Posts Tagged apple
Cell Phone Radiation Chart
Posted by jasoncross in Science on September 28, 2009
The Environmental Working Group has a neat chart online that lists the amount of radiation leaked by most current cell phones. The ranking is in watt per kilogram (a measure of what engineers call “specific absorption rate” or SAR). Bear in mind that the FCC regulation limit is 1.6 W/kg, and there are quite a few phones that get incredibly close and a few that even hit 1.6 W/kg right on the head. That’s 1.6 W/kg measured over a gram of tissue or fluid, by the way.
The Case for Zune on Mac
Posted by jasoncross in Media, Software on September 16, 2009
I’m currently working on a review of the Zune HD for Maximum PC. So I’ve been neck-deep in Zune (and iTunes) for the last few days. Of course, this comes hot on the heels of a major update to iTunes with iTunes 9, and some new iPod goodies, which I wrote about earlier. Since I’m reviewing this stuff elsewhere for pay, this is not going to be a review of the software or device (I’ll probably do a Zune 4.0 software review here in the future). Rather, this is an argument for Microsoft to finally bring Zune to the Mac.
Seriously Microsoft, it’s time. The iron has never been hotter, so to speak. The stars are aligned. And other clichéd turns of phrase. You have the right device, the right momentum, and the right opening to establish to the Mac crowd that, yes, Microsoft is indeed capable of making great software and sexy devices that have great features and are easy to use.
iTunes Got It, Zune Doesn’t
Posted by jasoncross in Media, Software on September 11, 2009
I really enjoy the Zune software and marketplace, and the subscription thing is great. But I’ve often been disappointed at the way some of the music I look for simply isn’t available. Not for subscription, not for sale, not “Album only” sales, nothing. I go and look in iTunes, and it’s there. The Zune folks say they have over 6 million tracks, but I’m honestly not sure how many iTunes has (I last heard 12 million, but that was some time ago), and this may be a meaningless metric anyway.
So I’m making a list, out of curiosity. After the jump you’ll find some of the albums they don’t have on the Zune marketplace, but do have on iTunes. Sometimes the album and tracks are in the database, just unavailable for purchase/download.
Help me make my list, won’t you? Post in the comments some of the songs or albums you can’t find available in the Zune marketplace. (If you’d like to play along but don’t have the Zune software, just go download it. It’s free.) I just started. What follows is a partial list, by no means complete, just some of the first things I found. But I figured I’d solicit some help before I got too far along.
Apple’s New iStuff
Posted by jasoncross in Media, Software on September 11, 2009
Like many other geeks that take great interest in what Apple does to for them, I followed along with Wednesday’s press event. I eagerly updated my iPhone 3G to 3.1 as soon as it was available, and constantly refreshed the iTunes page until I could download iTunes 9.
Of course, Apple announced some stuff beyond iTunes 9 and a new iPhone firmware update, like a major upgrade to the iPod nano, and new iPod touch models and pricing. There was no huge, drop-everything-and-run-down-to-the-Apple-Store announcement, but overall a decent day of releases.
(A side note: On the bus one day, I heard a group of inner city teens talk about going to the “iPod Store” downtown, referring to the San Francisco Apple Store location. That’s what Apple is to them – the iPod company. Take that to mean what you will.)
Now that I’ve had time to use this stuff and let the other announcements sink in, here are some thoughts.