Macworld 2009 Impressions

Hey guys, how's a going? Long time no see. Today I'm going to give you my thoughts on Macworld 2009. I know it's been a few days since Macworld 2009 started, but I'm just going to give my thoughts a little late. Keep in mind that I didn't pre-write this or anything, they're just thoughts that came to my mind when I watched the keynote video. Here it goes:



1. No Steve Jobs... But Phil Schiller.

Yes, as you probably know, Phil Schiller hosted the last Macworld for Apple this year. He isn't any Steve, but overall, he did do a pretty good job in my opinion. Prior to Macworld 2009, Phil also hosted Apple Expo Paris 2004 to introduce the iMac G5 to fill in the abscence of Steve.

2. New 17" MacBook Pro With 8 Hour Battery

Yes, we all knew that this was coming! A brand new 17" MacBook Pro. But with a battery that has up to 8 hours of continuous battery life! In my opinion, this is great for people who like to do a lot of video editing, surf the web, and watch movies all on the go. It also has a very, very sleek and nicely finished aluminum unibody design just like all of the new MacBooks. Overall, the 17" MacBook Pro looks the greatest it's ever been and the screen looks better than ever!

3. iLife 09 And iWork 09

Now, here is where I didn't pay attention. I really didn't care what Phil had to say about the new iLife 09 and iWork 09, mainly because well... I don't own a Mac. I do wish to own one someday though. I really didn't get all the features that the new software has, probably just some minor updates though. Sorry if I didn't give you the "BEST" information on this new software.

4. No New Mac Mini...?

Okay, this is where I'm going to rant a little bit. No Mac Mini? Is Apple on crack? If they noticed at all, people are dying to get their hands on a newly updated and UPGRADED Mac Mini. As you probably know, the Mac Mini falls quite short of the competition now days. It ships standard without a keyboard nor a mouse, it only has a mere 1GB of DDR2 RAM, and it has a lackluster Intel GMA 950 Graphics Processor at a lagging 64MB of video RAM. For $599.00, it sure needs an upgrade... And a price drop of at least $100. I expect Apple to make a newly updated and upgraded Mac Mini in the next couple of months or so. Or else they're on something.

5. iTunes Plus

Okay, this is "pretty" cool. It's iTunes Plus. It's basically just an add on for iTunes to enhance your songs that you bought from the iTunes Music Store. I do believe they did it for videos bought on the iTunes Movie Store as well. It's also pretty affordable. For every song you bought at the iTunes Music Store you can upgrade it to iTunes Plus for only a mere 30 cents. That's pretty dang good! I can probably see myself upgrading my songs to iTunes Plus in the near future.

My overall impressions of Macworld 2009 is that it was pretty short and they didn't release a lot of fun and exiciting things, but at least it was better than nothing at all. I hope you guys enjoyed my Macworld 2009 Impressions blog post, see you later.

Noah

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iMac Graphics Issues?

Here is what the displays look like when the 'graphics issue' occurs. On the left is the 20" iMac and on the right is the 22" Acer X223w.

Click to read more ...

Phone Wars!

     So by now everyone knows about the ongoing rivals between all the major Smart phone platforms. But who is the overall champ? And is there really one that takes the gold. So is it the Apple's iPhone Os, Window's mobile, or Google's Android.

     I have tested and used all these phones platforms, but none of them seem to me as rich or as smooth as the iPhone Os. Over the few years that the iPhone has been out and I have been able to use it, it has shown that it is just at the threshold of were it can go. The iPhones multi touch kills its competitors in the sense of input (excluding the palm pre, not yet released). This Os shows apples simplistic design at its fullest, this platform screams simple but powerful.

     Personally I love Apple Products, hardware and software. But over the years I have been using Windows mobile for all my mobile needs. Even though I hate to say it Windows has made a platform that allows for many different developers to create what is needed in the community. Many of the programs for WM are actually amazing and mostly freeware. Yes you can find many of them on the iPhone but there are some that are just missing. Hopefully if we give the iPhone Os just a few more years we will truly see how powerful the platform is, even though we do know it is powerful and has already covered the ground that Windows Mobile has taken so long to cover.

     The newbie in the mobile platform arena is the Google Android platform. This platform mainly focusing on developers could in a few years with the development of a few new phones and apps. This platform could be the overall winner of the phone wars. Even thought the platform has very few apps available at this time the open developing platform could steal many of the iPhones developers and defiantly the dwindling Windows Mobile developers. The Android Os is the closest thing I have seen to the iPhone Os, it has its own app store, apps are fairly crisp and new, and it’s also a kind of polished.

     Right now its to early to decide who wins, but what i want to know is who do you think wins the war between platforms?

Review: Netflix

     In the middle of December 2008, I was fortunate enough to have my Grandmother gift me a Netflix account. What gained my interest in this service? Well, I'd have to say the reviews I read online, advertising on Diggnation, but mainly the new ability to stream Netflix content to the Xbox 360 via Xbox Live...

     Netflix began in 1997 when the Internet started to kick off. The premise of this service is that customers will pay a monthly fee and in return, will receive DVD's (of their choice) in the mail in a rental fashion. They can keep the DVD's for as long as they like (as long as they are paying the monthly charge) and can send the DVDs back in exchange for the next title in their queue.

     Some key features of this service are as follows: 1) Shipping is completely free. The DVD comes in a small sleeve with a label containing some information about the enclosed film. 2) Now there are over 50 shipping centers throughout the US. This means that all of the movie deliveries will take about just 1 business day. As an example, one entire cycle for me consisted of putting the DVD in the mailbox on Sunday, being notified via email that the DVD was received and the next one was shipped on Tuesday, then receiving the DVD on Thursday. 3)There are currently over 100,000 titles to choose from. This selection do not just include movies, but TV shows and specialty DVDs as well. 4) The new ability to stream content to a Netflix-ready device (the Xbox 360 for me).

     Personally, I chose the $8.99/month plan. This gives me 1 unlimited DVD at a time as well as unlimited streaming. This means that I can continuously receive and return DVDs as well as having no restricting on how much streaming I can use to my TV and/or computer. The lowest plan available is $4.99/month which includes 2 rentals each month (1 DVD at a time) and 2 hours of streaming a month. To me, that plan seems really worthless. For an extra $4.00 a month, you gain the access of unlimited rentals (still 1 DVD at a time) but most importantly, unlimited streaming. Having this luxury is really convienent and useful. I've used my plan to watch every episode of The Office, as well as watched DVDs with my roommates. It's really great to be able to decide on a movie with my friends and have Netflix supply us with a fun night.

     The restrictions that have caught my attention are not a vast amount, but are certainly worth mentioning. When it comes to the terms of DVD Renting, DVDs will not come with any "special feature" disks. The premise of this service is to allow you to see the movie. Period. Also, if you add a TV season to your queue, you'll receive one disc at a time. To me, all of this seems reasonable.

     The other restriction that is a little annoying is that there's a small percentage of movies that can be added to your "instant queue" (streaming). Now don't get me wrong, there are a good amount of popular movies and TV shows to stream, but I really think that there should be more. I read a couple of months ago that Sony Pictures disabled all of their films for instant streaming once the New Xbox Experience was realeased with Netflix streaming. Frankly, I'm just surprised there aren't more choices for instant streaming. That being said, it is nice to be able to find a movie to watch right then and there when occasion arises.

     All in all, if someone was thinking about using this service I would recommend they ask themselves a couple of things. Do they like to watch movies? (Basic, I know) Do they have time to actually sit down and watch a movie while making their payments worthwhile? Finally, are they willing to watch new movies they've never heard of? If a user wants this service to just watch popular movies, I really don't think they are getting their money's worth. However, it's their money.

     Know that there are a variety of different plans and forms of payment for Netflix. Overall, this is a great service and anyone can make it their own.

Personal RFID?

You wake up in the morning, grab a cup of coffee, and sit down at your computer. You place your coffee cup on what appears to be a cup warmer and you’re immediately taken on a trip trough the information super highway to your favorite feeds and news sites, where your favorite new feeds are read to you as soon as you sit down. Has the future finally come?

Not really, meet Mir:ror a consumer RFID reader by Violet. Mir: ror allows you to attach Zamp:s (Violet’s RFID stickers) to anything. Mir:ror also reads all RFID tags so you can explore the things you already have that are RFID. With this you can program any of your favorite sites or programs to active through the Violet site. Could this bridge the gap for a new breed of hackers?

If you’re like me and you’re into cool, quirky, possibly hackable gadgets then the Mir:ror by violet might be something you might want to get your hands on. I love things like this my whole life I’ve looked for tech that sets me apart from the average person… well it usually finds me. But an RFID reader like this that’s fully customizable is something I need to get my hands on and probably will. Even though it’s not available to the US right not. This is one of those things you just know is going to hit Think Geek even though they already have a RFID reader. This one is a little cheaper and come with some net based software. What more could a hacker ask for? If you want to learn more about Mir:ror by checking out the Violet site in the link below.

LInk: Violet