This week in iPhone saw the release of firmware version 1.1.4. As of now, there hasn’t been any reports as to what was in the update other than what Apple stated as just bug fixes.  Of course, the firmware was fairly large so speculation says it has everything to do with the upcoming release of the SDK.  Maybe there will be some great new features that we have all been waiting  (longing) for locked in side just waiting to be released from the electronic ether of the iPhone.  For now we’ll just have to wait and see.  Possibly someone will delve into the secret firmware and see what is going on to clue the rest of us in.

Did I mention the SDK?  As no surprise it looks like the SDK will not be out by then end of this month.  Apple has scheduled a conference on March 6th so Your guess is welcome on what they are gathering the ears and eyes of the media for.  Wouldn’t it be interesting to find that the SDK has been out and that on March 6th Apple launches the new iTunes to support the applications we have been waiting for at a small price of $5.99 to $19.99 per application?

How about the statement from Apple’s COO, Tim Cook?  Apparently, he states that Apple is not married to the exclsuive carrier model.  Hmmm, I thought their prenuptial agreement with ATT meant they were.  Maybe he’s referring to the European and possible Asian models due out.  Or maybe their is a  loophole in the pre-nupt that allows for the 3g model to be sold unlocked.  Who really knows, what are your thoughts on this weeks events?

Tags: iPhone, apple news, iPhone news

The strangest thing happened to me.  I ordered a replacement fan for my MBP and had just finished the check out process when I noticed that my fan was no longer acting crazy.  Any of you that have one of the 1st gen MBPs know what I mean buy the crazy fan.  For those of you that don’t, the first gen MBP’s fans were notorious for braking down or just making incredibly loud noise.  I liken it to the noise a playing card might make when inserted between the spokes of a bicycle.  I ordered through iFixit.com and the order was easily cancled.  The process ws so easy and they provide such a great service that I will definitely be returning.

A friend of mine asked me why I wasn’t running a temperature monitoring program.  I said “what?”.  I was then given a lecture on how I should always be monitoring my CPU temperature since the MBP does run hot.  I really wasn’t so concerned about CPU temp but looking at one of the programs he suggested, I saw a nice feature that monitored fan speed and allowed me to adjust it.  I had seen something similar when I visited the Genius bar one time and watched as the Genius throttled my fan speed up and down to confirm a problem (different fan).  You can download the program Temperature Monitor 4.4 This program is awesome!  I can actually set the minimum speed of each fan and even rev them up when you want.  I really only use it to make sure the fans are spinning.  I’m guessing that if one fan failed, there would be a noticeable spike in temp (both of which can be monitored form the menu bar).

LOL! So it was bound to happen sooner or later. We see those funniest home videos with the kid putting a peanut butter sandwich into the family VCR. sometime we see a clip of a kid throwing a parents cellphone down on the ground mimicking something on T.V. I was lucky with my first child not to experience the Sharpie on the television screen or VCR sandwich. The worst I had to deal with was some crayon on the walls (no big deal..right?).

My son comes up to me while I’m sitting typing away on my MBP today (the same one I took a part the other day) and proceeds to insert something into the side of the computer, specifically the ethernet port. You can see in the picture here. I’m not sure what it is but I know it shouldn’t be there and I’m a bit scared that the ports connectors may be damaged and that would make me frown .

[UPDATE]
Great news! The alien object has been removed with the help of some tweezers and patience. There is also no apparent damage. I guess my son is lucky today or I am. Now I have to go find some Sharpies and lock them up. Who knows what’s next.

By the way, permanent marker on your flat screen isn’t so bad. There are fairly easy ways of removing the offending mark. The most common would be to actually go back over the mark with a fresh marker and then quickly wipe away.

Osteogenesis Imperfecta Foundation, also known as OI, has a fund and awareness event going on right now that anyone and everyone can participate in.  There are two parts, one being the online auction and the other is a Gala being held at The Galleria at Lafayette Center on March 8th from 7 – 10pm. 

What is OI?

…literally means “bone that is imperfectly made from the beginning of life.” OI is a genetic disorder of type 1 collagen– the protein “scaffolding” of bone and other connective tissues. People with OI have a faulty gene that instructs their bodies to make either too little type 1 collagen or a poor quality type 1 collagen. The result is that bones break easily.

OI affects 20,000 to 50,000 people in the United Sates.  Through the OI Foundation and volunteers, the quality of life for these people affected by this rare genetic disorder have been greatly improved.  Like most volunteer and non-profit organizations, they are dependent on the volunteers and the financial contributions from people that care such as yourself.   Funds raised from this event go to the mission goals of the OI Foundation: Research, Education, Awareness and Improve Quality of Life.  You can start helping by visiting the OI Foundation and the online auction.

You can now participate from the comfort of your computer. We invite you to bid on the wonderful items here between February 15 and March 4. These items then move to our Fine Wines, Strong Bones event on March 8 for further bidding. However, if you place a reserve bid, we will continue bidding for you at the event, up to your maximum bid.

So, be sure to tell your friends, family, co-workers, and neighbors about the good they can do through this online auction.

The second part of this annual event is the Gala, held at The Galleria at Lafayette Centre located at 1155 21st St NW Washington DC.  If you’re going to be in the area, then purchase your ticket here and take the opportunity to:

• Meet some great people
• Taste a variety of wines form around the world
• Sample food from the areas finest restaurants
• Explore some of the exciting items featured in the online auction
• and of course no grand event like this would be complete without some live music and a little dancing

If you would like to volunteer or learn more about OI and the Foundation go to www.oif.org

Tags: oi, oif, oi foundation, auction, strong bones

This video is a must to start off the week.  I found it over at laughingsquid.com posted earlier today and was compelled to share this with as many people as I could.  That is once I picked myself up off the floor

Technorati Tags: starbucks, improv everywhere, mobile desktop

E-Mail From Aunt Accidentally Opened

CHICAGO—After waiting for the e-mail to load, Gwen Petersen was subjected to mass-circulated poetry, pet humor, and vaguely religious inspirational aphorisms.

LOL! These emails are a permanent part of the internet. I remember the last time I reeived one where the actual content was hidden beneath 50 forwards. After a bit of scrolling I finally came across the wodnerful dancing hampsters, smiling faces, inspirational words and lots of flashing text I luckily have never experienced the onslaught that Ms. Peterson received but I’m sure there are others. Ms. Peterson mistakenly opened an email from her only living aunt and that was it. Her computer became the slave to this email of flashing headlines and LOLcats. When all was done, she found her computer to be infected by more than 25 viruses.

Looking back on the incident, Petersen acknowledged that she had only herself to blame for her predicament.

“It was my own fault, really,” Petersen said. “But once I saw it, the thought of my Aunt Sophie, sitting in her slippers at her little desktop computer in her basement rec room, smiling as she typed in my address, was too much for me. It took every scrap of energy I had left to close the seven new applications the e-mail had opened up, hit the reply button, and type ‘Funny! Thanks for sending love Gwen!’” Petersen said.

Blogged with Flock

Tags: email, virus, chainemail, lol cats

If you’ve owned a laptop before and had it for some time then you know that at some point you have to take the machine apart. I know it’s just human nature to do it but when it comes to your $2k+ machine, you tend to take it on the cautious side. I’ve had a few laptops in my days. For some reason they always tend to last me longer than my desktops have (strange I know). A year ago, I found myself in the position with no other options than to do what I feared. Take a laptop apart without instructions to do so. I had my Presario 2700 and needed to replace the hard drive and figure out some other problems. Well, it was quite the daunting task. I couldn’t find any instructions on this task online to my dismay. So i just started to unscrew any and all screws. Well, this is not a small laptop but it was made as if they crammed an awful lot in the plastic case. It took several hours and a lot of patience. From time to time I still find that I need to take it apart (usually to re-solder something). Although I’ve done it before, I still find it to be a daunting task.

Fast forward to today: I’ve been noticing a strange noise coming from one of the fans in my macbook pro. I did a little research and found iFixit. What a great company, they not only had just about any part for the macbook pro (at reasonable prices) but they also had clear instructions on how to install any part they sell complete with pictures. Wow, I checked out the instructions on taking my macbook pro apart and found that it really wasn’t that difficult. Actually, it wasn’t difficult at all and only took a few minutes to accomplish.

Read more »

[wp_youtube]rQcv3ETEQdM[/wp_youtube]
invisibleSHIELD video

You can find invisible protection for just about any of your electronic devices over at InvisibleShield. You’ve probably seen these guys at one of the trade shows and this is the ultimate in protection for your electronics. What is invisible shield? I’m glad you asked because I didn’t know until I saw it on a podcast earlier this year.

ZAGG’s invisibleSHIELD™ is a thin, polyurethane film originally created for the military to protect the leading edge of helicopter blades. What’s unique about this military-grade film is how tough it is – it doesn’t scratch. Introduced in early 2005, the invisibleSHIELD is the first product of its kind. Its patent-pending, full body protection has revolutionized the industry and has changed the way people think of protecting their devices

The best benefit of the invisbleshield (besides its military grade protection) is the fact that it doesn’t take away from the design and looks of your device. iPhone owners know exactly what I mean. You have something that is slim and sexy only to be hidden by some big bulky covering of some sort.

You’ll find a dizzying array of devices the invisibleshield has already been designed for at their web site and if you don’t find what you are looking for, they can customize one for your needs.

What are you using to protect your gadgets?

Tags: invisibleshield, invisiblesheild, iphone protection, zaggs

Well, it looks as though all the carriers are getting on board now with the ‘All You Can Eat’ wireless plans take 2. I remember a few years ago that ATT and Nextel tried this same tactic but at $150 which was not mass market idea but just a move to get higher usage clients on board. These plans disappeared but are now making a come back.

Read more »

The much anticipated iPhone SDK is due to be released in just nine days.  At least that’s assuming that Apple sticks with what Jobs had stated back in January during his keynote.  There has been a slew of rumors surrounding the SDK and release of a coinciding firmware upgrade.  Chris Pirillo posted this tiny list of alleged updates due in the new firmware.

• Support for Flash
• Support for files with extension .Docx (as Mac OS X does natively)
• A simple file manager
• A “Clipboard” to manage copied and pasted text
• Ability to send files to the “Clipboard” via email or Bluetooth
• iClips management (potentially the name of apps distributed via iTunes)
• A more complete Bluetooth manager
• iChat accessible only via WiFi

From what I’m reading, it would stand to reason that quite a few developers have had their hands on the SDK and new firmware for a while now.  This is great news since we can now expect to see new native apps out of the starting gate.  Initially late last year when the SDK was rumored to be in the works it was thought that apps would not make it to iPhone users for several months following the SDK release.  Judging by how serious Apple is with their non-disclosure agreements  on the SDK I think good things could be waiting in just over a weeks time.

[via iPhone Journal]

Blogged with Flock

Tags: iphone, apple iphone, iphone sdk