Paul
E-Mail: paul@altgn.com
Yahoo IM:
AIM:
Jabber:
Web Page: http://www.altgn.com
Registered Since: 2007-09-24 19:49:33
Profile: Paul is Altgn's token Canadian. When he's not oogling over electronics and Apple he's probably out drinking beer, eating beaver tails, riding moose, watching the leaf game or all the above.
Posts by Jangles:
Rockband Weekly Download - The Police, Clash and The Ramones
February 11th, 2008According to the Rockband Forums (which seem to be currently down), the new Rocband DLC for this week are:
$1.99 per song (160 Microsoft Points)
“Complete Control” by the Clash (master)
“Truth Hits Everybody” by the Police (master)
“Teenage Lobotomy” by the Ramones (master)These songs can also be bought in a 3-song pack for $5.49 (440 Microsoft points)
Complete Control
Truth Hits Everybody
Teenage Lobotomy
There you have it. Perhaps not the best list to date but I am sure the die hard Police fans will be happy yet another track has made its way into the game.
Share:
Review: Energi To Go
February 7th, 2008Like many of you I use my iPod everyday, whether I’m walking around campus or commuting to work I always have those infamous white buds hanging out of my ears. In fact I use my iPod so much I find myself constantly draining the battery, especially on the newer iPod’s like the touch which sport a large bright display. So when I stumbled upon Energizer’s Energi To Go, which allowes you to charge your iPod on the go, it peaked my interest.
The Energi To Go is a small like dongle that attaches to the iPods proprietary 30 pin connector found underneath most iPods.
It is very straight forward to use and the connector is adjustable to fit practically any iPod. Energizer even offers a short video demonstration on their website. You can also find a more in depth list of features here. It is marketed towards use with 4th and 5th gen iPods, 1st and 2nd gen Nano’s and Apple’s long forgotten Mini; however with my tests I was able to have it work with the new Nano with video and iPod Touch.
This little device is perfect for people who travel a lot, go camping or to the cottage, commute to work, or find they are not alway near a computer or outlet to charge their iPod.
The way it works is that the dongle holds 2 AA batteries which is what powers the actual iPod. In my tests I got 2 full charges of my iPod touch, and about 4 charges on my Nano. Users with older iPods could expect between 2-4 charges depending on the model. A complete charge should take between 2-3 hours.
The Energi To Go not only allows you to charge your iPod but also offer a secondary source of power for extended play. Full sized iPod can expect around 32 hours of total play, while Nano users can get up to 46 hours of total play. One important thing to note here is that these numbers are measured using Energizer’s e2 Lithium batteries; which do in fact make all the difference. I used a pair of cheap, no name batteries with the Energi To Go as well and they simply did not cut it, so for best results look to some of the higher end batteries.
I only have one small complaint with the unit. I find it slightly bulky if I want to use it while playing. If you are like me and are constantly changing what you are doing, like checking your email and switching music, than attaching it to your iPod may prove to be cumbersome. However If you toss it in a bag or pocket than you may not run into any problems. I found it most useful to use it as a charger, so that when I needed my iPod, it would be fully charged and ready to go, without using a computer or wall outlet.
This summer my Energi To Go will be used constantly as I plan to travel Europe and will be on the move taking planes, trains and automobiles where charging my iPod would normally not be an option. Overall I found the Energi To Go to be a solid and very useful little gadget. US residents should be able to find it at major retailers, while Canadian residents should keep an eye out as it’s launching this month at a suggested retail price of $29.99.
Share:
Storage Upgrade on iPhone and iTouch!!
February 5th, 2008That’s right folks, it seems today that Apple updated both its iPhone and iPod Touch. The iPhone now sports a 16Gb model at $499 as well as the 8Gb model still at $399. The iPod touch also got a bump to 32Gb at $499 ($519 CAD) as well; retaining both its original 16Gb and 8Gb models respectively.
It is great to see that Apple’s flash players are starting to reach decent storage sizes. My 16Gb Touch is practically full, and I have no idea how you 8Gb iPhone users are surviving. I guess the only real detraction is the price.
Apple didn’t replace a model at the same price point, opting for a new SKU for both the iPhone and iTouch. This is definitely a different approach for Apple so it will be interesting to see how the public respond.
Here in Canada Rogers and Apple have yet to officially come to an agreement, so it would be nice to get the Ultimately iPhone model when it does come visit us up North. Hopefully a 32Gb, 3G, bread toasting, back messaging turbo unit. Well one can dream…
Share:
AT&T: Outage? What Outage?
February 2nd, 2008Last Thursday AT&T’s EDGE and UMTS data service were offline for nearly 9 hours. AT&T has yet to explain the cause for it, and to make matters worse some technicians do not yet understand what could have caused it. The unofficial list of states affected were Florida, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Louisiana, Indiana, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, Nevada, New York, Wisconsin, and Illinois. Both iPhone as well as Blueberry users on the AT&T network were greeted with delightful messages of network errors.
A 9 hour network failure is one thing, but the lack of any substantial explanation from AT&T just makes matters worse. I don’t think there has been much of a spike in handset sales who rely on the network this month, that would have been over the holidays, so any speculation on whether or not their network could handle the load seem to be false.
Stay tune and we will be sure to update you on any new developments.
Share:
MacWorld ‘08 Roundtable
January 19th, 2008Well its been a few days since the MacWorld keynote and I am sure you have heard all about Apples announcements. The internet is abuzz. Some people love the new MacBook Air, some hate it, others love to hate it. Either way it seems everybody has a comment. Altgn is no different. The site is made up of nerds and geeks of all backgrounds, biases and opinions. So sit back, and take a peak at some of our own thoughts about who is wrong and who is right.
The internet begins now.
Kevin:
I think Time Capsule is pretty cool, especially for notebook users who tire of having to periodically plug into an external for long periods of time so it can back up a weeks worth of crap.
I would find myself even more excited if it’s possible to open it up and pop in an even bigger HD.
MacBook Air looks nice, I really want to see the performance of a flash RAM based OS, but having had a computer with an external optical drive, I can say it’s definitely a pain. Give me an external HD I can fill up with movies and TV shows and have it wirelessly connect via bluetooth, then the game changes, but as of right now, the Air is a secondary computer, a two thousand dollar one at that.
As for the rentals, this is a great idea to deliver content and really hammers home that streaming content is the future. Why bother with an HD format war? Get it from your iTunes and play it via your Apple TV. I think a lot of adults without a penchant for home-theater will go for this.
Paul:
A lot of blogs are saying that this years MacWorld might have been disappointing, or the keynote lacked a lot of the magic from previous keynotes. I think the reason for this is because the rumors turned out to be very accurate. Heck my predictions earlier in the week were almost all spot on and I think I was overly conservative with them for the most part. There were no real surprises, most people already knew what would be announced and I think that detracted for the overall feel. That being said there were some excellent products shown that I cannot wait to get my hands on.
Let’s start off on the MacBook Air. Firstly it is not overly expensive, you are paying for an unreal form factor. Literally this thing is just over half an inch at its thickest point. It’s tiny, light and sexy. Something everyone will pine for when they see you take it out. It’s not cheap, but I wouldn’t think of it as a bad deal. I think it competes well with other ultra slim notebooks from Sony for example. Most of the complaints I have heard about it so far strike me as odd. No optical drive, not enough ports, too pricey..blah blah blah. It is an ultra portable laptop. They are giving you as much computing power as possible in a tiny form factor. This is not meant to be your primary laptop by any stretch of the imagination. This is wireless, on the go, super light and portable computing. If you are looking for a device that is faster and has more of the features found on a desktop than stick with that, or invest in a MacBook or even MacBook Pro. Heck my MacBook is still pretty small and light and it can do everything a desktop can do. I do agree with many complaints about the Air not having a removable battery. I find that to be rubbish. If it runs out of juice or dies than your options are limited, however the large LED screen, backlit keyboard, tiny form factor, its style; all make me forget about that.
The Apple TV upgrade and movie rental service were not much of a surprise but I think necessary. Before the announcement the Apple TV was practically dead, well at least under its original purpose. It has gotten closer to a set top box and I think that is what needed to be done to revitalize the product. The price drop was welcome even though I think they should have dropped it to $150. I think the one feature missing which would make this product a home run for Apple is DVR functionality. Add that, a bigger hard drive and strong marketing push and they have a winner. Also the addition of HD content is a Godsend and the price is more than reasonable. I really think this is the future. Blu-Ray? no thanks.
One of the biggest surprises was Time Capsule. The technology is nothing new, but Apple always manages to take something and give it the Apple touch. As mentioned earlier the price seems fair and being able to back up my data on the fly regardless of where I am in the house sounds good to me. It does make me wonder why Apple doesn’t push out a software update to existing Airport owners for this type of feature. Current Airport base stations have a USB port meant for servicing and the ability to add network storage. Apple should stop being so cheap and allow us who already have their router to plug in our own HDD for backups.
I am sure others are fairly upset about the lack of any real iPhone updates. To be honest I am not particularly surprised. Look for an announcement from Apple in the Spring about an update to the current line. In terms of the iPod Touch software being $20…well. Where do I start? Apple needs to stop screwing over it’s early adopters.
I think that MacWorld was a overall success for Apple. Sales are higher than they have ever been and we are seeing a steady and consistent release of new products and updates. While not much “WOWED” me other than how slim the Air was, I do think that Jobs came out with a big smile on his face, announced their current success and displayed their future product line which will undoubtably keep that momentum going.
Kev:
I was severely disappointed in MacWorld this year. Contrary to popular belief, I really do not like Apple… at all. I do own an iPhone, and love it, but I love technology, not companies. I cannot stand Apple’s love for complete control over their products and services.
With that said, I think the MacBook Air is a pretty cool device. I love small laptops, and the MacBook air is definitely one of the thinnest computers money can buy. The mouse gestures via the trackpad is a nifty feature (similar to iPhone’s pinch and pull gestures) and LED backlit displays are definitely a nice addition. However, as with all Apple products, the device is extremely expensive for what you actually get. Perhaps the biggest problem I have with it is that it doesn’t have a user-replaceable battery. Yes, you’ve read that right. Just like the iPhone/iPod/etc, you cannot change the battery if it runs out of juice, or replace it if it happens to die… which happens quite often with laptop Li-ion batteries. Another problem is that the device has no ethernet port. Sure, it has built in Wi-Fi, but I happen to plug my laptop in quite often to do large file transfers. You could plug a USB-to-Ethernet dongle into the device’s only USB port, but if you are using that USB port for anything else, you would need to carry a USB hub. Kinda defeats the purpose the “thinnest laptop ever” if you have to lug around external USB hubs. And finally, the MacBook Air also does not have a built-in optical drive. This would be the deal breaker to me. There are too many occasions where I need to use an optical drive on my laptop for this to be a practical purchase. Sorry Apple, your design-over-performance strategy still hasn’t persuaded me.
The iPhone/iPod Touch news was also severely disappointing. We already knew about all of 1.1.3’s features, and the fact the Apple is forcing iPod Touch users to pay $20 for the iPhone apps and shipping them on new iPod Touch devices is just… wrong. Way to completely screw over your early adopters Apple. You’ve already pissed off a quarter of your iPhone customers with the 2-month $200 price drop on the iPhone, but forcing customers to pay $20 for what already comes on the same device is just downright madness. And where is the SDK news? No announcement for pricing, availability, or any demo apps that are soon to be available. No, all we get to hear about is how well it is selling and how much more users have to pay to get what new owners will already have.
I am not really into Apple TV, so the news of the second version of this product doesn’t really excite me. Considering the abysmal sales of the product, I don’t think I am in the minority. Maybe if Apple decided to let up on some of their restrictions, it would be a worthwhile device. But the fact I cant stream any move/music/picture file I would like = no purchase for me.
Time Capsule is a surprisingly inexpensive and useful device from Apple. The wireless NAS (Network Attached Storage) device will come in 500GB and 1TB configurations, and will feature 802.11n, as well as server grade hard drives. They will clock in at $299 and $499, respectively. These are pretty good prices in general, let alone from Apple. Thumbs up for creating a simple storage device that is cheap enough for people to catch on to centralized backups. However, if you want anything else out of your NAS, like serving media, FTP/Torrent/etc server, SQL Server, etc, go another route.
Overall, MacWorld left me with a strong “Meh” feeling. Nothing is really that exciting. Thin laptops, with many more features at a cheaper price exist. iPhone and iPod touch users have learned nothing about the future of their devices, except that you’ll have to pay to do anything on them. And finally, the only real interesting thing I found interesting was Time Capsule, which is really just a simplified NAS device, which can be built for around the same price with more features. I guess you cant demo an iPhone every year… Sorry Apple, better luck next year.
Share:
Quicktime Is The New Realplayer!
January 18th, 2008Yesterday I was updating the software on my MacBook. Some of the updates were from before the new year so I figured that I might as well update everything that is out of date. There was the standard Garagband, and iTunes update. There was also the most recent Quicktime update from the middle of December; version 7.4.
Well after the update and initial reboot of my system I was being thrown into setup assistant (the initial setup wizard when you install OS X). What? Why was it taking me here? I restarted several times and the same thing happened over and over. It seems I was stuck in setup assistant “hell” or “limbo”. I thought I somehow lost all my data or my Hard Drive crashed. My only real option was to use an existing Time Machine backup. While I was relieved that I had a backup (thank you time machine) I was convinced that my MacBook was just acting bonkers.
After some research I found this article on TUAW. It seems that I was not the only one with this problem. Apple even had a discussion about it on their support forums from last October. Why then has Apple failed to address this since late October? What is the hold up here?
I understand that new software can be buggy, and often times is; but when I download an update which has reported problems for at least two months and it has not been addressed it leaves me wondering what Apple is up to. Get your software in order.
This is not my only problem with it. Quicktime is lame, its a forced pack in with iTunes, you have to pay for a Pro version to get such features as fullscreen, and the formats it supports are limited.
Maybe calling it the next Realplayer is a little harsh; its not that bad, but if you want a solid media player for any platform VLC is your best bet. While I don’t think this issue affects all Macs, Leopard users should stay away from this update until the issue is resolved.
Share:
MacWorld Wrap Up: MacBook Air, Video Rentals And More
January 15th, 2008MacWorld ‘08 just finished and we have a quick recap of some of the more notable updates and announcements. Read the rest of this entry “
CES ‘08 Coverage
January 11th, 2008Unfortunately we could not get any of our writers out to CES, however it seems like an ‘over-covered’ expo. Most people probably have a better understanding of what is going on at the show who stay at home and read the blogs, as oppose to going onto the insanely large show floor. Read the rest of this entry “
MacWorld ‘08 Live Coverage
January 11th, 2008MacWorld is only 4 days away and I am sure you Apple fanboys are wondering what exactly Apple has in store for us. Well like last year you can catch live minute by minute updates from MacRumors to make sure you don’t miss a beat. Read the rest of this entry “
MacWorld ‘08 Predictions
January 10th, 2008It’s that time of year again. MacWorld is upon us in the next couple of days, and like always there are a ton of rumours swirling the intertubes about what might possibly be released; some possible, most not. Here’s what I think we will see next week. Read the rest of this entry “
DRM Is Dead!
January 5th, 2008In a move not entirely surprising, BusinessWeek is reporting that Sony BMG announced yesterday that it would drop DRM; for at least part of its collection starting early this year. Read the rest of this entry “
Apple To Launch Record Label With Jay Z?
January 3rd, 2008The BGR is reporting that Apple will be creating its own record label alongside Jay Z. Read the rest of this entry “
iPhone 1.1.3 firmware inside look
January 1st, 2008The guys over at GearLive have managed to get their hands on the new iPhone firmware 1.1.3 and it looks to improve the device heavily. Some of the more memorable updates are to the home page and Google maps. Unfortunately Gizmodo is reporting that the update does break any unlocked apps. The link offers a short demo of the new features and I suggest you check it out.
Share:
Apple and Fox may offer video rental soon
December 27th, 2007Reports from the Financial times are indicating that we may soon see an announcement about a deal penned between Apple and 20th Century Fox for movie rentals. Read the rest of this entry “
Mac Giving Tree
December 21st, 2007Christmas is a great time of year. Family, friends, food and gifts. Speaking of gifts, Mac users should head on over to the Mac Giving Tree from MacHeist. People who sign up will receive over $50 in Mac software Read the rest of this entry “
Loading ...
