a new soul...

Today was a big day for us Mac-fanatics. Steve Jobs delivered his much anticipated Keynote at MacWorld. So when I got home from work, I opened a bottle of wine and eagerly watched it on the Apple website. I'm no tech wizard, but I have become a bit of a Mac geek. So here's my take on the keynote.

Steve Jobs broke the announcement down into 4 categories:

1) Time Capsule
The Time Machine backup on the new Leopard operating system is supercool, but Time Capsule makes it that much cooler for the notebook user. Being able to back up wirelessly rocks! My only beef is that it comes as part of the Airport Extreme base station. Since I already have an Airport Extreme, I guess I would have to sell it on eBay and get the new Time Capsule. A serious pain in the ass that will probably stop me from purchasing it anytime soon. Instead, I'll stick with the wired external hard drive that I'm currently using.

2) iPhone/iPod Touch
For the iPhone, awesome new functions including maps with location, webclips, home screen customization, the ability to SMS multiple people at once and other cool features. They're all available as a free download, but since the iPhone is not available in Canada yet, it's hard to get really excited about these.
For the iPod Touch, five new apps including mail, maps, stocks, notes & weather. I love the idea of these extra little applications on an iPod, without it being a phone. All new iPod Touch units will come with these features but existing owners will have to download these from iTunes for a $20 fee. Seriously? I know $20 is not much, but don't they get some kind of bonus for being early adopters?

3) iTunes Movie Rentals/Apple TV
Brilliant idea! How cool is it to be able to rent movies on iTunes?!? For $2.99-$4.99 per title you can watch a movie on your TV, Mac, PC or current generation iPod. You'll have 30 days to start watching the movie and 24 hours to finish it. What if you start watching a movie on your PC but want to finish it on the commute to work on your iPod? No problem. Just transfer it from one device to the other. What about your fancy new HDTV? Plug Apple TV right into your TV and rent movies in HD with Dolby 5.1 surround sound. You can also view podcasts, photos from Flickr and .Mac and videos from You Tube. You can even buy TV shows and music from iTunes. All without plugging into a computer. Very cool. The only catch for us Canucks is that these features are not yet available in Canada. But if all of these features are available when it's released internationally later this year, you can be sure that I will be purchasing Apple TV.

4) MacBook Air
OMG! This is the sexiest laptop ever! Apple has created the world's thinnest notebook, so thin that if fits inside one of those inter-office memo envelopes, complete with a built in iSight camera, full size backlit keyboard and 13.3 inch widescreen, LED backlit display. The trackpad allows multi-touch gestures making it much more versatile than the average trackpad. 1.6 GHz Core 2 Duo, 2GB memory, 80 GB hard drive, Bluetooth 2.1 +EDR, 802.11n Wi-Fi and the magsafe connector. So what's missing? No optical drive. That's right kids, you can't stick a CD or DVD in this box. You can buy a SuperDrive that plugs into the USB. So how do you install software? Mac has created a remote disc functionality that allows users to install software wirelessly. What about battery life? 5 hours. This is one area that still needs improvement across the industry but Mac does an amazing job with their built in batteries. And just to appeal to my environmental side, the case is enclosed in a fully recyclable aluminum case, contains a mercury-free and arsenic-free display, includes BFR-free and PVC-free circuit boards and comes in 50% less packaging than the last MacBook. Do I want one of these babies? Hell ya! Do I have $1,799 US to spend on one when my notebook is only a year old? No way! But a girl can dream.



So all in all, Steve Jobs did not disappoint this Mac-head. I only wish that it didn't take so long to get some of these cool things in Canada. Nevertheless, you can't deny that Apple is one of the most progressive and innovate technology companies out there. And if you spot a wide-eyed, long-haired brunette drooling over a MacBook Air at a Toronto area Apple Store in the near future, make sure you stop and say hi.

you're the inspiration...

Today marks my one year blogversary. Yes, I have been blogging for exactly one year today. Now I haven't always been the most consistent blogger but I did successfully complete my first NaBloPoMo and I had a few other good stretches of posts. I'm not big on New Year's Resolutions, but I do want to blog more consistently in 2008. I'm actually thinking of taking my laptop with me on my daily commute to work on blog posts. I'll let you know how that goes.

So far, I have found blogging a fantastic and rewarding experience. I love being able to sit down and blather on about whatever the heck I want. It's my way of decompressing from the stress of daily life.

On this anniversary day, I feel compelled to let you know why I decided to do this. It's quite simple. Elizabeth. I had been reading my dear friend's blog and loving it. Then I watched her complete her first NaBloPoMo and I thought, "man, I wish I could do that." Well, I could! Thanks to the glory of the internets, anyone can blog! Including me, the ultimate technology moron. Yeah, I know how to check my email and load music on my iPod, but that's about it. I am of the generation just before computers became mainstream. I used a typewriter for my high school essays and didn't own a computer until my 2nd year of university. But Blogger makes blogging idiot-proof. I just have to make the time to sit down and write.

So cheers Elizabeth and thanks for the inspiration. Who knew that blogging would become my favourite hobby.

And thanks all of you, for reading.

living in a material world

Last week was official gadget week in our household. Instead of surprising him with a gift for his birthday, we decided that Steve should just go out and pick up the latest object of his technological desires. He is now the proud owner of an HP iPAQ rx5900 Travel Companion. This thing is a GPS, iPod, and Palm Pilot all rolled into one sleek machine. Steve is a very geeked out and happy man.

Not to be outdone, I picked up a brand new 13 inch 2.o GHz white MacBook, a wireless Mighty Mouse and the new Airport Extreme Base Station. Man, does Apple know how to do it right! As excited as I was to receive the shiny new equipment, I was totally blown away by the packaging. The smoothness of the sleek white boxes was overwhelming. Instead of tearing into the boxes like a kid on Christmas morning, I laid them out on the kitchen counter and took in the beauty of their simplicity. I caressed them as if they were made of cashmere. Slowly, I opened each box removing the layers of Styrofoam, cardboard and plastic with great care and gently laid the contents out before me. Once emptied, I replaced all of the packaging material back inside the boxes and closed them up. They now sit in a stack in the spare bedroom, looking as if they haven't been opened yet. Yes, I know it's silly, but something about these boxes is...special. How many companies actually take as much care and consideration in their packaging as they do in the product? It's like buying clothes in a high end shop, where they carefully fold the clothes and wrap them in scented tissue paper before gingerly placing them in a fine paper bag. It makes you feel like you have bought something very special. And I can assure you that in this case, I have.


And for the record I am in no way affiliated with the Apple Corporation. I'm just a huge fan.