iPad Pro? Hard Pass.

Like many of you, I was quite curious to see what Apple was going to concoct when they announced their iPad Pro.  AND, like many of you I was profoundly disappointed.  Somehow they managed to take the mistakes Microsoft made with their original Surface RT, and compound them by making the Pro larger, more unwieldy, and far more costly.  In short, the iPad Pro has all the earmarks of a massive misfire.  Now, I could sit here and spend the next twenty minutes putting my thoughts down on paper (so to speak), but why do that when it was done so much better by PC Magazine?  Seriously, this guy nails it.

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2491038,00.asp

George & His iPhone 3G

My buddy George is a real Apple fanboy. He talked me into buying a Macbook Pro a while back and now he just can't stop talking about his new iPhone 3G. So, I figured "what the heck", let's throw him on camera and let him tell you all about it. Hey, better you than me...

The Simpsons Skewer Apple

I don't care if you're an Apple fanboy (or girl) or a Windows devotee, this clip from the Simpsons is darn funny.

Palm in my Hand...

Palm has released their newest smart phone, the Treo Pro... very quietly.  The phone itself (in my opinion) kicks ass.  Having owned a Treo 650 (which I still break out every now and then), I can testify to Palm's productivity and reliability.  Which is why I was SO excited when I saw this little beauty, which bears a slight resemblance to that phone from Apple.

Here's the problem ( and you just KNEW there had to be one), the phone is only available unlocked with no carrier support to subsidize the whopping $500+ price tag.  YIKES!  So, with the iphone costing less than $200 and the Samsung Instinct costing just over $100, what's a boy to do?!?  Pray for a miracle friends.  Although, rumor has it that an even newer, better smart phone from Palm is right around the corner anyway, with the Treo Pro being a stop gap more or less.  After all, two years ago palm was the dominant smartphone company in the USA, but with Apple, RIM and HTC grabbing more and more market share, well, they had to do something to stop the bleeding till their future phone hits the shelves... and I hope they do, I really do.

Mac Vs. PC is FUNNY

If you've been reading my blog, you know that I recently took the big leap and transitioned from a PC to  a Mac.  I didn't do it to follow a trend or because of some marketing campaign, I didn't do it to save money or because I like the aesthetics of the Mac better.  I did it because everyone I know with a Mac NEVER complains about having any conflicts, problems or daily crashes.  for me, the switch is working out, and yet the great debate rages on...  Mac or PC?  

Check out this video, you need a good laugh anyway...

Follow Your Instinct!

Have you seen the Samsung Instinct cell phone yet?  It is one sweet looking phone and something of an homage to the iPhone.  It has a haptic touch screen (it vibrates when you choose an icon), a really cool UI and a built in GPS, that actually works.  The best thing about it is that it's on the Sprint network using their EVDO REV-A, which offers faster speeds than AT&T's 3G AND has more reasonable data plans. In fact, Sprint is known for their Everything plans, which give you unlimited data and messaging with generous voice time.  

I like this phone, A LOT.  Having played with it in the store and read extensively in the user forums, I think it's a great alternative to the iPhone. Sure, it's not perfect.  The browser is not as elegant as Apple's, but compared to most other cell phones it's above average.  Plus, the GPS works with voice commands.  You can say "pizza" and it'll take you to the nearest pizzeria.  OR, what if you want to find the cheapest gas in your area?  It can take you there too.  Plus is give you verbal directions while you're driving... or walking for that matter.  How much would I have loved that last year when I walked around San Francisco for an hour looking for a particular Dim Sum restaurant.

For me though, the deal breaker with the phone is the fact that it won't sync with Outlook calendar and it won't sync with a Mac at all.  So, while it's a killer phone, it might not qualify as a SmartPhone for the business user.

A Mac, a Mac, my Kingdom for a Mac!

According to UPS tracking, my new MacBook Pro should be here tomorrow morning. From what I've been reading, I'm one of the lucky ones.

Apparently, the feeding frenzy caused by the iPhone 3G launch had an adverse effect on those wanting to stroll into an Apple store and buy a Mac, as in they couldn't get into the store. In fact, even today in some areas there was still a line for those wanting to buy a 3G (which makes sense) and another for those who wanted to do other Mac stuff like buy a computer (which makes no sense). Even worse, some AT&T stores actually made ALL of their customers wait in line last weekend, regardless of whether they were in line to get an iPhone or pay their bill. Ouch.

Over One Million Served...Um, Sold!

Wow, have you seen the stats on the sales of the iPhone 3G?!? After three days they did what it took McDonalds years to accomplish...over one million sold. By comparison, last year when they introduced the original iPhone (which BTW, was updated to software version 2.0 as well) it took them 75 days to sell that many units, so it looks like all off the hype worked!

Now, the last thing I want to do is too turn this into an iPhone blog (I'm no Apple fanboy...yet), but hey, it is the hottest thing out there right now. Sure there have been some issues with the supply meeting the demand and LENGTHY activations, but even if the darn thing was a brick right out of the box, you have to admire the marketing machine that made it all possible.