J • Notes

Marco Arment, founder of Instapaper, has an “on the bull’s-eye” post regarding the infamous “Quick Bar” (aka “dickbar”) on Twitter iOS app:

“We don’t know Twitter’s true reason for adding the Quick Bar. Presumably, it’s part of a longer-term strategy. But today, from here, it looks like an extremely poorly thought-out feature, released initially with an extremely poor implementation, with seemingly no benefits to users.”

I’m officially on countdown. Game of Thrones, the oh-so-much-anticipated HBO TV Series based on George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire novels, is debuting in less than 38 days.

For the fans here are some links to follow during the next months (reviews, news, discussion, etc):

• HBO official Game of Thrones webpage
• Official Twitter profile @GameofThrones
• Winter is Coming
• TV Squad (Mo Ryan’s blog)
• TV Dependente (in Portuguese)

Adam Engst, the Mac pundit founder of TidBits gave a very interesting interview to eReaderJoy blog. In it he shares their experience on publishing the Take Control Ebooks ¹ in the Kindle and iBookstore, as well as their reason for not using DRM. The full interview is well worth the read and I leave you some lines from it as an appetizer:

(…) we have several Kindles for testing, and I find the user experience just awful in comparison with the iPad.

(…) working with the iBookstore has been the most amazingly horrible, opaque, and frustrating experience I’ve had. Apple’s software is terrible, the iTunes Connect Web site is lousy, and support questions often aren’t answered for - and I’m not kidding here - months.

The main thing is that DRM doesn’t stop anyone from doing anything really - anyone who wants to break it can - so it’s just a waste of time and effort. What it really comes down to for me is that utilizing DRM means that you see your customers as criminals, and when you treat someone like a criminal, they act like it.

Oh, well. It was a bore. I actuallly missed Steve Martin (gasp!) and missed Alec Baldwin even more. When Billy Crystal appeared I could swear people all over the world were mourning.

Picture source

No, the young couple Anne Hathaway & James Franco were very plain, except during the introduction, which, IMO, was their best time. She was better than him, though; especially considering he never glanced her way. Like a silly teenager boy with a typical badass behavior.

Maybe I’m getting too old and grumpy for these kind of ceremonies. On the other end, I did enjoy the crude — to say the least — performance of Ricky Gervais on the Golden Globes. Maybe the Oscars were in nobody’s land this year: no glamour, no spunk, no appeal.

The best moments? Maybe Kirk Douglas, although I was afraid he would have a stroke on stage. All about Helena Bonham-Carter whose attitude seems to be “oh, fuck, who cares”. The real fucking moment, with Melissa Leo almost shocking puritan America (lucky for them that part was beeped in US). And the Red Carpet is always fun, even if some scary women and inane guys are the commenters.

Most of the awards were not a surprise. Colin Firth and Natalie Portman deserved the golden bald statuettes and I enjoyed watching The King’s Speech. But I’m a tad sad that True Grit went home empty handed. I loved that movie, especially Jeff Bridges and Hailee Steinfeld.

And to think I was up ‘til the end.

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
— Elizabeth Barrett Browning (in Sonnets from the Portuguese)

Background

I bought my first Mac a little bit more than 5 years ago. It was a MacBook Pro (MBP) — first generation, from early 2006 (1.83 GHz, nowadays with 4GB RAM and 320GB HD) — which changed how I relate with computers. That computer became, not only a tool, but a pleasure-to-use tool. It was my main computer until recently, both at home (blog, play, read) and work (pdf, classes, academic writing).

Last January I decided it was time to buy a new laptop. The MBP was not broken (in fact it still works quite well), but it lacked some speed and sleekness. Besides, since early 2009, I’ve had a 24’ iMac that was waiting (and rightly so) to become my big time home machine. For those reasons, I started hunting for a new portable Mac as my son became the putative heir of my beloved MBP.

The Dilemma

My dilemma revolved around having a new kick-ass powerful MacBook Pro (again) plus an Apple Display (only sold in 27’) or try something more risky: buy the extra slim, sexy (yes, sexy!) MacBook Air (MBA), while using the iMac for more robust tasks. I had been ogling the MBAs since the 2nd generation release in October. Most specially I couldn’t stop thinking about the cute 11’ model. Like my other half said: I was infatuated.

Being the geek that I am, that infatuation didn’t make me buy the 11’ right away. Oh, no. I had to obsess over it.

Obsessing Mode

Was the MBA enough for my demands (limited RAM, HD, ports, screen size)? No, if it was to be my only machine, I concluded. But yes, if it was to become the iMac’s sidekick.

After a few days of compulsive review reading I decided for the MBA and put aside the idea of buying a new MBP. Learning how the Solid State Drive affected (positively) the MBA’s performance made me go for it. (Spending less money also helped.)

But… (dang, no decision is easy!)

Which one? The 13’ one, closer to what I was used to (1400x900 display, etc)? Or the 11’? This one was smaller, sure, and that was a plus, considering how often I carry my laptop around. But what about performance? Less battery life (5h v. 7h), less processor capability (1.6 v. 1.86 GHz), smaller screen…).¹

Rationalizing (yes, please)

After going back and forth in between the 11’ and 13’ for a few more days, I finally realized it was all about my needs and which machine better fulfilled them. What did I need?

• More portability? Yes. Yes. Yes.
• Better battery life? Yes. But 5h would be enough.
• Power? Sure, but not that much since…
  • I mostly write (Bean, Scrivener, Nisus; sporadically Word), email, research online and read (ebooks, pdfs, feeds).
  • I do some spreadsheet work (Excel) and presentations (mainly Keynote, rarely Powerpoint).
  • Other apps that I use a lot: DEVONthink Pro and Sente.
  • Some games: Bejeweled and Catan; nothing too fancy.
  • Occasional video watching (using VLC or Quicktime) or image/graphic composing (Pixelmator, DrawIt, OmniGraffle).
  • Therefore, no big CPU munchers, like Adobe stuff or video production.

There were some folks at Scrivener forum that owned both MBA models. From previous discussions I knew their usage of them was similar to what my own utilization would be. I asked about their experience and got a good input ². In summary, both machines got high appraisal, but the 11’ owners told me what I’m going to say to you… on the last line of this post (just wait, patience is a virtue).

Now… “let me count the ways”

My decision was finally made and after a very painful long week of waiting (grumble, grumble, grumble) the package arrived. A brand new Mac: MBA 11’, 1.6GHz, 4GB RAM, 128GB, plus a Ethernet Adapter (no native Ethernet port on the MBA and those came handy when in hotels) and Mini DisplayPort to VGA Adapter (for presentations). Plus another (semi-)radical move: a Magic Trackpad to use with the iMac, thus ditching the mouse. My system became: iMac at home (and more heavy duty tasks) and MBA at on-the-go and office (and some lighter tasks, like blogging and tweeting, browsing, reading at home). You can see some pictures here.

So, after a bit more than a month, how is the setup? Am I happy with it?

First let me say that using 2 Macs simultaneously takes some syncing between the machines. For now I’m using two systems:

• A limited DropBox account (free, but enhanced to 9GBs ³) for day-to-day files and folders: mostly university stuff and notes.
• Using ChronoSync for larger amounts of syncing that don’t need to be done daily. (I’m doing this sync every 2 weeks).
• I’m also considering using a remote system to connect the on-the-go MBA to the at home iMac and have regular access to all the content in it. ⁴
• In all, this system takes a more controlled approach than using a unique machine (kick-ass MBP) and a display, but it’s not complicated after everything is put into action.

The MBA behaves like advertised:

• In terms of HD, 128GB are enough for me. In fact, right now I’m using about 47% of the HD, but keep in mind that I didn’t transfer my music or photo library to it. Still, all my pdfs (+8GBs) and ebooks (+6GBs) are there.
• It’s fast. Okay, let me make this very clear: it’s fast. It takes 5 seconds to shut down and similar time to start. Word or Excel take 2 to 3 seconds to launch. Having a SSD drive has broken me forever and I will never be able to have another type of HD without whining like a child whose favorite toy is gone.
• The airport connection is way better than the one in my old MBP or iMac. It’s easier to find networks and has better quality.
• So far I used the Ethernet adapter in two occasion: the first day at the university before the wireless connection was installed and to do speedier syncs with the iMac (using ChronoSync). Regarding this last, I do miss the Firewire port, but not as much as I though I would.
• I miss another thing a lot: the backlit keyboard. Specially at night when reading in bed.
• I manage to have at least 5h of battery autonomy (not using flash videos that really munch the battery juice). Many times, when just writing/reading or listening podcasts I have more than 6h. With 20 cycles, the battery health is 100%, but I’m still going to hate when the battery has to be substituted, since it cannot be done at home.
• Got easily used to the smaller screen. I miss the bigger one when multitasking or doing some major drawing, but I love the smaller screen on-the-go and for writing and reading. Also, it has not affected my limited gaming needs. ⁵
• The glossy screen is very bright with the pro and con of it: easier indoors reading, worse outdoors. At night, when reading in bed, I actually have to use a little app that dims my screen more than the native system allows.

Regarding the Magic Trackpad:

• I like it and don’t miss a mouse ⁶. Its battery life has been a very good surprise: one month of usage (4-5h/day) and still at 50%. Way better than any previous bluetooth gear (including the old wireless Apple Keyboard).
• Keep in mind, however, that you’ll have to customize its settings and getting used to it (took me awhile to get used to the three fingers drag & drop). I would advise slowly integrating a tool like BetterTouchTool in the workflow for better profit.

My biggest surprise in all this? My interest on the iPad dropped. I was eager to have a 2nd generation iPad, but not anymore. The MBA does everything I expected from the iPad, and many things way better (e.g. writing on-the-go, connecting, presentations). Heck, I pretty much stopped using my beloved old iPod Touch, since I take the MBA everywhere!

Contrary to what I thought initially, for some people, the MBA 11’ can be enough as a standalone machine, especially if it has a SuperDrive on the side.

Free advice…

So, my advice to people that are considering buying a MBA is:

1. Go and play with one, to have a feeling of it. Adaptation varies from person to person.
2. Don’t rule out the MBA 13’ if you want or need a bigger screen and better performance…
3. … but keep in mind that the 11’ is the perfect on-the-go machine. It’s a netbook on steroids with a genius mind.

As for me, a demanding user of computers (home and work), I’ll say: The MBA 11’ is the best Mac I have owned so far. I love it.

Long night ahead (hopefully in the company of my fellow twitter friends) with the 83rd Academy Awards, aka Oscars.

My bets for the top categories?

• The King’s Speech
• The Coen Brothers (twice)
• Colin Firth
• Natalie Portman
• Geoffrey Rush
• Hailee Steinfeld
• Christopher Nolan
• How to Train Your Dragon

You guess what goes where. ;)

I’m curious to see how Anne Hathaway behaves. (Yup, I don’t give a damn about the other guy.)

Where to watch? Check here. If in Portugal, besides TVI (01:30), also check E! (MEO channel 83) for the Red Carpet (23:00).

Full nomination list? Here is the pdf file.

One of the apps that I catch myself using time and time again (way more than Spotlight or HoudahSpot) is Tembo. Love its simple interface and speed.

Only available via Mac App Store, it’s -50% for the next 24h: 8$ or 6€. Go get it. (Or try the trial).

My new audio toy just arrived from Amazon and sounds just as announced: great for the little thing that it is.

I was searching for a small, portable, non-electricity connected speaker for my iPod Touch. Something basic that would allow me listen to podcasts, music or radio on-the-go. And on-the-go I mean car trips, shower or sofa.

After some research, and reading several not so good reviews on Sony or Philips speakers (almost bought one at FNAC last week — glad that I didn’t), I found an almost consensual appraisal for the XMI X-Mini II.

• Small Compact Design, Maximum Sound
• USB charged
• 11 hour Battery Life
• Volume Control
• About 7cm in size

Exactly what I was looking for! It cost 16€ plus shipping. What the hell! I went for it.

First impressions? It’s tiny. Really compact. And sounds quite good for its price. I should not expect its battery good health to be very long (10 months to one year), but I’m hoping that during this time it will serve me well. Besides, it does have 1 year warranty.

As an extra we also get a tiny black bag to carry it around.

To watch a cool review about it, check this youtube video.

Nowadays I find myself with no time to blog. Real blogging, I mean.

But I miss it. I miss it mostly because Twitter is not enough to share some thoughts or news. And because of that I had to do something…

So, here you have: J ● Notes ¹. A Tumblr blog to write little ideas (notes) on whatever I feel up to. Whenever it strikes my mood (or time!).

Welcome to it and if you are into commenting something or just say hi… you can catch me in Twitter. :)