Today while skimming through the numerous tweets, I spotted a link to an article "What puts me off Apple? Apple users" written by Katie Lee. [click here for article]

After reading, it becomes quite apparent that many Windows users are not fully aware of the benefits of switching to the Mac. The situation is not helped by the Apple "fanboys", as they are commonly referred to by Window users, who will try ramming the point home that the Mac is better than Windows period - very helpful indeed! The business community has also not help with it's dismissive approach to the Mac harking back to pre intel days. The Mac has evolved and is a competent business tool.

Being a die-hard Windows user since Windows 3.11 you could hardly refer to me as an Apple "fanboy", but when it comes to replacing our computer kit we will be replacing PC's with Mac's as there are numerous advantages which I'll try to put into a Windows user language.

The big problem with the PC is the fact Microsoft do not make them, if they did they would be brilliant (are you reading this Microsoft), like an Apple Mac. A computer is more than just the sum of it's parts and the OS running on it. Apple have got this OS / hardware synergy down to a fine art, something Microsoft can only hope their computer manufacture partners get right, and very few succeed like Apple. Apple are very helpful at installing Windows correctly configured within it's own partitioned area, known as "boot camp". The beauty of this is you have dual boot OS, a neat trick! I found Vista runs better on my Mac than it does on the PC's we have running it. Why Microsoft haven't done a deal with Apple to have it pre-installed I'll never know!

I don't see it as Windows v Mac OS anymore, I want both and do, all on one computer, there is no competition anymore! Mac fans know this already, but for some reason tend to go on about how good the OS is, and yes it is easy, fast, intuitive and I do love it, but that's no help if your a Windows user, as it is a daunting task to swop and learn something new and alien to what your used to. I found it quite exciting, like the day I got my first ever computer all those years ago, but hey I'm a sad techie geek who love new toys to play with rather than the average user.

We would never have bought our Mac's if it hadn't been for the fact that I knew if we didn't get on with the OS we could just us Windows on them instead, Apple said it was easy to install and it was, thanks Apple your great!!

We are running Leopard, which is very good and its quite refreshing to have an OS that enables sync with most if not all other standards built in, something Microsoft needs to address within it's system, it's either Microsoft standard or nothing. We have even ditch Outlook (Entourage on the Mac) in favour of Apple's built in Mail, iCal and Address book. It's very refreshing to simplify and get email through how it was originally meant to look, pictures showing, text neatly formated, boy does that reminds me of the early days when life was less paranoid. The Apple way, separate programs that interlink doesn't suffer the same as Outlook which gets crash happy with age as file size increases.

It connects to my network without a fuss, see all the shared Windows PC's, access their drives, use their printers and open their files with no network set up needed, just Wi-Fi access to the network - simple, neat and I wish Windows was that simple.

PDF creation is built in, sorry Adobe, who needs your over priced full Acrobat. PDF's can be created from just about anywhere you can print from - how things should work!! As for viewing documents and pictures, well erm what can I say.... Boy is it slick, simple and extremely cool. HOW THE HELL DID I SURVIVE WITHOUT PREVIEW!!!! Highlight a bunch of pictures, ctr+a on pc is cmd+a on mac, then hit the space bar and be amazed how it works! Make full screen and hit the play button, viola, slide show in the time it takes to press the keys - pure magic! Space bar trick works in Mail with any attached file as well, now that's sweet!

From the get go, the Mac OS has all core stuff to start you off without the clutter of unwanted third part junk installed on it - just how I like it. For the average user, all you'll need in addition is either Microsoft Mac Office (usual stuff, Word, Excel, Entourage and PowerPoint) or iWorks Apples equivalent and a paint program, either Pixelmator (well cheap and very good) or Adobe Elements with do the job, and your off and running with one of the best everyday communications computers you'll ever used.

Apple's customer service has been second to none and I cannot fault them. It has been the best computer manufacturer we have dealt with. This is NOT a comparison to Microsoft customer service whom I've never spoken to - they don't make computers so not needed to.

The more I right this article the more I realise how much the Mac and it's OS has simplified my life, oh no I think I'm becoming a Apple "fanboy"!!

As Windows is no longer an issue, the only things to consider are: your budget and do I want a desktop or laptop - now which Mac shall I buy and what version of Windows 7 do I need.

Twitter v Facebook - a newbies first impressions

I've stepped out of my comfort zone, Facebook, bit the bullet and dipped my toe into Twitter. It's taken me a good week to scratch the surface on how it works and why I'd want to use it in the first place. I'm kinda getting my head round it all, like who I follow (not easy), rather than using it as a glorified RSS feed for all my tech tweets, which seemed stupid as I've already got Google Reader to do that job.

So far I'm finding it a mad, slightly daunting place, where no prisoners are taken, bullets fly thick and fast and not quite as friendly as I was expecting; maybe I'm just used to the social interaction in Facebook. There are some very amusing people tweeting, Will Head and Katie Lee spring to mind and it's a very fascinating world to peer into, where I can see one getting an addiction, but it's not the comfortable friendly place Facebook is.

Having said that I find myself being drawn more and more into Twitter, checking tweets and hell bent on some insane mission to fine new people to follow that will stimulate my ever increasing twitter addiction.

At the moment the verdict is still out.

Not sure how many out there have tried the new Microsoft Security Essentials which is on beta, but we reckon it might be a good idea after we discovered it's protecting and finding stuff other anti-virus software just aren't picking up, like a Trojan exploit on some of those dodgy websites or hacked websites. If your running Firefox then you should be OK as it usually blocks such sites, but IE is venerable to load them.

If in doubt, it would be worth downloading the beta, which is free, and scan your system. Once the MSE is installed its non-intrusive and doesn't seem to slow your PC down like some Anti-Virus companies products do.

For more info click this link to Microsoft Security Essentials

I just saw this post on Gizmode; Sony have done a questionnaire asking the public if they're interested in features like "Bluetooth, integrated storage, GPS, TV tuning, better file connectivity with the PS3, a touchscreen, improved battery life and speedier load times". I just burst into laughter!

Oh Sony where do I begin; some NEW GAMES maybe for a start.

My better half was, and would still be, a PSP addict - she was on every spare minute. Now she hardly uses it favoring the hundreds of games she can get on her iPhone. The main reason she doesn't use it - NO NEW GAMES!! It doesn't matter how good you get the device Sony, if you are not getting new games released quicker and more of them you may as well kill it off and concentrate on other stuff !

Sony to grab our attention again, you need to start getting creative, don't just give us a revamp - come on, do an Apple or Palm, think out side the box and knock our socks off - you know you want to! I'll even give you a little help, A PSP Phone with: Quad band with 7.2 Mbps download data speeds, HD touch screen, downloadable games, movies and music, built in hard drive (min of 16GB, 32Gb would be better), memory card expansion slot, GPS, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, TV and radio tuner, Email, contacts, notes (usual smartphone stuff) and full sync with Google, Google maps, Google Earth, a good web fast browser, oh and one of your fantastic 5 Megapixel cybershot phone cameras with flash. This should get your R&D team started. Come on Sony, start playing the game with us and we all may just love you again!




UPDATE:
Now now, play nicely Sony and try share your toys with your brothers.
Oh well I guess I'll have to kick that dream of a PSP Phone into touch then as Sony do not want to play the game with us or anyone else.

Crazy as it may seem, it appears Sony have refused to share the brand name of PlayStation with Sony Ericsson, who had been working on the PSP mobile phone idea and had presented it to the board late 2008. Mobile Today quotes sources saying "the refusal to sanction the brand on the handsets in December has prompted a fallout between Sony and the mobile phone joint venture."

Oh dear, the kids are in the playground again. Makes you wonder whether Sony are looking for an "out" from their joint venture with Ericsson doesn't it.

Full article via Mobile Today here >

Well, last week we saw Macworld and CES with, what I had hoped, lots of new tech and goodies for the gadget freak in me, but in reality I found the keynote for Apple almost dull without Steve Jobs delivery and a real lack of anything that was going to get me exciting for what after all was the end of an era, the last Macworld. On the other hand at CES, Palm's keynote, delivered by former Apple man Jon Rubinstein, had me glued to my Mac's screen hanging on his every word as if he had me in some sort of trance and this was first time I'd seen a true "smart phone". Jon Rubinstein has definitely got what it takes to turn Palm around, and by the looks of it he's also got "the" product to do it with. I was quite blown away with how the Palm Pre OS works and what it could do for me - make my life simple. The whole concept behind the way it brings all your information together, working in synergy, looks like it has been well thought out, and to be honest, it's about time mobile phone makers started thinking out side the box and started creating and delivering what we actually need to communicate and access our information. By the looks of it, Palm have grasped this concept better that the rest and produced an easy to use interface that's fun and does what you need it to do, and that is communicate and sync with everything. I'm looking forward to some real world hands on to see if it lives up to the job - I hope it does.

The big thing that Palm have missed, and it's one in which they could have really capitalized on and gain big time over Apple's reigning iPhone was if they'd added a micro SDHC slot for further expansion with not only an 8GB model, but also a 16GB and 32GB versions to. If they'd done this, they would have nailed it for me. I don't want either or, I want both!

It amazes me that most phone manufacturers haven't yet grasped the fact that the smartphone is no longer the soul domain of the suit carrying Blackberry corporate for instant email on the go, but has now become the hub to our everyday lives. The definition of the "smart phone" has changed from it's initial concept and manufactures need to grasp this new concept quickly and that they are going to need a whole new way of thinking when design these devices. Today's smart phone needs to expand as the digital media and information expands in our lives - it needs total communication synergy between different apps and places where our information is stored, from the cloud to our computers - it needs to be a hell of a lot smarter! After all, our music albums, films, pictures and documents doesn't stay static - they increase daily, so why give us a static amount of space - our social and business networks don't live in one place, so why only give us one place to which we can sync to.

Apple started this new definition of what a "smart phone" could be, but more by accident and the efforts of the Jailbreak community which showed them the way forward rather than by their design; after all they had a media player with a phone in it, the Jailbreak community showed them it was way more than that; a hand held hub for work, media and play - Apple lucked in big time. It may have been a totally different sorry if Apple stuck to your guns with no installable apps and only a web based program. Credit where credit is due, Apple is new to the mobile phone industry and yet they have lead the way and shown the rest of the phone manufactures the "light" and what people really want in their phones, how to deliver a product and have pushed the rest to stop giving us yesterdays old tech, but rather todays tech today. The way Apple launch a product is the way I want it done - they launch it and I can almost buy it straight away. I don't want a launch and then can't get it for months or sometimes up to a year later; what is the point of teasing us, after a launch we soon loose interest very quickly if we can't get our hands on it, and then go buy someone else's product. This is why other brands are loosing ground to Apple, even when it come to phones.

Apple's iPhone has other advantages over other manufactures as well; accessories, iTunes, the app store and the way it connects to TV's for playing DVD quality films that have been downloaded from iTunes with such ease, even my mother can do it, and does - it's cool, very clever and very Apple - it just works with no effort! We have yet to see how Palm will handles such tasks, or whether they have not thought about it, sticking with catering for the corporate crowd, something Apple can never be accused of.

Even after having an iPhone since they first came out, I still find it totally addictive unlike any other phone I've owned. It's works, plays and entertainments me all in one package - it's even made my PSP redundant! My iPhone evolves almost daily, from new apps, games and content to new upgraded versions of the OS from Apple - it's cool, almost a living thing, and my constant companion. The only problem's are storage space, and total communication synergy (Apple give me 32Gb's and a micro SDHC slot and apps that have total communication synergy in your next iPhone, version 3 - come on play the game fair and I'll still love you!) Will the Palm Pre be as good and find a permanent place in my gadget bag or even, heaven forbid, replace one of my constant companion - well we'll have to wait and see, or will I loose interest as I can't get my hands on one right now this side of the pond sim free.

At the end of the day I'm hoping Palm succeeds, and starts developing lots of new devices based on this new "communication synergy" way of thinking but also adds "storage synergy" (iPhone size all touch screen, 32GB with micro SDHC slot and TV out cable accessories please Palm), and pushes Apple and Microsoft to open up there OS and get apps working in synergy, like the new Palm. In the real world, this is what needs to happen and the sooner Apple and Microsoft learn this rather than forcing us to use just there proprietary software and systems the more they will benefit and prosper and the happier we'll all will be, and I'm not just talking mobile phones here either.

I think "communication synergy" will be the big buzz expression for this year (you heard it here first), and as for Palm, well watch this space - I got a feeling with ex Apple's Jon Rubinstein on board and their new WebOS "communication synergy" based Palm Pre they just may well have the hottest new gadget for 2009, that's presuming the consumer can get their hands on it when and how they want to.

Related posts: Palm and Jon Rubinstein > Palm's keynote >

UPDATE: I just spotted this new article on engadget and it's an interesting read:
"In case you missed the keynote, Palm took some special moments to let everyone know that they're not trying to compete with Apple -- which is of course exactly what they're doing with the Pre and webOS. Sure, there's plenty of room in the market for multiple operating systems and manufacturers, as both companies have pointed out, but we can't help but think that Palm took a long hard look at where Apple was at with its ultra-successful mobile OS and what they could improve upon, and we would like to assume that Apple is looking very carefully at webOS right now (and hopefully the Pre's physical keyboard, but we're dreamers) and comparing it with its current iPhone OS. So, if you'll indulge us, let's look at a few of the iPhone's existing shortcomings that Apple might try and shore up -- or perhaps already has fixes in the works for -- now that there's some very serious competition on the scene. Plus, with Steve on the sidelines, we can imagine there's some extra pressure on the company to prove that innovation at Apple is not just about one man............." Quoted from engadget

To Read the full article click the link below:
Apple's likely strategy: What would Steve do? >

"In an interview with The Daily Telegraph, Andy Burnham says he believes that new standards of decency need to be applied to the web. He is planning to negotiate with Barack Obama’s incoming American administration to draw up new international rules for English language websites.

The Cabinet minister describes the internet as “quite a dangerous place” and says he wants internet-service providers (ISPs) to offer parents “child-safe” web services.

Giving film-style ratings to individual websites is one of the options being considered, he confirms. When asked directly whether age ratings could be introduced, Mr Burnham replies: “Yes, that would be an option. This is an area that is really now coming into full focus.”

ISPs, such as BT, Tiscali, AOL or Sky could also be forced to offer internet services where the only websites accessible are those deemed suitable for children. "

Read on The Dail Telegraph website >

WHAT!! When did we become a fascist state and loose the right for free speech and freedom of information , have I missed something while I've had my head down slogging away to make a living?

It's a real fine line we walk as a democracy. If the government step to far over that line there is only one way to go, and that's a fascist state! We didn't fight the Nazi's in WWII just to have another lot take control now!!

It's down to parents to control what their children view on the internet - there are plenty of parental tools available to do this at present, obviously Burnham is not computer literate and needs some lessons, and quickly at that.

The internet is not the government personal domain. The whole idea of the internet is freedom of speech and information so every single person on the planet can get unbiased information that is NOT controlled or censored by any one body, government or power. The internet is a fantastic place where all sorts of people from different backgrounds, cultures and countries can communicate and work together and no country, government or power should be allowed to interfere or change that.

As a Nation, us Brit's are not normally known for jumping up and down when stupid government policies and laws come in to affect (we SHOULD, but we don't) - but this time I think Burham will find it a different kettle of fish, mark my words well!

When is the next general election - this labour government has got to go before they screw anything else up! Reading the comments on the Telegraph website, I'd say you've just made it a one horse race Burnham! I've not see one comment to support you stupid idea. How the hell do these crackpots get to be in such positions of power!

I wasn't going to cover politics on my blog, but this article in The Daily Telegraph just made me mad enough to cover it!

IRONMAN THE MOVIE; has sequal written all over it

THE PLOT:

Tony Shark (Robert Downey Jr.) is the a playboy and engineering genius. While on a business trip to Afghanistan to demonstrate a new missile to the US military he's captured and wounded. His captors want him to assemble a missile for them, but instead he creates an armored suit to escape with. Back in the US he announces that his company will cease making weapons and he begins work on an updated armored suit only to find that Obadiah Stane (Jeff bridges), his second in command at Stark industries has been selling Stark weapons to the baddies. He uses his new IRONMAN suit to destroy the arms and then to stop Stane from misusing his research.

IRONMAN - Robert Downey Jr.

REVIEW:
Even though I'm a bit of a sci-fi addict I wasn't sure what to expect form IRONMAN. Sometimes comic book heros aren't always done that well by the time studies have hacked the them around, but I shouldn't have worried, IRONMAN was an absolutely masterpiece.


IRONMAN

The action was an adrenaline ride, but kept a sense of realism. What really blew me away was the amazing special effects and CGI which all gelled together perfectly.


IRONMAN

Robert Downey Jr. delivered the goods with a wonderful balance of intelligence and humor, and it's been quite a while since I've seen him this on form.

This is without doubt one of my top films, almost equaling The Dark Knight for watchability and entertainment.

I look forward to IRONMAN II, as this film has sequal written all over it.