Apple hired security prodigy Ivan Krstić. Promising News. So far, Apple has managed to stay out of the Virus quagmire. Hopefully this means they stay that way.
If I was in charge, I’d hand Ivan a laptop and just say “find a weakness, fix it, then find another.”
Several times I’ve had need of a dictionary on my iPhone but, alas, dictionary applications are unusually expensive. Yesterday I again found need for a dictionary and decided it was time to bite the bullet. I went snooping in the App Store and was surprised to find an excellent (and free) dictionary application from Dictionary.com.
I’ve only been using it a few days but I really like it. Did I mention it is free? If you’ve been waiting for a dictionary application, check this one out.
Today the Mac Power Users Episode 2 went up with the conclusion of our discussion of e-mail.
I’m really having fun with this podcast. Katie Floyd is great and we’ve been listed in iTunes as “New and Notable.” Tell your friends.
Web Worker Daily ran a very good post about some worthy habits when closing out on Friday. The fifth tip is to “reflect on the past week.” I’ve often done this after after concluding a particularly good or, more importantly, not-so-good project but never considered doing it on a weekly basis. I’m looking forward to trying it out.
image from webworkerdaily.com
Katie Floyd and I recorded 2 hours about e-mail for the Mac Power Users. We were afraid we would scare people away with such a long first episode so Katie, rather brilliantly, cut it into two pieces. So long as you can stomach my occasional incoherent rambling, there is a lot of good information. Since we are just getting started, iTunes reviews wouldn’t hurt either.
I’ve always had trouble getting on the mind mapping bandwagon. I’m sure this is partly because I am extremely comfortable in outlines and do lots of project planning in my task planning application. I think another reason, however, is the price and learning curve required by most mind mapping applications.
Recently, I started making mind maps in MindNode Pro. This OS X application is very simple and I’ve been able to constructively use it with almost no time spent “learning” the program. I know there are more feature rich mind mapping applications out there but right now I am really enjoying MindNode Pro. The $15 license fee combined with the shallow learning curve makes this one easy to try on.
I mentioned in my hackintosh article that I keep a theft/damage insurance policy on my laptop. I also discussed it on this week’s Mac Roundtable. I have received several e-mails from readers asking where I got it. I’ve used Safeware.com for several years. The policy costs $108 per year and insures my MacBook Air up to $1,800. Since I bring my laptop everywhere, it makes sense to me. Thankfully, I’ve never needed to make a claim. I can offer no opinion about their claims process but Safeware.com is the company I use.
Also, I use this policy in addition to AppleCare. As I understand it, AppleCare covers any mechanical, internal problems and the Safeware policy covers theft and accidents.
Over the weekend, I had the pleasure of participating in the Mac Roundtable #62. In it we discussed the recent quarterly reporting, hackintosh netbooks, the rumored Apple tablet, and shared our favorite picks. Mine was the Livescribe pen, that I fully intend to review in the future.
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Yes, the rumors are true. There is another Mac podcast.
One of my very favorite Mac podcasters is Katie Floyd. She is extremely bright and a commited Mac geek of the first order. We first met, in person, at MacWorld 2008. Katie and I began talking about doing a podcast together at MacWorld 2009. We both agreed, however, that there are very many outstanding podcast already and simply adding another Mac podcast is pointless unless we have something unique to say.
In talking this through, we realized that we do have a lot of knowledge about using your Mac in the trenches. I obsess on things like syncing multiple computers, the perfect e-mail workflow, and distraction free writing. I know this is a sickness. I accept that. Sadly, Katie is similarly afflicted.
So we decided to produce a podcast where, in every episode, we would focus on one particular aspect of computing and cover it thoroughly. For instance, episode 1, that will publish sometime in the next week, will focus on e-mail. In it, we will share our best practices and recommended software applications for getting the most out of your e-mail. Our commitment to our listeners will be that in every episode you will learn a few useful things that makes your daily computing a better experience. In short, we came up with the one podcast I would like to have that is not already in my feed.
Mac Power Users is not going to be about the news and rumors. To the extent we go off topic, that stuff will always go at the end so listeners can move on.
Episode zero went into the iTunes store last night and you can already subscribe on the convenient button below. We have several ideas for future shows but are also interested in ideas from the listeners. If you have any, let me know. The show will publish twice a month.
This new commitment should have no impact on the goings-on here at MacSparky. I still intend to make regular postings of tips, news, and other things I find interesting. I also intend to continue to publish the MacSparky Screencasts (which I realize has been neglected lately) and submit software and hardware reviews. I hope you enjoy the new podcast. It is a good fit. Katie is very smart and I can’t seem to get enough of listening to the sound of my own voice. It should be a hoot.
Mac Power Users Website
Mac Power Users in iTunes
This week I had the opportunity to spend a few days driving a Dell Mini 9 OS X enabled netbook. For the uninitiated, Netbooks are those tiny computers you see people pull out of their pockets in airports and places that sale lots of expensive coffee. Like the MacBook Air, these computers give up power for portability. Unlike the MacBook Air, these computers focus on small footprint over the Air’s emphasis on thin.
Anyway, although you are not supposed to be able to run OS X on one, hackers have been doing it for awhile. There are plenty of online tutorials explaining how to do this and some enterprising folks are selling them online. So I was loaned a Dell Mini 9 and gave it a try. I really did.
The netbook phenomena is all about compromises. That starts with computing power. Most of them are based on the single core Intel Atom processor. This is fine for web browsing, e-mail, and word processing, but that is about it.
Additionally the footprint is so small that the manufacturers are required to scrunch the keyboard together. In the case of the Dell Mini 9, the keyboard is quite small. Typing on it, I experienced a noticeable slow down in typing speed and accuracy hit. More importantly, after using it for 45 minutes, I felt my hands cramping. There is a reason the only person pictured typing on one of these at Dell’s site looks to be about ten years old.
The screen was equally inadequate. The backlight was nothing close to the LED screen on my MacBook Air. Likewise the screen resolution of 1024 x 600 runs out of pixels very quickly.
The build quality was also unsatisfactory. The plastic case was hardly rigid and the battery actually wiggled when I carried it.
Of course there were some good points about the Dell. It was my first experience with loading an OS from an SSD drive and I liked it. The read speeds were faster than my existing hard drive while the write speeds were a bit slower. The battery life was excellent and the variety of ports and connectors was nice.
This post ignores the question of whether it is legal to run OS X on non-Apple hardware. Apple certainly doesn’t think so. Either way, I wouldn’t be surprised if you found upgrading these OS X netbooks to include additional steps and headaches.
Steve Jobs explained that Apple hasn’t entered the netbook space because it refuses to make a computer that is “a piece of junk.” Honestly, that was my impression of the Dell Mini 9. The small keyboard and screen got in the way of any productive computing. It isn’t that much more money to just buy the low end MacBook or, if your budget is tight, a used MacBook. If you’ve already got a nice MacBook, I’d suggest that rather than buying an inadequate netbook, getting a theft and damage insurance policy on your existing Mac so you aren’t so afraid to carry it around. I have one on my MacBook Air that costs me $100 a year and gets me a full replacement in the event of a catastrphe.
For the record, I get the point of netbooks. I understand they are not supposed to be the best computers. They are just supposed to be cheap and small and (for lack of a better term) disposable. I also get that it is entirely unfair to compare a Dell Mini 9 to an Apple laptop that is (at least) twice the cost. I know several Mac geeks and road warrior types who love their netbooks but in the end, I want no part of it. I think Apple will eventually get into the space but from an entirely different angle. Hopefully a tablet with a bluetooth keyboard. We’ll see.