journal: mac

A quick look at Times 1.0

By Nick, May 2, 2008

If there’s one product category where there is no shortage of options for Mac users, it’s newsreaders. NetNewsWire, NewsFire, NewsLife, and company are being joined by Times, a newsreader that takes a different approach.

Many of the existing newsreaders approach news feeds like an email client handles emails: you have a list of headlines and you click on each headline to read on. For the most part, these newsreaders do what they do well.

Times approaches feeds differently. Times looks and feels less like a desktop app, and more like a physical newspaper. The result is a newsreader that, like a newspaper, allows you to quickly glance over the headlines and article blurbs all at once. So how well does it work? Let’s find out.

The main Times window. The page headers in blue indicate new
unread articles. Click thumb for full-size image.

Times’ user interface isn’t exactly standard, but it isn’t overdone either. The visual effects are subtle natural extensions of the user interface. And the non-standard interface reinforces the newspaper metaphor that Times uses, which works well for more visual people.

By default, Times breaks down articles into five “pages” — World, Technology, Science, Entertainment, and Sports. You…
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When Mac Zealots Embarrass a Mac Zealot

By Mac Fan, March 31, 2008

I’m sure everyone has heard the news about how Apple is pushing Safari 3.1 to Windows iTunes customers through the Apple Software Update utility. If you don’t have Safari installed, it still offers you Safari 3.1 and it’s checked, by default, to be installed. How is new software an update?

I thought it was just common sense about how sleazy this is. I thought everyone would agree that Apple should do this differently. But no! The Mac message boards are loaded with the Mac faithful defending Apple’s right. I find it amazing.

The arguments submitted by the Mac zealots are typically the following:

1. You aren’t forced to do anything and it’s your own fault if you install it accidentally.
2. Microsoft has been doing it for years.
3. Apple told us they were going to do this.

In response to #1, I tell them to remember this argument the next time they accidentally install some malware on Windows. This argument is just really weak. Yes, you can uncheck Safari and not install it, however I agree with John Lily of Mozilla that people should trust their software updater to just update their existing software and not use it to…
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Okay Apple, we get the point

By Nick, March 21, 2008

So Apple unveiled a new “Get a Mac” web ad today (YouTube link). That’s well and good, and the ad itself is amusing, but I think it’s time to quit the Vista bashing. Yes, we get the point; Vista sucks (though I beg to differ), and Mac OS X has been on the receiving end of generally positive reviews, but is it really necessary to point and laugh at the class loser? ("HAHAHA OMG VISTA IS T3H SUX0RZ!!!!11!11!") I mean, the poor thing has suffered enough! Just leave Vista alone!!!¹

In all seriousness, here’s the thing: it’s been pounded into people’s head that Vista sucks. Whether or not that is really the case depends on who you ask, but the perception is already there. Apple has already added to that perception with their earlier ads, and the press is certainly doing their part too. Why keep at it?

There are so many things Apple could be highlighting about the Mac, but aren’t. They could be spending more time answering the question, “What makes the Mac so great?” And they’ve done it before. The Time Machine ad is nothing short of a stroke of genius. It demonstrates a clear advantage of…
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What not to do with your MacBook Air

By Nick, March 11, 2008

Here’s a quickie…

After Newsweek’s Steven Levy threw out his MacBook Air with the trash, I started thinking, what else should you not do with your MacBook Air? Here’s what I came up with in, oh, about ten minutes:

Use it as floatation device: As light as air? Maybe. Able to save you if you were drowning? Probably not.
Use it as a beverage tray: It would work as one, but it’s a little costly for use at your local Applebee’s or Chili’s.
Leave it on your spfa while hosting a party:Beware your uncle who doesn’t look before he sits.
Fry an egg on it: Computers don’t like gooey messes.
Use it as a frisbee: Your dog probably wouldn’t care if you played frisbee with a MacBook Air, but the MacBook Air may not be slobber-proof.
Dance with it: This one isn’t entirely outside the realm of possibility, but if you value your social standing at all, just don’t.
Use it to stabilize a wobbly table: Uhm, no.
A shield: What’s more important? Your personal safety or a $1800+ piece of computer equipment? The computer. Duh.
Whack your annoying younger sibling upside the head: For the sake of the MacBook Air, don’t do it.

Okay, I’m going to stop here before I embarrass myself further, but you get the idea. What would you recommend againt? Leave a comment!

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iPhone event roundup

By Nick, March 6, 2008

Earlier today Apple held an iPhone-oriented media event, covering topics including the iPhone in enterprise to the long-awaited SDK. Here are some of my initial thoughts on the announcements made today.

And yes, I wrote this as I followed the announcements, so they’re very, very early first impressions.

Enterprise

First of all, it seems strange to see Apple even discuss the enterprise market, considering their focus has been on the consumer for years and years. But considering almost every other smart phone out there is designed to be enterprise-friendly, it makes sense that Apple would do the same with the iPhone, especially since some corporate users are already using the iPhone.

Apple announced the addition of a good number of enterprise-friendly features for their next iPhone software, ranging from push email support and better calendar integration to better VPN support to the all-important Microsoft Exchange support. And as it turns out, Apple licensed the ActiveSync protocol for use on the iPhone. As Macworld reports, “With ActiveSync, the iPhone talks directly to Exchange. So the iPhone will get push e-mail, push calendaring, push contacts, global access lists, and remote wipe, all while talking to Exchange. And it’s built into the existing…
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