Snow Leopard First Impressions
So I finally decided to backup one of my iMacs and proceed with a clean install of Snow Leopard (I’ve heavily used the box for Development and Testing, so it needed to be wiped). Here are some of my initial thoughts on the install process:
- I don’t like the fact that the “Erase and Install” and “Archive and Install” options are completely gone (not sure of this is only on the $29 upgrade disc or not).
- You are able to do a full install with the upgrade disc!!!
- You must select “Disk Utility” from the toolbar while booted from the disc and erase your HD for an erase and install
- Installation did not seem any faster as an upgrade or full install (yes, I did both, only by accident though!).
- First boot/registration/login, all the same as before
- Tinkering around the OS after first boot seemed really snappy (maybe just because it was a clean install all together).
- Everything else seems to be the same (for the most part)
I have run into a couple issues with applications so far:
- SynergyKM – has not been updated yet. The team has posted that they are working on it though.
- Opening the SynergyKM preference Pane in “System Preferences” forces a restart of SysPrefs every time
- The “Show Synergy status i the MenuBar” option does not work
- Outside of that, the overall functionality is intact!
- Logmein.com – only needs minor updates
- I experienced a funky issue with the Logmein MenuBar icon (seems to be ok after reboot)
The only other problems I’ve seen have to do with Directory Management (Specifically Open Directory)
- I personally dislike the removal of the Directory Utility from /Applications/Utilities/.
- I encountered a strange problem with mobile home accounts (not sure if this is a Snow Leopard issue, or 10.5 Server issue, but I didn’t have the problem prior to upgrading.
- After setting up an Admin account and binding to my OD server, I was unable to login to the machine with a valid OD user.
- The login box would attempt to connect, and then shake (checked with several different accounts that were all previously working in Leopard).
- I had to restrict network user logins to one account
- After a reboot, I was able to successfully login as the specific OD mobile user and change settings to allow any network user to login
- All seems well now, i was able to successfully login as other network users
- I also noticed a problem with granting an OD mobile user local admin rights
- after granting local admin rights I am unable to manage mobile home sync settings on the client machine.
- I’ve seen a few other people that speak of similar issues prior to Snow Leopard, but have not had contact with the, yet to confirm
All in all, the updates to the client version of the OS could have come as an update rather than a new OS version. Nothing significantly different that I’ve encountered yet. I look forward to everyone else’s opinions and comments!
-Phenix
The Arrival of Google Voice!
Well, last night I finally got the invite I’ve been waiting for from Google. They opened up Google Voice beyond existing Grand Central customers. Judging by the hiccups I experienced with verifying my mobile number, there were several other (a buttload rather) folks rushing to do the same! Google will not yet be opening this service to the pubic, but you are able to signup for an invite. Not sure of the turn around for the invite seeing how I put mine in over months ago!
So what is Google Voice?
Google Voice (GV) is a free internet service that uses Voice Over IP (VOIP) to link customer’s phone numbers together for centralized management of contacts, voicemail, sms, a many other features. Some of the major features include:
- US based calling free
- One number to ring many phones
- Phone Routing
- Phone Forwarding
- Voicemail Transcripts
- Call Record
So what does all this mean to someone that’s not a nerd?! The biggest feature (in my opinion) has yet to be released even to the chosen few that currently have access to the service. What feature is that you might ask…..Number Portability. You will be able to port your current land line or mobile number over to GV in the future. I see this being the end all of actual land line based “Home Phones.” You port your Home Phone number over to GV and then setup your mobile number, and voila, you can now get all your calls straight to your cell, or maybe you want them to come to your desk while at work, or maybe you want to get the calls to your phone at work to your mobile without giving out your mobile number, DONE!
Does it Actually Work?
Yes it does! I’ve only had a few hours to actually play with it, because verification of my mobile number (an existing number is required for voice services to work) took forever, I’m sure due to a high volume of traffic on the site last night. After verification was complete, I was able to do some test calls in and out, as well as voicemail, sms, and call recording. There are still many features that I have not been able to test yet, so more to come later!
How Does it Work?
Without going into all kinds of super boring technical jargon, I’ll try to make this brief and simple. As far as SMS is concerned, it’s like any other “chat” client, just forwarded to whatever number you want. When someone sends my GV number a SMS, it then not only gets displayed within my GV inbox, but also forwarded to a phone of my choice, or any number of phones I may so desire! The calling features are what is really cool. An incoming call is forwarded to my choice of phone (s) much in the same way of SMS messages. The outgoing calls however, if initiated from the web interface, take place as such:
- Call initiated from Web UI
- You then receive a call on your registered phone(s)
- The call is then forwarded from your registered phone to the person you are actually calling
Strange process, but as in most scenarios, I’m sure Google has made sure this is the easiest and most efficient way to do so!
You can also initiate outbound calls from a registered phone (possibly unregistered as well “UNTESTED”) by calling your GV number, and selecting the appropriate menu commands.
What Doesn’t it Have?
First off, let me say thank you to Google for another great free service! Secondly the fact that GV is a free service makes most of these things frivolous wants! Here is some of the feedback I’ve given Google so far:
- The addition of a Heads Up Display (HUD) with a dialing pad would be nice
- Using different color text for names in SMS, or SMS threading similar to iChat
- The ability to create custom phone types (ie. Work Cell, Work Desk, etc.)
Aqua Connect Terminal Server
Any Sys Admin over a Windows Terminal Server would be able to tell you how great a Terminal Services (TS) environment can be regarding Application Management, OS patches, Group Policy, etc. Having served suitable time as such, I can personally attest to the increased efficiency of centralized management. You need to install Photoshop for 50 users, install it once on the server, and adjust Group Policy settings to allow those 50 specific users to have access to it, and upon next logon, POW!!! If my memory serves me correctly, Microsoft has offered Terminal Services since the Server 2000 platform. I’ve also spent some time working with Sun’s spin on TS via the SunRay server package, and the SunRay thin clients. Sun’s solution can be used to deploy independent Solaris OS Desktops to connecting users, and with a little more effort, Linux and Windows Desktop Sessions as well. Having used these TS solutions, my brain began to churn over the unlimited possibilities in a business or education environment. A college could easily setup labs of thin clients with smaller footprints, a cheaper price tag, and still offer to benefit of Windows, Solaris, and Linux in one sitting! What’s missing form this puzzle you say? Apple’s Mac OS, DUH! Until about 2 years ago, I had never seen someone take advantage of the TS concept on the Mac OS platform. Being a Mac fanboy I was severely disappointed. As I scathed the internet I did finally come across a package by the name of Aqua Connect Terminal Server. I originally viewed a webcast demo of Aqua Connect over at MacEnterprise, and it absolutely blew me away!!! There were no groundbreaking features that other TS packages didn’t have, but the sight of multiple Mac OS desktop sessions was beautiful. Over the past couple of years Aqua Connect has really evolved the product into what looks like an extremely solid Enterprise level application. They are now at version 3.0, and have added a very nice admin utility, and support for more protocols. As it stands now, it looks like the RDP, VNC, and X11 protocols are supported (others on the way), and they’ve extended hardware support to cover Apple, PC, Thin Client, Mobile Phones, laptops, and a few other platforms. At this point Aqua Connect is touting about 120 concurrent users sessions for an xserve (a few dozen on a MBP as per the webcast demo!!!), and around 98% application compatibility. They do not have support for local USB devices (though there are some work arounds for Printers and scanners). They also state that it’s easily integrated into Apple Directory Services, Microsoft Active Directory, and Open LDAP. All in all, this package looks Kick-Ass. I’m currently waiting on an evaluation version that i will hopefully be able to test on both Mac OS X Server 10.4 and 10.5. I’ll try to devote my up and coming free time to testing Aqua Connect TS, and letting you guys know if its the real deal! Anyone interested, I would highly suggest you check out the latest webcast (.mp4 format) from MacEnterprise and read the documentation at Aqua Connect’s site to see it for yourself.
-Phenix
Linux WiFi
If any of you have ever slapped a Linux distro on any PC, you know exactly how much of a pain it can be to get your USB, Embedded, or PCMCIA WiFi device up and running. Some people get lucky, and theirs may work right off. I’ve never been that lucky. My Linux WiFi experiences have always consisted of several hours spent making sure I had all relevant libraries to build NDISwrapper, snag the correct Windows drivers, make sure you have adjusted the power output of the USB/PCMCIA ports, etc, etc. After all that’s said and done…you then have to worry if all your hard work and settings will stick after a reboot. The guys over at http://easylinuxwifi.org/ have put their heads together and developed an extremely handy app to take the pain out of the process! This application automatically looks at what Wi-Fi card you have, it disables any wireless driver currently installed, fetches the correct Windows driver from the Internet and installs it with NDISwrapper. I have not personally used this app yet, but I’ll try to get a first hand review on it soon. If anyone has access to give this a whirl ASAP, please let me know.
-Phenix
Blackberry Woes…
Blackberry Storm
Everyone that knows me should be able to testify I’m a major Mac fanboy. They’ll also be able to tell you that I carry an Apple iPhone. Those very close to me will also be able to affirm that I must reluctantly carry a second cell phone for work related purposes. When it came time to upgrade my work cell from the old Blackberry 7250 (I think), I decided to go with the NEW Blackberry Storm (as cool as it sounds to be a dual wilding iPhone Cowboy). After receiving the Blackberry Storm I came to see it’s pros and cons as it sat side-by-side to my iPhone and all it’s wonderfulness! One thing I will say, is at this point in the Storm’s OS, I cannot even dream of comparing it to the iPhone, so I hope you will settle for just a review of the Storm itself (I’ll try to be unbiased!). So here Goes:
Form Factor/ Hardware
The overall feel of the phone is pleasing. It’s not awkward for me, or cumbersome for regular phone use. Not too thick, or heavy. The arrangement of the buttons around the face of the phone are typical of the Touchscreen form factor, with the nice benefit of dedicated “send” and “end” hard keys. The battery cover is much easier to remove than some of the old Blackberries, but still seems snug as to not just pop off. After removing the battery cover, and the battery itself, you are able to remove the SIM card….which is VERY hard to do without a pointy instrument of some sort (i.e. paperclip). There’s also a slot for a Micro SD memory card (8GB came with mine). My biggest complaints of the hardware go to the screen itself. While it is large, and produces bright colors, and a nice resolution…it moves! I DO NOT like the fact that the screen is not snug in the display bezel. I think this shows signs of either a rushed job on the manufacturing, or just plain old lack of judgment in design. That being said, I also am wary of the “lock” and “mute” keys at the top of the bezel. I forsee these keys will stop responding in the future. Overall battery life was fairly decent, no complaint there.
Software / OS
The OS version is identical to that of the Blackberry Bold (with the addition of the touch screen functionality). While the OS performs well on the Bold….the Bold is without a touch screen. This is the one factor that makes it absolutely unfair to even try to compare the Storm to the iPhone. Blackberry cut corners and instead of creating a new OS targeted specifically for touch screen devices, they took an OS that is normally navigated with a freakin’ scroll ball and added touch screen functionality to it. The iPhone doesn’t have every feature that’s available on smart phones, but it’s OS was made specifically for the form factor and touch screen making it a dream to navigate any application or feature. Thumbs down for you RIM, go back to square one on the drawing board and don’t come out when you’re ready to make money, come out when the product is ready, and the money will come on it’s on! That rant aside, the overall OS isn’t that bad, just the awkward feel of the UI. A little more bad news before I get to any Pros, the Application Store. The Blackberry App Store is a big joke. It’s been a while since it’s release and there are still only a handful of apps available. There are a ton of apps available to various Blackberries with a similar OS to the Storm….it shouldn’t take much effort to port them over. The iPhone App Store opened with 500 apps, and it was a brand new platform!!! Now, I do like the Turn by Turn GPS app (even though the phone seems to stop charging while using this app, even though it’s plugged in). The first software update greatly enhanced the OS’s response to the accelerometer while changing from landscape to portrait view. I do like the different options for the keyboard in landscape vs. portrait view as well. None of the other applications were any different than other Blackberry models with virtually the same OS, not did I see any added benefit to any of the Apps from the touch screen
Call Quality / Reception
Call quality and reception are the two greatest features of this phone, and they have very little to do with the device. Verizon’s service is excellent in the area where I work (inside a huge concrete Parking Deck!)…and everywhere else for that matter!
With all that said, I would give the Blackberry Storm a 7 out of 10, but RIM definitley needs to go back and redesign the OS around the touch screen form factor. I will mention that I just had to send my Storm in for repairs/replacement. The two major problems that I’ve read about, heard about, and experienced myself are:
- The Storm will randomly shut itself down. I keep my screen locked, and it does it anyways, even when the battery is fully charged (or close to it). I just have to power it back on and everything is fine, but there’s the potential I missed a support call or text from a server going down.
- The Storm shuts off, and decides to not come back on. I charged it for 48 hours with no luck whatsoever. Tried a brand new battery with no luck. Different chargers made no difference. Looked around on Blackberry forums, and it looks like the problem is rampant.
Hope this helps anyone wondering about the Storm!
-Phenix
