LifeHacker has a first look at iTunes 8.0. As of right now iTunes can be downloaded from Apple, but not through Apple Update yet. Doesn’t look as revolutionary as many people have been saying but it seems to be a logical update for Apple. I will update in a little bit if it works with Windows Vista x64, but I imagine given iTunes 7.0 that it will.

BEWARE!
Everything went find with the iTunes on Windows 64-bit except for the fact that iTunes turned on 1-Click buying for the iTunes store for some reason. If this is not your current setting you probably want to specifically check for this under. Edit - Preference - Store in iTunes. I don’t know if this is a plan for Apple to get extra revenue or if the settings just got reset because of the install of iTunes 8, but I have never had this happen before. Luckily for me I was just buying some of their Free HD Episodes.

Tags: Apple, iPhone, iTunes

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So when Google announced they had a new browser that was going to break down all the barriers of the internet and the desktop I got excited at the prospects of what they were going to do and what this new user interaction would be. Well today they finally announced the release of the browser and made it public at:

http://www.google.com/chrome

However after a quick inspection of the user-agent I soon realized that they didn’t create a new browser just a slight modification of Apple Safari.

It is Safari with just a more standard Windows interface, something Apple should have really done. They even copied it all the way down to the great XML support that Safari has.

Here are some more of the screen shots from Chrome.

I honestly would wait and not give this any air time, but I know that won’t be the case because everybody is already fawning over it. Now thanks to Google and the slight modifications they made we now have a 5th browser that us developers now have to support.

Thanks for nothing Google.

Tags: Apple, Chrome, Google, Safari

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I have to preface what I am about to say with a couple of things:

• I have a first generation iPhone
• I do not have AT&T or any other GSM network
• I am using this iPhone as a phone mostly as an iPod
• I use Verizon Wireless as my cell phone provider

I have to say I am pretty impressed with the iPhone interface.  Alot of work has been done with the user interface and making the applications very useable.  But I have noticed the following problems, that wouldn’t nessisary keep me away from this as a phone, but would make me think twice about how usable it is from my point of view:

• Microsoft Exchange support has been severely dumbed down, and forced in to the limited Apple model surround Mail, Calendar, and Contacts.
  • There are no categories for the Mail, Calendar, or Contacts.
  • There is no way to retrieve my tasks.
  • I use color coded calendar events for separation between Personal, IdeaPipe, and my Employer Voveo.  I have not been able to figure out the color coding that Apple seems to indicate on their Enterprise site.
• No way to store and access files on the file system.  Which I use when I need a quick thumb drive in a pinch or to carry around presentations.
• No Copy and Paste
• Safari crashes under large downloads.  Especially on large pages that are not loaded via AJAX.  So it seems like buffering or rendering of complex web pages seems to be a problem.
• No Flash or Java support on the “real web.”
• Unable to make quick edits to Word, Excel, or PowerPoint documents, like I can do on a Windows Mobile device.
• It is very hard to develop a native application for the iPhone if you don’t have a Mac.  (sort of expected this one though)
• No voice command software to read calendar events, dial phone numbers, or call somebody out of your contact list.  (not that I need the last two in my current situation)
• No supported way to tether the iPhone to your computer to use it as a modem.
• As well as the numerous 3G problems that seem to occur because of an immature 3G network.
• Security is a second thought behind neat usability features.

The iPhone is a wonderful device, but in my oppinion it is still on the level of a toy, because it is generations behind Windows Mobile and Black Berry with features that are needed and wanted as an average business user. And at least Window Mobile and Black Berry keeps their devices locked and passcode protected, which is another reason Enterprises were probably wise to wait on rolling the iPhone out. Apple’s Exchange integration also seems sort of half assed, and they should have probably spent more time on providing some of the more basic features such as categories and tasks instead of creating a horribly buggy semi-quazi competitor with their MobileMe service.

All in all there is no complelling reason to move away from Verizon Wireless at this time for me.

Tags: Apple, iPhone, Microsoft Exchange

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iTunes 7.7 has been released!

Windows Vista x64

I am happy to announce that iTunes 7.7 and Windows Vista x64 work well together. The Apple downloader even chooses the correct 64-bit version of iTunes through every browser that I have tried, so they obviously fixed something where you don’t need to download iTunes through the 64-bit version of IE. No word yet if the iPhone 2.0 or 1.0 will work with the 64-bit version of windows.

Whats New?

As far as I can see nothing is really new with the application.  The only noticeable things is that the “Games” menu item has now been changed to “Applications”.  So if you were expecting a huge jump forward in functionality you are going to be bummed.  Most of the changes probably went to support their new Mobile Me platform, push applications, and the iPhone 2.0.

Download

You can download iTunes in the normal places, either through your updator or from their website.  My recommendation is to wait to see, if you don’t need the new functionality.

Tags: Apple, iPhone, iTunes

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Apple “Windows Developers” continue to not impress me.  Check out the latest in “I decided to release something too early”-product from Steve Jobs and Apple.  I haven’t yet decided if Steve Jobs is trying to take down the Windows Empire with crappy Apple Software, or if Apple is just inept at creating anything but software for Apple.  I prefer to think Steve Jobs just forces Mac Developers to begrudgingly work on Windows Software, instead of actually hiring developers that are passionate about Windows Development.

Tags: Apple

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Common courtesy is very important for all application developers to follow especially when they are dealing with users settings. Especially for common file formats, where the user has probably already set up their preferences how they like. And most importantly to not piss off your install base.

As you might have gathered from the title Apple has screwed up in this area yet again. In their never ending battle to try and forcibly get an install base, from some of their crappiest application. The Apple developers must taken the same “Our shit doesn’t stink”-attitude as many of their users, and started taking over the preferences on the users machine with out asking.

Like any good .NET developer I had the XML file format being opened by Visual Studio, it has a nice viewing, and editing interface that is hard to beat. Today I saw their was a QuickTime update while watching the Facebook Conferences presentation in anticipation of my previous post today. So as I decided to do the update, what a nightmare that has turned out to be. First of all it was 70 MB download, because Apple also decided that iTunes and Safari needed to be downloaded with Quicktime, and bundled them all together. Then it decides to take over all my documents in my system, including HTML, XML, and a bunch of other web related documents. See below.

Then to boot their XML “Rendering” sucks.

Hey news flash Steve Jobs this is how a real browser renders XML, and does a damn fine job at it.

At least if you are going to take over my system, and forcibly put your software on my computer, the very least you could do is not make it suck. Is that too much to ask.

Steve Jobs has to learn that Windows users don’t put up with the same amount of shit as Apples users do, because one we don’t bow down at the alter of Steve Jobs, and two we have other options. I am not going to let Steve Jobs take a steaming pile of shit on my PC, change all the settings, install one of the worst browsers on earth, and then forgive him. He is going to have to do something grand with Safari to get it back on my PC.

I am really pissed that I now have to uninstall a program that I never wanted installed in the first place, and then go through the registry and clean up after an Apple Developer that couldn’t find his way out of a paper bag.

Maybe they should spend less time trying to achieve an ACID3 milestone that won’t be standard for another couple of years and work on the basics that IE for the better part of a decade now.

Tags: Apple, IE, iTunes, QuickTime, Safari, XML

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Today Apple had their big iPhone SDK press release. They opened up the phone and added a bunch of Enterprise features that many small to large corporate customers have been asking for. But they still haven’t implemented the features I am looking for in a smart phone, and until they do, they will not see my money.

1. Microsoft Exchange Direct Push
2. Tethering
3. 3G Network (I currently use Verizon)

I know #2 will be coming, if not through Apple somebody else will do it, since Apple has unlocked the iPhone to developers.  However #3 is the one that I may have to wait for Verizon to switch to GSM in the distant future.  Other than my last 2 requirements I am sold on the iPhone.

Tags: Apple, iPhone, News, Verizon, Windows Mobile

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So today I was reading Jeff’s Post on The Dramatic Password Reveal, and I had a flash back, to about a year or more ago, when I was working for a large bank based out of Pittsburgh who shale remain nameless. The flash back was to the usability nightmare that Lotus Notes and Lotus Sametime provided to anybody that had to do a simple task such as sending an e-mail (or Memo in Lotus Notes terminology). I think Jeff summed it up nicely and probably let Lotus Notes off a little easy by calling it a a massive train wreck.

Lotus Notes was so bad that I was actually considering quiting my job just to get away from the piece of software. Every time I had to look at the client interface I thought to myself where did I go wrong. This wasn’t a bad job either, it paid very well, had good benefits, however the job wasn’t really challenging. Combine that all on a 4 year old computer and a 15-inch CRT and you have my life at this job. So the lack of fulfillment and Lotus Notes drove me to look for another job after only a month and a half at the company.

I refer to Lotus Suite of Products as the AOL for the Corporate World for a couple of reasons. You have to think about AOL in terms of mid-to-late 90’s mainframe terminal interface, not AOL’s website in the new century. Unfortunately IBM hasn’t brought Lotus Notes in to this century or even the late 90’s. The following is my reasons for comparing AOL and Lotus Notes:

1. Every link you get in your E-Mail (or Memo) needs to be opened with in the Lotus Notes client. Just like AOL required when clicking on a link in their Mail system.
2. Every corporate form to collect information is done in a proprietary Lotus Notes data collector that tries to imitate Microsoft Access imitating a web form. Much like AOL did with all the forms available for their bazillion different pop ups.
3. Lotus notes constantly crashed my computer. AOL did the same.
4. Lotus notes had a built in proprietary IM client called Sametime. So did AOL. (See Lotus Sametime)
5. If you think of everything you company has implimented, time tracking, specialized databases, calendars, task lists, corporate web, internet browsing, etc. You can bet Lotus notes has half assed that feature in to their product some how. Much like AOL did before they realized people hated that.
6. The login screen. No real gripe with AOL about this, at least AOL didn’t have hieroglyphics.
   

   This dialog box contains several security “features”:

   • The hieroglyphics on the left of the dialog box are supposed to distract anyone who is peering over your shoulder trying to learn your password as you type.
   • The number of characters you type is hidden; a random number of X’s appear instead of one asterisk per character.

   Is any of this nonsense really necessary? If I want to learn someone’s password as he or she types it, I will look at the keyboard, not the screen!

7. The inefficient use of screen real estate. We all take writing an e-mail for granted with our nice large boxes for TO, CC, Subject, and Attachments. However in the Lotus Notes world your name and some numbers that only mean something to Lotus Notes takes up half of the real estate. I can only image this is in case you forget who you are.

Is it any wonder why it’s often referred to as a train wreck of colossal proportions.

Apple fanboys are always talking about their wonderful interfaces that behave like a user is suppose to interact with a computer.   As sort of a sick, but probably boring, reality show I have always wanted to sit them in front of Lotus Notes and tell them to have at it.  Sort of a last man standing competition.

Also after a month on Lotus Notes, Microsoft Outlook and Exchange started to look like a gift from Heaven.

So that is my rant on Lotus Notes, it is now 12:30 AM, but I just had to get that all out.  And that was just from seeing one picture on Jeff Atwood’s website.  Imagin having to work with the application every day.

Interviewing Tip: Always ask your future employer if they used Lotus Notes, if they say yes, politely end the interview and don’t look back.  Or just bolt from the room at full speed with out looking back.  Either will allow you to achieve you goal of staying away from Lotus Notes.

Tags: aol, Apple, Exchange, IBM, Instant Message, Lotus Notes, Outlook, Rant, Sametime

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Hi loyal readers,

I have to apologize, I have been a really bad blogger lately. I have neglected my blog because of a new job and a brand new Web 2.0 site that I am about to release. At the end of the month I will make an announcement about this project and all the new technologies that many of you have probably heard of but few have implemented. But until then please keep visiting and I really enjoy your comments on the following popular postings:

• Setting Up iTunes on Windows Vista 64-bit
• Apple wants Vista to Run Un-Secured to install iTunes

Thanks,
Nick

Tags: Apple, iTunes, Microsoft, Windows Vista

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Just saw this article over at The Register about the virus turning 25.

Elk Cloner, which spread between Apple II computers via infected floppy disks, has the dubious distinction of the first computer virus1 to spread in the wild. The malware is thought to be the work of Rich Skrenta, a 15-year-old high school student from Pittsburgh, who released it in July 1982.

So when ever a fan boy starts talking about how secure OS X is, you can remind the that it was Apple that had the first unsecured computer in the world.

Tags: Apple, Security

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