HTC and Samsung have also produced the most compelling second tier SmartPhones.  I have to admit that the I wish I had the cash to buy and test these other devices.  I have seen the HTC Incredible and it is a compelling SmartPhone, I would also have liked to see the Droid X, HTC Evo, and the Galaxy S phones up close.

We have seen false starts [JooJoo - discontinued] and demo’s [PlayBook]; however, only one company has a compelling Slate [or Tablet] product.  Samsung has released the Galaxy Tab, the only real contender in the Slate market.  I would love to have one of these to test and use for a month or two.  I really like the form and think that it could be a very useful and usable device.  I also think that its 7″ and 16:9 screen size is a useful size.  In other places … Archos has a few devices yet, because they do not have the same footprint or power in the US market, they have gone mostly unnoticed by the populace.

We have several other Slate devices that are rumored to be coming soon; however, all I am seeing is VaporWare.

The desktop computer market is becoming old hat.  I will agree that they are needed in the business world, but I can actually see more people moving to a Slate PC for everyday usage.  I know that I could go Slate for 85% to 95% of the things that I do, if I have a 3G [or4G] connection.  I have to admit that with a few specialized Apps and more HTML5-based websites … I could be quite happy.  I don’t have a problem syncing my Slate to a central or main PC, especially if it provides a full hard drive back up.  I would love to see Wi-Fi Syncing for everything but OS updates.

I believe the Touch Interface will start to migrate into a whole lot of places and many of them will be places it doesn’t belong.  A few places I would like to see a Touch Interface is on a fridge with weather and some other applications – grocery lists and meal planning options to name a two more.  Another place could be bathroom mirrors with a built in floor scale and historical medical data.  I would be happy to stand on a scale/device that could read Weight, BMI, Blood Pressure, among other bio-readings.

Well, 2011 dawns and 2010 has waned.  What will happen this year in Technology … is anybody’s guess … unless you work for Apple!

iron wil

I don’t think that Apple will move off OS X unless it is to another desktop OS [11?].  I don’t think that they will move to iOS for their “Trucks” either, how else would people program for Apple products [pro & consumer]?  I think that if they move to a touch based OS for “OS 11″ then we will see programming change to a modular and visual interface and the keyboard will still be needed for some functions.  The only way the keyboard could be minimized is if a Star Trek like voice command is implemented.

What I think will happen is Apple will develop it’s Siri acquisition to build a more robust voice command interface and then over time move it into the desktop computer while beefing up the touch interface.  I also think that the home desktop will turn into a media server that will be connected via Wi-Fi to the TV, stereo, and hand-held devices [iPads, iPhones, and iPod Touches].  We will use the Knowledge Navigator [hand-held device] to interface with the home server and it will do the heavy lifting and data crunching.  It will store and back-up all the data from our devices and allow for the transfer of songs, movies, and other data back and forth via Wi-Fi.  Yes, this will work with the iPod Nano and Classic too!

The future of Apple is the Federation.  No really, the future is going  to be both trucks and cars, the desktop or work horse machine and the hand-held device.  The number of desktop machines will diminish because a family will own one & then they will all have hand-held devices.  The delivery of media will continue to be in two places the TV and the hand-held.  We will see the ability to move from one device to another and the media will follow seamlessly.

Ahhh, the future, please come now!!!

iron wil

So, last time I wrote about Air Mouse Pro I was really negative about it.

Since then, I stopped trying to use it as a regular mouse and started using it as a remote for my iMac to surf and watch movies and TV shows.  My wife and I both love the app and use it daily.  I was very wrong in my first impression and attempted use of this application.

If you have an iPhone or iPod Touch and you need across the room access to a windows or mac computer.  This is the way to go.

Air Mouse Pro connects over your network via Wi-Fi.  There is a small piece of software that you install on you computer that allows the App to interact with the OS.  Here is a list of  Features:

• Accelerometer based mouse
• Trackpad with vertical and horizontal orientation
• Media keys with volume and eject controls
• Web keys
• Application switcher/launcher
• Application notifications
• Unlimited custom media and web remotes with scripting capabilities
• Remote keyboard with modifier keys
• Function keyboard with arrow keys
• Oversized numeric keypad
• Programable hotkeys (can be set to run a program or keyboard combination)
• Scroll pad
• Multitouch gestures (supports scrolling & right click)
• Remotely wake up and put your computer to sleep
• Password protection
• Custom sensitivity settings
• Foreign language keyboards
• Supports Bonjour or static IP
• Works over Bluetooth PAN (requires carrier support, currently not available on AT&T)
• No screen size limitation. Works with multiple monitors
• Works over WIFI, no line of sight limitations
• Built from the ground up for Mac and Windows

iron wil

Hosts: Leo Laporte, John C. Dvorak, Becky Worley, Molly Wood, and Stephen Wolfram

Wolfram Alpha, Pirate Bay DDo$, Crackho.com, Craigslist massages, Facebook boobies, and your car warranty has expired.

Show Notes

MacBreak Weekly 141: Wi-Fi Bubble Boy

Hosts: Leo Laporte, Craig Syverson, Scott Bourne, and Andy Ihnatko

Palm Pre, iPhone 3 rumors such as LG OLEDs, Microsoft laptop hunters, new Mac ads, and more.

Show Notes

Security Now 197: Windows 7 Security

Hosts: Steve Gibson with Leo Laporte

Security changes, additions and enhancements to Microsoft Windows 7.

Show Notes

Windows Weekly 108: Achievement Unlocked

Hosts: Paul Thurrott and Leo Laporte

Office 2010 Tech Preview leak, Netflix comes to Windows Media Center, My Phone Beta, the Palm Pre, and more.

Show Notes

iron wil

Hosts: Leo Laporte, Tom Merritt, Ryan Block, and Alex Lindsay

Wi-Fi goes in-flight, Google changes its search, and PC Mag bites the dust…

Links to all our stories are at http://del.icio.us/twit/170.

Audible pick of the week: Neal Stephenson’s Anathem. To get two free audiobooks, visit Audible.com/twit2.

get yours here.

iron wil

So, finally, I called Philips support for some help. I spent five minutes talking to the tech and he had me preform one simple test, which I should have thought about. I turned off the Extreme and got a nice clear call.

We started having trouble after I changed the Extreme Wi-Fi channel to 11. I changed it to 3 and turned everything back on and made a phone call. Crystal clear again!

So, Philips VoIP trouble, check your Wi-Fi channel.

iron wil

I have written about this over the past year or more. I would suggest that each of you take the time and see the article and more importantly hit Google’s site and sign the petition.

iron wil

Hosts: Paul Thurrott and Leo Laporte

Windows 7, XP moseys, IE8, Equipt, SmartScreen, Wireless Migrator, Digsby, and more.

Topics:

• Randall Stross Jumps the Shark
• Dear Windows 7 Programmers, I Have a Few Ideas
• Microsoft Equipt
• AT&T iPhone pricing revealed
• Internet Explorer 8 security features revealed
• Biggies: SmartScreen Filter replacing Phishing Filter, many ActiveX changes

News of the week:

• RealNetworks Rhapsody goes DRM-free MP3 (not for subscription service)
• XP heads into the sunset, life goes on
• 60 percent of people online are not using up-to-date browsers

Vista tip of the week: Change file type associations

Software of the week: Wireless Migrator

Also: Digsby, which combines IM, social networking, and email notifications

Audible.com book of the week: Stuff White People Like: The Definitive Guide to the Unique Taste of Millions By Christian Lander

Check out Paul’s blog at http://www.internet-nexus.com and the SuperSite for Windows http://winsupersite.com for more information.

get yours here.

iron wil

• Open redirect vulnerabilities: definition and prevention
• The future of security is information-centric
• Securing the enterprise data flow against advanced attacks
• Bypassing and enhancing live behavioral protection
• Security flaws identification and technical risk analysis through threat modeling
• Migration from e-mail to web borne threats
• Security training and awareness: strengthening your weakest link
• Assessing risk in VoIP/UC networks
• Building a secure wireless network for under $300
• Reverse engineering software armoring
• Point security solutions are not a 4 letter word
• Corporate due diligence in India: an ICT perspective
• Hacking Second Life
• AND MORE!

get yours here.

iron wil

• Security policy considerations for virtual worlds
• US political elections and cybercrime
• Using packet analysis for network troubleshooting
• The effectiveness of industry certifications
• Is your data safe? Secure your web apps
• RSA Conference 2008 / Black Hat 2008 Europe
• Windows log forensics: did you cover your tracks?
• Traditional vs. non-traditional database auditing
• Payment card data: know your defense options
• Security risks for mobile computing on public WLANs: hotspot registration
• Network event analysis with Net/FSE
• Producing secure software with security enhanced software development processes

get yours here.

iron wil