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I started using Google Chrome when it was first announced and I remember be a bit put off by the fact that they did not release it for OS X.  According to this article, the Mac (and Linux) version of Chrome are in very early stages, but should be out before the end of the first half of 2009. Keep your fingers crossed! You can sign up here to be informed when Google Chrome for the Mac will be available for download.

Today I decided to download the beta of Windows 7, Microsoft’s next major Operating System.  The download process was quick and simple, I only waited about 30 minutes for the download to complete.   One side note, I did have to do the entire download process on my PC under Internet Explorer – it wouldn’t work any other way.   After the download completed, I began to contemplate which machine I wanted to install Windows 7 on.  I decided to go with my MacBook Pro and to install it under VMware Fusion.

I know that VMware doesn’t fully support Windows 7 yet, but I didn’t want to install it on my main PC at work or home.   Parallels just updated their software for Windows 7 (Experimental), however Fusion is still my choice for virtualization on the Mac.   After launching Fusion I chose Windows 2008 server as my Operating System and started the install.  The installation process could not have been easier.  The entire install took roughly around twenty minutes, though I didn’t really keep track of time when the install was running.

So I’m done with the install and Windows 7 is now running on my Mac via VMware Fusion.  Make sure to install the VMware Tools, otherwise the VM will act up.  It looks like all the necessary hardware devices were installed properly. I have to say even as a Virtual OS, 7 seems much faster than Vista does.  I’ll write more on my findings in a few days, after I spend more time with Windows 7.

Palm announced their new phone at CES today, called the Pre and it’s looking pretty good so far. The Pre is running on a WebKit based OS called webOS, which allows you to integrate all of your web services into one location. All apps written for the phone are based on HTML, CSS and JavaScript so it should be pretty easy for people to create apps for it.

Initial appearances are very simplistic, however that changes once you expose the slide out QWERTY keyboard. The user interface is touch based, a finger swipe will activate pre-programmed actions. It also looks like they’ve finally abandoned the stylus!

Probably the most intriguing aspect of the phone is what they call Synergy. The Pre gathers contacts from all of your sites and organizes them into a single list. It has dupe checking, so you won’t have multiple contacts (does the same with your calendar). So far it looks like Palm has made a decent phone, but why Sprint? You can view hands-on videos here. Oh yeah, it also charges wirelessly via an optional dock!

As I’ve said earlier, I’m really looking forward to using iWork ‘09 and iWork.com. I have moved completely away from using any Microsoft applications for my day-to-day routines. Ever since Office 2008 came out Pages, Numbers and Keynote have slowly taken over my dock and knocked Word, PowerPoint and Excel out. read more »

I have to say that was probably the worst Keynote I have followed in a long time.

Things I Liked:
1. iWork ‘09
2. Battery Concept for 17-inch MacBook Pro

Things I did not Like:
1. I don’t care about the new iLife features
2. Non-removable battery in the 17-inch MacBook Pro
3. NO NEW MAC MINI!!!

More thoughts later on…

UPDATED:
I’m really starting to think that the Keynote was underwhelming for a reason. Apple stated that this would be their last Macworld keynote, and that they will be moving to town hall events for future announcements. Could there be an announcement just around the corner? Could they have bored us to death with iLife updates because they want us to stop discussing and wondering why they no longer want to do large keynote presentations? What do you think?

Tomorrow is Apple’s final Macworld and I will have updates and thoughts throughout the day. A quick rumor roundup can be found here. I’m really looking forward to tomorrow, though I can’t say that I am excited about the idea of a new 17-inch unibody MacBook Pro with a non-removable battery. What new Apple products are you looking forward to the most???

Settings Are in the Settings App

An interesting view into why the settings for iPhone apps are in the Settings App by the developer of Tweetie (my favorite iPhone Twitter app). The article points out two problems with the way settings work on the iPhone. One is that third party developers cannot access their own code in the Settings app itself, which keeps them from fully utilizing the settings app. The other issue is that developers are choosing to bypass the settings app altogether, in favor of building the settings within their app. Unless Apple changes the SDK for third party settings, most will use their iPhone the wrong way.

I’ve spoken to a few people so far about the new Thinkpad w700ds, which has a secondary 10.6″ screen, but I have to say I just don’t get it. Who wants a 17″ notebook with an additional 10.6″ screen? First off a 17″ notebook is not very portable, so the way I look at it, if you’re going to use this as a desktop replacement. Why not just buy an External monitor? Also I prefer a separate tablet then something so tiny built into the palm rest. I guess that’s just me.  A hands-on can be found here.

I am a systems admin for a large non-profit in NYC, and I’m lucky enough to try out new technology all the time. I am primarily a Mac user but will not focus solely on Apple products. This blog will be about the IT world and technology. I will review products and link to other sites of interests, and will feature content from guest contributors as well.