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The iPad and the views of an Apple FanBoy

2010-01-28T00:16:31Z

The fabled dream of the tech savvy community. For years the internet has buzzed with random myths and rumors surrounding a device that would rock the electronic world. I mean, Apple has released some pretty amazing things over the years, so why wouldn’t they be the ones to make the perfect tablet computer. So after years of everyone diligently waiting (myself definitely included), this morning we were presented with our long awaited product.

After many recent reports, this is basically what everyone expected the product to look like. It’s basically an oversized iPod but gorgeous nonetheless. It has a brilliant 9.7” inch screen, a custom made processor to carry the use of the app store over, 3G built in, e-reader app, and not to mention a very, very attractive price point. This thing should be smokin’ hot but with all the polished edges, Apple has slightly missed the mark.

From a product acceptance standpoint, we can view it as needing small but necessary additions. Some that have been mentioned are multi-tasking, a finger to paper note-taking app, and the addition of some input ports. All of which is sound advice but I believe that apple, as well as many others companies, are missing the point.

For some reason the market has been flooded with the belief that their needs to be a crucial “in-between” device. We have our smartphones and we have our laptops, but there’s still something missing and the logical conclusion most make is the need for that before mentioned “in-between” device. This has been presented in several different fashions throughout the years ranging from ultra-mobiles to the present netbook market and only recently has this idea taken mainstream acceptance but do we really need an addition to this incredibly thin in-between region.

Apple had a great opportunity here, to break that mold and venture the market towards the right direction but instead followed the trend. I would completely fault Apple on this one but being a FanBoy I accept that they had their reasons for choosing this path of design. Times are tough, our economies in shambles and apple chose the route that promised the greatest sales, completely understandable.

What they should have done is taken this revision as a beta and expand on its concept. The initial ideas are there: thin, lightweight, attractive, pretty impressive battery life, wide array of connectivity, and touch screen display supporting multi-touch. Now they just need to take the better bulk of everything else and either scrap it or tweak it.

Screen Size

Starting with the size, 9.7 inches is keeping it in the toy territory instead of the productive and useful category. A sizeable screen of 13-15 inches would make a world of difference for this product. Basically they should remove the macbook pro’s screen and slap the tablet’s internals straight to the back. I mean really, how much harder would it have been for a consumer to carry a macbook sized screen that weighs less than a macbook air and it would add so much to the usability of the product.

The Choice of Operating System

Then comes the choice of an Operating System. They once again had the opportunity to jump the gap from toy to useful product but decided to keep it a novelty with its iPhone OS. Don’t get me wrong, the iPhone OS is nothing short of fantastic but it was designed small, compact and versatile for the realms of a phone based environment. That being said, choosing the iPhone OS wasn’t necessarily a bad idea but it definitely needed to be redesigned to fit the newer product base. Adding such things as non-app based installations, expandable drive support, and for god sakes the use of flash. Using the same interface but adding more functionality from a standard OS would be almost be a given in my opinion and what’s nice about this improvement is that its completely within the realm of possibility with a new OS version.

The Ability to Write with the Tablet

The main thing I was waiting for during the entire presentation was a brilliant Apple note-taking app. I was so hoping that this would be my paper replacement. I’ve been dying for a tablet that’s responsive and polished enough to replace the need to carry a notebook or binder to classes. So, Apple definitely was going to have this obvious addition to its long rumored product… wrong… The most obvious and quintessentially important aspect of a tablet is its ability to write and take notes like your using paper. Yet, as it stands at this time, Apple’s new pride and joy will ship completely void of a prominent handwritten note-taking application.

Now most are probably thinking, maybe they’ll just add it later as a free app addition but it’ll still be a miss in this college note-taking dept. Even though it seems antiquated, they need to add a pen. Note-taking using your finger in a sandbox style app is not going to cut it, it’ll lack the precision necessary for proper usage.

So in this category Apple just needs to scrap it and start over.

Apple’s Decision on Using Apps

Apps are the new thing, they’re easy to install, easy to remove and easy to use. The decision to use apps, in my opinion was a great idea. From a tech guy/repair guy standpoint, the move towards apps is brilliant. Remove all the hassles, and have libraries upon libraries of choices for each app, BRILLIANT! This follows Apple’s trend of installation and removal from its famed Mac OS, and I love it so much in comparison to Windows and Linux. So for the them to carry the idea over is definitely a good move but once again, they’ve just slightly missed the mark.

With their current set-up, you are bound to a set library of apps that are chosen based on the the views of a governing iTunes committee. This does insure the quality of its apps but it also gives them far more control than is necessary and limits the users choices and usability. It’s clear that this shouldn’t be the only option since so many in the market are currently using a jail-broken iPhone. A simple option to use non-certified apps would be a wonderful addition to not only the tablet but also the iPhone and iPod.

This would limit what you can install since most of the market isn’t designing for an app based platform but I feel its a better choice for application installs. This is debatable though and a combination of standard installation methods mixed with app based installs(similar once again to Mac OS X installation method) could definitely be a reasonable alternative.

The Focus of the Apps

Remember when the app store was first released and we were introduced to complex medical apps and some very cool productivity apps. Now with iPad’s release, it seems like they are focused on creating a larger gaming device. Almost every app was a game of one sort or another, which is nice but most users aren’t going to be purchasing a tablet so that it’ll become an oversized DS. That’s not to say I wouldn’t absolutely love to play some tower defense games in this fashion but I think they missed a large portion of the market by mostly focusing on the entertainment side of things.

The Need for Expansion

The last major problem I see, is the lack of expansion. Personally I’m ok with a fixed internal storage but the option to expand this would definitely be a welcomed addition. Something as simple as a usb connection or an sd card slot would put this into a completely feasible realm for a much larger percentage of consumers. Being able to connect not only storage but also cameras and iPods, would expand the functionality of the product exponentially.

The Name

This is just a personal grievance but iPad would definitely not be my first choice as far as names go. The other patented name of iSlate would have been far more impressive sounding. Yet now that I’ve seen the final product, I’m glad they decided to save iSlate for something else (hopefully a bigger better version of the iPad).

These are only my thoughts on the matter but that these revisions combined with Apple’s brilliant craftsmanship that a “game-changer” could be born. Hopefully this is only Apple’s first step into the tablet market and the real tablet will be released in the near future.

Star Wars the other MacGyver

2009-04-22T14:45:11Z

Well no wonder I enjoyed star wars so much, it was actually another MacGyver in disguise…

Self Explanatory...

2009-03-04T02:33:13Z

Picture from ImageShack

The Decision Has Been Made...

2009-03-02T20:45:54Z

After much deliberation, I have finally convinced myself to purchase a netbook. It's been a long road but the necessity of such a device seems to grow with each passing shift at Rite Aid. Boredom is not always an easy thing to conquer, especially in a sterilized environment like a pharmacy. I've tried several means of entertainment but none have really fit the bill up to this point. A macbook pro is a thing of art, but in a cramped area it can prove to be more of a hassle rather than a blessing. So the next best thing, an iphone. It's basically a computer in and of itself but its lacking when time is in excess. So the logical conclusion was to get something middle of the road and a netbook fit squarely into the puzzle.

Weighing my options after a weeks worth of searching and reviewing, I had the choices narrowed to the following three netbooks.

Asus Eee PC 1000HA - $349.99

Intel Atom N270(1.6 GHz)

1 Gig of Ram

160 gig harddrive

10" 1024x600 Widescreen Display

6 cell battery(7 hours)

3.2 lbs

Acer Aspire One AOA150 - $329.99

Intel Atom N270(1.6 GHz)

1 Gig of Ram

120 gig Harddrive

8.9" 1024x600 Widescreen Display

6 cell battery(5.5 hours)

2.19 lbs

HP Mini 1000 XP - $299.99

Intel Atom N270(1.6 GHz)

512 Gig of Ram

8 gig harddrive

8.9" 1024x600 Widescreen Display

3 Cell battery(3 hours)

2.25 lbs

Now clearly this is a pretty tough decision. Each of the above are very close spec wise and each of which are close in terms of money, so determining a winner would require me deciding what the most important quality of a netbook should be. The Acer and HP were lighter, and the HP was definitely much prettier than the other too. And for those of you who are not familiar with me, I'm a huge sucker for things that look nice. I will almost always sacrifice to get the nicer looking item. But unfortunately this was not one of those times. It was clear to me that netbooks should last a ridiculous amount of time without needing a charge. Even though the Eee PC was larger and heavier, it seemed the clear choice. So around 12pm today the purchase was made. When it comes in later this week, I'll be sure to post a review.

The Real Ending to Back to the Future

2009-02-25T16:24:23Z

Found this on /film earlier today and couldn't stop laughing.

Somebody at Apple must of heard me...

2009-02-25T02:48:32Z

I swear no sooner had I began to hate using Firefox did apple come in and save the day... Over the past couple of years I've never given much thought to Apple's browser but with several headlines of "World's Fastest Browser" quickly filling up the internet, I figured I would give it another go. And let me tell ya, Safari Beta 4 is some sort of fantastic.

They've basically taken Google's Chrome idea and made it much better. Here's a screen showing the new slim-lined fashion of new age browsers but apple style. And the nice thing about their chosen style scheme, is that it fits very well into the windows theme vs. looking abstract with its earlier revisions.

But apple evidently knew they had a hit this time around since the first-time startup dialog was replaced with a snazzy video (apple's way of rubbing it in). And as expected after a few minutes a browsing, it held up to their word. Browsing was significantly faster than most browsers. I'm not sure if I can claim them the fastest but it definitely filled me with joy after having to deal with bloated competitors.

But the thing that caught my eye the most out of all of this is the fancy new screenshot views to replace the traditional bookmark system. The first of which was another copy from other browsers like Opera and Chrome, which was a "speed dial" view. Recently visited webpages would pop up in a screenshot format and you simply selected the screenshot of the page you wanted to visit. But once again Apple stepped up and took it a step further, Giving it a front rowesque feel to it. Just take a look at the screenshot to the right. You can't tell me that doesn't look awesome.

But the one area that they went outside the box with is the bookmarks page itself. Simply open up your bookmarks window and you are presented with the famous Coverflow that has taken over everything Apple. With the flick of your mouse, you are whizzing through your bookmarks as God intended, the Apple way.

The reason I like Google...

2009-02-09T20:01:03Z

While reading a twitter post today, I discovered another benefit to using Google. I can now use Gmail as a free replacement for MobileMe. And when I say replacement, I mean a complete replacement. Not some jerry-rigged harder to work for feature-set.

Originally you had to sync your mac with various Google elements and combine them into a nice deliverable package via iTunes. Which was time consuming and required your computer to remain updated.

But now using this link... GoogleSync , after a few minutes of setup. Your iPhone will work as if it is connected to MobileMe or Microsoft Exchange, allowing for wireless syncing and you would never know the difference between the two. Thanks Google... You've once again made my day.

That Creepy Old Man's a Musician...

2009-02-09T15:11:11Z

Over the last year or so, I've become a pretty avid fan of the hit comedy show "The Office"... American version not the British. And all this time I thought good 'ol creed was some creepy old guy that they found in a dumpster some place. Turns out, that he's an early 60s rockstar. Needless to say I was a little shocked but not as much as the fact that his name is the same as his NBC character. Creed Bratton = Creed Bratton... And without further ado, I present Creed performing with the Grass Roots.

It took me a minute to figure out which one he was, but you can clearly see the ugly brute starting at around 1:31.

The Realization of George Lucas...

2008-09-19T06:56:12Z

There are many defining moments in the youth of our world and each firmly direct them in a particular path. My youth consisted mainly of one science fiction saga after another, consistently feeding my need for all things nerdy. The main driving "force" for this era in my life was a little trilogy by the name of Star Wars. It was an earth shattering monument to the creative voice of a new age.

I ate the shit up. I loved the universe, the story, and most of all, the force. It was this incredible overwhelming power that connecting everything in existence and gave those trained in its ways the ability to become gods. Yet, with its overwhelming focus as a destructive force in the minds of most, I became overly fascinated with its resemblance to a religion. A religion, that could be physically tapped into and used for both the wills of good and evil. All it took was the training in the ways of your chosen path.

This was a mind-blowing concept for a 5 year old and loved every facet of its creative inception. But, after my short attention span faded, I focused my attention towards what every other child was excited about, overwhelming power. So, when word of a computer game that explores the use of these powers was on the horizon... I instantly became computer adept and prepared myself for the awesomeness that was to come.

Now you've got to remember that this was in the dark ages of computing and PC gaming was only a spec on the minds of technology aficionados. Yet the concept alone was enough to get me firmly grounded as a computer geek and a gamer.

The next couple of years reverberated off of this original concept and many great titles of Dark Forces were given life. Yet the force was an add-on to the gameplay and was never really fully explored. Time progressed further and valve sprang to ranks of gaming overlord and produced a revolutionary title that focused heavily on physics. Seeing this with my drop-jawed expression, I said to myself, "Now's the time for a force oriented game!" And somewhere in the cosmos of the LucasArts empire, my voice was heard and the greatest incarnation of Star Wars gaming was created. George Lucas' idea was finally going to be realized in its fullest extent.

The Force Unleashed was the rumored title, and videos of physics demonstration had leaked across the web. Needless to say, I was in geek heaven, dancing on cloud nine with a dash of ecstasy thrown in. Waiting for over a year for the title to be released, I was finally graced today with playing through most of its gameplay.

Getting through half of the first level, I was overjoyed knowing that this, is how the force is supposed to look. You have absolute freedom of force powers and at a whim can destroy an entire complex without touching a single enemy. Not, to mention this game has one of the best storylines every produced in a mainstream environment. Even surpassing the previously popular title KOTOR (knights of the old republic).

Even though George Lucas seems to have lost his mind, its good to know that his original vision is still being maintained with the good people over at LucasArts.

The Totally Rad Show

2008-09-16T05:32:36Z

Over the last year I've been following a podcast network that is breaching the boundaries of a TV's existence. They've created several reminiscent shows of a network long faded but one show in particular has caught my eye. TRS or The Totally Rad Show, is a diamond in the ruff, finding its way into the homes of many Internet users.

I was captured instantly by the nastalgic vibe of this show. They hit home on a very deep level of geekish nature and for a while I believed this to be the reason for my overenthusiastic liking for this show. Yet, I knew under the surface that there was more than meets the eye of this trio of reviewers. After several episodes of detailed discussions, I finally realized the magical touch that drove this epic force, their passion.

During some of their of normal reviews, an overwhelming wave of passion floods from your computer grasping your full attention. An episode of prime example was their August 19th episode entitled Acteroids. Jeff Canata, one of the three hosts, went onto a major tangent during their video game segment. The main discussion, a game recently released by xbox live, labeled Braid. As soon as a title is brought up for discussion, I usually pause the video and make my way to google to find a basis for their topic. At first glance I wasn't too impressed and I would have, on normal circumstances, glazed on passed this excellent game.

Back to Jeff's review, he begins as anyone else giving a review, discussing his views of the game. But, midstream he breaks into an overwhelming since of pride and branches into a heartfelt discussion of his beliefs in the video game world and how it relates to the creator of the game he's reviewing. Needless to say my mind was blown, not only had I figured out what I loved about this show but I gained an incredible amount of respect for a game designer that I've never heard of.

This passionate expression that is tapped into to from episode to episode is something rare in our world today. To see someone literally wrap themselves inside of the world they cherish and express it for others, is a gift that is slowly slipping from our existence. People of this stature, rebirth my love for the world we live in.