An Open Letter about Apple

Dear Everyone at Apple and Beyond,

As many may know, I am a big Apple fan. I have an iPhone, an iMac, a Powerbook, many iPods, and many other apple products around my house. I even take it as far to work for Darrad Services, a place that specializes in Apple products. I have stood by Apple in many a geeky hallway brawl and have always supported their decisions. Despite all of this, I am beginning to lose faith in my favorite company. A company that once was known as a rebellious grassroots company has now become the evil empire of electronics. The slide for them all started with the release of there most popular device; iPhone. Before the release of the super smartphone, Apple specialized in two thing. Making computers with great software was there focus with iPods in a close yet all together separate world. Apple had about 7% of total computer market share and was supported by a loyal following like myself. They had nothing to prove, and not enough power to push anyone around. They still breed innovation, but they did not force it. With the iPhone all of that changed. The device brought people something new and it took off. Quickly surpassing any other phone Apple had taken over a young market and changed it forever. With about 20 million new customers, Apples image as the underdog quickly changed. They used there market influence to change the way people used there phone and also used it to destroy smaller competition and pick fights with former giants. They went after Nokia for copyright infringement, set strict and unfair limits on the iPhone and how you could use it and began ruling there own iWorld. What at first just seemed too much power going to Apple’s head has become something so much worse. Even good old Ellen DeGeneres was targeted. After poking innocent fun at Apple’s iPhone commercial, Apple summoned there lawyer troop to inform Ellen that she shall not anger the great iGod or trouble would come (Im paraphrasing). Apple has now set its sights on Google, the true empire of the internet. Apple has unleashed a lawsuit against HTC, the maker of the Google Phone and has also began phasing out Google references slowly through its software.

Who does Apple think they are? I use the iPhone and love it but why are they attempting to take out every opponent or opposition that poses itself? Why must they do things that make them look like a giant iJerk? What’s wrong with good old competition? The iPhone has gone completely stale in the Smartphone world because of the lack of competition. The Mac seems to be on the back burner in many ways with Mac OS X sitting fairly unchanged. Then there is the iPad. Apple made the iPad as good (and no more) to sell tons of them to there blind followers. They did nothing revolutionary, going as far as to make sure you still had to by an iPhone and a Mac as iPad didn’t touch either niche (Good business, awful morals). Most of the time I support the odd moves Steve Jobs (Apple CEO) makes as they are business smart, but now its just a flaunt of brute strength and market control. I stand today disappointed. I hope Apple can come back to there roots while still growing but fear we have lost them to the likes of HP and dare I say it…… Microsoft.
Hey Apple: Leave the competition alone and start focusing on what matters, the customer.

Sincerely your loyal customer,
Logan Cooke

This article was written on a Mac using software made by Apple.

P.S- What Happened to Think Different?

There is a lot of exciting things going on in the tech world lately and today I will not address any of it. Its time I step back from product reviews yet again to discuss something that for a long time has been a subject that has disturbed me. As the web becomes more and more an integral part of everyones life, the downsides become more and more apparent. This is especially true for children and teens. I have talked before about the subject of young peoples computer use, but today I want to address a specific issue; Cyber Bullying.
It is likely that almost everyone reading this has been bullied at one time. Whether it was name calling or pushing, it has been a part of school for as long as anyone can remember. It used to be that after a scuffle in the schoolyard, you went home to a safe haven where you could work out your issues with family. Those days seem to be over. Social Networking via the internet has allowed the bullying to happen when someone comes home to a computer to check there email or IM there friends. There seems to be a closing gap between school life and home life that is causing more and more bullying to escalate. Also, the web offers bullies of all shapes and sizes the ultimate defense; Anonymity. You can now terrorize a classmate without as much as telling them your name. All these things combined with the traditional bullying has created a molotov cocktail of social bullying.
All of this became apparent to me a few years ago when someone named John Halligan came to my high school to tell the school about his son’s story. Without giving to many details, his son at the age of 13 committed suicide because the torment of school came home to his computer. It was a story that had most of the school in tears. What made the story hit home the most was the fact that John and his family resided in Essex, VT (Very close to my home) at the time. I encourage you to read more about the Halligan’s story at http://www.ryanpatrickhalligan.org
I bring this up to all of you for one simple reason; prevention. There is something that can be done to prevent Cyber Bullying from escalating with your children, yourself or your friends. The first thing is; Don’t Bully! The next thing if for all your parents out there. You have to monitor what your children are doing. Believe it or not not every student needs a laptop or computer in there room. Put the computer in a public place in the house. This will allow you to better monitor your child’s actions. John Halligan said it best when he said “The biggest mistake I made was buying him [his son] that computer”. The next prevention step for parents is limit computer use as much as possible.
That is all the advice I can give. I am not a parent, but I am someone that has witnessed Cyber Bullying first hand and know how bad it can escalate if not stopped. Don’t let yourself, your child or your friend fall victim to the new weapon known as the world wide web.

Today, let’s talk Droid, Remember the old Star Wars movies where you had those little Robots on wheels going around serving little to no purpose? Well, those are not the Droid’s I’m referring too. What I am talking about is the new Android based Cell Phones from Verizon. The Motorola Droid has become Verizon’s most popular Smart Phone, a honor usual reserved for a Blackberry of some sort. The phone has an impressive list of features, including some the iPhone may lack. Although the Motorola Droid is a great addition to the Verizon lineup, it is not the only phone to get the “Droid” name (Was R2D2 a phone?). The Droid Eris is another Android phone added to Verizon. The Eris is a slightly modified version of the HTC Hero. The Hero was released three months ago and at the time was the most sot after phone available. It too has a lot of excellent features and makes a great smartphone. Both Droid Phones have pro’s and con’s, but which one is the best value?

Motorola Droid

The Motorola Droid has a lot going for it. First, its running Android 2.0. This latest build of Android is a polished and easy to use Operating System with a plentiful App Store, free Google Navigation app for GPS functionality and more. In terms of Hardware the Moto Droid features a 5MP Camera with LED Flash, a 3.7 inch Capacitive Touch Screen, 16GB internal storage via MicroSD, a full slide-out QWERTY keyboard, and a 550MHz processor.

Pro’s-
The screen on this phone is gorgeous. 3.7 is a great size for Web Browsing and watching some light video. The phone has great multimedia capability with plentiful storage. Battery Life on this phone is not bad for a SmartPhone.

Con’s-
The Slide-Out keyboard is a good feature on paper, but in reality its kind of useless. The keys are flush to the phone and hard to use. The camera takes mediocre quality pictures for a 5MP.

Overall-
The Motorola Droid has a solid screen, great multimedia capabilities and is a solid internet device. The keyboard stinks, but the software keyboard is useable. For $199 on contract the phone is fairly reasonably priced as well.

HTC Droid Eris

The Droid Eris was marketed like the awkward step-child of the Droid family. The phone on the other hand has a lot to like. It features a 5MP camera with LED flash, a 3.2 inch capacitive touch screen, 8GB of storage via MicroSD and a 528MHz processor.

Pro’s-
A Beautiful Screen that is responsive and bright. The form factor of this phone is nicely sized and easy to use and feels solid in hand. The camera is much better on the Eris then on the Motorola. For only $99, this phone has an attractive price.

Con’s-
Battery life is bad, I only got about 1 day of use with normal use. Trackball seems out of place and unneeded.

Overall-
The Droid Eris is a solid phone. It has a lot going for it. The screen is responsive, the camera is good and the phone is pretty good looking with great build quality we usually see out of HTC. The battery life is bad, but rumors are a recent software update fixed that issue.

So which is the better Droid? Well in my honest opinion, the Droid Eris has a more solid and comfortable feel, has a better camera and is $100 cheaper. The Motorola Droid is a great phone, but a bad slide-out keyboard and at times awkward feel makes it a worst value then the Droid Eris.

The iHome name has been around for a few years now. I remember demoing the first one thinking to myself “The sound is awful, the design is ugly, this will never catch on!”. Well, how wrong I was. iHome has now got a full range of products for all lifestyles and is one of the most popular alarm clocks with iPod integration. I have never purchased one, nor to be honest ever planned on it. I figured it was kind of gimmicky. But, during my college’s recent orientation weekend, I won an iHome iP9 in a raffle along with a $5 Boloco Gift Card (I never win anything!). Well, now I could put my thoughts to the test. The model I one was the silver version, which looks super sharp. One of my qualms with the original iHome was the build quality was not good. The iP9 seemed to have awesome build quality out of the box. The form factor of the iP9 is the classic style (almost identical to the original).

In terms of connections in the back, there are a couple. There is an AM+FM antenna connectors (both included). There’s the AC jack, a Daylight Savings Time button and a Line In jack.
I set the iHome up on my desk. Setup was simple, just a couple cables including an FM Antenna. It looked super sharp on my desk, no doubt. Looks aren’t anything, so I went right at testing this little freebie out. First thing I tested was the radio. It worked like a radio with decent reception. There are 6 presets, but who really listens to that much AM/FM Radio anymore? After getting that out of the way, I decided it was time to see the features the alarm has. I was pleasantly surprised that not only was there 2 alarm presets, but the tweaking you could do was amazing. First off, you can choose whether the alarm is 7 days, 5 days (weekdays) or 2 days (weekends). The next option you are given is what you want to wake too. You can set it iPod, Radio, Buzzer or Playlist. The first 3 are pretty self explanatory. The last feature is the one I like the most. What you can do is make a playlist in iTunes called “iHome” and the alarm will wake you to a song on that playlist. Best of all, every time you hit Snooze you are waked to a new song in 9 minutes. Overall, the iHome is a great alarm clock.
Enough with all that stuff, lets get down to Brass tax. How does the iHome sound? Allegedly, the iHome offers 3D sound using Reson8 speakers. Well, believe it or not the sound you receive is extremely good for a such a small device (or an alarm clock!). The system has two main speakers on the front and 2 subs on the back (yup, no joke). The 3D feature isn’t that exciting, but certainly is not bad. The unit features basic EQ as well which is nice. Overall, the speakers offer decent mids, strong lows and tinny highs. Although I wouldn’t suggest the iHome as a main home theatre system, it is definitely decent as jukebox on your desk. The included remote is great for controls (including snooze!), and offers many extras that the base unit doesn’t have.

My desk with the iHome sitting on the far right. Taken with all the mediocrity that is the iPhone 3G’s camera.

It is obvious that iHome realized that sound quality was important, as there newest incarnation offers some decent sound. The alarm features are nice (did I mention it fades the music up slowly?) and overall the build quality/look is stellar. For $80, this is a great addition to your desk.

Welcome to the first round of Browser Wars. In this round, we take a look at Plug-Ins.

This is a useful and simple trick to get a cool reflection in Photoshop. Works with Text or Images.

How often do people recognize you from YouTube on the street?
You know it doesn’t happen that often but it has happened a few times maybe 6 or 7 times.It happened one time to me, I was still in marketing and I was in Toronto and I was with Senior Vice President of the company, we were at a dinner meeting. Nobody [at the meeting] knew I did the technology thing and someone came up and was like “hey are you jon4lakers” and trying to explain to an old guy what I was doing on the side was a little bit difficult to do..but not that often..

Mr.Rettinger, What is UTube?

How did it make you feel to be recognized? You start off just making videos for the heck of it and you get noticed on the street.
It feels nice but it feels more bizarre then anything. I always like to meet people and try to find out what they like or don’t like its a rare opportunity to grow as a reviewer and grow my content. I mean there are a lot of things I do that are interesting to me but no one cares about. People come to my channel because they just want to see Apple videos. I mean I like cell phones, so I do cell phones but its fun to see what people like and don’t like.

(Talked about weather and cell coverage and he rubs it in my face it was 75 degrees and sunny in California)

The Lakers, really? Come on….
I tell you, if I had known I was going to do those reviews that name was just when I was commenting on some peoples Apple videos if I had known that I was going to be doing the reviews I would have picked a way better name then that [Jon4Lakers]

What kind of technology do like reviewing the most?
I think there is more variety in Cellphones . There are so many more operating systems then just Mac, PC and the one linux guy screaming in the corner. There are a lot of different choices and the technology is evolving much faster then in computers, which would be my number two. I love reviewing the Apple hardware but there is not that much out there.

Favorite Mobile OS: Android, Apple, Symbian, webOS or Windows Mobile

Well, I definitely wouldn’t pick Windows Mobile
Don’t tell Brandon that!

Me and Brandon have had many a conversation about my loathing for Windows Mobile.
I would pick Apple because Ive been using it for two years but is AT&T had a webOS device I would definitely switch.

Had to ask this: Mark Watson (SoldierKnowsBest) Friend, Foe or Indifferent?
Friend, definitely I mean Marks a nice guy and i’ve said this in a few videos that the more success he has, the more legitimate the tech review industry gets. Its not a competition between him or me or anyone else I mean we overlap a little bit but there is certainly room for more then one tech reviewer.

A lot of people attempt to be “tech reviewers” often inspired by you. Do you think YouTube is creating a higher quality tech reviewer or does it merely make it too easy to become one?

See his official answer HERE

Do you feel you have power in regards to companies making changes or bringing new products. Like the situation with Dell?

Normally or before that Dell video I would have said no, and I made that video not for Dell to say anything to me just because I was pissed. I mean I have a voice and it happened to me it has certainly happened to other people and immediately I heard from Dell.Not just one person but seven or eight. And not just low level but Director of Communications and I ended up talking to the Dell Executive Board. I didn’t think anyone was watching or that they were taking it seriously but that certainly changed my perspective to more of a consumer advocacy roll.

It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s a Tech Reviewer!

How Seriously do you take your work as Tech Reviewer?
You see my videos, and people think i am super serious and maybe I put that persona on in the videos…I do take it very serious, its my business and my livelihood. I am an entrepreneur, I have an entrepreneurly spirit. I’ve been working hard on TechnoBuffalo and hope to get some of those Tech reviewers out there get to a status they thought they couldn’t get.

Off topic- Can there be an “iPhone Killer” or is too late?
You know I take a lot for comparing everything to the iPhone and I don’t like the term iPhone Killer but I do use it. The iPhone just does a few things really well. It doesn’t do much but it does Web Browsing and Apps and it does it really really well. The mail client sucks but because it because it does those things well and its Apple the iPhone is the leader. I think the Pre is the closest and the Android devices are close behind.

Should the webOS/Palm move away from Sprint?
Well I think the more audience you have the more support and developers your going to have. I like Sprint, they have a great network and service and there reception is great and they offer good value. But there numbers are that they are not the largest carrier…For Palm, the more people are developing for it is the better.

Creamy or Crunchy Peanut Butter?
Creamy definitely.

Thanks a lot for interviewing with me Jon
No problem, happy to do it.

Well there you have it. Jon Rettinger’s interview with me on a variety of topics. Note that not all the answers full quotes but tunicated for the sake of space and Carpal Tunnel. Thanks again to Jon for the interview. Questions? Leave a comment below or shoot me a tweet (logancooke). Please check out my YouTube channel (iamlogancooke) etc. etc.

I hope to interview some more of your favorite tech reviewers (Wink Wink *cough*Mark Watson*cough*LP*cough*Brandon*cough). Are you a aspiring Tech Reviewer with questions your dying to have answered by some of the big dogs of Tech Reviewing (not me)? Send them to me and Ill ask them next time I have a virtual sit down.

Jon Rettinger Interview

The world of tech reviewing is a brutal place on the internet. I have been in the quiet confounds of a newspaper for a while now and decided to branch into the online world. I am finding the transition brutally difficult but am loving every minute of it. Before starting, I spent a lot of time observing who was who and what was working. Finding a niche is tough and help is few and far between. One of the pioneers of tech reviewers that doesn’t take a paparazzi outlook on their viewers is Jon Rettinger (Jon4Lakers). During my period of emerging myself in the community, he was the one answering my simple questions or responding to my lame jokes. So now, about 2 months into my digital Tech Review career, I decided to interview him. My people called his people and set up a Skype interview. Although the red tape was extensive and I was searched by a NSA officer, I got the interview.
Below I will give you some of the highlights of our conversation (me in italics).

Wonder how the mud stood up against the iPhone 3GS in a head to head

What is your profession?

My profession right now is actually Tech Reviewer.

Did you go to college?

Yes I did. I went to The University of Rochester and am currently working on my MBA. I got a degree in liberal arts as a religion and classics major it was just a history thing. Then after graduation I got into advertising working with Honda and Acura and then I found my way into marketing. I was in marketing for the past 6 years until about 3 months ago when despite the economy, left my job to focus on tech reviewing full time.

Im Assuming This is What Jon’s College Life was Like

What made you become a tech reviewer?
Well, I had a big 17 inch HP laptop that was dying on me and I wanted to get a mac. I was sick of XP it kept crashing on me and just wasn’t working. I didn’t really know much about Apple at the time so I started to look for reviews on Apple Products…I noticed there weren’t many reviews out there on Macbook Pros. Now there are a billion of them but 2 to 3 years ago there just wasn’t that many. So I figured you know what Ill make videos, it will be a great way for me to learn how to use my new computer…I never figured anyone was going to watch I just thought it would be a way to learn how to make some videos and it sorta just snowballed from there. I think it was 99% dumb luck.

What do you attribute your success to?
Like I said I think it was dumb luck. I think a lot of the tech reviewers we’ve seen crop up are younger folk and currently no knock on them if people are looking to get some technology reviews who are looking for whether true or false are looking for someone older with more experience. I think that a lot of these young reviewers know a lot more then I do but I think me being a little bit older played a role in it.

I think another reason young reviewers have a hard time is because they don’t have access to a nicer camera. YouTube almost has a TV quality standard now which is hard when your a kid with no money. Thoughts?
Ya I know it is now I did all my videos with my iSight camera before YouTube switched to the Wide Aspect Ratio and it worked! People think they need to go out and get the fanciest HD cameras and I don’t think that is necessary. I think the quality of the content is more important the quality of the video and the camera.

On average, How long do you spend on tech review stuff (minus TechnoBuffalo)
I would probably say 4 hours a day just on the tech reviews. And that’s 7 days a week.

Im sure this a question you have had to answer a thousand times, but how did TechnoBuffalo come to be? How did you meet Brandon? What were your motives behind it?
Brandon runs pocketnow.com which is probably the biggest Windows Mobile site on the web ad back I had 8k subscribers at the time and I was looking for a way to branch out more and I saw PocketNow was a really popular site but at the time there YouTube channel and nobody was watching it and they were really good videos and I reached out….And Brandon and I started talking. We both sort of realized that we had some common interests and we surveyed the tech marketplace and we saw there was a huge niche and market that wasn’t I. Obviously we are not trying to be Engadget or Gizmodo…We tried taking a little bit different approach to how people were doing it. We wrote a business plan, we hired developers, we hired staff…We saw an opportunity to help people and do something we love. I want to give people voice on TechnoBuffalo. There’s tons of tech reviewers out there that nobody is watching…these kids that are doing great videos that nobody sees, TechnoBuffalo gives them a place to post there stuff where people are going to look for it.

How long did TechnoBuffalo take to get off the ground?
It took a long time. Brandon and I started talking probably A year and a half ago and we kept calling it project x…writing the business plan took a long time and pitching investors in this economy was not an easy thing to do. That took about two months, we spent 3 and a half months in development….Then we had that bauched launched in September which stunk and then we had that launch on November 2nd.

Would you consider yourself a big time tech reviewer?

NO, definitely not. I’m not just saying that because I am trying to be modest or anything I genuinely don’t. You look at guys like the CNET grew, Leo Laporte and even Chris Pirillo to a larger extent are the upper echelon.

Really? I mean 56k subscribers, you wouldn’t call that big time?
You know like I said I think its a lot of dumb luck and I am fortunate to have such a large audience but I think in a lot of the ways those other guys do a lot better job then I do.

Utilities is a scary word. So are all those app’s in the Utilities Folder in Mac OS X. Be not afraid of the Utilities.