Top Mac Programs

This post goes out to my long lost Indian friend Azeem “the dream” Zainulbhai.  Come back to the US sometime soon!

When I last saw Zeemer, he had finally taken my advice and bought a Mac.  He said, “Adam, now that I have a Mac, you have to tell me your top 10 programs that I need to download.”

Side note to my application choices: I don’t like to spend a lot of money on programs.  There is too much great free choice out there.  With that said, I never steal or download illegal programs.  If it can’t be had for free, then I either pay or do without.

Without further ado:

1. Firefox – I go back and forth on this.  My previous posts showed a newfound love of Safari.  Safari never saved my open webpages, didnt work well with Feedly, had an annoying bookmark manager, didnt work with all the sites I tried, and does not have many ad-0ns (come on, Apple, get with the program — isnt the iPhone App store one of the strongest points about the iPhone?  Couldn’t the same be true for Safari?).  With Firefox 3.0, the processor overuse extra heat (and subsequent) fan annoyances are drastically reduced.  Firefox 3.0 seems to be nearly on par with Safari for processor/memory use.  I dont care about speed so much as I care about heat and noisy fans (no desk means very hot legs with a computer on them).

2. 1Password – for a person who lives much of his computer life online (and cares about security), remembering all my passwords becomes a challenge.  1Password remembers my passwords and is secure.  A lot of other people have recommended this program.  I held back.  I finally “bought” it when there was a one week special to receive a copy for free (legit deal, don’t worry).  I jumped at the chance.  For anyone reading this (and who uses more than two passwords/log in names online), get this program.  If you are lucky, 1Pw will offer the program for free again sometime this holiday season.  If not, buy it.  Worth every penny.

3. AppDelete – this used to be free but then an upgrade forced me to choose — do I pay or do I do without.  I paid.  It is worth $5.  What it does: it really deletes programs.  In a Mac, you can drag an app to the trash and most of its associated files are deleted.  However, a few lingering pieces stick around.  Over time, your computer will become filled with old random programs.  On a Mac, this is not nearly as bad as on a windows PC.  However, it does happen.  AppDelete stops it from happening (mostly).  I want to keep my computer feeling fresh and ready to go.

4. iStatpro – great way to keep track of what is going on inside your Mac.  I personally enjoy a detailed view of what is going on with various programs (and why they are overheating my computer).

5. Perian – this is the “Swiss Army Knife” of Quicktime components.  It allows Quicktime to play just about any format out there.  Until I started this Snow Leopard cleaning, I forgot that it was installed.  Then again, I have not run into any video issues for a very long time so I guess this is working.

6. Mint.com – great way to track finances.

7. Feedly.com – Makes every webpage into something you can tag, track, and share.

8. Google Reader/Gmail/Google Maps/Bing – I use these more than anything else on this list.  If you don’t know what they are, then I can’t even begin to imagine how you find this page.

9. Desktoptopia – way to keep your desktop background fresh and interesting.  This program automatically switches between hundreds of different photos they keep in their system.

10. Rapidweaver – This is a super easy way to create great looking websites.  I have minimal html skills (or none…) but I needed to create a site for my charity (www.adoptacoral.org).  I tried iWeb but quickly ran into its limitations.  I received Rapidweaver via one of those package deals (can’t remember the name now).  It took a little bit of time to learn but once I did, I was up and running pretty well.  Of course, the powers that be at my charity decided to turn over the web design duties to a pro who has time (my main job plus my life things in the past year sort of got in the way).  However, while the site was up, it was awesome (in my mind).  If you aren’t a pro web designer but don’t want to pay someone, this is a good program to use.

11. BOINC Manager – this is a program that allows you to donate your idle computer time to charity.  It essentially cuts up major jobs that need supercomputers into small pieces that can be handled by your computer.  I sometimes let it run but I also have a thing about excess heat and fan noise so this is run much less often than it should be.  Donating computer power is one of the easiest things I could do.

Random ones that are great but that I rarely use:

1. Sitesucker – great for the road warriors out there and any programs that don’t run Google gears. explain…

2. Dropbox (and its cousin my Microsoft – Sync)

3. TimesRead – Okay, I never use this one but I saw it when I was cleaning out my computer.  It is actually good.  I may start using it.

Red Rings of Death

A few weeks ago, after a little over three years, my Xbox 360 received the notorious (and well documented) three red rings of death.

Microsoft has put in place an expensive but necessary program with a three year warranty for all Xboxes with the three red rings of death problem.  For those unaware, the problem stems for an undiagnosed issue with the hardware and relates somehow to overheating.  Newer xboxes do not have the problem.  However, my Xbox was purchased within the first year of the machine being on the market.  For a long time, I worried about the issue but nothing occurred.  My friends had multiple Xboxes die on them.  I never did.  And then, in the middle of a level, boom, machine was done.

I called up Microsoft on ~December 12 and they said that my three year warranty expired on November 26, 2009.  I missed the deadline by only a few weeks.

However, to Microsoft’s credit, I asked to speak with a supervisor who promptly said that he could approve a repair despite the end of the warranty period.  The supervisor sent me a pre-paid box and my fixed Xbox returned to me a few weeks later.

Microsoft, thank you!  I was thoroughly impressed with your service.  Obviously, I would have preferred to avoid this issue but you did the right thing and kept me as a happy customer.  The customer service was top notch.

Holiday smartphone guide: Motorola Droid vs. Blackberry Bold 2 with some iPhone and Pre thrown into the mix

My good friend S, who works at a major law firm, wrote me a few days ago asking an age old question: buy the Motorola Droid or go with the tried and true Blackberry platform on their new, slick BlackBerry Bold 2.  My friend had no idea the puddle he was jumping into when he asked me that question…

If you do not want to read the whole post, here is a summary (I would also check out Mobile Crunch’s phone gift guide here):

Best network (in order of quality): Verizon, Sprint, AT&T, T-Mobile

Best smartphone option on each: Verizon = Droid, Sprint = Pre, ATT = iPhone, T-Mobile = Bold 2

Best choice for consumers: Droid or Pre

Best choice for business (but just barely now): Blackberry on any of the networks

Best choice for cost: Pre or anything else on Sprint.

The email(s)

Below is an edited version of our email conversation.  I hope this helps anyone out there who is asking themselves – what smartphone should I buy this holiday season.

S asks: my plan is up for renewal and I am thinking seriously about moving from T-mobile to VZ to use the Droid [editor’s note: VZ and Moto, those weird ads are reaching people, nice].  I know you work in the industry and pay attention to this stuff, do you have thoughts on the matter?

Me:  I do have thoughts on the matter, in fact!  I love phones way too much and hate the fact that my co makes it difficult to use other phones [with service that they pay for at least]. [editor’s note: my company provides me with a global data plan and phone.  The only requirement: I have to use a BlackBerry].

S, to start off any decision, you have to ask yourself this question: is the service more important or is the phone?

If service is more important, than I would go with Verizon (or, to be honest, Sprint).  I know of too many people with issues/dropped calls on ATT.  I never experience any on Verizon and very few on Sprint.  I can’t speak for Tmobile but since you have it already, you can judge that service for yourself.  Note: VZ used to have an edge in DC with the metro but now all the platforms have service on all the carriers (VZ is still the only one with service in the tunnels, I believe).

If service is not as important, then it is a device decision.  You need to ask this: what is my main phone use?  If you main use is for work, then a Black Berry is still better (although only barely at this point if your company supports non-berry email devices).  If your main use is personal emails, then the sky is the limit.

This holiday season is filled with awesome devices.  To your specific question: Droid vs Bold II.  I tested the Droid this weekend.  In short, it is an awesome device but the physical keyboard is terrible.  However, the on-screen keyboard is as good, if not better, than the iPhone.  If a software keyboard does not bother you and [your law firm] supports non-BlackBerry email devices, the Droid is a great way to go.  The GPS/Google Maps is awesome.  There are a ton of apps (best non-iphone number of apps).  One bad thing: it is a bit buggy right now and not super intuitive all the time but a) Google is constantly innovating and updating their software, b) less intuitive only because there are so many options and things you can do (vs Blackberry). [editor’s note: I hate the fact that my Blackberry seems like such a controlled device.  However, I am a geek who loves to install and test out different apps.  The average user appreciates how stable and difficult to mess-up the Berry platform is for users].

The Bold II, from everything I have read, is going to be the best BlackBerry out there this holiday season.  Of course, it is still a Blackberry.  Minus their email/calendar functionality, I basically hate all things made by RIM.  I think they try to put in just the minimum to make it work and know they have a captive audience [ie lazy Corporate IT staffs].  All Blackberry’s are chronically short in memory (for use with apps), their software is extremely outdated even with a fancy new software skin, and their browser is terrible.  Finally, their app store is small.  With all of that said, the hardware [of the Bold 2] looks good, is probably rock solid (i.e. hard to break), and the software just works (of course, it can only do maybe 50% of what the Droid can do).

So what are your priorities?  Truthfully, this is a very difficult call.  I probably lean slightly towards the Droid but only slightly.  Blackberry is still probably much better for work.  [Editor’s note: while I do use my Berry a lot for work and it is an important productivity tool, I also use it for personal things.  An ideal phone should be able to do both.  The average user should ask themselves – what % of my time do I do work with my phone and what % is personal.  If it is more personal, then you have no reason to buy a Berry].

Adding the iPhone and Pre to the discussion

S replied and I brought up other options (since this holiday is filled with them):

Since you only asked about VZ/Tmob, I kept the discussion to those phones.  With that said, if you care about price, my favorite phone from a functional/looks standpoint is the Palm Pre.  It has the best hardware design out there this holiday.  Supposedly the hardware keyboard is okay (better than Droid).  Apps are weak but probably not too far behind Berry.  I happen to think Sprint’s network is really good (a lot of ppl have left so they have extra capacity).  My friend who is a lawyer for Sprint absolutely loves his Pre.  He writes a lot of emails on his phone so he obviously doesn’t mind it from a corporate perspective.

If you do not mind a non-keyboard phone on a terrible network [i.e. AT&T] but with an app for everything, then the iPhone is still king of the hill.  I happen to think that Apps are a bit overrated once you hit a certain number but that is a discussion for another time.  The iPhone is a beautiful piece of hardware with great underlying software.  Of course, it is also owned by nearly everyone.  Think different!  (check out this iPhone vs droid battle, here)

Editor’s side note on Apple and iPhone apps: If the phone can do 95% of the same things as the other phone but has better key metrics (such as the network, hardware, and core software) then will a larger app catalogue really make the difference (since every app store will have all the major programs)?  Ex: Apple computer software (i.e. Leopard) vs. Windows.  Windows likely has millions more apps than Apple yet many people still prefer to buy a Mac.

S’s response (we are taking this offline and going to lunch to continue the discussion):

The long email is definitely appreciated.  I also spend way too much time thinking about phones (probably spent 10 hours in the last few weeks reading up now that I am out of contract).  And what you are saying jives with what I’m generally reading/thinking.  My thought right now is that I’m going to wait for the December 11 software update for the Droid to see whether they fix the fact that you can’t search Exchange Sync emails (and hopefully a few of the other bugs I’m reading about).  Unfortunately, not being able to do that is a non-starter for me since it’s so important for work.  If they do fix that, I’m leaning towards the Droid.  The Google Navigator looks awesome and I generally think Android is a more fun platform if not more functional from a work perspective.  I may also wait to see what this new HTC Android phone due out in December ends up being.  I really wanted to get something new as soon as I went out of contract, but it seems like giving it another month to let the holiday roll outs play out is a good idea.

 

Happy anniversary Dreamcast

10 years ago today, one of the best game systems of all time launched — Dreamcast.

I was at the midnight launch in Montgomery mall.  The next day, I left for my senior year of high school.

Dreamcast with Soul Caliber and NFL 2k made senior year at boarding school go much more fun (only allowed a TV during your senior year).  No one could beat me at NFL 2k and few could beat me at Soul Caliber.

Once I reached college and the Xbox and Halo launched, I was never that good again (but LAN Halo 1 on your sophomore dorm hall is easily one of the best experiences a person could have).

Who remembers Next Generation Magazine?  I have almost every copy ever made.  I loved it.  It covered the Dreamcast extensively.  Dreamcast was the first and the last system I stood in line to buy.  I still own my DC today and toy with the idea (if I ever could find the time) of setting it back up). Great times.

Happy anniversary Dreamcast.

Licensing Apple’s Leopard OS

In my previous post, I discussed why PC manufacturers are scared of Apple.  Here, I want to discuss whether Apple will ever again test the licensing waters (and if they should).

About fifteen years ago, Apple licensed its OS to 3rd party PC manufacturers.  I bought one of those machines.  It was great and cheaper than a comparable Apple Mac.  Licensing was the key to Microsofts rise.  Build an OS and let everyone else market and sell it.  Brilliant!  Apple, a little too late, decided to play copycat and failed.  The 3rd party manufacturers grew at a fairly fast pace.  However, they stole market share from Apple rather than from the PC manufacturers.  Licensing fees couldn’t make up the difference in lost revenue from sales of Apple’s own hardware.  Licensing was killed.

But oh times have changed — Leopard rocks in comparison to Vista.  The iPhone is the hot new smartphone.  Hardware is cheap and ubiquitous and the age of software commeth.

If Apple decided to license Leopard, I believe PC manufacturers would quickly line up and would agree, a la AT&T, to any of Apple’s onerous requests (such as an approval of every hardware design that was created to use Leopard).

What would licensing bring Apple?  It would add millions of dollars in secondary marketing.  The Dell and HP magazines that I receive in the mail would feature their Apple OS designed computers front and center as would ads in magazines, on TV, and throughout the web.  Also, these companies have entre into large corporations that Apple simply does not (although it is beginning to build those relationships).  There is the potential for a huge increase in sales of Apple’s OS.

What is the downside?  Licensing could bring the same problems that Apple faced fifteen years ago — 3rd party manufacturers would just eat into Apple’s slice of the pie rather than taking from Microsofts’.  Also, Apple would lose some of the control that makes Leopard so wonderful.  In its current form, it works wondefully but part of that wonder comes from the fact that it only runs on a few Apple controlled machines.  Apple can optimize the OS for its computers.  Licensing would loosen that control potentially destroying some of Leopard’s benefits.  Vista, by its very nature as the default OS on every non-Apple computer on the planet, must run on thousands of different hardware platforms and therefore can never be as good as Apple.  Vista has to do too many things.  If Apple licenses Leopard, it could run into the same problems.

What will Apple do?  I doubt Apple will license Leopard or any future OS.  It is doing too well and is too busy to care about licensing.  If its business ever reaches the point when they think they need to license to grow and create revenue, then it is likely a point when they shouldn’t even think about making such a move (see 1996).  They are strong and they do not need it and there is no reason to help out their competitors (i.e. Dell, HP, and others) even if they receive tangible secondary benefits by doing so.

Remember, Apple is different than Microsoft in that Microsoft does not offer their own hardware platform and therefore have nothing to lose and everything to gain by licensing.  Apple has a lot to lose and little to gain, which makes any licensing of Leopard unlikely at best — oh, Steve Jobs loves control!

Happy post-4th of July!

Where I’ve been

My last post was a month ago. I am not a serial blogger but that is too long. While I do not believe in excuses, here are a few: 1. bought a condo, 2. finals, 3. graduate, 4. move to DC.

In between unpacking sessions, I plan on writing some new posts. However, things may become really slow this summer as I study for the Bar.

Time to write…

A lot is coming

I have a lot of topics that need some blog time. Here are a few that are coming — whenever I find the time between Bschool/law school/bar app/and graduation…

1. My journey into “Parallels” usage (i.e. installing and then running Parallels for the Mac). Plus, one of these days installing Ubuntu.

2. Windows Media Center & Computing on your TV — a review, very basic how-to, and some Cogitatus’ thoughts.

3. Mac vs. PC – I think I have used my Mac long enough to begin to have a decent idea of why I like one versus the other.

4. iPod Touch.

5. Sprint + Google + Cable Companies + Intel + my mother = WiMAX nivana?! Check this article, among others.

6. Social directories.

7. Contract making websites (such as Agree2)– the doom of low-level lawyers everywhere?

8. Cricket Wireless’ $35 unlimited data plan — the slippery slope becomes steeper.

9. Netflix streaming movies to Xbox Live — it’s about time [that Microsoft did something to take the Xbox Live service to the next step].

10. The sad split of Motorola’s handset business from the rest of the company. This is a business failure of gargantuan proportions (from a management perspective). How could this happen? You had the Razor. Also to note, the provocative letter from a Moto insider — Numair Faraz. Go him!

Phew…that is it as of right now.

~Cogi

Copyrights & Larry Lessig

TED talks are great. I am glad they made them available to the public — lucky us. I highly recommend watching them.

One of the more interesting ones that was just released is Larry Lessig, the veritable Internet/media law professor. I recommend watching the whole video (it is only 18 minutes long). However, if you are short on time, start watching at about the half-way mark.

His point is pretty simple – don’t steal content but we should all should be allowed to re-mix. My generation will create new “amateur” content but due to the restrictions placed on copyrights by the big media companies, we are all turning into law-breaking citizens with a disregard for the law. That is not good for us, for society or for the world.

Happy watching…

UPDATE: Sumner Redstone (all of 84) disagrees (here).  Too bad he probably won’t be around to see what happens when a generation used to buying CDs ages and is replaced by a generation raised on file-sharing and “illegal” mashups.