Earlier this month, Apple released Snow Leopard, the newest version of its Macintosh Operating System. For those who actually got dates in high school, an operating system is the software middleman between the computer and user.
If you've got a PC, you're probably running Microsoft Windows XP, or, if you did something particularly nasty in a past life, Windows Vista.
If that is the case, Snow Leopard might feel foreign to you. Maybe it's the speed. Maybe it's the lack of viruses and spyware. Maybe it's the absence of blue screens and access boxes asking if you're really, really sure you want to do something. On Snow Leopard, you don't click the "Start" button to stop your computer.
Purchasing Snow Leopard is easy. Walk into an electronics store, and pick up the box labeled "Snow Leopard." This may seem like a refreshing glass of water to a computer user in Windows hell, where there are no less than eight versions of Vista, to include Vista Home Basic, Vista Home Premium, Vista Business, Vista Enterprise, and Vista Ultimate. Which one is best for you? I suggest a Magic 8-Ball, and $320 dollars, which is the going rate for Ultimate.
Snow Leopard runs $29.
Just for the record, things will improve with the upcoming Microsoft Windows 7. They've streamlined things, and will bless the serfs with a choice of six arbitrarily defined versions. (Do you need Branch Cache? BitLocker? These questions will determine which version you need. Best of luck! I expect to get a year's worth of columns out of that alone.)
Most of Snow Leopard's improvements are under the hood. Upon installation, users will notice more space available on their computers. (I gained an astonishing 14 gigabytes, which amounts to around 3500 songs, or 10,000 pictures.) This is because Apple scrapped years of legacy code that had bogged the system down.
The upshot is a faster, tighter, more optimized operating environment, at the expense of older, PowerPC-based systems, which are no longer supported. By focusing on contemporary computers, Snow Leopard is able to fully leverage its 64-bit architecture. This is a significant step in personal computing, enhancing performance and allowing for considerably more system memory. In automotive terms, it's like going from a 4-cylinder engine to a Warp Drive.
The MacOS Finder has been rewritten from the ground up. (Finder is the Mac equivalent of Windows Explorer – the file manager, not the web browser.) In addition to a newfound snappiness, files can now be read and videos previewed on the spot without loading external programs such as QuickTime.
QuickTime itself is vastly improved. Long the hallmark of quality digital media, it's been given a contemporary, minimalist interface for video playback, and now natively supports high-resolution video recording and compression. (This had previously been available only with a pricey add-on.) The result is video immediately available for playback on iPhones and iPods, and transferrable directly to YouTube and other such sites.
Other enhancements, to include a redesigned Exposé and scrollable Stacks (windowing services both), as well as integrated support for Microsoft Exchange make the $29 investment a bargain at twice the price. (Or ten times the price, by Microsoft standards.)
There is a downside. While "big name" programs survive the transition intact, some standalone software will require upgrades to work in the Snow Leopard environment. Safari, Apple's own web browser, runs faster than ever, but the superior Firefox seems to have taken a performance hit. Also, printer support is weak at best. Be sure to consult with the compatibility chart on Apple's web site before upgrading.
The bottom line, however, is the bottom line. Thirty bucks for a shiny new operating system is a phenomenal deal, especially coming from Apple, a company not known for basement pricing. Also available is a $59 "Family Pack," which can be installed on up to five computers.
Unless you are running mission critical applications for the space program, there's no reason not to take the leap. Snow Leopard is a fine addition to the Apple software lineup, and a worthy upgrade for any Intel-based Mac or MacBook.
Snow Leopard: http://apple.com/snowleopard
Monday, September 21, 2009
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
One Ring to Rule Them All
Google knows your search history. They've got your email. They know what sites you read, what's on your calendar for next week and where you're taking a vacation next month. They're trying to get your word processing documents and are lobbying hard for your medical records. Have I mentioned the satellite imagery they've got of your house?
Yeah, that's not scary. Google is, after all, cuddly, with a colorful logo. And their motto is "Don't be evil." There is nothing suspicious about that.
But seeing as how we've already consumed industrial drums of Google-flavored Kool-Aid, what's the harm in giving them a little more information? How about your telephone?
Google Voice is the latest offering from the California-based company. Part Skype and part iPhone Visual Voicemail, it is a new way of thinking about telephone service, adding features decades overdue, and removing headaches that have long plagued the telecom industry.
Upon sign-up, users are asked to choose a new phone number. This is your One True Number Evermore, and the heart of Google Voice. (Integrated into the selection page is a widget that converts your chosen number to words. If your goal is something akin to 337-AWESOME, you are in luck.)
After settling on digits, users are asked to enter all of their current phone numbers, to include mobile phones, and home and work landlines. By tying these contacts to the Voice account, the old numbers become meaningless. Whether or not one changes jobs or mobile phones or houses or area codes, friends and family will never know; the Google Voice number always stays the same.
Voice allows users to toggle the default destination. If a user is at the office, he or she needs only to select "Work," and all calls will forward to the desk line. On the road? Send all calls to the cell. The utility of this is self-evident; "daytime minutes" and long-distance become a thing of the past.
A cornerstone of Voice is its voicemail management. In addition to centralizing voicemail—no longer are there separate work, home, and mobile boxes—it also transcribes all messages, and allows for their archival in text and voice form.
The upshot of this is the ability to search voicemail messages the same way one searches the Internet. (Notably, incoming calls can be recorded, with similar transcription and search features on the way.) Similarly, Google Voice allows voicemails to be forwarded by email and text message.
Text messaging is critical to the Voice experience. Again, messages can be permanently archived and searched, but more impressively, unlimited texts can be sent and received. For free. No longer are customers extorted into paying an extra, criminally inflated twenty bucks a month for messaging that costs the telecoms a fraction of a cent. (The bell tolls for thee, AT&T.)
None of this is to say Voice is perfect. Because all data passes though Google's servers, there is sometimes a wavering lag in conversation akin to trans-Atlantic phone calls, often leading to crosstalk. This will improve as the compression algorithms governing Google Voice are optimized, but might be a deal breaker for now.
Also, not many users are keen to update business cards and change phone numbers yet again. According to the rumor mill, however, number porting is a top priority at Google. That is to say, just as one can port numbers from AT&T to Sprint, he or she will soon be able to move from AT&T to Google.
Picture messaging, also known as MMS, is not yet supported either, which may or may not be heartbreaking seeing as how AT&T has yet to roll out the promised feature for iPhones. (The technology is only five years old; I can see how it might be a challenge for them.)
Lastly, taking your telephone experience to Google completes the company's quest to have access to every facet of your personal data. In exchange for "one ring to rule them all," you fall under the watchful eye of Sauron—er, Google.
But they've already promised us they won't be evil. What could possibly go wrong?
Yeah, that's not scary. Google is, after all, cuddly, with a colorful logo. And their motto is "Don't be evil." There is nothing suspicious about that.
But seeing as how we've already consumed industrial drums of Google-flavored Kool-Aid, what's the harm in giving them a little more information? How about your telephone?
Google Voice is the latest offering from the California-based company. Part Skype and part iPhone Visual Voicemail, it is a new way of thinking about telephone service, adding features decades overdue, and removing headaches that have long plagued the telecom industry.
Upon sign-up, users are asked to choose a new phone number. This is your One True Number Evermore, and the heart of Google Voice. (Integrated into the selection page is a widget that converts your chosen number to words. If your goal is something akin to 337-AWESOME, you are in luck.)
After settling on digits, users are asked to enter all of their current phone numbers, to include mobile phones, and home and work landlines. By tying these contacts to the Voice account, the old numbers become meaningless. Whether or not one changes jobs or mobile phones or houses or area codes, friends and family will never know; the Google Voice number always stays the same.
Voice allows users to toggle the default destination. If a user is at the office, he or she needs only to select "Work," and all calls will forward to the desk line. On the road? Send all calls to the cell. The utility of this is self-evident; "daytime minutes" and long-distance become a thing of the past.
A cornerstone of Voice is its voicemail management. In addition to centralizing voicemail—no longer are there separate work, home, and mobile boxes—it also transcribes all messages, and allows for their archival in text and voice form.
The upshot of this is the ability to search voicemail messages the same way one searches the Internet. (Notably, incoming calls can be recorded, with similar transcription and search features on the way.) Similarly, Google Voice allows voicemails to be forwarded by email and text message.
Text messaging is critical to the Voice experience. Again, messages can be permanently archived and searched, but more impressively, unlimited texts can be sent and received. For free. No longer are customers extorted into paying an extra, criminally inflated twenty bucks a month for messaging that costs the telecoms a fraction of a cent. (The bell tolls for thee, AT&T.)
None of this is to say Voice is perfect. Because all data passes though Google's servers, there is sometimes a wavering lag in conversation akin to trans-Atlantic phone calls, often leading to crosstalk. This will improve as the compression algorithms governing Google Voice are optimized, but might be a deal breaker for now.
Also, not many users are keen to update business cards and change phone numbers yet again. According to the rumor mill, however, number porting is a top priority at Google. That is to say, just as one can port numbers from AT&T to Sprint, he or she will soon be able to move from AT&T to Google.
Picture messaging, also known as MMS, is not yet supported either, which may or may not be heartbreaking seeing as how AT&T has yet to roll out the promised feature for iPhones. (The technology is only five years old; I can see how it might be a challenge for them.)
Lastly, taking your telephone experience to Google completes the company's quest to have access to every facet of your personal data. In exchange for "one ring to rule them all," you fall under the watchful eye of Sauron—er, Google.
But they've already promised us they won't be evil. What could possibly go wrong?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
