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Daily News Recap (June 29, 2010)

Charlie — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 21:27:21 +0000

AT&T stores had iPhone 4s available for non-reserve customers nationwide, you know what that means. Much to everyone’s surprise, they sold out. It’s been hinted at a couple times before, but iWork for iPhone has reappeared on Apple’s site in some capacity. Boy Genius Reports got ahold of Apple’s internal documents regarding the antenna issues. Steve would like you to use multitasking the way it’s designed. Apple has begun to ship many of their Bumper cases to users. The rumor that will never die points to January 2011 as the time for the Verizon iPhone. Oddly, last year rumors put it at January of 2010.

Foxconn is rumored to be moving some of Apple’s production to other parts of China. They’ve also installed some nets to prevent workers from jumping. Apple added $10 HD movies to the iTunes Store. Speaking of HD, Apple is reported to be looking to expand into the TV markets. AppleInsider is reporting that iOS 4 will be available for the iPad in November. In patent news, Apple was granted patents for a host of things and filed a trademark for the iPhone 4 packaging.

In news you really don’t care about, but is more important than “Apple of My Eye” - Steve Jobs will be attending some conference you never knew existed. Finally, If you are feeling like a jackass and would like to be part of a Class Action Lawsuit against Apple for the iPhone 4, the folks at Kershaw, Cutter & Ratinoff (we’ll presume all major jackasses) would like to represent you.

Daily News Recap (May 8, 2010)

Charlie — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 21:36:40 +0000

Amongst all that excitement that was the time before WWDC, someone leaked pictures of a magical trackpad… yeah it didn’t happen. In addition to that rumor that didn’t come true, Nike and Polar decided to announce a heart rate monitor… in the middle of WWDC. Apple changed the language within its developer agreement to allow for third-party advertising, just not from Google or Adobe. Another final note from the keynote, seems Apple forgot to announce iWork for iPhone? HP is now offering printers that will allow you to print directly from your iPhone. Just hours after iOS 4 went GM, it was jailbroken. We should see iTunes 9.2 when iOS 4 goes public on June 21st. On the 28th, you will be able to pick up the next iPhone at Radio Shack. Microsoft was not so impressed with Safari 5. They also announced that they won’t be offering a 64-bit rendition of the next version of Office for Mac (2011) due out later this year. Finally, embattled Apple supplier Foxconn is giving amount even more raises and paying the families of suicide victims.

And… If you’d like to be the next Mrs. Daniel Feeney (or the first) – Mac dating site Cupidtino has gone beta.

TheMacFeed’s Back to School Guide

Charlie — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 20:17:58 +0000

Back to School season might seem far away to most, but the reality is that in the tech world it’s just begun. Given that the EDU market is… a huge one, it seems only appropriate that we at TheMacFeed give you our thoughts and tips regarding the hardware and software to make your life at school a tad bit easier. Hit the jump for our suggestions…

Picking a Computer:
We are pretty convinced that buying a desktop is probably not the right approach for nearly all of the higher education consumers, at least not solely. Whether it’s heading to a friend’s room or working in the library, moving an iMac doesn’t seem like the right solution. The reality is that for most applications a notebook will work fine (although it may be pricer then its desktop counterpart.) As for what size, it’s all subjective. Head to your local Apple Store or Best Buy to get a feel for the size. Just remember that while the weight difference exists, the difference between the 13″ MacBook Pro and the massive 17″ rendition is only a hair over two pounds. The real difference is the physical size of the computer and the restrictions of that. For most users the 13″ and 15″ MacBook Pro will pack plenty of power to handle just about any task, so the reasons for the 17″ must be fairly unique justifications.

Purchasing a Computer:

Apple’s EDU Store – Apple has EDU discounted pricing year round. In general, most students will save around $50-$100 (depending on the model) over the standard Apple pricing. This is important as outside of the Black Friday sale, it’s the only discount Apple gives on new Macs. It’s available to students, teachers and parents of higher education institutes. For more information, you can read Apple’s terms here. If you are in high school, you are unfortunately out of luck. The discount is available both online and in Apple Retail locations (you may need a student ID or something to show you will be attending a college in the coming year.)
The Back to School Promotion – Over the summer, Apple offers its Back to School Promotion, this gives college students access to a free iPod touch and printer after mail-in-rebates – in addition to the EDU pricing.
Best Buy – Additionally, Best Buy’s around the country can match this offer, allowing you to use Reward Zone points and those Best Buy gift cards. Just be aware, this isn’t a must, rather it comes down to the manager at each store and their decision. However, that may not be the best option for you.
Refurb Store – A lot of people won’t have a use for an iPod touch and selling it may not as easy as one thinks, so don’t forget about the Apple Refurb Store. This is only available online, but offers refurbished Apple computers at a significant discount usually at rates between 15%-30%. This is open to anyone and there is no additional student discount, but the discounts can sometimes be greater then the student discount and the price of the iPod touch. The machines come refurbished from Apple and with the same warranty as new machines, the only actual difference is the color of the packaging they come with. Some users prefer to buy Refurb because the machines are hand-checked in California, in addition, if your machine is in anyway not in new condition, Apple will replace it with one that is. The Refurb store is fluid, so machines come and go and the good deals generally go quick.

The Must Have Accessories

Get a Good Bag – It doesn’t matter how far you do or don’t have to walk, having a good bag makes life easier. The key for a good bag is durability, and you have plenty of options. Our current favorite is BBP Bags Industries Backpack. If you need something bigger, check out offerings from Tom Bihn or the Loop 8 (review that should come out soon.) If you plan on really giving your bag a beating and want something that was really developed to survive a hurricane, Osprey Packs has had quite a bit of experience. Shoulder bags are a whole other story, but between Tom Bihn, Crumpler and Timbuk2 – you’ll likely find something.
Headphones are Crucial – Whether it’s the library or in your room, getting a pair of quality earphones/headphones makes college more enjoyable. Dorms aren’t the ideal place for blasting music, so having a device that can isolate you while still keeping your roommate asleep isn’t a bad thing. We personally find that college students love the Panasonic RP-HTX7s. They are stylish, comfortable and great sounding. What’s more is there really cheap. IF you want something of the earphone variety, check out thinksound’s rain. If you want a pair for the gym, at $15 Wicked’s Little Buds cannot be missed. (They also come with a lifetime warranty, if you break them) Even if you bought all three of the earphones we recommended, you are still talking about the price of one Bose headphone… and we promise the sound is a whole lot better.
A Printer Makes Life Easier – Going to the library to print is a nice walk, but it gets annoying. You don’t need anything special, as copying and wireless printing are just mainly luxuries. However, make sure whatever you get had a good efficiency rating, as ink is oftentimes not cheap. As for brands, we haven’t had any luck with Kodak, but HP has always been consistent.
Get an External Hard Drive for Back-Up – things happen. End of story.

Software:
There are a lot of apps that are supposed to make school easier. The reality is, while there are plenty of apps that we recommend, there are few that we think should be purchased before one get’s settled on campus. Apps like Things and Bento might help some, but they aren’t for everyone.

The Three Must-Haves

1Password – In the world of people with five e-mail accounts, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube – just to name a few, the ability to store all of your password’s securely is essential. We aren’t really sure what we did without 1Password besides go crazy. Oh yeah, Agile gives discounts for students.
Cinch – The greatest feature of Windows 7 is Snap. Irradiated Software decided to bring it to the Mac. It works wonderfully and makes writing papers a joy. It also makes taking notes and using Facebook easier too.
Alfred – It’s free and it makes life easier. We promise, you’ll like it.

Don’t forget to check out our 10 Great Free Apps guide.

There is a never-ending debate regarding iWork and Microsoft Office. Here’s what we have to say… We use Pages (iWork), Keynote (iWork), Word (Office) and Excel (Office). With Office for Mac 2011 coming around the corner we would hold off on purchasing Office for Mac 2008, unless it was priced lower then $40. There are plenty of free alternatives like OpenOffice and NeoOffice. The latter should hold you over for the first semester until Office for Mac 2011 is released (Holiday 2010.)

Accessories
There are plenty of them out there, we mentioned the must-haves, but here are some of the other products we found make college a whole lot nicer:

Some other tips. Remember that colleges have varying Wi-Fi policies, make sure you know if: A. You will have Wi-Fi and B. If you are allowed to bring your own router as many ban the latter. Large speakers and dorm rooms don’t play nice. Having an extra charger is always a good thing. Be smart about storing and lock your doors. Don’t laugh at the folks with PCs too much, they have it hard enough.

Have any other questions? E-mail Charlie or comment below.

Review: Jumsoft Pages Template Pro

Charlie — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 20:34:01 +0000

Oh Pages. It’s an alternative to Microsoft Word, but then again sometimes it’s not an alternative. Sometimes it’s the application we want. Why? Because when those of us that don’t understand graphic design are trying to do graphic design – it really is the greatest only thing worth using. Here’s the problem. There is only so long you can keep using those same default templates Jumsoft thought that was a problem and tried to cure it and today we’ll look at their medicine to our ailments: Pages Template Pro.

Getting Started
To be quite honest. We don’t really remember how we installed the templates – so we suppose that means it was a good thing. It actually was via the installer – so it was painless. We received Pages Template Pro which features twenty themes in five different templates. If you choose to select the templates individually – they each require their own individual installer.

How Do We Review This?
We aren’t really sure. (Seems like that is the case with nearly everything we do) There are five different templates that the designs can be applied to: Brochure, Business Cards, Envelope, Invoice, and Letter. The templates work… well like they are supposed to. They function just like iWork’s, except for the fact they look ten times better. Now for the gallery of pictures…

The Brochure

The Business Cards

The Envelope

The Invoice

The Letter

In The End
At $19.95 a template it might seem pricey. The hours it would take to replicate one of these templates would surely cost significant more and hiring someone to make a bespoke template would be astronomically more. If you buy the Template Pro Pack for $99.95 the end result is each template runs a dollar a piece, which is an incredible steal. The wow factor is absolutely incredible, especially for those of us who don’t know anything about graphic design. (Daniel Feeney…cough cough) You can purchase Pages Template Pro directly from Jumsoft.

(32Reviews32Days 18/32)

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Daily News Recap (March 17, 2010)

Charlie — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 21:30:37 +0000

Happy St. Patrick’s Day, we assume you are reading this right before you start the alcohol consumption, so you may have to read it again tomorrow. (That really wasn’t that funny) Anyways, if you’d like to take a field trip to the Apple Store, you now can. Engadget found some some weird things going on at the Aussie Apple Store. Apple updated iWork’s page to include content regarding new features. Bye-bye InvisibleShield. iLounge is reporting that Apple is banning all protective screen covers from its retail stores. Cupertino has once again topped the consumer rankings for computer hardware, this time via Satmetrix. For the third time in two weeks, Apple is being sued by some tiny company for patent infringement. Oh yeah, the rest of the tech industry is joining them in court.

At least somebody thinks that the iPad won’t effect their business. Caris & Company believes that Apple’s desktop influence will increase in 2010. Canada’s ever-popular “iPod levy” might return thanks to a new bill. Sprint is now using the iPhone to sell its WiMAX router. Apple is now letting developers schedule sales within iTunes. Why do analyst make a lot of money? Was it really that hard to come up with: the iPhone will hurt Palm.

If you would like a cheesehead Steve Jobs to go along with your Irish ale, check here.

Opinion: The Importance of Macworld

Charlie — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 21:30:50 +0000

Tomorrow marks the start of IDG’s Macworld Expo. While we won’t be attending the Moscone Center, the obvious absence is a company from Cupertino. Staring in 1997, the Macworld Expo has proved to be a vital part of Apple’s strategy with Steve (for the most part) delivering a keynote that was normally considered to be one of the most important for Apple in terms of its yearly structure. A lot of things have changed since 1985 (the first Macworld Expo) and many wonder is 2010 the last? We hope not, some more thoughts after the break.

Macworld has been a place of history and when you run down the list of innovations announced at the Moscone Center on an annual basis, it’s easy to see why it’d be hard to say goodbye. Even when you focus solely on the last decade (which means you ignore the iMac and Powerbook G3’s introduction in 1998 and the introduction of the iBook and AirPort in 1999) you begin to see why this is so important:

2000 – Aqua introduced
2001 – iTunes & Powerbook G4
2002 – iMac G4
2003 – Safari, AirPort Extreme, Final Cut Express and the beloved 12″ and 17″ Powerbooks
2004 – Garageband, iPod mini
2005 – iWork, iPod shuffle and Mac mini
2006 – Intel Macs (iMac and 15″ MacBook Pro)
2007 – iPhone
2008 – Time Capsule and MacBook Air (Steve’s last keynote)
2009 – Updates to a lot of things

Apple’s decision makes sense, financially speaking. Trade shows are expensive and like a lot of other things that have been cut in association with Apple’s famed keynotes (like live video streaming) – they don’t sell products. Apple has shifted towards in-house events and it makes a lot of sense. It allows Apple to control all of the variables, an obvious advantage for the company that is obsessed with control. Additionally, Apple’s own keynotes have proven to be just as hyped as Macworld, the last event proves. Still, it’s a little disappointing that Microsoft will be attending and Apple won’t.

It’s unclear what you are exactly going to get at Macworld, but it’s clear the hype has left. We thank IDG for moving Macworld to February (so that it is no longer occupying the same weekend at CES), but it’s clear that hasn’t filled the absence left by the lack of the man in the black turtleneck. The lack of Apple means the lack of the rumormill that follows Infinite Loop, but there are some that still believe Apple might announce something during Macworld.

We believe that Apple should be at Macworld. While trade expos may not financially make sense for Apple, they do for everyone else surrounding Apple. All the third-parties from the manufacturers, developers, media and bloggers (like us) deserve to have a Macworld that isn’t watered down. Macworld is the one place where the entire Apple family, not just the ones locked in the Cupertino campus, can come together and it’s a shame the patriarch’s selfishness and greed is destroying the fun. Even if Apple showed-up without comment on new products or a keynote the amount of coverage would double and that helps everyone. The people we deal with on a daily basis need Macworld to continue and so do the users. Apple is often times solely credited with the innovation, while developers are left behind and forgotten – Macworld is a building full of creativity and innovation and a no-show by the undisputed champion is quite frankly unacceptable.

(Timeline Source: MacLife)

(Image via TouchArcade)

Recap: Apple’s Latest Creation Event

Charlie — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 19:40:35 +0000

Once again Apple decided that Wednesday was a day to shock the world. Ending decades of speculation, Apple announced its tablet, the iPad.

Most were wrong by all accounts. The basic stats are a 9.7″ IPS Display (which no one predicted) in a .5″ thick device that weighs in at 1.5 pounds. Storage ranges from 16GB to 64GB and the device packs 10 hours of battery life or a month of standby. Powering the device is Apple’s A4 chip at 1GHz which runs a modified iPhone OS. In addition, a speaker, mic, compass, accelerometer, Bluetooth and 802.11n are built in. The event highlighted many of the new features of the OS including, iBooks (Apple’s e-Book reader), a modified iWork and numerous games. The new industry’s presence was felt, Martin Nisenholtz of the New York Times showed off one of the many specific apps made for the iPad. Steve called the device the best way to browse the internet and spent quite a bit of time browsing it on the new device.

We correctly predicted that the iPad would be sold with the option of 3G and that comes via AT&T. Pricing starts at $499 for the 16GB iPad, 32GB for the $599 and $699 for the 64GB. The models with the 3G are $130 more, so: $629, $729 and $829. AT&T will provide 3G at either $14.99 for 250 MB per month or $30 for unlimited, as well as access to all of its Wi-Fi hotspots around the country, most importantly this all comes without contract. The iPad uses the new micro-SIM card and Steve says that international carriers will have deals in place in the June/July timeframe. The Wi-Fi only edition will ship in sixty days, while the 3G will ship in ninety.

The iPad is currently not available for purchase. That was all that was announced at the event that took the usual hour and a half. We will post more opinions later.

Props to Engadget for being the only ones with pictures of an actual leak, even if it was only 12 hours before.

(Getty Images used)