Apple today released the latest and the most advanced version of its operating system – Snow Leopard. You won’t notice too many new ‘features’ in this release but there are some major optimizations and refinements under the hood.

If you wondering whether you should upgrade to Snow Leopard, here’s a simple answer: If you own an Intel-based Mac, the answer is Yes. The upgrade will cost you $29 and it’s going to be worth it. If you own a PPC based Mac, be happy with your copy of Leopard or Tiger.

The bigger question about the upgrade however is not ‘if’ but ‘when’. If you don’t like living on the edge and if you’re worried some of your applications might not work, hold your upgrade for a while. All major issues, if any, will be uncovered in the coming weeks and Apple will release a software update to fix those. You can proceed with your update then. Refer to these two lists: one and two to check if any of the software you use is listed as incompatible.

Say hello to Snow Leopard.

This is a humorous take on the subject. Meant to be taken in lighter vein (especially the ‘Cons’). These are from my personal experiences of owning a DSLR for two years. Clearly, the ‘cons’ outweigh the ‘pros’ in number. So ladies and gentlemen, here it goes (in no particular order):

Pros:

1. Anyone can pass off as a professional photographer just by holding a DSLR. Never mind even if you’re holding it for the first time in your life. I was once directed to ‘Press Seating Area’ (right in front of the stage) in a recent event that I attended.
2. You get invited to almost all birthday parties and weddings.
3. People always get in touch with you as an excuse to ask for a photograph they need from the archives.
4. Even the most boring photos of yours are appreciated. It’s not about you, it’s about the DSLR – most believe the ‘big black thing’ just can’t go wrong.
5. You get to prepare personalized gifts for your family and friends. Popular things include: Photo frames (digital ones are way cool), Books, Calendars and of course Photo albums.

Cons:

1. Everyone likes to play with your DSLR. For some reason, even the grown-ups of grown-ups believe it to be a toy. Rotating the zoom lens barrel and pressing all the possible buttons seem to be favorites.
2. The annoying phone-calls/emails/SMSs at ungodly hours from the previous night’s event’s host, asking if I can send the photos right away.
3. People complaining all the time that they can’t frame a photograph using the LCD screen (you have to use the viewfinder). Initially I tried to explain the complexity of the mechanics inside a DSLR, but later I stuck to the answer, “Yeah, that sucks”.
4. The numerous complains about how hefty your luggage is for a one-day trip. I’m tired of explaining that a DSLR with a lens, two extra lenses, a remote flash and couple of small accessories do need an extra bag by itself.
5. Another widely held belief is that if you can operate a DSLR, you’re also a wizard with image manipulation software (namely Photoshop). I get requests to change the background, fix face blemishes and sometime even to morph photographs!
6. You never get to enjoy a public event in peace. You’re pestered for a snap at all times.
7. People think you’re an arrogant rich prick who can afford all the gear with ease. Very few realize that it takes months of savings and a ton of research to get a simple darn lens.
8. You never get to be part of your own pictures. Using a timer is not always an option and people who’ve never used a DSLR suck at operating it – even if it’s just pressing one simple button in auto mode.
9. How you’re subjected to extra security screening at public places (malls, movie theatres, sports stadiums, etc) when you’re spotted with a DSLR. And the headache of how to deal with the situation when they’re not allowed inside.
10. Lastly (and probably the worst thing), you’ll never get credit for the great photos that you take. The usual saying is “Oh, he’s got a DSLR, that’s why”.

Apple should liberate iPod shuffle from iTunes for managing music on it. Instead, they should allow users to dump their music folders on the device’s root folder – just like so many other such devices.

Before we get into the big “Why?” let’s first examine the kind of people who would buy a Shuffle.

• Someone on a tight budget.
• Someone who is not interested in carrying his or her entire library.
• Someone who’s not a gadget or technology savvy.

If we can summarize – leaving the exceptions out – the highest percentage of people who own a Shuffle are pretty much regular/average end-users who aren’t obsessed with the nuisances, features or nitty-gritty’s of the device. They’re the kind of people who want to spend the least amount of time learning how to transfer their music onto their device. In fact, they just want a device where they load music onto it and forget about it.

I’ve seen plenty of cases – including personal experiences with family and friends – where people have complained about how hard it is to load music on their iPod. I have seen so many people do this:

• Connect their iPod to a PC / Mac.
• Open Windows Explorer / Finder and navigate to iPod.
• Select all their music folders and hit Ctrl-C / Cmd-C.
• Paste the folders into the iPod root folder by hitting Ctrl-V / Cmd-V.
• Disconnect the device.
• Get frustrated that the music isn’t playing from the iPod.

It’s so easy to forget that good number of users think of their music in terms of files. They have their music files; they have their music device. They just don’t get why they need an application to transfer that stuff. And I don’t blame them. Here are two reasons why:
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Windows 7, the next version of the Windows operating system will be upon us sometime this year (hopefully). However, the recent news that there’s going to be six versions of the operating system has generated much debate on the blog-o-sphere. The versions are:

• Windows 7 Starter
• Windows 7 Home Basic
• Windows 7 Home Premium
• Windows 7 Professional
• Windows 7 Enterprise
• Windows 7 Ultimate

If you’re an average end-user, here’s all you need to know:

• If you’re buying a laptop/desktop with Windows 7 pre-installed, make sure it’s Windows 7 Home Premium.
• If you’re looking for additional networking capabilities or if you plan to use your machine to run a small store, look for Windows 7 Professional.
• Forget about the others.

Really, that’s all there is to it.
Read the rest of the entry and watch Windows 7 Demo !

This is an awesome example of a great design and user interface. The images (copyright: Apple Inc.) you see are the new headphones from Apple. What’s cool about them is the small rectangular block you see on the right, which sits on the headphone cable itself.

The little section allows you to navigate your music on your iPod or iPhone without ever touching the device! And it also severs as a microphone while you’re at it. Here’s how:

1. Single-pinch in the center and you pause your music.
2. Single-pinch again to resume your music.
3. Double-pinch to forward to the next song.
4. Triple-pinch to go back to the previous song.
5. Click on the ‘+’ to increase the volume.
6. Click on the ‘-’ to decrease the volume.
7. The little dot on the backside serves as a microphone.

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