just an asterisk

In truth, I get it. The idea is so simple: click a button, pay $100 for a year and receive your push mail, contacts, calendar, storage for your photos and files, plus a “find my iphone” application all in one handy interface to your computer. However, it forever irks me when I’m told about these services as if they are the only game in town. I mentioned my doubt to the Mac Store genius a few days ago and was told “yes but MobileMe is seemless and far less complicated”…

That sounded like a challenge to me, so I wrote out my alternative to MobileMe system.  I thought it would take longer, but it’s actually quite simple.  Here are my choices: Read more »

I haven’t written very much lately, as my travels and day job have worn me out.  However, it’s a big day.  I’m sitting in a Starbucks in Toronto trying to get a feel for my new MacBook Pro.   Even though it’s only day 1 (well day 2 if you count the flight), I can see that this is going to change how this blog continues forward.

Why?  Well I’m learning!  Apple is not my strong suit and everything is new.  That said, every feature pleasantly surprises me.  Each time I think “there must be a way to…”, I stumble upon what I’m looking for, amazed that it’s there, without code or effort.  What had worried me about the transition was this: I’m a pretty geeky dude.  Won’t it be hard to transition the hard stuff from Windows to Mac?  The answer?  Not even a little bit.

Google Calendar and Gmail were both quick to setup (a Google search put me on the right path).  Microsoft Office was a simple install.  My programming environment in Windows (Komodo Edit) is available for Mac, so no transition there.   Skype and Dropbox were the same story.  To be honest, if we discount the time for my downloads, I’ve probably set the entire machine up, super-user environment and all in less than 3 hours.  That even includes the time I’ve spent playing with it… Pretty amazing.

Given the fun I’m having, I’ve decided that just an asterisk is going to follow me on my new adventure into Mac land, writing about the land of the apple from the big apple.  That said, my day job still requires a PC and I’m sitting on a ton of windows hardware, so JAA will have to be about more than just the domain of Steve Jobs.  We’ll see where the balance lies after a few months…

I guess this is really a post about posts that I’ll write in the future.  Keep an eye out for a Mac post soon and feel free to send questions to ab@justanasterisk.com.  I’d love to have ideas of what to try next.  We’ll explore this lovely transition together.

Best,

~ab

If you’re trying to decide between the hot new Nexus One vs. the iPhone 3Gs, here’s the skinny on what sets them apart. Both phones sport the aesthetic appeal of that sleek “wow” factor sheen, but there are a few differences you should know about which may make one a better fit for your needs than the other. Read more »

I have been avoiding the subject of the iPad.

It has barely been a week and the hubbub online about the hardware, software, features, design, upgrades, and potential yadda yadda is (almost) enough to make me revert to paper news.  The use of the phrase paradigm shift has hit an all time high… (sigh)

However, a friend asked me when I was going to write about the iPressrelease and casually added “isn’t it about exactly what you preach to your readers?  The ultimate goal isn’t the technology?”

Damn.  Touché.

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If it doesn’t start there automatically, my favorite line from the 1989 Batman is “Where does he get those wonderful toys?” (at 1:17 into this trailer).  It’s just such a perfect description of how I find geek tools to be both empowering and entertaining.

A friend recently asked if I had any links to share and I thought I’d start the new year with a list of some of the blogs that I read.  My hope is this provides that answer to your question about my toys (yes in this fantasy, I am Batman). Read more »

This, my dear readers is a telephone.  It has one function – you pick up that funky looking handle on the top and hold it to your ear.  Then you grab that doohickey on the side and crank it up.  Once completed, you can speak to someone on other end.  We refer to this procedure as making a “call”.

Apart from this “call” functionality, this object is nothing more than a paper weight – or something for braining your next burglar.  My point, that is perilously close to drowning in my sarcasm, is that the object has one function.  It’s a telephone.  That’s what it does and even in 1896, it did it pretty well (although Rikstelefon is no longer in business in Sweden).

A few days ago, a friend of mine was complaining that his GPS running application on his Iphone didn’t work perfectly – he wasn’t getting absolutely accurate readings while jogging… (cough) His phone was not giving him accurate GPS readings while jogging? This wasn’t even a complaint about the GPS while calling.

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I admit, I’m a strong proponent of pirate press releases.  We’ve made a little upgrade to the Just an Asterisk.  From this point forward, Iphone, Ipod Touch and Blackberry touch-screen users will see a new page designed for their diminutive browsers (in a good way).

It’s just another way for us to show you how much we love you. See the glorious pictures below.

Thanks for reading!

~ab

I think the most common question that hits my inbox goes something like this – I’m shopping for a new laptop.  Are there any brands I should look out for?  Any that I should avoid?  What do you suggest?  I’ve written before about what you should look for, but never really about how to choose between brands.

Although this data is going to be old as soon as I post about it (for reference, the current date is Tuesday, November 17, 2009), a great study was just released by Square Trade.

Here is the link

For those unwilling to wade through it, here are some highlights:

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If Just an Asterisk had an Iphone app...

So you got an iphone…(I am very jealous!). Everyone you know has a bunch of cool apps on their phone – apps for finding movies, food or parties, apps for connecting with friends, checking bank balances, or posting to blogs. The question now is simple: which apps do you choose? There are simply too many good apps out there and despite the fact that you (or someone who loves you) splurged and got the 16gb version, it’s probably not reasonable to download all the apps… (There are 10,000 + in the store now). Also, to put it as classily as possible: some of these suckers are expensive. You have some tough decisions to make, but as always, we’re here to help. What follows is a roadmap for getting yourself up and running. It is not a list of important apps – that would be out of date… now. Instead this is a resource list that will hopefully allow you to be ahead of the curve.

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