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iPod

The solution to Palm’s unclear future

Of course no one at Palm is going to hear me but I have the cure for the problems at Palm. This week Palm Inc. announced record sales for the Treo Smartphone but they also announced terrible earnings.

At least once quarter there is a rumor that someone is going to acquire Palm in one way or another. The problem is that Palm has the best product of its kind on the market.

The Palm Treo is a near perfect device. Whether you use the Palm OS version or the Windows version, the Treo does exactly what it is supposed to do and it does it well. If you are a Treo user, it would take an awful lot to persuade you to upgrade. When it all comes down to it, the Treo offers 10 times the features of the RAZR by Motorola and it is 10 times as easy to figure out, the real problem is that it is almost 5 times the price at full retail.

Would you rather have your TV or your computer?

Lately I have had a lot of clients call me in a panic because they are having a computer emergency. These calls are getting more frequent every year.

Is there a such thing as a computer emergency? Yes. In fact, I would be willing to wager that most people I work for, if given the choice, would choose to live 24 hours without running water or a fridge than they would without their computer.

Having a good computer guy is as important to most people as having a good mechanic or doctor. Computers are more complex than any other device in most people's homes (there are still a few people with old fashioned pinball machines).

Is the iPhone another Newton?

iphoneFor those of you who don't remember the Newton, it was Apple's first and last foray into the handheld computing market back in 1993. Although it was ground breaking and unique, it was a little ahead of its time and definitely too expensive. The Newton was a little too big to be called a true handheld computer and only worked with a heavy, built-in rechargeable battery. Just three short years later, a small company just down the street from Apple called Palm, introduced the Palm Pilot. It was less than one-half the size of a Newton, ran on a single AAA battery, had an ingeniously accurate handwriting recognition system, AND could synchronize data easily with a PC or Macintosh computer.

Fast forward to this week. Steve Jobs gave his usually raucous key note address at the annual Apple convention known as Macworld Expo. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a device slightly smaller than the Newton, but bigger than a Palm Pilot, and he pronounced it as the iPhone (already in legal trouble with Cisco who claims they own the rights to the name). Apple has been on a tear for about six years now the introduction of the iMac all-in-one computers, the iPod, and iTunes. Trying to capitalize on their recent successes, they decided to enter the "smart phone" market.

A smart phone is defined as a cellular phone that can also be used to synchronize contact, calendar, to do lists, and documents with a computer. They also have a full QWERTY keyboard built into them. These types of phones are extremely popular amongst the geek sector and the 'wanna be' geek sector. Blackberry handheld email devices made email mobile, then Palm introduced the revolutionary Treo smart phone and remains the top vote getter in this market. One problem plagues the smart phone market; there aren't that many geeks. Despite seeing how incredibly useful and versatile a Treo phone can be, most people scoff at it's size and say, "It's too big! I could never carry that thing." Treo's tip the scales at just over 5 ounces and measures: 4.44" H x 2.3" W x 0.8" D. One other factor hinders large scale smart phone sales; many computer users barely understand their computers let alone try and use a smart phone.

Back to the iPhone. Let's start with its dimensions. It weighs about

No AM Radio in iPods and other portable music players

There are so many MP3 players on the market that they now all look the same. The iPod, the Sansa, the Zune, the Zen, there really is no difference. Sure one may be a little more popular and another may be more compatible with non-proprietary formats and software, but in the end they all have the same set of features.

Pretty much every manufacturer, except for the iPod, features a built-in FM radio. The built-in radio is the iPod's right mouse button. For almost 20 years consumers tried to tell Apple that they needed to have two buttons on the mouse. Apple spent 20 years trying to convince the consumer that as long as you didn't mind using both of your hands in keyboard combinations you really didn't need two buttons on a mouse. Almost two years ago Apple gave in and started supporting the two button mouse.

Zune no big woop

I didn't get home until late last night so I am writing two articles tonight. Even though I am home even later than I was last night.

Yesterday while I was at Target and Best Buy I had a chance to look at the new Microsoft Zune MP3 player. I was not impressed. As I played with the device I had to wonder if I was even supposed to be impressed. I mean it comes in three colors – white, black and brown. No electronic device has come in brown since the 70s and that was because the 60s used up all of the colored inks and everything in the 70s had to be brown.

I am not a huge fan of the iPod, but at least it's elegant. The Zune is a nogahide (fake vinyl leather that they make couches and coats out of) iPod. It tried to be sleek and elegant but it comes out looking like the fancy Kia next to a Mercedes.

Gadgets yield more gadgets

I have helped several people buy new computers lately. I don't sell computers or any other hardware so I am more of a personal shopper than a salesman when it comes to guiding people through their purchase.

I think it's funny how gadgets always seem to yield more gadgets. Here is a short flowchart of how this process works.

1. A client calls and says that they need a new computer. They ask my advice on what they should get for just basic stuff like email and word processing. "I don't need anything fancy."

2. I suggest a basic system that will handle all of their needs and a little more.

Mac viruses up 75% over past 2 years

While reading through the news from last week, I came across this story at CNN about the increase in the number of viruses in Macs this year.

The story gives most of it's attention to a story from last week about a PC viruses that was found on very few iPods (less than 1 percent). Reading a little further down, I saw this little gem:

"Oliver Friedrichs, director of security response at Symantec, a leading anti-virus software vendor, said 72 vulnerabilities were discovered in the Mac's OS X operating system in 2006, up from 19 in 2004."

Know your Internet options

Picking out an Internet provider in the good ol' days of the Internet was easy. All you had to do was pick a company that wasn't owned by AOL and you'd be OK.

Today the choice is much tougher because you must choose between dial-up and broadband. And if you choose broadband, you must choose which type of broadband is best for you.

Here is a handy guide to help you decide.

Dial-up – Dial-up Internet the slowest way to connect to the Internet, but it is usually the least expensive if you are comparing actual costs of service. However, there are other disadvantages besides lack of speed.

The no porn approach to computer maintenance

There are many things that can slow a computer down, but nothing does more to negatively impact the performance of a computer more than spyware. Even many viruses run undetected, but almost all spyware prevents a system from running at top speed.

Spyware comes from a variety of places, but there are three types of web browsing that will guarantee that you accumulate some of the worst forms of spyware.

Online gambling sites: Not all online gambling sites are sources of spyware, but most of them are.

Online surveys and drawings via popups and spams: Many legitimate companies ask for your opinion through surveys, but surveys can also be lures for spyware. If you get a popup or spam offering a free iPod, laptop, ringtone, etc., consider it a trick to get you to download spyware.

Walking stick and Tripod

Life Span tripod

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A long time of customer of mine had this walking-hiking stick/camera tripod and I thought it was a great idea. I snapped a photo of the flyer with my Treo 650 so that I could remember the what it was and where to find it. This shows just one of the many hundreds of uses a Palm Treo 650 has. For a better photo than my Treo can provide, visit the manufacturer's web site .