The Best of Macworld SF 2006 168
ptorrone writes "We podcasted live, we posted over 100 photos real time via a WiFi camera + EVDO as we walked around and now we've picked the top 5 products we liked the most at Macworld San Fran 2006. It's safe to say our picks aren't likely to be the same ones you'll see in the usual "best of" lists. We gave top marks to products, services and software that we think fit the "Maker" mindset - technology on your time and a bit of news from the future... Here they are..."
Re:Google Earth + SketchUp (Score:4, Informative)
Re:So... only 2 of the 5 things are Mac specific. (Score:5, Informative)
And Sketchup has been a cross platform app for several years. It might have been Windows first, but I can't remember. Oh, and the Google Earth plugin for Sketchup has been available for the Windows version since mid-November.
My favourite (Score:5, Informative)
Re:sensors (Score:3, Informative)
Re:sensors (Score:3, Informative)
Scientists and science students. I spent many many hours of my college life driving/walking/travelling into a field to check the rainmeter and temperature. This would have saved me a ton of time, if I could afford them.
And to emphasize what the other poster said, wireless is very power hungry and would increase the battery requirements by quite a bit. Those little sensors wouldn't be so little anymore.
Re:Google doesn't "get it" (Score:3, Informative)
The dialogs are bundled in the executable instead of being attached as Interface Builder files. There are a bunch of icons, like the "info" icon (i in a speech bubble), take right from Windows 2000. The buttons are placed at the wrong locations in dialogs and the default buttons are not always selected like they should be. There's more but my eyes bleed because of this Windowish UI so I'll just say that it is a beta and stay optimistic.
Windows Media Plugin for Quicktime (Score:5, Informative)
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/pla
Supposedly some incompatibilities with QuickTime 7.04 (released yesterday).
Re:Google Earth + SketchUp (Score:1, Informative)
Re:New Laptop (Score:2, Informative)
1) MacBook Pro? That's what you're calling it?
2) Remote - cool (if of limited use); no cleverly designed place to stow it on/in the laptop - not cool (it will get quickly misplaced)
3) No FW800? I thought this was the pro model?
4) No PC card slot, just ExpressCard? (see #6)
5) No S-Vid out? I have to buy an additional adapter?
6) No modem?? I have to buy the external USB modem. I can't even use a PC card.
But Google wants me to buy it (Score:3, Informative)
If it looks bad it's a damn poor enticement for me to spend more money. Not to mention that parts do not even work, like To and From hardly ever working with addresses that are valid for "Fly To".
Re:Google doesn't "get it" (Score:3, Informative)
I was trying to point out that OSX is not just linux with lots of polish - because it lacks the one of the things that makes linux really great - access to the source.
Your arguments that I don't want the source, have no need for the source, etc are not relevant to this thread.
Now, on to your point.
I think Apple's GUI is way too high-overhead for a portable device, so I think the desirablity of such in embedded environments would be questionable at best.
Embedded is not the same as portable. Wikipedia says [wikipedia.org] An embedded system is a special-purpose computer system, which is completely encapsulated by the device it controls. And lists ATMs, Security monitoring systems and DVD recorders amongst embedded devices. OSX would be suitable for many of these - if you had access to the Aqua source.