When I saw this video I knew that I had to post it. I hear some people lament the fact that the iPhone doesn’t have a hard keyboard on it. To me, the virtual keyboard was a huge selling point (primarily because I hate typing on hard, sharp, and tiny keys) and this video shows why it is better for a mobile device.
Our challenge was pretty simple: hop into the passenger seat alongside 14-time European Rallycross champion Kenneth Hansen, hurtle around Lydden racetrack in Dover, England, and attempt to type, “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog”–a pangram, or holoalphabetic sentence containing every letter of the alphabet–onto each device.
via Video: Xtreme typing challenge pits iPhone vs. Netbook | Crave – CNET.
The need for computer security long ago passed from a minor annoyance to something that could affect our personal and financial safety. Just as disasters, crime, and tales of tragedy tend to dominate the news, stories of information security failures never fail to grab the headlines. When it’s a story with the potential to smear a media darling like Apple, you can bet the article will be right up there next to the latest celebrity embarrassment. But with a little consideration of these five tips, you can evaluate the reality level of any given security story.
via TidBITS Safe Computing: Five Tips for Reading Mac Security Stories.
I almost never turn my iPhone off. But, if I am out and about and far away from a power outlet or my charging cable there are sometimes that I have to turn it off to save my battery. If you find yourself in a similar situation hold the lock (or sleep) button on the top of the phone down until you see the “slide to power off” slider – about 3 seconds. You can also try this if your phone is acting strange. On the rare occasions something is not quite right, switching my phone off and then turning it back on (by holding down the same button until the Apple icon appears) will have everything back to normal.
My 19 month old daughter loves playing with our iPhones. Too much. So, when I am not using my iPod touch for developmental purposes, it’s hers. This got me thinking about some apps that would be good for her. Apps that could function as learning tools for her rather than just playing another round of Super Monkey Ball. My second app is the first app along this line of thinking.
It’s called Fun Calc and right now it is a calculator with very colorful buttons that entice her to touch them. When she does they respond with a cheerful chime corresponding to the button she tapped. On the iPhone, tapping the clear button will make the phone vibrate. As a side note, I hope Apple adds vibration to the third generation iPod touch – it’s really needed now that the iPod touch has become a game platform in its own right. I’ve got some ideas for improvements to future versions of Fun Calc which, of course, will all be free upgrades.
My thought is that the iPod touch is about $200 which is only twice as much as some of the nicer children’s notebook computers like the Vtech Touch Tablet PC. It’s got a much nicer screen and has a speaker that is probably just as good if not better. She can also watch WALL-E on trips to her grandparents’ house with the iPod unlike any of the children’s computers. And, most importantly, it has an interface that is very intuitive for young children because it is so direct. As evidence of this, I recorded a video of my daughter playing with Fun Calc on the iPod.
The entire iTunes Store catalog is now iTunes Plus. This means that none of the music purchased from the iTunes Store contains DRM. It also means that all of the music on the store is recorded at a higher quality.
Apple started this long, slow march with a letter from Steve Jobs titled Thoughts on Music. They updated us on the status of their efforts at Macworld in January and began accelerating their conversion to iTunes Plus then as well.
Learn more about upgrading to iTunes Plus, including what benefits may make it worth it for you.
