iPod Nano 3rd Generation

I remember when CDs first came out.  Until that time I had only known cassette tapes and the idea of a laser reading information off a disk blew me away.  My parents got a CD player boom box that sat on our living room cabinet.  About six months later I got my first CD, “Use Your Illusion I” by Guns and Roses.  Oh yes my friends, it was all kinds of awesome.  I would sit there in the living room with headphones on while my little sisters watched Barney videos and rock out to GnR for hours!  The sound quality was insanely clear and I knew that the world was changing.

Maybe I watch a little bit too much science fiction but I love to hop in a time machine.  Not only would I tell past me to save his allowance and put it all in Yahoo!, Google and Apple stock but I would let him know about the future.  I would take his Guns and Roses CD and break it into about eight pieces.  I would then explain that every song in his CD collection, every song he has ever heard or could think about hearing would fit on a device about the size of that shard of plastic!  Not only would it hold an insane amount of music but the quality would be killer.

It might further impress past me that this device was not just for the rich and powerful of the world.  They will give these things out for opening a new bank account in the future and everyone who works out with have them on.

Apple always manages to impress me like that.  I was amazed by the original iPod, the video iPod and now the iPod Nano with video.  I strolled by the Apple store when these bad boys came out and had to go inside and play with one.  The small device cranks out crystal clear video as well as audio.  The new iPod Nano also comes in a variety of cool colors.  No more are you limited to black or white when it comes to your iPod; you can get a wide range of colors to fit your unique sense of style.  To continue with this theme both come with free laser engraving from Apple.

The new iPod Nano comes in either 8GB or 16 GB versions.  The 8GB version can store about 2,00 songs or 8 hours of video and it’s bigger brother can hold about 4,000 songs or 16 hours of video.  The smaller will set you back $149 while the larger will run you $179.

Apple is the king at mixing functionality and style together flawlessly.  The new iPod Nano is a perfect example of what they doing right and why they are the king of the tech hill.

Photo Credits: Andrew*

Originally posted 2010-01-14 03:25:06.

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Mac OS X

While Pystar had only been able to sell 728 of these computers Apple came down like a ton of bricks to stop them dead in their tracks and make an example of them.  Just in case you think about bogarting Apple’s technology you might want to consider the legal costs and $2.1 million payment Pystar is going to have to dish out for the “damage” they did to the Apple brand.

Apple is notorious for keeping Stalin-like control over its patents and proprietary technology.  They develop their own hardware and software in house and only allow third party developers the honor of cranking out products after closely monitored review processes.

This has most recently reared its ugly head with iPhone app developers either walking away from projects or voicing their displeasure with the Apple approval process.  While Apple dominates the smart phone market with its iPhone and over 100,000 plus apps up and coming platforms like Google’s Android and the business go-to Black Berry are luring developers away.  Fearing a mass exodus Apple has offered some clarity into their review process, however many developers scoff at progress updates as significant progress.

While getting pissed off that your brand new fart sound-making app is being delayed by Apple is one thing, jacking their hardware and software technology is something completely different.  Pystar’s computers are basically bad knockoffs of Macs and Macbooks that come preloaded with Apple’s operating systems.  They use a lot of fancy technological footwork to install the operating systems and circumvent copyright laws and Apple’s own defense mechanisms.

In reaction to the California lawsuit Pystar filed their own lawsuit in Florida over the Snow Leopard issue.  Apple has struck back by saying that the second lawsuit should be dismissed or rolled into the first.  Apple’s stance is that they “should not be required to file a new lawsuit to stop Pystar from infringing Apple’s intellectual property each time Apple releases a new version of Mac OS X.”

What is most shocking about all of this is that this company only sold 728 machines in all of 2009.  While they projected to sell 470,000 this year and as many as 12 million in 2011 their sales fell drastically short of that.  While I do think Apple has every right to stop people from stealing their technology it seems like a huge reaction to a company that took a year to sell as many computers that they sell in 40 minutes!

Apple does need to defend their technology but at some point if they want to become as ubiquitous as PCs they need to open up hardware and software development to more third party developers.  If this means loosening the reigns and accepting less control over the process then that’s what they may have to do.

For the time being though don’t expect any big changes coming from Apple.  They are kings of the mountain and aren’t going to give anyone a shot at the crown any time soon.

Photo Credits: DeclanTM

Originally posted 2009-12-31 03:52:13.

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iPhone Bump

The Good and Bad?

The very nice news about the Bump app is the price…free! You can find it at iTunes in their App store. The down side is the leeriness some security minded data gatekeepers have about any program that performs the sort of functions that this one does.

Bump Technologies’ response to those concerns is that all the communications between a user’s iPhone and their servers is encrypted and sent using https which is the same as you see with online banking. They also point out that the user is in control of deciding who to share information with and when. No one should be able to exchange information, unless the phones are bumped together. Bump also states they never share a user’s personal information with third parties.

Bump is also available for use on Google’s Android, and can share photos, link Facebook friends, and compare friends as well as exchange contact information.

How to do the Bump

Locate the app on iTunes App store and install it on your iPhone.

Even if you do not intend to use it immediately open the application and read through the “Terms of Service”. You will need to select “agree” to complete the installation and be allowed use of the application. Once the application is running it will be able to detect your location.

You can now open Bump and choose My Profile. If you haven’t created a profile on your iPhone you can scroll to the bottom and choose the red “I Can’t Find My Name” button. A contact form will open up so you can fill it out. Since you will be sharing this you might want to keep it to only information you want others to see. Select “Done” when you are completed.

When you meet someone else who is also using the application then both of you will need to open the Bump app. Hold the iPhone in your hand with your fingers and hand protecting it from the other user’s iPhone. Gently bump or tap your fist to the other user’s hand. This should initiate the transfer of information. It is a good idea to check and make sure the transfer worked especially the first few times you try using the application.

Some have speculated that if applications like Bump catch on, they might eliminate the use of business cards, or at least badly scribbled impossible to read notes will no longer be necessary. At least, for the time being with this free application the price is right, and it is easy to use.

Photo Credits: Sorgatron

Originally posted 2010-05-13 03:28:49.

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Google Calendar on iPhone

If you love your iPhone and your favorite personal calendar is that cool free one you get from Google then you certainly noticed a problem. While you can set your Gmail account to mobile and then set up your email application to read it this didn’t work for your iPhone calendar. True, you could get Google Calendar to send notifications to your Gmail account, which could be read from your iPhone, but it just isn’t the same as being able to use the Calendar app on the phone. Making changes to Google’s calendar using Safari was problematic compared to using the regular Calendar app, but if you didn’t remember to make the changes on your Google calendar than there could be a scheduling disaster. Fortunately, as so many people have pointed out there is an app for everything.

The iPlan synch

First is the easy part. Simply go to iTunes and load the iPlan app. The iPlan is a calendar application that will allow you to view your events pretty much however you wish to look at them. You can use this with a variety of other tools, but its chief claim to fame is the ability to synch with Google’s calendar so you can see your events off-line. It has been around since summer of 2009 and costs $3.99. If you missed the launch of this app or if you like to wait until all the bugs are worked out before trying any application now is a good time to give iPlan a try. The easy part is making the purchase and loading the app onto your phone.

Getting your Google Calendar ready

If you haven’t already set your Gmail to mobile you should do that now. Open your Google Calendar and select Settings from the options located on the upper right. Select Mobile Setup from the option bar in the left corner of the calendar setting's box.

Fill in the information then wait for the verification code to appear on your iPhone text screen. If you don’t receive the code, there is an option to run further checks under the Status field which is the very first field in the box. You don’t actually need the mobile access to be running to use iPlan, but if there is a communication issue with the phone or with your Google settings you will discover it here running this test.

Synching the Calendar

The next part is very easy. Open your Google Calendar and make a few entries labeled ‘test’. Then select the iPlan app on your iPhone, and look at the bottom bar. In the right corner, there is a menu button. Select this button and it will take you to the popup screen with three choices Go to Date, Google Synch, and Settings. Select Google Synch.

You should now be seeing the iPhone’s light blue box message. It should say Synchronizing and it will say this for several minutes. When the waiting screen drops go to the iPhone calendar and find your test entries.

***There is a similar app called CalenGoo which performs similarly. CalenGoo is $6.99.

Photo Credits: daecon

Originally posted 2010-05-12 03:24:20.

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