With CES 2010 right around the corner, Macworld following that and then the alleged Apple event at the end of the month, I suppose it’s time for me to make my prediction for what we will be seeing tech-wise in 2010. If 2009 was the year of the netbook, I foresee that 2010 will be the year of the tablet. Not just the Apple tablet, mind you, but I think starting with CES and onward this year we will be seeing a vast increase in computer manufacturers announcing tablet style computers. We have already begun to see a touch of this consumer interest in tablet computers with the Entourage Edge and similar devices, but I think in the new year the market for such machines is going to skyrocket. Whether they be dual screened, touched screen or just incredibly portable, we will be seeing much more of them in many shapes, sizes and colors this year!
lifestyle
The Pink Mac’s Holiday Gift Guide 2009!
Now that the holiday season is finally here, it is time for The Pink Mac’s Holiday Gift Guide. This year has been groundbreaking in many ways in regard to consumer electronics, and especially Apple products. We have seen some amazing bumps in product standards and at the same time some big price drops which have made gadgets and accesories even more affordable! So, I have put together a list of some of the best and most interesting Apple related accessories and products out on the market today, taking into consideration quality and price to ensure that you are giving only the best and most unique gifts this season!
Gifts for Mac’s
Hu2 Design Laptop Decals: These vinyl laptop decals are unique and durable; a sure way to brighten up any Mac user’s holiday!
Fabrix Laptop Cases: The usual brand of laptop cases can get boring, so instead, consider Fabrix cases; they’re handmade and made from unique fabric designs that are sure to spread the holiday cheer!
Apple’s Magic Mouse: For any mouse using Mac user in your family, Apple’s Magic Mouse has all the familiar gestures of a trackpad with the functionality of a mouse!
Gifts for iPod’s
iSkin Nanovibes: Give the gift of unique iPod protection with these interesting patterned cases!
Richard Solo 1800 for iPod: For the avid iPod user in your life, consider this backup iPod power source- small and compact- perfect for the ipod user on the go!
Belkin Rockstar: Does your ipod lover like to share their music? Then this is the perfect gift for them, allowing for up to 5 users to experience the tunes!
Apple Sidekicks
Nook: This well designed e-reader looks the part of the Apple lineup, and with it’s simple touch screen design, it puts other e-readers to shame!
Canon Powershot: There is no doubt that Canon makes some of the best compact digital camera’s out on the market, and this compact design is the perfect gift for any photo lover!
Bose Headphones: What is all the great audio technology good for if you can’t experience it full throttle? These bose headphones are compact enough for use at home or on the go and will surely strike a chord with any music or movie lover in your life.
Stocking Stuffers
Monster Screen Cleaner: Keeping your gadget’s LCD screens clean is always important for frequent users, so stuff some of this in their stockings to keep all their gadets looking new!
Pogo Sketch: Whether it is the touch screen of a iPod or trackpad of a Macbook, this inexpensive accessory is a perfect stocking stuffer for your gadget lover, and cheap enough for you to splurge on yourself!
Netflicks Gift Subscription: Who needs on-demand movies and expensive extra channels when, for less than the price of a single DVD, you can have access to an entire movie library and streaming DVDs online?
New White Macbook vs. Macbook Pro
Here it is! My video comparison of the new White Macbook side by side with the Macbook Pro. If you aren’t able to watch the video, let me give you a quick written review of the specs and what makes these two models different.
New White Macbook Base Specs:
2.26 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor
250 GB Hard Drive
2 GB of DDR3 Memory
New Brighter Display
Full Unibody Construction
7 Hour Battery
Multi-Touch Glass Trackpad
Total $999
Aluminum Macbook Pro Base Specs:
2.26 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor
160 GB Hard Drive
2 GB of DDR3 Memory
LED Display
Full Unibody Construction
7 Hour Battery
Multi- Touch Glass Trackpad
SD Card Slot
FireWire 800
Back-lit keyboard
Battery Indicator Light
Total $1,199
Obviously, each model also includes a display port, ethernet port, two USBs, an audio in/out, Kensington Lock, and a Superdrive, so we can just ignore those specs, along with the processor, the memory, 7 hour battery and glass track pads which are the same between the two models. What we are really interested in are the components of the computer that differ. To begin with, the screen. Although they both have the same screen resolution and LED Backlit display, the Macbook Pro still has a superior quality of the screen. In the video you can see the difference between the colors on each screen and although I believe Apple has made vast improvements to the Macbook’s screen, it is still not on par with the Macbook Pro.
Now, the Macbook has a greater hard drive capacity in the base model. There is no way around this, the numbers speak for themselves. You can of course upgrade the size of the Macbook Pro’s hard drive, but this is one area where the new Macbook is superior to the Macbook Pro. However, this is really where the superiority ends, as the Macbook lacks many of the great features that make the Macbook Pro a more functional and fully equipped computer.
These Pro features include the SD card slot, FireWire 800, a back lit keyboard, and battery indicator lights. Now, for a difference of $200 you can get all these useful features, by giving up 90 GBs of hard drive space, and to me, that is worth it. When it comes to computers, space isn’t a major issue because hard drives are one of the most easily replaceable components of any computer. Apple charges you a mere $50 to equip your Macbook Pro with a 250 GB hard drive, and for not too much more, you can bring your laptop to an Apple certified repair business to have the hard drive upgraded. You also have the option of many different forms of external hard drive space that any computer owner should use to back up their files -if for no other purpose. Remember, you can always get more hard drive space, but you can’t just add an SD card slot, or a backlit display to a notebook computer.
When it comes down to it, the difference between the Macbook and the Macbook Pro base models is $200, and you certainly get your money’s worth for the difference, especially if you are someone, who like me, values those added features and would prefer them to a $200 savings. Of course, another major factor in the decision between the two machines is the difference between white plastic and aluminum, and although I am not going to discuss that difference because to me it will always come down to personal taste, I just wanted to remind my readers that this is a machine that you will probably have for some time and you should like the way it looks just as much as you like the way it works. So, if you love the way the white Macbook looks and can’t stand the Aluminum, I think you have already made your choice, because no amount of extra features will turn one unibody into another 😉
NaNoWriMo 2009
I just wanted to let everyone know I am an official participant in NaNoWriMo 2009. If your not familiar with the annual event, I will explain. For the past 11 years, November has been National Novel Writing Month, where people from around the globe attempt in write 50,000 words of a novel in 30 days. I have been interested in participating in the event for a few years now, but I have either forgotten about it or was too late/busy to join. This year, however, I am official! You can visit my “Author Page” here and follow my progress online. If you too are participating, feel free to add me as a writing buddy- so far I have none 😉
On the advice of the dedicated writer/bloggers over at Macworld who are also participating in NaNoWriMo, I have decided to download and use the writing program Scrivener, which is offering an extended trial of the software for those participating in the event. I downloaded it yesterday and started playing around with it, so I suppose after this month is up I will have a good review of the program for you guys. Best part is, Literature and Latte (the developers) are offering 20% discounts on the program for those who participate in NaNoWriMo and 50% discounts for those who win (winning means hitting the 50k word mark)! Hopefully, if things go well, I will have my own copy of Scrivener half off come December!
On a blog related note, I am expecting this to sorta take over my life for the next month, so chances are posts will be scarce, but I will try my best to get you guys some great content to hold you over until December! As always, thanks for your support- I really do appreciate all you each do to help me make this blog a success.
I’m not going to say “goodbye” because I do not intent to leave you for a month, but I do wish you a Happy Halloween, and while I’m at it a Happy Thanksgiving in advance!
Wireless Deceiver.
One of the hot new tech items on the market right now is the PowerMat wireless charger, however, with all the buzz and press around this innovative new device, I find that many have been fooled into thinking more of this gadget than necessary. Undoubtedly, the item is unique and innovative as it is now possible to charge all your gadgets without having to plug them into the wall. A socked saver for sure, however, what actually differentiates the PowerMat from other charging stations out on the market? Well, really only one thing- the lack of a wire directly from the charging area to the device.
Let’s break down the PowerMat into its working parts. First of all, we have a mat, powered by a single wire to an outlet. The mat functions as a base station where the devices must be left in order to charge. Then we have the wireless receiver called the Powercube (above). This little box has a wire that connects directly to the device you are looking to charge, and with a collection of interchangeable tips, one cube can act as a receiver for multiple different devices, but only one at a time.
Okay, so you still need to plug your device into the receiver, and keep it stored on the mat itself in order to charge it- unless you buy one of the optional battery door receivers (above) made for either a Blackberry or an iPhone- in which case you have to attach something directly to the device and then leave it to charge on the mat. I don’t want to take away from the innovation of a consumer device with the ability to charge an array of devices without a direct connection from the power source to the device, but it really isn’t that different from the traditional charging station. You still plug or attach something to the device that needs charging, and you still need to leave it at one location while it does so, and for the price tag of the power mat ($99.99) which can charge up to 3 devices at a time, plus the cost of 2 extra Powercubes ($29.99 each) and/or the optional device specific battery door chargers ($29.99- $39.99) you are looking at a cost of at least $159.97. Let’s compare that to a more traditional but no less innovative wired charging station like Bluelounge’s Refresh charging station (below) that costs $89.99, can charge at least 3 devices at once, and also has a variety of tip heads to choose from for different devices.
Let’s break down the PowerMat into its working parts. First of all, we have a mat, powered by a single wire to an outlet. The mat functions as a base station where the devices must be left in order to charge. Then we have the wireless receiver called the Powercube (above). This little box has a wire that connects directly to the device you are looking to charge, and with a collection of interchangeable tips, one cube can act as a receiver for multiple different devices, but only one at a time.
Okay, so you still need to plug your device into the receiver, and keep it stored on the mat itself in order to charge it- unless you buy one of the optional battery door receivers (above) made for either a Blackberry or an iPhone- in which case you have to attach something directly to the device and then leave it to charge on the mat. I don’t want to take away from the innovation of a consumer device with the ability to charge an array of devices without a direct connection from the power source to the device, but it really isn’t that different from the traditional charging station. You still plug or attach something to the device that needs charging, and you still need to leave it at one location while it does so, and for the price tag of the power mat ($99.99) which can charge up to 3 devices at a time, plus the cost of 2 extra Powercubes ($29.99 each) and/or the optional device specific battery door chargers ($29.99- $39.99) you are looking at a cost of at least $159.97. Let’s compare that to a more traditional but no less innovative wired charging station like Bluelounge’s Refresh charging station (below) that costs $89.99, can charge at least 3 devices at once, and also has a variety of tip heads to choose from for different devices.
Let’s be honest with ourselves right now, we were all temporarily deceived by the seemingly futuristic simplicity of the PowerMat, but unless we can innovate to the point of simply leaving a device on a mat to pick up a charge, I am not spending $50 per device to charge them when I can get a great charging station for under $100 or just get a surge protector for $20 and use the free wires that come with the device!
Away from Keyboard.
I realize I have yet again gone missing from the internet. Sorry about that. After the September marathon of posting I was a little worn out, I was busy in my personal life, then things became hectic at work, and before I knew it, days away from the blog turned into more than a week. I just wanted to take some time to come up for air and let you know I haven’t died. I am actually trying to put together some new material that I hope you will enjoy later this month, but for now I have decided to take it at a slow and steady pace as I make it through October.
XoXo
The Pink Mac
Do you Unfriend your Exes on Facebook?
The other day I was browsing facebook and discovered that I was blocked from my exes profile. At first I didn’t understand what had happened, but then I realized, he unfriended me. Now, I am not sure of the protocol with something like this, but he and I have been separated for almost a year now, so I guess it took him long enough to do it, but I wanted to get the opinion of my tech saavy readers. I for one do not believe you should really ever unfriend someone unless they have done something bad to you, but in the case of an ex that you mutually separated from, why deny you know each other when everyone of your shared friends know you were once together? So, what do you think? Do you unfriend your exes on facebook after you breakup? If so, what is the appropriate time frame? Right after you break up or months later? I guess it’s something to ponder!
Diary of a Mac Chick 09/22/09.
Why a Blackberry?
The other day a reader asked me why I purchased a Blackberry if I was such a fan of Apple products and I thought it was such a good question that I decided to formulate my answer in the form of a post. I know it was only a few weeks ago I was pining over the iPhone, wishing that it would finally be brought to Verizon so that I wouldn’t have to switch networks. Alas, it was shortly after that I bought my new phone, the Blackberry Tour. I know it might seem like I did a sudden 180 degree turn in my thinking, but really, my desire for an iPhone was what pushed me to get a Blackberry.
I had spent so much time thinking about why I loved and absolutely needed an iPhone, that I realized how much I would benefit from a smartphone in general. I wasn’t about to switch to AT&T over a phone, even if it was for the iPhone, because as much as I firmly believe that the iPhone is an amazing device, I know that the network is what makes the phone usable and, unfortunately, AT&T is doing a great job of stripping functionality away from the iPhone, not the other way around.
So, I did some thinking about why I wanted an iPhone to begin with and the features I liked most about it that made it different from the iPod Touch I already owned. I definitely wanted a smartphone for email, internet browsing and GPS applications on the road, which the iPod Touch can’t provide. On top of that, I wanted a phone with camera and video capabilities as well as both SMS and MMS text messaging. I also wanted to be able to tether my phone to my Mac while I am away from home so that I am never without an internet connection- that was a biggie! Now to think of elements of the iPhone I was less interested in. I definitely didn’t need another media player (I already own 3 iPods of various models), or a majority of the applications from the app store, which is really the crowning glory of the iPhone but also available on my iPod Touch. So when push came to shove, I didn’t actually need most of what made the iPhone the iPhone, especially since I already had an iPod Touch.
Eventually, I decided to look into Verizon smart phones with the specific functions I was looking for and of course I came across the Blackberry lineup. I was actually surprised at myself for entertaining the idea of a Blackberry to begin with, as the brand to me has always been synonymous with “PC”- like businessmen and a culture of overworking (i.e. does bringing your Blackberry on vacation actually constitute time away from the office?). I guess what really did it for me, however, was the fact that a Blackberry device would (a) be able to satisfy all my smart phone needs, and (b) would be backed by a name with tremendous brand loyalty and a cult following not so far off from the likes of the Apple community itself.
After taking a look at the popular models available, I leaped into the cult of Crackberry addicts with the Tour (9630) which has a great design, a great email client, a browser I actually fell comfortable using, and an application store that gives me everything I need to utilize the power of the Blackberry smart phone. Of course, the Blackberry device did have some shortcomings, namely the lack of connectivity to the Mac, which provided me with a few headaches that I have since soothed with great software I found through the internet that gives me the ability to tether, and now sync, the Blackberry to my computer. Overall, I am pleased with my choice of the Blackberry Tour and so far it has exceeded my smartphone expectations, but of course, like any good Apple fan girl, I am not ruling out the possibility of an iPhone in the future!
Diary of a Mac Chick 09/14/09
A ‘lil music in my pocket
To be honest I don’t care for the new iPod Nano. I know it just received a video camera and FM radio built in now, but I could really care less. What good is video capability if you can’t take still pictures? Unless you’re talking about a device devoted to video capture, but that would mean higher video resolution and greater storage capacity, and if you are looking for that the Nano is certainly not the device for you. Okay, so what is the still picture-less video camera in the Nano good for then? Well, not much honestly. The quality is comparable to that of a video recorder you would find in a cell phone, and not even the iPhone for that matter as video testing has proven that the iPhone 3GS has better video quality than the Nano 5g. So, basically you most likely already have a device in your pocket with a similar low resolution video recorder that also multitasks as a phone and, depending on your cell phone, a gaming system, web browser and even music player.
So why the iPod Nano 5g? I can’t really answer that question, I guess only you can if you are interested in the new device. Personally, I prefer a simpler Nano like the 3g which to me is the perfect miniature iPod- truly tiny but also packed with useful components. All a Nano is really good for is (1) music, (2) video, and (3) games, due to it’s minimal storage capacity. Think about it, adding recorded video is just another way to eat up space on your device- space that you probably would prefer to use for capabilities the iPod Nano is actually good at like playing small but high resolution video movies and tv shows.
To me the addition of a video camera is pointless on a device that has no real use for it. At least if Apple had put the video recorder on the iPod touch you could perhaps upload video to YouTube or email said videos without having to upload the footage to a computer first, and then you would have a real vested interest in using up precious space on your iPod to make short, low resolution videos. The Nano has no wifi internet connection and therefore you are forced to download the video to your computer before you are able to share it, and again I am drawn to the comparison of a cell phone video camera, where at least you can do something with the video you have taken immediately, rather then once you sync to your iTunes. So, that is my opinion! Take it or leave it but I am not a fan of the iPod Nano 5g. What about you?
Apple to 8gb iPod Touch, "You Shall Get Nothing and Like it!"
After Apple’s Rock and Roll live event on Wednesday September 9th, I think many of us are feeling underwhelmed. Although the video camera added to the iPod Nano is pretty cool, and the refresh to the casings of the Nano and Shuffles are pretty, the other upgrades just fell short. “Wow! Another version of iTunes!” To that I say, meh! Faster iPod Touches! So what! And after calling the 8gb iPod Touch the cheapest way to experience the App Store, all they get is a little cheaper. Is that anyway to thank the little guy? I think no. With all these casing refreshes you think the iPod Touch could have at least got something. I mean, the poor 8gb model doesn’t even get a faster processor. I personally would have liked to see them incorporate the new colorful polished aluminum finish to the iPod Touch line. It couldn’t hurt for them to get a little color.
Well, as much as we all appreciate a price break, I think we all expected more from Apple when it came to the itouch, mainly a video camera, but then again if it had that, it would be an iPhone and we all know how much Apple prefers not to confuse the functions of their products.