Apple Thoughts - News & Reviews on all things Apple

"If you can't get a signal in Manhattan, blame AT&T. They've pretty much admitted that their network in New York is completely inadequate, and now, three years in, they're taking some concrete steps to alleviate the problem - for tourists, at least."

According to the AT&T press release, the hot zone is in the "north central part of Times Square, near 7th Avenue between 45th and 47th Street, to provide a large outdoor hotspot zone that AT&T users can access using any Wi-Fi enabled device." Hope they are ready for overload.

"We live for speed. We want faster, faster, faster. Whether its speeding between destinations or exercising our creative computing muscles, we want faster file transfers, faster synching, faster wireless."

And to that end, Intel (with some assistance from Apple) has Light Peak, a 10Gbps optical technology that should be to market in 2011, which hopefully will replace USB, HDMI, etc. The other news today is that Wi-Gig will also offer fast speeds, 7 gigabits per second in the 60 Mhz Ghz range. Apple has been an early adopter/leader in technology so I don't doubt we may be seeing some of this technology in their products in the near future. You can learn more about Light Peak at their site, and for Wi-Gig info check out www.wigig.org.

"Having some problems with your iPad's WiFi connection? Apple's aware of the problem, and has some ideas on how to fix them. According to Apple, the iPad might not automatically rejoin known WiFi networks using third-party routers that are dual-band capable (802.11 b/g and 802.11 n) when each band's network uses the same name or use different security settings."

Image Credit: www.psdgraphics.com

Of course the first step to the solution with any problem is to admit you have a problem, which Apple has done fairly quickly by posting this support article. An Apple employee has also posted an FAQ on the wireless problem with possible fixes at the discussion forums on Apple. I haven't experienced this yet but I know some of you have, so here are some resources to hopefully help you. 

"Along with yesterday's release of OS X 10.6.2, Apple issued a small update for their wireless aluminum keyboards, which allows users to utilize the one-touch function controls. The update is specifically for 10.5.8 users, since Apple has included this update in the latest version of Snow Leopard for 10.6.x users."

You can get the update via Software Update or by going direct to Apple.

"It's all about networking they say, from Twitter feeds to your LinkedIn connections to Facebook to a truly good-looking deal on a Brother network printer."

The deal on the Brother HL-2170W 23ppm Laser Printer with Wireless and Wired Network Interfacesis a pretty good one ($89.99 USD down from $299.00 USD) if you are looking for a wireless or wired networkable black and white printer. The replacement cartridges are also on sale so it works out to about 5 cents per sheet if you use Brother TN330 Black Toner Cartridge, or a bit less if you use the 2,500 sheet Brother TN360 High Yield Black Toner Cartridge.

"The Powermat range of wireless charging products we first spied at CES 2009 are now available for purchase. The system consists of a plug in charging mat and a receiver embedded in a cover for your portable device that allows you to "drop and charge" without having to to fiddle with cords as well as simultaneously charge multiple devices."

This is a rather cool idea, but even though it is wireless, you still have to have the case adapter for it to work correctly. You can buy the adapter for the iPhone 3G and iPod Touch for $40.00 USD, and decide if you want the regular mat for home or the folding mat for travel. Either way, the mat will cost you $99.00 USD. Blackberry isn't left out as they have a special battery door adapter available for $30.00 USD which fits the Bold, Pearl, Curve, 8300 and 8900.

"While some cell phone manufacturers professed to always having a user-focused approach, others admitted that the Apple iPhone was "a wake up call" to increase their focus on the user experience, according to a new report by the analyst firm, Strategy Analytics."

I've said it a million times, but as time moves on it's becoming more and more apparent that it's true: the iPhone isn't a success because it introduced hundreds of new features. It's a success because it took features that were already out there and made them accessible, usable, and reliable for most of the people who use it. For a textbook example, check out YouTube uploads from the 3GS. Symbian phones have been able to do it forever, but now people are actually doing it from their phones in much larger numbers.

It isn't about having a touch screen, having a camera, or having video capture. It's about making those features usable enough that people actually say "You know what? I think I'm gonna check that out." It's the one thing that, through numerous lumps on their heads, the other companies are learning.