MacVintage.com

So you’re a fan of the iPhone and every software update has brought about new functions and made the iPhone better like cut and paste or spotlight search with iOS 3.

And as there were not many problems with the earlier iOS software updates, your iPhone was quickly upgraded to iOS 4 the moment it was launched.

Now you’re slapping yourself thinking what have I done? The iPhone 3G is now crawling at a snails pace.

The temporary fix is to reset the phone while the other option is to downgrade from iOS 4 back to iOS 3 as discovered and detailed by other iPhone 3G users around the world.

To reset the phone, press the home button together with the sleep button and hold it there till the iPhone shuts off and begins to restart before letting go the buttons. Don’t worry about the information on the iPhonee as data is not lost with a reset.

Rebooting probably clears the memory and possibly any cache. In my experience, it did help at times when the phone was extremely sluggish. However, it does not bring back the same level of response from ios3.

The next option is to downgrade the iPhone 3G from ios4 to ios3.1.3 if you prefer speed over the added functions.

Instructions can be found here. For me, I’m going to get the new iPhone 4 although there seems to be a big issue over the reception at the moment and restore the iPhone 3G when I find some spare time.

Before I upgraded my iPhone 3G to the latest iOS 4, there were many pages of apps which made it frustrating to quickly find the app I wanted.

This problem was partially solved with iOS 3 as it brought spotlight search function from the mac OS X to iPhones. So instead of manually flicking through pages of apps, a few taps of the virtual keypad and I could launch the app from the search result.

However, this did not solve the problem of sorting and arranging the apps easily for people who like to keep things systematic.

As with all new products and software, never upgrade immediately for there is a high probability of issues with a 1st generation product. In this instance, the promise of folders, unified mailbox and dictionary proved far too tempting to wait it out.

After upgrading to iOS 4, the iPhone 3G became as slow it brought back memories of using a HP Jornada running Microsoft Windows CE from the beginning of the millennium. How was it possible for Apple to release the iOS 4 for the iPhone 3G when it created such a terrible user experience?

Perhaps it was meant to be a compelling reason to encourage users to upgrade to the iPhone 4. Bottom line is don’t upgrade if you have an iPhone 3G.

The Mac Mini was first introduced in 2005 with a G4 1.25 ghz or 1.42 ghz processor and ATI Radeon 9200 graphics with 32 mb of DDR SDRAM. It only had one memory slot making upgrade options highly limited. Towards the end it was shipped with a G4 1.5 ghz processor shortly before it was replaced by the Intel based Mac Mini in 2006.

With the move to Intel processors, the Mac Mini form factor remained but now have a Intel Core Solo 1.5 ghz or Core Duo 1.66 ghz processor with an Intel GMA950 graphics. It uses shared memory up to 64 mb from the available memory in the two ram slots. Both models sold for  SGD 948  and 1249 respectively. It was later upgraded to Core Duo 1.66 ghz and 1.83 ghz.

The Mac Mini was the last in the entire Apple line to switch to the faster Core 2 Duo processors with a C2D 1.83 ghz or 2 ghz processor.

In 2009, the mac mini graphics was improved with a Nvidia 9400m chip supporting up to 256 mb of shared memory.  It was only available with a Core 2 Duo 2 ghz processor and an optional upgrade to 2.26 ghz.

Within that year, the Mac Mini range widened to became available with a Core 2 Duo processor at 2.26 ghz or 2.53 ghz. A new Mac Mini Server was introduced omitting the optical drive for a second hard disk and came with Snow Leopard Server instead priced at SGD 1588.

After 4 years, the Mac Mini finally got a new redesign. The case was now a unibody with easy access panel to the memory. The graphics was also upgraded to a Nvidia Geforce 320m. Prices for the entry level model was raised from SGD 948 to SGD 1088. The Server edition remains at SGD 1588.

Today at the World Wide Developer Conference (WWDC), Steve Jobs announced the iPhone 4. It is similar to the leaked photos of the prototype that surfaced a few weeks earlier.

Continuing in the same material and colour scheme of the earlier iPhone 3GS and current iMacs, it is available is glossy black or white with an aluminium frame.

Although there were additional features such as video calling via wifi dubbed Face Time, the capacity of the iPhone 4 remains the same as the current offering of 16gb and 32gb for the iPhone 3GS.

Perhaps Apple did not want to make the iPad appear to have so little storage as it currently tops out with a 64gb model. Also, this allows Apple to introduce an iPhone 4G or 4GS a year later with higher memory like the iPhone 3G and 3GS.

With my iPhone 3G approaching 2 years of age, I will definitely be upgrading to the iPhone 4. For current users of iPhone 3GS, it may not be such a must have upgrade as the iPhone 4 OS dubbed iOS 4 will be available as a free upgrade on 21st June 2010. In fact, this upgrade is also free for users of the iPod Touch whom had to pay for earlier OS upgrades.

As promised yesterday, here are the pictures of the Apple Lisa.

Bubble wrapped

Front View

When I purchased it from eBay, the seller posted under item description as faulty for it could not be turned on. Due to the scarcity of the Apple Lisa outside of USA, a bidding war broke out minutes before the auction ended.

Fast forward two years later and here it was. After removing the bubble wrap, I plugged the power cord in and crossed my fingers. Hit the little bottom on the bottom right and to my surprise, it actually lighted up with the sound of a hard disk whirring to life in the background.

Hello

Fuzzy Screen

After adjusting the screen, the image was still split in three and I could not make out what was on the screen. Does anyone have any idea if it’s an error message or part of the boot up. One thing to note, I did not plug in the keyboard or mouse at this point.

Serial Number

Model Number

The serial and model number tags are located beneath the computer. I tried to do a search online but could not find out much information about this Apple Lisa. So if anyone knows how to decode the serial number to find out the manufacture date and other facts, do leave a comment.

Side Profile

Rear Access Panel

Near the top of the rear access panel are two metal knobs to access the innards of the Apple Lisa. There are three expansion slots on the left but none are installed for this particular machine. Interestingly, there is a port for video out which is the left rectangular connector.

Open Sesame

Inside the Apple Lisa

There were three variations of the Apple Lisa sold. The first was the Apple Lisa 1 which came with twin ‘twiggy’ floppy drives. These are really expensive as it is very rare for Apple provided free upgrades to the Apple Lisa 2. When paying more than $10,000 for one of these, you can be sure most people would have sent their Apple Lisa 1 to be upgraded to a Lisa 2.

Apple Lisa 2 has only one 3.5 inch 400k floppy drive. Towards the end of the production run, the Lisa 2 was marketed as the Macintosh XL and could run system 6 through emulation.

Any Apple Lisa technicians out there? I guess the first step is to fine tune the screen to see exactly what’s it trying to display. Perhaps there’s a way to plug in an external display through the rear video port? Any tips or help will be much appreciated.

Yesterday I received a call saying the Apple Lisa has arrived and delivered by the shipping company.

2 years ago, I bought this Apple Lisa on eBay and it has been sitting in storage. The cost of shipping it back was too expensive and so it was with someone I knew in Sydney.

Approximately 2 months ago, someone was relocating and shipping a lot of stuff back. Through the generosity of this person, the Apple Lisa managed to sneak a ride back.

I will be picking the Apple Lisa up tonight. Will post some pictures later.

Apple first introduced their portable personal computing device with the Newton Original Message Pad or Newton OMP.

The first model was a large PDA and the home screen looks similar to the iPhone. There were rows and columns of applications with the bottom reserved for navigation and built in programs like calander and mail.

The killer feature it had over other PDAs was hand writing recognition. Apple thought the Newton could replace a paper diary and organiser for taking notes in lectures or meetings and managing time.

As it turned out, the handwriting recognition software was not quite ready to hit the market. This was quickly fixed in subsequent models. Apple continued introducing upgraded models including an education model called the eMate which looked like a laptop and ended the line in 1997 with the Newton Messagepad 2100.

In a market with lower cost and smaller devices like the Palm Pilot and the fiaso of the poor handwriting recognition during launch etched in consumer minds, Apple pulled the plug on the Newton with a minority group who love their Newtons petitioning against the decision.

Before the news to discontinue the Newton Messagepad, I was in the midst of moving to a new place. The timing of the move also meant a 6 month stay in a rental apartment before the new place was ready.

My main computing device was an aging 486DX running windows 95. I had seriously considered switching to using a Newton MP 2100. It would take up less space and be easier to move instead of the bulky CRT and CPU.

The Newton was available with the option of an external keyboard for input besides the on screen keyboard and hand writing recognition with a stylus. It could access email and web pages although the screen was monochrome. There were programs for word processing and other applications.

Since I hardly do any gaming, the Newton MP 2100 seemed to be all I needed for a computing device. A device the size of a paperback novel that could almost replace a desktop. Now that’s what I really consider a personal computer.

Many people first compared the Newton to the iPhone and iPod Touch. But we believe it is closer to the iPad.

Through advancement in technology, Apple has in a way brought back the Newton in the form of the iPad. Will the iPad be a success or fade into technology heaven like the Newton?

The key reason we believe it will be a success is because the technology and also consumers are ready for such a product.

Millions of people have used the multitouch interface on the iPhone and iPod Touch and Apple was able to thoroughly improve and test the software implementation. These devices were also at a lower price bracket which was within reach to most consumers. After people are familier with how to use it, they will find it easier to buy and use an iPad.

In the past with the Newton, applications had to be installed from a computer. Today with iTunes and the App Store, the iPad can connect directly to the Internet and download programs and more importantly access the wealth of music, videos and news. It’s this ease of use that will make the iPad ride the wave created by the iPhone and iPod Touch.

Since I already have an iPhone and no iPod Touch, the iPad is on my list of gadgets to buy. In fact, I have already found myself relying more on my iPhone to check emails, facebook and update blogs than on my MacBook. With 9 hours spent almost continually in front of the computer, I just want to chill out on my sofa and watch some TV when I get home. With VNC installed on the iPad it could also access my MacBook to do stuff that the iPad can not handle all from the comfort of my couch.

Got to start saving up for the iPad.

Two years ago, an Apple Lisa 2 that could not be powered on was listed on eBay.

As it was located in Sydney and not halfway across the globe in USA, a frantic bidding war broke out during the last few minutes and we won the auction for the Apple Lisa 2.

The seller dropped off the Apple Lisa 2 with someone I knew in Sydney to save on the shipping cost. It has been sitting wrapped up in storage for the last 2 years until today where it was packed and awaiting the freight company to pick it up.

Can’t wait to finally see it after such a long wait.

The prices for a dedicated GPS have dropped over time and it is now possible to buy it for as low as $300 dollars.

I’ve always wanted to get one but felt that it would not be fully utilised. After all, in little sunny Singapore it’s almost impossible to get lost. Just keep heading straight and you’ll come across a sign directing to one of the expressways.

Over the long Christmas and New Year break, we decided to cross the borders for a short get away to Malacca in Malaysia. So instead of buying a map, I finally pulled the trigger to get a GPS. Since I already have an iPhone 3G with a built in GPS, the cheapest route was to purchase a GPS navigation app.

There are a few GPS apps available on the iTunes app store by TomTom, Sygic and Ndrive. The reviews I read on other blogs about these apps compared showed that Sygic included maps of Singapore, Malaysia and even Thailand while TomTom only included maps of Singapore and Malaysia.

So from a cost to value ratio, the Sygic app seems the better choice. However, since I don’t think I will be driving up to Thailand, I decided to get the TomTom app. The current version is 1.2 and people who bought the earlier 1.0 version have been getting free updates. I’m not sure if map updates will be free as the software update seems to be for resolving bugs and improving certain features.

After buying the TomTom GPS app, I found that it included maps of Brunei. In fact after my holiday and a bit more post purchase research, the Sygic app actually includes maps of Indonesia and Brunei too. That’s a total of 5 countries.

Before setting off for Malacca, the iphone was placed in a cradle on the dashboard of the car and it quickly located the GPS signal and locked on to my current location. I then added my home address into the app for quick future navigation home.

Next, the navigation icon was selected and the Malaysia map was selected. I typed in Malacca and it prompted for the street. ‘Tun’ was entered and the correct street ‘ Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lok’ together with a few other street names was listed. I selected the correct street name and it quickly analysed and found the correct route.

It did prompt that toll road would have to be used as the crossing over the boarder requires a fee. The ‘use toll roads’ was selected and off we go.

Navigation was clear as it indicated the number of meters to the next turn. The voice prompt also guides the drive to switch lanes early in preparation of the next exit.

However, we quickly hit a small problem. Shortly after crossing the causeway, the GPS indicated the correct way to hit the North South highway was to go straight. At that junction, the road ahead had been blocked off with temporary barricades with a detour sign directing traffic to the left.

We followed the road signs but the GPS kept prompting to make a u-turn when possible. After following the road signs for another few minutes, the GPS finally recalculated the route and guided us to the North South highway correctly. Actually, at this point of time, no GPS was really necessary as the road signs were quite clear.

During the rest of the trip, the GPS worked properly and we did not encounter any further differences between the GPS map and the actual roads. The battery on the iPhone 3G ran low after about 3 hours. However, it has to be noted that the iPhone 3G was already more than a year old. A car kit with a charger is a must for longer drives like this.

For places like Malaysia with different states, it is logical for finding the address or street where you are heading starting with country, state and then the street name. However, for places like Singapore, it is difficult for to enter the name of the town. After all, Singapore is a small country and most people refer directly to the street name and not the town where the street is located. It would be great if we could easily search for the street name directly instead of entering the name of the town first.

It’s my first time using a GPS navigation product and it’s been kind of interesting. If did help to remind me when I exceeded the speed limit and avoid getting a ticket on the way when many other cars were pulled over for speeding at a hidden speed camera. The screen of the iPhone is smaller and is a bit difficult to browse the map. Moreover, the entering of the destination address was a little trickier than expected.

The price at $59 is not too expensive but could probably buy quite a few maps or street directories. Perhaps if I had more time to do a little research before my purchase, I would have bought the Sygic GPS app. Let’s hope they update the destination entry system soon.

It is quite common for people to own multiple devices and it is difficult to ensure files are properly syncronised and backed up. A possible scenario is trying to keep data accessed easily across a desktop at home, personal laptop or netbook, office workstation and perhaps a smart phone or work issued laptop.

So for those who don’t want to read my random babbling and frustrations, scroll down to the end to see the table of various online backup services compared.

For me, I actively use a MacBook, iPhone and Dell desktop running windows XP at work. That’s excluding the many other Macs around used casually for internet surfing, iTunes streaming and fiddling with.

In the last few years, I’ve been upgrading the hard drives approximately every 1 to 2 years and each time, the capacity increases about double. The MacBook came with 80 gb which was replaced with a 250 gb and now 500 gb hard drive.

With each digital camera upgrade, my photo file sizes have increased as a result of a greater number of pixels quickly filling up all that space.

So it seems like after all the increase in storage, I’m still running out of space. While I am trying to figure out a better backup system, from an external drive running time machine backups from the Macs running leopard and cloning for the older Macs, I came across dropbox.com.

It’s a free service with options to pay for more storage space beyond the free 2 gb. A software is installed on the most often used computers. Any files stored in a special folder will be automatically synced to the dropbox.com server and accessible by the other computers when online. It can also be accessed from any computer with an internet access though their website.

It’s not going to backup my entire almost full 500 gb hard drive but it’ll be a useful tool to keep track of my work related files. As I often lose my flash drives, I starting emailing files back and forth which was a little clumsy. I eventually used the Air Sharing app on my iPhone by Avatron. It allows easy access from my office windows box to copy files to my iPhone and once home onto my MacBook.

However, this process results in confusing versions and files scattered everywhere. So the idea of using this service to keep my often used files backed up and in sync was great. Moreover, there will be no possibility of losing data and flash drives which could have great implications for sensitive data. For example projects in progress that have yet to be realised or private and confidential client data.

After a bit of googling, here’s the summary of some of the available free online storage.

I have not tried all the different products listed above so if you’ve tried any of the services, please leave some comments and share your views.