The new Apple MacBook Pro

Speculations are rife about what the next Apple notebooks are going to be like. The prognosis is that Apple is going to announce the launch of a new line of its MacBook and MacBook Pro line of laptops next month. Till now there have been quite a few leaked images about the new lineup but nothing confirmed. Here’s another one:

This is what the new MacBook Pro is supposed to look like. Well the major difference is the black colored sides on the display. The photo of the person taking the photograph shows him/her wearing a black T-shirt with the Apple logo on it. It could be intended to mislead people believe that this was in fact the next device; maybe the person thought that the Apple logo on his/her T-shirt would lend more credibility to this photo. On the flip side, it could be original. Instead of giving it away, the T-shirt might have been intended as a message that this is authentic. We would not know till device is actually announced.

Here’s another more interesting image about what is called the “Brick”:

Well more likely it seems to be an artist’s rendition. Whatever it is, it looks pretty cool and dandy. Little is known about this Brick. Some say that its a netbook, some say its just a new Mac Mini and there are others who say its just a tablet PC version of the MacBook. The tablet version has some meaning since Apple already possesses marvellous haptic technology to make the tablet experience more worthwhile.

Let’s just wait and watch. 

Unlocked Apple iPhone 3G for Hong Kong

Apple has started selling unlocked versions of its incredibly successful cell phone, the iPhone 3G, in Hong Kong. This is in direct contrast to Apple’s selling policies in other countries like Australia, India and the United States. 

In most of the countries Apple’s iPhone is available to consumers as a part of a contract from a mobile carrier. In the US, AT&T is the sole carrier for the iPhone. This tethering of the phone to a contract helps consumers acquire these high technology devices at more affordable prices. The downside of such a deal is the lock-in to a contract. Sales numbers suggest that consumers do not mind the contract lock-in that much.

However, there has always been and still is a demand for the iPhone to be sold unlocked. This would allow consumers to use the phone on carriers of their choice. Such a step would surely jack-up the price of the phone to by a huge margin, but discerning consumers would not mind that as long as they can use the phone on a network of their choice. This demand has a lot of sense. Not all carriers have the same coverage in all areas. So tying the iPhone to a specific carrier can practically alienate a large consumer base. Till date, Apple has been going into deals with carriers that have majority coverages in their respective countries. 

In Hong Kong, the iPhone used to be available only with a contract from Hutchinson. Now with the release of unlocked iPhones, Apple has instantly appealed to a larger consumer base. A lot of business people are tied to carriers that are contracted by their employers. For such people the unlocked iPhone is a great attraction albeit at a very expensive price.

It’s not instantly clear why Apple made this move. Maybe its just an experiment. If it is so, then Hong Kong is surely a great location for it. The country offers a huge market with substantial disposable income. Another potential candidate for such an experiment would be India.

So are we going to have unlocked iPhones in the US anytime soon? Apparently it all depends on how the experiment in Hong Kong goes.

First impressions: Kubuntu 8.04 KDE 4 Remix

I tried out the latest 64 bit Kubuntu 8.04 KDE 4 Remix distribution recently and had a very mixed experience. This is not something that I had expected out of Kubuntu since I have had a pretty long and hassle free experience with it.

Firstly, the installation process somehow switched to an all-text mode without even telling me so. That is not something that happened when I try to install the non-KDE4 version of the same operating system. And yes the box I was installing on is the same. The keyboard auto-configure feature is a real pain in all the wrong places. It keeps on asking a seemingly unending series of questions. Of course there is the option of doing the configuration manually too. But still, the auto-configure could be done a lot more elegantly, maybe like the Mac OS. The problem with the text mode is that during partition it appears to be very unfriendly. A nice GUI is always more welcome.

Installation over, I logged into the new system running KDE 4.0. My poor PC is really low on graphics muscles and it was telling rightaway. The effects, once enabled, were jerky and not seamless enough for my liking. Disabling them did not make a huge lot of a difference. There are some nice features of KDE 4.0 of course. The Plasma UI looks good and with the supplied widgets you can actually get rid of the ugly panel at the bottom of the screen. That being said, removing the panel is not something for the faint at heart. You would have to edit a KDE configuration file. So if you are not comfortable with that idea, let it just be there. I moved the panel to the top and the icons just changed automatically. And they were meaningless. The KDE application launcher button changed to the Konqueror down arrow key and remained that way. Not good.

With add/remove programs I added a few essential software. To my surprise and unlike the non-KDE4 version of Kubuntu, the new applications did not appear automatically in the application launcher menu!!! I thought of editing the application launcher menu but just could not find out a way of doing it (of course you can again tinker around with config files, but that apart). Till now things were not looking good and I was very very disappointed. 

What next? There was an announcement on the Kubuntu website that KDE 4.1.1 could now be used with Kubuntu 8.04 and reportedly that had a lot of improvements. Very well then. I followed the instructions available on the Kubuntu website and installed KDE 4.1.1.

So in comes KDE 4.1.1 and things changed. Things changed for the better. Suddenly the UI seemed a bit more responsive. The effects worked better. The panel could be removed without making changes to cryptic configuration files. Newly installed applications showed up immediately in the application launcher menu. The menu editing option was back. There are still some issues with disabling/enabling effects, but nothing major. 

There was one small quirk though, the System Settings menu option appeared on the favorites section of the application launcher, but did not appear in th System menu. Odd. I checked through the menu editor and the option was there, but just did not show up. Is this something deliberate?

The biggest change I noticed was in the Dolphin file manager. Now its a pleasure to use. The previous version was just too unwieldy and I had dumped it in favor of Konqueror. But this time it has a lot of promise. Oh yes, Konqueror still remains.

These are just the initial impressions about the operating system. The only thing I felt was the need of a more powerful graphics processor. I strongly recommend using one that has at least 256 MB of video memory. Unfortunately I was running on a Intel G33/G31 with 64 MB of shared memory.

Kubuntu 8.04 KDE 4 Remix with the KDE 4.1.1 update gives us a glimpse of what the boys and girls at KDE are upto and needlessly to say that whatever they are doing is impressive. I for one am not complaining.

Google Chrome breaks Kubuntu 8.04 download: WebKit to blame?

Kubuntu has launched a KDE 4.0 version of its operating system. The KDE 4.0 environment sports a new UI also termed as Plasma which gives a refreshing new look to Linux systems. Even though the new UI needs a bit more on graphics power, I decided to try it on my humble PC.

First step was to download the ISO image. My PC that has a DVD burner runs Windows XP (unfortunately I cannot change that since its a shared one ). So I opened up Google Chrome and punched in http://www.kubuntu.org/ . The Kubuntu website came up with a big download icon on the left as shown in the following screen shot:

When I clicked on the “Free download” buttion nothing happened. Initially I thought that the click did not register properly. So I clicked again. Nothing. I kept on trying and it just did not respond. I tried the same on Firefox and it immediately took me to the download page.

So what’s going on? Is this because Google Chrome is based on WebKit unlike Firefox? Looks likely. I tried the same thing on Apple’s Safari and faced the same problem. So probably its the WebKit software that is to blame here and not Chrome.

Here’s the version of Google Chrome that I am using:

Apple iPhone will lose to Google Android powered T-Mobile G1

The Google Android powered T-Mobile G1 was being waited for ever since reports leaked about it. Now its a reality. The G1 is the new kid on the block with the goods to give Apple’s hallowed iPhone 3G a run for its money. Spec wise the G1 surely has a lot more to offer than the iPhone. Check out my feature comparison between the two. T-Mobile’s network is not that bad even though it has limited 3G capabilities. But all that is going to change once T-Mobile rolls out its 3G network in full.

So does Apple need to worry? You bet it does. 

The G1 comes with a lot more goodies for its price. It beats the iPhone in most feature comparisons. The only thing that the iPhone has going in its favour is looks. The G1 is positively ugly. But it more than makes up for that with its feature list. Being powered by an open source operating system from Google also gives it an advantage. The thriving open source community is more likely to come up with future enhancements of the OS than any proprietary company can. 

The iPhone’s success was accelarated by the launch of the App Store from where users could download third-party applications for the device. Google has already announced the launch of the Android Market on the lines of the App Store but having a lot better and transparent policies for developers. With the Android Market, Google has ensured availability of a rich set of third-party applications for users. Google’s approach with the Android Market is going to be very hands-off thus encouraging more development of applications for the Android platform.

Apple’s arrogance in dealing with developers of the App Store is bound to hit it where it hurts the most. In fact, chances are high that a lot of miffed developers, whose apps were unreasonably rejected from the App Store, may be switching allegiance to the more open Android Market. 

In spite of the outcry from developers asking Apple to come clean on its publishing policy for applications on App Store, Apple has kept quite. Its attitude is more like a dictator and some developers might even view its policies as tyranny. And they would be right. What was bad with IAmRich,  NetShare, BoxOffice, MailWrangler or Podcaster applications? What was the reason for Apple banning these applications from its App Store? Will someone from Apple please answer? Or is it below their hallowed self esteem to answer such questions?

If Apple does not act quick and take certain important decisions, it runs a very high risk of alienating those loyal group of developers who are the reason behind the resounding success of the iPhone 3G, even though the device itself is plagued by many serious flaws. The sooner Steve Jobs and his group of control-freaks open things up in the App Store, the better it would be for Apple.

Comparison: Apple iPhone 3G vs. Google T-Mobile G1

Here’s a cursory feature comparison between Apple iPhone 3G and the new T-Mobile G1 powered by Google Android:

Feature	Apple iPhone	T-Mobile G1
Keyboard	On screen	Full QWERTY slide-out keyboard
Connectivity	3G, WiFi, Tri band GSM, UMTS, Bluetooth	3G, WiFi, Quad band GSM, Dual band UMTS, Bluetooth
Messaging	Email, Instant messaging, Microsoft Exchange support	Email, Instant messaging, Special GMail push support, Multimedia messaging, multi-tasking while messaging
GPS and other services	Assisted GPS	GPS, Google Maps, Google Maps Street View with compass mode
Media store	Apple iTunes music store	Amazon MP3 store
Camera	2 mp	3.1 mp
Dimensions (HxWxD)	4.5 x 2.4 x 0.48 in	4.6 x 2.16 x 0.63 in
Weight	4.7 ounces	5.6 ounces
Storage	8/16 GB	Expandable up to 8GB
Screen resolution	480 x 320 163 ppi	480 x 320 65K color screen
Talk time	5 hour talk time, 300 hour standby time	5 hour talk time, 130 hour standby time
Application support	Apple App Store	Google Android Market
Voice dialling	No	Yes
Removable battery	No	Yes
Copy & Paste support	No	Yes

As seen from the above comparison, the phones stack up pretty well against each other. In connectivity, messaging, GPS and the camera, the T-Mobile G1 has an edge over the iPhone. Some would argue that having a full QWERTY keyboard is also a major feature. So we can consider the T-Mobile G1 better in that area too. In the others the iPhone is pretty good. The overall user experience should be better with the G1 because of certain features like copy & paste, etc. Also the fact that the G1 has a removable battery makes a big difference.

If T-Mobile can provide service and coverage at par with AT&T, the G1 does have the goods to give the iPhone a run for its money.

Google Chrome losing user base

According to statistics gathered by Net Applications, the market share of Google’s Chrome seems to be diminishing. Within an hour of its release on Sept 2, 2008, Chrome had captured about 1% of the browser market. This share is apparently declining steadily. According to reports, users who had switched to Chrome from Mozilla’s Firefox and Microsoft’s Internet Explorer are going back to those.

Here are some of the figures:

Apple’s Safari has remained more or less unaffected by the launch of Chrome. This is because Google is yet to launch Chrome for the Mac platform. 

Chrome’s decline is being attributed to a couple of factors. Firstly, many companies mandate the use of IE in the workplace. That is one of the reasons that Chrome’s acceptance has not improved. Secondly Google had not put in much effort in marketing its browser. Even though Chrome shows up as the first hit on Google search, on Yahoo its second while on Windows Live it does not seem to appear on the first page.

A silver lining to this seemingly dark cloud is the fact that the number of people using Chrome increases during after work hours. 

JavaScript for RIA gets yet another boost from WebKit SquirrelFish

Rich internet applications or RIAs are becoming a defacto standard for web applications. The selling point of RIAs is to provide responsive web applications that behave more like desktop applications than traditional web apps. Initially JavaScript seemed to be the only option for creating RIAs but it suffered from certain maladies, most important ones being performance and cross-browser compatibility. Taking advantage of this, Adobe came up with Flex and more recently Microsoft offered Silverlight. Both these platforms took away a portion of developers who were working on providing RIA capabilities in brower based apps.

With the popularity of Flex and to a limited extent Silverlight, JavaScript seemed to be heading for certain death until recently. The announcement of TraceMonkey from Mozilla and the subsequent release of Google Chrome that incorporated a JavaScript virtual machine called V8, JavaScript seems poised to make a come back. Both TraceMonkey and V8 have put the JavaScript engines on steroids and the reported boosts in performance are impressive. TraceMonkey is slated to be released with Mozilla Firefox 3.1 but interested people can have a taste of it by using the v3.1alpha releases from Mozilla’s web site. Chrome has already drawn rave reviews with its fast performance and responsiveness of JavaScript apps.

The latest salvo in this war between JavaScript and other technologies comes from WebKit. WebKit forms the core of brilliant web browsers like Apple Safari, KDE Konqueror and Google Chrome. The programmers at WebKit recently announced their own improvements in the JavaScript engine called the SquirrelFish Extreme. This new engine is supposed to be more than twice as fast as its previous incarnation. Here’s a graphic to show the performance boost:

According certain other studies SquirrelFish is reported to have beaten Google’s V8 and Mozilla’s TraceMonkey on performance. Click here for that study.

So is SquirrelFish Extreme the fasted JavaScript engine yet? Well we would have to wait for some more data to decide that one. But one thing is for sure – JavaScript is here to stay.

With all this attributed importance to JavaScript by the major players, the indication is stronger than ever that RIA developers would switch over to JavaScript once its major problems are sorted out. The work that is being done seems to be concentrating on this very aspect. 

Is this the second coming of JavaScript based applications? Just wait and watch.

22 steps through iPhone development hell

Apple has drawn and continues to draw a lot of flak for the way it is handling its App Store. There have been quite a few instances in the past where Apple has taken off or barred applications from being sold through its App Store for dubious reasons; the most popular of which seems to be duplicate functionality. The latest app to bite the dust is an application called MailWrangler. This application makes it easy for people to manage multiple GMail accounts. MailWrangler uses WebKit and thus allows certain functions like starring and threading to be done with GMail e-mails. Apple has barred this app since it supposedly “duplicates” some function that is already available. So how does Apple allow all the notepad apps and Sudoku games? Isn’t there any duplication there?

The way Apple is proceeding with its bullying, it shouldn’t be far when somebody sues it for anti-competitive practices. Why on earth should a user not have the choice of using different mail software on an iPhone? And what right does Apple have in stopping them? Pertinent questions.

Notwithstanding these “malpractices” that Apple seems to engage in when it comes to monitoring its App Store, developers are still writing apps for the iPhone due to the sheer popularity and mass appeal of the device. Even though there is a whole lot of applications available for the iPhone, the development process is not really a simple one.

In his article, software developer, Mike Ash, describes the 22 steps that he had to go through to get his application on the iPhone. Ash sums up his experience neatly saying:

Development for iPhone is an incredibly difficult process, much more difficult than it needs to be. The arduous process of shipping an application for the Mac suddenly appears to be absolutely straightforward after going through this mess. I really don’t envy those companies who have staked their success to the iPhone platform. The amount of arbitrary hassle, uncertainty, and delay in the process can only feel vastly worse when your livelihood depends on it.

To read about his 22 steps through iPhone app development hell click here.

Speaker review: Definitive Technology BP 7006 Bipolar Super Tower

Beautiful music has always been a big lure for me. Towards this I have spent a small fortune on speakers, amplifiers, et al. This time I tried my hands at some speakers from a company that maintains a low profile.

The company is Definitive Technology and the speakers I am talking about are the BP7006 bipolar super towers. The company maintains a very low profile compared to the other major players like B&W, Kef, etc. But their offerings are next to none.

For my test I used the following equipment:

• Integra DVD Player DPS 6.5
• Integra A/V Receiver DTR 6.5

The bipolar BP7006 are speced out pretty nicely. Here’s a look at some of those:

• Freq response: 17Hz – 30Khz
• Efficiency: 92 dB
• Amplification required: 20 – 250 W per channel at 8 ohms
• Speaker type: 3 way
• Drivers:
  • 2 mid bass/midrange drivers
  • 2 dome twitters
  • 1 sub-woofer coupled to 2 infrasonic radiators

Yes the speakers have in-built sub-woofers which make the frequency response a reality. Because of this each speaker has its own power line coming out of the back panel.

I tested the speakers with a variety of music ranging from western classical pieces like Bolero to classic rock numbers like Hotel California, Comfortably Numb, etc. 

First impressions

The speakers came packaged in card board boxes. The packaging is nice. Once out, they look good but the sock cover does not seem to be very durable. As accessories there are the speaker foot screws, spikes and two brackets for each speaker. The brackets are supposed to be fitted in the slots towards the back at the bottom to lend more stability to the speakers. The manual was a disappointment. I would expect a more verbose manual with photos showing how connections are to be made, etc. What we have is a long drawn commentary on the connections and the various features of the speakers. It gets pretty boring rather quickly. Maybe Definitive never heard the saying “a picture paints a thousand words”.

Connections

Like most speakers all the connections are at the back of the speakers. There’s the standard positive, negative connector, an input for the Low Frequency Effects(LFE) from A/V receivers and a level adjuster for the powered sub-woofer. The sub-woofer driver is situated at one side with the radiators above it. The twitter and the bass/midrange drivers are located towards the top front, and top back sides of the speaker. This bipolar nature of the speakers makes the sound emanate from both sides and lends to being more suitable for listening from almost all directions.

Connecting the speakers was easy. The LFE input can be used to connect the sub-woofer output from the A/V receiver to the speakers. For this you would need a Y-connector though. According to Definitive, even though the crossover frequencies for the speakers do a pretty good job of handling low frequencies, using the LFE makes the experience even richer. Due to the lack of Y-connectors, I could not test this out.

Positioning

For my tests I positioned my speakers well away from the walls and pointing in towards the listener. The speakers were kept about 15 ft apart and my listening point was 13 ft from the speakers.

Performance

Crisp, clear and refreshing – thats how I would sum up these speakers. I started with Ravel’s Bolero. The starting phrase is really low in volume but these speakers made sure I did not miss out on any part of it. The music was clear with the twitters and midrange drivers doing a wonderful job. I switched to Pink Floyd’s Comfortably Numb. I never heard it sound better on anything that I have owned ever. Just wonderful. Then came of The Eagle’s Hotel California – a classic number. I had the unplugged version. The intial arpeggio was full of melody and with sufficient concentration you could almost “see” the guitarist’s hand moving over the finger board. Towards the middle of the arpeggio the drums kick in (I guess they are more like the thumba or congo drums). The bass output was tight, with very less distortion. The bass sound was more like a tight “pop” rather than the undefined noise that comes out of most car stereos. Cranking up the volume, to the extent till which the neighbours would refrain from calling the police, produced no distortion at all. All through it was clean, crisp and tight. Just wonderful.

Definitive have done a great job with these speakers. At $649 a piece they are not exactly cheap, but I am not complaining after having heard them.

Conclusion

I highly recommend these speakers for all those who would like to start out on the enjoyable journey of being an audiophile. Even though the cost is not exactly affordable, they are neither very expensive. In my opinion, these speakers give you more than your money’s worth. So give them a shot. But be prepared to spend a whole day on getting them balanced and placed properly. Trust me, at the end it will all worth the “hassle”.