On iPhones and the Macbook Air

Recent addition to my quiver is the 13″ Macbook Air. I looked really hard at the 11″, aka the iPad Pro, but decided the larger screen and SD Card reader were a worthwhile $100 upgrade. Timing couldn’t have been better either as I picked it up barely 24 hours before I had an event to cover with a fair bit of travel. Here are a few quick notes.

• Fast – Did I say fast? Yes, fast. The best way to describe how fast is by using iPhoto. On my 13″ Air, from click to fully loaded is less than 2 seconds. On a brand new 13″ Macbook Pro (with roughly the same number of photos) from click to to fully loaded was 12 seconds. The speed makes itself known everywhere too.

• Battery life – I’m not sure about how long it will actually last, but I think the 7 hours claimed is pretty close to being accurate. Not to mention, when the lid is closed, this baby is sleeping and sleeping hard! Over night battery useage with the lid closed so far has been zero.

• Portability – It’s not as light as the 11″, but close enough. And it’s thinner than my iPhone. Yet, it doesn’t feel flimsy or cheap.

• The Screen – Something you don’t notice right away, but after you use it for a bit, you start to notice that the screen on this is pretty great.

Comments are open if you have any questions about the Air.

And, for the first time, really, I actually used my iPhone during an event. Now that I’ve had it for a few months and have my groove down, it’s the perfect device for that kind of work. I was able to do things mobile that I always had to rely on external devices to do. For the first time I went to an event with only 3 devices (and it could have been two); an iPhone, my Canon DSLR and Macbook Air.

I’m excited to see what I can really do with these in the field this year!

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I think I just broke up with google chrome on my Mac.

December 1, 2011 7:49 pm via Twitter for iPhoneReplyRetweetFavorite

@dbwilldo

db

About an hour before recording the latest episode of White Roof Radio, I was trying to get everything setup and in place to do a live-to-the-internet show. I’ve done it before without any issues, so I thought I’d start early and get listeners lined up before everything started.

Open up uStream.tv. Get logged in and select the channel I’m going to use for the live show. I’m then prompted for the Flash Security stuff. And that’s as far as I got. The browser didn’t crash, but at the same time, it didn’t do anything. I tried multiple times without success. So I tried again in Firefox.

Oh yea, right. Lion doesn’t come with Flash. And the uStream broadcast thing only works with Flash for how I needed to use it. Next step to most would have been to shuffle off to Adobe.com and get Flash for OSX Lion.

I did not.

Chrome has it’s own, built in intepreter for Flash that seems to work perfectly fine on almost everything I need. Considering that I have gone almost 2 weeks before I realized I didn’t have Flash installed, I’d say it’s hit that mark.

I’m going to try to go as long as possible. I think I can go forever without having to install Flash on my Mac. Since the Chrome version appears to work ok, no need to clutter up my system with rubbish Adobe Software, right? I don’t like or need Flash. But for when I do, I’ll use Chrome, even if I break up with it like I mentioned above. But that’s for another post.

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When it does come to upgrade, I’m also the guy that does the full install, from scratch. Format the hard drive, install the OS, reinstall all apps and restore all documents. After working technical support for a few years and watching Windows upgrades completely bork PC’s, I think it’s the way to go.

Until Apple released Lion.

Again, I waited the requisite time until the first update was released. Then I got my iPhone 4s and really wanted to use the iCloud features, only available on Lion. And, since Lion was in the App store and cheap, I figured I’d go against the norm and upgrade my operating system instead of installing from scratch. What a huge mistake that was.

My iMac was running about as fast as Windows XP on an old Celeron (with only 256MB of RAM) and almost everything I did would trigger a crash to the ol’ Finder. All of my apps, appropriately updated to the correct version to actually work with Lion, were also unstable and very slow. Finally, I didn’t notice a change and I think some of the key features of Lion weren’t on.

So I decided to do it right, erase the hard drive, install Lion, reinstall my apps and restore my documents from backups. Slight problem with that however; as soon as the Lion upgrade is completed, the installer magically deletes itself from your drive. And, re-downloading from the app store didn’t seem possible. So I fired up the Goog.

Installing Lion from Scratch

Why do the research when your old pal db has already done it for you?

If you haven’t installed Lion yet, and you want to do a clean install, you are going to need to get the installer on a USB thumb drive (8GB works best) or a DVD. Instructions for that can be found here. Once you are done getting the installer on your media of choice, run the installer just like always, including making a pit stop at the Disk Utility on the installer media to erase your hard drive. Easy.

Now, if you, like me, upgraded to Lion already but want to do it again (or want to have a copy of Lion should you need it), the boys at OSXDaily have you covered again with this, explaining how to re-download OSX Lion after you already have. Once it’s downloaded again, follow the steps above to get the installer to bootable media and get to it.

Of course it’s assumed that before any of this starts you have a reliable backup to restore from, right? Remember, you have to back it up to get it back!

Comments are open if you have any questions!

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I was recently contacted about a Mac running slow. Made me think that maybe I should do a quick DIY Tune-up guide for the Mac. If you have an hour, this is all super easy stuff that will make your Mac run better. Ready? Let’s do this!

1. Empty the trash
2. Go into your Applications Folder and remove any apps that you are no longer using by dragging it into the trash. If you aren’t sure about an app, leave it alone! If you want to make sure the app is completely uninstalled check this out.
3. Empty the trash again
4. Open System Preferences –> Accounts. Click on Login Items button and remove everything there except the iTunes helper service. No, you don’t need any of that.
5. Restart
6. If you are using Safari, start it up, click Safari in the menu bar and choose Empty Cache and click Empty
7. Quit Safari and start it again

That should have you running pretty good. Finally, one more bit of maintenance that you should do.

1. Go to Applications –> Utilities –>Disk Utility
2. Select your main hard drive. At the bottom click the Verify button. This will take a few minutes
3. If you get errors, click the Repair button
4. Restart one more time

Now would also be a great time to check the status of your backup to make sure everything is running as it should. You are backing up, right? With Time Machine or Super Duper to an external drive or Carbonite to the internet? Say both and you get a gold star for the day!

Questions? You know what to do!

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Still trying to find a mobile computing solution. I have narrowed it down to apple products at least. Currently looking at either the Mac book air or the IPad. My biggest problem so far with the iPad is the onscreen keyboard. Since the air has a verY nice keyboard already, I know it wouldn’t be a problem.

I’m try ping this at the apple store on a white ipad2. And I’m not sure about the keyboard yet. So far I have accidentally hit the screen with a stray finger taking me away from the post screen 4 times.

I’m sure I could would get used to it, but a Bluetooth keyboard would help. Already I don’t like having to find parens or brackets on the on screen board.

That bit took me about 10 minutes to type. The hardest part was typing the HTML tags. Hunting for the < and > was unpleasant and for my normal use, a deal breaker. Sure I could use a bluetooth keyboard, but the whole point is to be mobile. With the iPad, at least to get any serious work done, I would have to carry 2 pieces of gear with me.

There is also the current state of development apps on the iPad. I’ve tried a couple of them and I was less than blown away. They seem to work ok, but not in the way that I work. That just about rules out the iPad for my portable computing device.

Looks like it’s time to keep an eye on the refurb shop again. Bet I can find a 13″ Macbook Pro for a smoking price there!

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Verizon Wireless will offer three bundles, all featuring an iPad Wi-Fi model and a Verizon MiFi 2200 Intelligent Mobile Hotspot, for a suggested retail price of $629.99 for iPad Wi-Fi 16GB + MiFi, $729.99 for iPad Wi-Fi 32GB + MiFi and $829.99 for iPad Wi-Fi 64GB + MiFi. Verizon Wireless is offering a monthly access plan to iPad customers of up to 1GB of data for just $20 a month. In addition, Verizon Wireless will also offer all three iPad Wi-Fi models on a stand-alone basis.

That is to say that you will be able to walk into your local Verizon Wireless store and purchase an iPad. You can get a standalone unit just like you can at the Apple Store, BestBuy, Target or wherever, or you can purchase it with a Verizon MiFi. Apple is not producing a CDMA iPad (CDMA is the technology VZW uses), but allowing VZW to sell it bundled with a MiFi.

If you check the pricing, you will see that they have priced the iPad + MiFi the same as the GSM iPad. It means that VZW is selling you the MiFi off contract for 50% off the regular price and will also sell you internet access in 1GB chunks for $20 per month. In comparison, the AT&T service gives you 2gb of access for $25 per month.

With the VZW Plan, you do get a device that you can use to tether up to 5 devices to for internet access. You can’t do that with the AT&T 3G iPad. Of course, if you have an Android phone running 2.2 with hotspot capabilities, you can do this already.

I’ve dealt with pay-as-you-go internet access with VZW and it was easy to do and never had any trouble with over billing or stopping the service, and that was before there was an app to do it automatically.

Anyone planning on taking advantage of this? Anyone think this means, for sure, that Verizon will be getting the iPhone in January?. Comments are open, let us know what you think.

Update Turns out you will need to sign a service contract but can still go month-to-month without any termination fees. And the data pricing only applies if you buy the bundle.

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First, the 3-2-1 backup, explained.

• 3 copies of any and all important files (a primary plus 2 backups)
• Stored on 2 different types of media (hard drive/dvd/internet)
• 1 copy kept off-site

That means that with an external hard drive and a Carbonite account, you can fullfil all of those requirements easily and, more importantly, automatically. Win win. Bonus is the Carbonite restore process works as you would expect. Perfectly.

When I say perfectly, I mean it. It backs up everything, including any files that you might have on your machine that are infected with a virus or malware! As an added bonus, if you restore those files, you will also restore any virus that you had on your machine previously. Neat!

Here is a neat trick for your Windows users that will help almost elimate this problem. When you are setting up your backups, whether you are using an app, Windows backup or any online service, don’t use the default settings. When you do, many times you will be backing up application data and internet temporary files. In the case of a complete system restore, these are files that you don’t want anyway, since your applications won’t be the same and there is no reason at all to save temporary files of any kind. That’s why they are called temporary!

So, when setting up your backup, take a few minutes to actually specify the files you want. Don’t accept the default. For most users, all you need are the following folders.

Windows XP

• Desktop
• My Documents
• Favorites

Windows Vista/Windows 7

• Your User folder

Selecting just the important documents and files to backup will make your backup more efficient and faster. If you use programs like Quickbooks or any other proprietary software, it’s a good idea to also save the folder for that app located in c:\program files, just in case. And don’t forget those company files either!

Relocation is almost complete. While I won’t be doing any more onsite computer repair, I will still be taking your questions and answering them the best I can. You can do that at any time on my Facebook page or by using the contact form.

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So, I had the chance to fondle an iPad this past weekend for a few minutes at the local Apple store. Sure, it was cool. Sure, it was pretty neat. Sure, it struck me as an iPod touch with a microphone and larger screen.

I wasn’t that impressed.

First up, I was amazed at how heavy it was. I now understand when people say they can only read about a chapter before having to set it down. I also found the keyboard awkward to use with more than my two index fingers. The rest, iPod touch. With iWork.

Revolutionary? I don’t think so. Game changing? Not for me. Cool? Yes. Buy it? No.

There currently is not a handy slot for the device to fit into my everyday life. Hell, I don’t think I have a place for this as a weekly use device either. It’s not a laptop, so you can’t really use it to store anything. You can’t get anything on to it unless it goes through iTunes. And I don’t use iTunes for my media except for playback. I don’t buy music, don’t buy or rent movies either. Sure, Handbrake does the conversions on video files, but do I really want to go back and redo 10 seasons of Top Gear or 7 seasons of The West Wing to ensure they play on the device? Not really. And don’t even get me started on having to pay for Hulu for this.

Then there is the keyboard. I would have to carry an external keyboard with me all the time with this device. The onscreen board felt like it would be good for about 3, maybe 4 sentances before I would be extremely over it.

All in all good things, since I don’t have 5 bills to drop on a piece of tech right now that wouldn’t immediately improve my productivity, connectivity or somethingsomethingity. Sure it’s cool, but it’s not cool enough for me. At least it’s not right now.

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Found on Twitter

First up in my find isn’t so much an app as it is a browser bookmarklet called Readability. I didn’t find this one as an add, but from following a link in a tweet in someone I follow (apologies if this was you, it’s been a while so I do not remember). Readability is by far the handiest thing I’ve used in quite some time.

Imagine if you will, going to a website like, oh, I don’t know, this one.

That is the Droid review at PCWorld.com as viewed in Google Chrome on my Mac. What a mess, until you click on the Readability bookmarklet. Instead of that mess up there, you instead get this wonderful page to read.

Wonderful. No ads, no cruft, just the story I want to read in large type with wide margins. You can customize the experience in many ways and it only takes a few minutes to setup. Oh yea, and it’s free. You really need to try this out.

The app that I found via an advertisement in Tweetie is a brilliant interface to Gmail called MailPlane. Yes, it is a desktop app to access a web based app. But it makes using Gmail so much better! I’m not sure if any of you have tried Fluid with Gmail, but it is very similiar to that experience.

With MailPlane you get drag and drop support, multiple account support that makes switching between accounts a snap, Growl support for messages and the ability to easily make it your default mail client. I’ve been using this for almost a month on the free trial and can tell you that I will be handing over my $24.95 happily next week. I’ve been looking for something exactly like this for quite a while now and am very pleased with how it works, especially when comparing to only using Gmail in a browser.

Sadly, MailPlane is Mac only. If you are a Gmail user and a Mac user, you should take the time to download this and check it out. The first 30 days are free, so why not.

If I were to go back and modified my top 5 mac applications, these 2 would definitely make the cut. If you try them out, I’m sure the rest of the class would be interested in what you thought about them. Comment below with your thoughts or opinions.

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That’s right, I said it. I hate Safari.

Gasp! Boo! Hiss! Go on, get it out of your system.

There are many things that this brilliant iMac sitting on my desk does that I absolutely adore. There are many apps that I run on a daily or almost daily basis that I also think are quite keen. Keen enough to remember their name so I can fire them up in QuickSilver or that they have earned a place in the all mighty dock.

Safari is not one of them.

It’s not the way Safari looks, because it is a good looking app. And, it’s not because of how it displays websites. It is the way Safari works with a few websites, sometimes, stability and how tabs work.

In Firefox (all versions, all operating systems) and Internet Explorer v7 & v8 and Google Chrome (and, quite possibly Opera, although I never use that) you can close a tab 2 different ways using the mouse. You can either click on the ‘X’ (which, on all of these browsers is on the right, Safari is on the left) or you can press the middle/scroll wheel of your mouse anywhere on the tab. That might sound niggling, but it really slows me down. Having the use the CMD key with a mouse click has never worked for me. I’m either using a keyboard shortcut or the mouse, not both.

Then there is stability. I have recently discovered that by not keeping my cache and history tidy and neat, Safari does nothing more than crash while trying to start. Not only does it crash repeatedly when trying to start, it will sometimes crash altogether with the only fix being a complete system restart. And, since there isn’t an internet options in System Preferences (like Windows), there is no way that I’m aware of to correct it. In all of the other browsers, having a messy cache or lots of history just slows things down a bit.

Another minor thing is the lack of a status bar by default. I always check where links go in the status bar, and not having it seriously annoys me. I shouldn’t have to do a google search to find how to turn this on. Sure, it’s a hold over from my Windows days, but better safe than sorry, right?

And, finally, there is Gmail. And also, there isn’t Gmail. But, it is. Gmail is my email application. While I don’t live in there all the time, it is what I use to send and receive email (since replaced by Mailplane, more on that later). And with Safari (or Webkit, but not Chrome oddly enough) it just acts weird. And, only sometimes.

For example, on occasion when replying to an email, I click reply and start typing. Normally, the text just shows up in the email box like it is supposed to. Sometimes, and again, only with Safari, the reply window fails to grab focus, so when I start typing, the Gmail keyboard shortcuts kick in and do everything from deleting the message entirely to opening my task window. The annoying part is that it is hit or miss. If it did this consistently, I could work around it. But that’s the problem. It only seems to happen when Safari is having a bad day.

For the record, I have been using Google Chrome since it was released for the Mac and, at least for me, it’s been fantastic. It’s been my default browser for more than a month and so far so good. On occasion I do have to duck into Firefox for something specific or to use an extension, but for daily browsing, Chrome is it for me. Bonus it’s fast. Fastest on my Mac by a long shot.

Comments are open. Go ahead, do your best!

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