Sunday, November 23, 2014

Boutique Technology

800px-Microsoft_Store_Front
New Store in Town - Pic courtesy of Wikipedia


by Trebor Snillor

ZONED OUT

I’m in about the 6th week of my “allergy from Hell”. My nose runs like a faucet and there is little I can do. I’ve tried every OTC medicine as well as prescription Flonase. The meds knock me out somewhat, so today’s entry may be lacking in quality.

SMALL IS BEAUTIFUL

I like having TV’s in my kitchen and bathroom. I actually do enjoy watching there – both rooms call for a small TV. In the previous age of CRT TV’s I had no problem getting a 9” or 13” TV to suit my needs. Those sets have expired and I’m back looking for replacements. Flat screens inexplicably start at 19” – only Fry’s offers a smaller one from an off-brand. Maybe there’s a technical reason for it.. I may join the ranks of on-line Amazon shoppers in my quest for flat and small. We don’t need a curved, 3-D 70” Samsung Home Theater for every environment.

UNDER THE INFLUENCE

Cold meds have affected my mind such that I can’t really do the story I wanted to do. I was going to examine “Yes Virginia, There is a Santa Clause” from a metaphysical standpoint. In my zonked state, I think I would do a disservice to Virginia, Santa and the Baltimore Sun if I tried that. I will proceed to a “fluff” commercial piece instead. I won’t have to spell metaphysical..

FINALLY, THE MICROSOFT STORE

I went to North Park Mall last week to replace a watch battery. First item of note – the crowd was ridiculous. People were parking in the church parking across the street. People, Black Friday is a ways off – chill out for a week! But one cool thing I noticed was the new Microsoft Store not far from the Apple Store. Apple began opening its own stores @ 15 years ago. They have become iconic, super-slick centers of hipness where creative people of means will drop a cool $2K on a MacBook Pro. Just the people-watching is fun. Steve Jobs is said to have obsessed over the marble and wood used in his stores – as much as he did on the Mac OS interface. Steve’s attention to detail paid off.. the young hipsters in blue Apple tee shirts now preside over a surreal space where people fight to spend top dollar on the latest gizmos.

Microsoft has awakened to the situation.. Technology is no longer just for ham radio operators and dweebs. Technology has become universal, accessible and essential. It has also grown into a dimension hated by engineers but loved by marketers – that of fashion trendiness. A device should be functional but it really needs to be beautiful and stylin’ at the same time. Ignore this dictum and you will be making the AMC Pacer of tablets – or the Studebaker of cell phones. I like Microsoft, I like Apple too. I don’t look upon it as a religion and I enjoy products from both companies. I’m typing this article on an ASUS Windows 8, but checking my emails on an iPhone 5C. Hey people, it’s called balance!  The Microsoft Store doesn’t much try to forge a new style – they read Apple’s playbook. The store is bright, white, modern and minimalist. The sales clerks tend towards young and attractive 20-somethings – and they wear matching red tees.

The tables are piled with excellent loss-leader deals (unlocked Windows phone for $99, HP mini tablet for $99). They also have a giant Xbox area where you can play games on a 10 foot screen. Let me reach into my box of aphorisms: Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and it’s better late than never. I can’t predict how the market will go, but I think Microsoft might’ve caught the right wave. If Kate Spade and Ralph Lauren aren’t designing cases for your gizmos – you’re at risk of dying from technical virtuosity and nerdiness.

CONCLUSION

I’m hyped up from my skinny peppermint mocha with 3 shots of espresso. I probably need to walk it off and contemplate these deep thoughts. Happy Thanksgiving to my regular two readers -- let’s hope that my allergy has lifted in time for my next blog entry.

© 2014 Snillor Productions

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Sunday, November 09, 2014

The Golden iPad

iPadAir2
The Tablet with the Golden Case - Pic courtesy of Apple


by Trebor Snillor

Bored Housewives of Dallas

I just strolled through Crate &Barrel as well as Pottery Barn on the way to my coffee hangout. Both stores are tricked out with Christmas merchandise – no surprise there. What did spark my interest are entire dish sets and bedroom outfits with a Christmas theme… I’m wondering who has enough money, storage and time to redesign their house around a holiday theme. It would probably be a stay-at-home Highland Park wife with giant closets, maid service and money out the wazoo. Nice work if you can get it!

iPads and More

The technology world is changing so fast now, it’s hard to keep up. Microsoft has announced an upcoming Windows 10, as well as free Office for iPads and Androids. Apple just released its 6th generation iPad, the iPad Air 2. So many toys, so little time.. This weekend I got the iPad Air 2 to replace my 1st-gen iPad from 2010. iPad Air 2 is not really that revolutionary, but gives me some good improvements by virtue of waiting so long to get it:

Fast new A8X processor
Retina Display
Slender profile
Light weight
iOS8
Thumb sensor security
New gold color

I’ve had it for two days and it’s like falling in love again. The retina display has deep intensity as well as finer detail. The new device is slightly narrower than the original but has a bigger display. There are several apps that dump you by the wayside if you don’t have the latest OS.. iOS8 should give me a bit more longevity there. I bought a tasteful dark blue Belkin case for it – a new iPad requires accessories.

For whatever reason, I have never been moved to replace my 2008 MacBook. Apple froze it in time with OS X Mountain Lion as the last permitted OS update. My windows PC’s (including this Windows 8 ASUS) give me a world of good performance at a good price. I observed in a previous article that Android/Apple have the consumer market while Microsoft continues to have a lock on the Office arena. That dynamic doesn’t appear to be changing any time right away. The old iPad will probably follow me to work – still find myself liking it. I can pretend to take meeting notes while achieving new levels in Bejeweled.

TODAY

We have beautiful weather although a nasty cold spell is predicted in two days. I’ve been having the “allergies from Hell” for the last couple of weeks. No combination of Anafrin, Vap-O-Rub, cold pills or nasal strips has freed me from the torment. I am currently enjoying having open nostrils the last 90 minutes. I may have to visit the allergist if it gets worse … maybe a nifty, new iPad Air 2 could locate one for me.

© 2014 Snillor Productions

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