Technology, fun and more :-)
technology and software
Posts about software, gadgets and other technology
Thank You, Steve Jobs
11 year ago
Sometimes in life something unexpected happens and you just don’t know what to do afterwards. A sort of empty feeling which is hard to describe. That’s exactly how I felt when I heard Steve Jobs was dead after many years of illness a few days ago.
Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak founded Apple more than 30 years ago in 1976. Since then Apple has grown to be the most valuable company with some of the best products in the world. Think about Mac and iPhone, they really care about the user experience more than anything else.
I completely understand why many people can’t see why we love Steve Jobs so much. He was just a man, right? Of course, but his brilliant and crazy ideas changed the world forever. Steve knew technology alone wouldn’t do any difference. You have to make the products fun, magical and easy to use in order to make the customers excited. Do you remember how you felt the first time you touched an iPad?
In 2010 after introducing the iPhone 4 he said something which I think really describes the company.
What made Steve Jobs truly legendary for the Apple fans was the keynotes where he got to introduce all of the new products, just like the video above. Steve had the magical ability to sort of catch the audience. In many ways I think the audience was more excited to see Steve Jobs than the actual products. He was simply amazing and I can’t describe why.
My favorite moment with him is the iPhone 2007 presentation. You can really see how excited he was and today we know it was a revolution in technology.
Ultimately, Steve Jobs has been a huge inspiration for me. He’s why I love and care about technology and I personally see him as one of the greatest men who’ve ever lived. That’s why I still can’t believe how such a genius could pass away so early in life.
Rest in peace, Steve. We’ll all miss you.
Steve Jobs resigns as CEO of Apple
11 year ago
Apple announced yesterday that Steve Jobs, the famous co-founder who most of us has come to love, has resigned as CEO of the company. Tim Cook has been chosen to be the new leader.
Here’s the heart breaking official resignation letter from Steve:
I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple’s CEO, I would be the first to let you know. Unfortunately, that day has come.
I hereby resign as CEO of Apple. I would like to serve, if the Board sees fit, as Chairman of the Board, director and Apple employee.
As far as my successor goes, I strongly recommend that we execute our succession plan and name Tim Cook as CEO of Apple.
I believe Apple’s brightest and most innovative days are ahead of it. And I look forward to watching and contributing to its success in a new role.
I have made some of the best friends of my life at Apple, and I thank you all for the many years of being able to work alongside you.
Steve
We all knew it would happen at some point in time. Steve Jobs has been seriously ill for years now and in 2009 he underwent a liver transplant. But why is he so special? Simply because he’s one of the few people who has changed the technology industry completely!
Steve founded the company with Steve Wozniak exactly 35 years ago. Since then Apple has introduced many revolutionary products that’ve just changed everything. Think about the Machintosh, the iPod and the iPhone. Of course, Apple wasn’t the first to invent the phone. Instead they reinvented it by making it incredibly easy to use with new advanced technology. Apple has done this with many products and even if you don’t like the company I hope you’ll eventually admit it.
Personally I’ll never forget when Steve Jobs walked on stage in 2007 to introduce their first phone.
I found this little tribute to Steve Jobs and his work on YouTube. It’s nothing special but I like it.
For me, Steve Jobs wasn’t just the leader of Apple. He has also been a role model and he always will be. Almost a friend. He didn’t just invent products to sell them, he cared about every single detail. Nothing was too small to be closely examined and I hope other companies will eventually understand that.
I send the best wishes to Steve and his family. I hope he will continue to work with Apple and I hope they’ll always remember his visions and ideas.
Apple Introduces New Products and Kills the MacBook
01 year ago
While many might still be disappointed because we haven’t seen an iPhone 5 yet Apple decided to update some of their other products today.
The biggest thing is the release of OS X Lion, the next major version of their operating system. It’s only available to get online as a download on the Mac App Store and the price is only 29.99 dollars.
In terms of hardware The MacBook Air and Mac Mini have been updated with better processors and a Thunderbolt port. The Air also gets a backlit keyboard but surpringsly they’ve decided to remove the SuperDrive for DVDs and CDs on the Mini. A new Cinema Display with Thunderbort has also been revealed today.
On the other hand they’ve decided to kill maybe their most famous computer, the MacBook. It’s simply not on their website anymore.
I have a MacBook Pro myself but I’m not sure yet whether I’ll be buying Lion. It seems like a nice release and most reviews are positive but it doesn’t really seem like a must-have. But then again, the price is really nice so I might end up doing it anyway.
The only thing I’ve mixed feelings about is the MacBook. I’m not sure whether I think it’s good they’ve decided simply to remove it completely. It seems like the MacBook Air is their notebook for everyone now and it’s definitely a nice computer but now you’ll have to pay even more than 1000 dollars just to get something bigger than 13 inch. Only the future will tell if it’s gone forever and whether it was the right decision or not.
You can check it all out in their website, Apple.com.
Microsoft Presents Windows 8 in New Video
21 year ago
In 2009 Microsoft released Windows 7. It was received very well because Microsoft managed to fix a lot of the problems which Vista had. Now, however, it looks like they want to do something completely different with Windows 8. They have just released this new video about it:
As you can see… it really is different! It doesn’t look like Windows as we know. It’s more like Windows Phone 7, their OS for phones.
It’s very clear that it’s definitely designed with touch in mind and personally I think it looks very interesting. I think it’s a good idea their trying something new out but can this really replace the old user interface? Apple are also working on a touch version of their OS called OS X Lion but they are focusing a lot more on multi-touch trackpads instead of actual touch screens.
I’m sure Microsoft will tell us a lot more in the future!
Apple Introduces New Redesigned iPad 2
02 years ago
The new iPad 2 is here! It features a faster A5-processor, gyro, completely redesigned body, one in white, new apps and much more stuff. You can visit Apple.com/iPad for all the details.
They’ve also made a video about it, watch it here:
Are you going to buy it? I’m not sure myself. I want to buy one expensive gadget in 2011, but I’m not sure whether it’s going to be this one. It’s awesome… but also a lot like the original and do I really need one? I don’t know…
Oh, and maybe the best thing. Steve Jobs did the keynote!
New Information About OS X Lion
12 years ago
Some days ago, Apple launched their new MacBook Pro computers with better processors, new graphics and the ultra fast Thunderbolt port.
However, what I didn’t notice is that they also published some new information about their upcoming operating system, OS X Lion (version 10.7).
If you go to apple.com/macosx/lion, you will find lots of new pictures and information. It’s even possible for developers to download preview versions now.
There’s also a video on the site, but you can just watch it here.
What do you think? I’m really excited myself and I’ll probably be buying a copy at release. 
Happy 56th Birthday, Steve Jobs!
12 years ago
I would like to wish you a happy birthday, Steve. I hope you’ll feel better in the future no matter what happens.
- – -
Today is Steve Jobs’ 56th birth day. As you probably know already, he’s the co-founder of Apple, and also the guy who saved the company a decade ago when they needed it the most.
Lots of other websites are wishing him a great day too. Here’s some articles:
- MacDailyNews: Happy 56th birthday, Steve Jobs!
- BusinessInsider: The Life and Awesomeness of Steve Jobs
- TUAW: Happy Birthday, Steve Jobs
Apple has also launched some new MacBook Pro models today, but it wasn’t really a surprise because of all the rumors lately. You can check them out here.
What Does the Nokia and Microsoft Partnership Mean?
22 years ago
If you’re reading Engadget or Gizmodo daily, you probably already know about it. Nokia and Microsoft has just announced a new partnership, but what’s all the fuzz about?
The biggest thing about this, is that Windows Phone 7 is going to be Nokia’s new primary OS for phones. WP7 is the mobile operating system which Microsoft introduced about a year ago.
That basicially means Symbian, used in earlier Nokia phones, is dead.
This partnership also means they’ll be working together in other ways. Bing will be the primary search engine on Nokia phones, and Microsoft will get WP7 out to a lot more customers.
Here’s a video from Nokia and Microsoft:
I personally think this is one of the best things Nokia could do. The last few years have been tough for them because of the competition from Apple and Android. Now, they’re finally getting rid of the terrible Symbian OS and goes new ways.
Gizmodo has just published an article: “Why Didn’t Nokia Use Android? Because That Would Be Giving Up“. It’s very interesting, check it out!
I’ve owned an iPhone for 2 years, so I’m not a big Android fan myself. I do, however, think that this is very interesting, and my next phone could actually be a Nokia phone. I never thought I would say that again.
Multi-Touch Trackpad Trick for Google Chrome
32 years ago
If you’re using Google Chrome on of the newer MacBooks with a multi-touch trackpad, continue to read. I’ve discovered that you can actually get Exposé in Chrome. Well… sort of.
Type “about:flags” into your browser. Here you can activate experimental features. This trackpad trick is one of them, it’s called “Tab Overview”. Just find it on the list and activate it.
When you have done that, try using three fingers to drag down on your trackpad in Chrome, and all tabs will show up. Just like Exposé, except that uses four fingers.
Even though it’s experimental, I haven’t had any problems so far. I don’t really know if this is useful either, but it’s cool.
Kandela Magic Wand Review
42 years ago
If you don’t know The Wand Company, the maker of awesome infrared remote control wands, you might be as surprised as when I heard about them more than a year ago. That was when I did my Kymera Wand Review, which you might remember.
A few weeks ago they send me their newest product, the Kandela wand (thanks!). It’s almost like the Kymera wand, but instead this is cheaper version and only works on a included LED candle.
However, that’s really not that bad at all. Read further if you want to find out why.
Design and functionality
The first thing I noticed was the packaging. I’m sure most people don’t care about that but I think a great packaging makes you more excited when you’re just about to use it for the first time.
The Kandela wand comes in a long nice box. It was a little hard to open and I was also disappointed not to see a big beautiful manual as with their other product, the Kymera wand, but it was still pretty good.
The wand itself is very beautiful and made of plastic. That isn’t as good as wood but it still feels very good in my hand. It’s very satisfying to swing it in the air because the weight is just right.
And let’s not forget about the candle, which I think is really awesome. After turning it on it lights and looks just like a real candle, sometimes I’m even wondering why it isn’t as warm.
A cool bonus feature is that instead of turning it off, you can just blow it out with your mouth. I really like this because it makes it seem more real.
Using it
I haven’t told you what the wand does yet but I think you might’ve guessed it. Well, it’s very special because it can detect when special movements, called gestures, are done. Like a Wii remote. The Kandela wand can do three:
- Flick to turn the light on
- Shake the wand to turn off
- Double-tap the wand on the middle to set a 60-min timer
So basically the wand is used to turn on the candle! Very cool, especially if you like Harry Potter. You can watch a demonstration video here.
Unfortunately you won’t be able to teach it any signals or gestures yourself. Oh, and both the wand and candle uses two AAA-batteries which weren’t included.
After some use
Now, when I’ve been using it for some time now, I still think it’s pretty awesome. Especially the candle. It’s very nice to turn it on in the evening when I’m just working on my computer. Makes everything more cozy.
It does, however, gets boring sometimes, but then after some time it gets fun again. Guests are always surprised to see it because even though it’s simple it still feels like magic.
Compared to the Kymera Wand
The Wand Company has another wand, which is called the Kymera Wand. It’s a little higher priced at 49,95 GBP, but what’s the difference?
They look almost the same but the Kymera is actually a universal wand remote. That means if you pay more, you’ll get a something with 13 gestures that can control more than just a LED candle. It will control everything that uses an infrared remote control.
The Kymera wand also comes in a nicer box with batteries included and it vibrates when you do a gesture with it.
I have both myself and I would defintely choose the Kymera over the Kandela. That doesn’t, however, mean you should do the same. The Kymera doesn’t come with a candle so I would probably buy both, but that’s a lot of money to lay down on infrared wands.
Overall
Just like all products from The Wand Company, I really like this product. Because you both get a wand and a LED candle I’m sure a lot of people are going to like it and buy it. It’s really fun for Harry Potter fans and just for basically showing guests.
I do, however, like the higher priced Kymera wand better, and I advise you, if you’re not interested in the candle, to read my review of it before buying the Kandela wand. But remember, both products are really awesome!
- good: beautiful, works very nice, comes with a candle, not super expensive
- bad: not as advanced as the Kymera wand
You can buy it on The Wand Company’s official website or a little cheaper at Kymera-wand.com (a reseller).