Nov 29, 2006

Studio Manager 8 is Out

Take a look. The demo is a free download. This is our new Studio Manager logo. It's worlds better than the old one we think in keeping with the dramatically improved UI of Studio Manager 8.

It has been gloriously updated using FileMaker 8.5 native tab controls. The result is a much better looking and simpler UI. Because the *feel* of the tabs is a major aspect, not just the look, you really need to try the demo to fully grok how much better it is.

If you don't have the time right now to download the free demo, the Studio Manager website has a whole new set of screen shots. The screenshots and associated descriptions are listed in the left column under the heading Product Screenshots.

November 21, 2006

Studio Manager 8 Demo Released

The demo is a free download.

August 7, 2006

State of the Mac

This is the afternoon of Steve Jobs' keynote at the World Wide Developers Conference in San Francisco. This was a solid, if not stellar, keynote. I was not dazzled.

But, here's what I like that I saw today:

OS X LEOPARD:

• Spaces. This implementation of virtual workspaces looks to be the best I've ever seen. Some power users already use virtual desktops to get more space. But, it's never been dead easy enough to push me over into working that way. I think I will on day 1 when Spaces comes out. Take a look at the video.
• iChat Screen Sharing. OMG. This could be incredible for both collaboration and for tech support. Finally, I can take over my client's screen and work with them not just for them. This could make it a lot easier to train remotely.
• iChat Backgrounds. This is cool. You can put video or photography behind you while you are video conferencing. Remember that messy office or room behind you that you were worrying about? No worries.
• iChat Theater. Walk people through your presentation without being there. You get to have a mini video of you talking next to your presentation. Slick!
• Mail To Do's. Whoopee! I'll be able to convert my emails that require followup into to dos on my iCal to do list effortlessly. Without a separate helper program. Seamless integration. I need that so bad!
• Better Spotlight. Glad to see AND, OR and NOT available in Spotlight searches. That's going to help a lot. Spotlight has such amazing capability. I'll be glad to get more mileage out of it.

MAC PRO:

• 4 Internal Hard Drives. Two hard drives just aren't enough. If you are going to have a big box, you wanna hide your storage inside it. At least I do. I've got about 6 external drives on my desk. This'll cut the number down to a manageable size.
• Totally Configurable. This is the BIG box. It has lots of potential. So, thanks, for letting me pick exactly what I want inside.
• Fast as Can Be. For $2500, it better be. And it is. I've got a dual G5 that I don't push to the wall. But still, this one is tempting. They do their jobs over at Apple.

WHERE ARE WE?

We are left with a delay of the release of Leopard to Spring 2007. Phooey. But then, we were also told, and I believe it, that we only saw part of Leopard. There's some cool secret stuff that we aren't hearing about yet. I'm thinking Apple wants to be sure to trounce Vista when they release Leopard. Maybe they needed a little more time to establish marked superiority. Also, Steve likes to under promise and over deliver. We'll just have to wait to find out I guess.

November 23, 2005

State of the Mac (and iPod)

It's the night before Thanksgiving and I have a moment's peace while I don't watch CSI New York which is playing in the background. Since my last post here in August, I'm much happier with the iPod and a still a little bored with Mac. The nano and video iPods rock big time. I couldn't resist either. Of course, when I bought the nano, I didn't suspect the video iPod would be hard on its heels.

Once you get a nano or 5g iPod, you have the immediate need to protect your museum-quality wonder. They both are subject to scratching. I stopped using my nano for about three weeks after I got a very small scratch on the screen in my first day of use. Luckily, I found a nice ezSkin case and have used my nano with impunity ever since.

Of course, one nano case is not enough. Not when more and more case options keep appearing on the scene and you have this awe-inspiring little device to decorate and protect. So... I bought a crystal film cover set from Power Support at my local Apple store for 15 bucks. I got 1 of these for my 4g iPod and loved it. They are excellent quality and seem ultra-protective.

But then I saw the Waterfield checkered pouch and couldn't resist that. Life is hard, I'm telling you. The pouch plus the crystal film is the perfect combination - one protecting when you aren't using your nano and one when you are. And that little black strap on the pouch for the headphones looks handy.

And, truth be told, I've still got the little clear sticker that comes on the 5g iPod stuck on my amazing device. That is pure sacrilege but there's no way I'm removing that sticker until I can procure a protective front and back sticker for it. And they are taking their time getting those babies out.

But, I was sick and tired of waiting to finding a case, so bought the first one I found: a black leather Belkin Kickstand case for $25 which is rated a lowly b- by iLounge, but seems to work OK for protection plus can be a stand too. It's a temporary thing no doubt but it's worth it to keep my 5g safe and pristine.

Stop by my tech ronin blog to get the long version of the story on these new iPods and iPod books too. To summarize, these are two awesome little devices. But how's the Mac coming along since August? First off, the new iMac is drool-worthy. The built-in iSight camera is handy. Apparently all new Macs will have built-in iSights in the near future. One thing, though, they really do need to communicate with PCs too. At about 6% of the PC market in the US, one can't limit oneself to only Mac users when video conferencing.

Lastly, I like the new higher-rez Powerbooks. That's an extra 26% of screen real estate and it's still very readable. And the new PowerMacs will keep the natives from getting too restless for the time being. Now, all I have to do is wait for Mac World Expo in SF on January 9th. I would love to see an Intel-based Mac mini or iBook there...

August 27, 2005

State of the Mac (and iPod)

Things seem a little slow and boring on the Macintosh front right now. We had lack luster feature bumps of iBooks, iPods and Mac minis in July and then Mighty Mouse this month. Business as usual at best. Everything feels old to me. G5 Desktops - old. Powerbooks - old. iBooks - really, really old. Mac mini, barely upgraded and based on old technology when it started its life -- stuff from the iBook and Powerbook lines. If it weren't for iPodmania, what would we have right now?

The future looks bright but Apple is taxing my patience. We've got the Intel-inside Macs coming and probably some new lighter and faster portables. If we are lucky, we've got the color iPod mini, twice the memory coming in the shuffles and an iTunes-playing cell phone coming in September. A video iPod might show up by January. iPod innovation looks covered. I'm not worried about that. And, as soon as some intel-based hardware gets released we'll probably be in for some major innovation in the Macintosh lines all around.

But, for the moment, we are in a holding pattern circling around waiting for a way to put more power and less weight into mobile Macs. Steve has said they've got some surprises for us between now and when the Intel Macs start rolling out. Please hurry with the surprises because the Mighty Mouse isn't going to hold me for more than 30 days max.

Here are a few quick snapshots and comments on the new stuff that we do have in case you need a new machine now:

Mighty Mouse, Schmighty Mouse. I bought one - of course. I think it is fine. I'm glad we finally have Apple's approval for a 2-button mouse. I'm glad they put even more than 2 buttons on it. I would say you've got 4 useable buttons with the grip on the sides counting as one and the little baby round button counting as one. It's kind of cool I guess that the round button on top can go sideways, up and down and kitty corner and act like a micro trackball.

I was hoping this mouse would be the uber mouse of all time (see my enthusiastic first take at tech ronin: Trojan Mouse). But now that I have one and the dust has settled a bit from Steve's reality distortion field, I see it as a way for Apple to transition to multi-button mice without losing face. The technology included seems more to save face than to give us something truly better than a 2-button mouse or a 1-button mouse for that matter. I am sure that it's better than the old 1-button mouse but not by a lot. It's kind of hard to get used to. And, I'm really not sure it's better than any old smart-looking 2-button mouse. Maybe it will grow on me, but I'm not so sure about that.

New $599 Mac mini Rocks with key upgrades at the same price. In only 6 months, you get twice the RAM (now 512mb) plus Airport Extreme and Bluetooth. Thos are all options I would want in any Mac mini and they used to cost you $875! This is a hugely better deal. Forget the $499 model except for undemanding applications.

The New (Warmed Over) iBooks. The same old iBooks incrementally better at the same price. The way the iBooks get better is that they get hand-me-downs from the Powerbook rather than anything really new. They've given you less reason to buy a Powerbook, though. Apple has even made them look more like Powerbooks in subtle ways. When I have played with them recently in the Apple store, they've seemed very elegant

even though the form factor refuses to change.

12" iBook. The new higher baseline of 512 mb will spare you from major hard-drive-access slow downs, but intensive users like designers should buy an extra 512 mb or 1 gig somewhere else. Other World Computing, a favorite of mine, is selling the 1 gig for around $150 which seems like a bargain compared to Apple's astronomical $500. The default 40 gigs is plenty for the casual Mac user who isn't storing a huge music collection on his portable. I would recommend springing for the 80 gig for an extra $100 if you have any doubts that 40 will be enough since upgrading a notebook is a pain. The iBook now has sudden motion sensor and trackpad scrolling that were exclusive to the Powerbooks until now.

14" iBook. Those of you who feel you need bigger type might prefer the 14" iBook but keep in mind that you are paying more for the same number of pixels and it weighs a whole extra pound which is 20% more weight. You pay an extra $100 for the extra pixel size. I also recommend that unless you want to burn DVDs for movies, you may want to save $100 and get the combo drive rather than the 8x Superdrive. Because it does have a 60 gig drive by default, the average person might just leave it at that. I would pay the extra $150 to get the 100 gig drive option because there's no such thing as too much hard drive space for the power user.

Update on the New color iPods - I bought the 60 gig color and love it of course. The lack of color and readability of my 15 gig 3G iPod was really getting on my nerves. Probably because I have an ultra bright and clear Treo 650 screen that has spoiled me. I've written about my new iPod here and here over at tech ronin.

July 16, 2005

iPods, rumored widescreen iBook, should you buy a Mac without Intel Inside?

If I didn't already have 2 iPods right now (a 15mb and a 1 gig shuffle), I would get a 60 gig color iPod in a heart beat. Now that I've seen the color versions, I can't stand the much less readable grayscale screens. The prices are right at $299 for the 20 gig and $399 for the 60. Not a bad deal at all.

Also, the 1 gig shuffle has dropped to $129! Get one if you don't have one. They're incredibly light and easy to keep with you. Wonderful for walks and workouts. However, on the shuffle, I admit to wishing it had a scroll wheel and a screen. I'm crossing my fingers that they'll find a way to make it easier to navigate the next shuffle and give me a chance to see what song or podcast is playing.

Overall, Apple is doing a bang up job staying ahead of the competition. I'm actually grateful for the competition because that means we get better prices and better features. I'm looking to see Bluetooth or wi-fi and an SD card on future iPods. Those are worth waiting for.

Except for speed and perhaps weight, there's not a lot to do to make the Powerbook better -- that I can see. It's an awesome machine! But the iBook and the 12" Powerbooks could stand some work. There are credible rumors that a widescreen iBook is on the way. Maybe soon.

With the Intel Inside uncertainty possibly slowing some buyers down, expect Apple to drop prices aggressively or do their usual of adding more value but maintaining prices. I'm guessing that Apple will drop prices again across the line if sales slow even a little, so you might want to keep a close eye on prices if you are in the market for a new Mac.

I think I've answered the should you buy question for the iPod. If you want a new one and yours is too old or you never have bought an iPod, buy now. The rest of you might want to hold on a little longer. Should you wait for the Intel Macs. It depends. I wouldn't wait more than six months. If you need one now, buy it. The value is there. If you are fine now and start getting the itch next January, you'll just have to see how prices are doing and what Apple's offering is. I think it will be an advantage to have an Intel chip inside especially if you think you might like to run a PC application or game regularly. However, the very first Mac with Intel inside might not be the best one to buy. Usually the second rev is better when there's a major architectural change.

October 19, 2004

$999 iBook and $1499 PowerMac G5

Today Apple added a single-processor PowerMac G5 to its product mix and refreshed the iBook line adding built-in Airport Extreme wireless capability across the board. Two great moves I would say as it seems Apple frequently leaves marketshare on the table by pricing casual computer users out of the money. The $999 iBook not only is 200 mhz faster and $100 cheaper but also includes wi-fi. That's a much better deal than before. The new iBooks and the $1499 PowerMac G5 seem well-positioned for all those enthused iPod owners out there who are looking more favorably towards Mac these days. You gotta love Apple’s new iBook sales pitch:

Live wirelessly for less. Surf the Web, chat with friends, do homework, play games, even burn DVDs and CDs to create your own video or musical masterpiece. In your favorite café. At 2 a.m. The iBook G4 delivers today’s digital lifestyle to your backpack, starting at $999.

First, a closer look at my favorite new iBook - the $999 12". Unless you really need big type, the 12 is the way to go. You get the same number of pixels (1024 x 768) whether you go with a 12" or 14" and the 12 is a whole pound lighter (4.9 vs 5.9 lbs). For $999, you get your fast wifi plus a 30 gig hard drive and 256 megs of RAM soldered onto the motherboard. Unfortunately, you pay double to buy more of Apple’s RAM, so, unless you’ve got money to burn, go to a reputable memory vendor who guarantees their RAM and buy at least a 512 mb SODIMM for the single memory slot. The amount of RAM you have has always been a major speed factor with OS X and now that we've gotten acustomed to running many applications at a time plus using tabbed browsers, we really need it. My experience bears this out.

It hurt, but I just bought a 1 gig SODIMM for my Powerbook for $250 from Other World Computing. I no longer ever feel sluggishness on this 1.5 ghz Powerbook. The RAM made a huge difference. My stock 1.5 ghz Powerbook with 512 mb RAM was slower in my experience than the 800 mhz Powerbook with 1 meg of RAM that it replaced.

Before I plunked down my card for the 1 gig of RAM, I considered the 512’s which run $97 each. 1 or 2 of those would’ve taken me to 768 or 1 gig. But then I thought about the extra time I would spend if I felt I needed more RAM later and how I would have to *throw away* some RAM to make room for a bigger chip. I want to be able to have about 25 Safari tabs and 15 apps open at once, so I wanted the luxury of 1.25 gigs of RAM. If you are less demanding and a tad more practical than I am, you might be very happy with a single 512. In the end, I could almost justify getting the 1 gig extra RAM for $250 because buying the 512 from Apple would have cost me almost as much - $200. See?

I bought a little 00 philips screwdriver and took the OWC RAM into my local Apple Genius Bar and asked if someone could advise me on installing my own RAM into my Powerbook. My genius was VERY helpful without doing the install himself which would have been against their rules. They only install Apple-branded RAM. It helped a lot to have someone stepping me through the process even though I had printed out detailed instructions from Apple on how to install RAM into a Powerbook. I’ve installed memory for years, but I’m really a software person. I can be all thumbs with the hardware end of things. I highly recommend that you visit Apple's new Customer-Installable Parts page. Apple has turned over a new leaf in this regard and is putting a new emphasis on helping customers handle lots of different operations themselves if they want to.

Now for my customizing recommendations. Just 2. Get the biggest hard drive out there unless you don’t think you’ll put a lot of music, photos and applications on your book. That’ll set you back another $150 for the 7200 rpm 80 gig drive. You will love it! It was getting really crowded on my 40 gig drive but now I’m sitting at around 50 gb with an extra 30 gigs for breathing space. Just right!

The only other thing to get would be built-in Bluetooth for $50. If you already have a Mac-friendly Bluetooth cell phone, this gives you a modem when you are in your car or somewhere away from a landline phone or a wifi or local area network. You never know when you might want to do a little browsing while halfway between here and there and want to do some product research for instance or check the movie schedule. Also, this will synch your bluetooth-capable PDA or cell phone to your iApps like your iCal and Address book. You can also use wireless bluetooth mice or keyboards which is a pleasure with a Powerbook. Fewer things to plug in and out.

What about the $1499 PowerMac G5?.

Even though I’m hooked on the dual processor models for that extra oomph, the truth is that I’m still running a dual 867 G4 PowerMac and this new PowerMac is probably twice as fast on processor intensive tasks and quieter. Hmm... The main point here is that the price is right. You save $500 by giving up that second processor. A fair tradeoff and given how fast these machines are to begin with, you’ll likely not notice the missing processor --- much.

Sep 10, 2004

G5 iMacs May Arrive in Apple Stores this weekend

AppleInsider has been doing some investigating and believes we’ll see some G5 iMacs appearing in stores as early as Saturday. Where would that be? In one of the four US flagship stores in San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles or Chicago.

As for the iMacs themselves? They are what we were expecting. Except, I underplayed the iPod look-alike aspect. Didn’t see that one coming. I don’t really need one of these, but if I did, I would spring for the 20" 1.8 ghz model for $1899. I’m hooked on big screens and like the 160 gb hard drive.

Aug 24, 2004

G5 iMacs May be Announced Next Week

AppleInsider says we are going to get new Apple product announcements by next Tuesday (or maybe Monday night). They say those announcements will almost certainly include G5 iMacs. Apple has already let the cat out of the bag on these machines, saying they were coming in September probably.

Well, I hate to say it, but September starts next Wednesday and there’s an Apple Keynote on Tuesday at Apple Expo in Paris. Unfortunately, Steve will be home recuperating, so VP Phil Schiller will do the keynote. That’s disappointing. Nothing beats a Steve Jobs keynote.

I am very curious about what these machines will look like. AppleInsider says to expect them to have an aluminum and chrome motif consistent with Apple’s other hardware offerings - think PowerMac G5 and the new flat panel displays. Their sources are saying the new iMacs will have an "all-in-one cinema display-like enclosure, with the logic-board integrated behind its LCD screen and optical disc drives vertically mounted on the side". I think we can safely assume they will look great.

Think Secret has a good track record with these kinds of predictions and they are in agreement with AppleInsider on both the timing of this announcement and the physical configuration of the new iMacs. Think Secret says they are sure about the size and speeds of these machines. There will be education models and consumer models. A 17" 1.6 ghz version and a 20" 1.8 ghz version. The prices will be similar to current models but may edge higher with one or more models. They predict that installed RAM will stay at 256 mb with a capacity of 2 GB.

One suggestion that I want to second is that if you want an iMac in September, order at the online store or, even better, buy one at an Apple store the minute these babies are for sale. Shortages are predicted due to shortages of the G5 chip from IBM. I wanted to spread the word now so you can start firing up your credit cards in anticipation!

July 19, 2004

Macintosh Update

I’ve had my new aluminum 1.5 ghz Powerbook for a full two months now, and I’m loving it. And it’s not the speed because I haven’t upgraded from 512 mb yet to the 1.25 mb I’m planning on. As a result, it’s hitting the hard drive a lot and isn’t running much faster than my 800 mhz Titanium Powerbook that had 1 mb of RAM. So, what is it? It’s the look and feel. I love the amazing simplicity and elegance of this machine. The hinge all the way across the back makes it operate smoothly and effortlessly. This is a case where the upgrade from Titanium to Aluminum was evolutionary and what you get in return is almost perfect. A perfected machine. Sweet!

Nirvana in Metal: the new G5 PowerMacs . I love the tagline: designed for the creative class. Sticking to the script, prices are about the same and the speed has increased. You get an 8x superdrive standard. For me, the bottom line is that you can get an awesome 1.8 ghz *dual* G5 for $2 grand! Since I like having a Powerbook *and* a PowerMac, the next time I have a spare 2 grand, I’ll get the 1.8 dual. If I were the kind of person who had no Powerbook, just a desktop, I would probably spring for the 2.5 ghz machine at $3k. Besides the main feature of 700 more mhz, it’s got a 160gb drive and faster video card.

I shouldn’t neglect the new Aluminum Monitors . Gorgeous, improved and styled to match the G5 PowerMacs. I like seeing Apple targeting the high end, dropping the 17" and adding a whopping 30" display. I’m sure there’s a market for it, but I’m afraid I would get a crick in my neck looking up at such a tall display. It will make a great TV, though. For now, I’ll stick very happily with my old 17" and 20" Apple Cinema displays sitting side by side. My favorite feature of the new monitors is that they now use the standard DVI port so they connect directly to Powerbooks and most PCs.

Like a lot of people, I was waiting for the Developer’s Conference, thinking there might be a major announcement on the hardware front. I was disappointed. I wanted to see something radical in the iPod line like a PDA. I still think there needs to be something in the portable form factor - maybe 1.5-3 lbs. And I think Apple will eventually fill that gap. Cell phones aren’t big enough and Powerbooks are too big for lots of situations.

Then there’s Tiger - Mac OS 10.4. When I read the announcements, I wasn’t that enthused. But then I saw Steve Jobs’ keynote. I know, he’s the world’s best spindoctor. But, I am completely convinced now that Tiger will be a strong, if not revolutionary, release. Like Panther, Tiger will have over 150 new features. At least four of these features are major and impressive: Spotlight, Safari RSS, Dashboard and Automator. You might want to go thru Apple’s little slideshow and see what’s in store. If you haven’t heard, though, don’t get too excited, Tiger may not be out till June of next year.

May 25, 2004

FileMaker Server 7 Now Shipping

FileMaker Inc. announced the immediate availability of FileMaker Server 7. This means that it is now possible for a firm or workgroup that depends on FileMaker Pro and uses FileMaker Server to upgrade to FileMaker 7 if they so choose. One major benefit of the new Server version is that it has been rearchitected to take much better advantage of high-end server hardware processing power and thus can significantly speed up multi-user performance.

Remember that *migration* to 7 is a process that often requires careful planning, preparation, testing and adjustment after the conversion. It’s not something you just do. There are many technical briefs devoted to the issues involved and the options you have in migration. See my FileMaker Fever weblog for more information.

Apr 13, 2004

Faster eMacs

Apple upgraded the eMacs today. They now run at 1.25 ghz and have 3 USB 2 and 2 USB 1.1 ports. Both come with 256 mb RAM. The cheaper $795 eMac has a 40 gig hard drive and a combo drive. The $995 version has an 80 gig hard drive and an 8x Super drive to burn DVDs. If you build-to-order at the Apple Online store, you can get different hard drive sizes up to 160 gigs and airport and bluetooth if you like. MacMall is now selling the eMac 1ghz model for $695. FileMaker users could consider the $695 or $795 all-in-ones as cheap dedicated cpus for FileMaker Server or FileMaker Pro serving files.

Mar 9, 2004

FIleMaker Pro 7 Released

FileMaker has just released a whopper of an upgrade in FileMaker Pro 7. It is a complete redesign and rearchitecting of the product. The good news for users is that it operates pretty much the same as previous versions of FileMaker. The changes are all in power and in web-friendliness. The size of files increases by 400 times! Relational capabilities are easier to implement and lots of new more powerful script and calculation capabilities are included. Now there is instant and custom web-publishing of FileMaker databases that is much more extensive and more like FileMaker on the desktop. This will allow us all to extend access to our databases to web browser clients without a big development investment.

The one unpleasant surprise is that FileMaker 7 can’t handle any FileMaker Pro 6 file you throw at it. It chokes on complex applications in many different ways so people who have existing FileMaker applications and want to upgrade will be looking at some time, study, development work and testing to get everything running like they want. Also, because the architecture is different, experts will be scratching their heads for a while trying to decide the best ways to take best advantage of its potential.

Anyone who has a new small FileMaker project that they would like to try in FileMaker 7 should contact us as we are looking for some relatively simple projects to start with. We’ll make the appropriate adjustments in fees if we feel we aren’t as productive with the new tool as the old in the beginning. However, we are also looking forward to a lot of efficiencies that FileMaker 7 enables and hope that those efficiencies will counter-balance any new learning curve slowdowns that may occur. See our FileMaker Kingdom page for our top 10 favorite new FM7 features. And, of course, a blog entry on the day my release versions of the product and developer versions arrived at my door.

Feb 9, 2004

Faster Safari 1.2 Available

I don’t know about you, but my web browser is one of my key productivity (and play) tools. I just downloaded the new Safari web browser over the weekend and it feels snappier. It is more compatible and lets you resume downloads. There’s also a new release of Java that may be responsible for some of the improvement. If you haven’t already upgraded, you can read about Safari 1.2 and download it at Apple’s Safari page. Happy surfing!

Jan 19, 2004

MacWorld Expo Postscript

I live in the Bay Area, so the San Francisco MacWorld Expo is a major event for me every year. But, I must say that this year was disappointing. Not only was the exhibit floor smaller, a downward trend since 2001 at least, but Apple didn’t have much to announce. I am hoping that the lackluster Apple announcements is due to their shift to making major announcements at special Apple events rather than at the Expos. I’ve long wondered why Apple has been announcing major hardware releases in January, thus discouraging many of us from buying during the Holiday season. So, even though disappointed, I’m not by any means discouraged because there’s been a lot of great stuff this last year and Steve said in his keynote that there’s lots more to come this year.

Back to the announcements. Sure, the new smaller *color* iPodmini is cool but I already am on my fourth iPod now, so another one with the same functionality - just smaller and cuter, didn’t rock my world (see my iPod mini cute but $249 post). The other *consumer* (there’s got to be a better word) announcement of interest was the new GarageBand home recording studio software that’s part of an upgraded iLife suite. If you are a musician whose unhappy with your recording software or don’t have one, this is a big deal. Otherwise, you can play with it anyway. GarageBand is probably the best announcement from Apple, but since I’m not actively a musician and have a few other things on my plate, I haven’t even tried it yet. I’m more interested in the faster iPhoto 4 that’s included in the iLife bundle.

Hardware for more.

Sep 4, 2003

Let’s Blog!

After seriously fooling around and having a blast with my own personal weblog, Tech Ronin, since late April, I’ve decided that this front page should be a blog too. This is an unassisted blog at the moment. No help from Movable Type or TypePad, my favorite blogging tools. Soon we’ll be fully blog-enabled, but, meanwhile, I am going to format our content like a blog which means reverse chronological entries. The new stuff is on top.

Aug 12, 2003

TypePad Offers New Level of Ease in Blogging

I’ve been watching the news eagerly regarding this new blogging platform. So, when Six Apart, the developers of TypePad, went live with their Preview version on August 5th, I was ready. I started their 30-day free trial the next day. It’s amazing how easy it is to set-up a pretty sophisticated blog in TypePad. The built-in photo album is a nice touch. The book lists with auto-lookups of book covers, titles and author based on ISBN number is handy! Seems very promising. I wrote about TypePad in more detail on Tech Ronin: Tech Ronin TypePad and TypePad Rocks - I’m Planning to Switch. If you haven’t seen it yet, take a peek at my Tech Ronin blog.

Aug 6, 2003

Technology Treats morphs into Tech Ronin

After a couple of misfires, I started my first viable weblog on April 29th. With some serious work and two good books for company, I installed Movable Type and christened Tokerud’s Technology Treats with my first post. As I wrote almost every day, the direction of my blog became clearer to me. Almost as soon as I started, though, I wrote about social networking, social trends and emarketing, not just personal technology. I didn’t mind. It was exciting venturing into these more substantive topics. But, when I switched over to TypePad on August 6th, I had a chance to make a new start and began again as Tech Ronin. I copied all my Tokerud’s Technology Treats entries and comments over to TypePad in about 5 minutes - that sure was easy! I then initiated my new blog with an entry called simply Tech Ronin.

Jun 24, 2003

iSight Vide0-Camera

Nice lookin’ and powerful webcam, this is! But there’s this little chicken and egg problem. My friends need the same set-up. Waiting to find out about a friend with one. Larger photo and more info on Tech Ronin.

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