Author Archive for Tom Reestman
My background includes IT, consulting, training, software implementation, and support. I’ve worked for numerous firms large and small. I began computing on an IBM 1401, which I can sum up by saying that to truly appreciate an operating system you have to have been one. In addition to mainframes I worked with many systems from the early 80s on: PCs, Macs, the major UNIX players and minicomputers. In addition to my web site below, you can find my musings at http://thesmallwave.posterous.com/ and Twitter @treestman.
Site: http://thesmallwave.com/
I see Apple let Ninjawords in the App Store. Good for it. But there’s just one little thing…
Apple censored an English dictionary.
A dictionary. A reference book. For words contained in all reasonable dictionaries. For words contained in dictionaries that are used every day in elementary school libraries and classrooms.
Apple, a dictionary? Are you insane? Not [...]
As more and more households have multiple PCs, the idea of a “family pack” (i.e., a piece of software with multiple licenses for use) makes a lot of sense. Since Apple and Microsoft are set to release new versions of their respective operating systems this fall (Apple’s Snow Leopard in September, Microsoft’s Windows 7 in [...]
Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer has an unimpressive track record at predictions, which is why his latest comments should be of concern to Apple and, especially, MacBook Air fans:
Those new ultra-thin PCs, the first of which will be coming later this year and, presumably running Windows 7, won’t be as cheap as $299 or $399 netbooks, Ballmer [...]
In the analysis of computer book sales, two things seem to be clear:
People want to learn how to write programs on the Mac
People don’t want to learn how to use programs on the Mac (or PC, for that matter)
The latter is especially interesting to me. Though my time in support taught me well about [...]
A lot of stories like this one are circulating about how NPD is saying Apple has a 91 percent market share of all PCs sold over $1,000. They give that impression by claiming something like “a 91 percent share”, or “91 percent of the market”.
Truth be told, if NPD really stated this as market share, [...]
It must be nice to be Verizon right now. Free from the intense scrutiny AT&T receives by having the hottest and “smartest” smartphone, it can appear to rise above it all. It can have TV ads to claim the best network on the planet, and it’s done. It can have legions of people claiming they’d [...]
When reading TAB writer Darrell Etherington’s article on how Mac users were left out of the Microsoft Office 2010 launch party, the first thing that struck me was that not only that it’s true, but it’s also nothing new. For the most part, Mac user are left out of most launch parties.
Aside from Microsoft, consider [...]
Fortune has a nice article on discussions with IT professionals with regards to the iPhone. I especially like this quote from a former CIO:
“What’s interesting about the iPhone is [that] the capability of the device is tremendous,” he added. “We’re looking closely at it. There are a lot of people in IT who play around [...]
When writing about Microsoft’s previous Laptop Hunters ad, I made the following plea:
So, Microsoft, I’m begging you to bring back Lauren #1. Give her the same $1,000 budget so she can easily rule out a Mac
In its newest ad, the company did reduce the budget (to $700), and I think this tack is its best [...]
So there’s a new OS that’s based on the web, relies primarily on a web browser, and whose native apps are web apps. Old news, you say? We already know about Palm’s WebOS. No, I don’t mean that one. This one will primarily target netbooks. Still old news, you say, because we know a modified [...]
I’ve been playing with Fluent News on the iPhone for the last day, and consider it a fine first effort as a news reading app. However, when it comes to sharing the news stories you’re most interested in, it falls short.
Reading
On my iPhone’s first Home page, I have readers for the New York Times, The [...]
Windows 7 pricing was made official not long ago, and the general consensus is that, despite a slight drop in Home Premium pricing compared to Vista, it’s too expensive.
Still, there are some in the Microsoft community that try to justify it by comparing it to Apple’s pricing for Mac OS X. Microsoft can never win [...]
Hey, AT&T is a carrier, OK? They live and breath subscription models. So I don’t blame them for bringing their Navigator GPS app to the iPhone in the same manner as they do their other GPS phones. Still, no thanks.
It’s not just the subscription model, but the maps aren’t even local to the iPhone. If [...]
Earlier this week, I wrote about how I ended up ordering an iPhone 3G S via Apple and AT&T. The former had to be reserved at an Apple store (couldn’t get it delivered, I think, because I’m on a family plan, so they need in-person activation); the latter was to be delivered.
Keep in mind that [...]
Apple’s recent tech note regarding third parties using iTunes’ syncing has caused plenty of discussion. Should Apple “break” the Pre’s ability to sync as an iPod? Why would Cupertino do this? The comments across the web vary in their opinions, so I’ll throw mine in here as well.
First, it’s no secret what I think of [...]
I’m already on record saying that I think AT&T’s upgrade pricing for iPhone 3G owners is not only comparable to the industry, but maybe even a little better.
Despite what could already be considered reasonable terms, AT&T has responded to the complaints by shortening the contract duration for 3G owners to be eligible for the full [...]
After the iPhone 3G S announcement, I knew I was getting one. Actually, I knew that even before the announcement, since for me some of the rumors were so obvious it was clear this was a device worth upgrading to.
I’m a first-generation iPhone owner, so I’m getting a bigger technological leap than iPhone 3G owners. [...]
I’ve been running the release version of Safari 4 on Mac OS and Windows XP for a few days. There are a lot of good features with Safari 4 — and I have no desire to go back to version 3 — but I do miss the beta sometimes.
Where’d My Tabs Go?
Yes, the oft-criticized Tabs [...]
There is already a lot of noise over this all around the ‘net. Owners of the iPhone 3G saying they’re getting ripped off, or not being treated like “loyal customers,” because they’re not being offered the fully subsidized price for the new iPhone 3G S. In reality the AT&T upgrade pricing is pretty much like [...]
Harry McCracken at Technologizer wrote a nice piece about the virtues of hardware keyboards on smartphones.
I think one reason a keyboard argument even exists is because when competing in a given market, you have to tag a competitor’s hot product with a “missing feature,” and then provide that feature. (How many manufacturers claimed FM radio [...]
