Editorials | Gear Diary

Apple’s Next Gen iPhone: What We Know… What We Don’t…

Check the blogosphere and you will see a host of posts on dozens of sites announcing that the next generation iPhone will arrive in October. This is in contrast to the dozens of sites that recently reported that the new iPhone would appear in September. That, in turn, was in contrast to some reports a few weeks ago that the next iPhone would arrive in late August. It is enough to make your head spin and… in the process… lose faith in any of the information spread throughout the tech-blog community. (See Mike’s and my Twin Posts of Different…

Editorials, Gear Bits

Soft-Touch Cases and Suntan Lotion Do Not Mix: A Gear Diary PSA

I love a minimalist iPhone case with a soft touch feel. among my favorites are the Feather cases from Incipio. I have one for my iPhone 4 and I also bought one for my iPad 2. They look and feel great. Here’s what Incipio has to say about them: Measuring less than 1mm in thickness, the feather® for iPhone 4 is a slim, form-fitting case that offers low-profile protection. Don’t like feeling the added bulk of a traditional case? Go lightweight and sexy with the feather®. With the largest variety of color selections to choose from, the feather® is the…

Editorials

Twin Posts of Different Bloggers: C’mon people … we can do better than THIS!

We each wrote a post about a rumor that took on a life of its own and, in the process, lowers the credibility of all of us. With apologies to Dan Fogelberg and Tim Weissberg, the posts really are “Twin Posts of Different Bloggers” so we thought we would combine them into one. First up… Michael’s post… And THIS is How Unconfirmed Rumors Become Fact Yesterday at TechCrunch I saw this article talking about “Android’s Dirty Secret: Shipping Numbers Are Strong But Returns Are 30-40%“. I sent a message linking it to the Gear Diary team, but said: Wow ……

eBooks, Editorials

Apple’s in-App Sales Policy — an Intimidation Tactic?

There was so much drama and upheaval in the eBook, magazine, and subscription services on iOS yesterday as Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and others caved to Apple’s demands that they either get a 30% cut of in-app sales or all links to external purchasing systems be removed, that it is easy to assume that all this comes down to one word – GREED. But what if it comes down to one different word. What if instead of this being all about Apple and the word “greed”, what if it all comes down to Apple and the word “Amazon”? What if…

Editorials

How Can Apple Improve iBooks without Ruining Other eBook Stores?

Something very fishy is going on at Apple. It looks like they’re taking in-app purchasing very seriously, and are enforcing what has been rumored for months: eBookstores can no longer link to their respective stores in Safari in any way, even for account sign-ups. Kobo was forced to change over, as did NOOKkids; Google Books has gone entirely MIA from iOS. Plus, the Wall Street Journal has removed all links and in-app sales options. If book sales are not through Apple, they can’t offer anything in-app. Obviously this has negative implications for consumers, annoys developers and content partners, and for…

Editorials

It’s a Post-PC, Post-Spec World but in the Real World Specs Still Matter

By his own admission Steve Jobs is quickly moving us into a “Post-PC” era. This new era is not “post computer” era. Rather, it is an era in which computers look less and less like desktops or laptops and more like… well iPads and iPhones. (Perhaps a better name for this new era in computing would be “PC Rev2”.) This process of moving into PC Rev2 will be sped up when iOS 5.0 is released this fall since it finally makes it easy to cut the cord. Yes, iPhones, iPod touches and iPads that have been slaves to Macs or…

Editorials

The Ballad of an Android Fan…

I’ve talked before about my Motorola Droid. We’ve had a love/hate relationship over the last 18 months or so, but all good things must come to an end. Ours has a specific end date, as I am up for a new phone on August 12th. Unfortunately, none of the Android offerings on Verizon have me terribly excited, and in fact, I’m questioning whether an Android phone is my next step. It started when I headed to Verizon Wireless’s site to check out their phone selection. The Thunderbolt, Charge, and Revolution are all 4G LTE, which is intriguing and a good…

Editorials, News & Features

MacBook Air 11″ (rev Summer 2011) First Impressions

For the last few months I have been using a 13″ MacBook Air as my primary computer. It works beautifully. It is thin, light, and more than speedy enough for my needs. In addition, since the screen resolution is the same as the 15″ MacBook Pro I used briefly a few years ago I don’t feel like I’m compromising because of the size. All of that noted, however, there was part of me that, for these last months, had my eyes straying to (lusting for?) a different laptop. Yes, back in January Elana got an 11″ MacBook Air and I…

Editorials

GD QuickRant: Why Apple is Correct to Aggressively Litigate IP Issues

This week Google Chairman Eric Schmidt made a widely covered statement: “The big news in the past year has been the explosion of Google Android handsets and this means our competitors are responding,” Schmidt reportedly said. “Because they are not responding with innovation, they’re responding with lawsuits. We have not done anything wrong and these lawsuits are just inspired by our success.” In other words, if it was some small company or a marginal OS like Windows Phone 7, Apple wouldn’t bother – except that they HAVE done this: remember Psystar? Apple has aggressively sought patents on their technologies and…

eBooks, Editorials

Borders Is Dead, and Are eBooks to Blame?

As you may remember, back in February Borders filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. This, in theory, would have let them reorganize, deal with their debts, and potentially walk away leaner, meaner, and ready to throw down against B&N, Amazon, and the rising ebook threat. In theory. The reality has turned out to be much, much sadder, as Borders will be liquidated, all 11,000 or so employees will be laid off, and a once-powerful bookstore will be a footnote in history. Needless to say, I’m very sad to see this occur, but I’m also not surprised. This was a long time…

Editorials

A Gear Diary Taste Test Fest: mBerries, the Miracle Fruit That Changes the Way You Experience Food!

Imagine a fruit that could change the way food taste for the better but whose effects were only temporary. Imagine if Lemons and limes tasted sweet, pickles tasted like slightly salty cucumbers and more. That’s what Miracle Fruit (Synsepalum dulcificum) does. The plant is native to West Africa and available in a number of forms. It is: an evergreen plant that produces small red berries which are produced for many months in a year. The seeds are about the size of coffee beans. The berry is sweet, and contains an active glycoprotein molecule called miraculin along with some carbohydrate chains. Miracle…

Editorials

Rant: Trapped in Hell (Okay, Microsoft Support – Same Difference!)

image by signap I haven’t posted in a while. Life has a way of getting in the way of the things you’d like to do sometimes. I missed writing here – a lot – but the world is a crazy place (a new job, a new city, a new apartment). Things are finally getting back to a semblance of calm and order. I finally have some time to start writing again. In a twist of divine comedy and coincidence, I have run into a support incident that has got me completely annoyed and provided me with an excellent platform…

Editorials, Gear Bits

Gear Talk: iPad 2 Case Roundup

We’ve long been talking about starting a Gear Diary Video Podcast and saw this weekend as a great opportunity to kick it off. In this first “episode” we talk iPad 2 cases. Below the video you’ll find links to our reviews of most of the cases we discuss. Powis iCase for iPad 2 booqpad iPad 2 Agenda for iPad 2 Aviiq SmartCase for iPad 2 The Joy Factory SmartGrip 2 The Joy Factory SmartSuit 2 for iPad 2 Yoobao Executive Genuine Leather Case for iPad 2 XtremeMac TuffWrap Shine for iPad 2 The Orbino Padova for iPad 2

Editorials

Positive Comment Doesn’t Make You A Shill, Good Customer Service Doesn’t Mean You’re Right

Over the past couple of weeks I have posted several articles related to products made by Sony – involving gaming, music and computers. I have gotten messages that have alternately called me a corporate shill and a screeching troll. And while I will definitely agree that my passion for gaming, music and technology in general comes through in my posts here, I found it amusing being called both an apologist and basher of THE SAME COMPANY! This week Dan did an unboxing on the new Toshiba Thrive tablet, and was immediately taken to task for bias. On a RPG discussion…

Editorials

RIP Rock Radio in NYC!

It’s a sad day for rock fans in the New York/New Jersey area. 101.9RXP, the only rock station in the area, is going off-air as of tonight. They’ll still exist in website form, but that doesn’t do much good for those of us who relied on RXP to control road rage during rush hour. I’m bitterly disappointed. Honestly, I am not a huge music person, and mainly listen when I’m in the car driving to and from work. However, I really, really, really hate pop music. The only genre I generally enjoy is rock and left to my own devices…

Editorials

Netflix Changes Pricing Model–Are You Outraged, or Resigned?

Image courtesy of Gawker.com I guess it’s like the old truism: it depends on how you look at it. Yesterday, Netflix announcing a new pricing plan. Here’s how the Netflix marketing folks put it to me in an email: We are separating unlimited DVDs by mail and unlimited streaming into two separate plans to better reflect the costs of each. Now our members have a choice: a streaming only plan, a DVD only plan, or both. Your current $17.99 a month membership for unlimited streaming and unlimited DVDs (including Blu-ray access) will be split into 2 distinct plans: Plan…

Editorials

Google Needs a “Parents” Button

My parents are reasonably technologically competent. They’re not big geeks, but my dad has an iPhone and my mom has both a Blackberry and an iPad, so they generally are self-sufficient when it comes to computers. However, what should have been a simple installation of Google Earth on their aging Dell set off a chain of unexpected consequences, all because they’ve been conditioned to trust Google and not question instructions. Apparently, when you install Google Earth on a Windows PC, Google asks to install Chrome as well. No biggie, except that in her “just click-through because Google said it…

Editorials, Game Diary, Music Diary

Adventures in Customer Service: Just Sony Being Sony

The ups and downs of the whole Sony PSN hacking and outage have been discussed here and elsewhere in grueling detail … but now that it has been a month since the service came online you might wonder how things have changed at Sony – have they changed how they treat their customers, or are they still a company marked by hubris and arrogance? Given the title, do you REALLY need to ask? I have two stories, one personal and the other impacting many PSN users around the globe. The Qriocity Curiosity Just before the PSN outage I signed up…

Editorials, Gear Bits, Music Diary

The New America: Jazz Legend Has Payment Blocked Because His Name Sounds ‘Muslim-y’

The name Ahmad Jamal has popped up here a couple of times. He was playing at the Newport Jazz Festival last August which was broadcast live via webcast, and then I also mentioned his Live at Pershing recording as one of few records I remember from my dad’s music collection (not that I remember him ever playing it). Ahmad Jamal was born Frederick Russell Jones in 1930, and changed his name in 1952 when he converted to the Islamic religion. His recordings have been extremely influential both inside and outside of Jazz. His most famous and direct influence was on…

Editorials

Your AT&T iPhone Data Usage Is Unusually High? Maybe This Is Why

Image courtesy of Productivity 501 We all have iPhones in our house. For the kids and Sami, I got the lowest data plans, because they’re all on the wifi all the time. But weirdly, every month, Maggie’s phone was approaching and going over the limit. At first, after talking with the AT&T support folks, it seemed that it was just because she was going outside the range of our WiFi modem–which is not that tough, honestly; it’s only a little 2Wire job–and so the phone was flipping her requests to the 3G network. So I disabled 3G on her phone. But…

Editorials

A Cohen-Family 4th of July Mystery Solved, Thanks to Judie and Ancestry.com

Grandpa Alex “Sandor” Cohen Judie has actively been building her family tree and discovering the various connections in her large extended family for years. It even turns out her family lineage and Kevin’s crossed paths a number of generations ago, but from what she tells me, that is fairly common when you have family lines that haave been in the US for hundreds of years, coming down through the same states at around the same time. As she wrote about in this post regarding ancestry.com’s Macintosh software, she has a remarkably large family tree that’s been put together over the…