Now that Apple has announced the date of Wi-Fi iPad availability as well as the pre-order date I feel some pressure to make a decision as to exactly which model iPad I want to purchase. Since the nearest Apple store is about 90 miles away, it’s probably best for me to go ahead and pre-order the device through Apple’s website. History has taught that with these hot items getting your pre-order in on day one makes a difference in terms of your delivery date.
I’ve gone back and fourth about which iPad model is right for me, my decision changes every couple of days.
Continue reading Which Model iPad?
This week I decided to suspend my Netflix membership after continuously using the service since 2005. I’ve been mulling over this for the past several months but finally decided it’s time to try something new. It’s a combination of several factors that has led to this decision. First, my lifestyle and job have changed and I have less free time to devote to watching movies. Second, rentals from other sources such as AppleTV, Amazon Unbox (via my TiVo HD) and services like Red Box or Blockbuster Express offer additional options. Third, and perhaps most significantly, a growing delay in the ability to rent popular titles.
Continue reading Taking A Break From Netflix
I’m a little late blogging this, but I am privileged to judge the Drobo “Spirit of Macworld” Video Contest. You can win one of two new Drobo S units by making a 60 second or less video clip that captures the “Spirit of Macworld.”
You can find all the info here: http://www.drobo.com/mw2010/
Judges for the contest are:
In my last post, I looked at pay as you go broadband options and decided that for my needs, the Virgin Mobile Broadband to go solution was the best value. I wanted to give you an update on my experiences and why I ultimately decided to return the device. Continue reading Review: Virgin Mobile Broadband To Go
Over the past few years, we’ve seen mobile broadband explode in popularity. (Note that I use the term broadband with some skepticism.) However, we’ve also seen devices like the iPhone which taken over a lot of the functions people use to use full-fledged laptops for. The availability of Wi-Fi has also become more ubiquitous in many airports and hotels offer free or pay options to their customers. The need for a mobile broadband device to connect your computer may be decreasing as Wi-Fi and “smart devices” come with connectivity. Though there are still times when you need to get your laptop online and no Wi-Fi is available. For those times, it would be nice to have the option to pull out a mobile broadband card and get online.
Traditional mobile broadband plans have required two-year minimum contract. Verizon and AT&T both have lower-level plans that range between $35 and $40 a month for between 200 and 250 MB of data. Standard 5 GB mobile plans cost around $60 a month. For traditional wireless data plan, I can expect to pay somewhere between $842 to $1,440 over the course of a two-year contract plus, the cost of the equipment which can vary between free and a couple of hundred dollars depending on the device purchased.
When I look back on the past year, there have probably only been a handful of times that I would have liked to have mobile broadband access for my computer but I didn’t otherwise have coverage. If tethering my iPhone to my computer would seem to be an ideal solution. Unfortunately, here in the states AT&T has failed to launch tethering and given the current state of the AT&T network, no one realistically believes it will see this as viable option any time soon. $1,400 over the life of a 2 year contract seems an awfully steep price to pay for something that I really wouldn’t use all that often.
For few years now, I have been looking for a pay-as-you-go broadband solution but until recently there have been no plans available. Within the past 6 months, Virgin Mobile (a pre-paid MVNO that uses the Sprint Network) launched a service called Broadband2Go. Verizon has also announced the availability of prepaid mobile broadband. My hope is that with two carriers coming on board we’ll start to see others follow and more competition in this space. Continue reading Prepaid Mobile Broadband
David Sparks and I recently recorded Mac Power Users Episode 16 on Information Managers. These are applications that handle all those random bits of information that don’t seem to fit in any other type of organizational system. We’ll give you a general overview of some of the options available on the Mac and then go more in depth on the system we use. I’m a pretty big fan of Evernote having recently upgraded to the new version. But I’m still not sure I’m using the device to the fullest potential. You can subscribe in iTunes here.
As 2009 comes to a close, this seems as good a time as any to start speculating about what goodies Apple might have in store for us for 2010. So, here’s the obligatory 2010 predictions post. Keep in mind I have absolutely no inside knowledge and I’m not even sure this rises to the level of “educated guess.” I’m making this all up as I go along. Continue reading 2010 Predictions
One of the best kept secret bargains out there is that you can renew your Mobile Me account for much less than Apple’s retail price. Whenever you buy a new Mac or (at least in the past) a new iPhone you have the option to buy Mobile Me for a $30 discount. You can also regularly find deals on Mobile Me Retail boxes through Amazon.com or other retailers. I recently bought one from Amazon for $70 with free shipping and no tax.
Here’s how you use a rertail boxed copy of Mobile Me to renew an existing account:
- I suggest you turn off the auto-renew option in your MobileMe account settings. Just don’t forget when it’s time to renew. Apple will send you several reminders. If you do wait till the last minute, you can aways manually renew for full price online.
- Order the MobileMe retail box from your store of choice. Be sure you give yourself a couple of weeks before your renewal date to allow for shipping.
- Once you receive the MobileMe box open it up and there will be a piece of paper with an activation code and instructions for how to activate your account. These instructions may be different for non US buyers, but mine says go to www.me.com/activate
- From there you’ll be taken to an Apple web page and be given options to create a new account, reactivate an expired account, or renew an existing account. If you click the renew or reactivate option, you’ll be prompted for your username and password. Once entering that you’ll be taken to the regular MobileMe login page and once you sign in you’ll be asked to confirm your renewal.
That’s it, whole process takes less than 2 minutes and you can usually save about 1/3 the price off the regular Mobile Me Renewal
David Sparks and I recently published Episode 15 of Mac Power Users. We talk about the word processing and research gathering program Scrivener. This is one of our very specialized shows that we do from time to time focusing on one particular topic. However if you are someone who has to do a fair amount of writing for work, school, or pleasure, you may want to check it out. David has been a Scrivener evangelist for years. I’ve only been using the application for a couple of weeks to prepare for the show but can already see it is very well done and useful. You can subscribe in iTunes here.
This year I have the honor and privilege of participating in the International Mac Podcast’s 12 hour live stream. on December 12, 2009 between 4pm-4am GMT / 11am-11pm EST / 8am-8pm PST the guys are going to do a 12 hour live stream. The regular IMP team will be there for various hours of the show, along with some special guests.
I’ll be talking about Backup and my segment will be on from 3pm – 4pm EST. The shows will also be edited down into one hour blocks and posted on the IMP podcast feed between now and Christmas.
If you’re around, come join us on the live feed. You can find more information here: http://impodcast.tv/twelve/
