Mat Honan:
>Google has forgotten why we loved it. It has degraded its premier product in service of promoting others. It has done devious things to ferret out information from its users that they do not willingly provide. It is too much focused on the future, and conversely too scared of current competition.
Go read his post — it a fantastic post — and gets to the heart of what ‘evil’ means in the context of Google.
The short version: always use the 10w Apple charger on your iPad if you want the fastest charge time.
*(What I didn’t know is that devices will charge, albeit slowly, off of a low power USB port if the screen is turned off — nice.)*
Who am I referring to? That’d be: Canalys principal analyst Pete Cunningham. As quoted by Christina Bonnington on Wired.com about the 3.5″ screen size of the iPhone:
>Cunningham said this was a “noticeable weakness” of the device. He expects the next iPhone will have a 4-inch or 4.3-inch display, rather than the 4.6-inch behemoth reported by Reuters. “I don’t think Apple can go much above 4.3 because of the need to meet so many different people’s needs,” Cunningham said. Unlike the 5.3-inch Samsung Galaxy Note, the iPhone is a mass-market device, and Apple will have to find the “sweet spot” for such a product.
Where’s the data to backup the assertion that the iPhone’s 3.5″ display is holding it back — [certainly the sales data doesn’t show that](http://www.asymco.com/2012/03/21/estimates-for-apples-second-fiscal-2012-quarter/). So if it is a “noticeable weakness” then I want to know why — what would change? Does Cunningham really think sales are being stunted because of the screen size?
And as for that “sweet spot” that he refers to, I think Apple has already found it. And the sales data *does* back me up on that one.
Wait, I guess I am really out of touch, because I had no idea employers asked potential employees for their Facebook passwords. Moreover, who would want to take a job at a company that asks for that information? Not me.
Joshua Topolsky writing about Mike Daisey’s lies:
>Daisey’s lies inspired honest questions about the gadgets in our pockets. Did he betray the trust of the public and journalists by lying? The answer to this question is easy: Yes. But were the lies necessary?
Topolsky never comes out and clearly answers that last question, but he does say this near the end:
>Mike Daisey is not a hero, but I’m not sure he’s a villain either.
>He leaned into his lies to sell tickets to a show, to get on network TV, to make money and get famous. But along the way — either on purpose or by accident — he opened a lot of eyes.
So I can only assume that lying, in Topolsky’s eyes, can be justified if it is done so out of necessity. That’s a good reason not to read a single word Topolsky writes.
Adam Satariano:
>There was at least one group glad that Consumer Reports posted its review: headline writers.
>Shawn and Ben talk about the difference between the iPhone and iPad Retina displays, 4G LTE speeds, Vitamix blenders, and Keyboard Maestro macros.
I don’t really get the argument here. Clint Boulton is making the case that the new iPad can and will cause two problems for businesses:
1. Bandwidth issues.
2. Data plan prices.
He says that the LTE speed will clog networks — but those networks aren’t in the control of any corporation except those providing them. Then he talks about going over data plans by watching HD video and checking in on March Madness — yet data plans have always had caps.
The HD video argument is valid because now iPad users are probably seeking out that quality, but checking March Madness stats isn’t going to take any more data than it did on the older iPads. Websites don’t necessarily get larger just because a device has faster cellular internet, or a larger screen. I get where he is going, but the fact is that even though the iPad can display high resolution graphics, most website don’t serve those. Further just because a user can download things faster, doesn’t mean they will download *more* things.
More than all of that though, I don’t get why this argument doesn’t end with the simple solution of allowing iPads onto corporate WiFi networks. ((My guess is that is too non-confrontational and easy.)) That would eliminate all of the concerns. He almost gets there with the Hyatt example, but instead of using that as the new model it seems Boulton is looking for page views by criticizing a new Apple product. Lame.
Give Me Something to Read has [now been renamed](http://www.marco.org/2012/03/22/the-feature) ‘The Feature’ and it’s still the best way to load up Instapaper before you get on a plane. (I love the new name.)
John Brownlee reporting:
>“I measured the power actually drawn by the AC adapter and found that the new iPad continues to charge for up to 1 hour after it claims to reach 100%,” says Dr. Soneira. “This affects the battery run time if you stop charging when it says 100%.”
I’d love to see the actual research here. I have only had to charge my iPad once since getting it so I can’t say whether I have noticed anything like this. Obviously it takes longer to charge, but not really being charged when it says it is? Sounds dubious to me.
Drew Olanoff:
>The patent discusses the technology to analyze the background noise during your phone call and serve up ads for you based on the environmental conditions Google picks up on. Yeah, that’s creepy.
The patent also covers the backgrounds of photos and videos — I can’t think of any better reason to *not* buy Android devices. ((Yes of course this is *just* a patent application, but come on this is seriously creepy.))
*(Disclaimer: Tom Bihn sent me the Ristretto to test out, this is the only bag they have sent me — the others I gladly paid for.)*
[A while back I purchased my first Tom Bihn bag, the Ristretto for 13” MacBooks](https://brooksreview.net/2011/02/new-bag/). I really liked that bag, but I had one huge complaint about it: stuff was prone to sliding out of the front compartment — especially when on a plane.
This wasn’t a deal breaker, but it was annoying — requiring an extra level of attention needing to be paid while you are deplaning, or de-anything-ing. The only reason I moved away from the Ristretto is because [Michael Lopp opened my eyes to the world of freedom that a backpack offers](http://www.randsinrepose.com/archives/2011/12/04/a_bag_of_holding.html).
Now, I love my Smart Alec from Tom Bihn, but I couldn’t help but smile when Tom Bihn responded to feedback and offered a new, modified version, of [the Ristretto](http://www.tombihn.com/page/001/PROD/200/TB0223).
The front pocket now fully zips shut.
[
](http://c276381.r81.cf1.rackcdn.com/ristretto-2.jpg)
That alone makes the bag near perfect because your goods are far more secure, but Tom Bihn didn’t stop there.
Tom Bihn has changed two other things that may seem minor to most, but adds quite a bit to the bag.
[They changed the nylon used to make the bag](http://www.tombihn.com/blog/?p=2400):
>The Ristretto is now made with an exterior U.S. 1050d high tenacity ballistic nylon and an interior lining of our ultralight Dyneema/nylon rip-stop fabric from Japan. Both fabrics are made specifically for us. Previous, the Ristretto was made with an exterior of 1000d Cordura® and an interior of 500d Cordura®. For the time being, we will continue to offer one Cordura® color combination — Olive/Cayenne — in all three sizes of Ristretto. Why the switch in fabrics? Our 1050d ballistic nylon has a stiffer hand and a rich weave and we like the way it reflects light. We work with our fabric mills to get this fabric just the way we want it. Our Japanese ultralight Dyneema/nylon fabric saves weight and is as tough as nails. And it’s quite handsome to boot.
This new nylon is much stiffer and while that may seem less appealing — it actually makes the bag quite a bit better. For one the bag is a lot more rigid when you set it down, instead of flopping over like the old version, it sits up.
[
](http://c276381.r81.cf1.rackcdn.com/ristretto-1.jpg)
Overall this new nylon adds a bit of structure to the bag and I like that a lot. The old version was just a floppy bag in comparison.
The second change was to add a new lining to the bag — this lining is the typical Tom Bihn grid. While it is not my favorite look, it does greatly aid you when you are digging about the bottom of the bag looking for something — particularly something small. It’s a very nice finishing touch.
This isn’t an extensive review because it doesn’t need to be — everything I liked about the original bag is still here. Tom Bihn made the changes that the bag needed to go from very good to great.
The new zippered front pocket is a godsend.
### The Catch
There is one other thing that was added that I dislike, but it’s pretty minor. It’s this:
[
](http://c276381.r81.cf1.rackcdn.com/ristretto-3.jpg)
A QR code, really? Ugh.
### Wrap Up
Quite a few people asked me if these changes are enough for me to switch back to the Ristretto from my Smart Alec. That’s a tough question to answer. I never *wanted* to get rid of my original Ristretto, but I did so to partly fund the purchase of the Smart Alec — and because I just don’t switch bags that often.
Having both the Ristretto and Smart Alec at the same time offers an interesting conundrum for me. I love having a backpack and all the room and mobility a backpack affords, but I also like how small a light the Ristretto is — I feel more mobile with the Ristretto.
If I had to choose I would still stick with the Smart Alec, but only because I have seen *the light* when it comes to backpacks versus shoulder bags. If I had both? Well, the Ristretto would get used regularly, very regularly.
It’s a great bag, [go get yours here](http://www.tombihn.com/page/001/PROD/200/TB0223).
Khoi Vinh on iPad magazine sizes:
>Eventually we will get enough bandwidth so that we can download the 150 megabytes or more that these apps ask us to retrieve. Though what I fear is that when we have that capacity, publishers will be asking us to download gigabytes per issue; this is after all an industry that cannot resist imposing greater and greater demands on its users in order to impress itself.
Now *that is* impressive.
It’s taking all of my self control to not buy this bag. Oh do I want this bag.
Spoiler: LTE is *way* faster than 3G. There is also a very interesting note about using the iPad as a hotspot: it splits the bandwidth speed.
Mary-Jo Foley:
>Some folks think moves like the alleged Mac and iPad ban make sense. Others find them overblown. If current purchase levels really are low, as the alleged memo says, why go so far as to ban them, asked one former Softie. And what about knowing your enemy?
>What’s your take? If it’s really happening (which I believe it is, given where I got the e-mail), is this a smart or a pointless move on Microsoft’s part? My vote is smart. In fact, I’m surprised this policy wasn’t put in place before.
I’ve always been of the mindset that if your employees don’t want to use your own products, you have way more to worry about than whether customers see your employees using a competitors products or not. After all shouldn’t your employees be your most loyal users? And if you don’t have that, then what does that say of your future as a business? Not much.
David Barnard asked Path to delete all his user data and got a support email confirming the data was gone.
Today he signed back up and all his old data was still there for him to use.
So, I guess we know now that Path values that data more than trust?