Editorials - SlashGear

Posts Tagged ‘editorials’

Jobs v. Gates: Icons of a Media War

By Brenda Stokes on Wednesday, Jul 30th 2008 9 Comments

mac v pc 303x400 It’s been around a long time. The Microsoft-Apple war. People on both sides of the fence argue until they’re foaming at the mouth about “who is better.” The media has even poked fun at it but Apple has full on embraced it with the Mac and PC Guys in commercials. That being said, these CEO icons are no longer really at war, and even though Microsoft still pushes more units each year, Apple is the clear winner.

As much as I hate to admit it, Steve Jobs is the jock. He’s the cocky guy that knows he’s the best and most of the time, he’s right. Bill Gates is the nerdy type with a chip on his shoulder. He knows he’s smart and he wants to let you know too. Both guys lack social decorum, but one comes out on top as the victor time and time again, and that’s Steve Jobs.

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He Said, She Said: Is an Apple UMPC more likely than a MacBook Touch?

By Chris Davies and Brenda Stokes on Wednesday, Jul 30th 2008 10 Comments

With all the Apple rumors over the past week or so, Brenda and I were discussing whether we’d rather see a grown-up iPod Touch-style UMPC from the company, or a full-sized MacBook Tablet. As a Tablet PC user in the past, I’m a sucker for the full-sized option running OS X; Brenda is more keen on something super-portable that will kick Microsoft’s UMPC format into the dust. In the end, we decided to argue it out online and give SlashGear readers the chance to throw in their opinions too; we’re calling it “He Said, She Said” and you can read our thoughts (and leave your own) after the cut.

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The Rise of the Webisode (Or, Why Neil Patrick Harris is Awesome)

By Brenda Stokes on Tuesday, Jul 29th 2008 No Comments

I know I’m behind a bit here, but I finally got around to downloading and watching the web musical, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog yesterday and it got me thinking. First of all, I was impressed. This is a web-only production with recognizable actors, original music and direction by Joss Whedon (the brain behind everything Buffy, Firefly, etc). Second, as if I needed any more evidence, Neil Patrick Harris is awesome as the villainous Dr. Horrible. (“Muahaha…ahahaha, so that’s you know, coming along”).

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It’s Always a Fembot: Why I Can’t Take Robot Tech Seriously

By Brenda Stokes on Tuesday, Jul 29th 2008 3 Comments

The promise of improved robot technology is exciting. There are so many options there. But when I see things like the Actroid DER-2 I can’t help but feel a bit queasy. First of all, she’s creepy. Second, it looks as if she may run off of her platform and starting killing people. Well, not really, but she’s a bit frightening, don’t you think? And third, she’s a fembot. Of course. It’s always a “she,” isn’t it? You never see any male prototypes, do you?

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Where is the Clone Mac’s potential audience?

By Chris Davies on Tuesday, Jul 29th 2008 1 Comment

With Apple stoking the legal furnaces, Psystar facing the prospect of recalling each and every OS X clone machine they’ve sold, and Open Tech Inc. promising yet another EULA workaround, you could say we’re approaching a licencing milestone. Apple could be walking out of court with a watertight grip on OS X, or its EULA might be picked apart. But putting aside the terms & conditions, I’m left wondering exactly who would comprise the market for even a licenced OS X machine.

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Connection Headaches: When will cars catch up?

By Chris Davies on Tuesday, Jul 29th 2008 1 Comment

How much praise does a manufacturer want for a aux-in socket? Read through either the marketing for a new car, or a car review, and there’s generally an unusually large amount of interest heaped on the stereo having an input for your PMP. Contrast that, say, with one of our own reviews – a notebook, perhaps, or a cellphone – where the progress from one generation of devices to the next is often surprising; why are the car manufacturers so slow to catch up?

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Opinion – The Helpful Hinderance of Technology

By Brenda Stokes on Monday, Jul 28th 2008 No Comments

people chatting I love my laptop. My cell phone is great and all the software I have is super helpful. I enjoy getting text messages, instant messages and e-mails. The occasional phone call is nice, too. And while all of these technologies are helpful and a lot of fun, they can prove to be a real distraction throughout the day.

It’s funny how the things that are meant to help us do our work faster and more efficiently are the very same things that cause distraction and delays. I mean, how many times have you found yourself on the phone with someone for a half an hour, just to get the answer to a simple question? Or what about the never-ending e-mail reply chain? Yeah, I’ve been there too.

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Editorial – Jobs Really Is Apple

By Brenda Stokes on Monday, Jul 28th 2008 3 Comments

225px steve jobs An article in the NYTimes this past Saturday is sparking controversy. You know how everyone’s been speculating about Steve Job’s health? Did the cancer come back? Why is he so thin? He owes stockholders the answers to these questions. Or, at least, that’s what some are posturing.

Even so, it seems like an invasion of privacy. And while PR reps for Apple continuously said, “Steve’s heath is a private matter,” Jobs set the record straight himself, though off the record, with NY Times columnist Joe Nocera. Jobs called up the columnist and said:

This is Steve Jobs,” he began. “You think I’m an arrogant [expletive] who thinks he’s above the law, and I think you’re a slime bucket who gets most of his facts wrong.

Yikes. I don’t know what I’d do if I got a call like that. But nevertheless, Nocera seemed to have kept his cool and reports that while Jobs had more than a “common bug” his condition was not life threatening and he was cancer free. This is all good news, right?

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Commentary: Technology Has Gone High Fashion

By Brenda Stokes on Friday, Jul 25th 2008 2 Comments

What’s the first thing you notice when looking to buy a new piece of technology? Do you see if it falls within your budget? What about the spec list? Do you go over that in detail? And though these aspects are an important part of any technological buying decision, there’s one that beats them all. You ask yourself one question and if the answer is no, you won’t buy it. That question is: “Is it pretty?”

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You Can Be Green and Tech

By Brenda Stokes on Friday, Jul 25th 2008 2 Comments

Will all the talk going around about how “going green” is a fad due to media saturation and its status as pretty much a buzz word, I started thinking about how environmentalism affects technology. Are they mutually exclusive? While the very essence of the green lifestyle is natural, technology is its polar opposite. It is man made, created and unnatural.

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