December 27, 2009

Mac? Windows? Nay. iPhone.

The iPhone is the computer I use the most now day in and day out.

More quotables:

"If a media and web-centric computer were being designed today with no thought to what the computing norms of the past were, it would be a tablet."

"The iPhone *is* a tablet computer, just smaller."

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Filed under // Apple iPhone OS operating systems recommendation software

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December 8, 2009

"It's finally here: Google Chrome for Mac. Available today in beta!"

Google Chrome

It's finally here: Google Chrome for Mac. Available today in beta!

Hi there,

Thanks for signing up to hear from us regarding Google Chrome for Mac! We're excited to let you know that Google Chrome is now available in beta for Mac OS X.

Here are a few fun facts from us on the Google Chrome for Mac team:

73,804 lines of Mac-specific code written
29 developer builds
1,177 Mac-specific bugs fixed
12 external committers and bug editors to the Google Chrome for Mac code base, 48 external code contributors
64 Mac Minis doing continuous builds and tests
8,760 cups of soft drinks and coffee consumed
4,380 frosted mini-wheats eaten

Thanks for waiting and we hope you'll give Google Chrome for Mac a whirl.

Google Chrome Team
www.google.com/chrome

--------

Google is a trademark of Google Inc. All other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.

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Filed under // apps browser Google Chrome Google internet recommendation software web

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November 30, 2009

A wise man once said that you WILL experience data loss. Backup! 10% off now.

I actually recommend Mozy to everyone I talk to, about backup.

1. You need an external hard disk backup.

2. You need an offsite backup - in case something happens onsite, like a natural disaster that might wipe out both your primary and backup hard drives.

MozyHome is an unlimited offsite backup that works behind the scenes over the internet. Mozy works in the background; it's totally mindless.

Which is something I value a lot ;).

Disclosure: I'm a Mozy customer. You'll get 10% off if you sign up during this promo, and I'll get a cash voucher if two or more of my friends sign up.

Back up your data with Mozy and save 10%!

Just type in SHAREMOZY at checkout and save 10% on a MozyHome Unlimited annual or biennial subscription!

Get Started

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Filed under // apps backup Mozy offsite online recommendation software

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November 23, 2009

Cracked.com Takes a Dig at Windows 7 #win7my

via cracked.com

Apologies again, to Microsoft people.

This Cracked article revisits the spectacularly horrible Launch Party video. A video that has scarred me in some way, for life.

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Filed under // apps funny Launch Party video marketing operating system software Windows Windows 7

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November 17, 2009

Screen-grab like a Mac with Digeus SnapIt! (Sort of.)

In a previous post, I wrote:

It's super smooth to do a screen capture in Mac:

1. command + shift + 3 to capture the whole screen.
2. command + shift + 4 > click + drag to capture part of the screen.
3. command + shift + 4 > spacebar > click to capture a window.

In all cases, a png image will appear on your Desktop.

The people at Digeus provided me with a copy of SnapIt Screen Capture Software to review. This is what I learned.

1. SnapIt is snappy. It starts up quickly (after a hassle-free typical install). It doesn't slow down my machine. It runs in a little Taskbar icon.

2. It can be set up to mimic behaviour 2 above:

2.1.Press Prt Scrn and your mouse pointer will change to crosshairs. Click and drag the portion of the screen that you want to capture.

2.2. Right-click the SnapIt icon in the Taskbar and click Save As.

2.2.1. Or, set up the Preferences to autosave the image wherever you want - I save mine as pngs on my Desktop, mimicking my Mac.

3. And that's about it. SnapIt doesn't do 1 and 3 like the Mac does.

3.1. But I'm happy - SnapIt allows me to capture my Twitter Serendipities well enough! Give it a go - it's free to try.

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Filed under // app Mac recommendation screen capture software Windows

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November 16, 2009

iPhone-to-iPhone chat for free anywhere in the world (it's not Ping!)

The dream: Free SMS-like chat with your iPhone peeps.

The fulfilment:

1. Get WhatsApp.

2. Watch WhatsApp automatically find other WhatsApp users in your
Contacts.

2.1. (Make sure your contacts' phone numbers are present.)

3. Click on your WhatsApp-enabled friends' names to instant-message
them for free!

This beats Ping! because:

1. It's free. Ping! isn't, though the Lite version is (but it's ad-
supported).
2. You don't have to create and publicise another username. WhatsApp
uses your phone number.
3. Autodiscovery is the killer feature. You don't have to publish that
you're on WhatsApp. Any user with your number will find out
automatically.

Go get WhatsApp from the App Store now! Go, go! (Especially if you're
an iPhone-toting friend of mine!)

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Filed under // app chat instant messaging iPhone Ping! recommendation SMS software WhatsApp

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November 4, 2009

Is there an easier way to screengrab in Windows?

It's super smooth to do a screen capture in Mac:

1. command + shift + 3 to capture the whole screen.

2. command + shift + 4 > click + drag to capture part of the screen.

3. command + shift + 4 > spacebar > click to capture a window.

In all cases, a png image will appear on your Desktop. So easy, so intuitive! (Once you remember the key combinations. I think to myself, "capture + screen + x...")

On Windows, I press the Prnt Scrn key, open Paint, paste in the image, save as jpg, then crop as needed. Very messy. Is there an easier way? Maybe I'm just being a Windows n00b and doin it rong. Feel free to correct me, if I am.

In the mean time, I'm going to review SnapIt Screen Capture Software. I'll see how it goes and let ya know.

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Filed under // app Mac screen capture software Windows

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November 3, 2009

Win & Mac are sisters born of divorced parents! @redsheep @chrisleow @geminianeyes @joycescapade

It started with this tweet yesterday from @redsheep:

- : #win7my does this to you for staying free for the trial period. Sigh. Hard to keep the romance.

I replied:

Windows has had a hard life and finds it hard to give himself fully to a relationship. #win7my

@chrisleow responded:

RT @alphalim Windows has had a hard life and finds it hard to give himself fully to a relationship. #win7my - WIndows 7 is a HE? Since when?

@geminianeyes chimed in:

@chrisleow #win7my is a girl la! http://is.gd/4LPf8 RT @alphalim Windows has had a hard life & finds it hard 2 give himself fully to r'ships

@redsheep commented:

@geminianeyes To be fair, #win7my is an IT (sexless). @alphalim @chrisleow

I tweeted this explanation to @chrisleow:

Windows is androgynous. I use he/she as situations warrant ;). E.g. when comparing Win & Mac, I think of em as sisters.

...

To expand on my reply to @chrisleow, this is how I think of Windows and Mac:

I think of the both of them as sisters born to the same parents, who divorced, made up and maintain a tentative friendship with occasional spats. Not surprisingly, Win and Mac had traumatic childhoods.

As often happens, people compare siblings: This one has the looks, that one has the brains. But with Win and Mac, one of them inherited looks and brains, while the other was born plain but streetwise. So, although not as gorgeous as her sister or as good at maths, she did pretty well for herself, earning worldwide acclaim. Her fame spread farther than her sister's, and she got to travel the world.

Yet, annoyingly, everywhere she went, people kept asking her, "So what is it like, having her as a sister?" "What's your sister really like at home?" "Does your sister share grooming tips with you?" "Those are her hand-me-downs you're wearing, aren't they?"

All this made the more-travelled sister only try harder. She kept bumming invites to all the cool parties, she tried her hand at doing her own make-up - though she tended to put on too much. (The brand she used was Luna, I think.)

The well-travelled sister has garnered such a following all over the world, that every time she loses weight, updates her look or gives birth to a child, everyone stops what they're doing and pays attention. (Sadly, many of her children did not survive past adolescence; some were even stillborn. I think genetics are to blame for that.) And despite her success in the eyes of the world, I suspect that deep down she wishes she could trade some of that acclaim for a bit more of her sister's natural beauty and wits.

...

When I began to think of Win and Mac in this way, it gave me more compassion for Win. You don't criticise a girl when she's trying her best. You encourage her to be all she can be.

Nevertheless, if friends need a good mind and natural charm, I won't recommend they hire Win just because I feel sorry for her. (Although, Mac can be a bit snooty at times. Still, she always gets the job done, and with such flair!)

...

Finally, I will forever be indebted to @geminianeyes for opening my eyes to the world of OS-tans! OS-tans are anime-style personifications crafted by fans of operating systems. (Trust the Japanese...) It's a bit comforting to me, that I'm not alone in thinking of operating systems as girls.

via forevergeek.com

(Though, considering the weirdness that comes out of Japan, I'm not sure how comforted I should feel! :P. )

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Filed under // anthropomorphism apps compassion funny Mac operating systems OS-tans software Windows

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October 6, 2009

iPhone Ping! means another username to publicise. Mine's alphalim. What's yours?

via pingmessaging.com

So, here's an app that behaves just like SMS, except:

1. It only works between iPhones that have the app installed.
2. It works over the net, so it's free if you're on Wi-Fi.
3. There is no 3.

You Ping! people using their Ping! usernames. Mine is alphalim.

Ping!

Pong.

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Filed under // app instant messaging iPhone Ping! recommendation SMS software telephony

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October 2, 2009

I love this Dropbox blog post announcing the arrival of the iPhone app!

From http://blog.getdropbox.com/?p=102

Keep a 2 GB folder automatically synced on all your computers - Mac, Windows and now, iPhone too! (Get more than 2 GB when you shell out the clams.)

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Filed under // app blogging cloud computing Dropbox iPhone Mac recommendation software Windows writing

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It's finally here: Google Chrome for Mac. Available today in beta!