Visit TED.com now on your iPhone or iPod Touch and watch video clips of talks and performances by some of the world’s most fascinating thinkers and doers, who are challenged to give the talk of their lives (in 18 minutes).

Here are two screen captures taken from my iPhone of the presentation by Joel Levine titled “Why we need to go back to Mars”.

Tapping on any video clip thumbnail in Safari brings up the dedicated Quicktime player which downloads and plays the footage.

User Experiences and Opinions

Game changer – Scott Kelby says:

Just saw the apple keynote live blog. I’m very impressed. You can nit pick it (like people did the first iphone), but it’s a game changer.

Connecting the iPad to the Mac or PC – John Gruber says:

When you connect iPad to your Mac or PC, you get a file system mount point with “shared documents”, for interchange with iPad apps.

Speed – Daniel Eran Dilger writes:

It’s also unbelievably fast and smooth, making even the iPhone 3GS look a little slow. I witnessed the iPad cold boot within about fifteen seconds. However, you don’t need to wait for it to boot because it remains on in standby for days (Jobs said a month on a single charge).

John Gruber adds:

Lastly, there’s the fact that the iPad is using a new CPU designed and made by Apple itself: the Apple A4. This is a huge deal. I got about 20 blessed minutes of time using the iPad demo units Apple had at the event today, and if I had to sum up the device with one word, that word would be “fast”.

Will the iPad be great for self-publishers? – Scott Bourne opines:

If Apple opens up the iBook store to self-publishers, all the photographers who think their book should be published will have a chance to go out there and build an audience and sell a book. Imagine the pictures we might see that wouldn’t be profitable for a big book publishing company to publish, but may be very realistically self-published via the iBook store! Or perhaps we’ll find the next Photoshop guru! Just as podcasts democratized radio, the iBook store could democratize publishing.

Possibilities of using the iPad in an enterprise / corporate / office environment – Here’s nkhm’s “vision”:

Maybe I can try – the vision to be able to hold something in your hand that has a useful screen size which can easily be taken into meetings to make notes, to check email, to connect to a projector, to look up reference material and to have a working day battery life, while being light enough to be carried in your standard briefcase without having to lug around a second case for your laptop all day.

The vision to take a small device into any office and quickly pair with a blue tooth keyboard (and I suspect also a bluetooth enabled printer) to get some simple email typed, if the on screen keyboard isn’t to your taste.

The vision that all of this is costing only $10 more than a kindle DX, and costs less than a blackberry or iPhone on contract, so small companies can make savings and let their employees have cheap cell phones with cheap price plans, further saving costs.

Just the first few thoughts off the top of my head.

Accessories

Keyboard support – From Apple’s iPad design page:

There are lots of great accessories that have been specifically designed for iPad. The Keyboard Dock, for instance, is a dock with a full-size keyboard. There’s also a standalone Dock. And because iPad has built-in Bluetooth 2.1, it’ll work with an Apple Wireless Keyboard, too.

References

Miscellaneous

Download the keynote, “Apple Announces iPad – Magical & Revolutionary Device at an Unbelievable Price” for free at iTunes.

A photo of how Daringfireball.net looks like on the iPad.

It’s a shame the iPad doesn’t have an SD slot.

Internet access via wifi at the Copthorne Orchid Hotel, Singapore, doesn’t come cheap, but at least it’s reasonably fast. Here’s the relevant results, as measured by Speedtest.net.

Download: 4.91 Mb/s
Upload: 0.66 Mb/s
Ping: 27ms

I signed up for the 24 hours internet access package at the reception counter, which set me back SGD25 (before GST and other fees). The 24 hours of access is valid and accumulated over a 7-day period.

Advantages

Advanced hardware & technology, breaks carrier lock-in – caf opines:

I don’t think any Android device could compare to the iPhone before the Droid. The Droid has hardware that matches the iPhone (better in some ways, but worse in others, but overall a pretty good match, especially for those that prefer physical keyboards). And when you consider that the Droid is on a better network, it makes for a good option for some people.

I’ve been saying for some time though, that the pace of development in the Android world is way outpacing Apple. With new devices coming out every couple of weeks or so, there will soon be many Android devices that outperform the iPhone. The Nexus One, for instance, will have twice the resolution of an iPhone screen, and a significantly faster processor, the 1 GHz Snapdragon. It’s thinner, offers better integration with the many free Google apps, and if I never have to use iTunes again, I’ll be overjoyed (Never has such a crappy piece of software been suffered by so many, except maybe Windows Vista).

What makes me most interested in the Nexus, though, is the business model. Will Google finally succeed in breaking the locked-in carrier model? Although others have tried, none have the marketing muscle or connections with buyers that Google has. It irritates me that if I buy an iPhone, or most other phones on major carriers, that I essentially have to buy them on credit. I get a cheap subsidized price up front, then have to pay for hugely overpriced service through the carrier for the next two years to pay back my “loan”. It would be a huge step forward for consumers if we could buy the phone we want, then deal for the best data plan available. Even if only TMobile is on board with the Nexus initially, if they get enough new customers they could force the hand of others. It will be interesting to watch.

Disadvantages

A compilation of Nexus One flaws – Refer to this post at pinoytutorial.com for a list of deficiencies on the Nexus One.

Memory limit – Walt Mossberg says:

The iPhone still retains some strong advantages. It boasts well over 100,000 third-party apps—around 125,000 by some unofficial estimates—versus around 18,000 for the Android platform. And it has vastly more memory for storing apps, so you can keep many more of them on your phone at any one time. On the Nexus One, only 190 megabytes of its total 4.5 gigabytes of memory is allowed for storing apps. On the $199 iPhone, nearly all of the 16 gigabytes of memory can be used for apps.

Multitouch is not enabled on the screen – David Pogue writes:

Sadly, the Nexus One also lacks a multitouch screen like the iPhone’s. So zooming into photos and Web pages is awkward and hard to control.

The Android Market still lacks polish – Garrett Murray reports:

The Android Market is a terrible mess. Nearly every app I looked at had nothing but spam comments. Literally things like, “Follow me on twitter at @blah” and “Ladies, hit me up on AIM at blah” which is embarrassing and sad. Makes the entire thing feel like cheap garbage. When you add the fact that nearly all the apps are free, and most are a UI mess, it doesn’t come off too well.

Poor product support from Google – From PC World’s article,”Google Faces Deluge of Nexus One Complaints“:

Google appears to be only accepting e-mail customer queries, to which it pledges to reply in one to two days — far too long, say most people who are complaining online.

Many people are also turning to T-Mobile and HTC, but getting little help there. T-Mobile is often referring people back to either Google or HTC for answers to questions. HTC is often referring people back to T-Mobile, according to complaints online.

One customer going by the name Roland78 said he was transferred between T-Mobile and HTC four times, spending a total of one-and-a-half hours on the phone with customer service. “T-Mobile also said Google hasn’t provided them with any support documents for the phone. Welcome to direct sales Google!” he wrote.

Cut, copy and paste is not implemented as ubiquitously as on the iPhone; sub-par IM (instant messaging) programs and browser; uninspiring apps on the Android market – Boy Genius reports:

Other issues that I can’t live with day to day? How do I copy text from non-editable field like an email, webpage, or SMS, or even a 3rd party application? Oh, I can’t. Say what you want about the iPhone not having copy and paste for two years — a joke — it’s the single best implementation on the planet for a smartphone and Google’s approach is almost as bad as RIM’s with the Storm-series.

… and …

Android doesn’t make sense as a whole. It’s fragmented, poorly executed, the Android Market for apps is a mess, and developers still don’t care about it. There’s not one single good IM program that I could rely on day to day (I don’t use Google Talk), the browser is decent at best. It’s faster now, sure, there’s a 1GHz CPU under its ass, but it’s not intuitive, and there’s always erroneous touch events; when I want to hit something I hit another link, button or app by accident.

… and …

But in the end, I found that the lack of any meaningful applications for Android really made it a no go from the beginning. I’m talking about quality — re-read the word quality — applications, here. The best VNC and RDP applications on Android are a joke. There’s not a single enjoyable Twitter application, and any application that’s on Android that is available on the iPhone pales in comparison. If you can find an application on the Android platform that’s better than the iPhone counterpart, I’ll send you a BGR Ninja hat.

I’d heard about the virtues of using Path Finder over the stock Finder on Macs numerous times in podcasts, blog posts and forum discussions, but had always felt that the $39.95 asking price was a little too rich for my blood.

Well, it’s now included in the MacUpdate 2009 Winter Promo Bundle. $49.99 buys you the bundle, which has a ton (well, 11 in total) of other cool apps too.

Three additional pieces of software are thrown in for the first 10,000 buyers.

Here’s the receipt emailed to me.

I’ve saved quite a bit of spending money since 2007 (when I bought my first Mac, a 20-inch iMac), by holding out for these promotions.

And this is a screenshot of the MUPromo Holiday Bundle 2009 installation DMG.

Here’s the full list of programs / utilities that’s bundled into the promo

Path Finder – from Cocoatech. Read Macworld’s Path Finder review.

Speed Download – from Yazsoft. Read ThinkMac’s Review: Speed Download – Mac OS X Download Manager.

Socialite – from Real Mac Software. Read Socialite 1.0 Arrives: Powerful Social Media Aggregator for Mac.

HealthNut – from Conceited Software.

Yep – from Ironic Software. Read Cult of Mac favorite: Yep (Mac OS X app).

PCalc – “… a fully featured scientific calculator for Mac OS X with support for hexadecimal, octal and binary calculations, as well as an RPN mode, parentheses, programmable functions, and an extensive set of unit conversions. A Dashboard Widget is also included with the main application.”

Radio Gaga – from GagaFactory. Read TUAW’s Radio Gaga, music lovers’ new best friend.
Side note: This is one example of how these promos can be of benefit to the participating companies. I’d never heard of GagaFactory before, but when I went to their site, I came across another cool piece of software (it’s free, and I’m downloading the software as I type this) from them: GagaMarkets – The first real-time visual stock market index monitor for Mac.

Machinarium – from Amanita Design. Demo.

GarageSale – from iwascoding.com. Read Pocket Lint’s GarageSale – Mac review – Fed up with eBay? This could be the solution….

iRip – from The Little App Factory:

Has your computer broken? Does your iPod contain the only copy of your valuable music, movies, and TV shows? Never fear, iRip will automatically recover everything.

DragThing – Read NoodleMac’s Why DragThing is the best Mac file launcher.

If you’re among the first 10,000 purchasers, you’ll get the following, additional stuff

PowerTunes – from Fat Cat Software. Read TUAW’s Take command of iTunes with PowerTunes and Macworld’s PowerTunes organizes multiple iTunes libraries.

Holiday DVD Templates – from Eye Scream Factory.

FlagIt! – from Tasty Apps.

I saw this ad in the The Star newspaper (issue Dec 02, 2009).

(Click to see a larger image. The photo was captured using a Fujifilm FinePix F200EXR, and edited using Adobe Lightroom 2.5.)

Maybank is giving away 50 iPhones in a contest that runs from 1 Dec 2009 to 28 Feb 2010.

Each time you spend RM50 using either a Maybank Credit or Debit Card (one example is the the regular Maybank Visa ATM Debit Card), you stand a chance to win a free iPhone 3GS.

More information can be obtained from Maybank’s branches, www.maybank2u.com website, or by calling 1300 88 6688.

The fine print states that you’ll have to register for a Maxis iValue Plan for each iPhone 3GS won.

I’m not greedy, I just hope to be able to win one unit, so it looks like it’s going to be RM50 gas / petrol / fuel refills from now on, until the end of the promotion.

The following is from Nano_tube’s Hackintosh Guide in an AppleInsider forum thread discussing the virtues (or otherwise) of purchasing a Mac Pro.

OS X Updates. If a Hackintosh is installed with a Retail version of OS X (mainly SL) and the hardware does not include an Atom processor (netbook), then there is no issues. It’s just like updating a regular Mac. Here are two nice guides on how to do it: Lifehacker , teknojunkie.

Also, just type “hackintosh” in YouTube… a lot of videos and visual guides can be found there.

How does a retail version of OS X works on a Hackintosh? If the hardware of the Hackintosh is supported by OS X, then the only remaining issue left is how does OS X communicate with this hardware when it boots. As you know, PCs use a BIOS system while Macs use the more advanced EFI. So what is needed is some sort of software that “translates” to OS X what the BIOS says (in human terms, it’s like translating from Chinese to English). This translation software is called “Boot Loader” and the best (by far) on the scene is called Chameleon. Additionally, like Boot Camp, this software also allows multiple OSs to be installed on the Hackintosh. I have it installed on mine and I am running OS X and Windows 7. It is also a graphical boot loader so it is dead easy to use. You install it like you install every other Mac program.

Updates in general. If you installed a retail Mac OS X, you update just like a normal Mac – via the Apple Update Application or by downloading a combo update. However, as any Mac user out there, it is wise to wait a day or two before you do any update on a Mac or a Hackintosh. A good place to read news about everything-hackintosh is here: Insanely Mac.

Bottom line. Most of the people reading about Hackintoshes for the first time think “Meh … it’s too complicated” and as Mac users are (including me), we want it to just work when we buy it. Well, it is not difficult to build a Hackintosh if you just follow the guides. Last but not least, it is a lot of fun to build one.

My “HackPro” is running on:
Intel Quad 6600 2.4Ghz CPU
Intel DragonTail Motherboard with on-Board LAN and Sound (just like a Mac)
8 GB DDR2 800Mhz RAM
GeForce 9800GTX+ 512MB
Two 320GB SATA HDs
DVD-RW SATA
Nice Thermaltake black case with quite fans and power supply.
Mac OS Leopard 10.5.8 that identifies my HackPro as “Mac Pro 2,1″

A machine like this today will cost under $1,000 and trust me, it flies! Boots under 15 seconds and works great with all the pro apps.

How fast a page loads on your website can directly affect the revenue earned from the site.

Excerpts from Kottke.org’s article on Google DNS follow.

Google VP Marissa Mayer:

After a bit of looking, Marissa explained that they found an uncontrolled variable. The page with 10 results took .4 seconds to generate. The page with 30 results took .9 seconds.

Half a second delay caused a 20% drop in traffic. Half a second delay killed user satisfaction.

Former Amazon employee Greg Linden:

This conclusion may be surprising — people notice a half second delay? — but we had a similar experience at Amazon.com. In A/B tests, we tried delaying the page in increments of 100 milliseconds and found that even very small delays would result in substantial and costly drops in revenue.

I’m not sure why there does not exist an option to rename folders in Google Reader.

If urgently need to rename numerous folders, I currently know of only one way – install an RSS reader that syncs with Google Reader on your Mac, and then use the rename folder functionality within that app.

Try either Gruml or NetNewsWire. Both apps let you change the name of the folder(s) with a mere right-click or control-click on the folder name.

Gruml is the smaller of the two, weighing in at 7.8 MB.

The file size of NetNewsWire, on the other hand, is quite a bit larger, at 17 MB.

Reviews

Dave Winer writes:

The Asus is a much better travel computer than the MacBook Pro — primary reason: battery. There’s a quantitative difference that means you don’t look for power outlets. I’m writing this in the airport lounge at Logan and some people have their computers connected to power outlets. When I got here all the plugs were filled. I’ve been using the computer for about 45 minutes, and only used 5 percent of the power. I’ll make it all the way to Calif on this charge.