ThruIT » Maurice Williams

Google Chrome gives delicious.com the finger

Maurice Williams — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 14:05:36 +0000

On January 25, Google released a new beta version of its Chrome browser to it’s Windows user base. The two most noticeable changes is that it now allows the use of extensions as well as a bookmark sync feature.

Extensions in Chrome are pretty nifty. They offer a one-click installation method and the browser doesn’t even need to be restarted for the changed to take place (are you taking notes Mozilla?). But this is nothing OS X and Linux users should be jealous of… since they got extensions back in December.

Something they should be jealous about is the bookmark sync feature. This new ability lets Chrome users sync their bookmarks with their Google account and maintain the same bookmarks across different computers. Sounds familiar? delicious.com (formally http://del.icio.us) has offered the same service for a few years now – but with the inconvenience of having to log into a web-based service to add and access your favorites. Google has simplified that by auto-magically syncing the bookmarks to your Google Docs account.

At the moment, the only one-up that poor Delicious.com still has is that you can share these links with others. While theoretically you could simply share the “Google Chrome” folder that gets created in your Google Docs file… Google has disabled the ’share folder’ feature for it. But it’s only a matter of time before Google deems Delicious.com as useless and no longer necessary.

Apple Media Event – rumor round up

Maurice Williams — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 02:36:52 +0000

As many of you may know, Apple has officially announced that it will be holding a media even on the 27th days of this month. And as is customary with any Apple event…rumors are coming out of the woodworks.

To make your life a bit easier as THE BIG DAY grows near, here is a list of interesting rumors we’ve seen around the Interwebz related to this event:

So far every Apple-related site seems to be convinced of one thing: Uncle Steve is going to announce a tablet-like device on the 27th. Another groups believes that there will be an iLife 2010 announcement as well as information about the new iPhone (or at least the new OS). Could they be right? Is Apple finally releasing it’s larger form-factor touch-screen device? Or maybe they will surprise us all and release a netbook (doubtful). What ever it may be, we shall find out in just a few hours.

Tweetie iPhone client update

Maurice Williams — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 00:14:00 +0000

The awesome twitter client with stunning eye candy and a sleek UI has just released version 2.1, which adds support to the newly added twitter features (new retweet and lists ) and a few goodies (geotaging, UI tweeks, etc). Now to wait for the desktop client to be updated

Click the link to download the new version.

Oh, and keep reading for a full list of changes + screenshots.

Version 2.1 Change Log:

- Lists (create, edit, manage, and more)
- Retweet
- Geotagging
- Report Spam (via new API)
- Tweet stream “gap” detection
- What the Trend
- UI tweaks
- Set history=1 for j.mp
- Definitive quoting syntax
- Handle “@user/list” links
- New video options: Posterous, Mobypicture, Vid.ly
- Handle custom protocol schemes in embedded browser
- User Manual
- Google Mobilizer
- Custom Mobilizer
- Overlapr service
- Post ‘message’ parameter through custom API endpoints
- URL encode data sent to custom URL shortener
- Refactor Settings
- Improved accessibility
- Disable pinstripes option
- Disable “Mark as Read” when no unread
- Generated VCards now link to https
- Improved errors on sending
- Option to disable browser rotation
- Call from linked address book screens
- Improved iTunes Store links
- New protocol handlers (see developer.atebits.com for more)
- Hook for easier custom URL endpoint installation
- Image compression options
- Fix multiple browser popups
- Fix tweetie:/// style handlers
- Fix upside-down browser and image viewer
- Fix rare crash translating tweets
- Fix saved state bugs
- Fix rare conversation threading hang
- Fix TextExpander integration
- Fix problem reposting outgoing tweets
- Fix botched geotag pins
- Fix Japanese posting bug
- Fix Email conversation

And now some pictures:

Apple Tablet, overhyped?

Maurice Williams — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:23:53 +0000

The other day, CNN Money joined the Apple Rumor Mill and wrote an article about how the highly anticipated (but purely speculative) Apple ‘tablet’ is going to “lay waste to the markets for countless other gadgets“. Sorry CNN, but I must respectfully disagree and here is why.

This rumored “God-like portable device” is suppose to do it/have it all: 3G, WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity, music and video playback, built-in webcam, eBook reader, the ability to watch TV, play games, surf the web and tons of third party app for it – all of this on a high-res touch screen for no more than $1000. Sounds great, right?

Potential issue #1 – size: if this device does not fit in your pocket it will not ‘lay waste’ to any other portable gadgets – especially when it comes to the average MP3/video player consumer market.

Potential issue #2 – size: if it fits on your pocket, it will not be an effective eBook reader. Have you tried reading a book on a 3″ or 4″ screen? It sucks. But with all the components this mythical Apple device is rumored to have, it’s pretty safe to assume that it will not fit in your pocket – so good bye mobile music and video market, which Apple still dominates with the iPod so I’m sure they don’t care.

Potential issue #3 – the screen: every other rumor says that this ‘tablet’ will be a cross between the iPhone and a Macbook. If this turns out to be true…good luck taking on the eBook reader market too. Current eReaders have a high-contrast screen which is optimized for displaying text. This eliminates that ‘looking at a screen’ feel and causes less strain on your eyes. Unless the device follows this concept, it will not take off as an eReader either.

Potential issue #4 – battery life: if this device is going to replace everything except my phone – the it better have enough juice to withstand at least 10 hours of constant use.

Another option is that Apple is might be trying to target a totally new market: the traveling business executive. With a device smaller than a laptop that has a built in microphone and webcam, a business traveler could attended virtual meetings while on the go, review documents on a device that has a better form-factor than a laptop and even catch some high-lights from yesterday game while waiting to their next flight.

Could this be Apples esoteric agenda? Maybe they are creating a totally new market all together. Or maybe the tablet is just a rumor and will always stay as such. What ever the case may be, we will just have to wait and see.

Chrome OS event this Thursday

Maurice Williams — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 23:27:23 +0000

Our colleagues over at TechCrunch are reporting that Google is holding a special event tomorrow (11/19) that revolves around its Chrome OS.

The plan is to give some technical background information as well as show off some demos, we’re told. More notably, they will be giving a “complete overview” of the new OS, which they say will launch next year. [src: TechChrunch]

Could we finally be getting some juicy details about Chrome OS? Tune back in tomorrow to find out.

When exactly is ‘November’?

Maurice Williams — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:00:53 +0000

Back in October, Apple announced a refresh of some of their product lines. Among them was the bigger, better and powerful-er iMac. The most notable changes were that they now offer a much larger LED-lit display – 21.5″ and 27″ along with a 16:9 aspect ratio. The 27″ models also marked a major milestone in iMac history: the first time a desktop-class CPU (in the form of an Intel i5 or i7) was used in an iMac, which historically has been fitted with mobile processors due to their heat output and power consumption. All great news, but when can we get our hands on these piping hot new pieces of computer goodness?

The 21.5″ models were available right after the announcement and you could get a 27″ iMac with a Core-2-Duo processor 3-5 business days later – but what about the quad-core amazingness? ‘Pre-orders are open now and it will ship in November’ is what Apple told us. Naturally the pre-orders started to roll in and the waiting game began.

Along came the first business day in November and everyone with a 27″ quad-core iMac pre-order (both i5 and i7) were reporting that nothing had changed – orders still marked as ’ships in November’.

During the first week of this month, rumors about heat issues, ATI HD4850 video cards shortages and yellow screen tints on the 27″ models started to emerge from the Mac Rumor Mill. Week-1 ended, no orders had been shipped and rumors kept flying around. Were they true? Was Apple actually struggling to fix the alleged issues before shipping the quad-core awesomeness they promised with these iMacs? Maybe. Or maybe they are sitting back laughing at people go crazy over dates. What ever the reason may be, all we know is that Apple customer service reps did not provide an answer as to when the product would ship, but the did give anyone you asked about their order a free upgrade to over-night shipping – HOORAY! I’ll get my new iMac 24-hours after it ships!…when ever that may be…

Moving forward to present time, most people who pre-order a 27″ iMac with an i5 process started to report that they received “ready for shipping” notifications as early as yesterday morning (November 9). This morning those same i5 pre-orders had been outfitted with tracking numbers and the i7 pre-orders have began reporting that their status has been changed from “ships in November” to “prepared for shipping”.

This would seem to indicate that most (if not all) pre-orders would be filled by the end of this week. Still no news on when these sexy quad-core iMacs will be available in retail stores, but my guess would be as soon as the middle of next week.

Have any information on this topic to share? What’s your take on Apple’s delay?