Verizon iPhone: Cut, Copy, and Paste iPhone 4 for a new carrier.
Posted by melting on Jan 10, 2011
On the eve of what many expect to be the much anticipated announcement of the official iPhone being sold for use on the Verizon network, I had a few thoughts.
First, the timing is not completely a shock. AT&T seemed to announce the timing to the world last summer when they said that anybody whose contract was up in December. This let them get as many current crack iPhone addicts signed up for another years. Sure this didn’t/doesn’t guarantee the timing, they could just open it up completely, but it seemed like a great indicator to me. Another move that happened last summer which seemed to show the next phase of getting people hooked in the data pricing. There was much whining about the unlimited plan going away, but the old customers could keep their plan if they wanted. The pricing change reduction was to get more people hooked up. With the monthly data price at half of what it was, 3GS at $99 bucks, and nice and new iPhone 4 at $200, I think that was just the kick in the pants many people needed.
Am I surprised that Verizon would make the announcement? Not really. While it seems like a big deal to the AT&T haters, and many in America, it is very likely the same iPhone 4 we already know and love. This will mean larger distribution for Apple and more importantly for the bottom line, but they aren’t missing out on announcing a new product. I don’t really know or care if Steve Jobs will be there, but I would certainly not be surprised if there was some sort of Apple representative present.
Timing. I frankly would have be shocked if this announcement came during CES. Just seems like a bigger deal than that and anything that can stand alone should.
Importance. This will certainly be an area for growth for Apple, but is important in a larger scale. If it is it could finally make the market share battle with Android actually be worth talking about. I am skeptical that debate will be worthwhile for several more years, while the growth and profits are so huge. As for importance I would like to wait and see if there is any more exclusivity to be had. Even if it is in the form of getting the new device for 3 or six months.
Final thought. I would wait to see what happens with the iPad. People are talking about the iPad 2 coming out soon, I can imagine that is where the two carriers could differentiate themselves.
Mac like windows? – Cinch
Posted by melting on Dec 19, 2010
I spend a lot of time complaining about Windows. One thing that was pleasantly surprising in Windows 7 though is its windows management features. If you haven’t used it, it is great. If you drag a window to the right/left it will resize to fill the right/left half of your monitor. There are also keyboard shortcuts to help you with that windows key + right/left/up/down arrow.
When I started using my Macbook on a more permanent basis I missed the maximize button. So in searching for a way to have a real maximize button I found Cinch. Cinch gives you much of the same windows 7 windows management features. It also has a much more configurable older brother in SizeUp. For $7 and $13 respectively it isn’t too bad to get some great usability.
I use this constantly for many reasons, but usually it is when I need to see a source and destination file simultaneously. Writing in one window and referencing another. Chatting in one browser, surfing in the other. There are thousands of uses, but I bet if you try it for a week, you won’t be able to live without it.
Get On Task Tuesday: Zoho Planner
Posted by melting on Jun 16, 2009
Welcome back to the second of many posts for “Get On Task Tuesday,” yes it counts since it is not yet midnight here in the west coast of the good old USA.
For today I will talk about one of the beset task list planning web applications yet. This has until very recently been one of my favorites. It meets many of the prerequisite features and is accessible anywhere with an internet connection, though I haven’t tried it with my iPhone.
Features it meets: Many lists that are easy to create and share which they call pages. Those lists are then filled with sub-lists that can contain many items. Also the sub lists are collapsible for simple viewing of the overview. Finally everything is draggable making it somewhat easy to reorder.
Things that bugged me: While there are nested lists there is a limit to how far down it would go and only 2-3 levels wasn’t enough for me. Sorting was easy when it was within one sublist or page, but trying to reorganize after the initial brainstorm was just to challenging.
The conclusion: While this is a spectacularly well done task list and is great for planning, it doesn’t meet the needs of a task list for everyday tracking of the otherwise forgotten chores. If you are looking for an online document suite I would fully recommend Zoho’s line up and planner. Unfortunately though, as you would expect, it didn’t meet my exacting taste.
