Microsoft’s disclosure of its Surface RT tablet pricing and availability has once again ignited the discussion about the role of a tablet’s keyboard. It also raises the issue of how Microsoft has set the product’s keyboard pricing. Was it all planned? Has Microsoft misjudged the market? Or is this supreme cleverness by Microsoft? When Microsoft…
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
Atlas by Collins (iOS) is Beautiful but Flawed
Atlas by Collins, released October 18, is a world atlas for iOS. It has satellite, physical and political maps as well as plentiful information on population, communications and energy. You can zoom into any part of the globe to obtain detailed information about a region. Unfortunately, there are many technical flaws. ____________________ As with the…
Dumping on Tim Cook Seems Easy, But It's Misguided
“Power is of two kinds. One is obtained by the fear of punishment and the other by acts of love. Power based on love is a thousand times more effective and permanent than the one derived from fear of punishment.” — Mahatma Gandhi Steve Jobs had a strong personality, one that wasn't amenable to second…
Fixing an iTunes Authentication Infinite Loop
Recently, the iTunes app on our family server got out of whack and cast me into an infinite loop, requesting endless authentication before my iDevices could sync. It was turned out to be an interesting problem that not even Apple tech support could solve. __________________ A few weeks ago, I wrote about how my boot…
Apple Doesn't Need Tutoring on Software Design
Apple uses a particular kind of software design in iOS that helps users become accustomed to a new environment. It's born of the Steve Jobs philosophy that computers should be at the intersection of technology and the humanities. Already, however, there are some who would propose abandoning that valuable concept in favor of… well, nothing…
Samsung Says the iPhone is for Old Folks. Really?
In Samsung’s latest anti-iPhone video commercial, a suggestion is made that the iPhone appeals to older people and, by implication, the Galaxy S3 appeals to hipper, younger people. Research data shows that not to be true. One technique in advertising is to take a kernel of truth, magnify and embellish, and drive a point home.…
What If the New iMac Could Run iOS?
Our Macs are the place where we run iTunes, backup our iDevices, and even manage iOS apps on the iPhone/iPad pages. The apps are in there, we just can't run them. And now we’re waiting a very long time for a new Ivy Bridge iMac. What if the delay is because Apple is working to…
Restore a Corrupted Boot Drive with Time Machine
If your Mac’s boot drive becomes badly corrupted and requires a reformat, one way to recover is to do a full restore from Time Machine. Here’s how my own adventure went, and included, free of charge, are a few hard lessons learned. ______________________ Our family server is a 2009 Mac Pro. It’s a great machine…
Locating an App Within iOS is Too Hard
“The best way to make a silk purse from a sow’s ear is to start with a silk sow.” — Norman Augustine On the Mac, finding the location of an app and running it has always been trivial. However, in iOS, finding the exact location of an app isn’t so easy. And it’s getting worse…
iPhone 5: Are You a Bottom Grabber or Head Puller?
Apple’s decision to move the headphone jack on the iPhone 5 to the bottom has customers talking. It turns out, there are two parallel universes, and neither side knew the other existed. __________________ The headphone jack has been on the bottom of the iPod touch for a few generations, but when Apple made the move…
iOS 6 Review: New Features & Rough Edges
On September 19, 2012, Apple released iOS6 with a customary wealth of new features. It’s a good upgrade, and worth installing. In fact, it's mandatory thanks to a myriad of security updates. But iOS is also showing some signs of strain. _____________________ The first thing you need to know about iOS 6 is that it…
The iPhone 5 is Critic-Proof
No one can stop the tide of the iPhone 5. Tens of millions of customers will buy the iPhone 5 in short order, and no critic, no publication can stop it, slow it down, or even have a quantifiable impact. It’s like the anticipation over a new Marvel Comics-based blockbuster movie. There’s no stopping those…
Savi Contacts: a Great Substitute for iOS 6 Users [UPDATED]
For a long time, the Contacts app in iOS and OS X has been an Apple mainstay. However, Apple made a key change to the way the Contacts app works in iOS 6, and that means some customers may be looking for a new Contacts app. Savi Contacts from MobileLife Studio is a praiseworthy substitute.…
How iOS 6 Changes Groups in the Contacts App
In iOS Contacts prior to version 6, one could define Groups and then drill down to them individually. iOS 6.0 changes the UI and allows one to view merged Groups. Here’s how it works in iOS 6. Prior to iOS 6.0, the list of Groups had an arrow on the right side suggesting that if…
The Curious Evolution of the iPod nano’s Design
“Those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.” — George Bernard Shaw The iPod nano, now in its 7th generation, has traveled a convoluted journey through time. While first conceived as a smaller, more convenient iPod for youngsters and for exercise, its various incarnations have transmogrified according to shifting technical winds, never quite settling…
Hide a Software Update in OS X Mountain Lion
With the arrival of OS X 10.8, Mountain Lion, Apple has changed the way software updates are handled. The Mac App Store is used instead. This also means a change to the way we suppress, or hide, individual updates or show all the available updates. Here’s how to do it the old way, in Lion,…
Ranking the Speaking Styles of the Apple Execs
At the iPhone 5 media event, we witnessed a parade of Apple executives, each with his own speaking style. Some were great and some not so great. ______________________ Apple's iPhone 5 (and music) media event was a big deal, covered by the TV networks and likely seen all over the world now that the video…
No, Mr. Bezos, We Want Devices not Services
During presentation of the new Kindles by Jeff Bezos on Thursday, he proposed the idea that Amazon wants to make money when people use Amazon services, not when they buy the hardware. The problem with that is that the device really doesn’t belong to the customer and control is lost. Examples are becoming alarming. Imagine…
The Real Reason Apple Wants a 7-inch iPad
So far, the analysis of the rumored 7-inch iPad is based on confronting and stalling the competition from the Amazon Kindle Fire series and the Google Nexus 7. But there is another, overlooked, reason for the 7-inch model. The reason was referenced by Tim Cook himself during the last earnings report with analysts on July…
How OS X Won and Linux Lost the Desktop
(Fedora 17 shown left.) Several authors have weighed this week in on the storied path these two OSes have followed. Part of it was defection by talented developers to the Web. Part of it may have been the never ending string of distributions and different GUIs. Part of it was that the Linux community was…
Chess Deluxe for iOS & OS X: Beginners Only
Chess Deluxe for both OS X and iOS have been recently released. (OS X on August 14.) It’s a simple chess program without many features and is designed for casual players and beginners. Cast in that light, it does the job. If you’re looking for a serious chess app, like the kind I’ve reviewed before,…
Why the MacBook Pro (Retina) Doesn’t Have a Security Slot
The issue, it turns out, is not the size of the security slot in the vertical dimension (case depth). An Apple salesperson explained to me that, rather, it’s the depth of the case with respect to the size of the locking key when it’s inserted and turned 90 degrees. (That’s because of the T design…
The Digital Wallet War is Heating Up [UPDATED]
Google Wallet works where MasterCard PayPass is accepted, but you can also use Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or Discover in conjunction with the app. It’s supported by a handfull of merchants, and only in selected locations with different levels of support. Just a few examples are American Eagle Outfitters, Banana Republic, The Container Store, CVS…
Living Earth HD Comes to the Mac in Style
Previously, the Living Earth HD, world clock and weather, was available only for iOS. Now, it’s been brought over to the Mac, and it’s equally spectacular. Plus, it includes desktop and screen saver functions._________________ The iOS version of this app was previously reviewed, and it was given a high rating. What’s nice about this app…