technosexual.

Well, I just recently purchased a MacBook Air… something I swore to myself I would never do, because there was limited functionality, however, lo and behold, the MacBook Air’s functionality was overwhelming compared to its specs.  The storage space you can “leech” onto in PCs and the disk drives that you can “latch on to” in PCs is an amazing feature that I think Steve Jobs and the Apple team did an excellent job developing.  This feature has actually allowed me to fully network my three Windows computers successfully with my Mac, making it a very powerful network for my web and graphic design company.

I have to admit though, Leopard is probably the most amazing operating system I have ever used.  I just opened the MacBook Air, plugged it in and turned it on and it started immediately.  There was no red tape like there is with Windows Vista and no craziness to deal with like setting things up and things failing left and right.  I simply turned it on, it played an awesome welcome video in about 10 different languages and then led me straight into the computer’s set up. 

I put in my Apple ID from my iTunes account and the computer automatically recognized my name, my address, and my e-mail address and set all of that up for me.  It also just asked me for my language and wireless network and I was on my way.  OS X Leopard had configured the entire notebook for me in a little under 2 minutes and was up and running.  I was really impressed seeing as how I’ve set up numerous Windows computers and it took at least 10 to 15 minutes to get through the initial set up.

In addition, I’m used to the wireless networks failing miserably on Windows Vista due to its inherent incapability with certain networks.  On my newest computer, a Sony Vaio, operating Windows Vista Ultimate, I had to use “Run as administrator” for several programs, which I became rather frustrated with… one of which was The Sims 1.  I was kind of frustrated, to say the least.

However, I’m in love with my Mac and I recommend that every Windows user switch.  I was mad at first because everything was so simple, but I finally got around to just making it all work and I got the hang of it.  I really enjoy it now… :) 

Okay, so the newest thing that I’ve stumbled across on the internet is the Windows Live SkyDrive, an online virtual drive chock full of 5 GB and personalized folders that is easily accessible anywhere in the world.  I have been searching for a virtual drive for sometime that I could store some security sensitive information on, like tax documents, etc., and I figured that none other than the SkyDrive would prove to be efficient for such purposes.

As a web and graphic designer, I’m constantly updating computers and losing my information, so in an effort to keep it all, I either have to back it up on an external hard drive, which sometimes can cost a small fortune, or I can just simply upload it to my new SkyDrive.  The SkyDrive has proven to be a valuable asset to me in the world of graphic and web design and could be to anyone who needs to store information that they are willing to put on a “backup” drive of sorts.

It’s connected to your Windows Live account (formerly known as a Microsoft Passport account) and is free of charge at http://skydrive.live.com/.

I have just recently completed The Sims Stories collection by adding The Sims Pet Stories to my computer’s hard drive.  Now, if you’re a diehard Sims fan like I am, you will understand the importance of completing the collection.  Currently, my 300 GB hard drive is home to The Sims 1 (Entire Collection - all 7 expansion packs and some added objects from various websites and creators on the internet), The Sims 2 (Entire Collection [to date] - all 6 expansion and stuff packs and I’m eagerly awaiting the addition of The Sims: Freetime), and now The Sims Life Stories, The Sims Pet Stories, and The Sims Castaway Stories.

I’m impressed with how Electronic Arts and Maxis decided to make each one of the “Story” versions laptop friendly.  It definitely helps when you’re sitting there playing to get a pop-up telling you your battery is low since you can’t see the indicator unless you’re in Windowed Mode (and who can play The Sims in Windowed Mode?)

I also like the fact that it runs better on laptops than its big brother, The Sims 2.  The Sims 2 is a gigantic beast of a game.  I know there are bigger games but for a simulator, this is huge!  It’s not as bad as most, but still, the concept is just still too ridiculous.  However, considering the features this game has, it’s a little impossible not to ask for a few GB of hard drive space.

Well, as the cookie crumbles, The Sims Stories collection does as well.  Drawbacks of the newer versions include limited availability to download and place custom objects into the game and limited choices in the game as to what you can put in your houses.  Technically, it’s like having  The Sims 2 base game with no frills except for one expansion pack added in that makes it a little bit more fun.

I enjoy all of The Sims games, including the Stories collection.  They’re all recommended buys, but right now The Sims Pet Stories is only $19.99 at selected retailers around the United States and Canada.  Jump on it quick to get exposed.

Okay, so if Vista wasn’t enough hell to put everyone in the computing world through, Microsoft has unveiled its plans through a beta form for Windows 7. Please, someone take my wrists and slash them for me. Vista has been a NIGHTMARE for me since the early beta testing phases, just as everyone predicted it would be. I don’t understand why everytime there’s a stable operating system, Microsoft has to screw everyone over, bring out some new shiny toy and then tell everyone it’s so secure when it’s LESS secure than the old operating system!

Well Windows 7, so far, looks almost nearly identical to Windows Vista, with almost no change graphically. This YouTube video below will show you the utter travesty in action. Please, don’t cry. It’ll be okay, Microsoft is only trying to piss us off one more time before releasing Service Pack 35 to the operating environment for Vista.

So, let’s all hang ourselves, shall we? The new core is out for testing. How many more Windows do we honestly need before we all start converting to Mac OS X?

This is kind of random, but I thought it was funny and the guy definitely deserves a high-five for his ingenuity.

Well, I don’t think Apple really expected the iPod Touch to be as unpopular as it really is, but I think it has potential if they would just… expand it a little bit.  By expansion, I mean, give me more room!  I need more room for my videos, podcasts, and music!  I think the iPod touch is a great alternative for those of us who don’t have AT&T and can’t afford to pay a $175 deactivation fee from their current carrier to switch to the iPhone.  It’s an interesting little toy that I absolutely adore playing with, but to be frank, it lacks some things that I would really like to see a future iPod Touch have. 

For instance, the Zune has a built in AM/FM radio.  I wish I had a built-in AM/FM radio that would be easy to configure on my iPod Touch.  (I had a Zune, once upon a time, but unfortunately my ex-roommate stole it and I will probably never see the likes of it again.  She was white and her name was Calysta.  Oh how I continue to long for Calysta.)  In any case, the Zune’s radio is pretty much the only feature I miss about it.  Other than that, I don’t really care for another Microsoft-made media player.  It just doesn’t suit my fancy.

Apple has done a great job with the iPod Touch, but like I said, they need to add some more functionality.  The thing is practically a PDA on steroids.  It’s potential could be greatly increased by simply adding a few new features.  However, I have to give Apple some credit on this one, they did add a few new features in the January Update that pretty much turned the Touch into the iPhone without the phone function.  The Touch is now pretty much a downgraded iPhone with a little bit more functionality.  You can even change the icons around to the way you want them as well as remove items from the dock.  Apple’s addition of the new applications has done a great deal for me in the sense that I can now do more with the device that I did in the beginning.  Just connect me to a WiFi network and that little thing is buzzing with information in its built-in Safari web browser and the iTunes Store is getting tons of my business with the latest song downloads.

One thing I wish that Apple would add is games.  Just add a gaming feature to that thing.  That’s all you need and you have completely BLOWN the Zune out of the water.  The new Zunes have some capability to load Halo and things like that.  We need something new Apple!  Beat Microsoft!  You can do it in the gadget world!  You’ve done it consistently with the iPod!