As many of you know I am not an Apple Basher. Actually I believe in using what works best for you at the end of the day. Their have been so many articles on why you should purchase an Ipad, I thought I would do an article on why you should not purchase one. Here are the reasons on why you should not purchase an Ipad:

1. Cost – The device itself is expensive. If you choose the 3G model then you have an ongoing monthly data plan. They you have the cost of your applications and the content which you purchase.

2. A locked in Platform – The Operating System is a locked in platform and only available on the Iphone and Ipad. The Android operating system is much more open.

3. Google Android based tablets are coming. You should wait and see what the competition will come out with.

4. Even if you want an Ipad you should wait for the second release. Hardware and software issues are always cleaned up by then.

5. Duplicate Devices – If you already have a laptop/netbook what do you need an Ipad for? Is it just an expensive glorified Netbook? Some people think so.

6. At&T in the US. All I can says is dealing with AT&T is like dealing with the devil. Fortunately I live in Canada where we have choice for the Iphone/Ipad

Before you purchase an Ipad consider the above reasons and say can I wait?

Recently I need a post on what years video games were produced. I thought I would share the history on when certain game systems came out. These are in no order just the order I came up with when looking for them:

1. Sega Genesis 1989

2. Nintendo NES – 1985

3. Nintendo Game Boy – 1989

4. Nintendo DS Lite – 2008

5. Sony PlayStation Dec 3, 1994

6. Sony PlayStation 3 – Nov 11, 2006

7. Sony PSP – May 11, 2004

8. Matel Intellivision – 1979

9. Atari 2600 – October 1977

10. Colecovision – 1982

11. Sega Dreamcast – 1998

12. Xbox – Nov 15, 2001

13. Xbox 360 Nov 22, 2005

Which one of these system do you use or still own?

I want to start this post off by saying I really do apologize for the lack of writing in the last 3 weeks. Between the Olympics, life, studying for exams, lacrosse and trying to study for exams I have been a little busy. Toss in my regular job, my personal life and some side work I do and crazy is not the word. I am back writing on a regular basis so everything is good now.

Today I thought I would do a look at a variation of “The if I was standard on a Dessert Island What Would I Take With Me” Theme. I call this If I Could Only Keep Three Tech Things. If I had to give up all the technical gadgets I have these are the three I would keep:

1. My Iphone – Their is no doubt. The IPhone rules. It is basically a mini computer. I use it to manage my life and then some. It has my entire schedule, contacts, audio books and email. With it I can manage a lot of things I do.

2. My Acer Netbook – My netbook is small enough to take anywhere and is the one computer (besides the IPhone) that goes everywhere with me. It provides me generally with a good computing experience.

3. My Rogers Rocket Stick – With my Rocket stick I can plug it into my netbook and have Internet access on the go. I can use it anywhere I can get get a cell signal and it provides me with an HPA connection. Portable Internet on the go is amazing.

Notice in all of these choices no where did I mention my Big Screen TV. In a lot of ways, TV is changing and more and more will be available online. Now the question is , what three things would you keep?

The announcement was made by Steve Jobs yesterday to make it official. Apple has introduced a new tablet on to the market:

I tend to agree with the comments circulating that the tablet looks like a giant Ipod touch. That being said I do see some issues for the tablet.

The tablet will be cheaper that purchasing a touch screen monitor and pc. I see it is a strong possibility that many touch screen applications can be developed for the tablet. One that comes to mind would be a directory in an office building. The Apple Tablet could be mounted in an enclosure. A touch screen application could be developed to display a list of Tenet’s in the office building and their office buildings. Using the current Ipod touch/Iphone type technology you could scroll up and down the list for a list of Tenet’s names. By touching on the Tenet’s name you could receive more information like the suite number and a map to their location.

Besides niche applications like the one above, I personally believe the tablet market is dieing. At the low end we already have netbooks which is a market Apple is not in. At the high end we already full fledged notebooks. Apple is also is the smartphone market with their Iphone. These are the 3 biggest areas of portable machines, not the tablet.

The tablet by many is considered a competitor for the E-book market. I have heard reports that Amazon is greatly concerned. Many people feel that Apple is going after the E-Book reader market. My bet is the tablet will be much too expensive to make it a glorified E-Book reader. It will appeal to some people who just love Apple but not to the masses.

The Apple tablet will be a niche piece of hardware. Personally I will not be rushing to purchase one since I already own an IPhone will you?

As many of you might or might not know I have been using the Magic Jack for my long distance service for about 6 months now. A few weeks ago I posted my Magic Jack review. At the time I did my review Canadian numbers were not available. Today the playing field has changed.

As of mid December, Canadian Numbers have now become available. The only drawback is you can only get one on a new activation for the additional cost of $10.00 per year. Last week I went to the store and purchased a new Magic jack and the cost of $40.00 Canadian plus $10 us for the Canadian Number. Now I am all set.

My phone cost is paid for the year. One time fee and I am done. To renew for next year it is 19.95 plus $10.00 for a Canadian Number. Both costs are in US funds.

I have a lot of people tell me the sound quality in my end is really good. I am extremely happy with my decision.

Below is the infomercial for the Magic Jack:

For this week’s review I thought I would do a quick review on a device that I use all the time in my house. It is called the Magic Jack. The Magic Jack is a VOIP device that allows you to make phone calls over the Internet. I have had one for almost a year and I am extremely satisfied.

The Magic Jack is very simple to installed. It is a small little USB device that you plug into a free USB slot on your computer. Once you plug it in the software is installed automatically. In order to use the Magic Jack, any conventional phone can be used. Plug the line from the phone into the line in on the Magic Jack and you are ready to go. The install is actually only 5 minutes.

The setup will ask you which city and state that you want your phone number to be in. Once you choose you are assigned a phone number and you are all set to make out going calls and receive incoming calls. The service includes free call forwarding, call display and voice mail. The only draw back for us Canadian Customer’s is at this time we must chose a US phone number. Mine is a Syracuse New York phone number even though I live in Toronto.

Calling other people is the same as a normal phone. Dial and you will be connected. The quality is extremely clear.

The cost of the Magic Jack is very reasonable. It is $40.00 for the first year which includes the service and the Magic Jack device. To pay for one more year is $19.99 per year and for 5 more years is $69.99. The service includes all the free long distance in North America which you can use. In comparison Rogers was charging me $20.00 a month for just unlimited Long Distance on top of my phone line. Since I dropped my long distance I am saving $220.00 per year. Over six years that is a savings off $1320.

The device is also portable. You can take it with you and plug it into a laptop. All you need is a conventional corded or cordless phone to plug into it. For the buisness traveler this means no more exorbitant hotel long distance rates. All you need is a high speed Internet connection.

I use the Magic Jack as a second line at home. It is used for all my outgoing long distance calls. I have a second cordless phone plugged into it so I can use it anywhere in my apartment. I forward the Magic Jack back to my local home number so that if someone just hits redial it transfers to my normal line. The day that Magic Jack starts offering Canadian Numbers is the day I will cancel my Rogers Home Phone Service. This is device is the future and the future is now. VOIP is the way to go for great telecom savings. All that is needed is a high speed internet connection at home which most of us have at this point in time.

The Magic Jack will run on a Windows xp, Windows Vista or Windows 7 based computers. I will also run on Intel based Macs.

If you want to save some money on your phone charges or just want to have a second line, I would urge you to try the Magic Jack today. The quality is amazing and it is well worth the money.

Which VOIP services do you like to use? How does yours compare to the Magic Jack? Let’s tall about them and compare them.

I am one of those people who is out on the go a lot. A lot of people ask me how I manage to stay connected and productive when I am on the go. I thought I would do a post on the hardware I use to keep me productive while on the move.

Hardware I Use:

1. Apple I Phone 3 G

The Apple Iphone 3G is the staple in my on the move strategy. The Iphone allows me to keep in touch with the world. I have my email client on the Iphone as well as several Twitter clients. My entire contact list as well as calendar are also stored on my Iphone. Not only can I use it to communicate, I have the current audio books and podcasts I am listening to on the Iphone.

I also have many other applications which include everything from ones to read newspapers, sports scores and even games to unwind. Not to mention the 2 Mega pixel camera the Iphone has. It is not as powerful as my digital camera but it is really handy in a hurry.

2.0 Accessories for My IPhone

I carry multiple accessories for my I phone. These included a spare charger and a car charger for emergencies or when the battery just runs out.

3.0 Acer Aspire One Netbook

I have an Aspire One Netbook with 1 Gig of Ram, 160 GB Hard Drive, built in SD Card Reader running Windows XP Home. My Netbook has a built in camera as well. I use my laptop on trips, on the go and even commuting to work. The size and weight make it really easy to carry around. My netbook is much lighter than the laptop I previously had.

4.0 Accessories For My Netbook

I always carry a Logitec cordless laptop mouse. I prefer using a mouse when I am on a desk instead of the touch pad.

I would recommend also carrying a good Headset with a Mic. I have chosen a basic Logitech one. This enables me to listen to music/podcasts in private or even make a Skype call. Well worth packing in your bag.

I find when I travel, Hotel’s either do not have enough power plugs to charge everything I carry with me or they are located in the wrong place. As a result of this issue, I carry a good portable surge suppressor with me. This protects me from power surges as well as giving me the extra outlets which I need.

For insurance purposes I carry an N router in my bag, a cross over cable and a 25 foot Ethernet patch cable. These tools can be handy in making all kinds of network connections in different situations. Well worth carrying if you have the room.

I carry a couple of USB Thumb drives as well as a Western Digital 160 GB pocket hard drive. I use these to make copies of data files and pictures on the go so I always have a backup until I get home or to my office.

Always care a screw driver in your mobile kit. You never know when you might need it.

5.0 My Roger’s Rocket Stick

In my laptop bag I always carry my Roger’s Rocket Stick. The Rocket Stick allows me to have internet service over the cellular network. Often when I travel I use my commuting time to either browse the web on my Netbook or do some other work. The Rocket Stick provides connectivity no matter where I go providing I can get a cellular signal.

6.0 Targus Laptop Bag

I carry all my portable equipment in a good Targus Laptop bag. My bag has lot’s of pockets to help keep things organized well and protected.

I hope this explains some of the hardware I carry on the go. Later this week I will talk about software to use to stay connected on the go.

Everyone who knows me realizes I am a big fan of Windows 7. Currently I have the Operating System running on two of our computers at home including my main machine. We still have 3 machines running XP pro in our house as well. I also run 2 virtual pcs which have Ubuntu Linux running on them. To add to the equation we also have several cell phones, an ipod and an Iphone. The question then is why do I run such a mixed environment?

The key to this equation is choice. I really prefer the best of breed approach for whatever task I have at hand. In 20 plus years in the technology business I have learned to keep an open mind and keep looking for alternatives and better way of doing things. Most importantly to never stop learning and progressing.

Lets start with the Desktop setup at home. I have an AMD 4000+ machine that runs the Windows XP RC. As soon as the full Windows 7 release comes out I will be upgrading the operating system on this pc. This machine was orginally purchased with Windows Vista and Vista was just pure junk on this pc. Vista did not agree with my AMD box at all. I had constant crashing that was unreal. This is very hard for someone like me who’s livelihood depends on his computer.

On our second pc (the one @neonrose uses) we also have Windows 7 RC running. It is a Lenovo that originally came with Windows XP on it. It is a dual corse machine with 3GB of ram on it and it just flies.

In the server department I have have made an interesting choice. I saw no need to installing Windows server at home. The overhead of creating a home domain was not worth it. I decided to setup a Windows XP Pro work group server. I have this server running on a Compaq slime line PIV with 1 GB of ram. This work group server drives our 2 printers and our shared drives. It has 5 usb Hard drives connected to it. Our long distance phone device is a Majic Jack and it connects to our work group server as well. The Majic Jack does not yet have Windows 7 drivers available for it and I really do not like running Windows Vista as an upgrade so XP it is.

In the portable department we have two portable computers. One is an IBM PIII laptop an older model that Kelli (@Neonrose) uses around the house when she is watching tv and in the bedroom. It has Windows XP Pro on it for the security. It runs a little slow but for what we used it for it works well.

I recently purchased an Acer Aspire netbook that I really like. One of the fist things I need when I got it was upgrade to Windows 7 RC. I then ordered a Rogers Rocket stick for portable Internet on the go. It turns out the Rocekt Stick does not like Windows 7 yet. The driver loads but then the connection manager will not connect. As a result I had to downgrade the netbook back to Windows XP Home.

I also run 2 Virtual machines that have Ubuntu on the. These help me keep up to date on the Linux world.

In the cell phone department we basically have two. Kelli users a Motorola Crazer that she really likes. It is as basic a cell phone you can get and suits her needs well. As for me I have recently switched to an Iphone. I use a lot of Web 2.0 applications on the go as well as check and write email constantly. That added with the ability to listen to podcasts and audiobooks enhances my daily life.

Kelli uses a Ipod as well for music and I use my Iphone for that as well.

Yes I am a true geek who lives in a mixed environment.

Apple is now the company to Beware off. Originally built as a computer company Apple should be the most feared company in today’s market place. Steve Jobs has re-built Apple into one of the most respected and dominated Consumer Electronic Companies in the world today.

Steve Jobs runs Apple with an Iron fist. What Jobs says goes. He is god at Apple and walks on water the same way Bill Gates once did. Jobs is a pioneer, master strategist and a visionary. Most of all Jobs has turned Apple into a company to be recoded with.

it’s not the Mac, the Ipod, the Iphone, or The Power Mac that make Apple the force they are today. What males Apple one of the most powerful companies is Itunes and Itunes store.

Interesting food for thought is the I Tunes Store. This is the most guarded service in the growing Apple franchise. This is Apple’s entire gateway to success and their biggest potential for failure.

An Illegal service called Napster revolutionized how we shared music. Once Napster was closed down due to copyright violations, the Apple I tunes store has emerged as the dominate place to get music and applications for mobile devices(the Ipod, Itouch and IPhone). This is the number one music store across the world.

This is all fine and good but why should we concerned? It is called competition. AT one time Microsoft ruled pc makers with an iron first and called all the shots. To some degree they still do. Guess what – Apple is doing the same thing with the music industry. They are calling the shots and in a lot of respects forcing monopolistic behaviors. It seems history in the technology business is once again repeating itself. It is big bad Microsoft all over gain this time called Apple.

Apple is so protective of the ITunes Store that they have kept is as a closed platform(shall we say Windows). Apple guard’s the ITunes store so much that when the Palm Pre was connecting to the Itunes store Apple put in checks so this could not happen. This was all to protect their franchise.

Leopard/Windows are just two different ways of doing things on a computer. That said Apple has many exclusives in the Itunes store. Exclusive deals with publishers and record companies. One might argue that the Iphone is the best smart phone on the market. It is in my opinion. What makes the Iphone is not the features on the phone but the applications that are available for it. The applications are great but they need to get out into the consumer’s hands. How does this happen – Itunes and the Itunes store.

I really believe that Apple will possibly enter the game console market one day. The reason they will is they have the entire distribution structure in place. It is Itunes and the Itunes store. A version of Itunes could push t he games out so their is no need to run to the games store to purchase your games.

The EU will start the investigation Apple soon. They are one very dangerous company and if they keep up their practices will have Antitrust law suits in Europe and the US.

Beware of Apple…..