The Small Wave.

The Small Wave.

Tom Reestman  //  Hello and welcome to my twin blogs:

         The Small Wave. -- Computer and mobile technology writing
           The Small Wave 2 -- Random thoughts on any other topic
        Follow me on Twitter @treestman

        Nov 14 / 1:03am

        Chart of Apple’s profit growth
        via iphonespies.com

        It's well-known Steve Jobs has made a lot of money for Apple, but sometimes it's easier to see as a graph.

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        Filed under  //  Apple   Revenue   Steve Jobs  

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        Nov 9 / 11:44pm

        A Desperate Verizon To Men: You're An Absolute Candy-Ass If You Don't Buy A Droid.

        via youtube.com

        The macho image in advertising is pretty heavily used for truck commercials, and maybe power tools. They're low in how functional the product actually is, and high in how much of a he-man you'll look like using it.

        Now I guess the macho image applies to smartphones as well (sorry, "robot phones"). After all, what man looking to overcome his inadequacies wouldn't be drawn to these: 

        • Crush a rock
        • Punch a hole through a steel wall
        • Run apps with axle-greased ease

        There's more, but be warned only Neanderthals need apply.

        Male or female, the first thing I look for is a mind at work. I can only hope no more men will be swayed by this crap than women are swayed because a product is pink, or has a mirror. This kind of "macho" advertising makes me ashamed of my gender.

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        Filed under  //  Android   Droid   Google   Motorola   Verizon  

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        Nov 7 / 10:22pm

        Don't Tell Me Steve Jobs Doesn't Love Music

        via money.cnn.com

        CNN Money has a collection of a dozen photographs of Steve Jobs that show their "CEO of the Decade" in a more unusual light.

        The above photo is #4 in the series, and my favorite by far. Anyone who doubts Jobs' proclaimed love of music -- a love that helped Apple build the iPod/iTunes ecosystem -- need only look to this photo as proof they're wrong.

        Visit the link above to see all 12 photos.

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        Filed under  //  Apple   iPod   iTunes   music   people  

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        Nov 7 / 4:08pm

        If You Have Multiple Macs, iPhones, Then Apple's MobileMe Is a Bargain.

        Good article on Apple's MobileMe service. 

        Apple has finally assembled a set of features for its hosted MobileMe service that makes it worth its subscription fee for the right user. As a critic of the service in the past, I find myself with naught but praise these days.

        I agree with the author. I, too, was a critic of MobileMe when it first transitioned from MobileMe. In fact, I was critical of it before the bigger guns joined in. Over the course of many months, and now nearly a year and a half, it has become an indispensable tool I rely on daily.

        Take a look at the chart below. Spanning three Macs, three iPhones, an iPod touch, and three PCs, look at all the information MobileMe is holding together for me: 

        The purple Ws denote using the web interface, the red Xs denotes using Webdav disk or other method to access documents on iDisk. 

        Notice there's one component I choose to keep consistent across every item: calendars. It's amazing that any change made on any of the 10 items will show up on the others in just a minute or two. Yes, it "just works". 

        Tying this all together was little more than visiting a system preference on the Macs, logging into MobileMe, and checking a few boxes. On the iPhone it's pretty much the same, and on the PC there's a MobileMe control panel to install and use. You set, then forget, it just keeps in sync after that; I never have to think about it. 

        I'm not even using every sync feature. If I wanted, I could sync Dashboard widgets and Preferences across the Macs. I don't do so only because the varying screen sizes means I use different widgets and prefs on these machines. 

        Further, there are other features I use not listed on the chart, like the excellent "Find my iPhone", and the ability to wipe data off a device. I have these features enabled on all four mobile devices. It's great. 

        People balk at MobileMe because they claim Google or Yahoo or Microsoft provide email, contacts and calendars for free. True, but MobileMe does so using powerful native apps on Macs and the iPhone, and is so much more than just email anyway. 

        Bottom line is I'd have to collect numerous third-party apps (e.g., mail, drop box, Google sync, etc.) to try to get all the above items in sync, and they still wouldn't cover all the bases, nor be anywhere near as easy to administer. I consider MobileMe a bargain, and can't imagine my computing/mobile life without it.
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        Filed under  //  Apple   iPhone   Mac   MobileMe   Social   Software  

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        Nov 4 / 9:39pm

        Molecular Modeling By Microsoft (or Microsoft Cloning)

        This isn’t copying. It’s identity theft.

        I honestly don’t know how the people responsible can look at themselves in the mirror each morning. Surely there are other ways to get into retail without copying every detail from the people you’re constantly accused of copying in the first place.

        via kensegall.com

        Great article on the Microsoft stores.

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        Filed under  //  Hardware   Microsoft   PC   Retail   Software  

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        Nov 1 / 3:24pm

        Though Windows 7 Taskbar Is Weak, You Can Put Folders On It.

        While the taskbar in Windows 7 is huge improvement over the old one, it's incredibly weak compared to Apple's dock. The biggest disappointment to me is that you can't put folders there, or at least you can't drag them there. 

        As it turns out, there's a process you can use to get a folder on the taskbar, and I did so for some of my common ones. Once you do it a couple times, it's a pretty simple process, though it's silly to have to go through such hoops. 

        Unfortunately, all you can do once the folder is there is click on it to open the folder. That's it. You cannot see what's inside via stacks or hierarchical views like on a Mac. You cannot navigate the directory like on a Mac. You cannot spring-load the folder like on a Mac. You cannot launch or view anything from the folder like on a Mac. Bottom line is having a folder on the taskbar saves me one click, and that's all. 

        Still, for common folders I'll take what I can get. Especially since, for all the bragging on Microsoft's part, Windows 7 still requires too many clicks. 

        Finally, here's a quick tip: For a custom look change the shortcut's icon before you pin it to the taskbar. The file imageres.dll in the System32 directory contains a number of nice icons from which to choose. 
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        Filed under  //  Microsoft   OS   Software   Windows   Windows 7  

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        Oct 26 / 11:53pm

        VMWare Fusion 3.0 Is Here: Upgrade So Far Is Painless.

        Noticed it available, upgraded from 2.0 and downloaded it online ($40). Took about 15 minutes to download. 

        Installed in less than 10 minutes. 

        Hey, the screen doesn't do screwy things when I boot up Windows 7 any more. 

        Noticed that the VMWare Tools did not update on their own, so I updated them (took a couple minutes and a reboot).

        Picked an Aero theme in Windows 7 and, voila!, I now have Aero on a virtual machine.

        Don't have anything else to report right now because I've been running it maybe 15 minutes. But that was a very quick upgrade for such a major release. I thought it might need to mess with my VM files (I run XP Pro and Windows 7 RC), but no. This was a very impressive and completely painless upgrade process. 
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        Filed under  //  Fusion   Mac OS X   Software   VMWare   Windows 7  

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        Oct 26 / 2:02pm

        iPhone helps AT&T continue subscriber gains on Verizon

        To put the total in perspective, more new customers came to AT&T for the iPhone than the total number of new subscribers gained by Verizon with all handsets during the September quarter.
        via appleinsider.com

        Amazing stat.

        Verizon says they'd obviously "be interested" in the iPhone, since they want to "broaden the base of choice" for their customers. Where was all this desire to broaden choice when they were clamping down on hardware, not allowing WiFi, disabling Bluetooth, etc.?

        Now that the iPhone is kicking their ass they're all about "choice"? Spare me, please.

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        Filed under  //  Apple   ATT   iPhone   mobile   Verizon  

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        Oct 26 / 12:04am

        You CanNOT Get a MacBook-Equivalent PC Laptop For A Lot Less Money.

        I sent a series of tweets recently inspired by two things: 

        1. My search for a MacBook-like PC to run Windows 7.
        2. My realization that no such PC exists for a lot less money than a MacBook, though everyone (including many who should know better) seems to repeat this nonsense. 

        Below are the the tweets: 

        • Dear WSJ and tech pundits: You can’t get a MacBook-equivalent PC for a lot less money; you only get a lesser one.
        • I'm sick of these low-voltage 1.3 GHz no-power laptops being treated as MacBook equivalents. It's BS.
        • I'm sick of PC laptop starting prices of ~$650 when they use old or weak processors, old WiFi, have no Bluetooth, etc.
        • Closest is an HP Dv3t configured similar 2 MacBook @ $900 with lots of HP giveaways. Nice, but not a lot less $$.
        • The HP has more drive space and RAM. The MacBook has better battery, trackpad, smaller, lighter, unibody.
        • My point is when you're within $100 on two laptops, take your pick, but the cheaper one is hardly a no-brainer.
        • Oh, and Dell XPS 13 and Lenovo models comparable to MacBook are priced higher.
        • Summary: Go thru PC makers' lengthy BTO process; see what you really get b4 claiming a MacBook for a lot less.

        The summary nails it. As you go through all the BTO screens for so many models, you find where each promising PC either falls off the list (e.g., no Core 2 Duo processors, no LED screen), or the price keeps adding up as you configure it like a MacBook. 

        Think about this: What would a MacBook cost if Apple used an older Intel processor with just 2MB cache (or a low-voltage Centrino or Atom processor), slower DDR2 800MHz memory, Intel graphics, WiFi 802.11 b/g (not "n"), no Bluetooth, a weak battery, a tray CD drive, etc.? That's exactly what PC makers do to create the low-end machines they (and a willing press) love to tout so much. And don't even get me started on the big, heavy, lumbering beasts touted for having 15" screens even though they have the resolution of a 13". 

        Regarding the HP mentioned above, CNET configured one that was the same price as a MacBook. Theirs had a slower CPU, but like mine had more hard drive and RAM. They didn't even list the MacBook's great 7-hour battery, incredible glass trackpad, or unibody construction as advantages. Yet for the same amount of money HP didn't include any of those things. In other words, CNET undersold the MacBook even as they acknowledged getting a PC close to it requires spending similar money!

        I'm not blasting the PC makers. It's a cutthroat industry for them; they need to make dirt cheap machines because they have to advertise dirt cheap prices. But one thing is crystal clear: if you don't use yesterday's technology, or drop features, or skimp on the battery, etc., it costs money. There is no MacBook-like PC for $700. 

        I wouldn't care as much about this if a buyer knew what he was getting. But given the current tech reporting a lot of buyers think they're getting a "MacBook" for much less money, and that's pure, unadulterated crap. I'm disappointed the tech pundits haven't seen the same trends I have and called it what it is.

        Meanwhile, what I've learned from this exercise is simple: if your budget won't allow a ~$1K machine, skip the cheap laptop crap and go straight to a netbook. Yes, they also use weak processors, low-cost components, etc., but at least they're priced like it. Further, they're smaller and lighter than a laptop, so they have a tangible advantage cheap laptops don't.
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        Filed under  //  Apple   Hardware   HP   Macbook   Microsoft  

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        Oct 25 / 10:48pm

        Ars Technica Windows 7 Review

        So while Windows 7 may not right all of Vista's wrongs, it is absolutely superior to its predecessor. It has three years of improvements, so it can't help but be better. But if you hated Vista's UI, you're going to hate Windows 7's. Worse, in fact, because 7 forces you to use the new Start menu and taskbar, with no possibility of reverting to the old behaviour. If your applications didn't work in Vista, they almost certainly won't work in 7. Sure, 7 has some virtualization tools to help, but this was always possible in Vista too. If you felt Vista was too big and too slow, well, 7 isn't going to provide much joy there, either. Marginal improvements, perhaps, but nothing more.
        via arstechnica.com

        The above quote, from the closing summary, sure doesn't sound impressive. Still, the entire review (it's long and detailed) is positive overall.

        The reviewer thinks Vista got a bad rap. Even though he agrees Windows 7 is actually "Vista R2", he likes it a lot.

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        Filed under  //  Microsoft   OS   Software   Vista   Windows 7  

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