Be Happy. Be Apple.

How to entertain millions of people

2008-08-16T14:39:00.000-07:00

Microsoft always knows how to entertain millions of people... with a Blue Screen of Death!

Leopard vs Vista

2008-04-21T10:26:00.000-07:00

It is strange to say but, once in his life, Steve Ballmer is right.

Recentely he said that "Vista is still a work-in-progress OS"; today UTVV has posted a comparison between Mac OS X Leopard and Windows Vista.

The result is that Apple's operating system has blown away the unsuccessful and much criticized competitor: on Macs every tasks is performed faster, programs run quicker and even Windows Vista becomes more responsive than on a PC with the same technical specifications.

Last but not least, Popular Mechanics shows that Macs are even cheaper than most PCs!

Here is their verdict:

The Verdict

Mac: In both the laptop and desktop showdowns, Apple’s computers were the winners. [.....] In our speed trials, however, Leopard OS trounced Vista in all-important tasks such as boot-up, shutdown and program-launch times. We [...] found that both Apple computers ran Vista faster than our PCs did.

PC: Simply put, Vista proved to be a more sluggish operating system than Leopard. [.....] the Gateway One actually costs $300 more than an iMac. That means for the price of the Gateway you could buy an iMac, boost its hard drive to match the Gateway’s, purchase a copy of Vista to boot—and still save $100.

Guess what: Vista SP1 worst than Vista

2008-03-24T14:00:00.000-07:00

Would you believe that Microsoft has somehow made Windows Vista even worse?

Well, that's what most experts (and even normal users!) are saying: I wrote an article that gathers all the experiences ... Read it and have fun!

Recycle your old phone now!

2008-03-11T13:38:00.000-07:00

Apple has had a very nice idea: taking your old phone and recycling it for free.

Is the MacBook Air killing CDs?

2008-01-31T13:53:00.000-08:00

Would you live without CDs?
The new MacBook Air is setting people free from CDs and DVDs: is this really enhacing users' life?

Read more...

Mac OS X outselling Vista

2008-01-09T12:04:00.000-08:00

While many still think that Vista sales are performing so well, DailyTech explains why Vista sales are -given the actual market- much worse than XP's.

But that's not all! Mac OS X Leopard, the last release of Apple's operating system, is doing extremely well.
In Japan it has been the biggest seller, outselling any other commercial operatying system.

Leopard shot up from 15% market share to 60%. Microsoft went down from 75 to 28!

Read more...

Bye bye Bill!

2008-01-08T11:42:00.000-08:00

Well, Bill Gates is leaving and... he has been ridiculed by a video that he himself decided to show to CES audience.
Is this a joke?

Watch the whole video (7 min)...

Vista "most disappointing product"

2007-12-18T13:01:00.000-08:00

Quoting: "Five years in the making and this is the best Microsoft could do?... No wonder so many users are clinging to XP like shipwrecked sailors to a life raft, while others who made the upgrade are switching back. And when the fastest Vista notebook PC World has ever tested is an Apple MacBook Pro, there's something deeply wrong with the universe."

Read more...

iPhone outselling Windows mobile devices

2007-12-14T09:26:00.000-08:00

Can one single product beat thousands of competitors?

Yes, if that product is the iPhone and the competitors are based on Windows Mobile.

What If Microsoft Had Designed GMail?

2007-11-25T11:06:00.000-08:00

That's what would happen!

Have fun!

Leopard says "VISTA SUX"

2007-11-13T08:59:00.000-08:00

Yes, this is the 301st feature of Leopard.

Source

Microsoft BOB: let's all laugh at Microsoft

2007-10-08T12:59:00.000-07:00

I've found on the internet that Microsoft Windows used to have a even-more-stupid cousin which is called Microsoft BOB.
Please take the time to look at it:

Is this an interface? Is this a game? Is it a joke?
(Is that fire?!)
Seriously, who could even think such a thing?

Now please take the time to look at the logo:

Why is Bill Gates in the logo? Is he beautiful?

Press two keys and... Vista crashes

2007-07-18T16:56:00.000-07:00

If you are one of those Windows Vista users, check this out.

Press the Windows key and "e" for ten seconds or so and... here you have a Vista crash!
Yes, that's it: only two fingers to stop the Wow.
Have fun crashing your friends' Windows PCs!

Source: Softpedia

Microsoft patents mother of all adware systems

2007-07-18T01:40:00.000-07:00

While Apple, Samsung and zillions of other companies are patenting cool stuff everyday, Microsoft is innovating its way, once again.

In fact, Microsoft has patented the mother of all adwares: a framework (definition: a set of software routines that can be used in every program) to deliver advertisements, based on the content of the user's hard drive, that cannot be controlled by the user himself.

What an invention! Users will continuously be disturbed by ads, that violate privacy and that cannot be stopped. Microsoft is selling your privacy to become even richer. Wow.

Source: Slashdot, InformationWeek

Say no to the new Office documents format!

2007-07-05T01:16:00.000-07:00

Microsoft is introducing a new format for Office documents, called OOXML. It stands for "Office Open XML" and it should become a standard in the near future.
The reason why Microsoft has decided to substitute its .doc, .xls, etc... apparently is that they want to switch from a binary document to a plain text one; that is, it should be easier for competitors to read and write the same format.

But this simply is not correct!
Microsoft is creating a new standard that only its software can read and write: in fact, OOXML cannot be implemented by anyone else since it is covered by patents and it contains binary data (!!!).

So OOXXML:

1. Is not a standard: there is already a "Office Open XML" and it is called ODF, which is supported by OpenOffice. So there's no need for OOXML!
2. Is not open: the implementation of OOXML is described in 6000 pages, how can one implement it? Moreover OOXML is protected by some patents and its implementation omisses important details... even if you wanted you couldn't implement OOXML in your program!
3. Is not XML: OOXML, which should be pure XML, contains binary data, whose handling is not described in the standard. This is another proof that only Microsoft will be able to read and write OOXML.

SAY NO TO THIS FREAKIN FORMAT!
SIGN THE PETITION!

iPhone less prone to scratch than iPods

2007-07-02T12:41:00.000-07:00

Every iPod that Apple has made has always been extremely beautiful and quite resistant to shocks.
Unfortunately, the material chosen for the external case, tends to scratch very easily.

But it seems that Apple is going to change the way things are.
The new iPhone, in fact, features a glass front cover which does shine as much as the iPod's front cover but is much more resistant to scratches.
Just look at this video; you won't believe your eyes!

...Glass also does a good job with fingerprints: this is a very important news since touching the display is necessary to use the iPhone.

If you are the (lucky) owner of an iPhone write your comments below and say what you have experienced so far!

Why the iPhone will change every device in your pocket

2007-06-28T10:28:00.000-07:00

The revolution is coming.
The iPhone will be out in a few hours and it will change every device on earth.
Why am I saying so? Let's give a look at this new Apple product.

The biggest innovation that the iPhone brings is certainly the revolutionary multi-touch interface; this innovative technology makes touch-screens much more natural to use. For example: if you want to resize an image you can simply "pinch" an area of the screen or, if you want to type a capitalized "m", you simply press SHIFT+m. It might sound obvious, but this has never been possible with "normal" touch screens!

This amazing invention is already drawing the way for the future: for instance Microsoft has demoed Surface, a multitouch table to be used in restaurants, pubs,... (oh yeah, copying again).
I am quite sure that multitouch will be the favourite input method for future devices.

Another great feature of the iPhone is the screen: no keyboard, no strange buttons,... just the screen which shows a pertinent number of buttons; for example the keyboard appears only when you need to type a text and doesn't show buttons that you are not going to use (for example the space bar when typing URLs).
This is going to be the standard for future handlend devices. Think of smartphones, mobile phones, MP3 players: their screens are getting bigger and buttons are becoming fewer.
It is already happening.

But the feature that truly makes the iPhone a powerful device is the software: OS X.
Yeah: not OS X mobile but OS X itself!!
This is giving the iPhone a huge potential; virtually anything is possible on OS X; so the iPhone is going to be the only device which can bring personal computer's power into such a small device.
And the integration between applications is just amazing (watch this if you don't believe me!).

The iPhone might not be perfect on its first release but it is clearly drawing a path: every device (even the iPod) will change to become more similar to the iPhone.
You're right, the right word for it is revolution.

New Zune threatens iPod marketshare

2007-06-06T12:26:00.000-07:00

Apple, this brand new red Zune is going to make people forget the iPod.

PS: yeah guys, I'm joking... it is just the old Zune with a new, exciting color.
PPS: Apple already sells red iPods.

Vista no more secure than XP

2007-06-01T13:45:00.000-07:00

In an interesting and detailed article, CRN explains why Windows Vista is still prone to viruses and worms.

Once again: Windows users, switch and live better!

Vista crashes performing everyday operations

2007-05-20T09:46:00.000-07:00

Would you believe that an Operating System which has taken years to be developed crashes while moving, copying or deleting files?
No, I don't!... but this is exactly what Vista does.

But there's more: would you believe that a company which has been developing software for decades cannot even fix this annoying bug?
I don't!... but this is exactly what Microsoft is doing.

People keep on complaining but the only solution is to switch to a better OS, such as Mac OS X or GNU/Linux.

"Apple is the most innovative company in the world", BusinessWeek says

2007-05-10T15:18:00.000-07:00

They changed the world delivering the first personal computer ever.
They revolutionized the personal computer making it portable and ultraportable: they invented the first PDA.

They are now making the coolest computers in the world.
They are the creators of the most advanced, yet easy to use, operating system in the world.
They have invented the iPod which is in your pocket and they are now introducing the most innovative interface ever seen: the multi-touch.

They are continously working to make the world a better place: they'll soon remove most of DRM-protected songs from their online music store and they will be the first green electronic company ever.

I can't imagine a world without Apple, the most innovative company.

Vista in trouble!

2007-05-02T08:20:00.000-07:00

It looks like Vista is not gaining popularity at all!

As I have previously reported, Vista sales are sluggish; but now we also know that they will not be any better in the near future.

In fact Dell has decided to install by default Linux (instead of Windows) on some of its computers and it's now offering (again) Windows XP (instead of Vista) due to consumers specific requests.

Slashdot, too, is confirming that Vista is not doing well.

I think that people are realizing that Vista is nothing special and they'd better stick to XP or switch to a better OS (such as Mac OS X or Linux).

iPod saves life

2007-04-19T07:52:00.000-07:00

The iPod hasn't only revolutionized the way people listen to music.
It is now starting to save lives.

Here the complete story (submitted by groggy: thanks!).

Fix buggy TomTom Home!

2007-04-11T22:59:00.000-07:00

Ever used TomTom Home to manage your TomTom?

Well I did and it kept on crashing (both the Mac OS X and the Windows versions).
I couldn't backup/restore/update... nothing!

The solution to all this crashes is -simply- to disable the firewall.
Yeah, nothing else! I have just backed up and updated my TomTom and everything works perfectly.

PS: to disable the firewall in Mac OS X just type in Spotlight "Sharing"; then click on the "Sharing preference pane", select the tab "Firewall" and (after typing your password) push "Stop".

Vista sales sluggish

2007-04-06T04:15:00.000-07:00

Microsoft has sold, in the first month of sales, more copies of Vista than it did with XP.
But, as ArsTechnica explains, this simply is the result of a huge growth of the computer market.

Windows Vista is not a seller and PC makers are confirming it.

Microsoft even copied the "Wow" ad campaign

2007-03-27T12:09:00.000-07:00

While you probably have noticed that a lot of Vista's features have been available in Mac OS X for ages, you may hardly believe that Microsoft has also got inspiration for its Vista's advertisement campaign from... Apple.

Look at these pictures taken at Apple WWDC (August 2006): Bertrand Serlet, Apple's Senior Vice President, explains that not only applications developed by Apple are functional and easy to use but they also provide the "Wow effect".

Dear Microsoft: ... after establishing your Development and Research Department in Cupertino did you move there the Marketing Department?

Zune ad campaign disturbing New York

2007-03-23T08:32:00.000-07:00

Not only Zune pretty much sucks but its advertisement campaign is disturbing New York.

Only Microsoft has the "potential" to come up with such annoying ideas.

Microsoft paying people to use Live Search

2007-03-23T08:00:00.000-07:00

Anyone is using Google because it is working very well and it is simple, fast and reliable.

Microsoft is trying to imitate it with its Live Search which is anything but innovative; since it is less accurate than Google no one is using it.
How does Microsoft respond to that? It is paying people to use it!

Would you believe it?

Vista's usability worse than XP's (and Mac OS X's)

2007-03-14T11:14:00.000-07:00

Windows' usability has always been worse than Mac OS X's.

But, with Vista, the gap is increasing.
This independently financed research has shown that Aero is bringing productivity to the lowest level ever in Windows history.
There's also a word for Mac OS X:

"Of course, Mac OS X remains a clear winner in this area"

We can now say that Microsoft might have copied the idea of a beautiful interface but it certainly hasn't copied Mac OS X's high usability!

The article has been slashdotted.

MacBook PROs are bulletproof

2007-03-02T08:29:00.000-08:00

How solid can a MacBook PRO be? Enough to save one man's life from a gunshot!
...And the MacBook PRO still works!

Complete story here.

Windows Vista vs Mac Mini

2007-03-02T08:00:00.000-08:00

There's no mistake in the title, I didn't mean "Windows Vista vs Mac OS X".

Why am I making such comparison?
Because (in Europe) Windows Vista, in its "full" version, costs 600 euros while a Mac Mini costs 619 euros.
More or less the same price but, but let's see the differences:

Buying Windows Vista "Ultimate" you get:
- ehm... Windows Vista

Buying a Mac Mini you get:
- Mac OS X Tiger full version
- iLife suite software which lets you edit movies, burn DVD with menus, create websites and blogs, record and handle music and organize digital pictures.
- Front Row (that transforms the Mac Mini into a Media Center)
- Intel Core Duo running at 1.66Ghz
- 512MB RAM
- HD 60GB
- Wifi and Bluetooth
- 4 USB 2.0 and 1 Firewire port
- Gigabit Ethernet
- Digital Audio (in and out)

...You might say "WIth Windows Vista I can do more things than on a Mac"... well: not true!
Be warned, Windows Vista officially supports only 104 applications.
This is less than the number of applications available for Mac OS 7!

Vista's UAC (User Account Control) is flawed

2007-02-22T06:36:00.000-08:00

Even Joanna Rutkowska is complaining about the insecurity of UAC (which she calls "a big joke").
It is a burden for users and doesn't help security at all; it doesn't make the PC easier to use and it doesn't make it safer.
Symantec says that Vista's UAC is hopeless.
Bruce Schneier, a famous security expert, calls it a "security hole".

Mac users, buy the pop-corn and watch Vista get '0wn3d' by Rootkit.

You need 4GB of RAM to run Vista!

2007-02-22T01:17:00.000-08:00

If you want to get good performance from the new OS from Microsoft (Vista) you should install at least 4GB of RAM.
That's what David Short, an IBM consultant and Vista beta tester for two years, says.

Microsoft is right: WOW.

"Sayonara, Windows"

2007-02-19T08:02:00.001-08:00

That's what Windows expert Scot Finnie has said after trying a Mac for three months.

"Bye-bye Windows! My three-month Macintosh trial has ended, but my permanent gig with the Mac is just getting started. Apple's MacBook Pro and Mac OS X are now my computer and operating system of choice.

If you give the Mac three months, as I did, you won't go back either. The hardest part is paying for it -- everything after that gets easier and easier. Perhaps fittingly, it took me the full three-month trial period to pay off my expensive MacBook Pro. But the darn thing is worth every penny."

Here you can find the complete article.

Zune is crap

2007-02-19T06:48:00.000-08:00

I think that Microsoft's mp3 player (Zune) has no reason to exist.
Why? There is just a huge amount of better players: first of all the iPod and then Creative's products.

What's wrong with Zune:

1. Name: sounds like Zen (a Creative's mp3 player) plus iTunes (Apple's software to handle music)
2. Who made it: Microsoft didn't make it; Microsoft bought a truly unsuccessful product by Toshiba...
3. Size and weight: Zune (30GB) it's larger, thicker, taller and more heavy than the 80GB iPod!!! Why the hell would you buy it?! And it's only 30GB.
4. Battery life: its battery life is much shorter than iPod's
5. Wireless: you can't use Zune wireless to sync it with a PC, altought you can share music: you only have to wait hourse before it actually finishes up
6. Quality: iPod's quality is good (sound quality is very very good) while Zune screen cracks from battery pressure
7a. Software: Microsoft's software to handle the Zune is not even as easy as iTunes and its Music Store doesn't have as many song as the iTunes Store (which also has podcasts, videos, audio-books, ...)
7b. Software again: Zune cannot be used with Windows Media Player 11 (!!!) and wasn't, in its first release, compatible with Microsof't own Windows Vista!
7c. Software once again: what if you want to buy a song from the Zune Marketplace? I gues you're pretty sure you can't use your credit (or debit) card... well you can't! You have to use Microsoft's points! ...And you can't buy only one song you have to spend al least 5 dollars!
8. Storage: Zune only comes in a 30GB version while the iPod has a 80GB hard-drive; ~~moreover Zune cannot be used as an external hard disk~~.
9. Money: Zune costs as much as a 30GB iPod but be aware that a small but consistent amount of the money you paid goes directly to discographers! You're right: Microsoft thinks you are a thief. So bad!
10. Availability: it's not even available in Europe...
11. Copycat: the Zune has a sort of button which really really looks like an iPod's click-wheel. But that's not all: it has copied the ugly and big form factor of the Archos line!
12. Color: Brown?!? OMG!

Conclusion: if you don't like the iPod don't hurt yourself buying a Zune, buy a Creative player!

Windows Vista is "secure"

2007-01-29T14:41:00.000-08:00

Windows Defender misses 84% of threats according to Webroot.

We want to make sure that users understand the Vista operating system's limitations, and caution them that Microsoft's default malware blocking application and anti-virus programs may not fully protect them.

Vista users: good luck!!

Links:
Webroot News
Geek.com News

Windows Vista is not a rip-off of Mac OS X

2007-01-23T13:06:00.000-08:00

Let's start the Mac OS X vs Vista flame!

Gotta show this to the next guy who will tell me that "Vista is not a rip-off of Mac OS X": yeah, whatever!

This other one is good fun: Apple -at WWDC 06- showing some rip-offs!
Here you can find the translation in Italian of what Bertrand Serlet says in the second youtube movie.

Have fun, guys.

Tciddaniw vs Winaddict

2007-01-23T13:04:00.000-08:00

Hi guys, welcome to the blog that will smash winaddict.blogspot.com!!

Stevie Griffin would say: "VICTORY IS MINE!"
Have fun.

Tr