Networking Fiend

I moved into a new place in May.  It is a new building and every apartment is wired with CAT5e ethernet [rather than phone lines].  The builder put in telecom routers.  Despite my best efforts, speaking with the ethernet subcontractor and a number of electricians, I could not set up a network. What did I do?

I took down their telecom routers, I cut and crimped my own ethernet wires and then hooked them up to one of the three wireless routers I have in the apt.  I now have a beautifully fast ethernet network (30Mbps down and 2Mbps up).

As one would imagine is required with a good network, here is what I have hooked up to it:

1. Xbox 360

2. Tivo HD (and now have Tivo Connect setup with my network so that I can view my photos and listen to my mp3s).

3. Vonage

4. Wii (using my Tivo’s wireless G network card — I did not think it would work but it did, right away).

5. Old laptop computer, which is hooked up to the TV via S-video (doesnt look great but I am working on that) and using wireless keyboard/mouse.

6. Two other computers hooked up wirelessly.

Phew…

What happens when Apple is no longer cool?

With the launch of the new iPhone rapibly approaching, a thought has popped into my head — what happens to Apple when they are no longer as cool or counter-culture as they used to be?  Will its legions of hardcore fans, the ones who stuck by Apple through all of those tough years (and the new people who are joining the train now), want to continue to eat every scrap Apple throws their way without complaint?

People are lining up throughout the world to be the first to get their hands on the new iPhone.  From everything I have read, it is a great phone but if you already have an iPhone version 1, version 2 isnt so much better.  The most important part of this launch is the App Store and that is available on iPhone 1, as well as 2. Why are people lining up?  Why so much hype (in every newspaper in the world)?  Because it is Apple.  What happens when they stop being the golden Apple?

I loved my Apple when it was only one of a few around town.  I was part of the Apple crew and I bonded with people over my Mac.  Sure, it is a great computer with great software but it stood out because it was an Apple.  Heck, just today someone asked me questions about it and whether they should buy one.  This person came to me because he saw I had a Mac.  I can’t imagine someone doing the same if I was using a Dell.  My problem was this — I didn’t want to tell him to buy a Mac.  I wanted to say, “no, dont buy a Mac.”  I didn’t want the people not already in the Apple group to join.  I wanted my Mac to be exclusive.

Apple no longer is exclusive.  It has gone mainstream.  I still love my Mac but it is no longer the same sort of love and devotion that I used to have for it.  “Everyone” has a Mac.  It simply is not special.  Will this hurt or help Apple’s business?  What happens when Apple’s every move is not as closely tracked and people don’t care.  I don’t see people lining up for any other product launches (except video game systems and that only happens once every five or so years).

Too many apples too much of the time makes one sick of Apples.

Why Dell, HP and the other PC manufacturers are scared

In the past week, there have been a slew of articles discussing the huge growth in Apple’s share of the overall computer market.  One article discussed how nearly 8% of computers now in use are Apples, which is a nearly 32% jump in a year and another article here.  Apple’s notebook sales jumped 61% in a year.  Another article discussed how 14% of all new computers sold are Apple (cant find the link).

To add to this growth, a number of articles have discussed the iPhone halo effect (similar to the iPod halo effect).  The big difference this time around — the iPhone does much more and is a more important part of people’s live than any iPod ever was.  If you use and iPhone and love it, buying a Mac running on similar software makes sense.  Check out some discussions/articles, here, and here.  Apple has seen a dramatic rise in sales of Macs but the interest in the iPhone far dwarfs that of Macs.   Add the halo effect plus an unprecedented level of interest in the iPhone and you have huge potential Mac growth.

Of course none of this would be possible without the help of Microsoft.  Vista’s growth is huge but it started from zeo and is in the range of 250% growth year or year.  However, that growth happens because people are not nearly as willing to switch to a new computer OS as they are to make the move from a regular cell phone to a smartphone.  A computer is already an integral part of people’s lives and they are rightfully scared of making any big changes (especially when most folks fear computers and any minor computer change).  Making the move to a smartphone is less frightening than moving to a new computer system.

Vista, as anyone who has tried it knows, is not the revolution that Microsoft promised.  It is, at best, adequate.  Whenever I turn on parallels or bootcamp, I cringe in fear of something freezing.  Components still do not work and drivers are not out.  Vista forced me to return to Apple after a near 10 year separation and anecdotal evidence shows that it is making many people do the same.

However, to return to the title of this post, Dell, HP and the other PC manufacturers are scared.  Apple sales are growing and, with the iPhone effect + Vista, they are likely to continue to grow for the foreseeable future (Windows 7.0 might change this but it is too far away to discuss here).

Why are they scared?  Apple has one thing that those PC manufacturers do not and that they can never reproduce — Apple’s OS Leopard.  Dell, HP and the others can build the best computers in the world but Apple will not allow them to run Leopard on those machines.  Those machines are stuck with Vista (or XP).  As the iPhone, Leopard & Vista have shown, people are drawn to stable software on quality hardware.  Apple has both of these things while Dell and the others only have one.  Apple’s growth can continue unabated while Dell and the other PC guys will decline and they do nothing to stop it. With an enterprise based iPhone coming down the pipe, a less virus prone & crash prone OS, and with consumers snapping up Apple’s for their homes, company’s are going to start to make the switch (as they already have).  When this switch begins to happen in full, Apple will begin to hit at the jugular of PC/Vista sales.

The PC manufacturers are tied to a now sinking (or at least leaking) ship of Vista.  If I were them, I would be scared…

Surfing the web from the couch

Have you ever found yourself wanting to join the family in the living room but you can’t because you are tied to your office computer?  

If your answer is “yes,” then you have two solutions: 1. use your laptop.  Unfortunately, they get hot.  2. Setup an all-in-one computer, such as the iMac, on your living room coffee table.  

I moved last week and during the move, I became one computer richer as I now have access to my fiance’s 20 inch iMac.  As we only have one desk with room for one computer (mine right now), we needed a place for her iMac.  The only other flat surface with easy access to an outlet was the coffee table.  

Boy am I ever glad we don’t have a second desk.  I love this setup (unfortunately, she is not so happy with the “look.”).  With a wireless keyboard/mouse and a lower resolution (to enlarge the font), I can sit on a comfortable couch and surf the web/email/blog with abandon (and save my back from desk chairs).  

As an added bonus, minus hooking up a computer to a TV, this is an ideal way to watch all of your favorite web videos from Hulu/youTube, and could negate one spending money on an Apple TV/Netflix Roku box or something similar.

For those with families and whose lives center on the living room, this setup is even better (so long as you can secure the power cord).  If you spend a lot of time in an office but still need to go online when home, this is a great way to do it.

Making a DVR

About three months ago, I became fed up with always missing the two programs I like to watch (PTI and Battlestar Galactica).  However, I did not want to pay Comcast $10/month (or so) for a DVR plus an upgrade to digital cable.  Buying a Tivo was out of the question as it is expensive and, once again, no digital cable.  What is one to do?

Well, if you have a decent old computer sitting around plus about $50-100, you can make yourself a DVR.  When I bought my Macbook Pro, my old ABS laptop suddenly became obsolete.  However, I have a penchant for buying fast computers and my old laptop was still very functional (albeit greatly slowed thanks to Vista).  I found a TV Tuner at NewEgg and went from there.

You can connect a computer (plus TV Tuner) to a TV at least two ways (depending on your computer’s outputs): 1. through S-video plus headphone jack or 2. through an Xbox 360/media center.  Since I have an Xbox 360, #2 was my route of choice.

A Vista/XP computer can connect to a computer (that is anywhere in the house) through a network.  Turn on Windows Media Center and select the same within your Xbox dashboard and viola, you should be connected.

However, there are a few drawbacks to this interface such as an inability to see the computer’s desktop if you prefer, say, YouTube videos to regular TV.  Now that I have moved and have access to my fiance’s 42 inch plasma, I am going to start using S-video plus a wireless keyboard/mouse.  When I do that, I will be able stop typing to you on this relatively puny 15 inch screen and hot laptop.  I hope it works as well as I imagine.

p.s. A few weeks after I set up my own DVR, my fiance informed me that her parents and her bought me a Tivo + subscription for my birthday (review of the TV in a bit).  Looks like my DVR is moving locations…

Installing RAM on a Macbook Pro

When I bought my computer, it came with 2GB of RAM. I like speed and hate waiting for my computer to do something. More RAM = faster computer = happier Adam.

Upgrading from 2GB to 4GB of RAM, if done through Apple, costs $400. Buying more RAM on Newegg costs approximately $75 (with free 3 day shipping!). For the math challenged, that is a difference of $325.

For some, that extra $325 is worth paying. Apple installs the memory for you without any hassle or worry on your part.

I am here to tell you that you should not worry. It took me 15 minutes to install my new RAM in my Macbook Pro. 15 minutes! I bought 2 2GB DIMMs of DDR2 667mhz memory.

Here is a brief tutorial of what to do:

1. Shut down your computer

2. Turn it over

3. Take out the battery

4. Remove the three tiny screws that you see

5. Take off the metal case that was held down by those screws

6. Remove your current RAM as shown by the picture next to the RAM

7. Put in your new RAM

8. Close everything back up, replace your battery, turn on your computer. Your MBP will automatically detect the new memory.

Total time = 15 minutes.

If my brief tutorial sounds too simplistic, check out this video by Chris Pirillo:

Apple tablet computer and/or internet tablet or cloud computer

I want an iPod Touch with a 12-14 inch screen and the width of a Macbook Air.  I want to cradle my computer in my hand or lap and read it like a book.  I don’t want to use a mouse or keyboard unless absolutely necessary.  My fingers work just fine.

The majority of my life is centered around the internet.  A powerful computer (like my Macbook Pro) is great for a few specialized tasks that really push it (which I personally enjoy doing to hardware).  However, a huge percentage (90% or more) of the time I spend sitting in front of the computer is spent online.  My email is held on some magic google server.  My news comes from websites, I can do everything with my pictures online, and I can track my friend’s lives online, and I can write documents, create spreadsheets and presentations online.  I don’t need a strong processor.

What I need is a strong internet connection.

I don’t care who makes this device (and sorry, Nokia, but your N800 does not cut it.  I have used it and it misses the mark).  I have a feeling this device will come from Apple.  The phone manufacturers couldn’t produce an iPhone and computer makers still can’t make a system that is as quiet, cool, or small as my Macbook Pro (if judged by the same techical specs).

I’m looking to the future…

iPod Touch Review – THE first generation internet tablet

I received an 8 gig iPod Touch as a present this past December.  I immediately “unlocked/cracked” it so that I could install whatever I wanted on it.

Since then, I have thoroughly enjoyed my iPod Touch but not for the reasons one might imagine.

First, three confessions: a) up until this December, I had never owned an iPod.  I refused to jump on that bandwagon.  It was my little anti-crowd protest. b) I don’t listen to much music when I am on the move.  I prefer to hear what is going on around me and revel in the sound of life.  I know that sounds corny but it is true.  I like to hear the world rather than be walled within my own little world of digital music.  c) I firmly believe in device convergence and was expecting cellphone MP3 players to work well and be the next big thing (such as my LG Muziq).  Instead they were all inelegant solutions that only made me not want to use their music features.  Then of course the 500 lb gorilla called the iPhone launched.

I have Sprint so the iPhone was not an option.  But when the Touch launched, I knew I had to have one.

Do I use it to listen to much music, no.  Do I watch many videos on it?  Rarely.  I like to read when I fly although I highly recommend Ted videos to anyone interested in learning something.

Instead, I use my iPod Touch as a an internet tablet/gateway.  I am not near a computer more often than I imagined while still within free WiFi range.  I used to go online with my phone.  It’s screen is small.  Now I go online with my Touch and I absolutely love the experience (if no computer is nearby).  It works flawlessly and fast.  It is a mini-computer with the best input device — a finger (versus mouse, etc).  Post-crack, I have a ton of other fun and interesting programs installed.

I would recommend a Touch to anyone who is not in the market for an iPhone.

What am I really waiting for?  A WiMAX enabled iPod Touch.  Then, I could go online anywhere and everywhere and I would be in heaven.  I like (and hate) being connected.

Macbook/Macbook Pro update

Damn my Mac envy. Apple just came out with new versions of the Macbook and Macbook Pro. Updated processor, graphics, HD, and multi-touch trackpad all for the same price I paid 4 months ago. At least they didn’t change the aesthetics.

I love the relentless march of technology. Niiiice.

Finally played with Dell’s M1330

My friend just bought a Dell XPS M1330. As follower’s of this blog know, this computer was one of my top choices to replace my old ABS. I ended up buying a Macbook Pro. I am glad that I did.

Why did I like the M1330? The computer was small and light but powerful. It had a discrete graphics card, which was a must. Also, at the time I was looking, it was slightly cheaper than a Macbook Pro. Now, it is much cheaper and a MBP. I think my friend paid around $1,200 for a system with all the trimmings. That compares to about $1,800 for a MBP with a student discount included.

If you compare the two computers based solely on hardware/price, the Dell wins. Aesthetically, it is a draw. So why am I so happy that I bought a MBP instead of the M1330? The answer is simple — my friend’s M1330 is loud, hot and it vibrates (when only running Vista and IE). My MBP is essentially silent and never shakes even when running multiple programs.

I have a pet peeve with noisy computers. There is no reason why a computer’s fan should run unless intense programs are running. The average program is not intense. HD accessing should be limited. The heat, noise, and vibration of the M1330 is probably due to both the construction/engineering inside the M1330 and the software it is running, namely Windows Vista (although note, Vista on my Mac runs with only moderate heat/HD accessing issues).

The Macbook Pro wins this battle, at least for me. Had I bought an M1330 and it ran as hot, loud, with as many vibrations as my friends’, then I would have returned it immediately.