Delivery Times... Last Episode!

For all those hanging in the suspense of my Lenovo delivery... let your hearts be still! It has now been delivered!!! Yesterday, 29 November 2010. They sure took their time.

What surprises me the most is that everyone involved seemed to think this was just natural and nothing wrong was going on. The supplier now changes the delivery date for sometime next week, for the umpteenth time, and that's just normal. No problem!

Am I getting too demanding in my old age? Oh, well, just happy I've got it now. Time to set it up the way I like it so I can actually start using it. First impression is... wow!! I have never seen a computer boot this fast, and it's got Windows 7 Enterprise (same stuff as in the Ultimate flavor), Office 2010, anti-virus, firewall and a growing collections of applications installed. I will do a proper review as soon as I get the time to play with it.

iOS 4.2 Available Now

As you may have realized, the much expected update to the Apple OS for iDevices (iPhone, iPad, iPod), version 4.2, is finally available through iTunes! With this, Apple has kept its promise of making the update available before the end of November.

It's Today... Hopefully

In a press release from Apple we are being told iOS 4.2 will be released today, and sources are pointing to a 10 AM PST, 6 PM in the UK, release time. Hopefully, no bugs will spoil the fruit!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Delivery Times... Still!

Just in case you folks are wondering, I am still waiting for that Lenovo laptop to arrive. The latest delivery date is... sometime this week, with the second being delivered in France, to another engineer, a few days after! Hmmm, that sure helps! With all the wait, I hope it makes breakfast and scratches my back! Now seriously, I just hope it isn't obsolete when I finally get to start using it. If the price of SSDs goes down I will be very unhappy to only have a 128 GB SSD on it!

Will Apple keep the promise?

Apple has promised a November release for the much expected iOS 4.2, but with several delays and a third "Gold Master" seeded to developers, some are starting to fear Apple will not keep their word. The last iteration of the "Gold Master" is version 4.2.1, and the developers have been told not to re-submit their apps, which means the changes have been minor, but it appears the bugs are eating the Apple bad. On the bright side, it's a good thing that Apple doesn't release this update until all the known bugs are fixed, which isn't always the case with other software and OS makers.

iOS 4.2 has a few new features coming to the iPhone and iPod Touch, but it is primarily aimed at bringing the iPad up to speed, adding multitasking, folders, printing and content streaming to the Apple flavored tablet.

My Passport Essential SE

I have been playing with a 1 TB 2.5" USB 2.0 HDD from Western Digital, the "My Passport Essential SE", and one small (big) thing forces me to not recommend this external drive, should you be considering buying one.

Let me first tell you some of the advantages of this drive. It is small, one of the smallest available for the capacity, has 1 Terabyte of space available for

HTC Evo 4G

Just returned from a seminar where a work colleague had a HTC Evo 4G of which he was very proud. Unfortunately the seminar was in London, England and all his phone was good for was as an alarm clock. I was really excited to play with the Evo, and this was a major disappointment! The iPhone ruled the place!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

iOS 4.2 coming out... after a delay

iOS 4.2 for the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch was delayed after its release having compromised by a newly found bug that affected the iPad WiFi connection. This bug has now been corrected and the release is expected this coming in the next few days.

iTunes 10.1, which is necessary if you want to upgrade to iOS 4.2, was nevertheless released on time, and you can proceed with the ~90 MB download and install to prepare for the iOS upgrade. More news on the new features coming with iOS 4.2 will follow soon.

A Good Keyboard Makes All The Difference

I have both bought and sold computers, and use them every single day. Many friends of mine ask me what I think of this or that model, this or that CPU, graphics card, etc., but no one has ever asked me which keyboard they should go for. If you ask them if they have considered what keyboard they will buy, you get that look, "what is he going on about??". A keyboard is a keyboard, many will say, but this is so not true.

Mac OS X 10.6.5 Released

Apple has just released a new version of the Mac OS X Snow Leopard, version 10.6.5, featuring a number of bug fixes, stability improvements and security updates for the Mac platform. This update is free for all Mac OS X Snow Leopard users.


General fixes and improvements

• Improves reliability with Microsoft Exchange servers.
• Addresses performance of some image-processing operations in iPhoto and Aperture.
• Addresses stability and performance of graphics applications and games.
• Resolves a delay between print

Find Your Way With The Maps App

Here's a little cool trick some of you may not be aware of. On your iPhone, start the Maps app.

When you get the map on the screen, find the GPS/Locate button on the bottom left hand corner.

GPS/Locate Button

Now, double tap on that

iOS 4.2 coming to the iPhone and iPad

After a long wait, iOS 4.2 is finally becoming available, bringing long awaited features to the iPad and adding some to the iPhone and iPod Touch. If all goes well, this update should become available on Friday, around 10:00 AM PST, 6:00 PM in the UK! In order to apply this update you will need to also update your iTunes to version 10.1.

The main purpose of this update is to

iPhone Camera Roll Corruption

The other day I started the Photos app on my iPhone, went to the Camera Roll folder and got a big scare. I could see the last three photos I had taken, but the previous two hundred and some all showed black. First I thought I had lost the pictures, but when I touched on the black area a picture would come up, so I knew they were there, just not showing on the thumbnail view. I restarted the app, them restarted the phone, took more pictures, sync’d the phone, and nothing would change. Finally, I found a solution I want to share with you.

First, you will need to

Future of Storage

For years and years the main storage device in a computer hasn't changed much. Removable storage, in the last 30 years, has gone from floppy disks holding 1.44 MB to Blue Ray discs holding 128 GB (BDXL), with many options available both in the past and the present, like CDs, DVDs, USB drives, etc. For a computer main storage device, though, we have been stuck with Hard Disk Drives (HDD) since they came up.

Huge little speakers!

Picture this... you go to a customer to present a service or product, and have a nice PowerPoint presentation ready to show. It even includes a video with other satisfied customers testimonial or a positive review taken from YouTube. Another scenario... you are teaching a lesson or training a group of executives and have decided to show off your new iPhone ability to show video, and even took the adapter that allows you to connect the phone to the multimedia projector.

Can  you picture that?

Well, when you are about to start you realize the sound coming from the laptop or the iPhone/smartphone speakers is not nearly enough, and there are no speakers in sight!

Estimated Delivery Date!

I don't know about you, but when I want something, I want it now! This is probably not a good thing, I know, but it;'s the truth. In this day and age of online shopping, immediate delivery seems to be the norm, as you can purchase a book and download it to your Kindle or whatever eReader you use, purchase, pay and download the software you need to your laptop or workstation, and add all those useful(-less) apps to your phone or tablet.

But what about physical goods bought online?

Tablets and the iPad

For a very long time tablet computers made tentative entries in the computer market, but never caught the consumer's attention. Sony launched a pretty impressive one that I tried in one of the stores at the Heathrow airport while waiting for a flight, and I always wondered why in the world people wouldn't go crazy about these futuristic devices. Well, that is until Apple got in the game, of course. Apple launched the iPad, and all of a sudden everyone and their cat (literally, there was actually news of a guy who bought one for the cat... anyway) had one! For once, I thought this was a bad idea! I could understand the "coolness" of having an iPad, but the practicality of its use eluded me. Not powerful enough to be a full fledged computer, and too big to be portable.

Man, was I wrong!

Top 10 Technology Courses

So, what technology course should you go for, if you want to raise your profile in the IT job market? Here is a list of the Top 10 most popular technology courses today:

1. Administering and Maintaining Windows 7
2. Configuring, Managing and Maintaining Windows Server 2008 R2
3. CCNA Boot Camp v2.0
4. PMP Exam Prep Boot Camp

Cisco Smart Storage NAS Options

Cisco has always been looked upon as a reliable brand in the IT world, even though a few problems with their "home" sub-brand, Linksys, got bad press. On the whole, Cisco remains a giant in the networking hardware market.

Some time ago, Cisco launched a new series of NAS devices targeting the Small Business segment, but in my opinion also eyeing the always eager SOHO market. This new series is the NSS 300 Series Smart Storage,