Entries Tagged 'Technology' ↓

Well, the WWDC keynote is over. Steve Jobs invited some iPhone developers on stage to show their new software, much of which was exciting and innovative. Big names like Sega and eBay showed up with some great iPhone apps. I’m sure more will follow.

The second most exciting announcement is the transition of .Mac to MobileMe. For $99 a year, iPhone users get 20GB of online storage, and real-time syncing of mail, contacts, and other data. I never really had a desire to get .Mac, but this is something I can definitely use. Awesome.

Most excitingly though, is the announcement of the iPhone 3G - faster 3G connection, new case design, and a new way lower price of $199 for the 8GB model and $299 for the 16GB. I’m getting a new iPhone on July 11th! So exciting!!

It seems that the audio stream isn’t working yet, as they’re just playing music right now. MacWorld has a live blog of the event though, which you can check out here:

http://www.macworld.com/article/133798/2008/06/wwdckeynote.html?lsrc=top_1

What exactly Steve Jobs has to announce today at his WWDC keynote, it’s sure to be exciting. New 3G iPhones are almost a guarantee, but what else might our favorite tech mogul have in store for us today? Only time will tell, but the online Apple Store is closed, so he’s got something up his sleeve. I’m excited!

Oh, and check out UStream TV for the audio simulcast of the keynote:

http://www.ustream.tv/swf/3/viewer.133.swf?&loc=/&cid=205852

If you have a short-term need for computers and don’t want to put in the money and energy to purchase and support new computers, check out CRE. They specialize in computer, laptop, plasma, and audiovideo rentals for all your short term needs. They even have us Mac fans covered, and offer Mac Pro rentals among their offerings. I think a company with vision like this is definitely something to look into for any short term technology needs.

I have talked before of my affinity for StylishDesign.com, a blog dedicated to the discussion of web design and web style (two factions that don’t often meet, unfortunately). There is a great article there that I was just reading titled “Issues in the world of Web Designing.” It tackles some of the most controversial topics in web design today, and discusses them in a rational and helpful manner.

The first topic addressed is fixed versus liquid layout. This is actually an issue that I personally struggle with, so the discussion thereof was helpful for me in my personal search for an answer. I still am undecided, but appreciate the additional ideas presented.

The next topic covered is that of table layout versus CSS. To me, it’s a no-brainer. CSS layout, despite its quirks, is far superior to the archaic practice of using tables for layout. It just makes so much more sense to me to use CSS with proper anchors to lay out your pages. But again, it’s all a matter of preference.

The third issue addressed in the article is looks versus function. Again, for me it’s a no brainer. There needs to be a good balance, but I would argue that if a visitor can’t find the information they want that they will leave almost immediately no matter how pretty your site may be. By the same token, if you provide the content they’re looking for in an ugly manner, they’re way more likely to stick around.

These are all important issues in web design today, and I enjoyed reading this article discussing them. Check it out if you get a chance.

Hi Steve,

I have been a Mac lover ever since my dad bought me my Mac Plus back in the mid-80’s. I have watched the company wax and wane, and really admire what you personally have accomplished in returning to Apple. I love my iPhone, my MacBook Pro, and have successfully convinced a number of my friends, family, and faculty members at the university where I work to switch to Mac. Needless to say, they are all ecstatic, and every single switch went very well.

I’m writing, though, to call you out on shutting down Think Secret (www.thinksecret.com). As I’m sure you know, Think Secret is a Mac rumors site that spilled some official Apple announcement (I can’t even remember what it was specifically) before it was time, and Apple filed a lawsuit. According to Think Secret, a settlement has been reached, and Think Secret will be shut down.

I understand the importance of Apple’s announcements being delivered on schedule when planned and only when planned. I remember an ordeal with ATI a few years back where they spilled a secret the night before your MacWorld keynote (I believe). I know it is essential for the company to operate this way.

But Think Secret is an independent media company run by Nick dePlume, a college student. I’m sure you would agree that a big corporation shutting down a small time independent media company is at least a little bit wrong.

Not that it makes a difference now, but I wanted to let you know that I am disappointed in Apple’s behavior on this one.

Sincerely,
Liam

Anyway, to get to the point… On Saturday my FC-4 package arrived. As always, shipping by EFX-TEK was amazingly fast. Although I didn’t have time to play with my FC-4 boards on Saturday, I did break one out and set it up yesterday to control my Christmas lights. I am happy to report that set up and programming is simple beyond words. (For those of you unfamiliar, the FC-4 is a control board that allows you to control incandescent light levels through a Prop-1, 2, SX, or PC using Vixen).

I probably went a bit unconventional, and used indoor two-prong extension cords from Target to connect to the AC terminals. It seems to work fine, plus now I can easily attach three lighting instruments per channel (up to the wattage limit, of course).

Once I had my FC-4, Prop-1, and requisite cabling secured to a scrap piece of 1″x4″ lumber, I was good to go. I downloaded the FC-4 test code from EFX-TEK and uploaded it to the Prop-1. Things worked perfectly, so I got to work programming my sequence.

Fortunately the FC-4 test code comes with a bunch of subroutines. All you need to do is copy and paste them from the program section to the subroutine section, add a “RETURN” to the end of them, and call them up as necessary. I tweaked some of them to suit my needs, just changing the timing and such.

Anyway, if you haven’t yet gotten into prop control using Jon and John’s products, you are missing out on a lot. I know the whole “programming” thing is intimidating, but it really couldn’t be easier. And for those of you who are already EFX-TEK fans, take advantage of the FC-4 holiday sale. You’ll absolutely love it.

I should also mention that Jon wrote me a program (actually three) last night for a random flicker. I’m hoping to simulate the Indiana Jones Adventure flickering light effect in the queue for next Halloween’s project. I’ll try out the programs tonight. Being able to fade incandescent bulbs is HUGE.

A few months ago, I switched from Charter’s cabe modem high speed Internet service to Veriaon’s FiOS service. I loved it then, and still do, but found myself constantly struggling with the wireless router that was part of the all-in-one FiOS modem and wireless router provided by Verizon. Obviously, it was very nice indeed for Verizon to provide me with a free wireless router, and I appreciate the gesture. It turns out though, that the Actiontec wireless router that they use is less than friendly with Macs.

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On Sunday, I caved in and purchaed an iPhone. I have been lusting after this beast since its announcement in January, and especially after seeing it in person after its release in June. Thanks to some kind friends of mine and their Apple gift card birthday present, the iPhone is now in my pocket.

After three days with it, I am very happy. Activation was simple. I plugged it into my MacBook Pro, iTunes came up automatically, and brought me to the activation screen. Since I’m already an AT&T customer, I put in my phone number, and the last 4 of my SSN and it asked me to choose from the $20, $30, or $40 a month data plan. Since I’m not a big txt-er (or however you say it), I did the $20 a month plan.

Once I activated my phone through iTunes, it took about an hour and a half to actually activate. After hearing the error sound come from my old phone, and saw that it was reporting a bad SIM card, I rebooted my iPhone and I received a text message saying it was good to go.

So far, I am very happy with the EDGE data network. It’s not blazingly fast or anything, but it doesn’t drag either. I really like being able to get my email on the go, but realize that this now means that my work email will follow me everywhere.

My only frustrations are pretty much what everyone else is complaining about. First is the lack of being able to use my own ringtones. I don’t really mind paying $.99 for a ringtone, but it bugs me that you can only make ringtones out of certain songs (and none of the ones that I want).

In addition, it sucks that Bluetooth is so disabled. That was always one of the best things about AT&T/Cingular is that they didn’t disable Bluetooth syncing and file transfer. Having no Bluetooth communication between my computer and my phone is crap.

Besides those fairly minor gripes though, I love my iPhone! I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a great mobile Internet device. And with the iPhone SDK announced today, things are only going to get better for iPhone owners.

Over the weekend, I decided it was time to try out Apple’s new Public Beta version of Safari 3. My two points of motivation were checking out the new tabbed browsing additions which have been sadly lacking in Safari, and beyond that I was hoping that the new version of Safari might be more compatible with my Verizon FiOS wireless router. I am happy to report that I am quite satisfied with both.

Draggable/arrangeable tabs are one of the main new features of Safari 3. This is a great feature, and one that I have been hoping for for a long time. Mind you, I know that draggable tabs already exist in Firefox, I just for some reason can’t make the switch. I am happy to report that Apple’s version of draggable tabs works great, and makes browsing a much more pleasurable experience.

Along with draggable tabs comes bookmarkable tab groups. Under the “Bookmarks” menu exists a selection called “Add Bookmark for these X tabs…” which will bookmark each tab for you. It’s a great way to bookmark your morning reading, or to bookmark a certain workflow like editing your blog or some other web-based operation that you do on a regular basis.

A new feature that I didn’t realize was in Safari 3 is the spell checker. Again, this is an increasingly necessary browser feature. I can tell you it has already saved me much pain and suffering by helping me avoid re-editing blog entries.

So far I’m very happy with Safari 3. I can’t wait to see the official release version, and can only imagine that it will be yet another excellent Apple product. Oh, and by the way… it works much better than Safari 2 with my Verizon wireless router too.