Since January of 2010, I’ve come to love my Mac.  Typing, working, playing, it’s all so much better than my clunky PC with Windows 7.  Now, don’t get me wrong, Windows 7 is a fantastic operating system that I use at least twice a week.  On the contrary, I’ve come to love OSX Snow Leopard more than I ever felt possible.  It just works, something I could rarely say about Windows.  I’m am not a PC hater at all, I think a PC will always have to be around, and I feel it should be.  I still think that the PC is the most productive platform in the world, with Windows XP or 7.

So, I’ve turned from total anti-Apple to an Apple fanboy.  I admit that I prefer Apple products just because of the name now, but it isn’t only that.  The device build quality, hardware performance and quality, and ease of use is the best I’ve found.  Sure, you pay for it, but you really do get what you pay for.  So for Mac vs PC, I’m Ryan Schultz, and I’m a Mac today.  Tonight I may be a PC for Microsoft Office, but back tomorrow morning I’m waking up the Snow Leopard for my productivity.

Over the years, I’ve used and owned (or own) all of the following products from Apple.  There is not one product I would not buy again tomorrow.

Mid 2009 MacBook Pro 13 inch 2.53GHz

iPod Touch 1G 8GB

iPod Touch 2G 16GB

iPod Touch 3G 64GB

iPod Nano 3G 8GB Black

Apple AirPort Extreme

Apple Magic Mouse

Apple Wireless Remote

Apple Wireless Keyboard

I can now say that I truly look forward to more Apple products.  The products above are just a taste of what I will buying from Cupertino, California over the next several years to come.  I look forward now to the new iPhone, this will be my next investment.

If you still think that a PC does everything you want, I recommend you try a Mac.  iLife, iWork, it just works.  It’s so easy to make videos, slideshows, and use great effects too.  When you get your Mac, since Apple makes the hardware and software, you don’t have to spend 3 hours getting drivers and downloading all the software you need because it’s already there.  And guess what, if you get a Mac, I have to say this.  Congratulations, you just bought one of the worlds best computers.  It’s fast, stylish, productive, portable, and you’re going to get a lot done in less time.  Congratulations Mac fanboys.

• Do I think tomorrow is the day of the updates?

Quite possibly, the 9th of March is definitely possible, I would expect this to happen very soon, possibly tomorrow, maybe next week, or maybe the week after that.  If I had to bet money, I would probably loose it, but tomorrow is very possible.

• What products are going to be affected?

The MacBook Pro, Mac Pro, and MacBook Air look like they will be getting the upgrade, once again, check this article for more.

• If I bought one of the products that is going to be updated, should I return it?

This is a hard question.  I purchased my 13 inch MacBook Pro 2.53GHz model in January this year, and I will not be selling it.  The upgrades to the Intel i series chip are good, but not like a Pentium M vs a Core 2 Duo.  If you literally just bought it, I would return it.  If it’s been a while, you’ve got all your stuff on it, and you don’t really need the upgrade for work, then don’t worry about it.

• Will Apple have an event for the product updates?

No, I fully expect the updates to just show up in the stores, and in the online store as well.  I highly doubt there will be an event for this, but just a jump in the Apple Store.

Thanks for reading this, and be sure to check out the post about what may happen!

• Office 2010 Release Dates Revealed
• Dictionary App Review
• iPhone 4G Speculations
• The HTC HD2 To Be Forgotten and Others Along With It
• Porsche 918 Hybrid Concept
• Targus 15.4″ Corporate Traveler Laptop Case Review
• Apple Wireless Keyboard Review
• HP Compaq nc8230 with Windows 7

That wraps up this show. Please be sure to leave a comment to tell us how we’re doing!

On a recent Microsoft Office 210 blog post, Microsoft has given the new users of Microsoft Office 2007 a chance to upgrade to the new Office 2010, just the the Windows 7 upgrade program.

If you purchased a new computer with Office 2007 or Office 2007 in a retail store, you’ll be able to qualify for this program only if you bought it from March 5, 2010 to September 30, 2010. You also have to have some other things like a Windows Live ID, and you have to redeem your tech gurantee by October 31, 2010 at http://www.office.com/techg.

Unlike Windows 7 upgrade, where you had to pay a bit for the shipping, this is downloadable online, so not fees at all.

Microsoft has also noted in this article that the RTM versions, release to manufacturing, will be released next month!

Along with that, they have also stated that on May 12, 2010, every business will be able to get their hands on a copy.

And the part you’ve been waiting for, consumers will be able to purchase Microsoft Office 2010 on the shelfs this June! This is some great news and I cannot wait to see how this launch will go.

If you’re too eager to wait, you can of course pick up the beta at the link below:

http://www.office.com/beta

I really hope that Microsoft will improve on Office 2010 and really make it faster and more efficient. Microsoft has the tendency to slow their final releases down a bit compared to the beta which run very fast. Hopefully, that will not happen this time.

And just as a side note, remember those other things I pointed out in the quote in the previous Office 2010 blog post? One of the things, having it on a web browser, is happening!

http://blogs.technet.com/office2010/archive/2010/01/25/accessing-office-documents-using-your-phone.aspx

And like always, thanks for this blog post that reveals all these dates, Microsoft!

http://blogs.technet.com/office2010/archive/2010/03/04/get-office-today-or-tomorrow.aspx

The web feature just brings in information about what ever you typed in on Wikipedia, which is actually quite nice to have.  This does use your Internet connection though.  Overall, this application is very through, and easy to use.  It does everything you’d need it to do, even speak the world aloud to you.  I do highly recommend this application.  If you’re looking for it in the App Store, it’s called Dictionary, and it has an orange icon.  The application is made by xyster.net.

Thanks to our image source.

As far as the iPhone hardware goes, I think we’ll see a new case.  Maybe thinner, but more importantly, I think aluminum will be used again.  Not only is aluminum stronger, but it’s lighter, and better looking.  It’s about time for the iPhone to stand out again, and an aluminum unibody design would do that.  There have been rumors of a front facing camera, but why?  Then you can’t see what you’re taking a picture of unless it’s you!  This is possible, but a camera on each side, or a movable camera would be welcome.

Now, for specifications, I think an upgrade would be welcome.  The A4 chip is the one that Apple built for the iPad, and I think it will migrate over to the iPod Touch and iPhone eventually.  It’s very quick, and small enough for a device as small as the iPhone/iPod Touch.  802.11n wireless and a FM radio is rumored to be in current generations, but it should be fully unlocked in the newer devices with new firmware.  The RAM is currently 256MB, and I don’t think that needs to change.  The bump to 384 is possible, as well as 512MB, but I think it’s necessary.  Currently, there is a 16GB and 32GB iPhone available.  I would bet my MacBook Pro that the 16GB will be dropped, and 32GB and 64GB sizes will be offered only.  Bluetooth could be improved in the iPhone, so we’ll probably find that as well.

iPhone OS 4.0.  If Apple doesn’t totally change the fourth release of my favorite mobile operating system, they deserve the failure that would come with that decision.  I would say that iPhone OS 4 would offer more settings, and more importantly, support multitasking.  It’s about time that the iPhone can handle multitasking out of the box.  More speed would obviously come with that A4 chip and more RAM, but the OS would have to help a little bit.  As far as more settings goes, I just think that device in this price range should be more customizable, just like Mac OSX.

In short, Apple has much more competition with Windows Phone 7 and Android than they ever did with the original iPhone back 3 years ago.  They need to update their device, and keep it at the leading edge of consumer phones.  The current iPhone is still up there, but definitely needs a refresh to stay in the drivers seat.

But if you can also recall our blog post on the new alleged Windows Phone 7 Series, which is going to be very familiar in looks to the Microsoft Zune.

It was rumored for quite a while that the HD2 will be receiving the upgrade to Windows Phone 7 series. But as of right now, that has changed.

The head of consumer marketing for Windows Phone UK, Oded Ran, informed Pocket-lint about the following:

We are proud of the Windows Phone experience we introduced with Windows Mobile 6.5 and we will continue to partner closely with mobile networks and phone manufacturers to support and invest in the platform.

Which was said in an exclusive interview with them.

But also, Ran said to them:

We’ve received many questions about the upgradability of HTC HD2 and we currently do not have plans to update the HTC HD2 to Windows Phone 7 Series.

I’m sure there will be ways to great around that, but hopefully, they”ll reconsider that decision. To kick all these HD2 users out, who have payed a lot of money for this device, is just such a shame.

I can understand where they are coming from in the terms of support, but you have to think about it, the HD2 will not be the only device not supported this new phone operating system.

Of course it would be nice if they would allow everyone to upgrade, but of course like Microsoft always does, they want you to buy new hardware, or in this case, a brand new phone.

This is a typical Porsche, as far as performance goes.  You’ve got two seats, and like every real sports car, the engine is ‘mid mounted.’  Currently, Porsche says the car can reach up to 198MPH, and rocket from 0-60 in under 3.2 seconds.  These specs are very impressing for a car that has the name ‘hybrid’ in it’s title.  Porsche also says that the car can go around Nürburgring in less than 7 and half minutes, which beats the Carerra GT!  Porsche claims the car can average 70 grams of CO2 and get a staggering 78 miles per gallon of gasoline!

The engine is a 3.4 liter V8 with a 9200RPM ceiling.  Supposedly, 500 horse power is produced from the gasoline engine, and a very fair 218 horsepower is produced from the electric motors.  Porsche has made use of a 7 speed transmission in this concept.  Drive is fixed to the front wheels for electric power, and real wheel drive is made good use of for the gas motor.  The battery for the brakes is charged when you hit the breaks, and can be charged from your house.  It is located behind the seats, and is liquid cooled.  With electric power only, you can travel 16 miles away, saying that no breaking is done.

The interior has a GPS navigation system.  Porsche has an intergraded intuitive touch screen in the dash for controlling all of the cars functions and modes for driving.  This vehicle is designed to be driven every day, or out of the track, different modes totally operate between comfort and performance, stopping everywhere in the middle.

I personally think the Porsche is really cool car, in performance, technology, style, and function.  I think it took everybody by surprise, and then delight at the 2010 Geneva Auto Show.

Thanks to our image source.

Not too long ago I picked up the Targus 15.4 Corporate Traveler Laptop Case. Before, I was not even using any kind of laptop case like this one. When I go traveling to anywhere, I would want to store my laptop in a safe place where it’s not going to break in any way.

Of course you can buy a case specifically for your laptop, but it’s always nice to be able to carry around a bit more.

This laptop case, made by Targus, which in my mind, is a great company when it comes to notebook accessories, has done an excellent job at designing this case. There is so much room in this case, that you’ll be able to fit a variety of stuff in this laptop case easily and with still being organized.

The Targus 15.4 Corporate Traveler Laptop Case features so many pockets to unzip, pull out, or even detach from the velcro on the case. It comes with a sleeve to put your laptop in before you put it in the bag, two pouches to go in the bag, lots of storage for folders, binders, or anything you may need, a variety of side pockets, and even cushion to make sure your laptop has a nice ride.

You can watch the full video review from right below.

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And of course, you can check out more information on this wonderful case here:

http://www.targus.com/US/product_details.aspx?sku=CUCT02A

Deciding between the two of them was hard.  Do I want a larger keyboard with more function for a lower price that has to be stuck on a leash, or do I want a free small keyboard with less function that costs more money?  Being an idiotic man, I went with less for more.  This wireless keyboard is the exact same size as the keyboard within the actual MacBook Pro itself, except it’s white.  The key layout is the same, except the F5 and F6 keys don’t offer the illumination found on the MacBook Pro’s keyboard.

Build quality is superb, since most of the keyboard is made of mostly aluminum.  The bottom is made of white plastic, just like the plastic found on the newer MacBooks.  The keys feel really good, with the a little heavier feedback than what’s found on Apple’s laptops.  Since this is a bluetooth keyboard, no wires are attached or included, as well as no little USB dongle.  You get the keyboard, and some documentation in the box, as you can see in the unboxing video below.  The two (included) double A batteries are in the back of the keyboard, in the tube below the function keys.  On the left is where your large screwing piece of aluminum would unscrew to revile the batteries.  The right side has the power button, which must be held to activate the keyboard.  When you turn it on, a green LED similar to LED found on the caps lock key (keyboard and MacBook Pro) illuminates letting you know that power on or power off was successful.

Pairing this work of art to your Mac (or PC!) is very easy.  In the settings pane in Mac OSX, there is a keyboard settings page.  Click on that, and click connect keyboard.  This wakes up your bluetooth, and finds the keyboard instantly.  The Mac then gives you six or so numbers to type on the keyboard to verify that it’s yours.  After this, you’re all set.  When ever bluetooth in your Mac is on, and your keyboard is on, they will automatically connect.  I use this device along with my Magic Mouse, and having both devices connected at the same time is very simple- just turn them on and wait about 3 seconds.

*There is an important firmware update for the aluminum series wireless keyboards that dramatically improves battery life when more than one USB device is connected.

Battery life this far for me seems really good.  The keyboard is pretty smart, so it senses when you’re not typing, and puts itself to sleep.  As soon as you start typing, it wakes up without loosing a beat.

Let’s talk about the bluetooth.  Apple says bluetooth goes about 30 feet.  They lied.  I left my keyboard turned on one night, by accident.  I was up in my bed, with the Mac taking care of some e-mails.  I noticed that it said “Keyboard connected” when I logged into OSX.  I have measured the distance, I was over 55 feet from the keyboard that night.  So, being the nerd that I am, I opened up a text edit window, and came down stairs.  I typed in “test” and went back up stairs.  There it was: “test” on the Mac clear as can be.

Comfort is great on this keyboard, it’s very easy to use, and I find my typing is very accurate, sense I’m used to the keyboard on the Mac, and this barely has a difference.  At the end of the day, the Apple wireless keyboard is very well built, looks great, feels terrific, and is just a great addition to any Mac.  I highly recommend the Apple Wireless Keyboard.

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First, here are the specs of my model:

Intel Pentium M750 1.86GHz L2 2MB

2GB DDR2 PC2-5300 667MHz RAM

120GB 5400RPM EIDE HDD

ATI X500 64MB 1680×1050

I’ll be upfront and honest with this one.  Windows 7 runs very well.  Period.  Aero is supported, and is perfectly smooth without any sort of choppiness or pixelization.  Windows 7 is comfortable in the 2GB suite, and usually leaves 1.5GB free.  The CPU is a little tight, but usable for sure.  Having Google Chrome open with 5 tabs, and 2 480p videos uses 35% of the single core.  Opening Microsoft Office does red-line it for a few seconds, but it drops down after the 2 seconds Microsoft Office 2010 uses to fully launch and display a blinking line.  Obviously, this after market hard drive does just fine, like a 5400RPM drive should.

So, with graphics, CPU, and RAM doing just fine, what doesn’t?  …  That’s it.  Everything just works, and works quickly.  I’m used to (as my PC) a Lenovo G550, with the twice the RAM (DDR3) more than 2 times the processing power (Core 2 Du0 2.1GHz) and the HP does pretty well.  It obviously isn’t going to outperform the Lenovo, but I would never guess this is a Pentium M machine.  I would venture my guess around a 1.66GHz Intel Core Duo T2300 series or perhaps a Pentium Dual Core 2.13GHz.  I really love the high resolution 1680×1050 display in Windows 7, and I’m going to miss this machine soon.  I say this because it is for sale right now.  I simply never use it, since I have my MacBook Pro now.  It’s a great PC, in great shape.  It has 3USB 2.0 ports, good speakers, smart card, SD, firewire, VGA, S-Video, 1394, 10/100/1000 Ethernet and even an old style serial hookup for older devices.  Bluetooth 2.0 and 802.11ABG wireless is built-in as well.

So how does Windows 7 run on a 5 year old PC?  Just like a newer budget machine or a 2 year old middle class ThinkPad.  I would not hesitate to use this as my daily driver except for the fact that the graphics aren’t powerful enough for the video work I do.  Windows rates this machine a 2.2/7.9 and I rate it a 9.5/10.

*If you’d like to purchase this machine from me, I’d be happy to talk to you.  Please contact me at jamesrschultz (@) yahoo (.) com.

In this podcast, we talk about the following:

• Zip Codes App Review
• A Nice Review Website – What Don’t They Talk About?
• Such a Creative and Funny Idea! – A Talking Orange!
• 2010 Apple Product Updates?
• TwitPic App Review
• Handango Has Issues – Sold to PocketGear
• Apple Magic Mouse Review
• MX Mayhem App Review
• Incase Neoprene Sleeve 13″ MacBook Case

As you may of noticed, I really did not write too many blog posts this week. The main reason for this would have to be that I was focusing more on the back-end (and a bit of the front-end) on Tech Cores. Improving the experience for both the writers and the viewers is key.

Visit us on iTunes here: http://bit.ly/9OlbYL

Thanks to Ronald Jenkees for the awesome music, Throwing Fire.

Anyhow, I think that Zip Codes is a good application, should you ever need to know the zip codes of a city, or what city a certain zip code is.

There are a variety of websites out there that only talk about reviews. But most of the time, these reviews are geared towards one category, like cameras, applications, motherboards, GPSes, you name it, there’s a review website specifically on such topic. But there are not a lot of websites that talk about it all. All Reviews Online, hence the name, achieves this exact thing.

Currently, as of right now, All Reviews Online talks about cell phones, digital cameras, GPS devices, laptops, general news, and even scanners. That’s not a huge range of devices to review, but hopefully in the near future, they might open their doors to applications, netbooks, games, and more.

I can see a huge potential in this reviewing site. And you know the best thing about this particular site, their reviews are very short and to the point.

I would love to read up on these guys in the future to see how they’re doing. As for now, if you have any other websites to recommend to us, give us a shot out via our contact form!

Creepy? (image borrowed from a YouTube video)

It’s not very often when we blog about something like this, in fact, it has never been done before. Not too long ago, I saw a tweet from @thecreativeone (David Di Franco), and he mentioned a really funny YouTube video.

I personally really laugh at this kind of stuff. And to my surprise, I even showed my mother one of these videos. To have my mother laugh in front of my is a huge success; it can be quite hard to get your parents to laugh.

So you might be wondering, what exactly is this? Basically, it’s quite a bit of pictures of videos put together and different YouTubers recording theirs self to turn it into this video.

What really makes this interesting is the level of editing. The mouth and eyes on every talking fruit is just amazing. This is some intense work done by someone who obviously knows what they’re doing.

You might ask, so how’s it funny? You can watch the video below to figure that out. This is just pure clean fun to watch; no harsh language, characters (they’re fruit!), or even people. It’s for sure something your parents, grandparents, friends, family, and even children will laugh at.

You might even say, “why are you even blogging about this, Taylor?” You know what, it’s time for us to do some things a little bit different and maybe… just maybe, get in a few laughs also. So just go check these guys on YouTube out. It’s some great video editing and such well put together skits.

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And of course, you can watch more videos at the link below:

http://www.youtube.com/user/realannoyingorange

So, for the next MacBook Air, I would wager that we’ll see an updated case, and updated interior components.  As far as the case goes, I would expect the black glass bezel around the screen, and the newer, larger multitouch glass trackpad, without the big button.  These would freshen up the MacBook Air, and make it more competitive and more beautiful like the MacBook Pro.  As far as connectivity, I wouldn’t be surprised if another USB port snuck onboard.  As far as any other exterior updates, and I think the microphones could move off the screen, and maybe a webcam update.

On the inside, I think we’ll see more RAM, and better processors.  As far as RAM goes, 2GB just ins’t enough for OSX.   I think that 4GB of DDR3 RAM will be implemented.  The processor could be an Intel Core i3, CULV (consumer ultra low voltage) processors, or a better Intel Core 2 Duo.  I would lean toward the better Intel Core 2 Duo, like the P8400.  The P8400 is the 2.26GHz L2 3MB 1066MHz FSB processor found on new MacBooks and low end 13 inch MacBook Pros.  It’s a good processor, and would update the 1.86 and 2.13GHz models available today.  For the hard disk, we might see a 160GB SSD and a 160 or 250GB 5400RPM SATA drive replace the 120GB 5400RPM SATA drive and 128GB SSD.  As far as graphics goes, I don’t think we’ll see any updates.

Now we’ll talk about the MacBook Pro.  I think that an Intel Core i5 will replace the P8400 and P8700 current options.  As far as clock and configuration goes on that i5, I don’t really know; I just think Apple wants to keep up with other manufacturers like Lenovo and Asus who are using middle i5 chips.  RAM, hard drive and graphics really don’t need a change.  If anything is done to the case or other internal components, I’d be surprised.

Grandpa Mac.  The Mac Pro.  The current Nehalem processor is now out of style.  I think Intel i7s may be used, or other Xeon based chips.  RAM doesn’t need to be changed, I think 32GB is more than enough.  For hard drives, I think that 1TB will be standard, with 2TB optional per bay.  Other updates, maybe graphics.  I’m not a huge fan of the Mac Pro, but this is what I would speculate.

In short, it’s good to see Apple is keeping up their products to the latest technology and performance, and as the recent proud owner of a 13 inch MacBook Pro 2.53GHz, I don’t feel the urge to upgrade.  I feel, through experience, that the Core 2 Duo to i5 is like the Intel Core Duo to the Core 2 Duo.  Sure there is a difference, but it’s not like Pentium M to Core 2 Duo.  The Core Duo I have used is a T2500 (2 cores at 2GHz) and the Core 2 Duo I compared it with was a T6500 (2 cores at 2.1GHz.)  I could tell a difference, but I didn’t have to empty my shorts like I did after using the 2.53GHz 3MB L2 1066MHz bus MacBook Pro.

Thanks to your image source (MacBook Pro).

source (Intel i5).

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The first game I’ve ever bought for the Windows Mobile (back then called Pocket PC) was Snails! by PDAmill. This was from Handango back in around 2003. And you might not of believe this, but if I’ve never bought that game, I wouldn’t of known a lot of the people I know today. And one of those good people is one of my very good friends via the internet!

But back to the story. Handango was always seeming to try to do things more for their customers. Probably not too long ago, a year or so, they totally re-designed their website. Their website before this re-design, the website was honestly, not very well done. So that was one of the first things they tried to do to get people back.

Then one of the second things I started seeing was intensive advertising of their website everywhere. I started seeing more and more ads from them on websites that talked about mobile content so often, that I was bored of the ads.

After this point, Handango really started to go under. Even when the first came out, they had a system called “Download Insurance”, where you basically have to pay an extra fee to re-download your application. This was one of the main reasons why people stopped using Handango. If they never of done that, they might of been fine and this would of never of happened.

Because of all of this, PocketGear, which is a very successful mobile application carrier, bought out Handango. Who knows what they’re going to do with Handango, but from what I hope, I’m wishing to see Handango a lot more usable than before.

Besides, we have the Windows Mobile Marketplace now; all of these vendors are really getting useless now to be honest. In the end, I wonder what PocketGear will do to Handango. There is one thing that’s certain, they will make it a better place…

Source: Engadget

Style.  The Magic Mouse is very sleek looking, it doesn’t even look like a mouse.  It’s low, thin, and has no visible buttons.  The bottom is aluminum, and very futuristic looking.  All you’ll find on the bottom is an on/off toggle, laser, Apple symbol, and battery latch.  This mouse uses two AA batteries, which are easily removed.  The top is white, and offers nearly the same finish as the current MacBook.  The Apple logo is found on the front too, in grey, which looks very nice.  So, looks wise, the Magic Mouse is a work of art.

Function.  The Mighty Mouse could click, right click, and scroll.  Period.  The Magic mouse can do all of that, and navigate around web pages and Finder/Explorer windows.  Since the top of the whole mouse is touch sensitive, you can swipe two fingers left or right to navigate, and swipe one or two fingers up or down to scroll in pages and documents.  Scrolling is very slick and easy.  Right clicking is down by lifting up the left finger, and clicking on the right side of the mouse, just as it has been on previous Apple mice.  Obviously, left clicking can be done by clicking anywhere on the mouse with any fingers.  Unfortunately, tapping doesn’t work to click, you must actually press the mouse down.  So, with scrolling and clicking being perfect, how does tracking work?  Since this mouse is Bluetooth, and doesn’t require an extra USB dongle, tracking had kind of worried me.  But, I was wrong.  Tracking on the Apple Magic Mouse was just as good or better than tracking on the Logitech Performance MX, which retails about $30 dollars more.  Not only is it spot on accurate, but the range is excellent.  It does just as well as the Performance MX.  As far as different surfaces, it does a good job, but can easily be beaten on glass or carpet by the Performance MX, since it uses darkfield technology.  However, the Magic Mouse doesn’t have any trouble on plastic or wood.   I would deem the Magic Mouse’s performance very good, leaving only the surfaces of which it operates on to be improved.

Usability.  I am currently using the Magic Mouse on my Lenovo ThinkPad Z61t, running Windows 7 Ultimate.  I just have a RocketFish Bluetooth adapter plugged in, and I connected the mouse to that without any need for drivers.  In OSX, I just turned on Bluetooth in my 13″ MacBook Pro, and OSX connected it for me.  Although scrolling and touch sensitivity doesn’t work in Windows, tracking still works fine.  In system preferences in OSX, there are a lot of settings that can be changed, as seen bellow.

Comfort.  I was worried about this being uncomfortable, since the Mighty Mouse wasn’t very comfortable either, and this is thinner yet.  Compared to the S class of mice, the Logitech Performance MX, the little C class, or Magic Mouse, is not very comfortable.  However, it didn’t bother me at all once I got used to it.  Your hand just doesn’t stay as arched.  I’ve used this work of art for over 4 hours straight, and I could have easily done twice that.  It’s just a slightly different handling experience than what’s found on most other mice.

Does it pass my inspection?  For sure.  I use the Logitech Performance MX mouse daily, and it is far more comfortable, but the Magic Mouse is just cool, and I really love the scrolling features.  It looks awesome, tracks great, and is a perfect small, light, good performing mouse to use where-ever.

Thanks to our image source.

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To break it down you are a Motocross racer, racing across three tracks : Bear island, Lost island, Wild island. Each of them get harder as the stage goes on.

You are able to to back filps, front filps, nose dives and a lot more tricks.

Every time you fall off the bike 1 second will be added on to your time, the more you fall the more time will be added on.

Gradually you pick up the controls, you can adjust the tilt sensitivity so that you are able to get the right feel from the device whether it is an iPod touch, iPhone or even an iPad. I am sure you will like this app.

Now to the price $0.99/ £0.59 so it is a reasonable price and updates to tracks are always coming out!

Be sure to get more details on this case in Apple’s Store!

• Better Late Than Never: My Personal Kindle 2 Review
• Carriers and Apple Set Caps on the Download Limit
• Apple Remote Review
• Finder In-Depth Review
• Some Good iPhone/iPod Touch Applications
• ITC to investigate Blackberry and iPhone makers
• Microsoft-Yahoo Search Deal Approved
• What is Mac OSX Missing vs Windows 7?
• Google Buzz ‘breaks privacy laws’ says watchdog
• PC vs Mac: Education and Business World
• Windows Phone 7 Series – It’s About Time, Microsoft!
• So What Makes an app a Bestseller?
• What can Tech Cores Blog Posts be About?

As anticipated, we were planning on Ryan being on the show. But apparently, he’s not trying that hard. We’ll have a talk with him to make sure it’ll happen soon.

Visit us on iTunes here: http://bit.ly/9OlbYL

Thanks to Ronald Jenkees for the awesome music, Outer Space.

The Kindle 2. 'Nuff said.

I’ve been using my Kindle 2 for the past 2 months (thanks to my wife for giving me one as a Christmas gift!) and being a bookworm and a gadget freak, it has now become an essential part of my daily gadget usage. I used to bring books whenever I travel, and having all my books in one nifty device indeed makes a huge difference. Though I know that the Kindle 2 has probably been reviewed a thousand times on the web, please allow me to share my personal experiences with you and outline the things that I love most about the device.

1. The Crisp e-Ink screen. I’ve read eBooks from the “now-defunct” Palm OS device, to Pocket PCs, to PSPs and Nintendo DS (yes you can!) and I must admit, nothing beats reading from an e-Ink screen! The screen is so crisp and light to the eyes that after a few seconds, you tend to forget that you’re reading a book on an electronic device. The “experience” was akin to reading on an actual book!

2. Long battery life. My Kindle 2 lasted for 2 weeks and 5 days without charging and with the wireless signal turned off. The last electronic device I had that lasted that long was my Gameboy Advance running on 4 AA batteries. It is clear that Amazon did a great job on integrating that e-Ink screen with the rest of the hardware.

3. Solid and sturdy shell. I have great admiration for companies who spend a lot on quality and Amazon recently made it to my top list (together with Apple and Nintendo) because of the Kindle 2’s solid design and sturdy construction. The device is so slim, at about 1/3 of an inch and lightweight–at approximately 10 ounces. I still suggest getting the Amazon leather case to protect the soft e-Ink screen though.

4. Adjustable fontsize. Ever bought a physical book only to find out that the fontsize is too small and hard to read? The built-in Kindle software allows you to tweak any book’s fontsize on the fly, which is especially great for older people (like me).

5. Over-the-air eBook delivery. Nothing beats having access to thousands of books (over 420,000 as Amazon claims) anywhere you go and anytime you want it! I haven’t been to our local bookstore since I got my Kindle and I don’t see myself going to local bookstores anymore. Amazon’s Whispernet does a great job of allowing Kindle users to browse the Kindle store straight from the device and download eBooks on the fly without the need for a computer.

6. Out of the box experience. As you may have guessed it, the Kindle 2 works as soon as you remove it from its box. The user-friendly on-screen instructions make sure that nothing goes wrong, from charging the device, to reading your first Kindle book. Amazon did a good job guiding Kindle customers through the setup process and made sure that registering an account is a breeze.

7. Internet on-the-go. The Kindle 2 actually has its own built-in browser and allows you to surf your favorite websites at no cost, yes you got it right–no monthly fees! I had to pay roughly US$25 per month to have unlimited internet access from my mobile phone and I get that FREE with my Kindle! My only issue with the device is that there are still some deadspots from where I live. I think it’ll take some time for Amazon to completely roll-out across Asia.

8. Huge memory for eBooks. The Kindle 2’s 2GB internal memory allows the user to store up to 1,500 digital books and bring it anywhere. If it supported external memory cards, that would be a huge plus but 1,500 books is already too much for me. I’ve also been saving a lot of space on my shelf since I got my Kindle 2.

9. Text-to-speech. Some eBooks purchased from the Kindle store allows you to have the device actually read the book out loud to you. Connect a surround speaker or a pair of noise-cancelling earphones and you’re good to go!

10. Free book samples. Remember when you used to visit your local bookstore and scan a few pages of a book before you actually purchase it? You can do that on the Kindle via Whispernet too. Whispernet is Amazon’s global wireless service. It allows you to download a sample of a book from their Kindle Store and read the first chapter before making a purchase.

11. Native PDF support. Yes, the Kindle can display PDF documents natively. If you have a couple of Acrobat documents (who doesn’t?) that you want to bring anywhere, there’s no stopping you.

Overall, I was immensely satisfied with the Kindle 2. It suits its purpose very well and does it brilliantly! Of course, no electronic device is perfect–even the Kindle 2 has its own set of drawbacks and limitations but I’ll write about that in another article. For now, if you are a book lover and enjoy reading so much, I highly recommend getting one! The price maybe steep at first but you’ll soon realize after weeks of using it that the investment is definitely worth it.
Oh, and I didn’t bother taking pictures because you can literally find tons from Google. Happy reading!

Apple recently (and more specifically, AT&T) set a cap around Monday, or early this week; this cap ended up being a 20MB download cap. Now when you think about it, downloading 20MB over the air is quite a bit.

But I wonder one thing. Will this cap also be used for individual smaller files. If I were to download 20MB in separate files at one time, would they still set the cap?

As of right now, I just hope this will not be moving over to their plans that use their 3G networks cards, like in netbooks/laptops. If the same cap came to those devices, I can see a lot of trouble coming up soon.

What do you think of this cap AT&T put on? Will it affect you and your download habits via the air?