Adventure Sandbox

The announcement from the 2007 WWDC regarding EA games on the Mac (Intel only) has finally come true. You can now purchase and pre-order select EA games at the Apple online store and at Apple retail stores. Prices for the games range from 29.95 to 49.95. Immediately available is Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Need for Speed Carbon, Battlefield 2142, and Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars. You can pre-order Madden NFL 08 and Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08, with both currently shipping in 4-6 weeks according to the Apple online store.

If you have a Macbook, you might be disappointed by this announcement however. Reading the system requirements reveals this little gem at the bottom. “Note: This game does not support the GMA950 integrated graphics card.” I checked each game and they all have that note. So if you’re toting a Macbook, you might be out of luck playing these new EA games on your Mac.

Tags: Apple by Kevin
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If you’re an Apple fan who lives OTP up I-85, you should plan to get your credit card warmed up this weekend. On Saturday September 22nd, Apple is opening a new store in the Mall of Georgia. The store opens at 10:00AM, and the first 1,000 customers get a free Apple t-shirt. If I wasn’t going camping this weekend I would probably go.

Tags: Apple by Kevin
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While flipping through the channels tonight, something on E! Entertainment Television caught my eye. Steve Wozniak was being interview by Ryan Seacrest. Steve was the guest of Kathy Griffin, the comedian. Woz and Kathy have been dating recently according to the media and this appearance pretty much confirms it if it wasn’t already. I caught the tail end of the interview, but Ryan seemed to making a fool of himself. He tried to make a joke about something related to Woz being rich but it wasn’t very funny. The below photo was taken from cnn.com (AP Photo).

Tags: Apple by Kevin
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Yes, I’m pissed. Why? Because basically I just rented my cell phone for the last two months for $100 a month. Sounds like a crappy deal huh? Today Apple released a slew of new iPods, and oh-by-the-way-the-iPhone-is-now-$399. Are you kidding me? I knew when I bought it that the next model would be better and cheaper (or better for the same price). I know how fast technology changes and those who embark down the path of early adoption often pay the price for those to come later (I’m looking at you Sony with your Betamax). But did ANYONE see a 1/3 price cut in just over two months for the hottest selling phone of the year?

What can Apple do to erase the feeling of unjust among iPhone users? Of course they are within their right to do absolutely nothing. There were no guarantees about pricing or new models when we all lined up that warm sunny day in June. I’m hoping however that since a precedent has been set before, that Apple will do something for those who feel cheated. At the very least I’d like to see them offer free AppleCare for all early adopters and refund AppleCare if you already purchased it. While that wouldn’t produce a warm and fuzzy feeling, it would at least take the gloom out of an otherwise dank feeling in my stomach.

Update: Looks like Apple heard the complaints and is doing something about it. While it was totally within their right to do absolutely nothing, I’m really happy Apple decided to do something. I feel the $100 credit is a fair offer. Thanks Apple!

Tags: Apple by Kevin
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Backing up your computer is often not a fun and easy task. One company however is trying to make it dead simple to back up your Mac. Mozy, by Berkeley Data Systems, is a simple Mac (they have a Windows client too) application that has a menu which asks what you would like to back up. Check a few boxes for your iPhoto library, iTunes, iCal, Address Book, and a few other applications to get started (see picture below). You can also choose to backup individual folders, all with just a few clicks.

The initial backup will take a number of hours and from then on it backups your changes as you are using your computer (or at a scheduled time if you choose that option). I haven’t noticed any performance hit since I installed Mozy. They also have bandwidth throttling if you are using a slow connection and don’t want your backups taking up too much of your bandwidth. Your files are backed up using 128-bit SSL encryption during transit and there is also encryption on their servers.

If disaster strikes you have a few ways to get your data back. 1) “Simply right-click on the file or folder that you want to restore (e.g.. you want to restore a previous version) and click on the Mozy restore selection).” 2) Use your web browser and select the files you want to restore from your Mozy account and download them to your computer. 3) Request a DVD of your files which will be shipped to you for a fee.

If you don’t mind your files living on someone else’s server, give Mozy a try. You get 2GB of storage space for free and can purchase unlimited space for only $4.95 per month. I use Mozy in combination with SuperDuper as my backup solutions. I now have ease of mind in that if something were to happen to my data, at a minimum I’ll get the important stuff back with no problems.

Tags: Apple, Review, Technology by Kevin
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