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Commentary and discussion on the items that are on this geek's mind

Archive for January 23rd, 2006

Blogging via Blackberry

Jan 23

Posted by Tejas in Cell Phones, Personal | No Comments

Blackberry 7100g

I figured there had to be someone else out there who loved their Crackberry enough to want to be able to blog via email – send your post to a special email account and like magic, it shows up on the front page!

Just wanted to test the feature out so I wrote this post on my Blackberry, although you can use any email capable device. Recently learnt it was known as “moblogging” – was hoping for something more creative.

Here’s a very good page about how to setup Blog via Email with WordPress 2.0 (what I use).

By the way, in case you were wondering I added the graphic and link after my email was posted – can’t do all that yet from my Blackberry, not yet…

The iPod Killer Cometh

Jan 23

Posted by Tejas in MP3 Players | 1 Comment

VisionM1

I recently, after 4 years of abstaining went and bought a shiny new iPod Video 30GB. I have to say honestly that I have been very happy with it and it has slowly started to sway me towards Apple based purely on their impecable design, UI and ease of use.

One thing the iPod does lack in though is actual features which is where the new Creative Zen Vision:M.

Looks like Creative figured, if you can’t join them, beat them. If you don’t know what I mean by that, look at the Vision:M and an iPod side by side. Looks aside and it does look good in my opinion, this has all the features the iPod Video doesn’t have including:

  • Built in FM tuner – iPod now supports this using an external remote for $50 extra
  • Voice recorder – never really used this and can’t figure out who would but it’s there
  • Supports WMA, MP3, other popular sound codecs including those with Digital Rights Management so it can be used with Napster and other services
  • Supports DivX, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, WMV video codecs – iPod doesn’t currently support DivX or WMV
  • Similar size and shape to iPod – thicker and heavier but otherwise not much bigger
  • VGA screen – supposed to put the iPod videos screen to shame

So at the end of the day, I feel Apple has finally got some competition although it’s going to take more than this one player to eat into Apple’s 75% market share but it’s a start.

The Zen Vision:M is supposed to retail for $330 or so for 30G, about $30 more than a similar iPod Video.

I’m all for competition, it can only help the consumers – us. For now I’m happy with my iPod Video but the new Vision:M is definitely the one to watch.

VisionM2

Look familiar? :)

Windows on the Intel iMac? Why?

Jan 23

Posted by Tejas in Computers | No Comments

iMac-Intel

Can someone please explain to me why the moment that Apple decides to jump ship from the RISC PowerPC to Intel “Core Duo” CPUs that all of a sudden, there is a new fascination for people to run Windows XP on the new iMacs? Forget the fact that it currently isn’t possible since the new iMacs use a new Extensible Firmware Interface rather than the good old BIOS we know and love – what’s the attraction?

Most Apple fans are vehemently anti-Windows (maybe it’s a pre-requisite) so installing that very same OS that they have scoffed at for its various security holes onto their precious new iMacs seems almost insane.

I always felt one of the biggest attractions to Apple was the whole closed system – they make the hardware and they make the software – which is why things supposedly are more stable, better integrated, etc. etc.

Windows does not have this ability because the OS has to be able to support a multitude of hardware and software configurations from thousands of vendors, all of which Microsoft has some but little control over. This in turn leads to the infamous BSOD (blue screen of death) that shows up once in a while with Windows as well as other instabilities and issues.

No surprise that Microsoft has no issue with people installing Windows on the new iMac (as long as they pay for it), just more revenue and market share for Windows and with users who are probably die-hard Apple fans – a new untapped market.

I remember those ads that Apple ran a little while ago with the whole “switch” campaign of people switching from Windows to Mac OS…got to love the irony

Here’s a great FAQ on the situation from Cnet – Link