Hasta La Gadget!

This article was written on October 29, 2007 by CyberNet.

Mac OS X Leopard has been freed from captivity and is now in the hands of keyed-up Apple fans. The question in the minds of many Apple and Windows users alike is how is Leopard stacking up to Vista out of the box? Well, for starters, Leopard has its very own “blue screen of death!” According to Computer World, a “significant number of Macintosh owners upgrading to Leopard on Friday reported that after installing the new operating system, their machines locked up, showing only an interminable — and very Windows-like “blue screen of death.” Perhaps the two operating systems are more alike than anybody ever expected?

Engadget set out to compare Leopard vs. Vista to find out if one was better than the other, and to see just how alike the two are with a feature chart showdown. Of course many of their conclusions could be argued, but the end result was this: Leopard scored a 46 while Vista scored a 41. That means that Leopard had five more features that were considered “better” and offers a better user experience. In the grand scheme of things, the two nearly scored the same with Leopard getting high scores in the software (thanks to iChat, iCal, Apple’s Address Book and more) and system tools section with Vista receiving high scores in the Media, (thanks to Media Center, and Media Center Extenders) gaming, and performance and hardware sections. Both were nearly equal when it came to security. And remember, this was “out of the box.” As Engadget points out, a few 3rd party applications could give Vista quite a bit of an edge over Leopard.

So what is someone to make out of all this? If you’ve been paying attention in the blogosphere, you probably noticed several articles over the last several months discussing how Leopard is that good that this could be the turning point where more people start purchasing Mac computers and leaving PCs behind. In Paul Thurrott’s opinion, this is no turning point for Apple at all. He says “The biggest problem with Leopard is that it doesn’t really offer enough of an advantage over Vista to make anyone want to switch.” Then he continues, “No matter. Leopard is an excellent product. Mac users will upgrade immediately or purchase new Leopard-based hardware with no regrets, and that’s just fine.  But if you’re a Windows user sitting on the fence, Leopard doesn’t change the switcher equation at all.”

I think Paul Thurrott summed it up best. Leopard is a great product, there’s no doubt about that. But for those who thought Leopard was going to come in and steal the show, it’s just not going to happen. Die-hard Mac fans will remain loyal, and PC users are likely to remain loyal to Windows with a few curious enough about Leopard to go check it out. Neither Apple nor Microsoft have reason to worry until the two go at it again and release a new operating system. Any guesses on when we’ll see Apple and Microsoft launch their next operating system and how many years (if any) they’ll be delayed?

As a side note, if you’re looking for a great in-depth review of Leopard, Ars Technica put together a very thorough review that’s divided into sections for easy reading.

Copyright © 2011 CyberNetNews.com

Related Posts:

This Just In: Vista & Leopard Both Suck!How Does Windows Vista Compare To Mac OS X Leopard?New Mac Leopard Dock on WindowsMossberg Calls Leopard Evolutionary not RevolutionaryApple Boot Camp Expiration Coming Soon

Here’s the word straight from Bloomberg‘s unnamed sources: Sprint’s not only getting the elusive iPhone 5 — it’s keeping an unlimited data plan around just to sway buyers who may otherwise spring for the AT&T / Verizon Wireless variants. Furthermore, these folks in-the-know have good reason to believe that it’ll be launched “next month,” which gives Apple a shockingly small amount of time to invite us over for a west coast reveal. As it stands, the only folks who’ll get limitless data with an iPhone 5 on its existing US carriers are those with grandfathered plans; any new customers on Ma Bell or Big Red will be forced to select one of many tiered options. Not surprisingly, neither Sprint nor Apple are commenting on the story, but if it all proves true, Sprint can definitely hang its hat on having one serious competitive advantage.

[Thanks, Prhime]

Sprint rumored to retain unlimited data with iPhone 5 launch, prove unicorns are indeed legit originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 09 Sep 2011 10:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We all remember kicking it in anonymous chat rooms masked behind the safety of a screen name, but today Fring announced a new way to engage with randoms — this time with video. Playground lets users start their own video chat or join an existing room based on topic, with friends or complete strangers. We’ve seen four-way video from the app before, but the new feature takes it a step further — similar to joining a Hangout in Google+, only on a mobile phone. Although it does sound creepily Chatroulette-ish, it’s free (unlike Skype’s group video calling) and works on iOS and Android Phones — so go ahead, take a peek and see what’s actually going on in “Voldemort’s Death Eater” channel. Check out the demo and full PR after the break.

Continue reading Fring launches Playgrounds for group video chat with friends or randoms (video)

Fring launches Playgrounds for group video chat with friends or randoms (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 09 Sep 2011 08:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Could MacRumors’ iPhone 5 mockup actually be a new ‘iPad Nano’? Photo MacRumors

The rumors around the upcoming iPhone 5, expected to be announced this month, are swirling like Quidditch players around a Quaffle. The iPhone 5 will have a bigger screen, smaller bezel, lozenge shaped home button and be thinner than the current iPhone. Or maybe Apple will revamp the iPhone 4 into an iPhone 4S, like it did with the 3G/3GS. Or perhaps it is making an all-new cheap pre-pay iPhone as well as an iPhone 5. It’s all so very confusing.

What if these rumors are mixing up not a new iPhone 5 and a new, low-cost pay-as-you-go iPhone 4S? What if they are instead mixing up an iPhone 4S (faster A5 chip, better camera) and a replacement for the iPad Touch — an iPad Nano, if you will?

Think about it. The iPod Touch is fantastic, but it lacks the always-on connectivity that make the iPhone such a great pocket computer. But iPod Touch buyers don’t want a cellphone contract. If they did, they’d buy an iPhone.

What if Apple uses the iPad carrier model for the Touch, shipping two versions: Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi+3G? The Wi-Fi model would be just what we have now, only with a four-inch screen and lozenge-shaped home button, and the Wi-Fi+3G would come with a 3G chipset and GPS. Buyers could opt in and out of monthly data plans just like they do with the iPad Wi-Fi+3G.

What about phone calls? It won’t make them, but I’d expect most customers for the iPad Nano (or iPod Touch 3G, or whatever it’s called) will either already have crappy pre-paid cellphones or be tied into a work-contract phone and not want another monthly bill. Or they just don’t care about phones anymore.

But — crucially — it will have both FaceTime and iMessage. These are data-only replacements for voice calls, video calls, and SMS. Right now FaceTime doesn’t work over 3G, but there are reports that this will change in iOS 5.

Kids already opt for BlackBerry’s to use BBM (BlackBerry Messenger) to send free messages. Imagine how willing parents would be to buy their kids a device with a fixed (and low) monthly bill that would cover all calls and communication. I’d say they’d be very willing.

Apple CEO Tim Cook already mentioned pre-pay iPhones, saying that Apple “understood price is big factor in the prepaid market.” It would be a typical Apple move to sidestep the question of pre-pay phones altogether by simply eliminating the need for a phone as we know it.

Even the carriers win. Take me as an example: I pay around €35 ($48) per month for a 2GB data plan for my iPad, but pay around €10 every two months, on average, to “recharge” the credit on my phone. With a 3G iPod, I’d happily sign up for a cheap, low-bandwidth monthly plan. Sure, the carrier won’t get anything near what it might from a two-year contract, but it is a lot more than it’s getting from me now.

High-volume users of voice will either have to opt for a more expensive monthly plan or switch to a regular phone contract. Like I said — everyone wins.

This post is pure speculation, of course. I have seen the same tea-leaves as anyone else, although my job means I look a little closer than most. But is seems to make some sense of the hash of rumors and — more importantly — it fits in very well to Apple’s simple, clearly defined product categories.

See Also:

• Hot, Hot iPhone 5 Mockups Based on Leaked Case Designs …
• Is This the First Photo Taken With iPhone 5?
• Rumor Roundup: iPhone 5 to Include Curved Glass, Faster …
• 'IPhone 5′ Video and Photos Leaked?
• Purported Pic of iPhone 5 Back-Cover Surfaces

We know, we know — you’re anxiously awaiting the public launch of iTunes Match, but what if you’re one of those people? You know, the crowd that dips their toes into both Google and Apple offerings. It’s clearly not as blasphemous as you may have been led to believe, as the fine folks in Google’s mobile department have just produced an iOS-specific web app for Google Music Beta. For those who’ve forgotten, Music Beta was launched a few months back at Google I/O, giving audio archivists the chance to upload 20,000 of their favorite jams into the cloud; now, as you might imagine, it ain’t just Android users tapping into those libraries. Predictably, the Music Beta iOS web app enables iPhone, iPod touch and iPad users to login to their accounts and stream at will, and if you’re down to give it a go, the download link is just below — you’ll need to have been accepted previously into the beta, though.

We gave it a quick whirl on the iPad here at Engadget HQ, and it works beautifully. As you’d expect, the actual graphical elements are a bit lacking compared to the Android app, but all of the core functionality is there. Swiping left / right cruises through Artists, Albums, Songs, Playlists and Genres, and the track currently playing remains in a top bar regardless of what main window you’re in. The search function works as advertised, and on a basic cable connection our results populated within two seconds of getting the third letter down. All in all, it’s a fairly nice spread (see for yourself in the gallery below), but not quite as nice as we’re envisioning a dedicated app to be. Still holding out for one? Heh… we never said Google was that generous.

Google Music Beta crosses the aisle, launches for iOS via web app (hands-on) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Sep 2011 18:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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