Hi,
I will be out of the Internet on 4/1, returning on 4/2.
If you need immediate assistance in finding bad April 1st humor, I suggest Google.
Regards,
Tom
Archive for March 2008
Amazon, eMusic, iTunes, and Other Digital Download Thoughts.
In General on Thursday, 27 March 2008 at 22:55Much has been made of the “news” that Amazon’s MP3 store is now the #2 online retailer in digital music. You can absorb some various thoughts on this in these articles:
- USA today’s original article, citing no other data than the “Big 4″ labels’ word for it.
- MacDailyNews’ take on the above article, particularly its lack of any hard data.
- The CEO of eMusic calling BS on the USA today article, and claiming that eMusic is #2
And then of course there are the myriad re-hashes of the USA Today article syndicated in papers everywhere, as well as other articles parroting the story as if iTunes is somehow being threatened.
Windows SuperSite on the XP and Vista Conundrum.
In General on Thursday, 27 March 2008 at 14:30The Windows SuperSite, in an article about Windows XP SP3 being “good enough”, discusses the “Windows XP and the Vista conundrum“:
I mean, imagine a case in which customers were allowed to choose between a previous generation Toyota Camry and the all-new, designed-from-the-ground-up 2008 model, and the customers actually chose the old version by a roughly 2-to-1 margin, despite the fact that the price hadn’t changed at all?
Music In the Air: My New Apple Airport Express.
In General on Wednesday, 26 March 2008 at 22:18Picked up an Airport Express today. This thing has intrigued me ever since it was introduced. Not because it’s a super small and convenient device for creating a high-speed WiFi network — complete with Internet and print sharing. And not because it can also serve as an inexpensive bridge for extending an existing wireless network.
No, what appealed to me about it was AirTunes: The ability to stream music. In other words, to plug into a powered stereo and make those speakers appear “remote” to a copy of iTunes on any Mac or PC on the same network.
A Second Look: Apple Windows Updater, Safari 3.1, and You.
In General on Saturday, 22 March 2008 at 17:22Yesterday I stated my position on Apple’s use of their Windows Software Updater to “update” Safari on systems that don’t run it. Many other bloggers, analysts, etc. posted their positions as well.
There’s been a lot of debate about it, so today I thought I’d take a second look by reviewing some of the recent commentary on this topic…
Apple to Windows Users: Run One, Run All!
In General on Friday, 21 March 2008 at 11:07The mid- to late-90s seemed to be the heyday of software vendors deciding that if you ran one of their products, you’d want a bunch more as well. In my opinion, it was not Microsoft, but Real, that typified this behavior and annoyed me greatly.
Even when all I wanted was their media player, it seemed I was stuck with their little message center and other crap. Turning it all OFF was a pain in the rectum, and in my opinion should never have been necessary. It made me hate Real, and I’ve yet to install any more than the minimum software of theirs needed.
Vista SP1: Just What Microsoft Needed.
In General on Friday, 21 March 2008 at 10:28See this from Information Week:
The affected chipset is Intel’s 945G Express series, which is used in computers from virtually all major system vendors. It’s also found on standalone motherboards sold by Asus. The 945G Express chipset driver versions between numbers 7.14.10.1322 and 7.14.10.1403 won’t work with Vista SP1, according to Microsoft…
eMusic Can’t Sell Their Product: Whines About Apple’s Potential iTunes Plans.
In General on Thursday, 20 March 2008 at 10:47Back when Apple announced the Safari web browser for Windows, Mozilla missed a great opportunity to plug their Firefox browser, choosing instead to whine like sniveling babies. I called them on that tack, and suggested what they should have done.
Now it appears that eMusic is following the same path. Showing zero confidence in their own offering, they’ve shriveled up at mere rumors of a possible iTunes subscription model and, avoiding the rush, got in line immediately with cries of Antitrust. Pathetic.
TinyTech Sues Apple Over Macs, MacBooks, Mac OS X, iPhones, iPods — um, What Else Have They Got — Oh Heck, Everything!
In General on Wednesday, 19 March 2008 at 11:34Today, Mudbutt, OK-based TinyTech sued Apple for pretty much everything. The lawsuit alleges Apple infringes on “some of our stuff” and calls for compensatory damages of “a bajillion” dollars.
In their press release today, TinyTech stated that they had to take legal action. “We were sitting around brain-storming our next great idea (OK, our first great idea), and then it hit us,” said Bjorn Loser, TinyTech’s President and CEO, “all these people suing Apple, and we’re not getting a piece of it.”
Apple iPod, iTunes, and Music Subscriptions.
In General on Wednesday, 19 March 2008 at 10:29According to the Financial Times this is in the works.
Personally, I’ve never been a fan of this model, though assuming it’s optional it finally has a shot to succeed now that the largest and most popular online music store (and second-largest music store) would be offering it for those who want it.
Apple Safari 3.1 on Windows XP.
In General on Tuesday, 18 March 2008 at 12:02I’ve been running the betas of Safari on Windows ever since they came out. Overall I like Safari on Windows though it’s bit sluggish, which I attributed partially to being a beta.
Today Apple released Safari 3.1 on Mac and Windows. My primary interest was on Windows, where I still use Firefox most of the time.
Windows Mobile: Microsoft Licenses A Feature No One Wants.
In General on Monday, 17 March 2008 at 13:34So Microsoft licensed FlashLite from Adobe for use in their Windows Mobile software. Not sure when it will be available in a mobile release, likely later this year.
Some have speculated this was to buy time until their own Silverlight product is ready for mobile use (with a few sites actually using it).
Trent Reznor Calls Radiohead Out on Their Online Album Distribution.
In Uncategorized on Thursday, 13 March 2008 at 22:26I’ve written a couple of times about my disappointment with Radiohead’s online distribution of their latest album (In Rainbows).
Initially, I thought that they were just naive and had blown a great opportunity. But I soon found out they knew exactly what they were doing, and were just as bad as the labels in their treatment of those who prefer to download albums instead of buying CDs.
It’s nice to see at least one artist in the business agrees.
Book Reviews For People Who Can’t Read.
In General on Thursday, 13 March 2008 at 12:30Some sites just don’t seem to make any sense.
If I’m considering reading the book, do they think I wouldn’t read its review?
RIM Shows Apple How It’s Done: Downloads Crappy Music Fast!
In Uncategorized on Tuesday, 11 March 2008 at 22:10I’m sure the Apple-bashers will be all over this one.
Starting in April you can get music tracks OTA on your BlackBerry. And they’re DRM-free. And you can transfer them to your computer. And all is right with the world. And iTunes is going out of business. And the iPhone is dead in the water.
Or something like that.
Wal-Mart Bails on gOS PCs in Stores. Well, That Didn’t Last Long.
In Uncategorized on Monday, 10 March 2008 at 20:55What started here, ended here today. It took only two months.
You gotta love this:
According to a Wal-Mart spokesman quoted on AP, “This really wasn’t what our customers were looking for.”
Ya think? Linux is a geek OS. There’s nothing wrong with that, and the price is right, but geeks don’t tend to shop at Wal-Mart. What ever made them think this would play to their customer base in the first place?
Apple’s Home Server: A Mini-Review of the Time Capsule 500GB.
In General on Wednesday, 5 March 2008 at 23:50I call this a mini-review not due to length, but because I’m documenting my experiences with the TC in implementing it at home.
I did not set it up in multiple ways, or perform extensive benchmarking, etc. I bought it to create a new wireless network in my home, and I’m reviewing it based on my experience in doing just that.
Thoughts on Lenovo ThinkPad X300 vs. Apple MacBook Air.
In Uncategorized on Monday, 3 March 2008 at 23:23CNET did a review of the X300 and gave it an Excellent rating (8.5 out of 10).
The ThinkPad X300 breaks new ground by packing a broad display, full-size keyboard, and nearly every feature a mobile user needs into a sleek, lightweight case.
Windows SuperSite: Microsoft Debates, Apple Lies.
In Uncategorized on Monday, 3 March 2008 at 10:48A pair of articles on the SuperSite clarify just what a Microsoft bias this site carries, as well as highlighting its love of Apple-bashing.
Does Time Capsule Contain Server-Grade Drives? I’d Say Yes.
In Uncategorized on Sunday, 2 March 2008 at 23:24It seems the minute Time Capsule began shipping some were quick to find fault with a claim made for the device. I guess when Steve Jobs used a fairly vague description like “server-grade” to describe the hard drive, such fault can always be found.
The problem for doubters is that the vagueness works both ways. Establishing a definition for “server-grade” based on a Google search, and then claiming Apple didn’t meet it, is easy but hardly conclusive.
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