So, it has been a few days since the big iPad 2 and iOS announcement, and I have had some time to reflect on it. The iPad 2 is obviously a competitive device, and competitors are still struggling to complete with the now outdated original iPad.
It took me a few days to notice, but this announcement did lack something that is long overdue: an updated notification system. The iPhone is still using its’ original notification system, which is from the days when the iPhone didn’t even support 3rd party apps. I think that it is currently the weakest part of the iPhone, and it is one area where Android is far ahead of the iPhone.
Currently, there is an alternate notification system available called MobileNotifier, but it requires a jailbroken phone, which is a dealbreaker for many users. The fact that developers are going to so much trouble to create their own notification system should be a wake up call for Apple to get their act together. I realize that a new notification system is planned for a later release, probably iOS 5, but it is getting pretty ridiculous that it is not out yet.
Check out a video of MobileNotifier in action:
My Macbook is almost approaching its second birthday and it has generally treated me well. Apart from the power cord, I haven’t had any physical problems with it.
Recently, however, the battery has just died. It no longer charges and the computer dies as soon as I unplug it. I have been searching throuh various forums, but none of the solutions that I have tried have worked.
Any body have any ideas?
Rogers, a Canadian wireless provider, announced today that the iPhone is coming to Canada. To that, I say Duh! Rogers is the only Canadian provider with a GSM/EDGE network that could even support the iPhone. Rogers was going to be the only provider all along, which is why I think that today’s news doesn’t matter that much. It only means that Rogers and Apple have come to an official deal. Ted Rogers issued the following statement in a press releases: “We’re thrilled to announce that we have a deal with Apple to bring the iPhone to Canada later this year. We can’t tell you any more about it now, but stay tuned.” A release date is still not set, which leaves Canada pretty much at the status quo.
Well, that was a long introduction to what I really wanted to talk about. Why is Canada still in the technological dark ages? The iPhone has been out in the states for almost a year and a second generation iPhone is being readied while Canada still hasn’t got the first one yet. I am not just referring to the cell phones. Canada often gets new technology months or years after it is released. Canada still doesn’t have Amazon’s Kindle, Netflix (although we do have alternatives), and videos in the iTunes store. Another example is the recently released Livescribe smartpen. It is only available to people with a US address.
I am writing this post not to answer the above question, but to explore it because I don’t know the answer.
There are a few possible reasons. Firstly, Canada is a small market and it is not worth it for companies to market new products immediately. Also, with regards to movies and TV shows on iTunes, I am pretty sure that there are legal issues. For example, Apple doesn’t have the rights to broadcast certain shows in Canada. The third and most probable reason is that there are only a few wireless providers and they have a huge monopoly. Most of the products that Canada is lacking use cell networks and it is ultimately the Canadian telcos that prevent the release of new products in Canada.
My macbook power cord has been in steady decline for the past few weeks. It had a bad short and I would often lose power. Even though I hadn’t touched it for weeks, it was taped to my desk, it was still getting worse. I’m not quite sure how this happened; I imagine it is a similar process that wires go through when they get tangled without being touched. No one is sure how this happens. Must be gnomes.
Anyways, back to the power cord. I followed the instructions in this Flickr set. It involved cutting around the transformer case with a rotary tool and cutting away the bad section of cord. I then rewired it and taped the original case back on with gorgeous red duct tape. Check out the pictures below and click for the full size image.
To anyone who is having the same problem, I would highly recommend doing this yourself. For 15 minutes of work, you save yourself $85 and your Macbook’s power cord will now look battle hardened.
First off, I apologize to my non-Apple-fan readers, who are going to have to bear with another Apple related post. If you don’t like apple, you can look at my previous post and admire some broken Apple hardware.
Before Leopard, iCal used to have a static date, July 17th, as its icon. In Leopard, the icon is now dynamic and displays the current date. I have made an amazing discovery. As seen below (click for full-size), the iCal icon in the recent applications stack still displays the static date. It was feared that iCal day would fade away into history and be forgotten, but this will keep the holiday alive, which is good news for those who celebrate July 17th.
My MacBook power cord is dying. It has a really bad short just past the transformer that is extremely temperamental. I did not take a picture of the short because I was too scared to remove the tape, but it is very ugly. There are only a few strands of wire left to transmit power. Any tiny movement shorts it out and cuts power to my MacBook. As you can see, I have fixed the problem by securing the transformer to the desk to stop any movement. (click for a larger image)
Mine is very similar to this one, whose owner cut it open and fixed the short. I have not been forced to do this yet, as I do not wander too far from my desk. Eventually I am going to have to repair it as per these instructions on Flickr.
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