I'm writing this post because if one more person asks me about the iPhone 4 antenna issue, or tells me that they will not buy an iPhone 4 because of the antenna issue, I'm going to go postal on them, I'm going to rip them a new one, go ballistic, get nasty, and go all aggro. (Hopefully I've covered sufficient cultural slang terms for I'm going to yell at them, vigorously, loudly and for a long time).
Fact: 0.55% of iPhone users have had the antenna issue. As of July 16, 3 million were sold, which makes only 16,500 phones had bad antennas that were reported to Apple.
Fact: 1.7% were returned as per July 16, 51,000 returns, which means that 34,500 were returned for other reasons.
Fact: All phones exhibit some attenuation when you wrap your sweaty palm (with sincere apologies to @chockenberry) around them, especially around the bit where the antenna is.
One of those returns was mine. I had the Yellow Screen issue. Apple swapped it out with no questions asked.
So, where is the brouhaha about the yellow screen issue? No-one has asked me about the yellow screen on my iPhone, no-one has told me they won't buy an iPhone 4 because the screen looks like it has pee on it. Steve Jobs did not have to have a special news conference to explain that Foxconn workers were not peeing on new iPhone 4's. And yet more people faced the yellow screen issue than faced the antenna issue. And the press remained very quiet.
Go figure!
My new phone has no pee on its screen and I cannot reproduce the alleged antenna issue on it, or the one I handed back.
The real problem with the iPhone 4? AT&T's horrible network of course.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Friday, July 16, 2010
Netbooks are rubbish
I received a freebie Dell Mini 10 a few weeks ago, and thought I would use it as a web testing machine (since I do all my development on a Macintosh) as well as leave it in the lounge for people to use instead of grubbing up my iPad. Boy was I wrong!
The Dell Mini 10 has a 1.6Ghz atom processor, 1GB of RAM and a nice big 160Gb hard drive. It weighs a feather and seems to be sturdily built, perfect for tossing around the lounge. The screen is bright and colorful, and the small keyboard is about the same size as the landscape keyboard on the iPad, so easy to get used to. It even has an HDMI out. On paper then, its a very good machine.
The iPad has a 1.0Ghz CPU, 256MB RAM and a 64GB flash drive. If I compare the paper specs with the iPad, the mini 10 has a much faster CPU (with hyperthreading no less), 4 times more memory, heaps of storage, but slower storage access.
So I'd expect it to take a little longer to load data from disk, but beat the iPad in rendering performance, typing speed, app switching and other activities.
This netbook is rubbish, it runs slow. Too slow, tortoise waking up slow, sitting in english class slow, chick flick slow, waiting in a TSA line slow, slide night slow.
In short, if this netbook ran any slower, it would be running backwards!
Boot time into Windows XP, close to 4 minutes before its useable. Time between clicking on the IE icon and the window appearing, with nothing else running, averaging 40 seconds. Opening a second IE window, 15 seconds. Time between clicking the mouse and seeing an hourglass, 5-8 seconds.
My 1Ghz powerbook with 1GB RAM that is 7 years old runs faster.
This isn't just slow, its ridiculously slow.
But it shouldn't be!
Sidebar, councillor, its slow, but it sells.
Why is this rubbish selling like hotcackes? Sure its cheap, but for $100 more you can get an iPad. Maybe its user expectations? Users expect PCs to be slow. Users expect PCs to be frustrating. Users expect PCs to be running windows. Users expect PCs to be full of crapware. Users expect PCs to, well, be like this netbook.
Does this make our users stupid? Or insane? I don't think so. Smart IT guys like me make normal users feel stupid, and they believe it. The industry projects an image that its the user who is at fault when the computer is rubbish, not the other way around, and users believe it. Software vendors project an image of such superiority that their crappy bloated software is not the problem, and users believe it.
Users should expect computers that work, work fast, faster than they can think, work reliably and forgive the lack of skills of their users. Kinda like the iPad.
But users do not expect these things, and marketing departments know it. They are selling truck loads of these rubbish computers to users who expect them to be as bad as they are. Surely we can all see what's wrong with this picture.
Back to it.
I am a reasonably expert IT guy, and the hardware specs tell me this little Dell Mini 10 can be so much more. So I applied my time and expertise to make it so.
I went ahead and
So I tried Ubuntu linux instead, the netbook edition. The current release, 10.04, does not work because the video card in the Dell Mini 10 (Intel GMA500) is no longer supported. But Dell has a special dell version of Ubuntu 9.04 netbook edition that does support the video card. So I installed that.
And...
Well...
It became very useable. As useable as I expected given the hardware specs. Boots to use in 1 min 15 seconds. First launch of firefox, to rendered page, 11.7 seconds. Way better! It's made it to the lounge as a web box, but I have to show people how to use it each time, and that's annoying.
Netbooks are rubbish because the default install of Windows XP is just way to bloated and slow. Netbooks are rubbish because the components (like the video card in the Mini 10) are too old and slow. But with the right operating system software, old software, they can be made useable. Too bad users don't know it, and vendors don't push it.
My advice: spend the extra $100 and get the cheapest iPad. Its fast, just works, is forgiving, light, and is the device and experience users should be expecting, nee demanding, even at this price point.
The Dell Mini 10 has a 1.6Ghz atom processor, 1GB of RAM and a nice big 160Gb hard drive. It weighs a feather and seems to be sturdily built, perfect for tossing around the lounge. The screen is bright and colorful, and the small keyboard is about the same size as the landscape keyboard on the iPad, so easy to get used to. It even has an HDMI out. On paper then, its a very good machine.
The iPad has a 1.0Ghz CPU, 256MB RAM and a 64GB flash drive. If I compare the paper specs with the iPad, the mini 10 has a much faster CPU (with hyperthreading no less), 4 times more memory, heaps of storage, but slower storage access.
So I'd expect it to take a little longer to load data from disk, but beat the iPad in rendering performance, typing speed, app switching and other activities.
This netbook is rubbish, it runs slow. Too slow, tortoise waking up slow, sitting in english class slow, chick flick slow, waiting in a TSA line slow, slide night slow.
In short, if this netbook ran any slower, it would be running backwards!
Boot time into Windows XP, close to 4 minutes before its useable. Time between clicking on the IE icon and the window appearing, with nothing else running, averaging 40 seconds. Opening a second IE window, 15 seconds. Time between clicking the mouse and seeing an hourglass, 5-8 seconds.
My 1Ghz powerbook with 1GB RAM that is 7 years old runs faster.
This isn't just slow, its ridiculously slow.
But it shouldn't be!
Sidebar, councillor, its slow, but it sells.
Why is this rubbish selling like hotcackes? Sure its cheap, but for $100 more you can get an iPad. Maybe its user expectations? Users expect PCs to be slow. Users expect PCs to be frustrating. Users expect PCs to be running windows. Users expect PCs to be full of crapware. Users expect PCs to, well, be like this netbook.
Does this make our users stupid? Or insane? I don't think so. Smart IT guys like me make normal users feel stupid, and they believe it. The industry projects an image that its the user who is at fault when the computer is rubbish, not the other way around, and users believe it. Software vendors project an image of such superiority that their crappy bloated software is not the problem, and users believe it.
Users should expect computers that work, work fast, faster than they can think, work reliably and forgive the lack of skills of their users. Kinda like the iPad.
But users do not expect these things, and marketing departments know it. They are selling truck loads of these rubbish computers to users who expect them to be as bad as they are. Surely we can all see what's wrong with this picture.
Back to it.
I am a reasonably expert IT guy, and the hardware specs tell me this little Dell Mini 10 can be so much more. So I applied my time and expertise to make it so.
I went ahead and
- Removed all the crapware that came preinstalled. But the machine remained slow, seems the crapware took up disk space, not memory or CPU.
- I optimized the Windows XP installation, turning off services and features that slowed it down. It got a little better, but still way to slow.
- I even removed the anti-virus software that was bogging the hard disk down, not a smart move, but I was trying to get some performance. This seemed to improve things the most, like moving from crawling to hopping, not walking yet.
- I reinstalled Windows XP on it, from scratch, but it was still too slow.
So I tried Ubuntu linux instead, the netbook edition. The current release, 10.04, does not work because the video card in the Dell Mini 10 (Intel GMA500) is no longer supported. But Dell has a special dell version of Ubuntu 9.04 netbook edition that does support the video card. So I installed that.
And...
Well...
It became very useable. As useable as I expected given the hardware specs. Boots to use in 1 min 15 seconds. First launch of firefox, to rendered page, 11.7 seconds. Way better! It's made it to the lounge as a web box, but I have to show people how to use it each time, and that's annoying.
Netbooks are rubbish because the default install of Windows XP is just way to bloated and slow. Netbooks are rubbish because the components (like the video card in the Mini 10) are too old and slow. But with the right operating system software, old software, they can be made useable. Too bad users don't know it, and vendors don't push it.
My advice: spend the extra $100 and get the cheapest iPad. Its fast, just works, is forgiving, light, and is the device and experience users should be expecting, nee demanding, even at this price point.
Thursday, March 04, 2010
Apple sues HTC
There is a lot of buzz in the verse that Apple is now evil because it is suing HTC over patents. They are saying things like Apple is showing signs of being terrified of Google, or Apple is acting like other companies and stifling innovation, or Apple is the devil (Ok, I made the last one up).
I think Apple was forced into it. When it comes to patents and copyrights, in the US at least, holders are required to show the efforts they make to protect them. And the only way to do that is to sue. If someone else uses one of your patents or copyrights in the future, and you did nothing in the past to protect them, then they can claim that you did not do anything to protect it, and therefore they could use it.
Its a Judge Dredd moment - its the law.
It's stupid. But its how the law is interpreted. I believe the reason they sued HTC is because its not Google, a partner that they do not wish to anger. HTC will settle, for a small yet face saving amount, and everybody wins. Apple proves that it has protected its patents in case someone really steals them, and life goes on.
And everyone seems to be suing everyone else in that space at the moment anyway. Staying out of the fray is not an option anymore.
The Hiltmon has left the website.
I think Apple was forced into it. When it comes to patents and copyrights, in the US at least, holders are required to show the efforts they make to protect them. And the only way to do that is to sue. If someone else uses one of your patents or copyrights in the future, and you did nothing in the past to protect them, then they can claim that you did not do anything to protect it, and therefore they could use it.
Its a Judge Dredd moment - its the law.
It's stupid. But its how the law is interpreted. I believe the reason they sued HTC is because its not Google, a partner that they do not wish to anger. HTC will settle, for a small yet face saving amount, and everybody wins. Apple proves that it has protected its patents in case someone really steals them, and life goes on.
And everyone seems to be suing everyone else in that space at the moment anyway. Staying out of the fray is not an option anymore.
The Hiltmon has left the website.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Microsoft Windows 7 Phone Series
I love my iPhone. But I also worry about its future. History has shown that when a company innovates an awesome product and takes over the imagination of a market sector, the awesome product goes stale without a creditable threat. I think this new Windows phone just might do the trick. See the article in Gizmodo.
Current Threats to iPhone
Google's Android platform is the current yet less that credible threat to the iPhone. Android sure looks good, is easy to develop for, has all the features you would expect from a modern smartphone, but has some fatal flaws too. Different handsets have have different versions of the system, different features implemented, different screens, different keyboards and different performance curves, making it a very difficult target to pin down. At least on the iPhone, you know the features and limitations available. The best Android phone, the Nexus One from Google, has potential to make this a credible threat as its the best Android phone out there, but the support mess and penalty structure needs to get fixed.
Symbian has announced Symbian S^3, their next generation handset operating system, taking the ideas from both Android in going open source and Palm in using web technologies. Since most of Europe will be on this platform by 2011, it sure is a potential threat. As long as Nokia and the other Symbian handset makers stabilize the feature set on handsets to make it work.
Palm is the baby of the three. Its software looks terriffic and its handsets look great and work terribly. If they fix their hardware, they can still be called a potential threat.
Windows Phone 7 Series
I like the big flat buttons. I like the Zune build in. I love the integrated contacts, facebook and other live updates. And Xbox on a phone is just plain smart. Calling the mail application outlook is priceless. And locking down the hardware to a limited set of features means the handset makers will compete on price and bezel and nothing else. Leaving us developers with a nice clean platform to make money on apps, just like the iPhone.
What's the Catch?
Windows Phone 7 Series will not be out until the holidays - I assume that means the end of 2010. That gives Apple, Google, Symbian and Palm a year to leap even further ahead while making sure their offerings equal or beat the Microsoft product. And Microsoft itself has to still deliver a stable and feature complete product, something they have not executed well at over the pst 10 years.
I really hope they succeed. The iPhone is 3 years old now, and still looks and works the same as it did on day one. Maybe it needs some credible threats to spur Apple on to make it even greater.
The hiltmon has left the website...
Current Threats to iPhone
Google's Android platform is the current yet less that credible threat to the iPhone. Android sure looks good, is easy to develop for, has all the features you would expect from a modern smartphone, but has some fatal flaws too. Different handsets have have different versions of the system, different features implemented, different screens, different keyboards and different performance curves, making it a very difficult target to pin down. At least on the iPhone, you know the features and limitations available. The best Android phone, the Nexus One from Google, has potential to make this a credible threat as its the best Android phone out there, but the support mess and penalty structure needs to get fixed.
Symbian has announced Symbian S^3, their next generation handset operating system, taking the ideas from both Android in going open source and Palm in using web technologies. Since most of Europe will be on this platform by 2011, it sure is a potential threat. As long as Nokia and the other Symbian handset makers stabilize the feature set on handsets to make it work.
Palm is the baby of the three. Its software looks terriffic and its handsets look great and work terribly. If they fix their hardware, they can still be called a potential threat.
Windows Phone 7 Series
I like the big flat buttons. I like the Zune build in. I love the integrated contacts, facebook and other live updates. And Xbox on a phone is just plain smart. Calling the mail application outlook is priceless. And locking down the hardware to a limited set of features means the handset makers will compete on price and bezel and nothing else. Leaving us developers with a nice clean platform to make money on apps, just like the iPhone.
What's the Catch?
Windows Phone 7 Series will not be out until the holidays - I assume that means the end of 2010. That gives Apple, Google, Symbian and Palm a year to leap even further ahead while making sure their offerings equal or beat the Microsoft product. And Microsoft itself has to still deliver a stable and feature complete product, something they have not executed well at over the pst 10 years.
I really hope they succeed. The iPhone is 3 years old now, and still looks and works the same as it did on day one. Maybe it needs some credible threats to spur Apple on to make it even greater.
The hiltmon has left the website...
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Nickel and Dime again...
Just booked a rental car in Seattle via Avis. The rental rate is $64.71 - great deal. Copays and surcharges are $27.51, yes 42% of the rate is added on. Then they charge tax on top of the surcharges - this has got to be illegal, most certainly fraudulent! A good deal just went horribly wrong. It certainly is disgusting customer service and I don't like it one bit. But I am the little guy, they are the big 10,000 pound gorilla and all the other rental agencies cartel it the same way. They win, we all lose, again.
Gaaaaaaaaaaah!
Gaaaaaaaaaaah!
Thursday, June 14, 2007
iBank: Congratulations
Looks like I picked it again, iBank 3.0 came in runner up for the Best Mac OS X Leopard Application at the 2007 Apple Design Awards 2007. I like this product, heres hoping the Leopard version just rocks! Congratulations Ian Gillespie and all at IGG.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Nickel and Dime
Stipulations: I am not an American, I live in New York.
There seems to be a cultural acceptance in the USA of the practice of Nickel and Dime-ing, co-paying and demanding tips from the population until death (or poverty!) takes them away from the open palm. I suspect that the average citizen has been worn down to the point they just pay up. Over and over again, nickels, dimes and more commonly, one dollar bills are handed over for no valid reason. Sigh.
I get a mobile phone service for $59.00 a month including 2 lines and about 600 minutes. A good deal it seems. My bills average $82.00 a month. Huh? The deal was for $59.00 - what gives? Examining the bill shows additional charges of a dollar or two here and a dollar or two there for taxes and fees and co-pays on each line (see AT&T or WirelessGuide). Searching the net shows that some of these so called taxes are 100 years old and have been cancelled. And several seem to be just plain made up by someone smoking crack. The phone network provider gave me 2 choices, pay up or pay up and pay an additional $150.00 to cancel the service! They said the additional fees were not of their doing. Yeah, right!
The power bill has them too...like a dollar to allow you the choice of power providers!!! In my building in New York there is only one, so why pay extra for the choice between them and, well, um no one else!
Buy a flight ticket, pay a fuel surcharge, an airport fee, a booking fee and a federal tax. Why can't they just give me the price when they already know the how much fuel they will use and at what cost (many purchase fuel future contracts so that they know the fuel price long in advance!) and which airport the plane leaves from. More dollars....
Order delivery from Amazon, get a delivery fee on the web and a surcharge when billed. More dollars....
Use another bank's ATM, $1.50 (yet my other non-US bank does not charge this)...
Use a credit card overseas, add 1% (again, non-US cards do not carry this charge!)...
Receive a mobile call, get charged...even for the spam ones...
Send a text, 10c, receive a text, 10c, add a picture to the text, 25c...
Free wi-fi, na-aaahhh....
Write a check, money goes out on day 1, in to the receiver on day 7, they get 6 days interest on the float (I use free wires from my non-us bank instead - instant!)...
Eat a meal, tip, leave your coat, tip...
Six people eat a meal, tip gets included on the bill and you're still supposed to leave a few dollars...
Take a taxi, tip...
Walk in to a hotel, tip, enter your room, tip, sleep, leave a tip on the bed...
Got a doorman, gardener, manicurist, tip....
My wife goes to a salon, gets her hair washed, tip, dried, tip, colored, tip, cut, tip, and then still has to pay for the haircut!
Gaaah! I want to stop being nickel and dimed and dollared to death. Give me a price and stick to it! No more! No less! No muss! No fuss! Leave me and my rapidly depleting wallet alone!
The hiltmon has left the website....
There seems to be a cultural acceptance in the USA of the practice of Nickel and Dime-ing, co-paying and demanding tips from the population until death (or poverty!) takes them away from the open palm. I suspect that the average citizen has been worn down to the point they just pay up. Over and over again, nickels, dimes and more commonly, one dollar bills are handed over for no valid reason. Sigh.
I get a mobile phone service for $59.00 a month including 2 lines and about 600 minutes. A good deal it seems. My bills average $82.00 a month. Huh? The deal was for $59.00 - what gives? Examining the bill shows additional charges of a dollar or two here and a dollar or two there for taxes and fees and co-pays on each line (see AT&T or WirelessGuide). Searching the net shows that some of these so called taxes are 100 years old and have been cancelled. And several seem to be just plain made up by someone smoking crack. The phone network provider gave me 2 choices, pay up or pay up and pay an additional $150.00 to cancel the service! They said the additional fees were not of their doing. Yeah, right!
The power bill has them too...like a dollar to allow you the choice of power providers!!! In my building in New York there is only one, so why pay extra for the choice between them and, well, um no one else!
Buy a flight ticket, pay a fuel surcharge, an airport fee, a booking fee and a federal tax. Why can't they just give me the price when they already know the how much fuel they will use and at what cost (many purchase fuel future contracts so that they know the fuel price long in advance!) and which airport the plane leaves from. More dollars....
Order delivery from Amazon, get a delivery fee on the web and a surcharge when billed. More dollars....
Use another bank's ATM, $1.50 (yet my other non-US bank does not charge this)...
Use a credit card overseas, add 1% (again, non-US cards do not carry this charge!)...
Receive a mobile call, get charged...even for the spam ones...
Send a text, 10c, receive a text, 10c, add a picture to the text, 25c...
Free wi-fi, na-aaahhh....
Write a check, money goes out on day 1, in to the receiver on day 7, they get 6 days interest on the float (I use free wires from my non-us bank instead - instant!)...
Eat a meal, tip, leave your coat, tip...
Six people eat a meal, tip gets included on the bill and you're still supposed to leave a few dollars...
Take a taxi, tip...
Walk in to a hotel, tip, enter your room, tip, sleep, leave a tip on the bed...
Got a doorman, gardener, manicurist, tip....
My wife goes to a salon, gets her hair washed, tip, dried, tip, colored, tip, cut, tip, and then still has to pay for the haircut!
Gaaah! I want to stop being nickel and dimed and dollared to death. Give me a price and stick to it! No more! No less! No muss! No fuss! Leave me and my rapidly depleting wallet alone!
The hiltmon has left the website....
Why I use a Mac
I read Paul Kafasis' article on why he uses a mac, and although his article is insightful and funny, his reasons are different to mine.
I work in corporate IT, programming in C# on Windows XP (bored yet?), supporting a network of windows servers. I spend all day programming, troubleshooting or maintaining systems. At least once a day, one of my users has a problem with an indecipherable error message, a virus, popups, or just trying to do something thats denied by default on windows XP.
At home, things are different, My wife and I both use Macs. I never have to deal with the same issues as I do at work. I just use it, it just works. Its why we have Macs at home.
Most of my friends and family have windows computers (I have converted a few to the cause!). I watch how they use their computers and when I show them the Mac way, they love it, and then continue using windows.
For example, almost all have photo libraries. Without exception, they save their photos in a folder structure that is set up manually. Several have Picasa installed but still use the folders. There is no tagging, no search, and all their picture file names are incomprehensible. I use iPhoto, it manages the files for me, I tag and name the pictures and I can search with ease. Thats is why I use a Mac.
For music, most of my friends use folders too, a few with iPods use iTunes.
None of them have experienced a video chat yet (and more than half have webcams!).
When I show them RSS (built into safari or even more impressively I show them NetNewsWire) they start drooling, they still type in web addresses over and over again to get their news. None use tabbed browsing.
For email, they all pay extra, a lot extra for Outlook. Outlook drives me insane (yes, I use it at work too). It reformats emails by removing line breaks at random, blocks access to many attachments, and has warnings all the time about html email formatting. And whomever decided to make MS Word the default editor for emails deservers to be spayed! Its slow, ugly, expensive and the PST file format is proprietary. On the Mac, I use Apple mail, its single purposed, fast and does not get in the way of reading and writing email. Thats why I use a mac.
I also watch my friends when they are just puttering around. They seem to spend a lot of time doing maintenance, moving files, renaming things, reorganizing, or just plain trying to find stuff. And waiting, waiting, always waiting while they search, looking at an hourglass as the anti-virus slows them down. I spotlight, and thats why I use a mac.
I really have no need to delve into the following stuff, the 'Get-A-Mac' ads from Apple or the blogosphere cover them adequately:- spyware, malware, trialware, nagware, interceptware (like the Dell DNS interceptor), anti-virus, anti-spyware, memory protectors, Genuine Windows Advantage (people buy Vista knowing that they can be locked out of their own computers by Microsoft - don't get me started!), DRM, running as an admin by default - are you nuts! My 2 year old work laptop is barely functional with all that installed. My 4 year old powerbook G4 flys better than when it was purchased (I am writing this on it now flying over the Caribbean sea!) That's why I use a Mac.
Oh and it is darn pretty Paul.
So why don't they switch? The excuses range from 'I am used to it' (I say switching is easy) to "I need more buttons on the mouse!' (You can) to "Its more expensive!" (Not!) to "But I need X software" (which they either never use or there is a Mac equivalent!). I make no excuses, thats why I use a Mac.
The hiltmon has left the website...
I work in corporate IT, programming in C# on Windows XP (bored yet?), supporting a network of windows servers. I spend all day programming, troubleshooting or maintaining systems. At least once a day, one of my users has a problem with an indecipherable error message, a virus, popups, or just trying to do something thats denied by default on windows XP.
At home, things are different, My wife and I both use Macs. I never have to deal with the same issues as I do at work. I just use it, it just works. Its why we have Macs at home.
Most of my friends and family have windows computers (I have converted a few to the cause!). I watch how they use their computers and when I show them the Mac way, they love it, and then continue using windows.
For example, almost all have photo libraries. Without exception, they save their photos in a folder structure that is set up manually. Several have Picasa installed but still use the folders. There is no tagging, no search, and all their picture file names are incomprehensible. I use iPhoto, it manages the files for me, I tag and name the pictures and I can search with ease. Thats is why I use a Mac.
For music, most of my friends use folders too, a few with iPods use iTunes.
None of them have experienced a video chat yet (and more than half have webcams!).
When I show them RSS (built into safari or even more impressively I show them NetNewsWire) they start drooling, they still type in web addresses over and over again to get their news. None use tabbed browsing.
For email, they all pay extra, a lot extra for Outlook. Outlook drives me insane (yes, I use it at work too). It reformats emails by removing line breaks at random, blocks access to many attachments, and has warnings all the time about html email formatting. And whomever decided to make MS Word the default editor for emails deservers to be spayed! Its slow, ugly, expensive and the PST file format is proprietary. On the Mac, I use Apple mail, its single purposed, fast and does not get in the way of reading and writing email. Thats why I use a mac.
I also watch my friends when they are just puttering around. They seem to spend a lot of time doing maintenance, moving files, renaming things, reorganizing, or just plain trying to find stuff. And waiting, waiting, always waiting while they search, looking at an hourglass as the anti-virus slows them down. I spotlight, and thats why I use a mac.
I really have no need to delve into the following stuff, the 'Get-A-Mac' ads from Apple or the blogosphere cover them adequately:- spyware, malware, trialware, nagware, interceptware (like the Dell DNS interceptor), anti-virus, anti-spyware, memory protectors, Genuine Windows Advantage (people buy Vista knowing that they can be locked out of their own computers by Microsoft - don't get me started!), DRM, running as an admin by default - are you nuts! My 2 year old work laptop is barely functional with all that installed. My 4 year old powerbook G4 flys better than when it was purchased (I am writing this on it now flying over the Caribbean sea!) That's why I use a Mac.
Oh and it is darn pretty Paul.
So why don't they switch? The excuses range from 'I am used to it' (I say switching is easy) to "I need more buttons on the mouse!' (You can) to "Its more expensive!" (Not!) to "But I need X software" (which they either never use or there is a Mac equivalent!). I make no excuses, thats why I use a Mac.
The hiltmon has left the website...
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Personal Money Management Followup
Its almost a year since I last wrote on the topic, Macintosh Personal Money Management Software and things have changed. I purchased a new Mac Pro and Quicken was never installed. Instead, I migrated to iBank 2.0.
So what made me do it? iBank 2.0 came out!
It handles
6 months on, and I am satisfied! If you still use Quicken, you are just encouraging their belief that Mac users will still buy their products even if they do not change it for years and ignore their customers pleas for features available in their Windows version. iBank works.
I am also keeping a beady eye in Cha Ching, but it has a ways to go....
The hiltmon has left the website...
So what made me do it? iBank 2.0 came out!
It handles
- Multi Currency. Not available in Quicken Mac and I have money back home and here.
- Loads bank statements the same way.
- Tracks my stocks and mutual funds in various currencies.
- Backs up to .Mac.
- Better Mac-like interface.
6 months on, and I am satisfied! If you still use Quicken, you are just encouraging their belief that Mac users will still buy their products even if they do not change it for years and ignore their customers pleas for features available in their Windows version. iBank works.
I am also keeping a beady eye in Cha Ching, but it has a ways to go....
The hiltmon has left the website...
Sunday, July 16, 2006
Ghosn and GM
Its been announced that Wagoner of GM and Ghosn of Nissan-Renault will talk, and in about six weeks or so, we'll see if GM joins the Nissan-Renault alliance. Light goes on - So that's why Kerkorian was buying so many GM shares!
Its an interesting play. Ghosn needs to expand production because Nissan and Renault are both topped out on capacity and growing, GM has oodles of excess capacity and no-one wants their cars. Using GM's excess is far cheaper than buying new capacity, and the deal is sure to leave GM's union problems squarely on GM. Its upside to the alliance, downside to GM. On the other hand, Nissan and Renault have oodles of design talent, and not enough models to design, GM needs new models. Badly. Desperately. Even in its home market! Its a perfect match.
Power-wise, this screws Wagoner. Ghosn will effectively run the alliance no matter what actual structure is put in place. The market listens to him. The market likes him. He has already proven himself up to the task twice. Wagoner will not give up without a fight. And I think that's why Kerkorian bought all those shares, so that he can punt Wagoner when the deal is done.
Where's my GT-R, Carlos, I'm waiting....
The hiltmon has left the website...
Its an interesting play. Ghosn needs to expand production because Nissan and Renault are both topped out on capacity and growing, GM has oodles of excess capacity and no-one wants their cars. Using GM's excess is far cheaper than buying new capacity, and the deal is sure to leave GM's union problems squarely on GM. Its upside to the alliance, downside to GM. On the other hand, Nissan and Renault have oodles of design talent, and not enough models to design, GM needs new models. Badly. Desperately. Even in its home market! Its a perfect match.
Power-wise, this screws Wagoner. Ghosn will effectively run the alliance no matter what actual structure is put in place. The market listens to him. The market likes him. He has already proven himself up to the task twice. Wagoner will not give up without a fight. And I think that's why Kerkorian bought all those shares, so that he can punt Wagoner when the deal is done.
Where's my GT-R, Carlos, I'm waiting....
The hiltmon has left the website...
Sunday, April 30, 2006
On Crippled Phones
As a technologist, it pains me to see technology crippled by vendors just so that they can squeeze another buck off of Joe Citizen. To me, the true benefits of technology are only achieved when the user gets the full benefit of that device.
So, for example, when you purchase a top-of-the-line mobile phone anywhere in the world (except the USA), you get the best technology available from the manufacturer of that handset. As a result, you are a happy customer, you use it, show it off and recommend to your friends to use the carrier and their cool new handsets. Good for the consumer, good for the carrier, win-win. And they know it!
Not so with a certain Carrier in the USA. They advertised and promised to provide a cool handset with all the trimmings (the best that Motorola could and did make at the time - think Bluetooth sync), they then crippled the phone so that none of these features worked. They lied to their customers that they would rectify the issue with an update (blaming Motorola, who kept quiet because they sell a lot of handsets through this Carrier and did not want to lose that business), lost a class action suit on the issue, and squirmed their way out at the end with a settlement that provided no material compensation to their victims, er customers.
But did they learn a lesson? I mean, is it not the purpose of the courts to provide justice and to see that the bad guys get punished, learn their lessons and do not do it again? I must be naive because the Carrier got away with it and did not seem to be punished or learn a thing.
The new RAZR from the Carrier came out with all the cool stuff in a software release v02. So far so good.
Oops, turns out that was an accident. The Carrier pulled this handset as soon as they realized what happened (many lucky customers kept theirs) and released a very crippled version v03 that killed all the cool stuff (no bluetooth sync). And now they released v04 that simply accepts that those customers who had v02 can keep the cool stuff and still get upgraded, but the v03 users remain as crippled as ever, but the bluetooth fairy headsets work. Basically, if you, like most, got a v03 phone, no cool stuff for you. But the character next to you with the same handset from the same Carrier gets it!
Why do they do it? They say its for your own security. Horsepukky! Bluetooth functionality in Motorola handsets does nothing unless the two devices are properly paired and the user has to do that manually - you have to put in a code when pairing or nothing happens. Hackers cannot get in without you allowing them in and in Europe, where everyone has a bluetooth phone, and in the USA where other carriers have the same handset, there is no issue, no problem, no hassle, no nothing. Just FUD (Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt) issued by the Carrier. Horsepukky I say!
The Carrier simply wants its customers to pay a buck here and a buck there to get their photos off their handsets (yes MMS costs extra) or to download (and pay for) music and ringtones using their service instead of allowing the customer to use their own music or a competitor. This is bad for the customer, they cannot use their phones properly and bad for the Carrier in the long run (but they seem not to know it!).
Carrier, you know who you are, please uncripple your phones. You are the best carrier in New York when it comes to service and coverage, and the worst carrier when it comes to phones and cost. And readers, do me a favor, if you have a choice in carrier, go with the one that does not cripple their phones. You will be happier with them, and they will get more business from you.
The Hiltmon has left the website...
So, for example, when you purchase a top-of-the-line mobile phone anywhere in the world (except the USA), you get the best technology available from the manufacturer of that handset. As a result, you are a happy customer, you use it, show it off and recommend to your friends to use the carrier and their cool new handsets. Good for the consumer, good for the carrier, win-win. And they know it!
Not so with a certain Carrier in the USA. They advertised and promised to provide a cool handset with all the trimmings (the best that Motorola could and did make at the time - think Bluetooth sync), they then crippled the phone so that none of these features worked. They lied to their customers that they would rectify the issue with an update (blaming Motorola, who kept quiet because they sell a lot of handsets through this Carrier and did not want to lose that business), lost a class action suit on the issue, and squirmed their way out at the end with a settlement that provided no material compensation to their victims, er customers.
But did they learn a lesson? I mean, is it not the purpose of the courts to provide justice and to see that the bad guys get punished, learn their lessons and do not do it again? I must be naive because the Carrier got away with it and did not seem to be punished or learn a thing.
The new RAZR from the Carrier came out with all the cool stuff in a software release v02. So far so good.
Oops, turns out that was an accident. The Carrier pulled this handset as soon as they realized what happened (many lucky customers kept theirs) and released a very crippled version v03 that killed all the cool stuff (no bluetooth sync). And now they released v04 that simply accepts that those customers who had v02 can keep the cool stuff and still get upgraded, but the v03 users remain as crippled as ever, but the bluetooth fairy headsets work. Basically, if you, like most, got a v03 phone, no cool stuff for you. But the character next to you with the same handset from the same Carrier gets it!
Why do they do it? They say its for your own security. Horsepukky! Bluetooth functionality in Motorola handsets does nothing unless the two devices are properly paired and the user has to do that manually - you have to put in a code when pairing or nothing happens. Hackers cannot get in without you allowing them in and in Europe, where everyone has a bluetooth phone, and in the USA where other carriers have the same handset, there is no issue, no problem, no hassle, no nothing. Just FUD (Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt) issued by the Carrier. Horsepukky I say!
The Carrier simply wants its customers to pay a buck here and a buck there to get their photos off their handsets (yes MMS costs extra) or to download (and pay for) music and ringtones using their service instead of allowing the customer to use their own music or a competitor. This is bad for the customer, they cannot use their phones properly and bad for the Carrier in the long run (but they seem not to know it!).
Carrier, you know who you are, please uncripple your phones. You are the best carrier in New York when it comes to service and coverage, and the worst carrier when it comes to phones and cost. And readers, do me a favor, if you have a choice in carrier, go with the one that does not cripple their phones. You will be happier with them, and they will get more business from you.
The Hiltmon has left the website...
Saturday, April 15, 2006
GTR-Proto in 2008
Carlos Ghosn stated at the New York Motor show a few days ago that the new GT-R will be available in the USA as the Nissan GT-R (Yay!) in 2008 (Boo!). Its a long wait, better start saving for it now!
The hiltmon has left the website...
The hiltmon has left the website...
Macintosh Personal Money Management Software
Sometime in the early 1990's, when I started working, I decided to get some software to manage my personal finances. I had a paycheck, but had no idea where all the money went every month. I knew I paid rent, phone, power, ate food, bought clothes, partied (a lot!) and at the end of the month, seemed to have no cash left over. Sounds normal for a kind in their 20's.
I bought Microsoft Money (I was using Windows in those days). Money allowed me to download statements from my bank and track where it all went. Seeing my Net Worth report in those days was a depressing sight. I persisted and got into the habit of tracking my income and expenses using Money. It was easy to use, easy to see what was going on and easy to better manage my meagre budget.
Tardis to 2002 and you'll find me migrating my old data from trusty Money to Quicken on the Mac. Not so fast, Hiltmon! You see, by then I was employed out of Hong Kong and living in Japan. Money had no problem tracking my still meagre bank balances in Aussie Dollars, Hong Kong Dollars and Japanese Yen. But Quicken for the Mac is single currency and could not load in all my accounts from Money!
Intuit's web site recommended creating foreign currency accounts as investments and then manually putting in the exchange rate to value that investment. As if that was a smart solution! Not! You cannot transfer money between one account and another that way, you have to manually create a withdrawal from one and a deposit in another. You cannot have securities in a foreign currency (like Euro stocks in a US dollar account). And you have to go through the process of manually re-valuing each account every time you want to get a full picture. Hassle factor - high. Yuk!
Since it was all that was available at the time, enter work-around stage left. I created a Quicken file for each currency and managed each separately. Whenever I want a Net Worth report, I copy the balances into Excel and add it up. Hassle factor - medium.
Rumors on the web at the time had it that Quicken would match the Quicken for Windows feature set in the next version for Quicken for Mac (Quicken for Windows is multi-currency and can do all of the above). Nope, not happened! Not the next version or the version thereafter. What gives Intuit? Huh? Selling a product on two platforms with the same name and different feature sets! Mac users are not good enough? Gaah! Get smart and match feature sets, no more money from me or anyone I known until then!
I have recently been researching alternative software to get me back to the same functionality as I had with Microsoft Money but for my Mac. The top two these days seem to be MoneyDance and iBank. I have looked at both for a trial period, and they are both excellent software products. However, they still don't get close to Money.
MoneyDance is full featured and very popular. But, its not Mac software and I find the interface non-intuitive and quite frustrating. iBank is much more Mac-like and easier to use. Both handle foreign currency accounts in the same interface, both allow for management of portfolios and investments, and both import data just fine. They all do budgets and credit card tracking and all the basics. I feel that MoneyDance has the edge in reporting and I do like the idea of using plugins to get prices and rates so you can change the source. iBank has the edge in just plain usability although it does seem to have some rough edges and odd interface inconsistencies too.
So what is stopping me from leaving Quicken behind and switching? Well, MoneyDance fails my esoteric view that I want a Mac-like program, and iBank does not handle investments in more than one currency (nor do both store historical prices which I do use in Quicken to see portfolio performance). Microsoft Money on Windows is still the leader in personal financial management software and until hell freezes over and Microsoft releases it for Mac or Quicken, MoneyDance or iBank get a matching feature set, I'll save my money and use what I have got. Or write my own...
BTW Virtual PC, Windows and Money was tried and rejected ages ago! Costs too much!
The hiltmon has left the website...
I bought Microsoft Money (I was using Windows in those days). Money allowed me to download statements from my bank and track where it all went. Seeing my Net Worth report in those days was a depressing sight. I persisted and got into the habit of tracking my income and expenses using Money. It was easy to use, easy to see what was going on and easy to better manage my meagre budget.
Tardis to 2002 and you'll find me migrating my old data from trusty Money to Quicken on the Mac. Not so fast, Hiltmon! You see, by then I was employed out of Hong Kong and living in Japan. Money had no problem tracking my still meagre bank balances in Aussie Dollars, Hong Kong Dollars and Japanese Yen. But Quicken for the Mac is single currency and could not load in all my accounts from Money!
Intuit's web site recommended creating foreign currency accounts as investments and then manually putting in the exchange rate to value that investment. As if that was a smart solution! Not! You cannot transfer money between one account and another that way, you have to manually create a withdrawal from one and a deposit in another. You cannot have securities in a foreign currency (like Euro stocks in a US dollar account). And you have to go through the process of manually re-valuing each account every time you want to get a full picture. Hassle factor - high. Yuk!
Since it was all that was available at the time, enter work-around stage left. I created a Quicken file for each currency and managed each separately. Whenever I want a Net Worth report, I copy the balances into Excel and add it up. Hassle factor - medium.
Rumors on the web at the time had it that Quicken would match the Quicken for Windows feature set in the next version for Quicken for Mac (Quicken for Windows is multi-currency and can do all of the above). Nope, not happened! Not the next version or the version thereafter. What gives Intuit? Huh? Selling a product on two platforms with the same name and different feature sets! Mac users are not good enough? Gaah! Get smart and match feature sets, no more money from me or anyone I known until then!
I have recently been researching alternative software to get me back to the same functionality as I had with Microsoft Money but for my Mac. The top two these days seem to be MoneyDance and iBank. I have looked at both for a trial period, and they are both excellent software products. However, they still don't get close to Money.
MoneyDance is full featured and very popular. But, its not Mac software and I find the interface non-intuitive and quite frustrating. iBank is much more Mac-like and easier to use. Both handle foreign currency accounts in the same interface, both allow for management of portfolios and investments, and both import data just fine. They all do budgets and credit card tracking and all the basics. I feel that MoneyDance has the edge in reporting and I do like the idea of using plugins to get prices and rates so you can change the source. iBank has the edge in just plain usability although it does seem to have some rough edges and odd interface inconsistencies too.
So what is stopping me from leaving Quicken behind and switching? Well, MoneyDance fails my esoteric view that I want a Mac-like program, and iBank does not handle investments in more than one currency (nor do both store historical prices which I do use in Quicken to see portfolio performance). Microsoft Money on Windows is still the leader in personal financial management software and until hell freezes over and Microsoft releases it for Mac or Quicken, MoneyDance or iBank get a matching feature set, I'll save my money and use what I have got. Or write my own...
BTW Virtual PC, Windows and Money was tried and rejected ages ago! Costs too much!
The hiltmon has left the website...
Friday, February 18, 2005
The Gates
I live in the city that never sleeps, fueled by coffee, continuous wailing of sirens and walking dangerously close to yellow cabs. Whereas most people like the look of New York, I find it relatively ugly. And the Gates in Central Park are great.
Make no mistake, I am not an architect or designer. I lived in Tokyo for 4 years and the drab, grey, plain, conformist architecture there is nothing to write home about. Coming to New York, with its character and grit was a pleasureable change (I miss the modern plumbing from Tokyo though). I liked the scaly ceilings in the subway, the dusty eaves on old buildings, the high rises art decoing the skyline. Over time, you stop looking up. Only tourists in New York look up. And so all I see now are the potholes, the cracks, the grime and the garbage. I dodge the little lakes that form on the corners when the rain falls or snow melts. I use the shadows of approaching people or taxicabs to wind my way though the city.
Central Park is a breath of fresh air in the grey city. Although in winter, its grey too. So when they put the orange gates up, it brightened up the whole place. Now the grey drab park looks alive (or like a big construction zone according to Mrs Hiltmon). The flapping skirts bring the place to life, the wandering hordes forming rivers of movement beneath the rolling winds, small children perched on daddys shoulders reaching to grab a handful of colour. It gives me something to look at, to photograph, to talk about, to show off to those unfortunate enough not to be here.
And something to argue about with the legions of whiners and ignoramuses. They complain that the city should never have spent the money on The Gates, not knowing that the city did not pay for it. They complain that they do not understand it, and are unaware of how stupid they are acting (it takes 5 minutes to read about it in any newspaper). They complain about the waste of materials, not knowing that all materials are going to be recycled. They complain, they complain, they complain.
Come on people, put the latte down and just look at The Gates. Orange gates line the park like worms, the skirts wave and crash like waves and it makes people happy, it brightens up the grey city.
No one got hurt by the Gates, I for one love them.
The hiltmon has left the website.
Make no mistake, I am not an architect or designer. I lived in Tokyo for 4 years and the drab, grey, plain, conformist architecture there is nothing to write home about. Coming to New York, with its character and grit was a pleasureable change (I miss the modern plumbing from Tokyo though). I liked the scaly ceilings in the subway, the dusty eaves on old buildings, the high rises art decoing the skyline. Over time, you stop looking up. Only tourists in New York look up. And so all I see now are the potholes, the cracks, the grime and the garbage. I dodge the little lakes that form on the corners when the rain falls or snow melts. I use the shadows of approaching people or taxicabs to wind my way though the city.
Central Park is a breath of fresh air in the grey city. Although in winter, its grey too. So when they put the orange gates up, it brightened up the whole place. Now the grey drab park looks alive (or like a big construction zone according to Mrs Hiltmon). The flapping skirts bring the place to life, the wandering hordes forming rivers of movement beneath the rolling winds, small children perched on daddys shoulders reaching to grab a handful of colour. It gives me something to look at, to photograph, to talk about, to show off to those unfortunate enough not to be here.
And something to argue about with the legions of whiners and ignoramuses. They complain that the city should never have spent the money on The Gates, not knowing that the city did not pay for it. They complain that they do not understand it, and are unaware of how stupid they are acting (it takes 5 minutes to read about it in any newspaper). They complain about the waste of materials, not knowing that all materials are going to be recycled. They complain, they complain, they complain.
Come on people, put the latte down and just look at The Gates. Orange gates line the park like worms, the skirts wave and crash like waves and it makes people happy, it brightens up the grey city.
No one got hurt by the Gates, I for one love them.
The hiltmon has left the website.
Friday, November 12, 2004
On opening a new account
So many people blog. They write about what they want to talk about, when they want to do it. Kind of like speakers corner when the audience is world-wide (or at least a Google search away). I guess I will try it out, see if anyone is interested in what I have to say, or more likely just add my ramblings to the Google cache for future generations to ignore.
My name is...well...its kinda like Hiltmon...but not. I am not a dog or a 12 year old ackneyed nerd, nor am I a geriatric in a drooling room awaiting a sponge bath. I just an ordinary guy leading an ordinary life in extraordinary times. They have to be extraordinary times or I'll have nothing to write about.
So why do people blog? Some do it for fame, some because they are bored, some do it because others do, and most have a reason we cannot fathom. Why am I trying this? Well, I guess I want to leave my mark, my insignificant scratching on the internet wall. Maybe one day I will blog something that someone else will read and it will the world a better place for them, or maybe no-one will ever notice me and I'll remain in the nerdy shadows. Either way, I can indulge in any topics I want, when I want. As soon as I find a topic to indulge in, as soon as I find something to say.
I mean, what should I blog about? Shall I blog about me? What shall I say about me? I could cover what I wear, what I eat, where I work, but....boring! Who cares, its not interesting and it will not make the world a better place. How can wearing Gap and eating at a Diner (and then blogging about it) make this world a better place or change someone's life?
Shall I blog about my friends? That would violate the trust between friends. I keep their secrets and they keep mine (I have none but is sounds better if they feel like they have secrets of mine to keep) I do not want to embarass them or make them more famous than me. Let them blog if they want.
Shall I blog about work? Naaaaah!
Politics? Naaaaah!
Sex? Naaaaah
TV? Tech? Sports? 101 Uses of an empty Kleenex box? No no no no no no no!
I'll come back when I have something to say. Until then...
The hiltmon has left the website.
My name is...well...its kinda like Hiltmon...but not. I am not a dog or a 12 year old ackneyed nerd, nor am I a geriatric in a drooling room awaiting a sponge bath. I just an ordinary guy leading an ordinary life in extraordinary times. They have to be extraordinary times or I'll have nothing to write about.
So why do people blog? Some do it for fame, some because they are bored, some do it because others do, and most have a reason we cannot fathom. Why am I trying this? Well, I guess I want to leave my mark, my insignificant scratching on the internet wall. Maybe one day I will blog something that someone else will read and it will the world a better place for them, or maybe no-one will ever notice me and I'll remain in the nerdy shadows. Either way, I can indulge in any topics I want, when I want. As soon as I find a topic to indulge in, as soon as I find something to say.
I mean, what should I blog about? Shall I blog about me? What shall I say about me? I could cover what I wear, what I eat, where I work, but....boring! Who cares, its not interesting and it will not make the world a better place. How can wearing Gap and eating at a Diner (and then blogging about it) make this world a better place or change someone's life?
Shall I blog about my friends? That would violate the trust between friends. I keep their secrets and they keep mine (I have none but is sounds better if they feel like they have secrets of mine to keep) I do not want to embarass them or make them more famous than me. Let them blog if they want.
Shall I blog about work? Naaaaah!
Politics? Naaaaah!
Sex? Naaaaah
TV? Tech? Sports? 101 Uses of an empty Kleenex box? No no no no no no no!
I'll come back when I have something to say. Until then...
The hiltmon has left the website.
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