Time to take the time out of your day to explain in plain english to your grandparents about the Digital TV switchover coming in February 2009.

See The Day Analog TV Dies – What You Need To Know.

I received a nice SMS message from AT&T just a little while ago. AT&T Wi-Fi Access is now free for iPhone and Laptop Connect customers. Reprint below from AT&T website.

Access the Internet anytime
AT&T knows Wi-Fi is hot, and FREE Wi-Fi is even hotter. Which is why FREE AT&T Wi-Fi access is now available for Apple iPhone at thousands of hotspots nationwide, including Starbucks*. Users can relax and access music, email and web browsing services with their favorite blend in hand from the comfort of their nearest location. For information visit www.att.com/attwifi.

Continue reading AT&T WiFi Access Goes Free for iPhone Users…

Now that it is clear that Apple CEO Steve Jobs prediction of selling 10 million iPhones in 2008 has been easily surpass MacDailyNews has helped us remember the naysayers.

Apple posts a new ad making fun of the cost of Microsoft’s ad campaign. Apple has plenty to be happy about after reporting record numbers in Mac, iPod and especially iPhone sales with profits up 26 percent. Apple also reported they had 25 billion in the bank and absolutely no debt.

Apple posted a profit of $1.14 billion on revenues of $7.9 billion for the quarter. The company also said it had sold 2.6 million Macs, 11 million iPods, and 6.8 million iPhones in the three months ending September 27 outselling RIM’s Blackberry.

The iPhone has already surpassed Steve Jobs prediction of selling 10 million iPhones by year end. In fact it is actually possible that they could double El Steveo’s prediction by end of the holiday quarter. Apple is now the number three phone maker behind only Nokia and Samsung. Steve Jobs made a rare appearance at a financial event.

Continue reading Apple Has Time For New Ad While Reporting Record Numbers…

Thorsten Raasch has created an online petition, “FireWire ports in Apple consumer notebooks,” which reads:

To: Apple Inc.

We all love your products, Apple Inc.! But your recently refreshed line of consumer notebooks lacks the possibility to plug in digital audio and video equipment as well as fast mass storage devices. Therefore, we pledge to purchase a new MacBook or MacBook Air if you, the inventor of FireWire technology, would be so kind to bring back FireWire ports to those products.

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

More information and to sign the petition is here.

CommonCraft give us an explanation in plain English how the process works.

Video streaming should be coming to iPhone as Qik app is expected to go legit in the App Store soon.

Qik a free service that allows users with certain cellphones with video capture capabilities to stream live video directly to their website from 3G or WiFi). Until recently only handful of smartphones (Nokia N95 and few Windows Mobile devices) have been able to use this service. Qik will soon open up Sony Ericsson, more Nokia phones and very soon the iPhone.

Qik software has been available to jailbroken iPhones for awhile, but is soon expected to take a much anticipated place in the App Store. Apple app screening do not fail us now!

Continue reading Qik Video Streaming Expected Soon in App Store…

Apple has begun airing two new “Get a Mac” TV commercials that pokes fun at Microsoft’s Ads and Windows Vista product. Priceless!

Did not cost Apple anywhere near $300 million or the $10 million Microsoft spent for 6 days work from a washed up comedian that was actually a Mac guy.

Remember I am a Mac and I have been stereo-typed. Oh yeah I am a PC too, as all Macs can run Windows if we have too.

Apple has released Migration and DVD/CD Sharing Update 1.1 that provides enhanced customization capabilities and improved performance for migration over FireWire, Ethernet and wireless networks. So says Apple.

If you thought that Vista was just going through a slow period, think again. Seems Microsoft’s CEO Steve Ballmer has all but given up on Windows Vista. That’s right, he said at Gartner’s Symposium/ITxpo conference in Orlando, that it’s OK for companies to SKIP Vista and hopes they come to Windows 7. Maybe the “WOW” will begin then?

If this is not admission that Microsoft brass is rushing the next version, Windows 7 to market and giving up on Windows Vista I do not know what else you need. Seems to me that Microsoft better slow down and get it right this time, Vista was rushed (only took 5 years) and the result was not received too well by users. Who is to say Windows 7 won’t be full of issues?

Ballmer reiterated Microsoft’s pledge that Windows 7 will be compatible with Vista. Wow, Windows will be compatible with… Windows. Isn’t that something! Was this in doubt also?

Continue reading It’s Official Windows Vista is a Failure…

Amazon is offering a great deal on the older MacBooks and MacBook Pros. They are now on sale at big discounts starting at $869 for Firewire equipped MacBooks and $1,569.00 for MacBook Pros. These machines where the ones selling at the Apple Store two days ago. Move fast while supplies last.

Apple MacBook MB402LL/A 13.3-inch Laptop (2.1 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor, 1 GB RAM, 120 GB Hard Drive) White – $869 after rebate

Apple MacBook MB403LL/A 13.3-inch Laptop (2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor, 2 GB RAM, 160 GB Hard Drive) White – $1199.00

Apple MacBook MB404LL/A 13.3-inch Laptop (2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor, 2 GB RAM, 250 GB Hard Drive) Black – $1194.00 after rebate

Apple MacBook Pro MB133LL/A 15.4-inch Laptop (2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor, 2 GB RAM, 200 GB Hard Drive, DVD/CD SuperDrive) – $1569.00

Apple MacBook Pro MB134LL/A 15.4-inch Laptop (2.5 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor, 2 GB RAM, 250 GB Hard Drive, DVD/CD SuperDrive) – $1774.00

Apple MacBook Pro MB166LL/A 17-inch Laptop (2.5 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor, 2 GB RAM, 250 GB Hard Drive, DVD/CD SuperDrive) – $2399.00

Buy through my links and and support ReelSmart.com

I thought about writing this early last year when Apple did not bring Blu-ray as an option to any Macs or DVD Studio Pro support. I also thought about writing this past April when Apple passed on NAB (National Association of Broadcasters) event that brings in content creators from all over the world. Well we are at the end of the year and it is now a question I MUST ask.

Pro users and content creators have traditionally been among Apple’s most loyal customers. It can be argued that it was the pro users and the content creators that kept Apple afloat in those dark years before Jobs and company turned the company around.

When Steve Jobs returned he used the pro users to help Apple from sinking, introduced Final Cut Pro and made non-linear editing more affordable for content creators who bought up Apple products in huge numbers. Many third party companies built businesses around Apple products and the DV revolution. Apple was soon a prominent company at trade shows like DV Expo, NAB, and others.

Continue reading Has Apple Lost Interest in Pro Users?…

Watch Apple’s Spotlight on Notebook Event video here.

At an invitation only media event today Apple has refreshed MacBook, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air and Cinema Display.

The new notebooks now feature a glass multi-touch track pad that has no buttons. All of Apple’s notebooks are now made of aluminum using a new innovative manufacturing process that Apple claims reduces cost, amount of parts, increases strength, and is better for the environment.

Processor speeds are mostly snot changed. However, bus, memory and graphics upgrades will probably provide performance increases.

Continue reading Apple Refresh Notebooks and Cinema Display…

OpenOffice 3.0.0, the free office suite, which includes the long-awaited native Mac OS X version. OpenOffice is also available for Windows and Linux.

This release includes support for downloadable extensions, interface updates, wiki editing and improved notes for Writer, spreadsheets up to 1,024 columns and a new equation solver for Calc, a table designer in Impress, support for opening more formats (including OpenXML), and more. This will give users a true alternative to Microsoft Office at the fantastic price of FREE!

Note: The OpenOffice.org servers were overwhelmed by traffic. Be patient.

Apple’s iPhone has changed the mobile landscape forever. This remarkable device is the first time that you can carry the closest thing to a Mac in your pocket. The iPhone is arguably the mobile device to beat. The device that others are compared to.

All this is praise, but the iPhone is far from perfect. The odd part is that the iPhone has quite a few missing features that you would expect from a company like Apple. Even after being on the market since June 29, 2007 and several software updates behind us.

The App Store has over 4,000 apps for the iPhone available. Many add functionality and some try to address the most wanted missing features. Unfortunately, it is not possible to make up for the missing features with third party apps. Apple has not allowed some types of apps. Running apps in the background is forbidden. These expected features should be added by Apple natively.

Here is my list of missing features that I think should be included natively on the iPhone from Apple.

Continue reading iPhone’s Missing Features Apple Needs To Add…

Apple has invited select media to a Town Hall event in San Francisco next Tuesday, October 14th at 10AM PST. Rumors of updated MacBooks with new form factor may be revealed.

A pet peeve for many iPhone owners is that the native Mail app Apple includes does not allow for typing in landscape mode where the keyboard is bigger and more usable.

Four different apps are now available that attempts to solve this issue. They all work basically the same way. I tested two of them.

Continue reading Review: FIVE Apps That Allow Landscape Email on iPhone – UPDATED…

Road warriors may find the iPhone’s battery a bit inadequate. Personally, I can usually get through a work day on a charge. Sometimes my battery is spent by end of the work day however if I used my iPhone a lot. If you are finding that your iPhone battery is spent you may want to get a battery extender.

The iPhone does not having a replaceable battery. Using one of these battery extenders solves this completely. Making the iPhone’s non-replaceable battery mostly irrelevant.

There are several models to choose from. Here are the ones I came up with.

Continue reading iPhone Battery Extenders…

Live Search 411 – dial 800-225-5411 (800 CALL-411) and say the city and state, then ask for the business or business category. Say “Connect me,” to instantly connect to the business. Ask for a text message with a link to a map of the business.

Dial Directions – dial 347-328-4667 (DIR-ECT-IONS) and ask for directions to any address, store, or event. Dial Directions asks you for your start and destination, and instantly texts back turn-by-turn directions.

Google 411 – Dial 800-466-4411 (800-GOOG-411), say the location and type of business, and Google 411 will connect you. Say “text message” or “map it,” and you’ll receive a text message with more details and a map.

TellMe – dial 800-555-8355 (800-555-TELL) for news, weather, sports, stock quotes, business listings, driving directions, movie times, horoscope, and more.

Google SMS – text a query to 466453 (GOOGLE), and get a text response: news, weather, sports, glossary, movies, stocks, Zip Codes, directions, maps, flights, area codes, product, airline, translation, calculator, airports, currency conversion, and more.