Absolute Software has introduced Computrace Mobile Theft Management (MTM) an iOS loss management and theft recovery solution. Currently, the service is limited to iPad and iPad mini in K-12 education. Computrace MTM goes beyond the built-in iOS features to initiate rapid response service, start the investigation process to obtain evidence for police and prepare court…
John Martellaro
John Martellaro was born at an early age and began writing about computers soon after that. With degrees in astrophysics (B.S.) and physics (M.S.), he has worked for NASA, White Sands Missile Range, Lockheed Martin Astronautics, the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Apple. At Apple he worked as a Senior Marketing Manager, a Federal Account Executive and a High Performance Computing manager. His interests include chess, science fiction and astronomy. John is the host of the TMO podcast Background Mode.
Articles by John Martellaro
Hobbits, Habits & Hobgoblins: Why iOS 7 Must Change
Personal assessments of what technology to adopt and what to ignore is what we do these days. Developers develop, technical columnists experiment and report, and individuals decide “yea or nay.” Basing those decisions on old-fashioned or emotional preconceptions in increasingly unproductive. iOS is Aging Technology When the iPhone was first conceived and derived from Mac…
Through the Looking Google Glass
If God Had Intended Humans to Fly… Now that Google Glass is being widely tested and written about, reactions are all over the map — as they should be. That's a good sign for a new technology: our inability to come to consensus on the technical and social aspects at first. But in the long…
Satellite Safari for iOS is Stellar, Inspiring
Satellite Safari is a realtime, visual guide to hundreds of satellites in orbit. This universal iOS app will tell when they pass overhead and where they are right now. You can follow along in orbit, with the satellite, see what it looks like, look at the ground track from space or watch it pass overhead…
Failure Analysis: How Apple Screwed the Xserve Pooch
“Failures are finger posts on the road to achievement.” — C.S. Lewis Many Apple customers throughout the years profitably utilized the rack mounted Xserve product in their businesses. It was a quality product that cost less than the competition's by a significant amount. Yet, it was doomed to failure. Here's how it happend. _________________________ Buried…
TruGlide Pro Stylus: Smaller Microfiber, Megafabulous
There are times when the iPad or iPhone user needs a stylus. And because stylus technology has come a long way in terms of the design, craftsmanship and the nib material, they're even more fun to use. The LYNKtec TruGlide Pro, with a 5 mm microfiber tip, is the best pure stylus I have ever…
Use a (Friendly) Gesture to Swipe Between iPad Apps
What if you could just swipe sideways to switch between apps on your iPad? Well, you can! Here's how to perform this most innocent of finger gestures. If you have Multitasking Gestures turned on with your iPad or iPad mini, you can use a four finger swipe to switch sideways between apps. Like a sideways…
Tim Cook Argues That Macs Remain Important
During Apple's Q2 2013 earnings report, Apple CEO Tim Cook said that despite a slight decline in Mac sales by about two percent, the company is still very committed to innovation and investment in the Macintosh. Shannon Cross of Cross Research asked Mr. Cook about the Mac and the PC market. This was in light…
Like a New Solar System, Apple is Formed by Clashing Forces
Everything is About the Balance of Forces Humans beings are stretched to the limit when it comes to analysis that has substance when also burdened by the need to be timely and appealing. Headlines are designed to attract attention and make bold claims. As a result, much of the time, nothing is as it seems.…
Time to Panic, Status Board for iPad is a Great New Status App
One would think that with more than 300,000 native iPad apps out there, everything that could be thought of has been thought of. Not quite. Status Board from Panic, Inc. creates a customizable display and platform in the form of a status board that's amazingly easy easy to use and will likely have all kinds…
Oh, What We Could do With a Mac That's 1,000 Times Faster
Over the decades, personal computers have made enormous gains in speeds. But in the short term, not much has happened. On the other hand, the maintenance burdens on customers just kept increasing. That's why customers have moved briskly to the tablet. In a sense, the PC industry failed its original vision, and customers moved on.…
Where is the FaceTime App on the iPhone?
iPad owners know where the FaceTime app is. So where is it on the iPhone? The answers is: well, there isn't one. But you can, of course, still make FaceTime calls. Here's the explanation. ______________________ iPad (2 or later) and iPod touch (4G or later) owners are well familiar with the FaceTime app. However, if…
Project Your Image With ipico Handheld Projector for iPhone
Those mostly awesome tabletop optical projectors that are used for presentations are bright but are still fairly expensive. For certain uses, it's often handy to have a handheld device that can attach to an iPhone. The ipico projector is about the size of the iPhone itself and can throw an image over 6 ft. with…
Follow the Sun with the Fabulous Sun Seeker for iOS
There are occasions when a photographer, cinematographer, astronomer, pilot, or architect needs to know a lot more about the Sun's position than simply sunrise and sunset. Sun Seeker by Ajnaware Pty Ltd in Sydney, Australia tells you almost everything you can know about the position of the Sun for any day of the year. Plus,…
iPhones, Phablets & iPads: Does Size Really Matter? [UPDATED]
A Flurry Analytics report recently suggested that display size and OS choice has all kinds of implications for the popularltiy of small devices, smartphones and tablets. The survey data suggests that phablets are a fad for now and that Android customers aren't really enthusiastic about full-size tablets. I'd like to assess that report. The article…
The Day my Wife's Car Answered my iPhone
My wife pulled into the garage and turned off the car. As she was geting the groceries out of the back seat, the car started talking to her. She was taken aback. Don't believe anything you read today. Except this. So. I have a story to tell you. Back in February, with a car lease…
OS X Mountain Lion: How Apple Rescued Save As...
Everything was great (at least conventional) with saving documents up through OS X Snow Leopard. In Lion, inspired by iOS, Apple introduced what's called the Modern Document Model into its iCloud enabled apps. Apple eliminated Save As…, introduced Auto Save and Versioning, but most importantly, drove long-time users crazy. Also, the mods introduced a small…
What Lies Beyond the Macintosh Desktop Metaphor?
The Post-PC era, the era of iPads and other tablets, suggests that it is time to re-evaluate the archaic computer interface developed by Xerox and Apple 30 years ago. However, before we get too excited, there are lots of questions to ask and answer. The interface we use on our PCs and Macs is generally…
Apple Could Call OS X 10.9 'Cougar' With no Problem
I don't really think there would be a problem naming OX S 10.9 “Cougar.” In fact, Apple should. It's a fairly big, strong cat, and the name connotes power and ferocity. Much more so than “Lynx.” Next, Apple has had the trademark on Cougar (and Lynx) since 2003. No problem there. Finally, there is that…
Samsung's Advertising Success vs. Apple's Front Runner Blues
The purpose of advertising is to create demand and then sales. If a company that's behind in market and mind share spends enough, it not only influences the customers, it influences the tech community. Is this what's behind the Apple malaise? We are all creatures born of the advertising era, and we grudgingly admit that…
So, do I Actually Have to LOOK at an iWatch?
There are two new, next generation technologies being discussed these days: smart glasses, notably being pursued by Google and wearable computing devices which Apple may be considering with its rumored iWatch. Are they equivalent ways of achieving the same thing? Perhaps not. The more I read about and think about the idea of an iWatch,…
The GM Corvette and the Apple Mac Pro Have Much in Common
Companies that claim they make the very best product of its kind but then waffle on selling low volume, premium, awe inspiring, likely very expensive high end products will implicitly lose credibility. That seems to be the discussion around the Mac Pro lately. Will Apple's next Mac Pro light the world on fire? Or just…
The New Apple War: Targeting Pro-Apple Writers
There are writers who understand Apple. They've been covering Apple for years, decades. Some of them are very smart and accomplished at research and analysis. Other writers just write about Apple to earn some money and see their name in lights. Is there a war emerging between the two? One can't help but notice that…
Cally: Conversions & Scientific Calculator For iOS Flubs
The Cally app for iOS is a units and currency converter plus a scientific calculator. It is brilliant at conversions, but flubs badly as a calculator. In fact, the calculator part needs a complete overhaul. The Great Stuff As someone who has spent his whole adult life using scientific calculators, I can really appreciate a…