Cash Gap

Thin? Thinner? Thinnest? Thinnerest? Missed it by that much!

2011-05-25T15:25:00.000-07:00

Dell has released a 15" notebook almost as thin as Apple's Macbook Pro! Barely .02" thicker than the popular Apple notebook.

It turns out that the XPS-15z was conceived to be the thinnest, but turned out just a hair thicker.

If you're a Dell product manager, how do you write the copy?

Turns out, it depends on your location.

If you're in the US, you simply say it's the thinnest 15"PC notebook on the planet! And include a little blurb referencing a Dell internal study.

If you're in the UK, it's a little more complicated. Best to say that you are offering "one of" the thinnest 15" PC notebooks on the planet. And the blurb? Priceless.

"No comparison made with Apple or other manufacturers not listed." It just rolls off the tongue, doesn't it?

Security for Social Media Login - Idea

2011-05-24T04:57:00.000-07:00

Recently I received my SquareUp credit card reader. During the signup, I was asked three security questions to verify my identity.

Why couldn't social networks take advantage of the unique information already stored for the user, in order to enhance security.

During login, or password recovery, the user would be shown three photos. Two would be photos the user had previously tagged with names. One would be a random photo. The user would retag two of the photos with the correct names, and reject the unfamiliar photo.

Facebook, are you listening?

Blatant Commercial Post

2011-05-14T09:21:00.000-07:00

I've been an Amazon Associate for years, but never realized how easily the program integrates with Blogger.

So for example, when I note that last night I enjoyed the James Bond classic "Live and Let Die" on my Apple TV using Netflix, the Amazon Associates widget allows me to effortlessly add the links below.

We simply turned on the TV and Apple TV, selected Netflix, selected the movie and started watching. It's just that simple. And we could have easily paused in order to finish the movie on an iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac or PC.

How did I do?

2011-05-08T19:36:00.000-07:00

Predictions last year

April 2, 2010

Tomorrow is iPad day.

I predict that the iPad's success will dwarf that of the iPhone.

I predict that we will look back in a year at AAPL $236 the way we look back at $.90 high test.

I predict you will own one within one year.

Why Every Child In America Needs An IPad

2011-05-07T19:12:00.000-07:00

Everybody’s asking: Are iPads healthy for children?

I’m here to tell you: That’s the wrong question.

The right question is this: Is the iPad a healthy *replacement* for TV? And I believe the answer is a resounding yes.

Are You better off than you were 400 years ago?

2011-05-04T18:30:00.000-07:00

Timothy B. Lee explains why our move from paying $10 for photo processing 24 prints, to carrying ten thousand photos on your photo at no extra charge, is mis-measured as a decline in GDP.

Deposit Checks from your iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch

2010-10-09T06:08:00.000-07:00

What to do with Aunt Gertie's $20 birthday check? Now you can deposit it without leaving your home with the PayPal app.

Snap a photo of the front and back and your check is deposited in your PayPal account. Currently, the funds aren't available until the check clears.

The Seinfeld episode this brings to mind? "The Pledge Drive" from Season Six!

Google Voice now widely available.

2010-09-24T15:25:00.000-07:00

By now, I hope you have a Google Voice number. Google had first limited the service to former GrandCentral subscribers, then select Gmail users, then users with .edu email addresses. Until recently, Google Apps for Domains users didn't have access to Google Voice, but all Google accounts are now eligible.

American Express Open comments: "When you register you can choose a virtual phone number in any area code. You can use that number to send and receive text messages, record voicemails and even receive and make calls over the Internet, but it becomes particularly useful when you attach it to the number associated with your mobile or landline phone. (full text here)"

You can configure Google Voice as a standalone independent of a phone, or use it as a replacement voicemail solution with most providers. I'm using it to replace visual voicemail on my iPhone, to function as a "home number" without a landline, and to route calls specific to blogging and web activity.

You can call me at 330-CASH-GAP.

Profiting from innovation

2010-09-21T15:44:00.000-07:00

"Fortune: Cupertino is raking the cash as its competitors struggle to post any profit at all"

Wired on ABC's Sound Synching iPad App "Nothing Short of Genius"

2010-09-17T11:58:00.000-07:00

Wired points out that ABC's launch of the technology to support their show "My Generation" simply relies upon the iPad's internal microphone to sample the TV audio and keep the iPad content synched to the show.

Though television companion apps exist for the iPad, this automatic syncing feature represents a big step forward. And while ABC is only rolling this out for a single program, it’s such a clever, obvious-in-retrospect idea — not to mention far easier than writing digital code to keep the devices synced wirelessly even if the user watches at someone else’s house or later, using on-demand or a DVR — that it could easily become widespread across many shows.

So whether you are watching it live, DVR'ed, or over a few interrupted sessions, you'll always experience the iPad and TV content synched as ABC intended.

Expect to see much more content delivered this way.

Eager to see Ad Mob's next report

2010-09-11T18:02:00.000-07:00

AdMob Mobile Metrics report the usage of various smartphone operating systems, allowing market share inferences.

I hadn't noticed one thing from the May report until recently... iOS numbers are understated by excluding iPod Touch and iPad!

Take a look, and full report here:

Microsoft Holds Mock iPhone and BlackBerry Funeral

2010-09-11T17:59:00.000-07:00

Microsoft is apparently very confident in their new Windows 7 Phone. They decided to take mockery a little far by holding funerals for the iPhone and all BlackBerry devices on their Redmond campus yesterday. How long until they regret this?

The phone is set to be revealed at an New York event on October 11th.

University's Reverse the Intent of Rent Control

2010-09-11T17:50:00.000-07:00

Very clever. Rent control, a misguided attempt to allocate resources by bureaucracy rather than markets, always results in distortions. But universities have found a way to purchase rent controlled property at below market rates and earn above market rents, thwarting the intent of the bureaucrats intent on distorting the market for the property.

Greg Mankiw, hat tip to Luke Froeb

If you like this, you'll like Managerial Econ.

Can I upgrade to iPhone 4?

2010-06-08T17:00:00.000-07:00

Call *639# and AT&T will text your eligibility to you. They've trimmed six months off of most commitments to allow early upgrade!

Alas, Poor Android, We Hardly Know Ye...

2010-05-01T19:00:00.000-07:00

DOOMED. Image 1:

DOOMED. Image 2:

Read more here, if you can stand it. Fragmented OS and users blocked from upgrades by greedy carriers = The Old Cellco Relationship = Developer Frustration = Sad Lack of Apps = Market Share Limitations. Do the math.

Good news? Well, still a better choice than Pre OS!!!

Thoughts on "Thoughts on Flash"

2010-04-30T05:19:00.000-07:00

By now you've read Steve Job's "Thoughts on Flash" which he ends with this:

"Perhaps Adobe should focus more on creating great HTML5 tools for the future, and less on criticizing Apple for leaving the past behind."

Which really does say it all, even though I strongly encourage you to read the entire post. Daniel Eran Dilger, RoughlyDrafted, points out not only why Jobs doesn't love Flash on the iPhone, but why Jobs secretly loves that other phone manufacturers are self-sabotaging their platforms by supporting flash. An excerpt here, but the full article is worth your time.

But first let me clarify: Jobs certainly doesn’t love Flash on the iPhone OSfor the reasons he outlined in his blog posting, writing in character as (it would appear) the Fake Daniel Eran Dilger:
First, Flash is closed and proprietary to (owned by) Adobe, meaning that its future development is completely under the control of one company, making it toxic to the open nature of the web.
Second, the existing content Adobe keeps promoting as “critical to the full web experience” is a mixed bag of stuff that is mostly either also available without Flash (like YouTube) or junk that isn’t really desirable (those Flash games that are weak sauce and wildly overshadowed by real games written natively for the iPhone OS).
Third, Flash is a black hole of security problems, performance issues, and instability. Anyone on a Mac is aware of how Flash eats up RAM and CPU cycles while doing nothing. But even on Windows, Flash is a major vector for security problems because it is a web plugin, making it a front door to attacks (at CanSecWest, security expert Charlie Miller was asked which browser is safest, to which he replied, “there probably isn’t enough difference between the browsers to get worked up about. The main thing is not to install Flash!”). Adobe simply hasn’t done a good job of delivering Flash Player as a desktop platform, but in the mobile area, these issues are even a greater problem.
Fourth, Flash isn’t optimized for battery life efficiency. Flash was designed to animate the web on desktop PCs, where computational efficiency wasn’t an important engineering factor. Additionally, all the Flash videos Adobe brags about “as critical to the full web” is largely pre-H.264, meaning Flash has to decode it in software rather than leveraging the hardware accelerated codecs in mobile devices (the iPod/iPhone only support MPEG-4 video codecs because they can be accelerated in hardware. Most existing Flash videos are FLV/VP6, which lacks mobile hardware decoding support. Incidentally, this is also why Ogg Theora is brain dead as a mobile codec).
Fifth, existing Flash content is not designed to support multitouch interfaces. To upgrade it to support multitouch, you have to rewrite and redesign how the interface works. Why do that in Flash instead of embracing open web standards?
Sixth, Apple doesn’t want its third party developers to be tied to a “lowest common denominator” middleware platform that may not expose the unique features of the iPhone OS if it is not in Adobe’s interest to support them. And it wouldn’t be in Adobe’s interests to support novel things Apple adds to the iPhone OS if those features aren’t also in Android, webOS, BlackBerry OS and Windows Phone 7, because that would derail Adobe’s cross platform efforts. This is the same problem that has hindered JavaME from being any good across mobile devices. JavaME similarly promised to bridge different hardware and vendors, but really just watered down the features available to fancy phones, making them expensive, underutilized versions of everything else that ran JavaME. And everything else implemented JavaME poorly anyway.

Wah, Adobe... Get Over It, Flash Won't Be Mourned

2010-04-10T06:53:00.000-07:00

Apple is assisting with the mercy-killing of Flash, that format best known for time-consuming self-indulgent introductions to websites and games just slightly more entertaining than tic-tac-toe.

Apple is promoting instead STANDARDS for video and other rich content, such as HTML5. And Apple is going to great lengths to protect mobile users from Flash's well-known downsides... crashing, unnecessary battery consumption, and performance hits.

If you're Adobe, you could fix Flash, or abandon Flash and transition to standards. The first would cost money, the second would loosen your lock on lower-tier developers, the most loyal Flash base.

Instead, Adobe attempts to paint itself as a victim. Daniel Eran Dilger points out Five Tremendous Apple vs. Adobe Flash Myths

Excerpt:

To hear from the tech media people who feed from the Adobe propaganda machine like ducks being force fed for foie gras, you’d think Adobe has had a real mobile strategy all this time and Apple has just been playing the role of a conniving obstructionist.
The truth is that it’s Adobe’s fault there’s no Flash on the majority of mobiles, because the company was completely happy just misleading the world of pundits while talking instead of doing. Well it’s not 2007 anymore, it’s 2010, and that’s three years of work that everyone else has put into HTML5.

Full text HERE

T minus 1:20 - TheMacCFO at iPad launch

2010-04-03T05:44:00.000-07:00

At the launch, Apple Store Green Hills Mall, Nashville Tennessee

T Minus 26 Hours - iPad

2010-04-02T04:58:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is iPad day.

I predict that the iPad's success will dwarf that of the iPhone.

I predict that we will look back in a year at AAPL $236 the way we look back at $.90 high test.

I predict you will own one within one year.

Daniel Eran Dilger explains that the iPad will kill, among other things, DVDs, Netbooks, the PSP/DS, Android, and Flash. Oh, and he also makes some controversial predictions.

"Apple will kill Microsoft Office... ... Apple has beat Microsoft to market again, before its rival even realized it was in trouble of losing anything. Microsoft’s comical Pocket and Mobile versions of Office are embarrassing, and the company hasn’t demonstrated any ability to copy the iPhone or the iPod touch successfully, so what hope is there for a Microsoft tablet or a mobile-savvy port of its currently very PC-centric Office suite? Microsoft doesn’t even have any financial motivation to port Office to the iPad, given the$10 per app threshold Apple set. Dead."

Read more at Roughly Drafted

Walter S. Mossberg says it can run 12 hours on a charge and replace most laptops.

"I found email easy and productive to use, and had no trouble typing accurately and quickly on the iPad's wide on-screen keyboard. In fact, I found the iPad virtual keyboard more comfortable and accurate to use than the cramped keyboards and touchpads on many netbooks, though some fast touch typists might disagree."

Read more at Wall Street Journal

Watch this space tomorrow morning for live blogging from the iPad launch line at the Apple Store, Green Hills Mall, Nashville Tennessee.

It took the iPod 17 quarters to reach 30 million units. The iPhone did it in 10.

Read more at CNN

Parental Controls Tutorial

2010-03-24T18:41:00.000-07:00

Parental Controls are built into Mac OS X at the operating system level, and greatly aid control of your system.

Parental Controls

InfoWorld on Android Multi-Touch In

2010-03-16T14:37:00.000-07:00

InfoWorld posted this article (link) explaining that Android developers should NOT use the multi-touch capabilities of the Android operating system in their projects.

They cite developer complains about the rawness of the feature in Android 2.0, and the lack of support in prior versions of Android OS.

Nice description of the trees, but they miss the forest.

InfoWorld is correct to state that multi-touch will likely be fixed in a near-future release of Android OS. But that won't cause developers to use it, when they know that every day users purchase new Android phones, and that those phones could be limited to a release without multi-touch, a release with buggy multi-touch, and a release with functional multi-touch. Faced with this population, developers will just avoid multi-touch on Android.

Google of course hopes developers won't avoid Android altogether...

Blackberry users excited... about iPhone

2010-03-15T18:21:00.000-07:00

iPhone users are happy with their phones. Nine in ten would buy another tomorrow. Android users, though fewer of them, are equally happy. Nine in ten would buy another Android phone tomorrow.

Blackberry users? Four in ten would buy an iPhone tomorrow, and nearly as many would buy an Android phone tomorrow.

Lots of details at the study, here or just read the summary, here.

97% of iPhone users would recommend an iPhone. As would THIRTY percent of Blackberry users. Ouch.

Wet Phone? Blackberry? iPod?

2010-03-14T08:28:00.000-07:00

I used this method successfully in 2004 or 2005. I'd dropped my Blackberry in water, and rice dried it out overnight.

3G iPad Details Released

2010-03-12T18:28:00.000-08:00

Apple has updated the iPad site to include details on the optional AT&T no-contract 3G data plans.

$14.99 for 250MB per month
$29.99 for unlimited

iCalShare Makes Shared Calendars Easy

2010-03-12T18:04:00.000-08:00

This week I found a great tool. iCalShare allows you to maintain a shared calendar using Apple iCal (of course), Lotus Notes, Microsoft Outlook, Entourage, Google Calendar, Trumba, Zimbra, or just about any other on-line calendaring tool.

Anyone can search for calendars by keyword. For example, I found a great NASCAR calendar and added it easily. When the owner makes a change in the calendar, all subscribers receive the changes automatically.

Check it out, iCalShare.com.

Apple Store Down... For iPad preorders only, or...?

2010-03-12T05:05:00.000-08:00

http://store.apple.com

Should be back up at 7:30 Central for iPad preorders, do you think we will also see new MacBook Pros with processor updates?

First iPad Television Ad

2010-03-07T18:15:00.000-08:00

Click to Watch

Good stuff. This thing will sell more than the iPhone ever did.

"When do you think Verizon Wireless is going to get the iPhone?"

2010-03-07T15:57:00.000-08:00

If I had an app for every time I've been asked "When do you think Verizon Wireless is going to get the iPhone?"... oh wait, I do!!!

Analysts state the obvious... it really doesn't matter.

From Cult of Mac "Apple will sell 35 million iPhones next year, with or without Verizon" and they have some good analysis to back up the projection.

Run Windows on a Mac?

2010-03-06T15:13:00.000-08:00

Gizomodo compares the various solutions for Windows on OS X. I happen to use VMware Fusion, and that very rarely.

MacDood: Mac OS X North American installed base almost 11%

2010-03-04T10:56:00.000-08:00

MacDood: Mac OS X North American installed base almost 11%

The company's data shows that 10.9 percent of online users in North America are using Mac OS X, an increase of nearly 30 percent over the past year.

Sprint Nextel ties execs' bonuses to 4G adoption - Kansas City Business Journal:

2010-03-04T04:54:00.000-08:00

Sprint Nextel ties execs' bonuses to 4G adoption - Kansas City Business Journal:

Sprint Nextel Corp. has adjusted the targets for its executives to collect short-term bonuses, placing emphasis for the first time on attracting customers for its new wireless Internet service.

Pay for performance, what a great idea!

The End of Corporate Computing - The Magazine - MIT Sloan Management Review

2010-02-11T06:23:00.000-08:00

The End of Corporate Computing - The Magazine - MIT Sloan Management Review

Something happened in the first years of the 20th century that would have seemed unthinkable just a few decades earlier: Manufacturers began to shut down and dismantle their water wheels, steam engines and electric generators. Since the beginning of the Industrial Age, power generation had been a seemingly intrinsic part of doing business, and mills and factories had had no choice but to maintain private power plants to run their machinery.

The iPad

2010-01-28T12:11:00.000-08:00

It's here. Well, almost. And I'd have two on order, except we can't pre-order. So I guess you'll see me in line the night before the launch.

Much of what I've noted on the iPad so far has been on facebook. Erik Book, Enterprise Architect and All Around Nice Guy (and he underestimates himself on both those counts) has a take on it, with some counterpoints from TheMacCFO. Bottom line... I think it will sell and they hit the mark. Erik thinks they missed the mark and that it will sell.

> Great Blog to Follow - Erik Bock <

.

Apple iPhone Revenue Roughly Equal to Mac Revenue

2010-01-26T17:13:00.000-08:00

Outstanding graphic from Silicon Alley Insider shows revenue source for Apple's record quarter.

From Gizmodo.

$120 per year, or free. Your choice.

2010-01-14T15:25:00.000-08:00

I've written before about Google Voice and its excellent voicemail to text transcription. The message below was transcribed and delivered to me in about sixty seconds:

Google will give you a phone number, or you can use your existing landline, VOIP or cellphone number. I use my AT&T cellphone number and transcribed emails deliver to my iPhone if I can't take a call. I depend on the service every day and it has yet to let me down. As with most Google products, it's hard to beat the price... free.

Or buy it from AT&T, only $9.99 per month. Because... because... ??? I couldn't come up with a good reason as I looked at the ad below and compared it to the Google Voice home page.

The App Store Economy

2010-01-13T05:34:00.000-08:00

It's true, and Gigaom has more fascinating details.

Did you know...

App developers wait an average of under five days for app approval
Half of the top fifty paid apps sell for $.99
Apple's share of the App Store revenue is... wait for it... $150 million per month

Full image at Gigaom.com,

Video - Hide Files in Mac OS X Snow Leopard

2010-01-07T20:41:00.000-08:00

Tired of explaining to users that they should just ignore the Time Machine volume on the desktop? Or maybe you want a particular folder in a particular place like your desktop, but don't want to SEE it there? Here's the video that shows you how in about 50 seconds. At this link How to Hide Files in Mac OS X - YouTube by @TheMacCFO

Only One Group Will Love Google Phone - The Press

2010-01-02T18:18:00.000-08:00

OK, the 'Droid was a yawner. But Monday, THE GOOGLE PHONE IS COMING!

If history is any predictor, the press will LOVE THE GOOGLE PHONE. And it won't sell.

Daniel Eran Dilger explains:

Outside of supplying the hot air that inflates’s tech media wags’ opinion pieces regarding Android’s vaunted openness, the idea that an Android phone is any more “open” than the iPhone in any measurable way relevant to consumers simply has no real meaning, certainly no more than pleadings by GM to “buy American.”

Full story here.

A Database For The Rest Of Us

2010-01-02T12:41:00.001-08:00

Bento from Filemaker offers the standard database features you'd expect, plus full integration with iLife apps such as iPhone and iCal, and access via an iPhone client app. Free trial at Bento 3 Features, and the full version is only $49, or $99 for a five user family license.

The iPhoto integration is particularly strong. With it, you can add database fields to any photo or series of photos, and select based on the data in the fields.

TheMacCFO en français

2009-12-16T15:04:00.000-08:00

After a discussion of a paid anti-Apple shill on LinkedIn, @TheMacCFO has been quoted. In French, no less, on Mac Maître. Cool. Would have been cooler with the right link the first time, my bad.

Where Does The Money Go?

2009-12-10T19:52:00.000-08:00

Click the image for a GREAT (but tall) infographic showing the revenue cycle for the initial sale of an iPhone.

Snow Leopard Server

2009-12-02T12:20:00.000-08:00

1. It's real UNIX

2. It's Mac OS X

3. Offers unlimited user version. No CALS.

4. Available with the Mac Mini Server for only $999

5. Free evaluation copy at http://bit.ly/OSXServer

Transfer Bookmarks - Method 1 of n

2009-11-21T12:51:00.000-08:00

Switching from Windows? Here's how to move your bookmarks from Internet Explorer on your PC to Safari on your new Mac. From MyFirstMac.com

There's Not An App For That

2009-11-21T11:00:00.000-08:00

What iPhone app is on your wish-list? Either something you haven't found on the App Store, or maybe you didn't look. Looking for ideas either for a deep-dive App Store search followed by a review, or possibly development.

Have A Backup Plan

2009-11-19T05:20:00.000-08:00

It can happen. Anything from "Oops, I deleted the wrong file and emptied the trash" to "My laptop was right there while I was talking to the ticket agent" to "Wow, my hard drive really sounds bad". We make mistakes, we lose things, theft happens, and spinning hard drives can fail.

What's your backup plan?

Mine is simple. My Mac's are all backed up with Apple's included Time Machine backup software to an external firewire hard drive. This occurs hourly, with no user intervention. Restores are easy with Time Machine.

Each year over Thanksgiving weekend, I buy an additional drive and backup my Macs to it. This drive is stored in my bank safety deposit box, just in case.

Learn About Time Machine (Video)

Buy A Time Capsule (Amazon)

Buy A Terabyte Firewire Drive (Amazon)

iPhones from AT&T Starting at $49

2009-11-12T16:07:00.000-08:00

AT&T Facebook Pages Offers $49 iPhones and Straight Talk On Maps
Great to see AT&T responding. Let's stick to the truth, VZW, you get points for having an "old skool" network with good basic coverage, but fooling folks by being "clever", "tricky", "sly", etc. doesn't cut it.

What Do You Think Of The 'Droid?

2009-11-12T05:38:00.000-08:00

With "Droid Bombing America" TV ads, and "Droid Bombs In America" news on the business pages, TheMacCFO is frequently asked "What do you think of the 'Droid?".

Truthfully, not much, but I have to admit that I have no direct experience with it.

So I'll defer to RoughlyDrafted.com and Daniel Eran Dilger, who is much more prepared to comment.

Full Text Here

You take the low road, Apple takes the high road

2009-11-11T18:48:00.000-08:00

BusinessWeek on Apple: "In September, according to market researcher NPD Group, Macs accounted for 18.9% of all laptops and desktops sold in U.S. retail outlets. For computers priced above $1,000, Apple's share was an astonishing 89%."

Volume is one thing, but try to imagine how many $279.99 Netbooks you need to sell to generate the gross profit of just one $1,699 27" iMac. A lot. And which customer is more likely to willing and able to purchase a few hundred dollars worth of accessories with the PC?

Why Apple Leaves Low-End Computers to the Competition

Verizon Intentionally Misleads To Counter Lack of iPhone

2009-11-10T06:27:00.000-08:00

So you're running a big cellular communications company. And you had a chance at the iPhone, but turned it down when Apple wouldn't agree to your crippleware, Vcast, and other anti-customer "enhancements". You've had your lunch eaten by that same phone, and your latest "iPhone Killer" is turning out to be, well, a bomb ("But the ad campaign promoting the phone would be laughably awful -- if it weren't so disturbing.").

Now what? Well, you could go back to the drawing board. Or you could just start lying.

"By only comparing the newest segment of AT&T's network, Verizon can advertise "3G maps" that are technically accurate, but grossly misleading to users who want to obtain data service to download email and access the web." - AppleInsider, November 10 2009

" ...Verizon can only advertise that the iPhone on AT&T doesn't really have enough usable service coverage, despite the fact that iPhone users consume around half of the country's mobile data bandwidth. In the meantime, observers point out that its "there's a map for that" ads really only serve to advertise the iPhone App Store, a subject Verizon should probably just ignore." - AppleInsider, November 10 2009

Ouch.

Photoshop on your iPhone (or several other phones)

2009-11-09T05:12:00.000-08:00

Photoshop now offers a free iPhone app with photo editing features for your iPhone!

With one app, you can:

Add effects
Add filters
Crop, Flip, Rotate
Modify exposure, tint, saturation, etc.

Always saves a copy of the original unmodified photo.

Get It Now

Also for Android and WinMo.

Use Google Voice voicemail with iPhone

2009-11-06T13:13:00.000-08:00

I'm a bit conflicted about this tip, for three two reasons:

1. The iPhone Visual Voicemail is actually pretty good, and this tip bypasses it.

2. This tip requires a Google Voice account, and the invitations are not always easy to get.

3. This tip is imperfect. So far, I can't find a way to use Google Voice and retain the call waiting feature. But I will, and when I do I'll update this tip, so you should click the "Subscribe To TheMacCFO Posts" button to the right.

Call waiting is working. Either my testing was flawed, or the feature did not activate immediately. But it is now working properly.

With that in mind, here's how to use Google Voice with your iPhone and receive your voicemail transcribed in a text message or voicemail.

1. Get an invitation. Register at Google Voice or ask a Google Voice user for an invitation. I'm out of invitations at the moment but hope to have more soon.

2. Setup your account BUT DO NOT REQUEST A NEW GOOGLE NUMBER. When prompted, tell Google you want to use your mobile phone number.

3. Follow the instructions, which will include dialing a long string of characters on your phone.

That's it.

When a caller dials your iPhone:

1. Your iPhone will ring if turned on, and you'll have an opportunity to answer it.

2. If you do not answer it, the call will be forwarded to your Google Voice account. Your message is fully configurable, as are a number of advanced call handling features beyond the scope of this post.

3. The voicemail message is stored as an audio file.

4. The voicemail message is transcribed into readable text.

5. (Depending upon options selected), the audio file and text are emailed to you, and the text is sent to you via SMS.

For most messages, it is enough for me to see who called and what they wanted in general. Perfect transcription isn't required. When details are needed, I can listen to the voicemail with one click.

IF YOU TRY IT AND HATE IT... dial ##004# from your iPhone and you'll be back to normal.

There is no need to make ANY changes in the Settings panel of your iPhone.

Enjoy!

Live from the Apple Store San Antonio

2009-11-06T11:33:00.000-08:00

Canon ImageRUNNER support for Snow Leopard!

2009-11-04T08:35:00.000-08:00

HOW TO: HERE
DRIVER: HERE

It's Here...

2009-10-30T15:05:00.000-07:00

But Talladega is the priority this weekend.
Mac Mini Server, initially to serve podcast production.

OpenOffice.org 3.0 Review from PCMag.com

2009-10-30T15:01:00.000-07:00

PROS

Free. Open-source. Feature-packed. Highly compatible with Office 2007 formats. Single interface for all apps.

OpenOffice.org 3.0

iWork '09 Review from PCMag.com

2009-10-30T14:59:00.000-07:00

PROS

Innovative, graphically dazzling suite. Highly compatible with Microsoft Office documents. Canvas-style page holds multiple tables. Presentation software outclasses competitors. Great bang for the buck.

iWork '09

Can you spot the trend in these pictures?

2009-10-28T05:29:00.000-07:00

Full Report

DroidWont

2009-10-27T14:46:00.000-07:00

Have you talked to a Droid Droid? You know, the folks that believe Android will be the iPhone killer any day now, for common-sense reasons like multiple open-source repositories, a splintered market of Droid phones each with a small share of the overall Droid market share, and, well, because it would just ROCK if the Droid would prevail over Apple, Symbian and Microsoft... you know, the smart phone OS's with market share and products.

How can you argue with THAT?!?!?!

Well, Daniel Eran Dilger puts the issue to bed nicely with "Google fans fail to contemplate why Android is free"

#droidfail

A FENG member writes...

2009-10-25T13:50:00.000-07:00

A Financial Executives Networking Group (FENG) member writes:

Sam:
I saw your comments today regarding MACs. I am have a few questions regarding the PC vs MAC.
I do corporate income taxes and I want to be able to work at home. We presently have a PC and are in the need in the near future of a new computer. I have a son that loves his MAC and he has been telling me to get one. I was then talking to a tech person that said, that you can use MS Excel on a MAC. Is that true? I was always under the impression that you could not use MS software on MACs. If it is true can you go back and forth between the PC & MAC without any problems.
Thank you very much for your time on this question.
PC in Southern California

Paul, thanks for your note.

I'm going to include a lot of links in this reply, because they
include helpful information. If you look at only one link, I
recommend this one http://www.apple.com/macosx/compatibility/

The tech person was correct. You have at least four practical
options for Microsoft Excel on a Mac.

1. Purchase the Mac version of Microsoft Office from Microsoft, install it, and run Microsoft Excel. http://bit.ly/cfo2008office from Amazon. This is the real Microsoft Office program with Word, Excel, etc. designed for the Mac by Microsoft. It has some of the improved look and feel of other Mac applications, but is 100% file compatible with your PC Excel files.

2. Purchase Apple's iWork '09 Suite for the Mac, install it, and use
the Apple Numbers software to work with Excel spreadsheets. http://bit.ly/cfoiwork09 from Amazon. This is a suite of presentation, spreadsheet, word processing and document layout
programs designed by Apple. They have a much improved interface over Excel, and work with all Excel files, but do have different commands, etc. which can be a challenge if you are going to go back and forth between Microsoft Excel and Apple iWork.

3. Use the free, open source office suite Open Office to work with Excel spreadsheets. http://www.openoffice.org/ downloadable. OpenOffice is an initiative of Sun Microsystems, and is gaining market share rapidly. Here's a graph of market share
http://www.xpnet.com/clarity9/exocharts.aspx?Type=24&Layout=3DV
. The spreadsheet program in Open Office works with all Excel files and is EXTREMELY similar to Excel, but not identical. Learning curve to transition is swift.

4. Run Windows on your Mac. I don't recommend this although it works fine, because you are missing out on a lot of why you purchased a Mac in the first place. But plenty of folks do run Windows on their Mac, just to have a superior piece of hardware and occasional access to Windows. At the first link above, look for "Boot Camp".

So to summarize, you need to see this to believe it. The Apple Store at Brea Mall near you offers free personal shopping appointments. Reserve one here http://www.apple.com/retail/breamall/

You could take a CD or thumbdrive with Excel documents in with you and the Mac Expert will show you how your documents will look on a Mac. There are also Apple stores in Rancho Cucamonga and Pasadena, you can find them at http://www.apple.com/retail and reserve there.

I hope this helps, let me know if you have more questions.

Smart... Mac Mini OS X Server

2009-10-24T17:13:00.000-07:00

Wow. This is going to crimp Microsoft Small Business Server.

Mac Mini Server, with unlimited user version of Mac OS X Server. $999 or less.

Read ALL about it

iPhone Subscription Accounting Changes Explained

2009-10-22T05:14:00.000-07:00

http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/09/10/21/inside_apples_iphone_subscription_accounting_changes.html
You may or may not know that Apple has reversed its decision to use the "subscription method of accounting" for iPhone sales. Though this is thoroughly explained in the text, I'd like to offer that this may have been a deliberate move by Apple to cloak the success of the iPhone from competitors until after gaining significant market share.

Weather Forecast on your iPhone or iCal Calendar

2009-10-21T15:44:00.000-07:00

Easy tip. (Modified 12/3/09 to note that this only works for iPhone users with Mac iCal. If someone wants to write the equivalent tip for Outlook users, I'll post it or link to it... TMC)

1. Go to http://www.wunderground.com (Weather Underground).

2. Enter a Zip Code, City, State, Airport Code or Country for weather information.

3. You'll see the current weather, plus an important "iCal" icon.

4. Right click on the iCal icon and "Copy Link"

5. In iCal, select "Calendar", "Subscribe" from the menu

6. Paste (Command V) in the dialog box and "Subscribe"

7. Make any changes you'd like to the default settings, be sure to set "Auto-Refresh" to at every day if not every hour, click "OK". You can also rename the calendar.

That's it! You'll notice a weather forecast on each day's calendar, one week in the future. If you're using MobileMe, this calendar will also be synched to your iPhone wirelessly, or it will be synched by iTunes the next time you connect your iPhone.

Apple's Silent Enterprise Strategy

2009-10-21T05:54:00.000-07:00

One of the most interesting things about Apple's rise in the enterprise -- aside from the fact that it occurred during a deep recession -- is that it happened without any real marketing push from the company.

Laura DiDio, writing for E-Commerce Times on MacNewsWorld.com, outlines Apple's corporate enterprise success and the surprising avenue used for penetration... users.

How many enterprises had a "PC's only, Blackberry's only" policy rigidly enforced by IT... until the CMO, COO, CFO or CEO called down and said "Can you help me setup email on my iPhone?". Two choices, set it up and have your most visible power user walking around with a tool that outperforms the "corporate standard", or update the resume!

Not Mac Related

2009-10-20T05:40:00.000-07:00

Great article at Wired, I do believe this.

Clive Thompson on Why Idling Mind Is Mother of Invention

AT&T Wants to Lower Your Phone Bill

2009-10-18T15:35:00.000-07:00

Well, of course, AT&T wants ARPU (Average Revenue Per Unit) to increase as any good carrier would. But they do offer discounts to many employees of large customers, affiliates, etc.

To see if you are eligible for discounts, go to the AT&T Business Portal and look for this button:

Enter your work email address, your school email address, your college alumni email address... any email address that is legitimately yours and at which you can receive your AT&T bill.

The discounts vary, but apply to new OR EXISTING service, regardless of phone... iPhone, Blackberry, plain cellphone, etc.

Droid? Does?

2009-10-18T14:34:00.000-07:00

Verizon is running some ads on today's NFL games. After listing a few "iDoesn't" items, some true and some requiring very creative application, viewers are pointed to the DroidDoes.com website.

Which provides no information, but offers a chance to sign up for Verizon Wireless emails.

Turns out this is advance work for Verizon's new phone based on the Google Android operating system.

The Samsung Instinct oops, nope Blackberry Storm oops, nope Palm Pre oops, nope Blackberry Storm 2 oops, nope Droid is expected to be an "iPhone Killer".

You can try the Google Android operating system on your Mac or PC. Download it here and run it in VMWare Fusion, VMWare Workstation, VirtualBox, etc.

Screenshots of Google Android running on my Macbook Pro:

Performance! Windows 7 and Snow Leopard on Same Hardware

2009-10-16T09:25:00.000-07:00

Full story at Cnet

Short story... Windows 7 faster on some games, Snow Leopard faster on everything else.

Why ProCare?

2009-10-15T11:40:00.000-07:00

Who would spend $99 for Apple's ProCare?

Well, it's a bargain. Includes:

- Complete setup of any Mac you buy at an Apple Retail Store, including file transfer. Even from a PC.
- Fast track of repairs.
- Backup consultation.
- Annual tuneup.
- Advanced Genius Bar reservations.

Windows 7 in One Week

2009-10-15T08:51:00.000-07:00

The launch parties are a week away, so get ready for Windows 7. Launch party hosts like TheMacCFO have received instructions on how to throw a party, how long to let guests mingle before showing off Windows 7, and how to burn copies of the music to a CD. Fascinating. Also provided, a launch pack with puzzle pieces, Windows 7 playing cards, Windows 7 ballons, Windows 7 napkins, free coupons for anti-virus and anti-spyware software (I could not make this stuff up) and a copy of Windows 7. Along with a warning to install the software a few days before to "get familiar" with it.

Interesting that the same slogan is working for admirers and detractors, with Microsoft paid bloggers stressing "It's Still Windows" and critics panning it with the phrase "It's Still Windows".

Apple sees this as an opportunity.

In the coming weeks, Apple is expected to hit those computer buyers with advertising aimed at luring them to its Macs. It will likely make the case that Macs are less susceptible to viruses and are best suited to its popular iPods and iPhones. And look for it to poke fun at Microsoft for making XP owners go through an arduous process to upgrade to Windows 7—one that includes backing up all their files to an external drive, reformatting their PC, and then reinstalling all of their old programs, assuming they still have the CDs. "Any user that reads all those steps is probably going to freak out. If you have to go through all that, why not just buy a Mac?" says Schiller.

GMail says "Don't forget Bob!" and Google Voice going viral

2009-10-14T08:25:00.000-07:00

Google has added two great features to GMail. Has this ever happened to you?

From GoogleLabs

Also, existing Google Voice users (like TheMacCFO) should soon be able to invite others to use the Google Voice service.

New Twitter app for iPhone delivers

2009-10-13T10:51:00.000-07:00

Tweetie 2 has been released and offers a new high level of interaction
from a mobile platform. Very intuitive and well worth $3. Screenshot shows the "Nearby" function from the Gateway Arch in St. Louis.

iWork '09 - Use Conditional Formatting in Numbers (Tutorial)

2009-10-12T19:01:00.000-07:00

Nice tutorial to explain this underused feature.

One of the Free Tutorials at Apple.com

U.S. Army - Mac OS X Best, Most Secure Option

2009-10-12T08:49:00.000-07:00

The U.S. Army's latest video surveillance installations had to offer security, high-performance, consistency and reliability. So... they bought Macs. Full story at Security Systems News.

Busy Apple Store

2009-10-11T14:25:00.000-07:00

Record video on iPhone 3G S, email to blogger and it posts automagically. Nice.

Fast Internet Access at the Apple Store West Center St. Louis

2009-10-11T14:23:00.000-07:00

On vacation, TheMacCFO checks out the speed of the Apple Store's internet connection.

Wall Street Journal Says... Next Windows almost as good as Mac OSX!

2009-10-08T16:28:00.000-07:00

The Wall Street Journal's tech guru Walt Mossberg says... Windows 7 might be as good as Mac OSX. Well... he tempers it a little bit.

My goodness. If Walt is right, I may be stuck running an operating system that is only as good as its competitor, but on superior hardware and with superior support... I guess I'll adapt!!!

Walt's quote, with my emphasis added. Full text at the link.

In recent years, I, like many other reviewers, have argued that Apple’s Mac OS X operating system is much better than Windows. That’s no longer true. I still give the Mac OS a slight edge because it has a much easier and cheaper upgrade path; more built-in software programs; and far less vulnerability to viruses and other malicious software, which are overwhelmingly built to run on Windows. Now, however, it’s much more of a toss-up between the two rivals.

A Windows to Help You Forget by Walter S. Mossberg

Moving information to MobileMe

2009-10-06T18:09:00.000-07:00

TB (a Tweep) asks "How can I get information such as calendar, tasks and contacts from my Exchange server account to MobileMe?". From previous correspondence, I know that he accesses Exchange with some version of Outlook, and he has a Mac with Leopard or Snow Leopard.

There are many ways to accomplish this. It's easiest if you can install the free MobileMe Control Panel for Windows. This small add-on will be important during the second part of our transfer.

First, we need to get the information off of the Exchange server and onto the Windows PC. We will create a PST file in Outlook on the PC if we don't already have one.

For contacts, highlight all server-stored contacts, copy them, and paste into the PST. Then use the MobileMe Control Panel to sync them to MobileMe.

Repeat the procedure for calendar appointments and tasks.

This is obviously over-simplified, but I'm a bit pressed for time. Folks, feel free to post helpful comments, and I'll expand on this soon and turn it into more of a step-by-step tutorial.

This should be enough to get you started.

Compare Search Terms with Google Trends

2009-10-04T14:03:00.000-07:00

iphone 1.00 palm pre 0.00 blackberry 0.65

Google trends from Googlelabs allows you to compare search terms by search volume and news reference, with detailed results by region, city, time period and language.

Give it a try at trends.Google.com!

Geocode your data easily with Google Fusion (free of course)

2009-10-03T12:10:00.000-07:00

Googlelabs has released Fusion Tables, an easy-to-use set of database tools that allow you to map your data in a simple web interface.

Even easier when you have a how-to video from TheMacCFO! Check it out at this YouTube link and don't forget to follow themaccfo on Twitter!

Video was created with Quicktime and iMovie at Panera Bread with the voiceover recorded in my truck because everyone else at the cafe was too noisy!

PC Magazine Readers Rate Apple as Top Choice... Again.

2009-10-01T15:24:00.000-07:00

When it comes to the overall satisfaction users have with their computers, Apple once again reigns supreme. The company's Macintosh PCs—which we can all state unequivocally are actually Windows PCs too, if you want them to be—have consistently proven to be favorites among PCMag.com readers. Apple's significantly better than average (SBA) overall score (9.1 out of 10) marks it as a clear Readers' Choice. The company moved up significantly in scores for tech support since last year too (8.6 SBA, up from 8.1)

Full story here

Access MobileMe Email with PC Outlook

2009-09-27T11:02:00.000-07:00

It's easy. You simply add an additional email account (Type - IMAP) to your PC Outlook and you'll have full access to your MobileMe email account.

Full instructions from Apple here.

Why do I have so much free drive space after Snow Leopard Upgrade?

2009-09-26T16:19:00.000-07:00

It's because Apple changed the drive measuring scheme from base 2 to base 10, which makes sense for most of us.

When it’s running Snow Leopard, your Mac shows you the same gigabyte count on your drives as now generally appears on the manufacturer’s box, calculated in base 10, and not in base 2, which is what Leopard, all earlier versions of OS X and all current and earlier versions of Windows uses. This Apple knowledge base article explains:
A 200 GB drive shows 200 GB capacity (for example, if you select the hard drive’s icon and choose Get Info from the Finder’s File menu, then look at the Capacity line). This means that, for example, if you upgrade from an earlier version of Mac OS X, your drive may show more capacity than in the earlier Mac OS X version.

More info at Lifehacker

You don't use OFFICE?!?!?!? Part Three

2009-09-19T13:44:00.000-07:00

I've not had Microsoft Office on my Mac since roughly December 2007. And I don't miss it.

It's available for the Mac, of course. Office 2008 has been out for over a year, and Office 2004 before that. For anything OpenOffice can't handle, I use iWork '09. With Pages for all document layout and word processing needs, the amazing numeric presentation ability of Numbers, and the presentation tools in Keynote, this optional extra gives you a real boost over MS Office.

Take a look at iWork '09 in these short videos:

Working with Word Users Pages ’09 1:08 Now Playing

Getting Started with Numbers ’09 Numbers ’09 3:12 Now Playing

Getting Started with Keynote ’09 Keynote ’09 2:42 Now Playing

Free Trial of iWork '09, try it! $79.99 from Apple, just $59.99 from Amazon.com below.

You don't use OFFICE?!?!?!? Part Two

2009-09-19T13:42:00.000-07:00

I've not had Microsoft Office on my Mac since roughly December 2007. And I don't miss it.

It's available for the Mac, of course. Office 2008 has been out for over a year, and Office 2004 before that. For most of my work, I use Open Office. Free at Open Office. Available for Mac, Windows or PC, it fully replaces Word and Excel and allows you to create, share, maintain, edit and distribute files fully interoperable with all versions of Microsoft Office. Skeptical? Straight from the site:

"Amazingly, OpenOffice.org 3 comes without any license fees, or any worrying small print. You can install it on as many computers as you like, use it for any purpose, and even give copies away for employees to use at home. No more threats of heavy-handed software audits disturbing your business."

You don't use OFFICE?!?!?!? Part One

2009-09-19T13:41:00.000-07:00

I've not had Microsoft Office on my Mac since roughly December 2007. And I don't miss it.

It's available for the Mac, of course. Office 2008 has been out for over a year, and Office 2004 before that. But both packages, like their Windows counterparts, are bloated and slow.

I've come to the conclusion that I can avoid MS Office thanks to several free and low cost alternatives. First, the free and built in tools:

1. Preview and Quick Look. Free. Built in to Mac OS X, they allow you view most MS Office files. With Quick Look, you don't even have to open the file!

Quick Look Demo

2. Text Edit. Free. Built in to Mac OS X, it allows you to edit MS Word files, while maintaining formating.

Skipping lunch for an Apple Store workshop

2009-09-16T10:19:00.000-07:00

Free workshop on iWork! Can't beat the price.

Exchange upgrades breaking your bank? Don't bother.

2009-09-15T15:06:00.000-07:00

Xserve.

Apple runs it's considerable infrastructure on safe, secure, reliable Snow Leopard Server 10.6. Preloaded on every Xserve.

What else is included?

UNLIMITED user licenses for the included Mail, Calendering, Wiki, Address Book, Podcast, iChat, File Sharing and Web hosting services. Fully compatible with Mac OR PC clients, including Microsoft Outlook.

And if for some reason you still need to run a Windows server, you can virtualize it on the same Xserve using VMWare fusion, and avoid the expense of a separate box.

The Server is here.

The Software (all included) is here.

The Reviews are here, here and here.

Time Machine Tip

2009-09-12T06:18:00.000-07:00

You already know that Time Machine is Apple's effective automatic incremental backup and restore solution, included in Leopard and improved in Snow Leopard. The innovative restore interface accessible to regular users is probably it's greatest achievement.

You may also know that you can attach a USB hard drive to your later Apple Airport Extreme so that multiple Macs can backup wirelessly to the same drive.

If you choose to do this, the first backups could take a long time. Did you know that you can attach the hard drive to each Mac individually via USB, make the first time machine backup, and THEN move the hard drive to the Airport Extreme? That way, you'll only be making your incremental backups wirelessly.

It Just Works.

Airport Extreme $169.95 and free shipping

It's Only Rock and Roll

2009-09-10T15:20:00.000-07:00

Not much for the business user yesterday at the Apple event, except two items:

1. iPhone OS 3.1 with iTunes 9 gives MUCH better control over applications on the iPhone

2. Steve Jobs is vertical

Install Snow Leopard from an SD Card or Thumb Drive!

2009-09-07T16:58:00.000-07:00

Complete step-by-step directions, take a look.

Video How-To for Installing from SD Card or Thumb Drive

Update your Flash player in Snow Leopard

2009-09-05T13:21:00.000-07:00

UPDATE YOUR ADOBE FLASH PLAYER

Snow Leopard shipped with a flawed version of Adobe Flash, 10.0.32.18. You need at least 10.0.23.1. Watch the video below to see how, then click the link to upgrade.

Watch the video on YouTube

Live Blogging... from the Apple Store

2009-09-05T09:23:00.000-07:00

Charge your iPhone... with your BIKE

2009-09-05T09:14:00.000-07:00

A unique way to charge your iPhone as you ride.

What will they think of next? From Bike Hugger.

On the road? Charge that iPhone

2009-09-02T11:01:00.000-07:00

A convenient, compact USB charger for iPhone or any other USB portable device. Buy it from Amazonabove.

Attorneys? And iPhones?

2009-09-02T05:53:00.000-07:00

I thought attorneys received a Blackberry right after their heart was removed. (Apologies to my attorney friends). But reading the iPhone JD leads me to believe that many attorneys have switched camps recently.

Did we Scoop 'em?

2009-08-24T05:53:00.000-07:00

It's 8:50am Eastern Time on Monday August 24.

Mactech.com - No mention of Apple announcing Snow Leopard shipping August 28.
Macrumors.com - No mention of Apple announcing Snow Leopard shipping August 28.

CultofMac.com and TheMacCFO seem to be the only two sites "in the know" on this one.

SNOW LEOPARD SHIPS AUGUST 28

2009-08-24T05:43:00.000-07:00

Apple announced today that Snow Leopard (Mac OS X 10.6) will ship Friday August 28 and be available for retail sales that day!

$29 from Amazon

We will be at the Green Hills Apple Store Friday evening to enjoy the launch.

What's the big deal about Snow Leopard?

iPhone users are happier...

2009-08-11T17:56:00.000-07:00

www.cio.com/article/489138

Computerworld — While some corporations have worried about the ability to secure and manage iPhones used by their workers, Forrester Research Inc. says three major companies are successfully deploying thousands of the Apple Inc. devices

The Case for Apple (right brain)...

2009-08-11T05:03:00.000-07:00

Pete Mortensen at Cult of Mac : "What makes the design of Apple’s products brilliant is what gets left out. Don’t come here looking for over-the-top features. Look here for the essence of an idea rendered passionately." More at cultofmac.com.

Can we quantify this right-brain goodness in a way that satisfies our left brain? What do YOU think?

Apple Captive Finance?

2009-08-05T08:18:00.000-07:00

Not sure if Apple is using third-party leasing or if they have created a captive, but they need to be careful of subsidizing sales through bargain lease rates.

Lease a new Mac with a 0% rate on payments.

The new MacBook Pro family gives you lots of reasons to upgrade your office or studio. And with Apple's 0% lease program, you can do it all within your budget. Call 1-800-854-3680 to speak with an Apple Business Consultant about your financing options—and to learn all about what the Mac can do for your business.