GeekSugar

Apple Enables Music Streaming Through MobileMe iDisk

GeekSugar — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 11:15:36 PDT

We all shed a tear when music-streaming service Lala went down, and have been waiting to see what Apple would do with the recently purchased company ever since. Rumors have been swirling that Apple would skip over music and head straight for video streaming, but now, evidence is surfacing that Apple is in fact, allowing music streaming through a back door feature that utilizes MobileMe's iDisk.

iDisk allows you to store files in MobileMe's cloud, then access and share them from any computer, iPad, or iPhone; this includes music files. Within the release notes of the latest iDisk release, Apple says you can even "Play audio from your iDisk while using another app." Multitasking and streaming at the same time? Color me happy. But there is a restriction. Find out what it is after the break.

WWDC 2010 Rumors: Which Will Come to Pass?

GeekSugar — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 01:47:48 PDT

I know you've been on the edge of your seat all weekend, just dying to know what will be announced at the WWDC kickoff today. Besides the obvious - the movie-worthy iPhone 4 - there have been a few other rumors swirling around. Take a gander at a few of them, and tell me if you think they'll be more than rumor by day's end:

Free MobileMe - There have been reports of MobileMe subscribers' status switching from "Individual" to "Full Member" over the weekend. This leads some to believe that the MobileMe service will soon become free for all.
New Apple TV - The evidence is pretty overwhelming that a new and improved $99 Apple TV will be making an appearance this year.

To see the rest and to put your predictions in writing, just keep reading.

Two More Free Mobile Me Months: Are You Still on Board?

GeekSugar — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 07:30:25 PDT

MobileMe has had its issues from the get go: crashing computers, lost emails, and system outages, which has left a bad taste in even the most steadfast of Apple fans' mouths. But in an attempt to turn things around, Apple announced yesterday that they are tacking on another 60-days of free service in addition to the 30-day free trial issued on July 15:

To recognize our users' patience, we are giving every MobileMe subscriber as of today a free 60-day extension. This is in addition to the one month extension most subscribers have already received. We are working very hard to make MobileMe a great service we can all be proud of.

Despite the ups and downs MobileMe has experienced, will you be standing by the service now that you get another 60-days for free?

Do You Use MobileMe?

GeekSugar — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 10:00:02 PDT

Not everyone in tech can admit they made a mistake, but here we go: MobileMe, that other Apple product released recently, has been pretty plagued since it launched. Reports of crashing computers, lost email, and the service being constantly down have perturbed even the most loyal Macheads.

Steve Jobs has stepped up to the plate to acknowledge all this static, saying that MobileMe was "not up to Apple's standards," that it was perhaps launched too early, and that they should have released one feature at a time, rather than all at once.

As a MobileMe user, I was grandfathered in by .Mac, and aside from being a little frustrated with the transition, I love my 20GB of iDisk space, unbeatable web albums, and syncing across all devices - for me, it's back up to "Apple's standards," if you will.

In the meantime, tell me: How many of you use MobileMe?

Daily Tech: Somebody Pulls an Uh-Oh at Apple, Ships Mobile Me to the Wrong People

GeekSugar — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 10:07:09 PDT

Oopsies! Apple accidentally shipped Mobile Me to some .Mac customers. Someone is SO getting fired. - Engadget
Google Talk has just launched for the iPhone. Rejoice! - Lifehacker
Switched announces their 10 Most Stubborn People in Tech. Our man Steve tops the list. - Switched
Some awesome judge in Delaware delivered his decision with a World of Warcraft metaphor. - Kotaku
Google has added voice search to Google Maps for the BlackBerry. - CrunchGear

Is Apple's MobileMe As Great As I Think It Is?

GeekSugar — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 06:15:26 PDT

After hearing all the in's and out's of Apple's new iPhone 2.0 software and the iPhone 3G (on sale July 11), something that really grabbed my attention - other than the built-in GPS and amazing apps - was MobileMe, a service that allows you to sync all your photos, email, calendar, contacts from your Mac (iCal, iDisk, Address Book and Mail) or PC (Microsoft Outlook) to your iPhone over the air. With MobileMe, as soon as you move an event on your computer's calendar, or add a contact, it will appear on your iPhone in about ten seconds and vice versa.

Similar to .Mac, MobileMe will cost $99-a-year, with 20GB of included iDisk space, and will have a 60-day free trial so you can check it out before dropping the $99. Until I get my hands on MobileMe, I won't know if it's going to make my life that much easier, but I'm definitely liking what I'm hearing.

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Tech Tips For Working Remotely

Kristy Korcz — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 10:46:30 PDT

According to a new study, telecommuting is on the rise. In fact, 56 percent of decision makers at US companies think that working from home makes employees more productive and 53 percent of CFOs plan on increasing telecommuting options at their companies. If you're part of the lucky population that is or soon will be allowed to work remotely, be sure to follow these tips for maximizing your home office and making sure you're following proper coffee shop office etiquette!

At Home

Have a designated work area - The couch may be comfy, but working while hunched over on your sofa isn't the best idea for your posture. Get a real desk, or at least work at the dining table so you can prevent a sore neck and back later on down the road.
Keep a clean workspace - Speaking of a designated workspace, there's nothing more distracting than working amongst cords, cables, papers, dirty coffee cups, and whatever else happened to land on your desk while you weren't working. Start the day off right with a clutter-free environment by making a point to clean off your desk at the end of each workweek. Monday mornings will thank you.
Ready, set, share - Set up a file sharing service with your teammates so you can keep on top of document changes while you're working. Dropbox and Box.net are both great services for sharing documents and files between groups.
Consider dual monitors - More desktop real estate equals more productivity. Since you've got a good desk, you might as well make the most of things by allowing yourself more monitor space to see your incoming emails, web browser, chat windows, and spreadsheets all at once. No more clicking around, searching for the right window!
Set your schedule - Schedules aren't there to make your life miserable - they actually help get things accomplished. Be sure that your working hours are clear with your boss (even better if they're flexible to start and end times), and take regular breaks to stretch.
Communicate often - If instant message is your preferred form of communication, be sure you're available during your working hours, and remember to set the "away" notification when you've stepped out. This will be a big help for your co-workers who may be looking for you.
Keep track of expenses - If you're freelancing or building your own business, be sure to document and save receipts for purchases. You can usually write off expenses for computer equipment, Internet access, and even part of your rent if you work from home. I recommend scanning all of your receipts and storing them in a cloud-based locker so if by chance your paper files get damaged, you'll always have a digital copy. Same goes for any important documents you need.

Planning on posting it up at your favorite coffee shop? Some etiquette tips you may want to keep in mind after the break.

The Pros and Cons of Apple's iCloud

Kristy Korcz — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 01:16:29 PDT

Steve Jobs introduced iCloud at the Worldwide Developers Conference to an excited audience earlier this week. We've been waiting for a cloud-based service from Apple ever since it bought Lala back in 2009, and while iCloud isn't exactly what we had expected, it certainly has its finer points.

iCloud allows you to automatically sync all of your digital info (including photos, books, music, contacts, mail, and more) to all of your devices. If you change a contact in your iPhone, the details are sent to the cloud, then pushed down to all your other devices as well. For those that have multiple Apple products, it may be just what you were waiting for. Check out the pros and cons of iCloud below, and be sure to tell us what you think of the service in the comments!

Pros

It's free - First and foremost, iCloud is a free service for all iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, and Mac users. This is going to go over so much better than when Apple introduced MobileMe for a $99 subscription fee.
There's free storage, too - Apple is giving you 5GB of free storage to hold your emails, contacts, documents, settings, and your camera roll. Thankfully, purchased apps, books, your photo stream, and music won't count against your storage. If you think you might need more space, I'm sure it will be made available at a price.
Automatic downloads - When you download music from the iTunes store on your Mac, you can enable automatic downloading to your other devices. No more syncing with your connectors! Additionally, you can automatically download all your past iTunes store purchases just by clicking the little cloud button next to the albums or songs.
Scan and Match - Apple's "one more thing" at the WWDC presentation was the announcement of the Scan and Match service. Since iCloud only works with Apple-purchased tunes, Scan and Match will find all of your own ripped songs, and match them with those in iTunes so you can download and send to the cloud. This service will cost $25 a year but the good news is, there's no limit to the number of songs you can match, and it will save you time since you don't have to upload entire albums to the cloud.
You'll never lose your music - Since all of your music is stored in the cloud and pushed to all of your devices, you'll never lose your collection of music, books, or photos.

Check out the cons after the break.

Apple Sends Your Digital Life to the Cloud: iCloud

Kristy Korcz — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 11:44:14 PDT

Steve Jobs introduced iCloud at today's WWDC keynote presentation, which promises to move the center of your digital life to the cloud. Essentially, all of the info you receive on your iDevices (iPhone, iPad, iPod Touches, and MacBooks) is sent to the cloud first then gets pushed down into your devices, so you're completely synced at all times. Further, iCloud "just works" with all of your apps. It's magical.

Apparently, Steve and Apple learned a lot with MobileMe, but they've written the key elements from that service (contacts, calendars, and mail) from the ground up for iCloud. If you enter a contact on your iPhone, the contact is automatically updated in iCloud and the info is pushed to the rest of your devices. You can even share calendars, which makes sharing parenting duties super easy. These three features are now free with all Apple devices.

But wait, there's more! See what else is coming with iCloud (including one interesting catch) after the break.

Will You Pay For Apple's iCloud Service?

Kristy Korcz — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 10:44:39 PDT

Apple released some news about its upcoming WWDC programming earlier this week, which will feature iCloud, iOS5, and OSX Lion. But a new report from the Los Angeles Times gives us even more details into Apple's iCloud service. According to the report, Apple has partnered with all four of the major music labels (Warner, EMI, Sony, and Universal) to bring music streaming to the cloud. Additionally, Apple is said to be offering a free trial for the service, but will eventually charge a $25 per year to use iCloud, which will come with ads. Not just streaming, iCloud is said to also allow you to sync your music, folders, emails, contacts, and documents across multiple machines.

Apple has provided subscription services before, but I think iCloud will be a lot more successful at this price point than MobileMe was at $99 a year. How do you feel about iCloud - will you pay to use the service?