This week on the podcast we're discussing the ins and outs of Apple's latest updates to their mobile and desktop operating systems, breaking warranties with Linux, and only sort of caring about the "death" of unlimited data. Also, we're helping you decide if you should build an XBMC home theater PC or just get Google TV, figuring out if your iDevice will actually run the new features in iOS 6, and learning that you actually can build your own iPod.
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News and Discussion
A Closer Look at iOS 6 and Mountain Lion
Apple held its Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) last week, and in typical fashion announced several new products. Along with a refresh of the entire mobile line, and the introduction of the new MacBook Pro with retina display, Apple detailed some new features in Mountain Lion (due for release in July) and what we can expect from iOS 6 (when it's released in the Fall).
Get iOS 6's Features in Android
Alan noted that you can get many of iOS 6's features in Android right now. While they may not be as polished as what Apple plans to deliver, they are an option. The same can be said for iOS users, as many of iOS 6's features are currently available through apps and jailbreak tweaks. Both situations aren't perfect, but if you can't wait you've got something to use until the Fall.
Verizon's New Shared Data Plans and the Continued Death of Unlimited Data
Unlimited data is going the way of the dinosaur. Verizon just joined the club, preventing your unlimited data plan from continuing if you ever sign a new contract. If you stick with the plan, your speeds will be throttled if you use too much data. This leaves Sprint the only one of the major four carriers to offer true unlimited data. This left us questioning if you really need it. I ditched my unlimited data plan the moment AT&T offered a cheaper, 2GB plan. I just don't use that much data. Whitson is in the same boat. Alan is still clinging to his unlimited data plan even though he never comes close to the 2GB mark. And with the death of unlimited data, new plans are available offering higher limits (such as up to 10GB with Verizon). What sounds terrible to some could really be a lot worse. Not sure what to do? We have some advice.
Updated Windows Browser Speed Tests
Last week Whitson conducted Windows browser speed tests, looking to see which browser was most adept at handling a variety of tasks quickly. After the post went up, Opera 12 was released. He added it in later in the week, so if you missed it be sure to check out the post again.
Newegg Won't Let You Return a Computer if You Installed Linux
Newegg caught some heat last week for not accepting a defective computer because the user had installed Linux. While this sounds pretty ridiculous at first, the user had deleted the Windows recovery partition before the machine's hardware died out which made getting it back to normal difficult for Newegg. Nonetheless, the problem with the computer was clearly not related to Linux, but rather to faulty hardware, and Newegg should've handled the return without dispute. But this is not unusual. Newegg's return policy is terrible. They accept very little and have a 15% restocking fee. They likely do this to keep their prices low, but often times you can find similar (or even better) deals elsewhere. Amazon, for example, is a great source for many computer components. That said, you don't necessarily want to limit yourself to a single store. Alan and Whitson suggested using Google shopping to weigh your options. Take this news item as a lesson: always check the return policy before you buy.
Questions and Answers
Each week we answer five questions from readers and listeners. Here's what we tackled this week.
Can I install iOS 6 on my original iPad?
Nope. Even iPhone 4 users aren't getting most of the new features. MacRumors has a nice chart showing which device gets which features, and it's probably a little upsetting to most. What's strange is that the iPhone 4 uses the same processor as the orignal iPad and it's still allowed to update. This is clearly a choice Apple is making that has nothing to do with hardware capabilities. If you're not going to get iOS 6 (or much out of it), we recommend jailbreaking and getting its features right now.
I want a new MacBook Air. What specs should I get?
The MacBook Airs are pretty fast for what they are, but a spec bump over what Apple gives you is worthwhile since you can't make any changes yourself. We felt that the 256GB SSD and 8GB of RAM is worthwhile, but the Core i7 processor isn't. The problem is, if you want to buy an upgraded machine through Apple's retail stores you have to go with upgrades across the board. If you want to save a little money you'll need to order from a reseller who provides options or configure your machine through Apple directly. If you go that route, get at least a 256GB SSD, plus the 8GB of RAM if there's even a chance you might need it.
I want to set up a cheap media center. Should I go with Google TV or XBMC?
Whitson loves XBMC. Dachis and Alan love Plex. Plex is a fork of XBMC that adds a variety of awesome features, such as live transcoding and remote streaming of your media. It also requires little-to-no setup. XBMC is a bit more configureable. They're both great options, and it really depends on what you want to do with your home media center. If you plan to do a lot of customization, you're probably better off with XBMC. Whitson has a great guide on setting it all up. If you want to be up and running in a few minutes, you can run Plex on a Google TV. (Here's more info on that.) XBMC isn't incredibly hard to set up and Plex still offers some customization, so it's not as though they're terribly different. Plex allows me to do everything I need to without configuring a bunch of stuff I don't care about. XBMC has always given me issues. That's not the case for everybody, though, so you should go with the option that works best for you. Of course, if you just build your own machine you can choose either and switch whenever you like.
An update: someone built an iPod out of spare parts!
Eric from Montreal writes in to tell us he actually built an iPod from spare parts:
In response to the question you read in the last episode of the Lifehacker show, I just wanted to let you know that a few years ago, I built an iPod Classic 160GB from parts I bought off eBay. :) I didn't take pictures unfortunately.
I had an early netbook with a slow and tiny 4GB flash drive and I saw online that it could be updated with an iPod hard drive so I ordered one... only I ordered the wrong one and the plugs didn't match-up anymore. So, I had a drive and nothing to do with it. Rather than just chuck it, I checked the iFixIt website for how to put an iPod together, checked on eBay if I could get all the parts. I spent a nice afternoon with my dad assembling it and it worked!
I haven't really totaled up how much it cost, but I believe it was a bit more than 200$, so not huge savings. But then, that was years ago (the 6th generation Classic was a few months old) so the parts may have dropped in price since.
So it is possible after all. Very cool!
Downloads of the Week
Each week we talk about our favorite downloads. Here are our picks for this week.
Windows: MSI Afterburner
MSI Afterburner is our favorite graphics card overclocking tool. It's insanely easy to use and full of features. For more info on how to use it, read our guide on overclocking your video card and see if it's even worthwhile.
Note: Per the usual lately, we're including an old Windows download because there hasn't been much new. If you have a Windows app you love, let us know. If you're a Windows developer, make something awesome! We want to post more Windows apps but there haven't been any great ones lately.
OS X: Multimon
This week's OS X is an update on an old favorite. Working with multiple monitors on your Mac is great, but managing windows between them can be a little irritating, especially since they don't automatically resize to the monitor they're on. Plus, you only get one menubar, so if your default monitor isn't the one you're working on, you can't just look to the top of the screen for your menus. Multimon is a utility, now available in the Mac App Store, that takes care of both of those problems.
Android and iOS: Aviary
Aviary, already offering a great image editor for your web browser, now has an app for your mobile phone. It provides an extensive toolset for improving your photos, plus some fun add-ons that you can purchase for a few bucks.
Download Aviary Photo Editor for Android
Download Aviary Photo Editor for iOS
iOS: Track 8
The Metro-styled music player Track 8 has received an update to make it universal. This means the once iPad-only music app is now compatible with the iPhone and iPod Touch. Alongside the universal update the app now also supports AirPlay.
How Do I Submit a Question?
There are three ways to send in your question:
Record a video, upload it somewhere, and send a link to [email protected]
Call (347) 687-8109 and record a question. Calls are awesome! We like them!
Email your question to [email protected].
Please keep your questions as brief as possible. This means about 3-5 sentences for emails and 30-60 seconds for calls and videos. Your questions can be specific, but broader questions are generally better because they'll apply to more people. For example, "how can I breathe new life into my old PDA?" is much better than "what can I do with an old HP iPAQ 210?" Either way, we look forward to hearing from you!
This podcast was edited by Kyle J. Norris.
Newspaper, Computer, and Clock (by Brandon Hopkins) provided by the Noun Project.