Looking for a good high level (non-emotional) explanation of why Apple is keeping Adobe Flash off it’s devices? The story linked below provides an overview and explains why you the user are the benefactor.

Why you don’t want Flash on your iPhone (iPod Touch/iPad)

Despite the fact that many politicians and so called experts insist that Global Warming is a man-made problem and could doom mankind to extinction the science just doesn’t support this nonsense. Businessweek has a great article on the topic. It’s a great read for anyone that thinks they have the facts because clearly no-one really understands the driving forces and the most vocal folks on this issue are the ones that stand to profit from the draconian measures that are being recommended.

Is20Global20Warming20a2022Crock20of20S25t3F2220-20BusinessWeek

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) has decided that they want to charge subscribers multiple times for the same information and content. I subscribe to WSJ Online and also used the iPhone mobile app to read the content on my iPhone. Recently I noted that I was unable to read full stories on the iPhone application. Turns out WSJ now has decided that even if you have a print subscription and a subscription to the paper on the web you need to pay yet another fee of $2 per week just to look at the same material on the “Free” iPhone app.

After learning of this I have determined I will not be renewing my online access at all. 1) I have an issue with paying twice for the same thing. If Apple ran iTunes like Dow Jones is charging for WSJ you would have to pay to listen to songs on your computer and pay again when you wanted to take them with you on your iPod. 2) the WSJ mobile app is decidely inferior to other iPhone apps like the New York Times app which is totally free along with the content.

Perhaps in the future WSJ will get a clue and I can revisit my decision.

One thing to be thankful for with respect to the media frenzy about Michael Jacksons untimely and suspicious death is that we aren’t hearing a clamor for detailed info on the health of Steve Jobs.

The SEC has never disciplined a company for a failure to disclose health problems. In part, we all buy, sell and trade on someone’s health without knowing their fates. Sergey Brin or Larry Page, Google’s founders, may be fit as fiddles, but they could get run over tomorrow by a Toyota Prius

Apple/Macintosh - Line Crossed in Demands for Details of Jobs’ Health

A thorough analysis of a ‘state of the art’ Blackberry and the iPhone finds the iPhone far and away a better and more productive platform for the business user. Specifically the evaluation indicates “That original comparison said it was time to bury the BlackBerry; the iPhone OS 3.0 simply piles more dirt onto the grave.”

Bury your corporate supplied Blackberry and get efficient and effective with an iPhone. Even at HP the number of iPhone users is growing daily. Although short sighted management might see this as a problem (given HP makes a poor family of Windows Mobile based phones known as the iPAQ) executive management should recognize that I and my iPhone using peers are far more productive and effective than those HP employees who struggle daily to even make calls with their HP corporate devices.

In short, ditch the blackberry and other iPhone wannabe’s and get the real thing.

Deathmatch rematch: BlackBerry versus iPhone 3.0 | Business Center | iPhone Central | Macworld

If you have ever used a BitTorrent client you have probably been to “Pirate Bay”. It is the largest and most up to date site to find shared material in the Internet. Users with BitTorrent that wish to locate video, audio or sofware go to the site and search for what they want or navigate the site to find newly added content. When they locate something they are interested in they download a small file that details what the files are and where they can be found via the BitTorrent client.

The Movie and Music industry brought a legal suit against Pirate Bay in Swedish courts since that is where Pirate Bay is actually located. Whether you know it or not the resolution of this legal question will impact your use of the Internet for file sharing and access for the future. The question is really whether it is legal to provide access to links posted by users that for files that may or may not be copyrighted materials.

BBC NEWS | Technology | Countdown to Pirate Bay verdict

Yet another prposed iPhone killer turns out to be more of a limp noodle. According to Infoworld, “But people who were hoping for a credible iPhone alternative fortified with BlackBerry’s strengths as a mobile tool for corporate travelers will likely find the Storm a disappointment. When it comes to touch interfaces, Apple still has no peer.”

Review: BlackBerry’s Storm is awkward and disappointing

Rick Rashid (Microsoft’s Head of Research) claims since he wrote a few lines of code for the open source Mach OS that somehow he is responsible for the Mac (OS X) and the iPhone. As he pointed out to Microsoft developers at a recent developers conference:

“If you use a Macintosh or an iPhone, which honestly, I would not recommend, you would be using code that I wrote more than 25 years ago.”

I guess his point is that he wrote better code 25 Years ago than he and his team can deliver today.

Microsoft: So cool, it invented Apple, too | The Open Road - The Business and Politics of Open Source by Matt Asay - CNET News

Apple is selling the new models of the iPhone rapidly. It has been on sale only 5 days and already the worldwide stock is limited to that remaining at less than 20% of the Apple and carrier locations.

You can be sure that the iPhone production is ramping even as we speak and the stated goal to sell 1 Million in the first week was eclipsed by the fact they sold over 1 Million the first weekend.

Apple iPhone 3G sold out (almost)

For years now the Global Warming fearmongers have been hard at work blaming a natural and cyclical phenomenon on human activity. Many (in fact most) real scientists dispute the cause and effect relationship that Al Gore and his minions would have you believe exists with respect to Global warming.

To make this misguided deception more tragic and misleading, the social and fiscal costs of their proposed “solutions” to the supposed “problem” are astronomical and are never actually discussed or considered by Global warming wags.

If you would like to get a true account of the reasons for Global warming and other environmental issues go to a site that is popular with scientists and experts in the fields of climate and the environment.

www.cfact.org

Get off the bandwagon of lies and learn the truth.

CFACT - Committee For a Constructive Tomorrow

It’s incredible that Windows Vista (more than one year after it’s release) is still so bad that users and PC makers alike are sad and frustrated that Windows XP is soon going to be unavailable. Having users yearn to be allowed to buy a 9 year old Operating System is unbelievable and could only occur in a virtual monopoly market.

XP is creaky, insecure and lame relative to Mac OS X and Linux so it’s an embarassment to Microsoft that Vista (in which they sunk billions in development cost) is so reviled.

Microsoft denies XP a last-minute reprieve

I am a Tivo owner and frequently convert video recorded by my Tivo so I can watch it on my iPhone on travel and when I have time during the week. According to NBC and Microsoft if I buy a Zune only content purchased off the Zune Marketplace is acceptable to watch on a Zune. So if I had a Zune (a likely as a snowball in hell) the device would prohibit me from watching this legally acquired content.

Like you, I or anyone for that matter wants proven criminal Microsoft and some NBC telling us how and what to watch on devices we paid for with our money! NBC and Microsoft may think they have the right to assume we are guilty until proven innocent but I am voting with my $s and say ‘NO’ to Zune and these ill conceived plans to control me.

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/05/07/microsoft-may-build-a-copyright-cop-into-every-zune/?ref=technology

Gartner Group analysts (Michael Silver and Neil MacDonald) at a conference in Las Vegas presented a bleak picture of future for Microsoft Windows. During their presentation titled “Windows Is Collapsing: How What Comes Next Will Improve”indicated in no uncertain terms that Vista is a bloated and backward operating system and Microsoft must get in touch with market realities and ditch Vista and start anew. They may be too late they said “For Microsoft, its ecosystem and its customers, the situation is untenable.”

McDonald and Silver also stated that Microsoft Windows is a disaster for small platforms like handhelds and mobile phones, “Apple introduced its iPhone running OS X, but Microsoft requires a different product on handhelds because Windows Vista is too large, which makes application development, support and the user experience all more difficult.” They confirmed that Windows is becoming irrelevant and must start with a clean sheet of paper to stay a player when they said, “Windows as we know it must be replaced”

http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9076698

Last week Steve Jobs told the world that Adobe Flash is far to resource intensive and buggy to work well on any mobile device. He indicated (quite correctly) that there is no need for Flash on the iPhone since other technologies exist to deliver better functionality and performance. So in not so many words he indicated that Apple would not be supporting Flash on mobile OS X.

Today Adobe announced they believe that they can port Adobe Flash to the iPhone with the SDK. Adobe believes that they develop support for Flash in the form that can be delivered through the iPhone/Touch Application Store. Perhaps they can but regardless there’s no compelling reason for any iPhone user to download it and plenty of reasons not to.

http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/08/03/05/stevejobspansflashontheiphone.html

According to Gartner Macintosh marketshare will double in the next couple of years. Their prediction is based on the customer satisfaction surveys that demonstrate how Apple customers are extremely satisfied with their systems.

Unbelievable amount of dissatisfaction with Windows Vista!

Gartner predicts Macintosh marketshare doubling | Computerworld Blogs

This newly introduced tablet Mac is called the ModBook. It is a MacBook modified and rehoused in a beautiful tablet form factor with a digitizing stylus. GPS and WiFi are built in with a DVD burning, SuperDrive. The tablet utilizes Apple’s InkWell technology to fully enable stylus use in all applications. The system is able to connect to normal key board and mouse via bluetooth or USB.

I want to put this on my Christmas list for next year!

After detailed and painstaking analysis of Mac OS 10.5 (Leopard) and Microsoft Vista, Computerworld declares Leopard the hands down winner in terms of ease of use, functionality and robustness.

Specifically Computerworld says; “There’s really no contest. Tiger (Mac OS 10.4) is a better OS than Vista, and there are no long-term downsides to Leopard (Mac OS 10.5). Vista doesn’t measure up.”

Maybe it’s time for Windows oriented businesses and users to investigate a superior alternative in OS X.

The verdict: Leopard spanks Vista, continues OS X’s reign of excellence There’s really no contest. Tiger is a better OS than Vista, and there are no long-term downsides to Leopard. Vista doesn’t measure up.

Among it’s many other problems, the X-Box is a fire hazard. An Illinois family whose house burned down killing their infant son is now suing Microsoft. Instead of sorrow for building a flawed and dangerous product Microsoft claims the family was at fault for not unplugging the device when they were not using it.

Microsoft shows disregard and malice toward this family even after proof that the fire was due one of the millions of proven faulty X-Box units killed their son. Microsoft is seeking the legal cases’ dismissal and that their legal fees be paid for by the family. This is a company that should be punished for it’s blatant disregard for it’s customers and human life.

How does Balmer even sleep at night? He makes me sick, trying to paint Apple as customer unfriendly for lowering the price of the iPhone while he freely spends for countless legal services to beat down a family that one of his products indisputably killed their infant boy.

Microsoft Says Xbox ‘Abuse’ Led To Fire That Killed Baby — Xbox Lawsuit — InformationWeek

Microsoft has done it again. The recent release of the updated yet still lame Zune music players demonstrates that Microsoft is totally unable to innovate. These warmed over devices are rough attempts to clone yesterdays iPod.

What the Redmond company forgets that in this market the competitors are not somehow beholden to the Windows monopoly and that they are moving targets delivering products that move forward in function and capability. As noted by CNET after the release of the newest Zunes: “Microsoft unveiled version 2.0 of its Zune family, and this time, it’s got a credible music player—for 2006. Unfortunately for Microsoft, it’s 2007.”

I gather that despite his grin at the product launch event even Bill Gates recognizes that the latest round of Zunes is a loser. Although the new Zunes were unveiled with typical bravado by Gates on Tuesday (Oct 2nd) as of today (Oct 5) Microsoft announced that the new leader of the Zune business would be Rick Thompson another Redmond drone.

Microsoft has shipped 1.2M units of Zunes since it’s launch with most of these still gathering dust as unsold inventory in stores across the world. During the same period Apple has sold well in excess of 50M units. Rick Thompson has his work cut out for him and admittedly may not be up to the task. As he put it during the reorg announcement: “No one would ever confuse me with being cool.” Well that’s okay Rick because no one would ever confuse a Zune with being cool either. (well except perhaps the Zune tatoo guy)

Too little, too late for Zune in ‘07 | Digital Noise: Music & Tech - CNET Blogs

A “Z-Loser” of course! Give that man a Zune Dock!

What kind of man gets three Zune tattoos? - Engadget

Forbes Magazine was once perceived as a reputable and trusted publication. Their position as a source of the truth was lost.

In the latest issue of Forbes they provide a soapbox for Alan McGlade, the CEO of MediaNet Digital. His company is a large supplier to the Zune Marketplace and other Microsoft media stores. Without disclosing this clearly biased perspective Fortune gave McGlade pages on which to spew unfounded and incorrect conclusions and bile.

Daniel Eran Dilger is the writer at one of my favorite tech sites “Roughly Drafted”. He has written a great piece pointing out the actual facts and analyzing and unwinding the article authored by McGlade in Forbes.

If you a reader of Roughly Drafted this a piece you can’t miss. If you are not yet a follower of Daniel’s work and have technical curiosity and want the unvarnished truth let this be your first encounter at Roughly Drafted.

Daniel’s articles are factual and interesting with a good balance of humor and depth. For example, Lately I have been seeing some trolls on Blogs and discussions where Apple is described as the new Microsoft. Alan McGlade uses his free ride from Forbes to spout this crap. As Daniel points out in his article:

“McGlade then describes Apple as the Orwellian “Big Brother of the digital music scene.” In case you didnt get the memo thats being passed around by every flack in the business of shilling, Apple is the New Microsoft, and so consumers should revile the company and flee to the safe harbor of Microsoft, which is now, logically, less of a Microsoft than Apple.”

Now that’s funny!

Well in summary enjoy the article at Roughly Drafted and don’t waste good money on Forbes.

Roughly Drafted Article

In 74 days Apple has sold 1 Million iPhones. With the recent price reduction they ought to be a part of everyones wish list.

Pam and I each have one and they are awesome in capabilities and ease of use. We would recommend it to anyone we know.

Apple Sells One Millionth iPhone

Scott Finnie at Computerworld has done an analysis of Macs versus PC costs and concluded that Mac’s are in fact less expensive for a similar configuration than Windows based systems from Dell and others.

Scott writes: “I was a little surprised to find that Dell’s Inspiron line doesn’t currently offer processing power equaling that of the MacBook Pro. To get a 2.33-GHz Core 2 Duo processor (a 2.4-GHz version isn’t available yet), you have to move up to Dell’s more expensive XPS M1710 with Vista Home Premium.

Once I did that, though, and tricked out the M1710 with only those extras it had to have to compete with the MacBook Pro, I was surprised to see the Dell come in at a whopping $3,459, some $650 more than the Apple product.”

The cost analysis can be found at:

Mac vs. PC cost analysis: How does it all add up?

Also of interest is a follow on article headlined as Round II in which he compares ease of use and life cycle cost of the alternatives. In this article he concludes:

“Mac users who have Windows in their past tend to agree on a simple point: The Macintosh operating system and its custom-tailored hardware make for a far more reliable, less trouble-prone environment than Windows. It’s difficult to put a price tag on that advantage, but it’s the advantage that I find the most compelling.”

Moving on to point out the pleasurable experience of computing on the Mac:

“The unexpected advantage I gained is that using my computer is more enjoyable. My concentration isn’t broken periodically by problems, updates, security pop-ups and the like. I’m not thinking that I’m using a Mac. I’m thinking about what I’m using the computer to do — what I’m reading, writing, figuring, buying, watching and so on. The Mac becomes just so much chrome wrapping the data I’m interacting with.

You’re not conscious of your TV while you’re watching it. That’s the way it is with a Mac. I found that much harder to achieve on Windows PCs, which are constantly drawing attention to themselves.”

The Mac vs. PC cost Analysis: Round II

Since businesses and users starting connecting PCs running Microsoft Windows to networks, problems with the inherent lack of security of MS Windows have been exposed and cost Billions of dollars in lost productivity, compromised data and totally trashed systems. Lately the Windows pundits have been trying to throw up a smokescreen to shield Windows from criticism by saying Macs and the iPhone too are vulnerable.

Given many of these supposed ‘experts’ make a living in ways that are connected to the health of Microsoft and Windows market it is no surprise they spend time and effort to try to focus attention away from the debacle that is Windows Security and the weaknesses in WinCE. If what they were saying about major issues with Mac OS X were in fact true one might expect that a least one real virus or malware technology might exist in the wild that would turn Macs into spambots or compromise user data. None exists so why don’t they spend their quota of hot air on something else?

I get about 250-300 spam messages a daily in my inbox. These messages come from millions of systems that have been taken over by spammers using malicious code to control these systems to do their evil bidding. If I charged the OS vendor of the PCs that were taken over and converted to spambots (clearly at fault since their poor code allowed the systems to be hijacked in the first place) .03¢ for each annoying spam message I received, Microsoft would owe me $2737.50 a year just for my personal mail account. How much would Apple owe me? Exactly zero.

How much does Microsoft owe you? Shouldn’t we be contacting a lawyer to get our due?

For a thorough overview of the issues with security on these OS X and Windows platforms click on over (see link below) to Roughly Drafted. Daniel does a great job providing balance to the debate.

A Thoughtful comparison of security issues on Windows versus Apple OS X

To date the 80’s rock and roll band AC/DC has denied the existance of Digital Music as a market. Only now is the band got even a tenuous grip on reality. Apparently they are still in semi denial as to how the market works. They have taken a bizarre step in selling their catalog inline in the form of an 8 month exclusive contract with Verizon (Huh?). The arrangement they struck for the 8 month exclusive period with Verizon is going to be a dry spell for their online sales. Verizon is only selling the music at it’s online store (not over the air) and only in complete albums for $11.99. After using your computer to download the album conceivably you could move the music to your Verizon mobile phone. How much work does the band believe people will perform to buy a copy of music for which they probably already have license for in the form of a CD or Vinyl. (Consider this: “Amazon.com Inc. sells the band’s “Back in Black” CD for $9.97” why would you want to work s hard to get the music and pay 20% more to boot?) Any potential new AC/DC converts will be turned off not only by the amount of effort required and the onerous whole album limitation.

I surmise that after the dismal 8 month exclusive period with dismal if any sales; AC/DC members will awaken from their drug induced coma and put the catalog on iTunes by the song like it should be. I might buy a song or two when that happens but only if they ‘get a clue’ in a hurry.

If the band dwells in the fog too long thinking about whether to provide their musical IP in a form that is convenient for me and the some 100 million fellow iPod owners they may miss the boat. I have been thinking about that fact that my wife and I have some of their songs on vinyl and given the state of P to P today do they really need me as a repeat customer for songs I already have licensed? …”Hum?”

Digital-Music Holdout AC/DC Spurns iTunes, Signs WithVerizon - WSJ.com