’d like to take this time to apologize. I haven’t been very diligent or responsible for my posting or promises. I do have legitimate reasons however, it isn’t going to change anything. I’d like to take this time and tell everyone (all 3 of you), that my posting will be more diligent and of the highest quality. This coming year looks to be the golden year of technology, the web, and connectivity, & I look forward to telling you about it and my opinions on it. Thanks!

The engadget podcast is dead

I have some seriously sad news. As most of the readers of engadget know by now, the podcast is dead. It was the premier tech/gadget podcast and was produced by some of the best writers and most knowledgeable people in the business, Ryan Block & Peter Rojas. And while there are many, many good tech podcasts such as TWiT, Diggnation, Cranky Geeks, and Webb Alert, none will compare to the quality and knowledge of the Engadget Guys.

Long Live the Engadget Podcast

New Content , New stuff

Sorry for any subscribers to the RSS that I haven’t updated in a while, a lot of exciting stuff has been happening and this blog had to go on the back burner. I won’t be trying to play catch up with any of the news before this weeks stuff. Anyways to the news.

Morgan Webb of G4’s X-Play has started a new Rocketboom type video site, but its actually relevant. Well produced its a great way to get daily tech news quick, right before work or class.

Find RSS/iTunes subscriptions over here

Today is the best day. EVER!

Today EMI, the largest record company, announced that all of it’s music will be sold DRM free on the iTunes Music Store.On top of that, they are raising the bitrate for all tracks sold. This is simply a boon for digital music everywhere, as Warner, Sony, & Universal will follow suit, they just have too to keep up. And before that indie labels such as Tooth & Nail, A&M, Fueled by Ramen, will follow suit.

read the engadget blog post here

via engaget

[update: I have since found out Tooth and Nail is a subsidiary of EMI]

The iPhone “Continued”……..

So Apple you released the iPhone. You created probably what is arguably one of the greatest, most powerful, innovative, and sexy devices of all time. Destined to either to become an instant icon or another Apple Newton. A user interface second to none with great fluid graphics and animations. Simple and powerful, like OS X. Yet Apple did something that Apple isn’t used to doing. Creating a great product that developers can’t use.

Mac OS X, is a great operating system. This is partly due to its extensive Unix backend, powerful Core API’s, & Cocoa Interface. These API’s allow developers to create programs that integrate well with the operating system. Programs such as Camino, Adium, and a whole mess of other open source and commerical software and integrates with iTunes or Spotlight. This is what makes OS X a great operating system, the amazing pieces of software that allow tight integration with the os, as if they were first part programs. Yet for this round, Apple has crippled their developer model, not allowing third programs, “for quality assurance reasons”, which is ridculous. Essentially Apple is going to extend its iPod model, selling you everything, in an attempt to “streamline” the experience. However the iPhone is different than an iPod, and while they share similar features the iPhone has distinct differences that makes it well, different.

So in an attempt to actually finish this post, I’m going to make a list of a few things that the iPhone should do, and why I don’t think the First Gen iPhone won’t do it, and may never do.

1) Customizable Ringtones: Apple if you think you can extort 99 cents for every ringtone you sell on the iTunes Store… you probably can. However that doesn’t make it right. They should take a cue from there great ability to make wallpapers, just search you’re library and apply. If you want to compete with Windows Mobile 5.0, Palm, & RIM, allow contact specific ringtones and global ringtones. Its ridiculous that Apple a company that has mastered the integration of common databases won’t allow us, the users , this simple feature. Seriously its probably like 15 minutes of development using you’re core api’s and cocoa.

2) HSDPA….. Oh wait it doesn’t have it: Give us faster internet access to use that super slick browser you give us.

3) Third party Applications: Okay so maybe this makes sense, you don’t want the phones to crash, understandable, but allow us the ability to install widgets, something that would allow us to use that great internet access. Oh and no one who uses Mac OS X wants to use iChat for the iPhone at least allow Adium to make some software.

4)Give us more…: What I mean by this, is that for the iPhone to really compete it needs a few more things. It needs some sort of Note taking application, maybe a stripped down Pages, maybe a Keynote viewer, something to gain the business mind.

5) We want real Widescreen: There isn’t any reason Apple would do this…

All in All, the iPhone while better than every other phone, still isn’t a good phone by Apple’s standard, missing clear integration with user’s media and lacks as a true platform to make better. I’m holding off, in hope of either hacks to make it better or for my favorite company to make some serious improvements.

Sandisk Does it again.

First the Sansa E200 series, and now this.

CES 2007

I’ll be blogging what I think is the really important and things that i find that are awesome during CES 2007. So look foward to that. And I’ll be blogging Macworld ‘07 also. Yeah I’m going to be busy.

Forgotten Blog

No, I haven’t forgotten about this blog, I’ve just been busy. In fact I’m writing this post on break from writing a critique. Lots of great things have been going on. I’ve made some friends here at university and already have stories I’m not going to forget (Waffle House+Drunk People= Funny and Scary). Parisian Internet Radio is infinitely better than US internet radio, mostly because it has more variety.

I have a fascination with London and Paris, mostly because I’ve been to both, and throughly enjoyed myself (well not so much Paris but thats because I didn’t see only the greatest museum of all time). I love Daft Punk a French House styled band. Lord Byron is my favorite poet, and as I love computers Ada Lovelace is my hero, in a non-hero sort of way.

Whats in store for the MacBook Pro

Something big. Its as simple as that, otherwise they would’ve updated it already. It is Apple’s flagship, it sells the most quantity in the higher end range (greater than $1500), and yet is slower than the iMac now. There has be something that is big, so big it warrants a Keynote (because we now Apple has learned from the Hi-Fi fiasco). I think magnetic latch, black color choice, a bit thinner, Dual-Layer superdrive, and hopefully a true two button mouse (yeah I doubt that).

The Integration Problem and a call to the Open Source Community.

I’d like to preface this by saying I’m not a developer. I don’t claim to be one, and as much as I understand development and how its done and should be done, I can’t do it. I can code python and thats about it. I’m just not a true developer of sorts. However let me also preface this by saying, I know software. I know good software, bad software and just about everything in between.

Now, Apple did something many Mac users take for granted in OS X and thats the development of the Core API’s. With Core Data we have this amazing systemwide tool called Spotlight and the ablility to share content from one program to another (the iLife Browser). With Core Video we can get amazing video preformance and effects from iChat and iMovie, the same with Core Image. And now with Core Animation, applications and bring a whole new level of just usablity and interaction possibly (if developers have really good architects) totally new ways to interact with a desktop or possibly even get rid of the WIMP paradigm, and have a more Star Trekkian interface. Now with all this when will we see Photoshop plugin into Core Data so that its Scripting feature can search for the 10 viewed photo can apply a filter. When will see Firefox take advantage of Core Animation (or as it where Camino). Probably never. But how long until Safari uses it. It most likely already does. So many Compelling Third Party applications exist but how many are really taking advantage of things like Core Video. I can’t think of any. But so many things can be done with Core Video.Improve an interface like Sony Vegas and use Core Video and integrate that with Core Data and iLife so you can import iMovies, that would blow the pants off iMovie and create real competition.

I guess the real issue is that with so many great APIs and ease of use we don’t see so many great Open Source Apps specifically for the Mac platform that take advantage of Core Data/Image/Video. And now with animation it should only be a matter of time until some generates a scripting language that allows really easy renderings of things like the “City of Music” commercial or of the albums that get sucked into iPods or PC’s or maybe a video of a PC spinning with the music rushing inwards, but it shouldn’t be long. Unfortunately it probably won’t every be done because for some reason the open source community won’t develop great products for the Closed source community. A Native version of aMarok that integrates into Spotlight and iLife would be awesome. However it won’t ever be done.

PS: I will say this. Camino does an excellent job of integration. They are a model software creator.

Core 2 Duo and the Sexiest Laptop of All Time.

Engadget is reporting that Commerical Times has information from Asus & Quanta (manufacturers of the MacBook and MacBook Pro respectively) are begining to ship Core 2 duo based machines out to Apple. Is it possible to make sexy even better. Yes it is, Yes it is.

[via engadget]

Mac Pros, Core Animation, and no Core 2 Duo MacBook Pro’s and everything else from WWDC

So no surprise on the Mac Pros, other than the price (which is actually really good) and the xserve. Now Leopard was good, but still no Updated Finder or a Desktop Widget layer. However Time Machine and my favorite Core Animation was amazing. Core animation is so amazing and I can only imagine its uses for film and video, not to mention some very interesting ways to view them also. And supposedly there are a ton of new Features that are being held close to Apple proverbial chest.

But the big downer is they didn’t update the MacBook Pro, something I not only wanted but really needed also. Apple update the bios and add a new CPU, it isn’t that difficult. Plus Leopard is going to be the first 64 bit version of Mac OS X that runs on the x86 platform. So buying any Mac other than the Mac Pro (damn that name sucks doesn’t it) is a waste since in 6 months it won’t take advantage of Leopard’s 64bit underpinnings.

Last Post before WWDC

I’m justing gearing up for WWDC (no I’m not going to be there).

The things I’m almost positive I’ll see:
1) New Finder
2) A new Dashboard Layer
3) Improved Spotlight
4) 64 bit Intel Support
5) Mac Pros and Xserve
Things I hope to see:
1) New MacBook Pro
2) BlackBook Pro
3) New Display’s with iSight Cameras
4) Leopard will be out before September 15, 2006

WWDC 2006

Tomorrow big day, we got an Apple event at 10am, so head over to engadget and just get ready to hit F5 a whole helluva a lot, and you’ll be surprised (I hope they release a Black MacBook Pro with Merom, I’d buy that in a minute and a half, and get the iPod)

iPod with FrontRow

I’ve never really been a fan of the iPod. Its okay, yeah but, for me its that scroll wheel. I find it a tad bit cumbersome and not very tactile. Now this new iPod the 6G, with supposed 3.3″ touchscreen and all this crazy wireless connectivity, okay I’m listening, but something tells me thats not whats going to be, simply the iPod OS with touchscreen add-ons. What I think the new 6G ipod is going to be, its going to be the the iPod with FrontRow. See FrontRow is being added as a standard feature on all the new Macs, and I wouldn’t be surprised if in the future the only Mac without FrontRow is the “Xserve”. Now if Apple adds FrontRow across the board, the only Devices they sell with a GUI, that don’t have FrontRow would be the iPod Nano and 5G. Now the FrontRow interface is quite adept at being a touchscreen interface. It has only 4 icons, and doesn’t do management, something the iPod doesn’t do either (thats all done on the desktop software). So the idea of syncing FrontRow is pretty simple. Plus this would salivate the tounges of Windows users at Mac OS X, to the idea of this great experience on the iPod can be yours anytime with the the Mac OS.

Now on the more extreme idea, would be having no more iPod, and simply making this 6G something of a portable device like a UMPC except with Mac OS software. Apple has acess to Ruby now that they are in bed with Intel, and could easily make the software using an embedded Unix kernel with maybe just FrontRow, iCal, and possibly dashboard (which would be perfect for using the supposed wifi for reading RSS feeds).

This is of course totally rampant speculation and I have no sources within Apple, but I can garuntee this 6G iPod will not be running the standar iPod OS, its just not awesome enough (wink, wink).

[update] So the Mac Pros don’t ship with FrontRow, however the next version of Mac OS X (Leopard) will. A bit of a change but I think the fact remains the same.

Why Microsoft makes me sad.

Let me preface this by saying, contrary to my vocal beliefs, Microsoft isn’t all that bad. For how large they are, and how much they try to put into every release of their software, they do a moderately good job.

Now onto what, in all honesty, really holds back the greatness Microsoft really can be.

Firstly its their product cycle. Vista is going to be realeased nearly half a decade after XP. Within that time, many things have changed. Users want the graphics chip accelerated desktop GUIs, something Mac OS X has had for a very long time, and has implemented quite well with allowing for extensiblity to other programs. Also during this 5 year stint, users have been calling for “fast-search”, search based on pre-databased information and metadata. Spotlight and Beagle have both provided this for the alternative platforms, and third-party applications for the Windows platfom, but Google Desktop has never really integrated with the platform the way Spotlight and the Core Data API does for Mac OS X. All these features and more such as, a better browser (if you can call IE a browser), more user oriented suite of tools ( such as iLife). This things are finally coming into Vista, and even though they were announced before Mac OS X shipped with Spotlight and Dashboard, they weren’t the first out the door where it really matters.

Secondly, Windows Media Player needs to be more robust. Microsoft would argue that, Media Center is the more robust Media Player, but Windows Media Player could’ve and should’ve had podcast support about 3 years ago. It isn’t that diffcult of a thing to support. The interface is down right dreadful and it’s absolutely astounding to walk around the UF campus and still see people using it over Winamp, Zinf or even iTunes (which by the way is a great media player but horrible music store).

Thirdly, Outlook has never been a good e-mail/PIM client, its overly complicated. IT has tons and tons of features, but most will never ever be used. And Outlook 2007 is even more convoluted. Comparing Calendars is useless side by side and it shouldn’t take me 3 trips to a manual and some ridiculous method of creating a faux folder to create one new calendar. Microsoft has serious issues with its interface design choices sometimes, mostly so they don’t copy Apple. But if they had a shorter product cycle they wouldn’t have to worry about that.

Finally what irks me the most is this. Why if they are so large and so powerful, is there so many bugs. Apple has its fair share of bugs to, especially with the iLife suite corrupting itself, but nontheless Apple Operating software and some of its suites work exactly like promised (especially Final Cut, which is great but not as good as Sony Vegas). Microsoft is doing something very wrong in this respect and hopefully since Vista has been delayed so many times, that once they get rid of the bugs, they won’t come back.

Mac Book Pros, educational discounts, College, and various other gadgets

Long post title simple idea. I’m seriously considering getting a Mac Book Pro, pending a few major and minor caveats.

1) Firstly the software I’ll need day to day. Now I know in the majority of my classes Mac OS X will be shuned. I can deal with that. I can still open word docs, powerpoints, and excel files. And if they give me an Acess database, i’ll tell them to wait a few minutes and boot into windows, no big deal. The problem comes with third-party software. There just isn’t a big following of good open source software. No good note taking applications. No good note taking applications (Stickies in Dashboard don’t count), no amazing email/pim application (the iLife suite is lacking some serious things with e-mail and PIM, mainly a standard three pane interface with Mail.App and having iCal, Mail, and Address Book as one app. Most likely a marketing move).

2) I have to mount an install file? what the hell is up with that. I have to mount install files but Its difficult to mount NAS devices? Not cool at all.

3) Podcast support in iTunes shouldn’t require iTunes Music store to be activated, it should just download the enclosures through Safari’s RSS integration.

4) The battery gets freakin’ hot when plugged in, not usable as a laptop then and probably detrimental to the battery as it is Li-Ion.

5) Two Button support either eludes me in Windows or rather isn’t there.

6) That damned Beach Ball.

7) Why are they so damn expensive for the low end Mac Books that are aimed at students. Students want to have $800 notebooks, most of them can’t afford a $2000 Mac Book Pro, or want the smaller form factor. When Apple can easily bring the cost down, why don’t they? Because of the software, the whole iLife suite and the great integration of iLife and the rest of the mac system mainly through the Core Data API (and its main frontend Spotlight)? That should be the value add, what really holds on to the customer have, after capturing them with the style and low price ( Sub $1000). Educationaly Discounts don’t help much for the low end.

These few things not only bug me right now about getting a notebook from Apple but always have been the impeding factor for my purchase.

The horibbly named Mac Pro….

Rumors abound on the Mac Pro (the so-called sucessor to the powermacs), on a release date. August 7, looks to be the date of not only a switch to the Intel platform, but also an entire case re-design. So no more cheese grater, and possibly more expansion options (some of us may want to put one of those blu-ray drives in). Also an update to the Mac Book Pro chassis and upgrade to Core 2 Duo. Since this is before WWDC do you think they’re going to announce a 64-bit Universal Leopard….? I suspect so….

mostly via Engadget