I’ve always been a naysayer when it came to putting a case on my phone. The iPhones are such a nice piece of hardware I hated what cases did to the form factor. However when apple decided they needed to give us cases so we could actually make phone calls I figured I’d use one. I choose the incase model they were giving away because it seemed the least intrusive. Today I’m very glad I did. Being the klutz that I am I dropped my phone on a slate floor. The case totally cracked, but the phone was fine.
Buying a new case will be a lot cheaper than buying a new phone. Thanks Apple.
Tomorrow is the keynote at Macworld, but knowing Steve won’t be there it just doesn’t seem the same. So in honor of Stevenote’s gone by here’s a great post at MacLife highlighting some of the best keynote moments.
It’s that time of year again. Software bundles are going to be everywhere. Some are worth skipping, but this is a good one. The folks at MacUpdate have put together a great deal for $49.99. It includes Drive Genius and it’s worth it just for that. Be sure to check it out:
As promised Apple released updates to their Macbook and Macbook Pro lines. They were a little more than updates, they are completely redesigned. I was hoping for a price drop, but I guess that was wishful thinking. They really do look great, I’ll just have to decide if it’s worth the expense to replace my aging 12in Powerbook. I’m a little sad they dropped the firewire port from the Macbook, it makes it a little less desirable for me.
Check them out:
If you want to watch the event, apple has posted it on their site: HERE
I know this isn’t one of those exciting topics. Listening to people talk about backing up your data is about exciting as listening to your mom tell you to eat your vegetables, but recently I was reminded about how important it is.
My wife had planned a night out to go scrap-booking with one of her friends, and really wanted to work on our sons baby book (he’s 4 now, so we are a little behind here). It was my job show her where I keep the pictures on the computer so she could upload them to Costco to get printed. Problem, the folder with the pictures from the month my son was born had disappeared. No problem I thought, just go to my backup. Now where are those back-up disks I made so long. Not in my desk…not in our fire-safe…not in the box of random disks I cleaned out of my desk because I didn’t have room. My heart sank, I couldn’t believe that I lost those pictures. This really made me evaluate my backup strategy.
So what did I come up with to make sure this didn’t happen again?
Time Machine – I’m a Mac user, so luckily I have this as an option. I picked up a cheap external drive plugged it in and told it what I wanted to back-up. It does it automatically, and I don’t have to worry about it. Recently I’ve heard of some people saying their time machine backups hadn’t ran in a while, so if you’re using Time Machine just watch the date of your last backup from time to time to make sure it’s running. PC users, don’t have this built in, but many of the external drives now come with backup software that work similarly. So that may be a good solution.
Mozy – Time Machine works great, until your house burns down or your external drive dies (this happens more often that you think) so it’s always good to have a backup that not at the same place as your computer. Think of it as a backup for your backup. I’ve chosen to use Mozy for this. It’s a great solution in the “cloud” (meaning you backup across the Internet to Mozy’s servers). Their software works great, and you set it up and it runs automatically. They have a PC and a Mac version so they have you covered. Super Easy and secure. Unlimited backup is only $4.95 a month, or they have a free version that gives you 2 GBs of space. I would recommend the free version just to try it out and backup your ultra critical data, and it’s free. Try it HERE.
Bottom-line, is that really protecting your data is going to cost you, but it’s better than loosing it. And I did find my backup disk by the way and recovered the pictures, but I feel a lot better now that I have a better plan in place.
Have you ever wanted to use your iPhone or iPod Touch as a drive you can mount from your mac? There are a couple of different programs in the App Store that will allow you to do it, but for a limited time you can get Air Sharing for free (iTunes link). I just downloaded it and it looks like it will work great. Hurry, the regular price of $7 will kick in soon.
If you are in the market for a new mac, you might want to check out their refurbished line. Amazing deals, and they just lowered prices across the board. Great time to pick up a new one for the youth room or your home.
New Lower prices on Apple Refurbished computers, Free Shipping
Are you in need of a new Mac or iPod but want to save some coin? Their refurbished products are a great way to go. I’ve gotten a couple of different ones and they’ve been great, and at a great price. I know I would love to add a Mac Pro to my setup at home, and I don’t think I could find a better price.
Ok, I’ve been using an iPhone for 48 hours now, and thought I would share some of my initial impressions. First I must say, that I’m using a first gen iPhone that I received as a hand-me down when my Dad upgraded to 3G, so I can’t really speak to the speed or GPS functions that the newest one has. But I will cover what I can.
Things I love:
The Interface. It’s so easy and intuitive to get around. The easiest phone I’ve ever used by far.
Exchange Support. This was the biggest factor that kept me from getting an iPhone when they released a year ago. But with activesync now native, setting up my email was a breeze. Also implementation of the calendar and contacts is better than on windows mobile phones I’ve used in the past.
The App Store. The addition of 3rd party apps has really taken the platform to the next level. I will post later about my favorite ones.
Visual Voicemail. For the first time voice mail on a cell phone is easy
Things that I don’t love:
The Keyboard. I have been told that in time I will find it easier to use, but for now I find my self yelling at it’s predictions of my words. It also seems a little slow in response. I wonder if that’s any better on the 3G model.
Camera. It’s just OK, I have a feeling that a few of the new apps available will make it more useful, I would really like a zoom.
Tethering. I wish ATT would allow you to tether it to your laptop to use as a modem like you can with blackberries and windows mobile devices. Unfortunately I don’t think that’s one the app store can fix.
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