Am I the only one that finds this rather hilarious? I never knew there was an incorrect way to hold a smart phone. If I’m paying $200 (subsidized) for a handset, I want to hold it however I want! This seems more like a hardware issue which was brushed aside.

And a software glitch which exaggerates the signal strength? Way to go AT&T. If there were ever a time that your underpowered network reached the peak of its humiliation, it’s now. Better trap as many customers as you can in a two year contract before the iPhone goes to Verizon’s LTE network.

In spite of this amazing upgrade, I’m disappointed with no news about Verizon. iPhone users can “ohhh and ahhh” about their beloved devices, but I know that a lot of my classmates can’t get decent reception in the hospitals or even their own apartments. The point of a mobile device is to actually utilize the network. What a concept! And AT&T has really not made any significant strides to improve their already lacking service. With Verizon’s 4G (LTE) network rollout a year ahead of AT&T’s, Apple might make the decision to transition over with their next device for the faster, more robust network.

Keep in mind that if/when Verizon does get the iPhone, I won’t switch over from Android, but it’ll be an incredible asset for Big Red’s wireless consumers as well as Apple’s stock. Speaking of stock, it seems that Wall Street wasn’t terribly impressed with news of the iPhone 4G given a ~2% drop in Apple’s share price over the afternoon. Then again, this seems to always be the trend when I try to correlate Apple’s major conferences/announcements with the stock price at that time.

All in all, this was a great conference. Apple is doing great as a company, Steve Jobs has never looked so good in a black turtleneck and blue jeans, and Microsoft is losing mobile market share. So for the iPhone users out there, this is the real upgrade you’ve been waiting for. Have at it and enjoy!

Apple is a great company with great software and “decent” hardware, but in the face of the open source community (Linux, Android, etc.), there’s no comparison in my books. I write a lot about our friends in Cupertino because the cornerstone of my portfolio is attributed to their company, so naturally I’m concerned about Apple-happenings (product releases, conferences, etc.).

In addition, the only hardware I own from Apple is a black MacBook and iPod Touch 1G. As far as my next foreseeable purchase from Apple… I’m thinking about getting an updated laptop at the end of medical school before beginning residency. I’ll never get one of their desktops, though.

I previously blogged about wishing the iPhone would come to Verizon, but every since Google’s Android platform started picking up steam, I’ve not looked back. In fact, in my opinion, Android has accomplished far more in its platform within a year than iPhone OS did in three years of development. To top it off, Android isn’t showing signs of letting up whereas with Apple, it’s always about waiting till the next MacWorld or WWDC.

So yeah, I’m not a fan boy. I appreciate Apple for what they contribute to the community, but when push comes to shove, open source wins.

HTML5 has also proven its media capabilities to be more stable and better at managing resources. For example, YouTube’s HTML5 player uses far less system resources than their traditional Flash player. You can do your own benchmarks by enrolling in the beta (link above) and seeing for yourself.

So without Apple’s support, are Flash’s days numbered? Well there’s one company which has chosen to embrace Flash as well as its own open-source VP8 backend – Google Inc. Not only did Google unveil its plans a few days ago at the Google I/O showcase, but they’re also integrating Flash 10.1 into Android 2.2.

Steve Jobs is right in saying that the majority of web browser crashes on the Mac are due to plugins, namely Flash. However, one cannot deny how prevalent the platform is. Remember all those horrible-looking-yet-ridiculously-addictive arcade games you play on the net? Most of them run Flash. A lot of the animations you see on websites are brought to you by Flash. Most web developers have grown accustomed to coding in programs like Flash MX or Flash Studio Pro. And with Google’s backing, it looks like Flash will be here for a little longer… but not much longer. Even with Google, Flash’s days are numbered.

Personally, I think Google should make a deal with Adobe and just buy out Flash.

Also, if you’ve not done so already, read Steve Job’s thoughts on Flash.

What they fail to realize is that medical students have tremendous variability in their studying habits and needs in technology. For example, let’s take the newly released Apple iPad. Some people need MS Office, some people need more power than the iPad, some people aren’t willing to carry around an iPad and a notebook, some can’t tolerate reading textbooks off of screens, etc. etc.

As a shareholder, I’m in no way putting down Apple’s product. I’m sure it’ll simplify the computing needs for a lot of people who have grown tired of the increasing complexities in checking their e-mail and browsing the web. But for people like me, well, I need a single device that can multi-task (I want my PowerPoint lecture up while I finish a document in Word, view my live stock quotes in the background, and talk to friends via Google Talk). In the end, if I’m spending 75% of what it costs to own a MacBook on an iPad, I’d rather purchase a new notebook. Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

Yes, I can see gadgets like the iPad becoming a “must-have” for some medical students, but it should not be a requirement for all. Instead, schools should provide support for the major platforms (Windows, OSX, and even Linux) and let students decide.

Here’s a possible solution (keep in mind that the process of flashing video cards has potential risks, and I’m not responsible for a.) ruining your card or b.) the process not working). This is merely another option for you to try.

Assumptions

1. You’re running Netkas’ PC EFI v 10.6 as your bootloader.
2. You don’t have any keys/strings in the com.apple.Boot.plist file (under the bootloader’s “Extra” folder) which try to load a specific ATI rom. In other words, you don’t have any “-useATIrom” flags.
3. Third, your XFX 4890 card has two DVI outputs and one S-Video output. HDMI outputs will not work.
4. You’ve updated your computer to 10.6.2. With this assumption, I’m hoping you followed Netkas’ guide to update the sleepEnabler kext (the 10.6.1 version will not work with 10.6.2).

Process

1. Boot OSX in safe mode by highlighting the Apple icon on the bootloader screen and typing “-x” followed by the return key.
2. Once you’re at the desktop, download the 10.6.2 combo update from Apple’s site. This may take a while depending on your Internet connection.
3. Download Cindori’s Zeus flashing utility.
4. Download the XFX 4890 EFI rom (link to rom).
5. Download Netkas’ quartz enabler package for 10.6.2.
6. Launch Zeus, and click on “Browse” under the ATI tab. Navigate to the XFX 4890 EFI rom, select your OS (Snow Leopard), and click “Flash.”
7. After successfully flashing the card, install the 10.6.2 combo update. When the installation is finished, you’ll be prompted with a screen to restart. At this point, install the quartz enabler package. Only after this is also complete, then it’s okay to restart.
8. Boot into OSX as you normally would, except this time, with your fingers *and* toes crossed. The graphics card should be recognized and operate with dual screens (both DVI with no DVI-VGA converter).

If you have any questions, please leave a comment and hopefully I’ll be able to address them. Usually I just edit kexts or build my own, but this process worked for me, and hopefully it’ll work for you too.

The fanboys/fangirls out there who are willing to drop any amount of money on a product as long as it’s nice, shiny, and made by Apple should understand what their money could really be buying. Take the soon-to-be released iPad, for example. I can understand the virtual keyboard… the 3G… the processor… the great touch screen… etc. I also love the base price. But the lack of a camera?! After every single major Apple product (heck, even iPods) now have them! Coupled with a rendition of the iPhone OS (with a browser which still doesn’t support Flash), and you’ve got a product which resembles a big iPhone more than a middle ground between mobile device and notebook. You can get a netbook (yes, with multi-tasking, a camera, and Flash) to run the full Snow Leopard OS for hundreds of dollars less. And it’s portable enough to take anywhere.

Apple’s desktops are grossly overpriced as well. With the OSx86 community over at InsanelyMac, it’s now possible to construct a workstation which is just as powerful as iMac/Mac Pro for a fraction of the cost. With a moderate understanding of how to modify .kext files, compatibility issues are a thing of the past in the “Hackintosh” community.

Apple has made some tremendous advances in touchscreen/multitouch gestures, LCD displays, and battery technology. Heck, the iPod (a piece of hardware) redefined the entire music industry. Even with this in mind, I still think Apple’s real strength is in OS X.

The great thing about USB is compatibility. You can take a device which came out in the days of USB 1.1, hook it into a USB 3.0 module, and just plug-and-play. Sure, you won’t be able to take advantage of the tremendous bandwidth, but who cares? We’re talking about backwards compatibility here. In fact, it’s hard to find a peripheral (scanner, printer, mouse, etc.) which does not come with USB as its standard interface.

If Light Peak doesn’t provide a way to accommodate the vast market of USB-driven devices, adoption of the “new standard” may take quite some time.

Here’s a breakdown of why a Mac is capable of doing everything a PC can (and more) centered around frequently used tasks for college/graduate students:

Internet browsing:

The default browser for Mac, Safari 4.0, trumps Internet Explorer 8 time and time again in terms of speed and security. If you’re still insistent about using Firefox, there’s a version for the Mac. Either way, Wikipedia will load faster than ever before.

Office suite:

iWork is a fantastic office suite made especially by Apple which can be purchased for any Mac; however, if you’ve grown up using Microsoft Office (as I have), you can purchase Office 2008 instead. I’m an iWork fan because of how it extends the OS X framework (you can seamlessly pull information to/from other OS X applications).

Media:

Whether it’s VLC for videos or iTunes for music, there’s software available fo to playback virtually any media format. Plus, OS X includes Front Row, a handy little utility to simplify the playback of your media-centered life. Oh, and there’s always PhotoBooth to pump out those snazzy pictures using the built-in iSight webcam.

Gaming:

Gaming is undoubtedly the one area where PC has and will retain a customer base. In fact, this is the only reason why I still have a Windows machine lying around. This isn’t to downplay a Mac’s graphics hardware, but simply a fact based on how many games have been written for Windows XP/Vista versus OS X. Anyways, you’re a student… what business do you have gaming in the first place!?

Usability

This is kind of a “catch all” category for anything not covered. I had used a PC for the overwhelming majority of my life, and I can honestly say that it took me only one day to master OS X. So those medical students out there who are considering jumping on the bandwagon, but are fearful of change… purchase the laptop a week or two in advance. OS X is a rock solid operating system which won’t disappoint.

iLife:

This deserves its own category. iLife is a collection of programs (iPhoto, iMovie, iWeb, GarageBand) which drastically increase your productivity as a student. For example… file those histology slides using iPhoto so you can easily find them in the future and share them with friends.

Before finalizing your decision, be sure to check out an Apple store or reseller (ie, Best Buy) to get “hands on” examination of the MacBooks. I’ve found that there are several important things that you can’t know about a laptop unless you actually see one in person. For example, are the keyboard keys spaced out nicely, or will my hands be stiff after an hour of typing?

If you’re a college/graduate student, how would you assess the capabilities of a Mac (for your school-related work) compared to a PC?

It was apparent yesterday during the iPhone segment of Apple’s WWDC 2009 keynote. Twitter users abroad tweeted their disapproval of AT&T’s lack of MMS and tethering when many international iPhone providers will have the aforementioned services from day 1. People should realize that AT&T needs Apple way more than the opposite. The fact that Verizon is still America’s largest and highest rated network is a testament to people preferring a high quality network over a high quality handset.

iPhone 3G-S has a plethora of new features:

• Faster processor (average of twice the performance across the board)
• 7.2 Mbps HSDPA connection (iPhone 3G was half that)
• Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
• 3-megapixel autofocus camera with auto white balance and macro mode
• Nike+ support
• Digital compass
• Voice control for dialing and music control
• 3D graphics for enhanced visuals
• Video recording at 30 fps with editing capabilities
• …and some other features which I can’t remember off the top of my head.

I think if Verizon manages to stay on track with its deployment of LTE (“4G”) and Apple sides with them, AT&T better be getting nervous. Ultimately, both AT&T and Verizon will have the same LTE network, so Apple may just have to create a single iPhone to distribute on both networks. However, as far as customer satisfaction, AT&T doesn’t stand a chance at this point.