Apple Is
the World’s Most Valuable Brand

May09
2011 Written by Roberto

Apple, on the strength of the iPad, has overtaken Google as the most valuable brand in the world, according to Millward Brown’s 2011 BrandZ study.

Apple’s top ranking ended Google’s four-year reign as No. 1. Apple’s 2011 brand value was $153.29 billion, an increase of 84% from 2010. Google’s value dropped 2% to $111.5 billion, according to the study.

“Apple is breaking the rules in terms of its pricing model,” Peter Walshe, global brands director of Millward Brown, told Reuters. “It’s doing what luxury brands do, where the higher price the brand is, the more it seems to underpin and reinforce the desire. Obviously, it has to be allied to great products and a great experience, and Apple has nurtured that.”  More at The Street…

 

Posted in Apple, Business, Computer, iPad, iPhone, Macintosh, Software, Technology, Windward

Top Ten Leopard Tips (#6 – 10)

May09
2011 Written by Roberto

Here are the rest of the top-ten Leopard tips from Take Control Books. They’ve already released five ebooks to help people upgrade to Leopard.

6.  Capitalize on the Finder font previews. You don’t have to open Font Book, or the font manager of your choice, to see what a font looks like. With Icon Preview turned on as an option for any Fonts folder window, a font icon appears as a tiny, two-letter sample of its font. In a Column view window, the Preview column shows a small, but full alphanumeric sample of a selected font file. But, for a quick, big Finder font sample, just select a font file and take a Quick Look: choose File > Quick Look (Command-Y), or simply hit the spacebar. From Take Control of Fonts in Leopard


7.  Share and share alike. Like a scent on a breeze that reminds us of older days, File Sharing in Leopard brings back a feature missing since Mac OS 9: folders that can be shared as network volumes. While third-party software could add back this behavior in Tiger, it’s not the same as having it built in. Sharing folders lets you choose which projects or parts of a hard drive to expose to others. This limits risk and makes file sharing simpler, too. Leopard provides a neat interface (in the Sharing preference pane, under the File Sharing service) to choose which folders or volumes to share, and to set which users may access and modify files. But it can be even simpler. In the Finder, select any folder or volume, choose Get Info, and check the Shared Folder box to share that item; it’s automatically added to the Shared Folders list in File Sharing. FromTake Control of Sharing Files in Leopard

8.  Control your kids! A great way to keep your kids from using their Macs too much is to set time limits with Leopard’s significantly enhanced Parental Controls. You can set limits for school nights and weekends, and this prevents them from logging in between the morning and evening hours you set, or playing games or chatting after bedtime. From Take Control of Users & Accounts in Leopard

9.  Lock down FTP. Apple is still hiding its secure FTP (SFTP) light under a bushel. FTP as a protocol is insecure: passwords and data pass in the clear, visible to anyone on a Wi-Fi hotspot or other untrusted network at a college or elsewhere. SFTP protects you by encrypting the entire FTP connection. You won’t find the option connected with FTP in the File Sharing preferences though.The trick is that Leopard enables SFTP when you turn on Remote Access in the Sharing preferences pane. Unfortunately SFTP can’t be limited in scope as to what files a user with a Mac OS X account can see, so SFTP is a better tool for a computer owner’s remote access. All well-known Mac OS X FTP clients support SFTP. From Take Control of Sharing Files in Leopard 

10. Become a Spaces cadet. You’ll get the hang of using Spaces right away (and you should definitely use it, as it is a really easy and very cool way to handle window clutter), but one or two major features might escape your notice. An important thing to be able to do is to move an already open window from one space to another. Since you are always in just one space, how can you possibly do that? If you’re in All Spaces mode (which you get to by clicking the Spaces icon in the Dock, or by pressing F8), you can drag a miniaturized window directly from one space to another!

Otherwise, hold the mouse down on a window’s title bar and switch directly to another space with a keyboard shortcut (such as Control-Right arrow); the window will travel with you to the new space. Or, drag the window to the edge of the screen and pause with the mouse still down and at the screen’s edge; you’ll switch spaces automatically, bringing the window with you.

And here’s another tip: When you’re in All Spaces mode, you can use Exposé triggers. It’s particularly useful if you enter All Spaces mode and then activate your All Windows Exposé trigger. The result is quite spectacular: you can now see all your windows in all your spaces, simultaneously! Click a window to switch to that space and bring that window frontmost, all in one amazing move. From Take Control of Customizing Leopard

 

Posted in Apple, Computer, Graphics, Macintosh, Technology, Windward

The Microsoft Death Spiral Continues

May09
2011 Written by Roberto

You could see it this past quarter, when Apple, for the first time, posted higher profits than Microsoft; total sales were already ahead. I could almost imagine Steve Jobs and his crew applauding and cheering when Microsoft’s financials were originally announced. It was a long time coming.

Apple’s ascendency was most obvious last year when the company’s market cap exceeded that of Microsoft. Whereas Apple’s stock is, overall, rising, Microsoft’s has been flat for years. Fewer and fewer investors have confidence in the long-term prospects, although Microsoft continues to make profits that most companies would envy.  Link

Posted in Apple, Business, Computer, iPad, iPhone, Macintosh, Micro$oft, Software, Technology, Windward

Why Netflix’s Lousy On-Demand Library
Is Beating iTunes and Everyone Else

May05
2011 Written by Roberto

The Netflix on-demand video streaming library sucks. It’s packed with lots of really old titles, it’s full of “B” and “C” movies, and there’s a massive lack of hot new Hollywood blockbuster releases. So how in the heck has Netflix managed to capture so much of the digital video market? There’s no doubt that Apple employs some of the most visionary and audacious executives around, so how come Apple, with millions of iOS devices and Macs in the world, isn’t in the decisive lead?

Five huge reasons for Netflix’s success: HERE

Posted in Apple, Entertainment, iPad, Software, Technology, Windward

Meteor Shower Spawned by
Halley’s Comet Peaks Friday

May04
2011 Written by Roberto

It has been 25 years since Halley’s Comet last passed through the inner solar system, but an annual meteor shower keeps the icy wanderer’s legacy on Earth alive this week.  Halley’s Comet takes roughly 75 years to circle the sun, but if you’re 30 years old or younger, you either have little or no memory of this famous cosmic vagabond’s 1986 trip by Earth. And your next chance will come in the summer of 2061.

But if you don’t want to wait until 2061, you might want to step outside before sunrise during these next few mornings and try to catch a view of some “cosmic litter” that has been left behind in space by Halley’s comet — a summer display of “shooting stars.”

The orbit of Halley’s Comet closely approaches the Earth’s orbit at two places, creating a rain of striking meteors for skywatchers during both instances. One point is in the middle to latter part of October, producing a meteor display known as the Orionids. The other point comes now, in early May, producing the annual Eta Aquarids meteor shower.

When and where to watch

The Eta Aquarid meteor shower is predicted to peak early Friday morning (May 6).  Read more…

halleys-comet

Halley's Comet 1986

Posted in Astronomy, Entertainment, Environment, Science, Windward

Study finds Apple’s powerful iPad
decreases expenses, increases productivity

May04
2011 Written by Roberto

Did the iPad increase or decrease expenses? While difficult to fully quantify, there is evidence to suggest a decrease in student expenses with maximum integration. Electronic versions of student textbooks were less expensive than traditional textbooks. If a student were to purchase e-books, the possible savings could cover the iPad hardware costs in two semesters. The university could also benefit from decreased paper and printing costs while the use of “cloud” computing could reduce future network storage needs.

How was the iPad used among students and faculty? iPad use had professional and personal benefits. Focusing on professional benefits, students were able to use the iPad in ways that outflanked a traditional computer, be it laptop or desktop. The iPad also was used as a substitute for paper and pen. Faculty were able to explore and recommend course-specific apps (i.e., software) to enhance the learning environment. Given the size and scope of Apple’s App Store, there were thousands of educational software possibilities plus having a built-in Web browser made the Internet more readily available.

Posted in Apple, iPad, Macintosh, Software, Technology, Windward

Is It Safe?

May03
2011 Written by Roberto

Malware reports are showing up again, so it’s time for safety reminders. We aren’t immune to malware, but no bad dog can install itself without user permission. Don’t automatically give permission to every dialog box that pops up. Look at it. Read it. Are you trying to install something? Modify something? No? Then don’t give it your password. More…

Posted in Apple, Computer, Macintosh, Software, Technology, Windward

Facebook Becomes Top Choice for Social Sign-In

Apr29
2011 Written by Roberto

In Q1 2011, Facebook overtook Google as the most popular social network ID used to sign in to websites to share content. Facebook was the top social network ID used to sign in to websites to share content, with 35%.

This was more than Google at 31%. In Q4 2010, Facebook stood at 27%, while Google was at 38%. While Twitter only accounts for 7% of social sign-ins on websites, it is used to share 32% of content that users distribute via a social network. This difference is important to note as most consumers are not yet comfortable using Twitter as their main social login, but they do find it useful for content sharing.  More…

Posted in Computer, General, Networking, Software, Technology

Microsoft reports lower quarterly profit
than Apple for first time since 1990
as consumers shift to iPad

Apr29
2011 Written by Roberto

Microsoft Corp., the world’s largest software maker, reported third-quarter profit that met analysts’ predictions as consumers shunned Windows personal computers in favor of tablets such as Apple Inc.’s iPad.

Net income in the fiscal period that ended in March rose to $5.23 billion, or 61 cents a share, from $4.01 billion, or 45 cents. Sales rose to $16.4 billion.

Personal computer shipments unexpectedly fell 3.2 percent in the quarter as businesses and consumers held off purchases and shifted to tablet computers. Microsoft’s multi- year contracts with corporations weren’t enough to make up for businesses that are holding onto machines for longer periods and consumers who are choosing iPads over a new laptop with Windows.

In Apple’s fiscal 2011 second quarter ended March 26, 2011, the company posted record second quarter revenue of $24.67 billion and record second quarter net profit of $5.99 billion, or $6.40 per diluted share. The last time Apple produced more profit in a year than Microsoft was 1990, so if you felt a disturbance in the force today, now you know why. Read more here.

Posted in Apple, Business, Computer, iPad, iPhone, Macintosh, Micro$oft, Technology, Windward

Military Personnel Saving our Country,
and the Economy

Apr26
2011 Written by Roberto

In some much-needed good news for the local economy, an influx of military personnel into the Florida Panhandle has created something of a real estate boom. Just a year after the BP oil spill, the new arrivals are coming at a good time for local businesses.  More

Realtor Jean Floyd has good news to report. Eglin Air Force Base, one of the nation’s largest military installations, is undergoing a massive increase of personnel. Starting last year, the Army 7th Special Forces Group and the Air Force Joint Strike Fighter Training Center began adding thousands of members. Even more new residents will be arriving to fill support jobs for the military units. To local real estate agents and local businesses, that means more consumers. “[The real estate market] started picking up again, and now, since the first of the year, we are up 30%,” Floyd said. “I think it’s going to keep getting better…

Posted in Business, General

Apple begins shipping iPhone 4 in white

Apr25
2011 Written by Roberto

Apple this weekend began preparing its retail segment for the imminent launch of the company’s much-anticipated white iPhone 4 models, signaling the end of a somewhat embarrassing delay that has seen the handsets elude eager buyers since last July.

AppleInsider   •   AppleInsider comments

Posted in Apple, Computer, iPad, iPhone, Macintosh, Software, Windward

My fellow Americans, get ready
to pay $150 for a tank of gas

Apr25
2011 Written by Roberto

Energy in America:
EPA Rules Force Shell to Abandon Oil Drilling Plans

Shell Oil Company has announced it must scrap efforts to drill for oil this summer in the Arctic Ocean off the northern coast of Alaska. The decision comes following a ruling by the EPA’s Environmental Appeals Board to withhold critical air permits. The move has angered some in Congress and triggered a flurry of legislation aimed at stripping the EPA of its oil drilling oversight.

Shell has spent five years and nearly $4 billion dollars on plans to explore for oil in the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas. The leases alone cost $2.2 billion. Shell Vice President Pete Slaiby says obtaining similar air permits for a drilling operation in the Gulf of Mexico would take about 45 days. More…

Production on the North Slope of Alaska is declining at a rate of about 7 percent a year. If the volume gets much lower, pipeline officials say they will have to shut it down. Alaska officials are blasting the Environmental Protection Agency.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/04/25/energy-america-oil-drilling-denial/#ixzz1KYzhQ3A3

Posted in Business, General
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The Art of the Blog

The personal blog, an ongoing diary or commentary by an individual, is the traditional, most common blog. Personal bloggers usually take pride in their blog posts, even if their blog is never read. Blogs often become more than a way to just communicate; they become a way to reflect on life, or works of art.

Few personal blogs rise to fame and the mainstream, but some personal blogs quickly garner an extensive following. One type of personal blog, referred to as a microblog, is extremely detailed and seeks to capture a moment in time.

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