Why my iPhone 3G went back
Friday, July 18, 2008
It is a sad day in the Geekanoids office. I love my Mac computers, my Leopard, all of my iPods, but my iPhone 3G just did not cut the mustard. I had the original iPhone and loved it (still do) and I suppose that the greatness of the original, plus a couple of other things, combined into the decision to return my 3G... let me explain...First off, the iPhone 3G. Yes, it was sexy, but it felt cheap. The 3G connectivity was poor to say the least. I found myself turning 3G off to get a good signal in my area, and to correct an error where the handset would not receive cellular data. This error would stop Maps, Email, Internet, basically anything that needed access to the cellular network would fail. It also ran warm, and after a couple of days use a small pimple had raised up on the back of the handset. These problems may have been isolated to just my iPhone, but they worried me.
Then throw in the equation of the original iPhone. It was better built and felt classy. The brushed aluminum back was really nicely done and did not show those fingerprints. The screen seemed nicer to me, yes, we all know about the yellow added to the 3G, but c'mon Apple, you should give us the choice.
Finally, a look at me. I am in the office probably 75% of my time, bringing you reviews. Of the remaining time that I am out, I probably have my laptop with me. During this time, I only get a few calls, so I can pick those up on my original iPhone. If I want an Application, I can get that over my broadband connection at home (rather than EDGE). If I want to find my way, I have a TomTom. So I came to the conclusion, that problems aside, I did not need 3G. Don't get me wrong, it is a great mobile phone, just not essential for everyone, and definitely not an essential upgrade from the original iPhone.
Labels: Apple iPhone, Opinion
iPhone 3G GPS Not Working - How to fix it
Sunday, July 13, 2008
There have been many reports of the iPhone 3G having problems with its GPS positioning. Many users are reporting that they go into Maps on their new iPhone, click the target to lock onto their position and it is just not working. I too was experiencing this and have three things to advise, that may point to a solution.Firstly, check the version number for your 2.0 software. Mine was factory shipped with 2.0 (5A345). I did a restore through iTunes and it downloaded the later 2.0 (5A347) version. After this was downloaded the iPhone got a cellular signal a lot quicker, plus a lot stronger signal too.
Secondly, check you at least have a cellular or mobile phone network signal. The iPhone (both 3G and first generation) use the cell network to work out your position. I found that once I had a four bar signal or more, the iPhone locked onto my position very quickly. It was not that accurate, but it did respond quickly.
Finally, put your iPhone 3G outside for at least 15 minutes. You will find that if it has a non-restricted path to the satellites you will get it to lock on. After leaving mine outside, the target changed to the blue glowing dot and found my position. It was very very accurate, even tracking if I was at the top or bottom of my back garden. This is very impressive indeed.
Labels: Apple iPhone, Opinion
Eee Monitor - challenge to iMac
Sunday, July 06, 2008
Over at Laptop Mags blog we found some really snazzy photos and brief details of the Eee Monitor. Please check out their gallery and article here.I find this news very interesting for many reasons. Firstly, with my recent acquisition of an Advent 4211, I have been reading with great interest about users getting Mac OS X running on it. My proposed use is to also install Linux (Ubuntu) on this little unit.
Secondly, I have an Asus Eee PC 1000H on winging its way to the Geekanoids office. Why? I hear you ask. Well, I know that we cover primarily Mac based news, but these new mini-PCs or Netbooks, give users the chance to have a really portable device. In my day-to-day use, there is often times when I pop out, to a meeting, or perhaps to a local café for a change of scenary and I don't want to take my 15-inch MacBook Pro with me. I am sure a lot of people have the same thing happen to them, where a cheap 8.9-inch or 10-inch laptop would be ideal.
This leads me to my interest of the Eee Monitor (sorry it took so long to get to the point). For a long time now, if I wanted a second desktop based Mac, perhaps for myself, or another room in the house, my only choice due to price was the Mac Mini. The iMac is just too expensive for a secondary or luxury purchase. Well, if the Eee Monitor comes in at around the £300 mark, they will get my money. It looks very impressive. I am sure the 19-inch monitor will be of a decent quality and the Linux OS will suit me very well for the intended internet browsing and email use. Add into the equation the slim possibility of being able to install Mac OS X and you have a win win situation. The question of whether this is intended to be a monitor for an Eee PC netbook or a standalone all-in-one computer... I favour the latter. It has no VGA or DVI port to accept another computers video signal. Also, if you look closely at the back, it has one ethernet and a modem output, hinting that it has networking built-in. Last, but by no means least, the front of the uit sports an infrared receiver, triggering this would enable the built-in tuner, surely controlled by the units OS. Oh, and one more thing, around the back you can see some fans underneath the central grill... these must be to cool a processor.
I will be watching the Eee Monitor very closely. It really looks as though it is challenging the iMac on the design front and absolutely smashing it on price... interesting!
Labels: Opinion
Advent 4211 Mini Netbook - MSI Wind Rebadge
Friday, July 04, 2008
Always on the hunt for new toys, and primarily a replacement for my 12-inch PowerBook. I had been keeping my eye on the netbook front for the last month or so. Initially I was really tempted to wait for the Asus Eee PC 901 or 1000H, but then through the forums I heard of the MSI Wind U100. This little 10-inch screen notebook looked superb. The term being touted is 'Netbook' due to it being ideally suited to surfing and emails, with the odd office task.A slideshow of this little netbook can be viewed at the bottom of this review.
Anyway, the MSI model seemed to be so hard to get hold of. Then the Advent 4211 appeared on the PC World website. It was a rebadge, sourced and manufactured by MSI, so really just a different colour Wind, except at £279 it is cheaper. The box is tiny and hides this little laptop inside. The laptop itself is very solid and has a nice build to it. The lid that houses the screen has very little flex which is encouraging. The screen itself is very hard, pressing a little causes no ripples, so it seems very robust. The battery is a slimline 3-cell, which proves a bit hard to fit and remove, but a snug fit, which does not protrude from the base of the laptop at all.
The keyboard feels nice and responsive, with the keys have just the right amount of travel. Size is good too, comparing to a full size notebook it is almost the same, just a bit more compact. The symbols on the keys are nice and clear too.On first start up, you are asked a few set-up questions, but it lets you get underway with Windows XP SP3 pretty fast. I was certainly up and running within about five minutes. The only problem I have experienced is getting it to recognise my wireless network, but I am sure I will sort that out.
In use the screen is very crisp and clear. The backlighting seems very even and the brightness is pretty darn impressive. Normally my experience of PC laptops is that the screen never goes as bright as I would like. The Advent 4211 is the first that I have to say I am happy with. A white page is as it should be, white and not grey. After an hours use, the system is running very quietly. I created a restore backup following the instructions, using an SD card. This tooks about 12 minutes, and I suggest you do the same, as it means you have a copy of all the drivers you need too. Overall, the Advent 4211 has impressed. The trackpad is a little small, but again you will get used to it. If you need something really portable thought, then pop into a PC World and take a look. You will be surprised at what £279 gets you.*UPDATE* I am happy to confirm that after an official BIOS update and updating the network card driver, the wi-fi connection is now OK and very stable.
Labels: Opinion, PC Hardware, Reviews
Jungle Disk & Amazon S3 - first thoughts
Monday, June 30, 2008
Over the past week I have been testing the latest version of Jungle Disk, working alongside Amazon S3. I have never used either before, but the small price-point of Amazon S3 was very attractive to at least see if the service is a viable solution for me.In simple terms, Amazon S3 (Simple Storage Service) is a storage solution 'in the cloud'. I am starting to dislike the 'in the cloud' term, but we are all stuck with it. It equates to uploading and storing your files on a server at Amazon HQ, hidden away behind some security wall. The S3 service is pretty complicated and you need to use an application (either built by yourself or pre-made) to give you a GUI and some way of getting your files uploaded. One such solution is Jungle Disk.
The application is available for Mac, Windows and Linux, so everyone is catered for. You can get a 30-day trial download, or pay $20 for all three platform versions, with unlimited free upgrades, plus the ability to install on as many computers that you own. This is fantastic value for money. Setting up the software is really easy. It asks for your Amazon S3 log-in details and hidden key. Once logged in, you can set up your first upload. This again is really straightforward, simply ticking boxes for what you want to include or exclude. You can schedule automatic backups, or click the 'start' button manually. You get a nice progress bar, so you always know how far your backup has progressed.
My only niggle was user error. I had forgotten to uncheck some larger files, such as my email database. So this large file had been included in the backup. Not a massive problem, there is a 'cancel' button that effects just the individual file (rather than the whole backup). The button is very responsive and worked straight away. Subsequent backups check the Amazon server and look for changed files only, so in my first test, only the initial backup was just under 2GB. The great thing is, that I checked my Amazon account today and it cost me 18pence so far. The monthly charge will be slightly less than this, but as you can see, this is fantastic VFM. I will keep you updated and bring you more news about the Jungle Disk application further down the line.
Labels: Mac Software, Opinion
Apple Backup 3 Disappears
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Am I mistaken, or has Apple removed the link to download the latest version of its Backup application? After the MobileMe announcement, I promised myself that I would make more use of iDisk, for storing some files off-site. It is/was my intention, that when MobileMe is released, I would upgrade my storage space and push some important files into the cloud. This followed considering using Amazons S3 service, but for some reason deciding against it.After logging into my .Mac account and following the route to download Backup 3, I found my browser in a loop. Then I searched and went direct to this page, but all it does is go to a ".Mac will soon be MobileMe page". Nothing would download! So, perhaps in anticipation of MobileMe launching, maybe a new version of Backup is on its way. Yes, I know Backup resides in my iDisk, but I thought it strange that I was unable to find the download anywhere.
Labels: Opinion
Apples MobileMe to replace .Mac - an Overview
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Following yesterday’s WWDC announcements, I am going to concentrate on the new MobileMe service that will replace dotmac (.mac) for current subscribers. The new service has no firm date for rollout, though I expect we will see this during July. It sounds very exciting, so I am hoping sooner rather than later.Current dotmac subscribers get an automatic update. Renewals fees and new users to the service get very good value for money. A single-user one year subscription costs just £59 and a family pack for up to five users is £89. The single user account also gives you a massive 20GB of storage space and 100GB monthly data transfer allowance. I know that this will certainly encourage me to take advantage of the service for more off-site backup.
Extra storage space is also available, with an extra 20GB weighing in at £30, or 40GB of additional space for £59. So with the figures out of the way, let’s take a look at what MobileMe actually offers on the application and service front.
The announcement for a service like this really does go hand-in-hand with two of Apples other products. Yes, the iPhone will be served well by MobileMe, it makes it easy for the rest of us to have Exchange-type functionality, without the tech know how and infrastructure behind it. Secondly, look back to when the MacBook Air was announced. This was a definite push from Apple that content and files would be stored remotely, available for download wherever you happen to be.
The MobileMe service strengthens this view, and offer up a whole host of ‘in the cloud’ features. For starters you get Push email, contacts and calendars. This equates to a very useful and powerful set of features. For example, if you receive an email whilst out and about, your iPhone would automatically be ‘pushed’ the email, instead of you having to start the Mail application and retrieve your new messages. Push contacts and calendars work in much the same way, but with an added pinch of goodness. Imagine you have a Mac computer back home and whilst you are out you meet a new friend, add their details to your iPhone or MacBook address book and the details are whizzed off through the MobileMe service and again ‘pushed’ into the Web 2.0 application on your desktop Mac. Another scenario would be someone back in the office changing or adding an appointment to your calendar. Within a very short period of time, this change would be reflected on your iPhone. This sort of power is now going to be available to us all. For me, this is a real winner.
Whilst we are on the subject of the calendar. For a long time iCal has lacked the ability to add or edit events through the .Mac interface. Now, with MobileMe you have the power to make changes to your calendars from all of the current internet browsers. Whether you are on a Mac or PC, you can take full advantage of the feature rich Web 2.0 interface. The calendars look superb, fully colour coded, with drag and drop functionality. Superb, I waited for a long time for this and it is finally going to be delivered with true style.
In much the same way ‘Gallery’ also pushes changes out to friends, colleagues and relatives. Taking a photo with your iPhone, allows you to upload and share this via the new service. Great for social use, but also from a business point of view, in many jobs this could be invaluable.
Last, but not least is iDisk. Personally, I have underused this great feature in its current version. It seemed very slow to me and the hassle of uploading to it far outweighed it usefulness. This was probably very shortsighted on my part, but I have vowed that I will take advantage of the new iDisk. Not only is it very well priced, but the Web 2.0 interface adds a whole new set of features to it. The interface looks as though it is a local desktop window. You can upload a file and share it with a link that is provided. The file can be openly shared or password protected. This would put an end to me sending out large files via email. Imagine you have an artwork proof that needs to be approved by more than one person. Now, you will be able to just send a link to the file... this will be much quicker and ultimately more productive.
Mac, PC, iPhone or iPod touch, the new MobileMe is a real winner. I cannot wait to get my hands on it. For current .Mac subscribers a useful FAQ can be found here.
Labels: Apple News, Opinion
EeePC (or MacBook Air) Contender from Dell Mini Inspiron
Monday, June 02, 2008
It seems like every Joe is trying to get into the mini-PC market these days. Ever since the EeePC from Asus came onto the marker, there have been new announcements from HP (with the MiniNote), MSI (ahem, with the Wind) and now Dell sneak us a peak of their mini Inspiron (pictured here). A lot of websites are saying that it competes with the EeePC, but if you look at how things are developing, these new miniature PC's are getting a little larger with each incarnation. They also seem to be making sure that they have more ports than the MacBook Air.
Now, I am not saying that any PC, let alone the rather nice looking offering from Dell, would ever be better than a MacBook Air, but it does make me take notice. Wouldn't it be fantastic is Steve Jobs took notice and released the MacBook Air 2 at WWDC 2008 with two or three extra USB ports, a removable battery, and maybe an extra option or two on the hard drive front.Labels: Opinion
Which hard drive is the best solution?
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
With so many different interface types on external hard drives it must be hard for the average consumer to decide which is best. Heck, for a techie like me I even find myself puzzled sometimes. There is USB 2, Firewire 400 and 800, eSATA and ethernet. I suppose the easy option is to get a drive with all the interfaces on one unit, but that often costs a price premium. For a long time now, I have owned a 10/100 ethernet hard drive, a separate USB 2 drive and a triple interface (Western Digital My Book Studio). Having a new iMac on the way, I needed yet another drive for the daily clone of the new computer, so what should I choose?To make things easier for everyone, here is a simple guide to what might be the best solution;
USB 2 - for simple file storage or a daily backup, where speed is not the highest priority.
Firewire 400/800 - if you are doing video work, or moving large amounts of data. If your end of day backup is very large, say 100GB+ this is also worth considering.
eSATA - in the Mac world this is only accessible if you have an adapter card in a PowerMac, Mac Pro, or perhaps a MacBook Pro. Useful again where speed is essential.
Ethernet - I would not recommend these for general backup use. However, if you own more than one Mac they are great for putting all your digital media (photos, movies, music) in one place.
I hope this helps... in case you are wondering, for my current needs I chose a triple interface MyBook again.
Labels: Opinion
Messenger 7 Mac Released - tell me why
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
As a long time user of Adium for the Mac, plus of course Apple's very own iChat, I left Microsoft Messenger behind a long time ago. When a new version came out, in the past, I tried it, but could never really work out where it would fit in my portfolio of applications. So I may well skip the newly released version 7.
Sure, I understand that users come from a PC background, where all their friends use Windows, but then is that not where Adium comes in. In some situations, I tell friends if they really want to communicate with me in a video conferencing scenario, to "buy a Mac". This might seem a bit extreme, but I have converted a few like that.
For those of you who use Messenger, please share in the comments, why do you use this app? and what are the invaluable benefits?
Labels: Opinion
BBC iPlayer - iPod touch friendly!
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
After following the ups and downs of the BBC's support for the Apple Mac platform (yes, I even signed the petition), I was amazed at my discovery yesterday. Many of the on-demand TV services are not that friendly with the Mac, so when I learned that the BBC were developing support for our beloved Macs, I was really pleased.Just last night I found myself browsing the internet with my iPod touch. When I went onto the BBC iPlayer site, to see if there were any updated news on Mac support, I clicked on a programme just to see what happened. To my surprise, Quicktime stepped in and played the programme. Perfectly formatted for the iPod touch screen, I could now watch the last seven days of television, via wi-fi on my touch. OK, so some of the programmes are not available, but that is down to the BBC and not the particular device being used to watch. The couple I did watch showed a perfect picture and nice speed buffering, so no pauses or skips. This may well be old news that had skipped my radar, but I wanted to shout out a big 'THANK YOU' to the BBC... let's hope the other channels follow.
Labels: Opinion
Todays new Apple MacBook Pro - Wowza!
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
I love my MacBook Pro, so when todays new offerings were announced I was both happy, but also green with envy. The new models offer all the usual things we would expect, with speed bumps across the range, bigger hard drives, but offer a whole lot more besides.Having always favoured the Pro, due to its dedicated GPU, the new version now allows you to have up to 512MB of GDDR3 RAM on the NVidia 8600M GT graphics card, that is awesome. Although this is not reflected in the Apple Store correctly yet, their specification pages state that you get 256MB of GDDR3 on the 2.4GHz version, and 512MB on the 2.5GHz and 2.6GHz versions, it remains to be seen if this is a no cost option. You also get 6MB of shared Level 2 cache, which will help with performance even further. With processor speeds now configurable up to a 2.6GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, these babies will really fly.
The big addition to this revision is the multi-touch trackpad. You can now pinch, swipe and rotate your way around (like on the MacBook Air). This is something I really liked the look of and was hoping they would include this in both the MacBook and MacBook Pro, but for now, only the Pro version gets it. For now I will have to be happy with my current machine, which really is not that old, but I know that pretty soon the credit card will be beckoning me to play with it.
UPDATE: You now have to pay £15 for the Apple Remote... shame that such a small cost item is now a chargeable option.
Labels: Apple News, Opinion
So let's look at todays new Apple MacBook
Well, the new Apple MacBook and MacBook Pro has just been announced, so here I want to take a look at what you get in the new MacBook (I will cover the Pro later).First off the speed bumps, you get 2.1GHz from the base model, and 2.4GHz in the mid-range white and top-range black models. In the black model, you also get a 250GB hard drive, which is a BTO option in the other two. You can also spec up to 4GB of RAM, but this is often a lot cheaper to do after the event from a third party manufacturer (like Crucial). Everything else reads the same, even the graphic card is not a beefier offering. The only other performance enhancing addition, is 3MB of Level 2 cache.
So the good bits are the extra speed and the massive 250GB hard drive option (unless you have a black version). The bad bits, which will be talked about a lot more, is the lack of multi-touch. Apple have this technology and it would be so much nicer if they offered it too the whole range, but I guess that would hurt MacBook Air sales too much, so they will probably wait until a further revision before the MacBook gets this.
Labels: Apple News, Opinion
Apple Leopard 10.5.2 Experience
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
I welcomed the news that Apple's Leopard OS had received an update in the form of 10.5.2. For a long time now I have been swearing at Leopard on my MacBook Pro, with the nuisance of airport connection dropouts and the like. So this new version was just urging me to install.
The I read about the problems; updates freezing, Macs not starting up after the update, user accounts disappearing and the like... so I thought long and hard before going for it. I took the safe option though, as my MBPro is my main computer, I opted to upgrade my Mac Mini first. Starting with a backup of all my user files, followed by a bootable clone of the internal drive. I downloaded the standalone combo updater (rather than going through Software Update), then I was ready to go.
It is early days yet, but around 20 minutes in total saw the Mac Mini restart just once. It booted up first go and (touch wood) all seems fine. The only application that seemed to stop working is MailSteward, but apart from that, all I have tried has worked fine. Things seem snappier to, with responses to application launching a lot quicker. Next week will see my MacBook Pro upgrade, I will let you know how it goes.
Labels: Opinion
MacBook Air - All puff & no grunt?
Sunday, February 03, 2008
When his Steveness announced the MacBook Air I did my usual excited scurry for the wallet. Yes, the credit card is always at the ready around Macworld Expo time, and this year was no different (sad I know). Then I took a step back and studied the offering...
The MacBook Air in my opinion really does look the business. Its sleek lines and gorgeous thinness jump out at you, in an understated way of course. This is what Apple does best, and the design of the Air really is superb. This really is laptop for users who travel a lot and want to travel light. It is not for the masses, we have the standard MacBook to fill this need, nor is it for the professional who goes out and about once in a while to visit a client, the MacBook Pro jumps in here. So why did my credit card go back into my wallet untouched?
Well, the Air lacks a few things that it really should offer the mobile pro, especially when Steve compares it to the likes of a Sony ultra-portable. Don't get me wrong, I am a fanboy, but a Vaio of some description comes with an optical drive and a damn site more USB ports, and that is just for starters. For the Air to come out and about with me on every single trip it needs at least two USB ports, a card slot, an optical drive, security slot... oh, and a 12-inch matte screen. The MacBook Air is just too close to the regular MacBook, which is a lot cheaper by miles. So my money would go in that direction. I already have a MacBook Pro, so the Air just did not tempt me. Why would I take a speed drop, feature drop all for the gain of thinness and a lighter weight. I think that the MacBook Air is the first Apple product that hasn't swayed me... it is all puff and no grunt if you ask me!
Labels: Opinion
MacLive Expo London 2007 - Show Report
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Having recovered from a manic day (mainly travelling) at this years MacLive Expo, I am now in the right frame of mind to give you my feelings about the exhibition. Before I kick off with all the good bits (and there are plenty) I want to get my anger and disappointment out of the way. As I was stomping the show floor, the main complaint from both exhibitors and members of the public was Apple’s absence from the event. Companies paying top prices to take stand and show their wares felt let down that Apple had chosen NOT to show the same commitment to the UK public. Visitors, who had paid their £15 to get into the Expo, were equally annoyed. Many had not even known that Apple would not be there. They were expecting to see the whole line-up of Macs, iPods and more importantly wanted some hands-on time with the new Mac OS X Leopard. OK, enough moaning, with or without the big A, the show went on.As with all Mac Expo’s, I am always amazed at the enthusiasm that buzzes around the hall. The main central area is taken up by the bigger companies, with the likes of Quark, Microsoft, Hewlett Packard and Intego, to name just a few. VMWare had a largish stand, showing their superb software that enables the Mac to run Windows. Avanquest was also at the Expo, with their competing Parallels software, that does the same. It’ll be interesting when I review these two products to see which one performs better of the two. In this central area Simms International Accessories were selling their latest range of computer bags and pouches from Crumpler and BuiltNY. They certainly get my vote for the most fun and endearing company at this years show. The likes of Accountz (with their accounting software) and Elgato (freeview and recording on your Mac) also proved popular with visitors. Whilst on the subject of accounting, MYOB won ‘Best of Show’, which is amazing when you think of how accounting is perceived. I had a chat to them, and was amazed at how passionate they were to make their software so sexy and easy to use.
Over the next month or so, Geekanoids will be announcing some awards for our product reviews. Ahead of time though, we will also be looking at the company behind the product and acknowledging good service. Our ‘Most Friendly’ company award cannot wait that long and this goes to Konica Minolta. Their range of printers speak for themselves, but the fact that they take the time to speak to end users on a level playing field, taking that one extra step to make sure they have happy punters, really is noticeable.
On the outer perimeter of the Expo hall there were many smaller vendors. A chance to meet not only the salesman, but often the programmers behind the software or hardware on offer. A quick shout out to our sponsors Realmac Software and Eazy Draw, who were busy answering questions from visitors. Kensington were also on the wings showing their range of Mac compatible keyboards and mice. We were also lucky enough to pick up a couple of iPhone cases from Contour Design, who are also expecting their iPod touch case to land in about ten days.
All in all this years MacLive Expo was on a much smaller scale, mainly due to Apple not being there. Adobe also chose not to exhibit, so two of last years biggest stands meant everything was condensed. This was a big shame and casts a shadow of doubt in my mind, whether we will see a show next year, unless Apple commit to attending. I hope the show does continue, as it is the only real chance for UK users to feel part of the Mac community. The opportunity to talk with people from the companies whose products we use every day is very valuable, so I really hope to see details of MacLive Expo 2008 announced sooner rather than later.
Labels: Apple News, General News, Opinion
Let's Get Ready for Leopard
Monday, October 22, 2007
It's about that time again; the time where we get organized, back up our files, and prepare for an update to Apple's premiere operating system; Mac OS X, better known this time around as Leopard. You've undoubtedly seen the major changes to the operating system, including nice new features such as Spaces and Time Machine. While these are nice and (hopefully) useful, many have their own small list of changes they hope to see. Most of the changes I hope for reside within the Finder.Network Storage is becoming more common these days, even for the average person. The problem is that the Finder does not have great support for two common protocols: FTP and SMB. FTP in Finder has always been read-only. This forces you to find (and possibly purchase) a third-party client or learn how to use the client built into Terminal. What I'd like to see is FTP support where read and write are both enabled. Unlike FTP, Samba does have read and write support within the Finder, yet it's unbearably slow. Perhaps it's fine for a 100 Mbps network, but the sub-100 Mbps performance on a Gigabit network is unsatisfactory.
Another feature lacked in the Finder is with "Column View". This is undoubtedly my most-used view when navigating folders, which is why this next "fix" makes sense. the column view needs to have an option to expand to the size of the longest file name in the folder automatically. It's a pain in the butt to frequently look for files with similar but different names and have to expand every column manually.
Safari, which had (emphasize "had") been my browser of choice for the previous few years. It's a great browser, but the "bloat" is setting in as it matures. As of now I'm using Camino, which is super light and fast. If the next version of Safari can manage to feel less like Firefox and more like Camino, as well as provide a little bit of plug-in support, I may move back again. I'd love a lean-mean browser with Del.icio.us support.
Lastly is iTunes, which like Safari is starting to feel a lot more resource intensive than it's previous releases. I'm sorry to say that I don't particularly like iTunes, but since I need it to sync with my iPod touch, it's a necessary evil. Apple needs to put this guy on the treadmill or I may build my own media player for just listening to music. I'd love to reserve more resources for other, more important applications.
Mac OS X has matured a lot over the years, there's no doubt about it, but there is still a long way to go before it becomes the Holy Grail of all operating systems. I'd love to hear what undocumented changes our readers hope for in Leopard. Please post your opinions and have a good day!
Frank Sandoval (Geekanoids Newbie)
www.shouldbefree.net
Labels: Mac Software, Opinion
iMac Keyboard iWork 08 iLife 08... my thoughts
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
The announcements Apple made yesterday made a lot of people happy, disgruntled a few and for myself, well, it was mixed feelings. As promised, I would love to share my thoughts, it may leave you wanting to add something in the comments, so feel free.Well, to kick things off, Steve Jobs did a grand job, nothing could have made me happier than seeing how Steve delivered the news. Sitting at my desk, the iMac amazed me. Great specification, better pricing, well worth while to upgrade with the new graphics and processor power. Then Steve delivered a big blow, that word 'glossy'. Do not get me wrong, the MacBook glossy screen was fine, so why not on the iMac. I suppose it was just that my screen of choice is matte. Although I will most likely buy an iMac, it would be great if there was a matte option, but there is not, so I could never see myself using it for pro type work.
The keyboard that now accompanies the all new Macs (except the mini) is fantastic. I love the slimline design and having had a MacBook, the flat keys are nice and very easy to get used to. Two USB 2.0 ports is also a welcome addition, as are the quick keys that have been added. The wireless Bluetooth 2.0 version is also great, and due to its compact size will be a great companion for laptops.The Mac Mini also got a revision, but nothing to really shout about. Speed bumping the Mini at least means it'll be around a bit longer. Shame it didn't get some graphics love, maybe a dedicated GPU, even at 64MB would have attracted a lot of users. If Apple ever added dual display capability this little wonder would be an even greater success.
On the software front, at last we got iLife and iWork 08. The new iLife adds some fantastic new features. For myself, iMovie sounds fantastic, having just got a lot more involved in video work for Geekanoids, I am very keen to try it out. The improvements to iPhoto also sound very interesting. In the past I have only ever used it to quickly import photos and never really organised my photos properly, so my task when my software arrives, is to really get organised using the new Events and better Keyword features.
iWork 08 is also on my review list. I used previous versions, but never really stuck with them. This was really due to using Quark Xpress for my page layout and TextEdit for everything else. Another promise to Apple coming up, that apart from the review of iWork, I will stick with it and give it a chance to shine. The addition of Numbers also made perfect sense, and if it works in the style I would expect, should negate the need for anyone to invest in the new MS Office, when/if it ever arrives.Yesterday was a great day for Apple and they really delivered on all fronts what all Mac users have been waiting for. At last we can sit back and start enjoying the new software and hardware, content that the software will be safe for a while, and that new hardware is just around the corner. Many thanks Steve and the rest of the Apple team, on behalf of all your fans.
Labels: Apple News, Opinion