New Blog

I'm going to try to move my blog over to a new website: http://bob.hodgen.me/

We're hosting the site ourselves on a Mac Mini Server located in our home.

Please stop by for a visit.

Bob

Thoughts on iPad

It's been a few days now since the announcement of the iPad and the dust has settled. The pundits seem to have divided into two camps:

• The first group are those who are disappointed by the iPad's lack of a camera, multitasking, flash, and being stuck with AT&T for data. For them the iPad didn't live up to the mountain of hype before the announcement.

• The second group are excited and "get" something about the User Interface and what it promises for the future. Place me in the second group.

I remember when the iPhone first came out and tech pundits bemoaned it's lack of multitasking and flash. At the time there were other phones which arguably had a richer feature set--and there still are. Despite this, the iPhone has become a runaway hit. One reason is the User Interface. On the iPhone, the operating system is not in the way, it's transparent. Have you ever tried to use a Windows Mobile phone?

Some people like fiddling with settings and getting "under the hood" of their operating system. They spend so much time tweaking the system that it interferes with getting real work done. These people tend to be tech savvy "geeks" who look down on the average computer user with distain.

Most people just want to read the web, check out Facebook, or send an email. To them the operating system shouldn't get in the way. That's what the iPhone and now the iPad manage to do. There's no need for the end user to get into the file system to read an email or surf the web.

I"m excited about this and what the iPad means for the future. It means that someday the operating system will disappear. It will still be there of course, below the surface, it just won't matter to the average user.

The iPad also marks the beginning of the end of the "desktop metaphor" and mouse. It's the start of a more tactile interface with physical manipulation of objects via tablet or trackpad.

The iPad is in version 1.0. Like the iPhone, the iPad's hardware and software will evolve and get better over time. I can't wait to see what the iPad becomes!

Storing Your Data in the Cloud

How do you get started with "The Cloud?" What are the easy options? What does it cost?

Moblie Me is Apple's solution to storing data in the cloud and syncing between all of your Macs and iPhone. You get up to 20 GB of storage, the only downside is that it costs $100 per year. I've been a Mobile Me user for quite a few years. For me, it's worth it, but I'm a Mac fanatic. Mobile Me has a "find my iPhone" feature that can locate your lost or stolen iPhone via it's built in GPS. If your iPhone has been stolen it can be remotely "wiped" to protect your data.

Dropbox is a cloud storage service which is free for up to 2 GB of storage. Dropbox does a good job of keeping files synced between Macs, PC's and iPhones (via a free app). A Dropbox folder appears in finder and it's easy to drag and drop files into or out of Dropbox. For capacities beyond 2 GB, Dropbox is upgradable for a price, 50 GB is $99 per year or $9.99 per month. Given the free 2 GB offer, I think it's an easy way to test drive "the cloud" without having to commit money.

My Desk

My Macbook Air next to Robert's 30" Apple Cinema Display, Mac Pro below.

Moving my music to the cloud

Everyone's heard the buzz surrounding "The Cloud," online storage of music, videos, and other user data. It's here and it's going to be huge.

I've been using LALA for a while now. It's a music streaming service with a difference. Like other services they allow you to play samples of music online and download songs for a price. You can listen to any song one time for free. If you like the song you can purchase rights to stream it as many time as you like for ten cents. You can also download the MP3 for 99 cents.

Where LALA is different is that you can "upload" your music library from iTunes and then stream your music as many times as you want for free. They understand that it's your music and you have already purchased the rights to play it. Now you can access your music from the web on any computer that you own. The service is free.

In my case, I have about 26 GB of music in my iTunes library. With the limited storage on my Macbook Air I'm not able to fit it all on the 64 GB SSD. That's where LALA comes in. Now, when I'm connected to the web. I'm able to stream any song in my music library to the Macbook Air.

The latest news is that Apple bought LALA. This is huge! Signs point to this music streaming feature being added to iTunes in the near future. It makes particular sense in light of the impending release of Apple's mythical tablet. Store your music in the cloud instead of your portable device's limited storage.

What's interesting is that LALA uses Adobe Flash on it's web interface, it won't work on the iPhone. This could mean that the iPhone will finally get Flash, or that a lightweight version of LALA without flash is in the works.

Safari, still

After trying out Google Chrome and Firefox, Safari is still my browser of choice. Some of the features of the others I like, but it's hard to beat Safari's integration with the Mac and iPhone using Mobile Me. This is especially handy if you're using more than one Mac like I am now. All of my bookmarks and calendars are synched between my 2 Macs and the iPhone. I love the way Apple stuff works.

Robert loaned me his Mac Pro and the 30" Apple Cinema Display while he's at FSU. He's very happy with the performance of his 17" Macbook Pro and has no immediate use for the Mac Pro and 30" monitor.

Using the 30" monitor is something else. It's like the difference between watching a great movie on television and seeing it in IMAX! No more spaces and multiple desktops--they're not needed. Everything fits on the screen. Aperture photos are incredible when seen fullscreen.

For all of that, I'm typing this on the Macbook Air, it still has a place in my life. Sometimes simple is better. It depends on the task, for Aperture I'll obviously use the 30" and Mac Pro.

Six days, twenty six time zones, and the Macbook Air.

My six day trip to Europe was a success with the Macbook Air. It was considerably lighter and easier to lug around than my old 15" Macbook Pro. I was online more and enjoyed the experience. The Macbook Air really is the ultimate traveling computer.

I especially like the screen on the Macbook Air. It's much, much brighter, and a lot easier on my fifty five year old eyes. I love the two finger inverse "pinch" gesture which automatically enlarges text on a webpage.

I flew the trip with another avid Mac user. We got along well and had a good time discussing all things Apple. He has a new 13" Macbook Pro and loves it, it's very nice.

For the last few weeks I've been experimenting with using Google Chrome instead of Safari. Today, at Robert's urging, I've been playing with Firefox too. I'll report my findings soon.