Tuesday November 3, 2009
David Shipley - 9:05 AM AST
Wow.
In less than a week a Facebook group opposed to the sale of NB Power to Hydro Quebec has grown to over 14,000 members. The group, No to Sale of NB Power was founded last Thursday and is acting as a hub for protest organizers.
The anti-deal groups are organizing a major protest at the Legislature on Nov. 17.
Meanwhile, a pro-group called Lower Rates NB, has just over 200 members. Many of the members - though not all - are MLAs or Liberal party members.
In the midst of this growing Facebook revolt, the government has announced a major PR campaign to sell the proposed deal with Hydro Quebec.
It will be interesting to see if the combination of government ads and print media coverage can sway opinion or if the Anti-Facebook group, combined with other social media such as Twitter and blogs, can organize enough people to continue to sway the debate and sink the deal.
It will also be interesting to see if either the Tories other NDP in the province can ride the anti-deal sentiment to electoral gains in September (or sooner if the province calls a snap election on this issue as Quebec did in the 60s when it nationalized Hydro Quebec)
Monday October 5, 2009
David Shipley - 8:58 PM AST
The The Globe and Mail has a story saying Bell / Telus will launch their new HSPA 3G network next month.
From the story:
BCE Inc.'s (26.300.250.96%) Bell Canada and Telus Corp. (33.96-0.12-0.35%)Rogers Communications Inc. (28.95-0.14-0.48%) has held for more than a year. will begin selling the iPhone next month, breaking the stranglehold on the device that their rival
Both carriers hope the addition of Apple Inc.'s (186.021.120.61%) groundbreaking smart phone to their lineups will help them sign up higher-value customers and shift the balance of power in Canada's mobile market.
Bell announced on Monday that it will launch in November, months ahead of schedule, the next-generation wireless network it has been building with Telus. The build-out extends the companies' existing 3G (third generation) network to include the same technology standard employed by Rogers, the nation's largest cellphone company.
This is exactly what I hoped for. Now, with all three offering the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS, we may see some serious competition when it comes to data plan / service plan pricing.
For Rogers, the time is now to both improve pricing and service as their technological lead erodes.
Wednesday September 23, 2009
David Shipley - 7:26 AM AST
After a few weeks using Apple's newest OS, Mac OS 10.6 "Snow Leopard" I find myself surprised at just how much faster the OS is over its predecessor on the same hardware.
Having an OS upgrade speed up computer performance on a year-old computer may be unheard of in the PC world (excluding the forthcoming release of Windows 7, which is essentially a massive Vista service pack) but it is fairly common among Mac users.
What makes Snow Leopard stand out is how many small speed improvements, combined with some big ones, combine together to significantly improve the overall user experience.
Specifically, I've noticed speed improvements in the following areas:
- Boot times
- Wake from sleep
- Application load times
- Shut down times
- Dashboard, Spaces & Expose
While Apple focused mainly on polishing up Snow Leopard by working on technical areas and developing new technologies that will lead to significant speed enhancements down the road for multi-core machines, the Cupertino, California company also did a bit of polish work on some recent feature additions to Mac OS X.
Features which received some much needed attention include Expose, which is now more useful thanks to the ability to preview windows as well as stacks.Both of these improvements have lent more credence to rumours of a Mac tablet.
Overall, I'd highly recommend 10.6 as an upgrade to home users. For Enterprise users, I'd recommend checking with your IT department first. At my work, for example, Mac OS 10.6's early release on Aug. 28 instead of in September has caused some headaches with Novell networking support (Novell hopes to have this fixed in November - boo).
Monday August 24, 2009
David Shipley - 7:31 AM AST
When it released the iPhone 3G in Canada last year, Apple set the new gold standards for smart phones in areas such as ease-of-use, power and sleek design.
Having owned an iPhone 3G since last July, I was curious to see how the Cupertino, California-based electronics maker would top it.
A few days with the iPhone 3G S (the “S” stands for speeds - $199 to $299 on a three-year contract exclusively with Rogers Communications Inc.) quickly answered my questions. Apple’s built-in iPhone applications like such as Safari, Mail, Contacts and more load significantly faster on the 3GS. Within Safari, pages also load noticeably faster than the 3G on Rogers 3G HSPA network.
And the speed improvements didn’t end there. The GPS-enabled maps function seems to find its current location faster and seems to be faster at charting routes.
The 3G S maintains the sleek look and lithe design of the 3G and is available in both black and white. The smart phone boasts both 16 gigs and 32 gigs of memory for storing applications, data and multimedia files.
The 3G S is also about more than just speed improvements. With the 3G S, Apple has taken a great phone and made it even more useful by adding in video camera capture capability coupled with a slick and easy-to-use interface for editing. The iPhone 3G S also boasts a new electronic compass feature. In testing, the compass exceeded accuracy tests outdoors and indoors.
Another new feature is voice commands, which add the ability to dial your contacts on command as well as to play artists and playlists as well as to switch songs by using voice commands. Sadly, while voice commands are a more than welcome addition, the feature could use some reliability tweaks.
Further welcome additions to the iPhone 3G S are the ablity to send multimedia text messages and an upgrade to a three megapixel camera.
One area where there seems to be improvement is in battery life. Despite the more powerful hardware in the 3G S, the phone seems to get longer usage and life than the 3G, although the mild differences in screen brightness and other power-saving settings between the two phones may account for this.
For new smart phone users in Canada who are looking at their first phone, the iPhone 3G S is a no-brainer. For those who’d like an iPhone but don’t want to pay two hundred or three hundred dollars, there’s always the now entry level 3G, which despite it’s successors speed enhancements and additional functionality, is still an fantastic phone.
For existing iPhone 3G users in Canada, the iPhone 3G is a compelling upgrade. While upgrading to iPhone OS 3.0 will provide many of the 3G S’s new features, the OS itself can’t offer the speed improvements that come with new hardware nor new features such as video capture & editing, compass or voice commands.
For Rogers, the iPhone 3G S means the carrier will continue to maintain a dominant position in Canada when it comes to offering the top of the line consumer smart phones. For Bell and Telus, it’s yet further incentive to switch over their networks so that they too can offer the iPhone 3G S and hopefully it successors. If that happens, it could lead to more competition when it comes to service and to price, which would benefit all Canadians and all Canadian smart phone users.
Wednesday August 19, 2009
David Shipley - 10:02 AM AST
Roger’s first Google Android phone, the HTC Dream (G1) ($79.99 on a three-year contract) lacks a single compelling feature that would make it a must-have smartphone.
And that’s a problem in a highly competitive marketplace dominated by Research in Motion and Apple. I’m excluding Palm at this point because I don’t believe the Pre is a serious competitor and that I firmly believe Palm has entered a period of permanent decline ala Nortel, and as for Microsoft and Nokia … yeah, enough said.
Having said that, the G1 isn’t without merit. It boasts a crisp, 3.2-inch, 320x480 touch screen, a full QWERTY keyboard, Wi-Fi, 7.2 Mbps HSPA (High-Speed 3.5G), GPS, and of course, Google’s Android OS, which is showing great promise in its early iterations. Android’s features include a touch-screen interface, tight integration with Google Apps and of course the Android Marketplace, where users can download the apps that put the smarts in smartphones.
Surfing the web on HTC Dream using Rogers 3G network in Fredericton was fast and pleasant, with most pages loading quickly and displaying properly. The HTC Dream suffers from the same limitations as the iPhone, the Pre, and Samsung’s Instinct when it comes to Flash video however. (Like the iPhone, the Dream does have a built-in YouTube Client).
I had not issues with the call strength or quality of the HTC Dream, although punching in numbers on the touch screen took far too much effort.
A few things irritated me about the HTC Dream. I found its GPS to be inferior to the iPhone 3G, it’s boot-up time to be ridiculously long and its touch ball / pointer to be a bit oversensitive.
Here’s the bottom line. For $20 more you can get a much sleeker, more versatile smartphone – the iPhone 3G, which Rogers is also the exclusive carrier of in Canada. The iPhone 3G’s touch screen is more responsive than the HTC Dream’s and has more gestures available. The iPhone 3G is also a smaller, better-looking phone than the Dream.
For those who aren’t interested in the iPhone (and there are some people) and who are looking for a sturdy, reliable phone with a solid OS and a decent keyboard, the HTC Dream is a good candidate. It’s certainly a better option that the Pre (offered by Bell) if only because of the long-term future of Android OS is secure with Google and the variety of available applications will be far better on the HTC Dream than on the Palm Pre. Overall, I found the HTC Dream to be a better phone that Blackberry’s Bold (Also on Rogers). I admittedly haven’t tried out the Storm – available through Telus.
All this being said, Rogers shouldn’t exactly fret if the HTC Dream isn’t a major seller. The fact is it has the two top phones in the marketplace right now – the iPhone 3GS and the iPhone 3G. And frankly even the third-place HTC Dream is better than the best Bell and Telus have to offer right now.
As for Bell and Telus, well if the merger rumours are true, both had better be working on a plan to support HSPA so that they can try and get the iPhone as well.
P.S.
Roger's is running an interesting competition on Facebook. http://apps.facebook.com/rogersbestapp/. Weekly finalists will win a free HTC Dream or Magic and are entered in for the grand prize. Interesting...
Monday August 17, 2009
David Shipley - 7:07 AM AST
I just finished browsing through the Globe and Mail's disappointing online back-to-school laptop guide.
The guide features one - count it one - Apple laptop model, the MacBook Air, in the "Chic and Pretty Section."
What a crock.
Now, if you're serious about getting a laptop for back to school, here are some criteria (aimed primarily at the university demographic):
- Easy to use wireless connectivity
- Portable
- Great battery life
- Durable
- Stable operating system with relative immunity to computer viruses
- Great personal digital media (music, photos, video) management software
- Runs Microsoft Office.
- Built in, simple back up utility
- Great total cost of ownership.
Now, here's the good news. There is one brand of computer (can you guess what I'm about to recommend ;) that meets all of these criteria: Apple.
Budget Conscious Mac
For those looking for the lowest price Mac that still offers a great mobile experience, the choice is Apple’s rugged MacBook ($1,099 – education price).
It features:
- 13.3 inch widescreen
- Built-in 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and iSight Webcam
- 2.13 Core Duo Processor
- 2 Gigs of Ram
- 160 Gig Hard Drive
- Built-in CD/DVD Burner
You can learn more about the MacBook at http://www.apple.com/ca/macbook/. To find the education pricing, go to http://canadaedu.apple.com/routing/index.php?lang=eng
Power and Elegance
If you’re looking for a Mac with a bit more oomph, check out either Apple’s 13.3-inch or 15.4-inch MacBook Pro (http://www.apple.com/ca/macbookpro).The pros boast more powerful graphics cards, faster processors and larger hard drives than the entry-level MacBook.
13.3-inch MacBook Pro ($1,299)
- Slightly faster processor (2.26 Ghz Core Duo)
- Secure Digital Card slot (very handy)
- Backlit keyboard (very handy for dark lecture halls)
15.4-inch MacBook Pro ($2,149)
- Faster processor (2.66 Ghz)
- More RAM (4 Gigs)
- Larger Hard Drive (320 Gigs)
- Faster Graphics Processor (for gaming, video making)
Ultra Portable
I’m likely not the first to say this, but I’ll say it anyway – Netbooks are not adequate replacements for a full-featured laptop or desktop. I’ve used them. They’re great for casual e-mail or quickly surfing the web. But their cramped keyboards, tiny screens and near useless built-in touchpads / pointing devices are a usablity nightmare when it comes to any kind of lengthy work (i.e. writing a term paper).
If you’re interested in a super portable machine that is also the cat’s meow in design, check out the MacBook Air (http://www.apple.com/ca/macbookpro)($1,629)
Refurbs
In addition to the education discounted priced models, Apple also offers great deal of refurbished machines. These reconditioned Macs come with a full one-year warranty (you can also buy the extended warranty) and a significant discount. You can find the latest deals at http://store.apple.com/ca/browse/home/specialdeals/mac
Did I mention the free iPod Touch?
Yep, you read correctly. Right now when you buy a new MacBook or iMac, you can get a free iPod Touch. You can find out more at http://store.apple.com/ca_edu_108267/browse/campaigns/back_to_school.
Wednesday August 12, 2009
David Shipley - 8:26 AM AST
Yesterday wasn't among the most fun days I've had in a while.
While driving back from meetings in Saint John, I put my iPhone 3G on the car seat. When I dropped my rental car back off to the agency, I forgot it in the car.
I didn't realize I was missing the phone until I got home. I quickly called the agency to see if they could search the car. But they had already dispatched it out someone else and were in the process of dropping it off. I tried calling the phone to alert the driver. No answer. Now I was getting really worried.
I drove to the rental agency wondering how I was going to explain to my wife how I had misplaced a $500-$700 phone. Thankfully, the rental agency was able to get a hold of the new renter, who after some digiligent searching, found my phone and actually came back to the agency to drop it off.
I've learned a few painful lessons that day. One - the new find my phone feature in MobileMe doesn't work unless you've turned it on the phone (go to Settings - Mail, Contacts, Calendar - (YourMobileMeAccount) and turn on find my phone. This enables a couple of cool features:
- GPS location for your iPhone
- Ablity to send a large text message with annoyning sound to help you or others find the phone
- Ablity to wipe the phone remotely (warning, doing this will result in the loss of the ablity to find the phone and communicate with it).
And two - it's always a good idea to password lock your phone. The above mentioned find my phone feature can be turned off unless you've password locked your phone.
A special thanks to the rental agency, Enterprise, and their helpful staff along with the really nice gentleman from Jacques Whitford who returned the iPhone.
Monday July 13, 2009
David Shipley - 11:12 AM AST
If there's one thing we can glean from the United Break Guitars video story, it's that customers now matter.
Now ask any company and they'll say that customer have always mattered etc. But the reality is the individual consumer didn't have much of a voice four or five years ago.
The analogy I like to use is this. If I had a beef say with my favourite cookie company because of a bad bag of cookies, four or five years ago if I was upset I might compain to the store I bought them. If I was really mad I might complain to the customer contact line. The problem would likely be resolved with a new bag of cookies.
But if the customer service didn't respond well to my concern, I'd have little recourse.
Nowadays if I'm mad and I don't get satisfication from a company I can rant on my blog, post a video to YouTube or chew out the store / company on my Facebook page.
And then my beef becomes a public beef where others can jump on the bandwagon. And then a customer service issue turns into a PR issue and a brand issue.
And that's what's really cool about social media. Is that it is evolving into an effective check against corporate power and indifference to consumers. It turns consumers back into customers and it puts the service back into customer service.
Wednesday July 1, 2009
David Shipley - 11:29 AM AST
Reading a piece on the Globe and Mail today got me thinking about the Walkman.
I owned several over the years, from the basic version to the ruggidized yellow sports one my folks bought me.
I think moved on to a Discman (but was never totally happy because of disc skipping) before I got my first iPod, a first-generation shuffle.
I've since moved on to a third-generation iPod Video (my last birthday gift from my Mom -my wife also chipped in as well) and of course, an iPhone 3G.
I wonder what will come next. We've come a long way from the dozen or so songs you could hold on a tape or event he 16 or 17 on a CD to the tens of thousands on an MP3 player like the iPod.
I wonder too if Sony can ever climb back to the top or if it is doomed now by its early mistakes and innovation from competitors.
Tuesday June 9, 2009
David Shipley - 6:56 AM AST
Apple's annoucements yesterday were good news for consumers and bad news for a lot of competitors.
The Mac maker's newsmakers included: new, faster and cheaper MacBook laptops as well as the shipping date for the next Mac OS version, Mac OS X Snow Leopard. Snow Leopard is in many ways performance upgrade to Leopard.
And, recognizing that, Apple has priced it at US$29, which is as much a nod to loyal customers as a giant (and perhaps crude) gesture to Microsoft, which is set to launch Windows 7 later this year. Windows 7, like Snow Leopard (although I hate to compare the two OSes) is a performance upgrade. But unlike Apple, Microsoft likely has been planning to charge top dollar for Windows 7.
Now they'll have to think again. (Oh, and on another note, maybe MIcrosoft can take a page from Apple and cut down the 20-some versions of Windows to just one for P.C.'s and one for servers?)
And of course, last but certainly not least, there's a new iPhone/iPod Touch OS coming out on June 17 along with a new, faster iPhone 3G. (Oh and did I mention the previous-gen iPhone 3G is now $100 cheaper - that's got to hurt Palm and RIM).
One particular feature of iPhone OS 3.0 that I'm eagerly awaiting is the ablity to tether the phone to my laptop by either USB or bluetooth so that I can truly have 'net access anywhere I can get a Rogers signal, which in New Brunswick, is pretty decent.
You can learn more about Apple's WWDC annoucement at my favourite Apple site, MacDailyNews.com
