Got Myself an iPod Touch 32GB (2nd Generation)

After 2 years of usage, my old iPod Photo has died. I haven't a clue what happened. It just stopped while I was listening to it. Then it never worked anymore. It can reset but can't get into the target disk mode.

So I've got an iPod Touch to replace it. I hope it will last longer.


That's my trusty iPod Photo 60GB on the right.






The new iPod Touch comes in a clear plastic casing. There's not a lot of stuff. Here you see the screen cleaning cloth, stand, USB cable, earphones, quick-start manual and the iPod itself.


The plastic plate holding the iPod Touch must be bent to release the iPod. I tried pulling it was pretty difficult. You have to bend the plate.


Comparing to the iPod Photo. The Touch is incredibly thin. That's it. I'm sold. If my mobile phone goes, I'll be getting an iPhone.




This thing is very glossy on the front and back. The front is made of rather scratch resistant glass. The back is prone to scratch.


This is the Moshi slip in pocket for the iPod Touch. It can wipe fingerprint off effortlessly. But I still prefer the flip type of casing I used with my old iPod Photo.






The resolution and clarity of the screen is fantastic. Everything is sharp and clear.

Initially, I debated about whether to get an iPod Classic (refurbished) at half the price comparing to the iPod Touch. I've trouble accepting the fact that the iPod Touch doesn't work like an external harddisk, the way older iPods used to work.

I watch a lot of TV shows. And I realised that I'm getting busier and simply no longer had time to watch them at home. I had to watch them while I travel to work. Travelling's the only time one can do nothing and just sit.

Now that I have my iPod Touch, I must say that I don't miss the external harddisk function that much. If I need more space, I can get a USB flash drive, which goes up to 16GB nowadays.

After transferring all my songs, podcasts and TV shows, I realised I only managed to use less than 8GB of storage. I bought a 32GB iPod Touch. A typical TV show compressed for iPod viewing is about 100MB to 200MB. My advise would be for people to just get the 16GB model and get a USB flash drive, with spare change.

The construction of the unit is tough, but I don't really want to drop it to try.

User interface is smooth and responsive. Safari on wi-fi is not too bad, but can be improved in terms of speed — I'm an impatient guy. Video playback is good. Audio quality's just the same as my old iPod Photo, but it really depends on what earphone you're using.

This thing cost more than an xBox. If you listen to lots of music and consume lots of video on the go, this might be worth the money. For people who can't watch more than 5 minutes of video while travelling without getting sick, the iPod Classic is a safer choice.

Reviews on amazon.com are mixed though. And I still don't get how Amazon can sell the iPod Touch cheaper than Apple Store.

A refurbished Mac Pro is not expensive

There was a refurbished Mac Pro going for SGD$2998 at the Singapore Apple Store online.

My refurbished Mac Pro was bought in May 2007 costing me $3628. It's still going strong. In fact, it hasn't even slowed down a bit.

Let me tell you why getting a refurbished Mac Pro is a good idea, even if it's going to cost more than the PC of similar specification.

The Mac Pro is a very powerful machine. I've no doubt it can last for at least 5 years before software can utilize all of its power, making it feel slow.

Take my Mac Pro for example. Let's say that my Mac Pro can be sold for $1628 at the end of 5 years. The cost of ownership per year will be $400, or more if I sell it for much less.

For $400 per year, that's a bargain!

It's one of the most powerful computer running on OSX.

The only problem is you have to lock in your money for this period to exchange for the power.

Confessions of a Non-iPhone User

Life is good.

There are no yellow tints on the LCD to worry about. I don't have to post questions in forums asking people if they are suffering from the same mechanical problems I have. I don't have to read complaints on unpleasant customer services from money sucking service providers. It's a bonus that no time is wasted on queuing up for purchase and then for after service support.

Also not in my mind are worries of the iPhone getting scratched, stolen or dropped.

My money is still in my pocket. I'm glad I didn't have to sign a 2 year contract with anyone. It's not that I can't afford the iPhone, since I'm now blogging this on my quad core 3.0ghz Mac Pro. It's just that the value for the iPhone isn't justified, yet.

So at the moment, everything's well.

Life is good.

Is It Time for Macs to Go Corporate

(Picture sourced from Flickr)

This week's BW Cover Story podcast talks about the opportunity of Mac gaining corporate sales.

Businessweek story: The Mac in the Gray Flannel Suit and the accompanying podcast download link.

It's pretty easy to know the outcome if you know the principle of technology.

Technology is all about saving time and money.

So is using Mac in the office going to help you save time and money? And what are the alternatives out there compared to the Mac?

Business needs require business software. Are there available software that your business needs? For example, if you're using Microsoft Office on a Windows computer, there is also a Mac equivalent version of Microsoft Office.

Although Macs can run Windows, it will require an additional Windows license (think extra money!). You'll also have to boot up into Windows (think extra time!). If you constantly switch from Mac OS to Windows OS, your productivity will take a hit. Of course you can run Windows OS inside Mac OS via virtualisation, but note again you need to spend extra money again on the virtualisation software.

So if you really need to switch from Windows OS to Mac OS frequently, don't get a Mac. You won't be saving time.

Both Windows OS and Mac OS are pretty stable. But stability not a factor in deciding whether to buy. The factor is whether the stability will translate into time/cost savings. Do you see what I'm trying to say? All the features count for nought if they are unable to translate into time/cost savings.

Some argue that Macs are more expensive. It's a very sound argument. Let's go back to the principle again. Is that expensive Macs going to help you save time and cost more than the less expensive computer?

Note also that there are two variables, time and money. You'll value one more than the other. It's the reason why people pay more for cabs and some take the bus to work.

If I were a CIO for a company, making purchasing decision will take seconds.

Users of computers don't really care about anything else other than getting their job done, and done fast.

I use a Windows computer at work. It used to be a Mac but it didn't support a particular software the new workflow required.

The Killer Application in iPhone is Safari

Safari is the web browser supplied by Apple for their computers and for the iPhone.

Steve Jobs probably won't want you to install MSN onto the iPhone. But guess what, you can log on to MSN from Meebo.com! Meebo.com supports MSN, ICQ, Yahoo Messenger and etc! All these chat messengers on the web browser! Yes, you can now be online while you're at Starbucks!

Want to work on your iPhone but can't install the applications you want? Now with Google Docs, you can work on word documents, presentations and even spreadsheets. But you probably won't want to do that on a small screen. But it's possible if you want to!

Say you took a photo with the iPhone. You can fire up Flickr.com and instantly upload your photos onto the the Internet. Yes, instant publication and blogging!

Given the tons of rich Internet applications out there, you can practically do anything with a web browser.

You can download songs from Amazon.com. You can book cinema tickets online. You can find the best Laksa or Hokkien Mee on Google Maps. You can search up anything on Wikipedia. You can stream music from Last.fm.

I can go on and on but I know you got my point.

Steve Jobs 1982

Source: http://digitaljournalist.org/issue0712/y_walker08.html

This is so cool.

Steve Jobs Stanford Commencement Speech 2005

Ho Ho Ho

Unwrapping iPhone

When you have people posting the unwrapping process of your product on Youtube, you know your company is there already. It's there.

Macworld.com has photos of Apple employees giving customers high-five as they enter the shops. On Flickr, there are employees clapping as customers leave. The atmosphere's really good.

My iPhone Diary

This is a review by New York Times' technology columnist, David Pogue. It's pretty humourous. Click the play button to find out.