The wait is finally over. Sort of. Early on Wednesday, Apple unveiled its long-rumored tablet computer, the iPad, and announced that it would start shipping at the end of March.Is this the reinvention of portable computing as we know it? Probably not, but it’s too early to draw any firm conclusions. Let’s take a a moment to step away from the famous Steve Jobs reality distortion field and evaluate what we know so far.
Mac
iPad: What Is It and How Would I Use It? Anyone?
This might be the most difficult post I have ever written. I am literally forcing myself to write these words. The reason I am finding it so difficult about the iPad is two fold. For starters, I do not know my own opinion yet. On the one hand, there is no denying it is a beautiful product like only Apple knows how to make. On the other hand, did they really reinvent the wheel here? Does it include anything particularly exciting on the technology side of things? I think not. I am sorry to be the millionth person to say this, but with the addition of a faster processor and some new software capabilities, the iPad is a giant iPod. But is that really so bad? You starting to get why this is a challenging topic for me?
HTC HD2: A Clear Picture of Where the Industry is Headed
While the mobile industry is busy talking about and comparing the Nexus One and the iPhone, there is one phone that really gives a clear perspective of the entire market and sums up the industry in a nutshell. It was not long ago when I first laid hand on the famous Motorola RAZR. “Wow, what a phone”, I thought, but what was it about the RAZR that so impressed people. What did the phone really being to the table that made people by the RAZR by the millions? Let’s be honest, was it the features that the phone offered or was it simply a pure case of style over substance? Did the RAZR revolutionize the mobile phone in that it offered better wireless broadband? Did it offer a better camera? Was its user experience superior to its predecessors?
One Box to Rule Them All
When I think about how many boxes I have connected to my home theatre system, I feel a little ridiculous. There’s the Tivo HD for my cable and time-shifting needs, the Sling Box Pro HD for my location-shifting needs, the Apple T.V. for easy access to iTunes content, and the Blu-ray player for BD’s and DVD’s. But the really sad thing is that even with all of these different boxes and their bundled services, I still don’t feel that I have the kind of control that I want over my media.
Apple, Google, and The New Decade (Bloopers Video)
Before I start, let me wish all of you, my loyal readers, a happy 2010. I know it has become so cliche for bloggers to thank their readers, but I am going to do it anyway. When I started writing for Tech N’ Marketing, I never imagined how fast it would take off and how popular it would become. I really have you to thank for that, and so, at the risk of sounding corny and predictable, let me say, that it is greatly appreciated. Really.
Apple is About to Entirely Change Yet Another Industry
If you like tech, January is the most exciting month of the year. All of the big tech companies show off their new toys at the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. All, that is, except for a little company from Cupertino called Apple Inc. For many years, Apple introduced their products at Macworld San Francisco. Typically, CES had a few days head start before Steve Jobs would take the stage at Macworld and pull all the press to San Francisco with his unparalleled showmanship. But this year, things are going to be a little different. Apple is no longer participating in Macworld. So will there be more media attention on CES 2010? Not a chance. There’s a Cupertino storm brewing the likes of which we have not seen since the introduction of the iPhone. Talk of the as of yet unannounced device will overshadow anything that happens in Las Vegas.
The Real Reason Mac is Better than PC? Macs Are Not Racist! (Videos)
HP is in a lot of trouble lately if I am judging by the amount of bad press the video below brought the company. To make a long story short, a man by the name of Desi was playing around with his new HP laptop that is supposed to include Facial Tracking capabilities. That means, when you move, the webcam tracks you and moves with you. One slight problem it wasn’t working. Well, to Desi’s surprise, when he conducted the same test with his white friend, all of a sudden, the facial tracking worked. Everyone is pointing fingers at HP and half jokinky calling them racists.
Five Chrome Extensions That Will Make you Uninstall Firefox
So out of all the topics I generally write about, rarely will I discuss Web browsers. However, this week, the way I access the Web, both on my home PC, and on my work Mac, has completely changed for the better. The way I had my desktop set up until this week was that Chrome was my default browser on my PC and Safari was on my Mac. In both cases, I had Firefox installed and ready to launch whether it was on my quick launch bar or in my Mac’s dock. On my PC, I also had Internet Explorer at hand’s reach, just in case I come across one of those few leftover web pages that are displayed correctly in IE only. This week, all that changes.
iPhones and iMacs in Movies: Does Apple Pay?
As regular readers of this blog know, Hillel is a huge enthusiast for all things Mac. So am I, having bought my first iMac two years ago and never looking back. Since then, I’ve also purchased an iPod (5th generation), and my husband bought an iPhone, which has bailed us out on numerous occasions. Recently, Hillel and I got into a conversation on Twitter about Mac product placement that started with the following Tweet…
The Perfect Merge of iPhone Apps and Social Media
If you have been paying attention to the tech world over the past year, there have been two primary themes or buzz words that everyone who is anyone is talking about. Mobile apps and social media. Here is a product that integrates the two!
Apple’s Wireless Mouse is Far from Mighty
Being the tech enthusiasnt that I am, I generally review products, apps, or tech concepts that excite me. This sometimes brings readers to ask me if I have encountered a product that did NOT impress me. Over the years I have reviewed many products and the majority of them, once they draw my attention enough to blog about them, did impress me. I have given some negative reviews as well about different apps, but there was always a redeeming factor about anything I reviewed; unti now.