Bing It

So I’ve been using Bing, Microsoft’s decision engine (don’t call it a search engine!), for a couple weeks now. I’ve only used Google on my iTouch (since you can’t change the default search engine, and I’m too lazy to remember to go to bing.com), and I have to say, Microsoft may indeed have a winner on their hands.

What Bing does best is decision-based searches (travel, weather, medical, etc), rather than content-based searches. Searching for plane tickets not only directs you to the various travel sites, but will aggregate the results from those sites. You can narrow it down by departure/arrival dates, locations, price, and more. One particlarly nice feature of the travel search is that it will tell you the trend of the ticket price, so you know when best to purchase. In returning results like this, Bing sets itself apart from the typical Google search.

While they’ll never take out the giant that is Google, Bing’s search results have yielded better, more relevant results in most of the comparison searches I’ve done. It’s leaps and bounds better than Live Search (and MSN Search before that) ever was, and for those that make the effort to break the muscle-memory of Googling something, Bing is a great offering. Like many of Microsoft’s latest products (Zune, Windows 7, Live Essentials), Bing is pretty rock solid. There’s room for improvement, but there always is.

Google has grown stagnant with no serious competition, and I hope that Bing spurs them to make improvements to their search engine. If every 1% of the search market is worth $1 Billion dollars, then they don’t have to aim for taking down Google. In a world of Google, they have to not only match Google to gain traction, they have to be a better engine. What I find interesting is that they are not aiming squarely at Google; they are billing Bing as a decision engine, not a search engine, effectively carving out a niche market where they dominate. Do I ever think that people will throw the word “Bing” around like they do “Google”? No. It’ll be an odd day when you hear someone say “Just Bing it”, but I’m already Binging it. lol

Microsoft Security Essentials

Codenamed project Morro, the free successor to the popular Windows Live OneCare will be released for public beta on June 23rd. I’ve been using it under Windows 7 for several days now, and the experience is consistent and comfortable, requiring minimal user interaction for operations. It’s very hard to gauge the effectiveness of an anti-virus program, but so far, so good. I have to get any warnings or alerts from the application, though whether or not that’s an indicator of it’s effectiveness or my safe surfing habbits is up for debate. Short of intentionally contracting a virus on my system, I’m not quite sure how to test it. I will say that when coupled with Windows Defender and Firewall, I feel completely at ease; more so than I have with other alternatives (AVG Free, for example). Again, this is more due to my trust in Microsoft (don’t laugh) to protect than some smaller company. The UI needs a bit of work, in my opinion, to bring it up to the polish of Windows 7, but since you rarely have to interact with it (it’s constantly running in the background with schedule full scans, as one would expect), it’s not that much of a caveat. What is a bit of concern is that Microsoft is only insuring the product for $5 worth of damage if it does not work. As I never really read the TOS of other anti-virus programs, I’m not sure if this is on par or not. The TOS could change with a wide-release, so perhaps this is nothing to worry about. I eagerly await June 23rd to test the public beta release, and will update soon thereafter.

The OS Game

So I realized today that only one computing device in my house, my 10 year old stepdaughter’s 5 year old HP laptop, is running the operating system that it is supposed to. She’s running Windows XP, which is fine for her. My white MacBook is running the current build of Snow Leopard (Mac OS X 10.6), which is in closed beta, and Windows 7 RC, also not released to retail. My iTouch is running iPhone OS 3.0 Beta 5, and even my wife’s Compaq Presario laptop is running Leopard (Mac OS X 10.5.6). On top of all that, I’m running the Tech Preview of Microsoft Office 2010 under Windows 7, as well the iTunes 8.2 beta. lol One would imagine that with all this unproven software running, I’d have a super buggy systems with lots of crashes. One would also be wrong.

While I can’t speak much about Snow Leopard, I can say that under the current build, I’ve only hit two bugs: Spotlight freezes every so often, and batch importing more than a few photos at a time crashes Aperture (the Aperture bug was fixed by iLife updates that I missed). Other than that, it seems faster than Leopard, and definitely has a smaller footprint.

Windows 7 could be pressed and sent to retail right now and be off to a much better start than Vista had. Faster, smaller, and sleeker, it’s what Vista should have been 2 years ago. It’s been a very long time since I’ve been genuinely excited about a release of Windows (probably back to 98, or even 95), but I carved out a decent chunk of my hard drive just to run Windows 7. I have yet to hit any snags, freezes, or dreaded Blue Screens of Death with it, and I’ve been running it since early November. If you have even a passing interest in it, I highly recommend downloading the free Release Candidate; it’s even good until March 1st, 2010, which is well beyond when it will be released to retail. – Windows 7

iPhone OS 3.0 is awesome, there’s just no other way to call it. I didn’t think cut/paste would be a big deal, and I find I’m actually using it quite a bit. Being able to use my Bluetooth headphones (Motorola S9) is awesome, and being able to search the whole device is indispensable. I ran into a few glitches with Beta 4, but Beta 5 is almost completely smooth. The only issue I have is that newly installed apps have a blank icon until I turn it completely off and back on. It’s widely believed we’ll be seeing 3.0 in the wild very soon, along with a new iPhone. iPhone OS 3.0 requires iTunes 8.2, and the beta doesn’t have any new features besides the ability to sync Notes with Apple Mail on the desktop.

Office 2010 doesn’t bring many game-changing features to the table, but then again, Office is old enough to be mature. The ribbon UI has been tweaked and is finally used throughout the suite. Other than that, there’s a few changes to the way things look, a new print wizard, and few other small things. I’ve only started playing around with it.

Anyways, I apologize for the lack of posts these past few months. My wife and I found out that we will be expecting my second child (her fourth) in December, and the farm has kept us busy. Now that I’ve moved to WordPress, I have the ability to post from my iTouch in addition to my MacBook, so expect more posts. I’ll be posting some iPhone game and app reviews soon, so keep an eye out!

The Apple Store

I took my MacBook into the Apple Store to have the battery looked at (it didn’t seat quite right). I made an appointment, and I was seen right at the time I was supposed to be. The Genius was very helpful until he asked me if I put 8GB of RAM in. I told him I didn’t, that it was two sticks of 2GB each, to which he replied that he saw that one of them said 4GB Kit (meaning it was a kit of 4GB between two sticks). I commented that this model of MacBook can only take 4GB and he said he didn’t know that. Um, what? You don’t know your own product’s tech specs? I then asked him about a video adapter (the same one I asked the online rep about previous to purchasing the MacBook) and he was completely clueless. He didn’t know that Apple says themselves that the adapter is not compatible, and suggested that I purchase a new one to try out. I told him I live 2 hours away and wasn’t going to spend money to replace something that is not defective with the exact same thing that I know will not work. I was just curious if it was a constraint of the video card not being able to handle the conversion. In the end, he did help me fix my problem (the battery was nicked inside which was preventing it from seating) by swapping out my battery, but I have to say that for a Genius, he was quite clueless.

Back on My Good Side

Last week, I had the unfortunate (or so I thought) need to contact Apple’s online support.  You might remember how my last conversation with them went (see my “Geniuses?” post), so I wasn’t expecting much out of this contact.  Let’s back up a little bit though, shall we?

I realized last week that I had a ton of free space on my hard drive, and I wanted to see an episode of “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles” from last season.  I looked for a torrent, but couldn’t find a decent version of what I was looking for.  I remembered that I had purchased all of Season 1 (and I have a Season Pass for Season 2), but due to the small hard drive in my last laptop, I deleted each episode as I watched it.  I had heard rumors that Apple was known to grant customers a one-time allowance to re-download their previously purchased content, but even though their policy does not allow for it.

I contacted Apple Monday night to get an email back from DeShawn notifying me that I could log in and re-download my content.  She had actually reactivated my downloads on an old account that I had forgotten about, so I had to contact her back and get the right account reactivated, which she did immediately.  She was very helpful, and got me all of my previous content from not only one, but two accounts!  I spent literally 5 days re-downloading everything (I had quite a few movies and TV series; we’re talking hundreds of dollars worth of content), and I now have an iTunes library bursting with music and video content.  DeShawn single-handedly  reversed my opinion of Apple’s online customer service.  Lesson learned?  Don’t base the entirety of a company’s service on their sales team.

The Vista Effect

I did 4 things when I received my new MacBook 2 weeks ago:

1) Install a bigger and faster hard drive (came with 120GB 5400 RPM; replaced with 320GB 7200RPM)

2) Install more RAM (4GB)

3) Migrate my Time Machine backup from the Hacintosh (which worked flawlessly, surprisingly)

4) Install Windows

Wait, hold up, install Windows? Yep, for the family's Zunes (we have 3) and for gaming. And I really like Windows 7 a lot. I've really enjoyed beta testing it, but I hit several brick walls right off the batt. First, my Leopard disc wouldn't let me install 64-bit drivers, so I formatted the partition and put Windows 7 32-bit on. Then the video driver wouldn't work right, and I couldn't get MacDrive (to see the Mac partition) to install. I gave up after that and just put XP Pro on.

I have a full retail version of Vista Home Premium just sitting on the shelf, collecting dust (the computer I had purchased it for died and was never fixed), so why didn't I use that? I know perfectly well that Vista is stable, and would run fine on my MacBook, but in the back of my head, there is still that perception that Microsoft screwed up with Vista. I've run Vista before with no problem, and Service Pack 1 improved it more. So why do I have that perception? It's not because I'm a Mac fanboy (remember, I have 3 Zunes and love Windows 7). The media. Simply put, there has been so much false anti-Vista propaganda put out there that even though I consciously know it's fine and good, my subconscious says to stay away. XP might have a little edge in gaming, but the difference is probably negligible on my MacBook (I don't benchmark, I just speak from my real-world experience). XP is more compatible with older games (I particularly wanted to play Knights of the Old Republic 2), so it worked out in the end anyway.

I spent a week with XP (just long enough to beat KOTOR2) before diving into the Internet and figuring out how to get Windows 7 up and running. I had to trick the Leopard disc into allowing the 64-bit drivers (they were on there, but the setup program wouldn't let me use them since I didn't have a MacBook Pro), separately install the video drivers, and actually pick apart the .msi file for MacDrive to allow Windows 7 (it works just fine, so I don't know why they haven't allowed it in recent updates). So now I run 64-bit Windows 7, which is pretty blazing fast with 4GB of RAM.

Would I put Vista on here in retrospect? Of course, like I said, there's no problems with it. Had I thought it through at the time, I wouldn't have installed XP. My brain just literally skipped over the fact that I could install Vista. Vista would have been fine, but the media changed my perception without me even knowing it. It's a very strange revelation to come to.

A Ton of Tech

No, I have not abandoned this blog. We recently moved, and I've been in the process of helping my wife build her business, build my own business, and help take care of 3 kids. Keeping that busy on a farm with 11 horses doesn't leave a lot of blogging time. Rest assured, I will be posting soon about all the tech I've aquired (new white MacBook, 21.5" 1080p monitor, 6x8 WACOM tablet, 70-300mm camera lens, etc.). I'm building my office this week, so hopefully I'll get some time to blog once I'm settled into my permanent desk (I'm using a tiny, cramped desk in the corner of the barn's rec room right now). Stay tuned for hardware and software reviews, including iLife 09, and iWork 09, as well as Windows 7 tips and tricks!

Geniuses? (A Rant)

At the risk of sounding conceited, I'm fairly certain that I know more about computers than the people who do Apple's chat for the online Apple Store. I asked them a question about the transfer rate of the SATA drives in the MacBook. I was answered with "If it's not in the Tech Specs page online, I cannot find that information for you". She then tried to up-sell me from the $999 white MacBook to a desktop Mac Pro (several thousands of dollars!), just so I could change the hard drive. Um, what? I said I needed a laptop, and was on a tight budget. They answered that I could pay them $250 to put in a 320GB hard drive. I said I wanted to do it myself to save the money (500GB for $99 on Newegg.com). She tells me that would void my warranty, to which I mention that I've seen several places online that say the hard drive and RAM are user-serviceable, but that I really don't care about the warranty anyway (knock on wood). She then again tells me that if I want to do my own hard drive installation, a Mac Pro would be good for me. All this because I was curious if the MacBook's SATA speed was 1.5GB/s or 3.0GB/s.

Then I make my second mistake. I ask if the Mini-DVI to Video (S-Video and Composite out to connect to a TV) will work with the white MacBook. I have the cable left over from the PowerBook G4 I had, and I'd like to connect to a TV. She responds that she doesn't think it will connect to the MacBook because the MacBook has a Mini-DisplayPort. I inform her that the white MacBook still has a Mini-DVI port. She responds that if I get a Mini-DisplayPort to DVI, and then a DVI to Video cord, I could connect the aluminum MacBook to a TV. Again, I say I'm getting the white MacBook. She then tells me that the Mini-DVI port does not support S-Video. I ask her if it will support the Composite out, to which she says she doesn't know. Now, I understand that this particular adapter is not selectable when you order the white MacBook, but it is still made by Apple. They should know what their own stuff does. I have a sneaking suspicion that it will work (why would it not when it's the same connector?), so we'll see when the MacBook gets here.

I'm convinced that the "Geniuses" online are little more than sales lackeys that have no clue how to answer a question that they can't find in a handbook. She had no clue what a transfer rate was, kept forgetting that I want a laptop, and then flat out couldn't answer another question. Oh! And then she tried to sell me on AppleCare, stating that I would have 24/7 access to the same expert technical advice that I recieved tonight for 3 years after my purchase. I ended the conversation that I was not going to spend extra money to talk to someone who knew less about computers than myself, ESPECIALLY when I'm going to void my warranty by installing a bigger hard drive. lol And no, I did not purchase tonight. I was just probing for some answers.

I plan on putting a 500GB hard drive in, but it's 3.0GB/s. I suspect that the white MacBook is 1.5GB/s, and if I'm correct in my understanding, it will step down the transfer rate from 3.0GB/s to 1.5GB/s. I'm putting that in, along with 4GB RAM, getting a 1TB external FireWire drive, and a 21.5" 1080p monitor. I'm also getting a calibrator for the monitor (I'm really getting tired of prints not looking like what I have on the screen) and a replacement pen for my 6x8 Intuos2 WACOM tablet. I already have a wireless Mighty Mouse (I love the 360 degree scrolling) and thin aluminum keyboard. This will give me something that's easily portable (not as small as a netbook, but infinitely more functional) while still giving me a good desktop experience. Not to mention, Mac OS natively, which I need for Aperture and iWeb.

While I've never had the need to talk to a Genius in an Apple Store, I hope they're better trained than the ones online!

Windows 7 Public Beta is Live!

If you follow tech at all (and I’m assuming you do as you're reading this), then you know that Microsoft announced last week that Windows 7 was going public with it’s beta. This was significant in that developers and ITs did not receive an advance on the beta of more than a day (MSDN and TechNet release was Thursday, while the public release was Friday). This shows that Microsoft is really looking at this OS from a user’s standpoint rather than a developer’s, hopefully meaning a better user experience while still being robust under the hood. What users should not expect is a completely new operating system. As many have said over the past few months, this is what Vista should have been. I’ve been running the actual beta version (Build 7000) for several weeks now, and my opinion of 7 only grows greater as time goes on. I’ve run 3 different builds of Windows 7 up to this point, two of which represent major milestones:

Build 6801: This was the pre-beta (alpha) release given out at PDC in September. It represented a nearly-complete, fairly stable milestone. The new taskbar was not enabled (but was unlockable, to use a game term), and several new features were not functional (Aero Peek, etc). It gave users a taste of what was coming while still garnering feedback.

Build 6956: Essentially the same as the current release, 6956 was leaked from WinHec China and gave us the first uses of Aero Peek and other advanced features.

Build 7000: The current beta, made available to the public, Build 7000 is more stable and feature-complete. This is Windows 7. This is also presumably the only beta. Microsoft is not calling this “Beta 1” or “a beta”, but “the beta”. Stability and compatibility have been made a priority, and it shows. It’s faster, more efficient, and in my opinion, more user friendly than past versions of Windows.

Features

Enhanced Taskbar: I’ve heard some people talk about how bad of an idea it was for Microsoft to change the taskbar and make it more of a “dock” than a window manager. For me, it’s much more intuitive, and I have no problem differentiating running programs from non-running programs. Perhaps that stems from my experience using OS X’s dock, but to me, it just seems more natural. Between having a few programs pinned to the taskbar (my 4 most-used: Explorer, Live Mail, Internet Explorer, and Zune) and the ones pinned to my Start Menu (Adobe CS4 Suite and Live Writer), along with the few “most used” programs populated in the Start Menu, I rarely have to dig into All Programs. In fact, I’d say that I only have to dig into the programs about once a week. I personally love the new taskbar, but there are ways to set it to a more traditional setup, for those such inclined.

Internet Explorer 8: IE8 still needs work, and this bothers me. It has been in beta for some time now, and simple things are still broken. Even in “compatibility mode” IE8 is still lacking. I can view Facebook pages, but not much more. Trying to comment or follow links within Facebook more often than not fails. Several other webpage load completely wrong, and I find myself firing up Firefox more often than I’d like to. For my job, I have to use Internet Explorer, so it is my primary browser. And I do really like some of the new features. Accelerators are really cool, and make simple tasks (like getting directions or looking something up) even easier. InPrivate Browsing made holiday shopping easier (I didn’t have to clear my history if my wife or stepkids needed the computer), and Web Slices has the potential to be really cool if it garners support.

Desktop Gadgets: While I did use the Sidebar in Vista, it was more of a novelty to me. I’m not sure why, but I actually started to utilize the desktop gadgets more when they floated around by default in Build 6801 (you could drag the gadgets out of the sidebar in Vista to duplicate this, but I never did). Perhaps it’s Aero Peek (being able to hover over a corner and see the gadgets on the desktop makes checking them easier), or perhaps I simply put more time and effort into finding the things I wanted and needed. Perhaps it’s my dedication to trying to make IE8 work for me (and thus eliminating the extensions that I use in Firefox). Whatever it is, I actually use the gadgets in an actual way rather than having a slideshow or RSS feed that I don’t really read aggregating there. This probably speaks more of my changed habits than anything Microsoft has changed (indeed, as of this recent release, when you activate a gadget, it lines it up in a “sidebar” style by default).

While Microsoft refuses to give even a vague release date (they actually said they couldn’t guarantee a 2009 release), they are easily on track to release this during the Summer, around July or August. Indeed, the beta release expires August 1st. I, and many others, expect a release candidate in about 3 months, and then another 3 months to the actual release. If you’re running the beta, I’d love to hear about your experiences. As with any software (especially an OS), mileage will vary per user based on their system. Leave a comment and tell me how it’s going!