Tag Archives: Apple

iPhone App Development Classes

My latest iPhone/iPod touch app, Whiteboard Lite, is now available in the iTunes App Store.

This semester, I’m a Lab Assistant (also sometimes called a Teaching Assistant or TA) for the new ITP 499 iPhone App Development class here at USC (the University of Southern California). The most well-known iPhone App Dev class done so far was at Stanford University (CS 193P); props to them for posting some of their course materials online.

Continue reading

MacBook Touch

Last night I had an incredible dream. The first thing I remember is that I was running away from some people who were chasing me. Somehow, I had a backpack with fantastic tools in it, including something that allowed me to jump off buildings and land unharmed. I think there was some kind of glider thing that I could hold on to. Anyway, I proceeded to run through buildings and hallways, outside and off cliffs. Eventually I came to a door which seemed to go into a large warehouse building. I went in and continued running, knowing that my pursuers were still after me. I entered a hallway and suddenly I was in some kind of hospital. There were bathrooms with advanced showers/baths for cleaning off contaminants. I came to a room where patients were relaxing, and met an interesting older lady who introduced me to her MacBook.

MacBook Touch Sketch

She said she was not computer savvy, which is interesting because it seems that unsavvy people seem to have the coolest gear sometimes. She said he likes to browse the web for computer stuff, and pulled up a web browser with TigerDirect on it. She started browsing the LCD monitors and various types of peripherals. It was amazing: She double-tapped directly on the screen to zoom in on an item. She panned around the screen by dragging the screen with one finger. And then she used the “pinch” maneuver to change the zoom size and look at another item. Continue reading

iPhone 3G is the Second Generation

I’m the proud owner of an Apple iPhone 4 GB. I’m very happy with my decision. I was really tired of my old Nokia, and the iPhone suits me perfectly. I love everything about it, and I can type very quickly with the on-screen keyboard. The only difference between the 8GB and 4GB models is the amount of memory– a difference of 4 GB. I don’t miss it at all. As I type this, my iPhone has 2.7 GB available.

Continue reading

Today, I Lose All Respect For Apple: Software “Updater” Installs Safari

I used to highly respect Apple. I bought an iBook, a few iPods, an iMac, and an iPhone. I’ve purchased several songs on iTunes, and I’ve used the Safari beta. They’re trying to remove DRM from iTunes music. They were a good company.

But as of today, I’ve lost all respect for them. Let me explain.

Today, Apple realized Microsoft’s success, and decided to follow them as a role model. They forced their Safari web browser on Windows users of iTunes, QuickTime, or Bonjour.

Sneakily, the Apple Software Updater will run and pop-up automatically on the screens of Windows users who have iTunes installed. This is fine. The problem is that it now has Safari, and it’s checked to install by default.

apple_safari.jpg

Even if you have never installed Safari before. Continue reading

Lenovo ThinkPad X300 vs Apple MacBook Air

Chinese company Lenovo, which acquired IBM’s computing division in 2005, today is throwing around the word “perfection.” And I think this could very well be the closest a laptop has ever come. They have released the ThinkPad X300, a 2.9 lb. wonder. Far less than an inch thick, it’s the lightest and thinnest ThinkPad ever made. Amazingly, it has not only a TrackPoint, but a TouchPad as well – which is the signature ThinkPad “UltraNav.”

Naturally, when thinking of extremely thin laptops, the recently-released MacBook Air comes to mind. Here’s a head-to-head comparison, which shows clear ways in which the X300 wins out:

Lenovo ThinkPad X300 vs Apple MacBook Air Continue reading