Tong Family (richtong.org sync)

9 to 5 Mac | Apple Intelligence Today we learned that new iPhones were found using apps with tracking software in the San Francisco area. The news is not surprising since the same thing has happened around this time of year for the past few years. This is the traditional time that Apple starts testing…

So it wasn’t just me. The iMac Core i5 cames with a cracked screen in the lower left, just like these reports! 27″ Core i7 iMacs Arriving DOA or With Cracked Screens? – Mac Rumors Engadget reports on a growing number of complaints from purchasers of Apple’s high-end 27″ Intel Core i7-based iMac who have…

Well not all is right as rain, my old Rosewill RC-605 uses Silicon Image drivers and won’t run on Snow Leopard, so I got a $20 OWC ExpressCard eSATA and it sort of works, but the driver crashes and the drive disappears on the latest Snow Leopard. How sad. Note that it saysDoes eSATAII Rosewill…

Josh recommended some pieces to me: Samsung UN55B8500. A 55″ flat screen expensive, but the black levels rival plasma Universal Remote Nevo Q50. Expensive at $600, but its easier to use. Man I really just want an iPod Touch to work.

Well all the magic URLs changed when Apptix switched us to Exchange 2007. Here they are: cp.collaborationhost.net. This is the control panel where you can change user name and it also has your detailed configuraiton information mobile.collaborationhost.net. This is the ActiveSync address that you use to sync your iPhone smtp.collaborationhost.net. Where you send mail pop.collaborationhost.net.…

OK, some more recommendations. Mythos SSA-50 is a single bar that projects surround sound. Nice because it is wall mounted and good if you don’t want wires going to the back speakers. TiVo HD. I have an HD XL which is $400. Just never use 1TB worth of disk space. The $250 HD seems fine…

Urban Dictionary: Kimosabe Tonto greets the Lone Ranger with the expression “kemosabe”, which has also been written “Kemo Sabe” or “Kemo Sabhay”. The origin of this expression is somewhat unclear, but James Jewell, an early director of the radio series, said the name comes from a boy’s camp located on Mullett Lake, Michigan that his…

We picked up a new iMac core i5. Man is that 27″ screen wonderful and it is fast. Now for another $200, you get about 5% more performance with the core i7 🙂 Only thing missing is a Bluray drive…It basically shows the new iMac Core i5 is twice as fast as a mid-2009 MacBook…

I’m trying to use a Mac Mini as a server for the Drobo. It is going to run headless. The main issue is that I am trying to use Screen Sharing to access it, but somehow the screen sharing hangs and the application is there, but there is no window. One thing is that the…

The one application I really miss on Windows is a utility that makes it easy to run backups and synchronize important files like all your folders. It is called Beyond Compare and is amazingly fast. I’ve tried a bunch of utilities but they are unsufferably slow on a Mac. So trying again: Bob recommends Rsync…

I’m just amazed at the customer service differences that exist now. I’m willing to bet thy this eventually translates sinto loyal customers and more profits. But distinctions 1. I’m standing at te Apple Store. Bought an iMac. Screen was cracked when I opened it. In PC land this woul have been a disaster. Who do…

It’s been a long time since I’ve lost myself in a computer game, but the story of Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 is just kind of amazing. Piloting snowmobiles, boats and other things is just so cool. What story. Anyway, finally flew through at regular and it was haaard. Now is the time to…

No life is complete without the right gadgets for cooking on Thankgiving. Here are some highly rated ones” Pyrex Bakeware 9 Inch Pie Plate. It is only $4 but Model 6001003 is still the very best for making pies. Get is at shopworldkitchen.com Claphalon Contemporary Stainless Steel Roasting Pan was the best back in 2006…

On the road again and here’s the latest update on the cat and mouse of radar detectors Radar Roy’s Blog The one major drawback with these devices was the mobile photo radar vans that are moved, sometimes on a daily or even hourly basis. Trapster then emerged on the scene, building a social network of…

Netflix coming next month to PlayStation 3 Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. (SCEA) and Netflix, Inc. [Nasdaq: NFLX] today announced that they are joining forces to make thousands of movies and TV episodes from Netflix available to be streamed instantly to TVs via the PlayStation®3 (PS3â„¢) computer entertainment system. Netflix expects to begin streaming via…

Here are lowest prices so far. No word on how reliable these are. MacBook. 2.26GHz. $899 from Onsale ($999 Street) MacBook Air. 1.86GHz. $1400 vs. $1500 from MacMall iMac 27″. 2.66GHz Quad. $1790 vs. $1999 from ClubMac AppleInsider | Mac Pricing Matrix: Find the best prices on Macs AppleInsider’s Mac Pricing Matrix aims to make…

Arrrggggh. I love BMWs and owned them for something lol 15 year for their ultimate-driving-machineness. But ugh i just hate. Hate their maintenance costs and how enormouse pieces fail. A friends seven year old BMW had a coolant light on and a high oil gauge light. Walked in with some lights. Walked out with nearly…

Amazing LED based set is the 55″ Samsung because it has great blacks. Google shopping has it for $4500 list price or from ABT for $4,050 so that is quite a deal. Samsung UN55B8500 Flat-panel TV reviews – CNET Reviews Deeper black levels than any HDTV available aside from Pioneer Kuro; solid shadow detail; reduced…

Monoprice iPhone/iPod Battery Backup: Such a deal The Monoprice Backup battery pack is the simplest of devices. When your iPhone or iPod is running low on juice, just plug this battery pack into the 30 pin connector. You can then either keep running with a fairly large dongle hanging off the bottom of your device,…

You need a doctoral degree to figure out what all these Intel processors are. I’m completely confused myself. Here is an article. But basically, all that Core 2 Duo, Core 2 Quad are going away and you get i3, i5 and i7. Confused yet? More confusing is that the desktop and mobile chips are actually…

So more hard choices, the Core i5 is only available in the iMac available November, but the MacBook Pro and the iMac will presumably get i7 in early 2010, so if can hold on, the i7 seems like a big release. Core i7 (Nehalem) Based MacBook Pros Possible in Q4 2009? – Mac Rumors Tom’s…

I have one of these things but never really used it that much. Mainly because TiVo Transfer is very buggy on the Mac and it is hard to program because you have to be right there. Some solutions for both. TiVo Transfer is replaced by iTiVo and i.TV lets you program your TiVo remotely. TiVo…

Battery powered lamps. Very chic. Neoz.com.au 2tb hard drives. Newegg.com reviewers think the seagate is unreliable. Like the hitachi. Reliability is an issue for these including the WDs. Amazing at $180 for 2tb. Not bad to try with Drobo Pro.

For many folks, the question is a new Windows 7 machine (I haven’t reviewed any of these yet) or get a Mac. Here are current recommendations. First, discounts are hard to come by, but Apple Insider offers 3% or so off. Also, there are sites that help with sales tax as well, but here are…

Cool product intros today in order of coolness: $1000 MacBook is polycarbonate but with glass LED screen and 7 hour battery. Man, what else makes sense to get  Magic Mouse now has a multitouch interface like the iPod Touch and iPhone. Cool gestures iMac 27″ now has the Intel i5 which of course has 4…

OK, so the fall is here and time to buy things (when isn’t it?). So here is an early Xmas list: Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1. This is the camera to get for something that is light and portable that you can throw into your bag and travel three continents (hint!). 12 megapixels, fast autofocus that is…

OK, got three bluetooth things and after two weeks here is where they are: Motorokr T505. This thing is amazing. It is a hockey puck that you put in your car. Seems to have a really long battery and is an incredibly good speakerphone. I don’t know how they do it, but it sounds good…

Time Capsule failures lead to opening of virtual cemetery – Ars Technica No one is really sure how widespread the problem is, but it has been enough of an issue for one individual to start a website dedicated to cataloging the failures. The Apple Time Capsule Memorial Register collects Time Capsule serial numbers, date of…

Two cool new apps for iPhone 3GS owners only: Layar and Cardreader | 9 to 5 Mac Layar ($FREE – iTunes link), the Augmented Reality program we profiled when it was for Android only. It needs the compass of the 3GS to navigate the Augmented reality world created with the iPhone’s camera. It enters the…

9 to 5 Mac | Apple Intelligence t continues to vex many of us that we can’t print from our iPhone – surely it would be a simple matter to enable printing over WiFi or Bluetooth? Now you can, thanks to EuroSmartz new app, “Print” ($3.99), which joins the company’s popular “Print n Share” app…