Thomas Nicholson

I bought my first Mac back on the 4th of July.  I’ve wanted one for a while but couldn’t justify the money for just a “computer.”  After Apple made the recent price cuts it was actually cheaper for me to buy my 13” MacBook Pro then the Lenovo T400s I was looking at with the same spec’s and with my educational discount.

I can do everything on my Mac that I did on my PC, so with the exception of buying all new software for my Mac its been a wash.  I’ve made the decided to reevaluate some of the software I was using and have tried some new programs.  I try to go “native” when possible.  For example I don’t run Office for Mac, I run Works.  I can do all the same Office stuff I did before, including collaborating on files, without missing a beat.  Also since I’m not an Office “power user” Works has all the features I need.

With respect to the hardware it’s pretty damn good.  I wanted something bigger than my 8.9” netbook but still portable.  I thought about getting the 15” MBP but couldn’t justify the extra money when I have a 22” LCD at home.  The 17” has some nice features like the matte screen and ExpressCard slot but I would never spend that much for a laptop even if I had it.  The battery life is pretty awesome but I think any laptop with LiPoly batteries would be great too.  I get about 6 hrs of battery life running multiple VM’s and driving a projector.  The only upgrade I have pending is to swap out the HD.  It came with a 250GB 5400RPM drive and I’m upgrading to a 500GB 7200RPM.  Knowing that soon as any drive gets to >51% capacity starts to get really slow really fast.

OS X has been a learning experience for me.  I’ve used Mac’s for years even pre-OSX but never owned one, so it’s been fun to be in the “newbie” seat.  I can say that Mac’s do crash.  For me OS X is as stable as Vista has been for me.  Maybe 2 crashes in a month if I’m really being careless.  Over all I do like how “smart” the Mac seems to be.  The flow of the experience is much different than on Windows.  I can see whey Windows users feel that Mac users are snobs.  We are, we have it good and can see all the wrong that is Windows.

I wasn’t planning on using my Mac as much as I am, but it really has made me switch.  I still have several Windows computers that I use.  I even have several Windows VM’s installed on my Mac.  But when I just need a computer that works, I grab my Mac.  I’m not going to say that it’s a Zen like experience, but my blood pressure does go down when I’m on my Mac.

The point of this post was to share my experience switching.  I’m not trying to sell anyone and I really don’t care if you like Mac’s or hate them.  My only advise is use what works for you and never be afraid to try something new.  If Mac’s aren’t for you try Linux.  Ubuntu rocks!

For Mother’s Day I got my wife a new digital camera and an Eye-Fi Share Wireless 2 GB SD Card.  Our last digital camera was stolen and I thought now would be a good time for a replacement.  One of the major issues my wife has is with me and the amount of time it takes for me to upload her photo’s to the family photo sharing website.  Since I don’t see me getting any better at uploading, I decided to get her an Eye-Fi Share Wireless 2 GB SD Card.

I first learned about Eye-Fi a few years ago on TechCrunch.  At the time the cost and storage didn’t make much sense.  But now that the price has come down and the storage has gone up it works out a little better. The Eye-Fi is a memory card for your digital camera that has built-in WiFi.  Once you configure the card to connect to your home wireless network, it will upload all your photo’s automatically to whatever destination you choose.  I have my card setup to use my home wireless network and my iPhone which I can run as an AP.  This allows us to take picture at home or on the go and upload them right away to our photo sharing website.

After playing with it yesterday I don’t know why I waited this long.  I got the 2GB version since I got the wife a point-and-shoot.  They also have a 4GB version if you need the storage.  The 2GB holds about ~1000 hi-res images from a 10 MP camera, so if she is out and about, it has enough storage to hold all her photo’s until she gets back home.  I can also add additional wireless networks to the card.  So if we’re visiting friends or family we can use there wireless networks as well.

• Easy to setup
• Uploads automatically
• Supports most photo sharing websites
• Not expensive when you think of the time saved uploading

Cons:

• Low capacity and slow write/read times
  
• Will suck battery much faster due to uploads
• Can’t upload to multiple websites at same time
• Configuration software only for OS X and Windows no Linux

If you have a digital camera with a ton of photos you’ve never uploaded?  If you just copy your photo’s from your SD card onto your computer but never post them online?  Your friend or partner depend on you to fill the void between photo’s on the camera and posting them online?  Get an Eye-Ficard.  It will save you so much time and works great.

Today PDAnet release 1.50 of there tethering software for the iPhone 3G which includes the ability to tether your iPhone to your computer over USB.  This is a major update since most of the current methods, including the previous versions of PDAnet, required you to setup an Ad-hoc network.  I already don’t like walking around with wireless (or bluetooth) enabled on my iPhone 3G and the last thing I want to do, when I’m trying to establish a secure network connection, is setup an ad-hoc network.  In this post I am going to share the process for getting an iPhone 3G working with PDAnet over USB.

Disclaimer

First I need to be perfectly clear that this how-to WILL VOID YOUR WARRANTY.  I strongly suggest that you wait until AT&T offers a tethering plan for the iPhone, which has been rumored to be in the works.  I am sure that waiting will have a bigger payoff, as you will not be voiding the warranty, and the solution should be easier then the how-to given below.

Requirements:

• Windows 32-bit XP/Vista (64-bit Vista Only)
• iPhone 3G (Firmware v2.2.1)
• iTunes 8
• QuickPWN 2.2.5
• Cydia
• PDAnet 1.50+

Step 1 Jailbreak iPhone

You will need to jailbreak your iPhone 3G since we are going to install 3rd party software.  This means software that is not approved by Apple.  To jailbreak your iPhone your going to need to download QuickPWN 2.2.5 http://blog.iphone-dev.org/.  Make sure you have updated your iPhone 3G to the current 2.2.1 firmware if you haven’t already.  You should also be connected to your Windows computer via the USB cable that came with the iPhone.  When you start QuickPWN 2.2.5 you’ll get a nice GUI.  Simply follow the directions.  I would like to point out that some of the steps you need to follow, to setup your iPhone 3G in various modes, are a little odd and you need to be quick.  For more information about jailbreaking your iPhone do a Google search.

Step 2 Update Cydia

After you jailbreak your iPhone two new applications will be installed on your iPhone.  The first is Cydia.  Cydia is the application installer we will be using in this how-to.  The other application is “Installer” which is another 3rd party application installer like Cydia.  Start Cydia on your iPhone it might take a minute as it will search for any updates available for the Cydia application.  If you get a message about updates available, install them.  For more information about Cydia you can do a Google search.

Step 3 Install iTunes (Required for USB)

To be able to tether your iPhone over USB you will need to install iTunes on the computer you plan to tether it with.  So if you don’t have iTunes on that computer install it now.  I installed it on my netbook so that iTunes sees my iPhone, but I don’t sync or have anything installed content wise, because I use my desktop for all my iPhone 3G backups and management.

Step 4 Install PDAnet (iPhone & Computer)

If your not in Cydia start it, from the start screen of Cydia go to “Featured Packages.”  Scroll down to “Commercial Applications.”  Select “PdaNet” and in the top right corner of your screen click “install.”  This will start the download and installation of PDAnet.  When the install is complete click the “Return to Cydia” button on the bottom of the screen.  You can now exit Cydia and return to the home screen.  You should now have an icon for PDAnet.

Computer:

You will need to install a PDAnet client on your Windows computer to tether over USB.  You can download the client software from the PDAnet website http://www.junefabrics.com/desktop/.  As long as you have iTunes installed you should not have a problem installing the PDAnet software.  When the installation is done you should have a new icon in your taskbar.

Step 5 Tethering it all together

Now you need to connect your iPhone to your computer with the USB cable that came with your iPhone.  Start the PDAnet desktop application if its not running and right-click on the PDAnet icon in your taskbar on your computer.  Click “Connect” and you will now be connected to the 3G network via USB.  You can test your 3G network connection speed by installing the free Speedtest.net application in the Apple Store.

Security Tips:

• Make sure wireless and bluetooth are disabled on your iPhone if they aren’t in use.
• Make sure that wireless and bluetooth are disabled on your laptop if your out in public.
• Use VPN and SSL whenever they are available.  3G isn’t secure its just obscure.

UPDATE:

Revised how-to to reflect current versions of iPhone 3G firmware 2.2.1 and QuickPWN 2.2.5.

I wanted to mention that PDAnet is a commercial application and is available as a trial for 14 days.  After 14 days all services are blocked accept for HTTP.  To register the full version, make sure PdaNet is connected, then go to http://my.iPhone on your computer. The cost of PdaNet is $29 per license.