Kuma sits with me in our courtyard, autumn 2011, back when I still used Windows and before we lost him. I’m not sure what’s up with his expression, which is unbecoming. But I like the […]
Category: Tech
Network Solution’s Auto-renew Scam
A year ago when everyone dumped GoDaddy I transferred all my domains to Network Solutions—for each, $6.99 plus $6 private registration. At the time, I confirmed that, like GoDaddy, I could batch renew and get a big discount.
Something strange happened in the last 48 hours; there are unexpected charges, from Netsol, on two credit cards: $37.99 and $107.99, and I can make no sense of them from Domain Manager.
I’m a Chromie Now
Four months ago, I put aside (and later sold) MacBook Air for the Samsung Series 5 550 second-generation Chromebook and never looked back. They say three times is a charm, and that proves true with my third foray using a laptop running Chrome OS. The first two proved life-changing, as I adopted a partial cloud computing lifestyle. Now I live a vigorous, charmed cloud life, which includes Android embrace.
Chromebook isn’t easy, because it demands a thinking reset. I had to put aside concepts about everyday computing, fear of losing Internet connection and perceptions about hardware configurations and what’s good enough performance value. Something else: When I started this journey, in December 2010, Chrome OS wasn’t good enough, because there weren’t enough supporting cloud apps. That has changed dramatically, because of Chrome Web Store and how much desktop-like utility Google now brings to cloud services like G+ or YouTube.
Lou Lou mourns, Too
Our kitty Kuma is still missing—more than 5 days now. Our neighbor’s cat behaves strangely. She frequently comes into our apartment now, looking for Kuma, I guess. I was surprised to find her on the […]
Picture Perfect
I enjoy the camera on the Samsung Galaxy S II smartphone so much, my Fujifilm FinePix X100 is on Craigslist. I just don’t have time to dedicate to photography, and the camera I have with […]
Spider at Dusk
I was out looking for my daughter’s cat and saw a huge spider in a web. Believe it or not, I snapped this with the Nexus S smartphone.
Single Sourcing Is the Source of News Evil
I am mortified by lazy reporting this morning. I’ve been looking over stories about Verizon requesting a California judge reject Apple’s request to bar numerous Galaxy-branded smartphones or tablets from selling in the United States. I have yet to find one story that cites the original source—Verizon’s filing. They all instead refer to a FOSS Patents blog post. According to the court calendar, a motion hearing is scheduled for October 13 (I looked).
FOSS Patents is not credible-enough source, because its story on this topic, as with others, is generally one person’s perspective. More importantly, in this case, original source material should be available through the court’s PACER system, which is where I assume FOSS got the Verizon filing (I don’t know).
Luminox A.1847 Field Chronograph
On Aug. 1, 2011, I sold my 11.6-inch MacBook Air to a friend. I let him pay in Amazon bucks (e.g., gift certificate), which I used to buy my daughter a LensBaby fisheye lens and […]
Fujifilm X100 Review
Few digital cameras have caused as much stir as the retro-styled compact now available in the United States on a limited basis. The Fujifilm FinePix X100 joins the Leica X1, Sigma DP1x and DP2x, Sony Alpha NEX-3 and NEX-5, and micro four-thirds cameras like the Olympus PEN E-PL2 and E-P2 or Panasonic DMC-GF2 in a newer class of mirrorless digicams. I used or owned the DP1, DP2s, E-P2, GF1, and X1.
However, like the Leica X1 or Sigma DP series, the X100 is eccentric—the lens is fixed and cannot be changed. Who on earth would buy a digital camera without telephoto? I, for one. Many professional photographers for another. I’m no pro, but I have specific needs as a journalist for which the X100 is ideally suited. The Fuji is the only camera I own. Whether or not it will be sufficient for my needs, or possibly yours, is question answered by continuous use. For now, I offer my first impressions and explain what are this camera’s major benefits.
Apple's Gang of Four
Ten years ago—that’s right, 2001—Apple made four investments that bore fruit in a 21st-century success story. Everything that came afterwards, even iPad and iPhone, traces back to what I call the “2001 Four”.
Apple made these investments during difficult times. The dot-com bust rippled disastrously through the tech industry, the United States was gripped in recession and Apple’s stock value had collapsed. Shares opened at $343.72 today about four bucks off the 52-week high. Apple’s market capitalization was $317.21 billion at yesterday’s close. Going back in time, Apple shares traded for less than $10 a decade ago. As I explained last month, Apple’s fortunes have dramatically changed.
Why iPad is Successful
Two reasons stand out: iPod and iPhone, and the ecosystem supporting them. Apple launched its tablet with huge manufacturing, distribution, and third-party support, something it didn’t have with iPod and less of with iPhone. Purely from that perspective, and discounting design or technical merits, Research in Motion and Samsung are strategically in best competitive ecosystem positions to release viable iPad competitors. But will they?
Some Apple fans will disagree, arguing that iPad’s size, design, and user experience make it far superior to other tablets. I won’t debate those points here but only observe they would be meaningless without the supporting ecosystem created by iPod and iPhone. Apple didn’t launch iPad into a vacuum but with lush sales and distribution environment.
Apple goes from Rags to Riches in Just Eight Years
This afternoon, I searched the CNET News.com archives to see if I had written something about Apple launching iTunes in January 2001. Hey, it’s the 10th anniversary. But another story caught my attention: “Merrill Lynch to Apple Investors: Sell“, from Jan. 7, 2003. On the eve of Macworld, with Apple shares at $14.85, analyst Michael Hillmeyer reinstated Apple coverage with “sell”.
“Although Apple makes great products, in our view the new product pipeline looks skimpy and we expect continued market share losses”, Hillmeyer wrote in a note to investors. “A product differentiation strategy is difficult in a business increasingly commoditizing”.