Tech-Archived

Honestly, I’m not a huge gamer and have never really played a MMORPG – I wish I had the time but just don’t.

That said, I do enjoy The Guild…and their latest video to support season four is almost enough to convince me to play…through song!

I got home last night to find that my Time Capsule, purchased almost two years ago, was dead as a doornail, refusing to power on.

This is not an uncommon occurrence with the Time Capsule from what I understand, but as I’d passed the eighteen month mark where this apparently tended to happen I’d begun to think that maybe – just maybe – I was in the clear.

Apparently not.

Luckily, just two weeks ago I bought a nice big mac mini (a 1TB model that can be used as a server as well) to use partly as storage, partly as a media device and partly as a computer – and maybe as a server for this place if I pull my finger out and work out how that works.

Of course now, I can’t connect to the internet wirelessly and all my backups of my Macbook are from all accounts irretrievable on the Time Capsule.

Apple, you vex me!

The net’s atwitter (see what I did there) with rumors about Apple’s much mooted tablet device, widely expected to be called the iSlate.

The opportunistically-registered www.islate.org even has some rumored specs for it:

* 2.26GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 3MB shared L2 cache and 1066MHz system bus
* 2GB of RAM, but will support up to 8GB
* 120GB SATA hard drive 4200RPM
* Built-in iSight Camera; Built-in Projector
* 7.1 inch Widescreen Multitouch display, with intelligent feedback; finger-print resistant oleophobic coating
* Two USB Ports, SD Card Slot
* Built in Stereo Speakers, built-in mic
* Built in 10/100/1000BASE-T (Gigabit) Ethernet
* Built-in Airport Extreme Wi-Fi (based on IEEE 802.11n draft specification)
* Built-in Bluetooth 2.1 EDR Module
* MAC OS X Clouded Leopard v 10.7

A projector? Really? Guess that’ll come in handy for all those business meetings where you want to make everyone you’re presenting to jealous.

Anyway, I really started thinking about the iSlate and I wondered: why on earth would I want one, especially if it’s priced between $700-$1,000 as rumors suggest? That’s four times the price of a Kindle.

Don’t get me wrong – I love my Mac. I’d get an iPhone if it wasn’t for the fact that I already get a Blackberry paid for by work. I take my iPod almost everywhere with me – and I suspect that it (even if it is a few generations old) will be more portable than the iSlate.

So – why would I want an iSlate? I mean, yes, I’m sure it will look great. I’m sure it will work great. And I’m sure that I’ll be salivating over it in my local Apple store on the street date – but what use will it actually be to me?

Think about it – you’re out and about at a coffee shop or something and to avoid looking at, or, God forbid, interacting with, anyone else in the around you, you pull out the ol’iSlate to the envious glances of men, women and children everywhere.

You pull up twitter, balancing the screen in one hand, and tap in a message clumsily with the other. It’s only 140 characters if you’re verbose, so it’s probably pretty doable. By the time you’re done, your double whip low fat extra hot upside down caramel macchiato may even still be lukewarm, so you’ll be good.

But it’s when you’re trying to do something more that I anticipate irritation creeping in. Want to send an email? Post on your blog? Write on some forums? You’re probably going to have to lay the thing flat on the table – after covering all the crumbs and spillage from the last inconsiderate customer with napkins – and tap away on the keyboard as you stare down at your device.

I can’t help but feel that will be almost worthless to me.

You know what would make me buy an iSlate, though?

A Star Trek Padd App.

Oh yes.

Posted via web from Rich’s Ramblings