Running Mac OS X Tiger

Running Mac OS X Tiger from oreilly.com. The subtitle says it all: a no-compromise power user's guide to the Mac.

AppleScript, The Missing Manual

Even though I have this oreilly.com book since a few months, I somehow forgot to post about it: AppleScript, The Missing Manual from Adam Goldstein, a very young, but nevertheless really great writer!

AppleScript, The Definitive Guide, Second Edition

As I have to learn a lot about AppleScript in the coming weeks, AppleScript, The Definitive Guide, Second Edition from TidBits author Matt Neuburg comes just in time for me.

Makers

If you like the magazine Make as much as I do, than Makers from oreilly.com is the book for you.

Zero Configuration Networking, The Definitive Guide

Zero Configuration Networking, The Definitive Guide, this new oreilly.com book covers all aspects of the technology formerly called Rendezvoux and now named Bonjour by Apple.

Asterisk, The Future of Telephony

Finally a book from oreilly.com about Asterisk:Asterisk: The Future of Telephony.

UMTS on 900MHz

Nortel, Qualcomm and Orange in France demonstrated UMTS/HSDPA calls in the 900 MHz band. Especially for rural areas it is much more cost effective to use lower frequencies. Right now in rural areas you only get GPRS/EDGE coverage. With UMTS/HSDPA on 900MHz we might see a more than tenfold increse in mobile data throughput even outside of densely populated areas. Naturally we need new handsets and/or datacards to make use of these "new" frequencies.

Loompanics going out of business!

A sad day for book lovers: Loompanics, one of the weirdest bookstores I have ever seen is closing. They currently have an "going out of business" sale with everything 50% off. Take a look there, most of their book are available nowhere else!

HSDPA available from Mobilkom Austria

Believe it or not. The encumbent Austrian mobile phone operator Mobilkom has done it again. After being first in GPRS and UMTS now they are the first operator to offer HSDPA, which right now offers up to 1.8Mbps downstream and 384kbps uplink in their A1 network. Even Engadget wrote, that you have to move to Austria, if you want to enjoy HSDPA right now.

BTW: in case you are somewhere in Austria, e.g. skiing/snowboarding in the mountains, where there is no UMTS/HSDPA coverage, you can still enjoy EDGE throughput, but only in the A1 network, as all the other Austrian operators still are stuck with GPRS, when there is no UMTS coverage.

P.S.: the Mobilkom/Option card is PCcard/PCMCIA right now. An Expresscard for the upcoming MacBooks will be available June 2006 or later. I guess it won't take long until another version, that will support the US UMTS frequencies, is shipping, too.

thoughts on the MDApro

After nearly a month with the MDApro from T-mobile some plus and minus points: + hardware (VGA screen, backlit keyboard, mini USB for syncing AND charging, 3,5mm audio port, reset hole on the outside, cameras...) + UMTS (EU/Asia), GPRS (900/1800/1900), WLAN (IEEE802.11b), Bluetooth - no EDGE (this is a big minus, as UMTS coverage is still quite spotty!) - no UMTS on US frequencies, no 850MHz support - no HSDPA, now that we finally have HSDPA, my portable device doesn´t support it - Windows Mobile 5, no Mac syncing yet, neither MissingSync nor PocketMac, unfortunately you can´t move a few thousand addresses via Bluetooth as one .vcf file to the MDApro - Pocket Outlook: no way to select more than one email, so if you want to delete a dozen junk mails, you have to delete every one of them! - Pocket Internet Explorer: no way to save a page, no tabbed browsing - SIM locked for T-mobile, but there are workarounds

All in all, I would say: the first mobile device, worth to be criticized. Compared to the HTC Universal/MDApro no portable communication device comes even close! Highly recommended!

Virtual PC for Mac Version 7 with Windows XP Professional

Just received Virtual PC for Mac Version 7 with Windows XP Professional. It is great, if you want run some Windows software once in a while, albeit quite slowly. I can´t wait for the version of Virtual PC, that will run on the upcoming Intel based Macs, where we should get 100% Windows performance in a Mac window.

Nokia 770 arrived today

After months of waiting, my brand new Nokia 770 finally arrived today. Charger uses the new smaller Nokia connector, screen is gorgeous, size just right, USB connector the same as on the MDApro, albeit only for syncing, not for charging. Now I just need to download a VNC client to connect to MacOSX...

BTW: the Newton emulator from Paul Guyot is already running in prototype stadium on the Nokia 770. As soon as it is more speed optimized, I will try to install it, too.

Fetch FTP/SFTP client for MacOSX

The newest beta of Fetch is an Universal Binary, and features support for the Dashboard and Automator features of MacOSX 10.4 Tiger. Still only 25$.

Lo-Fi customs event in San Francisco last Saturday evening

Where art meets technology. And best of all: a very dog friendly location.

last day in San Francisco

If there is one thing in the world that people in the bay area are doing better than computers, it is cars.

OQO and MDApro comparison

Today I visited OQO and had a chance to see some of their upcoming news. They will have a new battery with twice the capacity and an adapter to externally charge a battery with the included power supply. When you hold the OQO in your hands you definitively feel that it was conceived by the same designers, that created the Aluminium PowerBook at Apple. Even the metal covers of the built in microphone and speaker look like the PCcard cover on the old TiBook. The keyboard is very responsive, the overall feel of the OQO is great, as well as the screen. My only complaint is the touchscreen, that needs a special Wacom pen and does not respond to your fingers or finger nails. You can use it with Linux right now and I guess it is just a matter of time until someone finds out how to install MacOSX for Intel on this wonderful device.

Newton OS for ARM Linux

Paul Guyot, the brain behind Einstein, the Newton OS for ARM Linux.

WWNC in San Francisco

The second WoldWide Newton Conference WWNC is taking place from 1/13 to 1/15 in the Warwick Regis Hotel in San Francisco.

last day of Macworld Expo San Francisco

I will post the highlights of the show here soon. Now for the quick and dirty version:

ElGato EyeTV2

Fujitsu ScanSnap Mac

Ricoh HighSpeed network scanners

Griffin

XtremeMac

Belkin ExpressCard/34 at Macworld Expo SF

Even though there won't be any UMTS/HSDPA cards for quite some time, even here at Macworld Expo in San Francisco you can see quite a variety of (prototype) expansion cards in the new ExpressCard/34 form factor. Belkin is showing Firewire, Gigabit Ethernet, SATA and flashcard reader/writer prototypes. More on expresscard.org.

MacBook Pro

Uses Intel core duo CPU, 4-5 times faster, 15.4" ultrabright LCD, iSight camera, infrared sensor for Apple remote control, Frontrow, MagSafe magnetic power adapter, SATA hard drives, ExpressCard slot, available 2/06.

Missing pieces: PCcard slot, Firewire800, Classic support, composite/S-video only through DVI adapter like on the Mac mini.

Update: seems that Double layer burning and a modem are also missing!

Jon Rubinsteins last Macworld Expo

In a month the former VP hardware and currently VP iPod division will no longer be with Apple. But I guess enjoying life after all these years at Apple is not a bad idea (at least for him!).

Macworld Expo starts tomorrow

More details follow soon...

most beautiful building I ever saw...

What would San Francisco be without this building? For me this is the most beautiful building I ever saw. No wonder that nearly all pictures taken by me in SF only show the pyramide from various angles.

coolest car in San Francisco

Instead of the boring Mercedes star or the Emily of Ecstasy on Rolls Royces the owner of this car put a real work of art on his car. Just great. BTW: at the Gucci store on Union Square in San Francisco they sell bone shaped rubber toys for dogs for 70$. Update: Gucci even has G-shaped rubber ice cube trays for 60$!

Softick Card Export II for Pocket PC

Card Export II for Pocket PC from Softick turns your PocketPC into a USB mass storage compliant USB device.

Parys VGA VNC client for WM5

The Parys VGA VNC client is now available in a version for Windows Mobile 5. It supports the hardware keys of the MDApro, and via the options menu you can invert the screen, otherwise it is shown upside down.

ReadirisPRO11 for MacOSX available

I have been waiting for a long time to find a worthy sucessor to OmniPage for MacOSX. The just announcedReadirisPRO11 for MacOSX seems to be just what I was looking for and more. There is even a corporate version with batch OCR, watched folders, business card recognition, unlimited document size, automatic document indexing and much more...

book on Mobile Marketing in German

Linde Verlag brought out a new book from Alexander Oswald (Marketing director Nokia Alps) and Gerald Tauchner (CEO of DIMOCO ) called Mobile Marketing. It´s written in German, but if you are interested in the whole mobile marketing space, this is the book for you.

RFID blocking leather passport covers from Austrian designer Robert Horn

Austrian leather designer Robert Horn introduced the worldwide first RFID blocking leather passport covers. They are available immediately in black, red and brown. From the outside they look like normal passport covers, but thanks to the built in aluminium foil, those nasty spies with their RFID trackers can´t read the content of your passport without your knowing. Pretty soon there will be RFID blocking wallets from RHorns, too.

packing for San Francisco

3.3kg carry on luggage plus 1,2kg fanny bag with Treo650, MDApro/HTCuniversal, USB Bluetooth adapter, USB charger and Sharkoon USB2 SDreader/writer. I saved more than 1kg in mass by using the ultra light back pack Thompson Peak from Fanatic Fringe.