The Brooks Review

Month: January 2012

  • Short Sighted Look at iCloud

    Paul Asselin: ((Also kudos for using Calepin.co, but no byline is annoying — I wonder if this is a Calepin.co limitation?))
    >iCloud is unpractical and reserved for the Mac addict that never touches any other computer.

    He’s pissed that Apple didn’t make a Windows compatible cloud environment. I think this is a pretty short sighted look at iCloud. When and where iCloud works it is a fantastic service — leaps and bounds better than Dropbox. However Apple is still working out some rather large “hiccups” with the system.

    I don’t think it is fair to write off iCloud just yet — my best guess is that once it is working perfectly on the Mac, Apple will begin to explore ways to give Windows users some sort of access.

    And as far as this statement goes:

    >Apple would gain so much love if it just open sourced everything.

    They may gain love from geeks, but certainly not from investors — look no further than what Amazon did with Android. That is all the reason Apple needs to steer clear of such a path.

    **Update**: Looks like the post was removed, luckily [Google has a cached page here](http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:a8L_ytkIatgJ:asselinpaul.calepin.co/Apple%2520is%2520flawed.html+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us). The article has been replaced with a similar, but [different post](http://asselinpaul.calepin.co/the-failure-of-airdrop.html). ((A post I still disagree with.))

  • ‘Tablet Computers Take Wait Out of Waiting Tables’

    Interesting story of adopting tablets in restaurants to allow patrons to order things for themselves, pay, and stay entertained. I can’t help but to think that this is more of a stopgap than a solution.

    Wouldn’t the better solution just be to have an app, or web app, that users pull up on their phone? That is: why should a restaurant pay to provide the hardware that most are already carrying with them?

    I would guess that most restaurants could get away with only carrying a few tablets for those that don’t own a smartphone — and provide an app (likely one made by another company specifically for restaurant).

  • [Sponsor] Scrivener

    Writing a book or research paper is about more than hammering away at the keys until it’s done. Research, shuffling index cards to find that elusive structure – most software is only fired up after much of the hard work is completed.

    Enter Scrivener, a content-generation tool that lets you compose and structure long and difficult documents based on material from multiple sources. Adopted by novelists, screenwriters, journalists, lawyers and academics alike, the program allows users to split the editor and view documents, PDF files, multimedia and other research materials next to each other. A virtual corkboard and outliner help with structuring or providing an overview of the draft. Collate, read and edit related text without affecting its place in the whole using Scrivener’s Collections feature. Close out the world in Full Screen mode. And when you’re finished, export to e-readers or the most popular word processing programs for submission.

    [Available for Mac OS X and Windows at Literature and Latte](http://click.syndicateads.net/2012/01/scrivener/brooksreview.html).

  • ‘Dropbox Inventor Determined to Build the Next Apple or Google’

    Jessica Guynn, reporting for the Los Angeles Times, has this quote from, Dropbox founder and CEO, Drew Houston:
    >”People may know us today as the magic folder on their desktop or the app on their phone. But we see ourselves as building the Internet’s file system,” he said.

    The story paints Dropbox as an amazing service (which it is), but also seems to think that its biggest competition is from things like Apple’s iCloud service — which is wrong.

    In truth iCloud will never rival Dropbox because it isn’t built to work on everything, everywhere. No, I think the biggest problem Dropbox faces is the trend of hiding the file system. What good is Dropbox if you never see your files?

    More specifically, if your only computers are an iPad and iPhone — Dropbox is significantly less valuable and relevant to you. That’s why the bit I quoted from the article worries me so much.

  • ‘Quite a Conundrum’

    John Battelle:

    >Some dude I don’t know posted it to Google+, I clicked through to his post (gaining Google another pageview), then clicked through the video to YouTube. That’s lame. That’s not a Googley search experience.

    And then a bit later:

    >Seems a bit off. Seems like Google is taking the first click away from me and directing it to a Google service.

    As I said to Shawn the other day (more or less): “Google is the one company where I don’t feel good about using their products, but I have a really hard time not using their products.”

  • The Picture Says It All

    There’s still a lot of back and forth going on with this iPhone mute switch argument, but reader Ian Ferrel ([@ianferrel](https://twitter.com/#!/ianferrel)) emailed in to say:

    >It’s worth noting that the image shown when you flip the switch is a bell with a line through it, not a speaker symbol with a line through it. This is a clue that the switch is not setting the volume to zero, it’s turning off the ringer.

    That’s a fantastic point and here’s what he is talking about:

    [](http://c276381.r81.cf1.rackcdn.com/ringer-mute.jpg)

    I don’t think most iPhone users are going to notice the difference between the ringer symbol and the speaker symbol, but Apple took the time to make them different because, they do in fact, have different meanings.

    **Update:** I’m not saying this exonerates Apple. I am saying that Apple sees a clear differentiation between the mute switch and the volume rocker — and uses symbols differently to convey this to users. It should also be noted that Apple labels the speaker icon as “ringer” when you adjust it with the volume rocker and this leads to more confusion.

  • ‘On the Behavior of the iPhone Mute Switch’

    Andy Ihnatko on the iPhone mute switch:

    >If I forgot to unmute my phone after a movie, I’m a dumbass. But if my iPhone makes noise during the movie despite the fact that I’d deliberately chosen to silence it, I can only conclude that the dumbasses in this equation reside about 3,000 miles west of here.

    I disagree here and think (along with [Gruber](http://daringfireball.net/2012/01/iphone_mute_switch_design))that the iPhone mute switch works perfectly as is.

    My reason is simple: when I go to bed at night, I want to know that my alarm will wake me, but that my drunk friends won’t.

  • Seattle Against SOPA

    If you are in Seattle, show your support:
    >On January 18th, in conjunction with blackouts of websites all over the web, we will be having several large events in Seattle.

  • Thurrott On Apple’s Target Plans

    Paul Thurrott on Apple’s deal with Target:

    >Oh good, I was just thinking that what this country needs is more Apple Stores. I have an idea: Rather than build all this crap, why doesn’t Apple just unilaterally make each of its products available for 25 percent less than the current selling price? It would save money, raise market share, and benefit the millions of people who can’t actually afford all this stuff to begin with.

    I would guess he has the same advice for Microsoft since they too are opening stores, and [plan to open a lot of them](http://www.businessweek.com/printer/magazine/steve-ballmer-reboots-01122012.html)?

  • The B&B Podcast – Episode 42: Baby Technology

    >This week Shawn and Ben talk about the future life of a being a dad, headphones, some follow-up to last week’s show, iPhone photography and videography, Google’s percieved evilness, and a person’s decision making ability. There is also one more thing.

    Big thanks to our sponsor: [Verses](http://kepner.me/versesapp).

  • TSA Air Marshal Arrested for Stealing Boston Occupier’s iPhone

    Quinn Norton:
    >TSA air marshal Adam Marshall was arrested by the Boston police department at 3:50 a.m. on December 10 after he allegedly argued with members of Occupy, called some of them prostitutes, struck one of Occupy’s organizers and main Tweeters in the face, grabbed her iPhone and then fled.

    This guy is allowed to carry a loaded weapon on an airplane — you know — to protect it.

  • Fotoshop by Adobé

    “Even adjust your race.”

  • Headphones

    I’ve always cared about the headphones that I use, but if I am honest the depth of that care extended mostly to price and design alone. I wanted something priced higher than grocery store checkout line level, but far less than an audiophile would pay — mostly I just wanted my headphones to look cool.

    There was also another thing: I liked the Apple headphones back then. I liked them for the same reason everyone else did back in the day: they told the world you had an iPod. So I really didn’t need portable headphones.

    Christmas of 2004 (maybe 2003) my Dad gave me a set of Bose QuietComfort 2 headphones — big, noise canceling, and the Bose name. I loved those headphones, in fact I still love those headphones.

    Up and until yesterday I still used those 6+ year old headphones for almost everything — including travel. ((They are great for blocking out crying babies on the plane.))

    But I knew I needed a new set of headphones, I mostly knew this because here is what those old Bose headphones look like today:

    [](http://c276381.r81.cf1.rackcdn.com/headphones-1.jpg)

    Yes, that’s a zip tie holding them together along with a piece of tape. The zip tie was added to them somewhere over the U.S. in a cramped cabin of an airplane. ((For the life of me I can’t remember why I had a zip tie with me.)) The tape was added later to secure other plastic bits that were cracking.

    [](http://c276381.r81.cf1.rackcdn.com/headphones-2.jpg)

    The right side held up much better, not requiring tape until sometime in 2009.

    [](http://c276381.r81.cf1.rackcdn.com/headphones-3.jpg)

    You guessed it, this is the reason I needed new headphones. Sometime last year the ear pads started to disintegrate and leave little black flecks all over my ears and face. They still work fine and fit nice — they just kinda gross me out now.

    But that’s a long life for a set of mid-range headphones.

    Perhaps my favorite part of the old Bose was the stack of courtesy cards that it came with — and that store in the case — for handing out to other people:

    [](http://c276381.r81.cf1.rackcdn.com/headphones-4.jpg)

    [](http://c276381.r81.cf1.rackcdn.com/headphones-5.jpg)

    How perfectly arrogant.

    This isn’t a review of any new headphone — it’s a goodbye to a great set of headphones.

    But, to save some emails, here is what will be replacing the Bose: two separate pairs of Sennheisers.

    [](http://c276381.r81.cf1.rackcdn.com/headphones-6.jpg)

    Those are for my home.

    [](http://c276381.r81.cf1.rackcdn.com/headphones-7.jpg)

    Those are for my office.

    I hope they last a while…

  • ‘Is the iPad a PC?’

    Horace Dediu:
    >One wonders if these “media tablets” are not PCs and yet they negatively affect the purchase of PCs whether they are indeed competing with PCs.

  • One Half of the Dynamic Duo Responds

    This time I know who is writing, it’s Taylor Sternberg:
    >Now this is where I have to make my case. Because I have used OnLive for gaming. Regardless of how it sounds, I like it. A lot. It allows me to play games in places where I couldn’t (like my Mac), and feels good. It’s very responsive, and I think it’s a fantastic technology. I don’t agree with their business model, but the technology allows me to have fun. I think that’s important.

  • ‘Steve Ballmer Reboots’

    Ashlee Vance in a long and interesting article about Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has this choice quote:
    >“When you talk to other entrepreneurs and tell them you’re using Microsoft’s cloud services, they look at you like you have leprosy,” says Jeremy Howard, chief scientist at Kaggle, a San Francisco startup that runs data analytics contests.

    No matter how good Microsoft services are they should be spending every ounce of energy to change this type perception — because it can be said about more products that just Microsoft’s cloud products.

  • Responding to the Dynamic Duo

    [Either Taylor Sternberg, or Peter James Zielinski writing](http://robotasaur.us/2012/01/ben-brooks-doesnt-know-about-onlive/) ((The post gives no indication which one is writing.)) (I prefer to think one writes one word and passes it to the other for the next — that’d be fun) responds to my post saying that Mossberg has lost it:

    >I think what Ben Brooks is trying to say here is that using Windows 7 on an iPad is dumb.

    No. Actually I was trying to say [exactly what I said](https://brooksreview.net/2012/01/office-mossberg/):

    >Also: it sounds horrible.

    Never mind what I actually said though, back to the dynamic duo:

    >But Ben, did you read the entire article?

    I did. In fact I take it upon my self to read every article I link to, in full, unless I state that I gave up on it.

    Again the duo states:

    >Walt agrees with you, bro.

    No, actually he doesn’t. [Mossberg mentions](http://allthingsd.com/20120111/working-in-word-excel-powerpoint-on-an-ipad/), as they quoted, that there are:

    >[…]some caveats, limitations and rough edges.

    I stated that “it sounds horrible” and that “Mossberg might be losing it”. I don’t think Mossberg agrees with either of those two things I said, but I will wait and see if he responds to confirm that.

    The reason I doubt Mossberg agrees is because stating that there are some problems, as Mossberg did, is far different that calling something horrible — which is what I called it.

    The duo, agian:

    >But I think the thing that makes me frustrated about Ben’s post (out of context) is that the power isn’t just that it’s a VNC clone (simplifying it to an extreme), but that OnLive’s first mission is to rethink internet streaming video.

    Ok, explain…

    >Their first product is OnLive for gaming. They want to expand their streaming product to a VNC-like system.

    So it’s like VNC, just as I said — and just as you said — but it also allows for streaming games? That’s sounds really horrible.

    >Even if the product itself (OnLive Desktop) is flawed from a usability standpoint, having a company focus on faster 1:1 streaming and computing is good for the internet industry. It creates competition in a space where streaming technology is very important today.

    That may all be true, but it doesn’t change the fact that the product Mossberg described sounds horrible. The same product that you say should be given a pass even if it “is flawed from a usability standpoint”.

    It doesn’t matter if the streaming is precisely 1:1 — clicking toolbars in Office on the iPad with your finger is truly a terrible thing, something I know from first hand experience. OnLive may be trying something new — and that’s noble and all — but in the end it’s still a terrible sounding product.

    Lastly the duo suggests:

    >*Read the entire article.*

    I did. And I responded to what is contained in the article without further trying to figure out things not mentioned. Your post back to me makes many assumptions about what I think — all of which are, simply, wrong.

  • A Study of Email Refinding [PDF]

    An interesting study from IBM research about the benefits of searching and threading email. Showing that in most cases meticulous organization in folders is slower for finding and email than search.

    Seems like common sense to me, but I can’t tell you how many people I know that meticulously file emails in folders.

    [via HBR]

  • Tip for Getting More Organized: Don’t

    Michael Schrage:
    >Our job today and tomorrow isn’t to organize ourselves better; it’s to get the right technologies that respond to our personal productivity needs.

    Great anecdotal evidence about Siri in his post too.

  • ‘Working in Word, Excel, PowerPoint on an iPad’

    Walt Mossberg:
    >OnLive Desktop is a cloud-based app. That means it doesn’t actually install Office on your iPad. It acts as a gateway to a remote server where Windows 7, and the three Office apps, are actually running. You create an account, sign in, and Windows pops up on your iPad, with icons allowing you to launch Word, Excel or PowerPoint. (There are also a few other, minor Windows programs included, like Notepad, Calculator and Paint.)

    Later:

    >Overall, I found OnLive Desktop to be a notable technical achievement[…]

    That’s a *revolutionary* piece of VNC magic there…

    Also: it sounds horrible.

    *(Mossberg might be losing it.)*