With the upcoming iPhone OS 4.0 update being announced by Apple later this week I’ve been doing quite bit of thinking about the features I would like to see in the new OS. With the arrival of the iPad I’m even more excited about this update and the new features it will bring to the platform. Here are the top 5 items I would like to see in the iPhone OS 4 update:
1) Wireless Sync
2) Printing
3) Background Apps/Multitasking
4) Location Awareness (Automatically change settings based on location)
5) Unified Inbox
And as a bonus not necessary related to the update:
Better support for developers to offer App trials, upgrades, discounts and bundling.
We thankfully don’t have long to wait. What do you want to see?
David Sparks and I have been overwhelmed by the positive response to the Mac Power Users Podcast. We have over 20 episodes under our belt and the show concept of taking one topic and focusing on it in depth seems to be a popular one. David and I have been tossing ideas back and fourth for ways to expand the podcast. We’ve been very thankful for the generous donations from our listeners and the support of our sponsors in allowing us to do more with the show. One of the things we realized is that while we try to cover as many products and applications as possible, we are only two people and are never going to be able to adequately cover the wide variety of tools out there. We’re always getting emails from listeners with suggestions for products we’ve missed and ways to improve our workflows.
Continue reading Mac Power Users Workflows with Merlin Mann
After a long hiatus, Quicken has finally released a new personal finance product for the Mac. Initial reviews of the product have been very mixed. Some people love the new user interface and usability, but others hate that the product because it is missing many key features from prior releases. I’ve been using the product for several weeks and although I have some gripes, my overall impression has been positive.
Before this review can be of any use to you, I must explain how I manage my finances on the Mac. The reason this is important is because I am not a personal finance “power user.” Quicken Essentials is just that, the bare essentials. So while this product works for me, it will be a disaster for others. It’s important that you judge your own needs and expectations of this product to see if it’s the right fit.
Continue reading Review: Quicken Essentials for Mac
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
