Archive
Well CRAP! BYTE bites the Dust
Many of you who know me or have been following me over the past few years know that I had the extreme pleasure of being part of the original launch team that helped bring back BYTE.
BYTE is a UBM property and runs off of an InformationWeek URL. Unfortunately, UBM went through a HUGE strategic shift last week. Long story short, BYTE is done. After almost 2 years, the site has seen its last story published.
BYTE will likely still be accessible. All of the content that was published will likely still be readable for the foreseeable future. However, as Larry Seltzer, our (former) Editorial Director said, “the party is over…”
Unboxing–Dell Latitude 10 ST2 Windows 8 Pro Tablet
The Dell Latitude 10 ST2 is a Windows 8 Pro tablet that is a direct competitor to Microsoft’s Surface Pro. In this unboxing, we take a first look at the hardware, directly from Dell and get ready for the review, yet to come.
Apple & Samsung No Longer BFF’s: My Take on the Trial Results
I really expected the trial deliberations to go a lot longer than they did. The fact that the verdict came back so quickly speaks volumes about design, perception, and what the public believes when it comes to computing and the patent system. I’ve got a quick summary of the results and a couple of opinions on where the trial went south for Samsung.
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| The Results are in – Samsung: GUILTY as charged |
Apple Releases OS X 10.8.1 Mountain Lion
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Apple has released OS X 10.8.1, the first update for its Mountain Lion operating system, featuring fixes for iMessage, Migration Assistant, and audio on Thunderbolt displays.
Today is Mountain Lion Day
If you’re going to upgrade your Mac to OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion, then you’re going to want to take a look at this article that will help you get ready for the upgrade…
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| Apple’s Mountain Lion OS is now available for puchase for $19.99 |
Review – GPS Navigation Apps for iPhone
I have the worst sense of direction in the world. I couldn’t find my way out of a wet paper bag with a fork and a flashlight.I’m also the kind of male driver who won’t stop and ask for directions.
I’ve used PNA’s (personal navigation assistants) or PDA’s/smartphones with GPS receivers and apps since about 2004, and have since graduated to both Android phones and the iPhone. On Android, Google Maps with Navigation is an awesome application, and free to boot. No one has yet come up with something to beat it.
On the iPhone 4S, though, I’m at a disadvantage. Google Maps for iOS hasn’t seen any real improvement of note since July of 2008. To fix that, I took a hard look at a number of GPS apps for iPhone.
A couple of important points about GPS apps, first. First, GPS apps are totally map-dependent: outdated, inaccurate, or missing maps makes the navigation app useless. GPS apps also come in two flavors: those with maps on board (storage-based) and those that serve up maps on demand via a cellular data connection (connectivity-based). Both have their pros and cons:
- Needed Storage
Navigation apps with maps on board use a lot of storage. Maps and their metadata (points of interest, etc) aren’t small files. If you use this type of application, you may need to limit the amount of other data – photos, music, videos and apps – you keep on your iPhone. The storage-based navigation apps within this roundup consumed approximately 1.25-1.75 GB of space, each.
- Needed Connectivity
Navigation apps that download maps on an as-needed basis require a solid 3G/4G/LTE cellular data connection. Anything slower (GPRS or EDGE) won’t work, as your vehicle is likely going to be moving faster than your device can download data. Please note that in well-covered, metropolitan areas this likely isn’t an issue. However, I have found that when when I’m driving out in the middle of nowhere, with spotty cell coverage – is when I need the app the most.
A couple of other important points before we get started:
Apple Releases iOS 6 Beta 2
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| iOS 6 Beta 2 was released and was a relatively small device download |
Its clear and obvious – Apple is hard at work. They’re due to release Mountain Lion in a few weeks. I’ve got a nice preview of Developer Preview 4 over at BYTE that you can check out. Its long, but an informative read.
If you’re an iDevice lover, then you’ll also be pleased to know that iOS 6 is also moving forward. I’ve got a nice preview of iOS 6 Beta 1 over at BYTE that is also a bit long, but an informative read. The changes that Apple is introducing to its ecosystem are big, but evolutionary, not REVolutionary.
iDAPT i4 Universal Charger Review
I live in a very active house.
With me, my wife, our daughter and son-in-law, and our two young sons living in the same house, I’ve got gadgets coming out of my ears. Smartphones, iPods, handheld gaming devices, Android tablets and eReaders…you name it. If its got a battery and runs on electricity, you can probably find it in someone’s hands, with them looking for a place to plug it in to charge it up.
This became crystal clear to me after my daughter got married and she and her husband moved into the house. With the kitchen being the hub of the house – everyone congregating and putting phones, iPods, keys etc., in pretty much the same place – I quickly found myself with a rather big problem. After a long day at work, I walked in the house with a hungry stomach and hungry iPhone, and I had no place to plug it in to charge! All the outlets in my kitchen were taken by appliances or other charging electronic gadgets.
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| Top View of the iDAPT i4 Universal Charger |
Apple’s On-Line Store Goes Down in Preparation of WWDC 2012
I woke this morning fully anticipating an update to the Apple Store. It IS WWDC-Day, after all. Also not a surprise today is the glut of last minute guessing that’s going on as to what will transpire in just a few short hours at the conference’s keynote speech, given by Tim Cook and likely, the a few more Apple C-Level execs.
In an effort not to disappoint everyone, here’s my last minute roll of the dice.
- iOS 6
There have been a number of rumors on iOS 6 hitting the airwaves over the last week or so. Apple hasn’t released a beta of their iDevice OS yet, I would expect detailed information to come to light during the conference. This is also an easy one to predict, as banners for the new OS have been seen gracing the conference hall. No points for me on this one… - Finally…! iPhone 5?
No, not yet. However, with the introduction of iOS 6, you can certainly expect something to be said, or hopefully confirmed for a September or October launch. - Mountain Lion Dev Preview 4
I am expecting a new Dev Preview of Mountain Lion today (DP 4) and an announcement on a release date. You should be able to find a review of Mountain Lion Dev Preview 3 on Soft32, if not now, then it should be posted shortly. You will be able to find a full write up of Dev Preview 4 on BYTE in the coming days. - Updated iMacs, Mac Pro, and MacBook/MacBook Pro’s?
I am fully expecting a full blown, hardware update on both Apple’s Desktop and portable lines today. Their iMacs are due for a bump. Their Mac Pro line of completely awesome desktops are OVERdue for an update. I’m pretty certain we can expect updates to both those today. Its also long been rumored that Apple will be making big changes to their MacBook Pro line of laptops with thinner, “MacBook Air” based updates coming to both the 13″ and 15″ line of MBP’s.Its been rumored that their 17″ MBP is also going to be discontinued. The 17″ MBP is an awesome machine, but its pretty much a niche item, due to its entry level price – near $3000. I fully expect to this rumor to be realized. I also expect to see transitional models introduced with the current 13″ and 15″ models phased out next year.
All that said, this is really just a last minute guess. Despite all the increased rumors and possible accurate leaks leading up to the keynote of WWDC, its still a crap shoot as to whether or not these are accurate. The only thing we’re going to have that’s a certainty is that we’re going to have to wait for Tim to take the stage and tell us what’s new.
Microsoft Announces Windows 8 Editions – Returns to XP Simplicity
Microsoft has always been a bit, oh…unusually interesting comes to mind, when it comes to their decisions on how to break up and market the different versions of Windows. Windows XP was pretty straight forward. Barring special editions of Windows that were released as a result of litigation or court proceedings, such as Windows XP Starter Edition for developing markets or Windows XP Edition N (released in Europe. The “N” was for, “Not with Media Player”), Microsoft made it easy for most of us with just two versions – Windows XP Home and Windows XP Professional.
Windows Vista editions weren’t as clear cut. Vista was released in five different editions – Home Basic, Home Premium, Ultimate, Business and Enterprise. Coming off the simplicity of Windows XP editions, no one could keep them straight. Windows 7 was identical with Starter, Home Basic, Home Premium, Professional, Enterprise and Ultimate. The Starter and Home Basic versions were stripped down and often installed on value-based hardware. These stripped down editions didn’t fulfill their missions very well as that hardware could run the higher end editions, and could (mostly) do so without a performance hit. Feature sets, like Media Center, included in Windows 7 Ultimate, for example were the exception.
