Extreme Tolerance » Apple

New toy for the gym.

Admin — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 20:13:28 +0000

iPhone 4 Reception Problem

Admin — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 17:13:09 +0000

Today I get back to work and the buzz is the iPhone 4 has reception problems. I am on day 5 with the iPhone 4 and have yet to have a problem.

This weekend we drove up and down the Columbia River Gorge on our way to Spokane. The iPhone 4 performed just as well as my old 3Gs (which is now my wife’s) and my brothers Verizon Droid.

So I do not believe rumors about reception issues.

iPad: Tablet PC or Reader?

Admin — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 18:24:42 +0000

I came away from yesterdays iPad news with mixed feelings. A giant iPod touch? Hmmm…. Not sure that’s something I want. After all it lacked some of the features I thought it should have. But when I thought about it, I was wanting more of a computer and what they released if much more of a reader.

With that in mind I set out to evaluate it against the Barns and Noble Nook and the Amazon Kindle.


Features	Nook	Kindle	iPad
Screen	6″ E-inc/Color	6″/9.7″ E-inc	9.7″ of LED Backlit Apple Kick-ass-ness
Wireless	Wifi/3G	Wifi/3G	Wifi/3G
Wireless Plan	Free 3G	Free 3G	$15
Books Cost	Around $9	Around $9	$15?
Book Store	Barns and Noble	Amazon	Apple, and Probably Amazon and BN via their Apps
Interface	Partial Touch Screen	Buttons	Multi-touch
Email	Maybe	Extra	Oh Ya
Expandability	SD Cards	None	None
Hackability	Its running Android/Linux…	I guess it can be done	Steve Jobs is watching you
Other Things it Does	Not Much	Not Much	Various other Multi-media, Games, Apps from the Apple App store.
Lowest Price Model	$259	$259	$499

Conclusion: The iPad, although lacking free 3G, is a reader +. If you are going to buy a reader you should strongly consider the iPad. If you are looking for a small computer you should consider the MacBook Air or any one of the unwashed masses of netbooks.

I think its important to remember that ~~Apple~~ Steve was not looking to reinvent the laptop.

Tomorrow! Apple!

Admin — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 21:05:36 +0000

Unless you actually live in a cave, or don’t have internet access (its really the same thing), you will have sensed that the intertubez are climaxing over the whole Apple tablet thing. Prepare for orgasm, unless there is no tablet in which case the internet will be seriously pissed off.

If I remember I will post where the best live blog is happening. Already a great bet will be FakeSteve.net.

World of Remote Blogging

Admin — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 17:51:25 +0000

I just descovered the WordPress app for iPhone. Look out blogosphere my goal of shorter, more frequent updates might become a reality. Related posts:Jaadu VNC for iPhone. Remote Control Computer from Your iPhone. Lite Blogging + iPhone 4 Comp-tac: the happiest company in the world? Related posts:

Jaadu VNC for iPhone. Remote Control Computer from Your iPhone.

Admin — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 23:11:59 +0000

Want to impress your friends and bore the crap out of your wife? I have got the app for you! Jaadu VNC allows you to remote control your home or office computer from your iPhone.

Warning: you need to have a little geek in you to a) want to do this b) understand the technology to get Jaadu VNC to work. If you feel like your home router is not that scary, this is easy.

Remote Control a Computer from Your iPhone

What is not to like. Jaadu works great. I tried other VNC apps for the iPhone will much less success. The setup could be a challenge if you are not super tech savy, but it makes for a great learning experience. The downside is this is the most expencive app on the face of the planet ($25).

What’s the practical application, you ask?

Sometimes there are things you would like to see on the web, that you can’t see from the iPhone.
You could use your home as a proxy.
Access files you may have forgot.
Spy on your kids.
Install a camera and take the spying to the next level.

The possibilities are endless.

What You Need

Computer You Wish to Remote Control
Internet Connection (Preferably with a stable IP)
Router (Recommended, more for general security)
iPhone
Jaadu App

Note: Preferably all your networking devices envolved in the VNC would be connected via Ethernet cable.

Getting Set Up

The instructions on Jaadu’s site are very good. But in summary you need to enable VNC on you server (machine you want to control) and then forward port 5900 from through the router. Sounds complicated but its really not. If you run into problems a simple Google search usually will provide a solution.

If you have set up a gaming console to play online, you can do this.

Ideally, you would set your computer to have a static IP on your LAN. Again a Google search can help you accomplish this. If your external IP changes regularly you might want to look at a free service like no-ip or dynip.com

Jaadu VNC Interface

It takes a second to get used to. Basically you move the mouse by dragging you finger around the screen. You can zoom in and out with all the normal jestures. Left click is a tap and right click is a two finger tap. I really have to give them high marks for making this easy to use.

Jaadu Problems

Normally Jaadu works great but sometimes when on 3G it can get a little sluggish. Also without using their server app, screen updates can get a bit slow, making clicking on things or navigating menus a challenge. This should not discourage you from trying Jaadu. These problems are easily solved by jumping on Wifi

iPhone 3G S Review

Admin — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 21:09:23 +0000

A few weeks ago I posted about ordering the iPhone 3G S. Now that I have had some time playing with it I can give a bit of a review.

iPhone 3G S First Impressions
The first thing you notice, at least when upgrading, is a significant increase in speed. It seems like load times are significantly reduced. The iPhone does not multi-task, meaning it does not run multiple apps at the same time. On the S model switching apps feels like switching apps where on the original 3G it feels like closing one and opening another.

iPhone 3G S Video
Aside for the increased speed the newest feature is the video camera. I am surprised at the quality. It is on par if not better than the video my point and shoot camera takes. For a cell phone I would say its very good. This is the cool part. You can do minor edits to the footage right on the phone and then upload that to YouTube. Check out the screen shot of the editor (the usability definitely qualifies as “Apple Easy”):

One quirk with the camera. Before you hit play you probably want to think about the direction you are holding the phone. If you take footage in the the phone normal position and then upload it, the YouTube will come out looking like this: (note the black bars on the sides)

iPhone 3G S Compass and Maps
Having a compass on your phone is cool for about two minutes. Yup… I now know which way’s North. So what does this do for me? One of the uses is actually really cool. Now when you are looking at your location on the map, the map orients so you are less confused as you navigate.

When the compass gets confused it asks to be waved in figure eights.

Conclusion
There are a ton of other features that are subtle or came with the iPhone 3.0 OS that I won’t go into. I feel that if you are upgrading you will be pleased with the increased performance the new features. If you are buying an iPhone of the first time, I would say it comes down to price sensitivity. I would add one caveat, you are signing a two year contract when you buy an iPhone. The 3G S will probably stay current technology for longer than the original 3G, something to keep in mind.

iPhone 3G S: Pre-Order

Admin — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 17:04:16 +0000

Just to prove how nerdy I actually am. I have pre-ordered a iPhone 3G S. To the average user the S upgrade might not seem like much, indeed if your are not an Apple geek the $99 iPhone will work great for you. However the new iPhone will offer a processor that is about twice as fast. It will also include a compass and the ability to record and edit video. The camera also receives a minor upgrade to 3 mega-pixles. I will post more once I have had a chance to play with it. The phone is released on Friday and my wife is very excited about lining up outside the store at 6:00 AM (note the extreme sarcasm).

Those who already have iPhones are getting an upgrade as well. The third gen firmware will bring MMS (picture messaging) and copy and paste functionality. I would also expect it to generally improve performance.

Argument for Upgrade to iPhone 3G S:

Faster processor (for the power users out there).
Records and edits movies.
Better camera.
Compass.
Voice Controls.

Argument Against Upgrade to iPhone 3G S:

The 3G will run everything the S will run (as least right now).
Upgrading, if you are in a contract, will cost around $500.
If buying iPhone for the first time, the 3G is $100 cheaper than the 3G S.
No exterior differences other than model number.

A note about future generations of iPhone:

At&t claims that their 4G network will not be ready for at least two years. They imply that a newer iPhone would not be reasleased in that time. If anything is clear from the last keynote, Apple and At&t are not on the same development cycle. I would expect at least minor updates to the iPhone in a year or less.

Update: I have my iPhone 3G S and have been loving it. I will put together a review in the near future. In the mean time Matt Cutts and G4′s Attack of the Show (don’t think Hulu has posted it yet) both did great reviews.