Steamd

What occurred at the University of Utah is scary. I mean, the Conficker worm could be a lot worse that it is. Even now, nobody is really sure what kind of damage the worm is capable. Here’s the really scary part:

University health sciences spokesman Chris Nelson said the outbreak of the Conficker worm, which can slow computers and steal personal information, was first detected Thursday. By Friday, the virus had infiltrated computers at the hospitals, medical school, and colleges of nursing, pharmacy and health.

It infiltrated computers at a hospital? Holy shnikes, that’s scary! Can you imagine all the problems that would occur if patient data and medical records were compromised? I’m sure it wouldn’t be that big of a problem, but I bet some patients wouldn’t find it funny.

The staggering reality of the Conficker worm is that at least one in every three Windows-based PC’s are susceptible to the worm. Why? It all boils down to people not keeping their computers up to date. Either they’re not installing the updates or they’re ignoring them. How many times have you looked on someone’s Windows machine only to see that yellow shield glaring at you in the system tray? Also, how many times have you noticed that someone’s antivirus software is out of date? It’s ridiculous considering the sheer number of people who don’t keep their systems up to date.

The Conficker worm is just one more thing that shows just how much Windows is due for a serious overhaul. Those that don’t know well enough to keep their systems up to date would fare better with a Mac or Linux system. Granted, no system is 100% safe but at least with a Mac you don’t have to worry as much about this stuff.

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AppleInsider reports that Apple retail stores are finally looking to move away from their Windows Mobile-based handheld checkout devices for a system that revolves around the iPod Touch. I’ve always thought it was weird that Apple had to use a Windows-based POS system in their stores. There’s a bit of an irony there. So, yeah, it’s good to hear that they’re finally able to eat their own dogfood.  ;)

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Wrote a lot of comments on theAppleBlog about the latest Microsoft ad.

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A couple of days ago, I lambasted Microsoft on their new ads and said that I believed that you get what you pay for. To illustrate this, let’s look at a product that many have seen advertised: the Dyson vacuum. 

You might have seen the commercials that show one of the latest Dyson vacuums, the Dyson Ball. One might look at a vacumm like this and go, “Oh, that’s just a gimmick! All you’re paying for is a name!” But a closer study of what went into the creation of this vacuum reveals something else: innovation.

Readers Digest has an interesting story about James Dyson, the inventor of the Dyson vacuum. The article illustrates the sheer struggle Dyson went through just to market his invention. Chances are his invention might not ever have seen the light of day had he not persevered his quest to market the first bagless vacuum that never lost any suction.

A quick look at the vacuum market, it’s clear that Dyson vacuums are the most expensive ones on the market. Yes, you could buy a cheaper vacuum from other name brands like Dirt Devil, Hoover, Bissell, Eureka, and others. But for $100 t0 $150 you’re pretty much buying into the same vacuum technology that has been around since the first electric vacuum cleaner. Most of these use filters and/or bags that require replacement. Although there are cheaper vacuums that use cyclone vacuum technology similar to the Dyson, they simply don’t hold a candle to the Dyson on account of the patented technology and innovation that goes into a Dyson. On top of that, most vacuums from other manufacturers only come with a 1-year warranty. My wife and I have owned vacuums from Dirt Devil, Hoover, and others and none of them worked well or lasted longer than three years. 

The last vacuum my wife and I bought was the Dyson D17, a vacuum that cost $549 but we got on sale for $499. We could have easily gone with a cheaper, more affordable vacuum and spent less than a third of the cost of a Dyson, so why did a $500 vacuum attracted us so much?

First, the Dyson comes with a 5-year warranty. That told us that they clearly built these vacuums to last. If the vacuum lasts longer then it’ll easily make up for the added cost. 

Second, there are no added costs. No extra bags or filters to buy. The filter that comes with the unit is washable and should last for the life of the unit. Even if you had to replace the filter, it’s still under $20.

Lastly, the Dyson isn’t the same-ole, same-ole technology. The technology found on these vacuums cannot be found anywhere. The patented cyclone technology means that the vacuum will never lose suction. So far from my experience this is true. We’ve filled our vacuum up to the brim and it never once slowed down. And, let me tell you, when I say this thing sucks, it really sucks! Out of all the vacuums I’ve ever used, I’ve never seen one that can clean a floor the way this one can. I’m amazed every time I use it.

Now we have the Dyson Ball. Is it a gimmick? Just another thing to trick people into buying a name? No, it is not. It’s clear that Dyson is a company that is about delivering a good quality product built off of innovation. While others might be happy with spending $100 to $150 every three years or so, I’ll gladly pay $500 once every 5 to 8 years if it means getting a high quality product that does the job better than the competition. 

Yes, it’s true, you get what you pay for.

AppleInsider reports on a new add by Microsoft that tries to make Macs look unaffordable next to PCs. Does their argument hold water though? Well, sort of. As AppleInsider points out, the HP laptop the lady buys in the ad lags behind a MacBook Pro in terms of quality. It lacks 902.11n wireless capabilities, doesn’t have Gigabit Ethernet, no digital audio inputs and outputs, weighs 7.75 pounds (15″ MacBook Pro only weighs 5.5 pounds), doesn’t have any more resolution than the 15″ MacBook Pro and, based on reviews, has a horrible viewing angle.

The last time my wife and I went to Costco, I took a moment to look at the latest laptops Costco was selling. I looked a few HP’s as well as a few other laptops. I don’t know if I looked at the same laptop but it definitely was one in the same price bracket (sub-$1,000). My first impression? Even without Windows Vista on it, I probably wouldn’t buy one regardless of the low price. With all the plastic covering it, it felt flimsy and cheap.

You know the old adage, “You get what you pay for”? Believe it. While a MacBook Pro might cost you twice as much as a cheap sub-$1,000 notebook, it’ll last you twice as long if not longer. That’s a good investment in my opinion. 

More on this topic tomorrow.

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This years MacHeist bundle is better than ever. Is it better than last year’s? Well, it’s different; let’s put it that way. The good news is that they lowered the price: $39 is all it takes! WireTap Studio alone is worth the price of the bundle but other apps like World of Goo, Picturesque, and Acorn are all nice apps to have.

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John Gruber posted this on his blog and I just had to comment. It seems that Steve Ballmer, Microsoft’s ever so talented CEO, has stuck his foot in his mouth once again: 

“Apple gained about one point, but now I think the tide has really turned back the other direction,” Ballmer said, via webcast. “The economy is helpful. Paying an extra $500 for a computer in this environment — same piece of hardware — paying $500 more to get a logo on it? I think that’s a more challenging proposition for the average person than it used to be.”

Wait a minute.  Hold on.  So, what Steve is trying to say is that the typical Apple computer is $500 more than what everyone else is charging for a similar PC? Really? Last time I checked, a PC with the same processor, same amount of memory, same amount of hard drive space, similar video card, and such was within $100 of what Apple was charging. Simply put, Apple sells premium computers with premium parts; not cheap ass sub $1,000 crap computers. Granted, you can get a Mac Mini for under $700 and a MacBook for $999 but, even then, they’re still great computers and you get what you pay for and then some. 

Plus, what Ballmer fails to realize is that you’re not just paying for a name. People don’t buy an Apple computer and/or pay more just because it has a pretty logo on it. An Apple computer is more than just a computer and an operating system. It’s about providing a seamless experience between the hardware and software. Without the OS, an Apple computer isn’t an Apple computer anymore. Same applies to putting the Mac OS on hardware that is different than what Apple sells. It’s the combination of the two that distinguishes an Apple computer from a PC.

Figure it that your average computer buyer only upgrades a computer about once every three to five years or so. Regardless of the economy, people want their dollar to stretch. Would you pay $700 for a PC that will last you maybe three years? Or would you pay $1,200 for a computer that you know will last you five years or longer? People buy Apple computer simply because they are of higher quality and simply last longer.

Ballmer just doesn’t get it. If he actually used an Apple computer for three months without touching a PC then maybe he would understand. I think this quote says it all though:

“You’re talking to a guy, though, whose dad worked for Ford, and once Ford sold Land Rover and Jaguar, we’re selling the cars to get Fords, so you may have a weird outlier in me.”

Yeah, because Jaquar is so anti-American, right? Why would it matter who owns the Land Rover line if they’re still manufacturing a quality product? Has Ballmer even driven a Jaguar? Hell, I’m a big VW guy and it doesn’t bother me at all that Porsche has a controlling share of both VW and Audi. If a company is highly innovative and producing a quality product, who cares who owns them?

While price matters, quality also matters. If you’re not producing a quality product, it doesn’t matter how cheap it is people simply won’t buy it. I don’t know about Ballmer, but I’m more than willing to spend a little more if it means getting something I’ll be more satisfied with in the long run. A quality product is a quality product, even in a bad economy.

This is such bullshit. I mean, I don’t have any kids (yet!) but if I had a kid who was really big into web development, it would be the equivalent of telling him that he can’t use any other CMS but MODx. “Sorry, kid…no Drupal for you!” I may be a Mac pundit but I certainly would not deny my child of the things he/she might want. If my child really wanted a PC with Windows Vista on it, I’m not going to tell them,”Sorry, kid…Windows is not allowed in this household!”

If I was Bill Gates, I would allow my kids to use iPods and iPhones for the simple reason that it would allow me to get a better idea of the competition and actually see how they’re being used. The least Gates can do is explore some of these other products through the eyes of his kids. 

Granted, Gates isn’t exactly a big part of Microsoft anymore…but he can sure as hell give some constructive feedback to Ballmer. Not knowing the competition is part of the reason why Microsoft is having such a hard time right now.

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I use Basecamp quite a bit to manage the projects I do with Collabpad. So having a good, solid iPhone solution is starting to become a pretty important thing. A couple of weeks ago, I got a notification in my inbox about Outpost, the new iPhone application by Morfunk that allows you to manage Basecamp on the go. I was really excited. Finally I can monitor and process things on the go. It looked like a really promising app…till I read the reviews.

The problem with Outpost it seems is that it tries to sync everything locally to the phone. This sounds like a good thing but review after review after review indicates that it isn’t. Speed is the key to the success of a good Basecamp app. If I have to wait around for it to sync or if it crashes all the time because it can’t sync more than 30 projects at a time…that’s not a good thing. These problems made Output a major showstopper in my opinion.

Enter Encamp.

After reviewing other Basecamp solutions, I ended up giving Encamp a whirl. I was not disappointed. Upon opening the app and entering in my Basecamp domain and login, I noticed right off the bat that this was a pretty well designed app. The app felt like a typical iPhone application…which is a good thing. Rather than reinventing the wheel, Alexander stuck with the typical interface elements and workflow of most iPhone applications. The end result is an app that doesn’t take you any time to get used to. It just “feels” like a good iPhone app.

The other thing I noticed is that it’s fast. The only limitation is the speed of the network you’re on and whether or not if the Basecamp site is accessible. Encamp accesses information on Basecamp pretty darn quickly. It’s fast on wi-fi networks but it’s still pretty darn quick even when accessing it via 3G.

Is it perfect? No, but a version 1.x app rarely ever is. There are subtle things here and there that I wish were a bit different. For instance, it would be cool to have some way to switch between projects quickly without having to constantly tap back to the top project level. But that’s a very minor gripe that doesn’t at all have any impact on this review. 

About the only thing on my wishlist is the ability to view attachments on messages, to-do’s, and the like. I have a lot of clients that attach pics, Word documents, PDF’s, and such and I have to be able to review them prior to processing to-do’s and posting followup messages. If I were able to review things on the go then it would save me a ton of time. 

In conclusion, if you’re looking for a really good, solid Basecamp solution Encamp is the app to get! I’m looking forward to seeing what Alexander has in store for this app. 

This is why I don’t recommend Windows for people who don’t know what the hell they are doing. Have them stick with a Mac. And if they can’t afford that, have them stick with Ubuntu. Far safer and they don’t even have to remember to update their antivirus software every year.  ;)

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