Ekived

Brain dead multi-monitor support in Windows XP?

I have recently had to get used to Windows XP again. After a few years of daily use of Mac OS X the transition is painful.

One of the crazy frustrations is multi-monitor support. Has anyone else noticed this?

Yes, Windows supports multiple monitors but have you noticed that dialog box support seems brain dead. For example, You might be working in Microsoft Word in a window on the second monitor and go to save the file you are working on. Why doesn’t the dialog box appear over the window you are working in. Instead it pops up on the other monitor.

Frustratingly brain dead!

Sync works

Tim Moynihan’s post in cNet’s Crave blog attempts to throw some doubt on the hype around the newly announced Apple iPhone.

I have to take issue with item 10.

Imagine this: You buy an iPhone, you manage all your iPhone’s data on your computer–contacts, music, files–and your iPhone kicks the bucket…dead battery, iPhone icon with x-ed-out eyes, whatever.
What now? Unless there are third-party programs to send your data to another phone, the easiest way–and possibly the only way–to get all that data onto another phone will be to buy another iPhone.

Have you not heard of iSync or iTunes?

I have switched between 5 different phones: The Sony Ericsson P800 and P910. The Nokia 9500 Communicator and 6133 and the Blackberry Pearl. Moving contacts and calendars from one phone to another was as simple as setting up each phone on iSync and then syncing. The Blackberry was a little different because it uses a special free version of PocketMac SyncManager

The Nokia 6133 was also a little challenging because it needed a patch to the plist files in iSync before iSync would recognize the phone. However, once recognized by iSync contact flowed between my Mac and phone easily.

Now someone might say but I have a PC. No problem - the iPhone at its heart is an iPod and has all the sync functionality of the iPod. In that instance you use iTunes on your PC to synce contacts and calendars between your phone and Outlook. If you have to change your phone just connect up and sync with iTunes.

The Beatles appear in Job’s Macworld Keynote

If you watch Steve Jobs’ Keynote presentation at Macworld yesterday you will see in his presentation of appleTV that the opening album image when he looks at the music features is of The Beatle’s Sgt. Pepper album.

Do you think that is a coincidence? It could mean:

a) The Beatles are coming to the iTunes store
b) The legal victory over Apple Corp was more substantial and it was a dig to go along with the change of company name to Apple, Inc.

What do you think?

Let the craving begin….

I want the iPhone… Today at MacWorld Steve Jobs announced the iPhone - a widescreen ipod and phone running Mac OS X.

The other tidbit that shows that the legal battle with the Beatles Apple Corp. had more significance that first presumed - Apple Computer has become Apple Inc.

Place your order for the GSM-EDGE Cingular iPhone. Expect it around June 2007. I think I will order the $599 8Gb version.

Zune - missing the spin?

It looks like Microsoft have got their work cut out to displace the iPod. In my last post I already questioned Microsoft’s commitment to Zune given that they haven’t acquired the Zune.com domain. May be they are just trying to beat the owners in to submission by having them bombarded with page hits from people looking for Zune information.

Following the November launch, in the run up to the Christmas season sales are reported as falling rather than rising. Check out the Slashdot for links to reports.

I looked at installing the Zune software, but as expected it is a Windows only application and there are far too many hoops to jump through to obtain the software. Apple on the other hand makes it easy to obtain iTunes and you can use it even if you don’t have an iPod.

Why can’t I spin and click?

Now that the Zune is out and on retail shelves I had opportunity to play with a real working model. If I had to point to a single aspect that shows the difference between the ipod and the Zune it is in the user interface. I picked up the Zune and rapidly became frustrated because it seemed so logical to spin the click wheel to speed through menus. But that feature isn’t there. Instead you have to click…click…click to move from item to item. This makes the interaction with the device far less intuitive and more work than it needs to be. This is the type of subtle attention to detail that distinguishes Apple and puts them in a stronger position with consumer electronics plays than Microsoft.

In an earlier post about Apple and the cardinal rules of the Internet Singularity I pointed out the differences between Apple and Microsoft’s approach to Home Media. Microsoft is trying to position themselves at the center with the Media Center capabilities baked in to the Windows Operating System. Apple on the other hand is busy creating an ecosystem and implementing at the edge. The soon to be launched iTV will extend iTunes/iPod content out to TVs and Home Theater systems. Consumers will be able to integrate by adding a device to their TV or Home Theater. They can add a whole new range of functions to an existing TV by adding a relatively inexpensive device. compare this with the Media Center approach that is more akin to prompting you to replace your TV or Home Theater with a new PC with media capabilities.

The Apple approach lowers the risk and the cost for the consumer and each small step the consumer takes further magnifies the network effects of the iPod/iTunes ecosystem.

Is Microsoft really behind the zune?

Wouldn’t you think that Microsoft would purchase the zune.com domain name to support the launch of their new player? Or are they hoping that the existing domain owner will surrender and give them the .com name to avoid the potential barrage of traffic.

Yes they own zune.net and zunemarketplace.com but which domain do people try first? How many web companies choose a company or product name without checking that they can buy the most popular versions of the domain name?

Indispensible mod for travelling MacBook users

In a recent blog I asked Apple to consider licensing the MagSafe Connector to companies such as Kensington and iGo to allow extra battery packs and alternative power supplies to be made available for the MacBook and MacBook Pro.

I know that Apple has released an airline power MagSafe adapter but there is still nothing for use in cars. Yes, I know Apple sells a DC-AC inverter as their solution but these are bulky units. The iGo multipurpose adapter is an indispensible tool for the frequent traveller. We need Apple to enable these types of multipurpose adapters to become available for the MacBook and MacBook Pro.

Maybe our prayers have been answered. In true community fashion a solution is available, Mike Gyver’s Power Travel Kit grafts the mag safe adapter on to a standard DC plug. This allows the use of an iGo or similar power brick with the MagSafe. It may not be the sleek industrial design that we epxect from Apple - but it is functional and by all reports works well. Check out the Mike Gyver blog here.

Well done Mike!

There is a pullquotes plug-in for WordPress

The developer community provides an enormous variety of plug-ins to extend the functionality of the WordPress blogging platform.

One feature that has been added is the pullquote.A pullquote allows a quotation from the body of the text to be highlighted to the side of the main text.Roger Johansson created the original javascript and css to provide the basic functionality. Stephen Rider then took this code and wrapped it up as a neat WordPress Plug-In.

With this feature you just upload the pullquotes folder to the WordPress Plug-ins directory. Activate it and select your defaults in the options panel. Then a quick <span class="pullquote">wrapped around the text you want to highlight </span> and you have working pullquotes.

Very Neat!

Please Apple - create the MagSafe Ecosystem

I have a trusty Apple PowerBook G4. The absolutely essential add-on for it is my iGo. I have a wide selection of tips to allow me to power up my ipod, PDA, Phone(s) - Sony Ericsson, Nokia, Motorola etc. as well as my PowerBook.

I have used the iGo everywhere. It works great in the car. I have yet to find myself in an airline seat with power in order to test the airline power connector but I have no doubts that it would work.

One of the things that have kept me back from buying a MacBook Pro is the lack of an iGo tip for the MagSafe connector.

Now, I understand how Apple has a little competitive advantage over other laptop manufacturers by virtue of the clever MagSafe connection. However, Apple really should look to the Ecosystem that surrounds Apple equipment. If anyone at Apple is listening please take heed of the following message:

We appreciate you producing a Magsafe airline power adapter but many of us spend more time in cars than planes. Can we PLEASE get a MagSafe car adapter launched.

Now as a traveller I don’t want to be carrying multiple power connectors. That is why I love my iGo so much. So Apple - LOOK TO THE ECOSYSTEM.

Apple can protect its investment in MagSafe by keeping the computer side of the connector pair to itself but PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE license the power adapter side of the connector pair to third party manufacturers so they can produce battery packs, iGo style adapters and other power related solutions that only serve to enrich the MacBook Pro line of machines. Taking this step to invest in the ecosystem will only serve to reduce the reasons people can find for not buying Apple.

So Steve Jobs, if you are listening - take the big step and encourage the world of third party manufacturers to use this innovative connector to hook up with MacBook Pros.

Apple cranks up the “Lustmeter” a notch or two with new MacBook Pro

Apple released updated models of the Apple MacBook Pro. No new form factor - so those of you waiting for a 12inch MacBook Pro remain disappointed. The obvious enhancement is the upgrade of the processors to Core 2 Duo giving close to a 40% speed boost. The faster 2.33GHz come with 2GB of memory as standard. This makes these machine multitasking powerhouses straight out of the shipping box.

The other interesting changes include:
- Memory capacity increased to 3GB.
- Return of the Firewire 800 port in both the 15 and 17inch models.
- Disk capacity now tops out at 200GB, admittedly with a slower spinning hard drive.
- Six speed Double Layer DVD burner is now available.
- A Magsafe airline power adapter is now available (Unfortunately there is no Magsafe car adapter).

I priced a 15inch MacBook Pro at the online Apple Store. With a 2.33GHz processor, 3GB of memory, a 160GB 5400 rpm hard drive and the AppleCare Protection Plan for $3,523 with free shipping. For such a high-end configuration that is a pretty good price, especially when I consider a PowerBook G4 15inch purchased in 2004 cost $3,000 with the Protection Plan and had only (only!) 1GB memory and 80GB hard drive.

You can follow this link to pick up one of these tasty speed demons for yourself: Get Your MacBook Pro now!

One thing that we mustn’t forget is that whenever an update is released it makes for some great deals on older equipment. Apple has some great deals on refurbished MacBook Pro machines.

Check these deals out:
Save $300 on a Refurbished MacBook Pro, 15-inch, 2.0GHz Intel Core Duo at the Apple Store!

Add in an extra 512MB of memory and a three year protection plan and you will still have a really fast machine for under $2,000.