Macgasm

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In this episode, Grant talks about the Google Chrome on the Mac.

[03.1 MB] [0:06:30] [Hosted by: Josh Schnell & Grant Brunner]

Queensland University is claiming that glossy screens are hazardous to your health; specifically “Apple ‘glass’ or high gloss monitor screens” are the culprits. The entire article is located at http://www.hrd.qut.edu.au/healthsafety/worksafely/highGloss.jsp

What the hell are they smoking down there in Australia? If glossy screens were really that bad I would think that doctors and researchers would be able to find evidence to corroborate the claim. In addition there would be lawsuits galore stating that glossy screens are causing health issues.

I did some research and could not find anything that was able to prove that having a glossy screen attached to your computer caused any issues excluding glare. I did find an article by the United States’ National Institute of Health, located at http://nihseniorhealth.gov/toolkit/toolkitfiles/html/QuickTips.html that mentions classrooms should avoid glossy screens because they may be difficult to read due to insufficient light reaching the eye. This make sense.

The second aspect of this ‘warning’ that annoys the piss out of me is the fact that they single out Apple. While I enjoy my Apple products, I’m not an Apple fanboy by any stretch of the imagination; if they screw up, I’ll be sure to say so. But why single out Apple when Windows-based computers also have glossy screens. I know for a fact that many manufacturers, I’m looking at you HP, tend to put glossy screens on more and more laptops.

Why wouldn’t these cause the same issues as the Apple glossy screens. The thing that this ‘warning’ (I think it’s just link-bait) doesn’t mention is that if a glossy screen is becoming an issue there are anti-glare filters that can be purchased rather inexpensively that will help mitigate the issue.

I think that this ‘article’, ‘warning’, or link-bait, whatever you want to call it, is just a load of crap that needs to have corroborating evidence before anybody takes this seriously.

So, Apple has announced the new iteration of the iPhone hardware, the 3G S. It’s going to be faster, have better graphics, be able to record video and edit them, have digital compass and voice control, and capable of faster Internet speeds (although AT&T is not holding up on this part).

Now, while this new iPhone is surely impressive, there has been more outpour over the price of upgrading from a 3G to a 3G S. The $199/$299 pricing is only for new customers or those that are eligible for upgrade, while the 3G users that want it will either have to pay $399/$499 on ‘early upgrade’ or $599/$699 for non-contract pricing. While I did complain about this for the first few days, I finally decided that I really wanted the upgrade and got rid of my shiny Palm Pre to use the money for an 32GB iPhone 3G S.

Why do I think it’s worth upgrading from a 3G? Well, a few reasons.

1. Faster processor and RAM. Need I really say more? The current 3G only has a 412mhz processor and 128 MB of RAM. The 3G S has 600 mhz processor and 256MB RAM. That’s double the speed. Have you played the Tap Tap Revenge series of games? You probably would have noticed that at some point, you know you hit the notes perfectly, but the phone lags a bit and you don’t get those notes. That’s because of the current processor speed and RAM – it’s not as fast as it can be. Sure, the 3.0 software improves the speed of the iPhone a bit, but that does not change the fact that the hardware is still not up to speed, at least with the 3G S. So the faster processor and more RAM will indeed make a difference. It’s like getting a new computer – the new computer will surely run faster than your old one. Same thing for the iPhone 3G S.
2. 3.0MP camera/video recording/editing. This has been missing from the first two generations, and now it’s finally here. Though the 3G could have been capable of video recording, I think the faster hardware was a decision to just keep it with the 3G S. The autofocus and macro mode of the new 3.0 MP camera is a big factor in helping me decide to upgrade alone. Maybe because I take so many photos, and the Griffin Clarifi case I use just doesn’t cut it sometimes. And video recording and editing will make capt
   

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In this episode, Josh talks about the possibility of only one iTunes account working on each iPhone.

[02.5 MB] [0:05:20] [Hosted by: Josh Schnell & Grant Brunner]

There’s hidden fees and costs everywhere today. Smartphones are no different. While there’s clearly price differentiations across the Pre, Android G1, and iPhone lines, there’s also obvious differences in specifications. There’s been a clear movement towards homogenizing the devices, but small differences still exist. This is where the guys over at Shrinkage is Good come in. They put together a sweet comparison chart that shows you what you’re really getting in each device, and just how much you’ll be spending on the phone over the course of the year.  I still like the iPhone, but I’m sure you could have guessed that.

Check out their post; it’s worth a gander.

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In this episode, Josh and Grant talk about using AppZapper, AppCleaner, and AppTrap to delete applications.

[01.2 MB] [0:02:30] [Hosted by: Josh Schnell & Grant Brunner]

AnandTech has posted an article on the hardware that is likely to be in the new iPhone 3GS. Of course, someone will do a full tear-down of the device as soon as it is available, but the sources seem pretty good on this one. The general vibe is that the iPhone is going from 486/Nvidia TNT type hardware of the mid-late 90′s to a CPU built like a super-fast Pentium, and a GPU with an architecture very similar to modern DX8/DX9 GPUs. The results should be impressive.

AnandTech: The iPhone 3GS Hardware Exposed and Analyzed

As a little side note on the 3GS, I found this tweet last night from @TheSeanWilson funny:

Apple II GS to iPhone 3GS…. It’s been a long time.

Recently Google has introduced their Quick Search Box for the Mac. This is a replacement for Spotlight, but could possible be a QuickSilver killer! Basic functions are the ability to search your computer and the internet from your desktop with just one application. You can launch your apps and websites from the search box. This app offers some great features, plus many more that I didn’t even touch in the screencast. Be sure to take a look and try it out.

More Info:

http://www.google.com/quicksearchbox/

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