September 1, 2007 - I'm Baaaack! |
By know, you'll have already known that I have made a fantastic return. (That is, if you read the headline, which I'm sure you have). The vacation was fun and I had a lot of great times, but there's honestly no place like home (as cliche as it sounds).
While I was gone, not much has happened in the tech world. Digg.com got a new look. Additionally, a lot of cool things have been happening with Leopard in terms of UI. The aqua bubbles that represent close, minimize, and zoom have been revamped, as well as the default wallpaper (which is now space-themed, reminiscent of Time Machine). The menu bar transparency doesn't nearly suck as much as it used to, and looks really cool now. I'm all for it, although I can't say I'll be pleased if Apple refuses to include an option for the transparency.
That sounds a little limited, I know. Hopefully more will be pumping out on September 5th, where an Apple Event has been scheduled for the press. New iPods, hello? |
| Permanent Link |
August 24, 2007 - On Vacation Tomorrow |
Tomorrow I will be on vacation, and therefore unable to make any blog posts. (Even though I haven't been making blog posts anyway). For the lack of posts, I apologize. I guess I just can't post about one thing, and as I result I feel so limited. Regardless of that, I'll be traveling to the Dominican Republic early tomorrow morning with my family. Hurricane Dean was relatively close to Dominican Republic a few days ago, but it's passed that area, so we should be fine.
Nonetheless, wish me well. I'm hoping the trip is awesome, and that we come home safe. |
| Permanent Link |
August 15, 2007 - The Dark User Interface |
 While I've been into design for quite a while, I've always had a thought in the back of my head to design an entire operating system. Although in the past I've tried out the idea, only to give up soon after, this concept is the closest I've ever gotten to designing a complete one. (Note, the mock ups do not represent a complete OS, just the one I've gotten closest to completing).
There's still room for innovation, as it's currently just a nice thing to look at, but I plan to add features in future mock ups that will flip the technology world on its back. Okay, not really, but it's cool to imagine that. Here are just a few.
[Main UI]. [User Settings], [Log-In], [Installing]
Check out all of them in my deviantART gallery. |
| Permanent Link |
August 7, 2007 - New iMacs, Keyboard, iLife and iWork |
 Well, Apple's event was today. With that, Apple has released the highly rumored iMacs which are now even thinner than before. These new iMacs include an aluminum and glass enclosure, and look simply stunning. Additionally, the 17" iMac has been chopped from the line. Of course, the new iMacs wouldn't be complete without a new keyboard. Yep, the rumors were spot on. It makes me wonder if Apple planted those images in the first place -- Apple didn't remove them, making us think they were fake, and then in the keynote Jobs stated that we may have already seen it on the internet. Interesting.
Although iLife '07 and iWork '07 were never released at MacWorld '07, iLife and iWork '08 have been released today and include several new features, some of which are the new iPhoto with better photo management, "Magic Garageband", a new iMovie UI, along with a new application for the iWork suite, titled "Numbers". Numbers handles spreadsheets similar to Microsoft Excel.
Apple also updated their Mac Mini line to Intel Core 2 Duo processors, originally being confirmed by Apple's own Tim Cook during a Q&A session after the keynote. You can see that here.
Head on over to Engadget for a hands-on look at the new iMac and keyboard. |
| Permanent Link |
August 1, 2007 - Microsoft Remote Desktop 2.0 Beta |
 Yesterday, Microsoft released the beta of Remote Desktop 2.0 for Mac OS X. For those of you who don't know, Remote Desktop enables Mac users (and Windows users via the Windows version) to view and control other Windows desktops through their home network. I've tried this out on my brother's PC in the previous release, but have yet to try it in this beta.
Features in the beta include:
- It's a Universal Binary
- Better compatibility with Windows Vista
- Multiple sessions (allowing you to connect to more than one PC at a time)
- Updated UI
- More customization (including customization for keyboard shortcuts)
- Screen resizing within a session
- Better printing support
I've already had issues connecting to my brother's PC, which I never had originally in the previous version. My brother's been having some Windows problems lately, though, so it might be an issue with his computer.
Keep in mind that this beta expires mid way through 2008, though it's likely to be free when it's finished (just as Remote Desktop has been in the past). Download it at Microsoft's Mac BU site. |
| Permanent Link |
July 30, 2007 - Leopard's UI: The Good and the Bad |
 Well, we've come a long way. It was a while ago that Leopard was announced, and it was over a year ago that we learned a bit about it's new features (e.g. Time Machine and Spaces). At WWDC, a few months ago, we saw Leopard's new user interface. There have been minor tweaks with each update (seeded only to developers and people who pirated the Leopard .iso file.) Well, I'm here to sort it all out.
The good, the bad, and the ugly.
 The Dock
Yeah, it's the same dock we all know and love. Apple just decided to make it even more superfluous by making it appear to be a table. Aside from the fact that there are issues with the table (the angles aren't quite right, making it look more like a trapezoid), there are still a few things I love and hate about it.
The Good: - The new text hovers. They now have a black bubble around them, which I find quite enjoyable.
The Bad: - It's a table. While I wasn't fond of the decision, Apple has recently tried to make it look more like a table, at least.
- The new separator. They got rid of it when they first showed us Leopard's new UI, but in a recent update they've restored it. It's not that I hate the separator (love it, actually), but they did a terrible job of designing it. A cross walk-esque divider? Come on. Stick with a simple line -- less is more.
 Tool Bars (Mail, Preview):
While not much has changed in the appearance of Mail's new tool bar, the look has been brought over to Preview's dying UI (way back from the first version of OS X).
The Good: - The buttons are white, which contrasts with the dark background a lot better than the original graphite blue.
The Bad: - The buttons are white. Call me picky, but I don't like it. I would have rather had a lighter blue. Still, that's just preference.
Speaking of preference...
The New Preferences Icon:
I don't have a pic here, but you can check it out at ThinkSecret. It's reminiscent of the iPhone system preferences icon, and needless to say, it owns.
 The Transparent Menu Bar:
The new menu bar has been very controversial amongst the Macintosh and Windows community for a single reason: it's transparent. (Remember who did that first?) But that's not the only reason I have gripes about it.
The Good: - They changed the Apple logo once again, this time being black. I like it.
The Bad: - It's a little too transparent, thus making it look strange with darker wallpaper backgrounds. Can you imagine having a jet black wallpaper? It'd be difficult to use the menu bar...sort of. I really hope they give us a preference to use this, though I doubt they will (that's typical Apple).
 The Colour Inconsistency (Menu Bar):
Check out the picture provided. The highlights are typical aqua blue, while the spotlight (and help search) boxes use a graphite-like colour. Not so hot. There's no good for this one, just bad.
The Massive Drop Shadows:
Leopard now gives you even larger drop shadows on the active window, and gives you slim to nothing on inactive ones.
The Good: - You can tell which window is active much better.
The Bad: - It's so big that it becomes obstructive. It's plain old ugly.
And those are just some of my gripes about Leopard's UI. I believe there are few changes for the better, but that's just me. Give me your thoughts on the comments!
|
| Permanent Link |
July 28, 2007 - The Life of an Apple Fanboy |
 Having a passion for Apple products isn't easy. Okay, maybe the passion part is. However, dealing with that passion is a whole other story.
For a long time, I (and several others) considered me to be an Apple fanboy. Heck, I changed my entire personal blog into an Apple news site. Doesn't that scream fanboy? Now'a'days, I try to take a less enthusiastic approach towards Apple as a company, and as a lifestyle. (Surprisingly, there are people out there who consider Apple's brand to be a culture in itself.) For example, I've been rather criticizing of the iPhone for an "Apple fanboy". I haven't critiqued it or given a solid opinion of it on this blog, but I've discussed with many others about it. I won't go into the details here, but let's just say I'm not going to buy one...for now, at least. (Not that I could anyway, considering it's not available in Canada yet).
Now why is it that I've tried to saturate my passion? There's two primary reasons. One, being a fanboy isn't cool. It blinds you. You look at Apple's website, see that they made a minor change to their MacBook lineup, and you jump out of your chair and start screaming. You shout, "Apple updated their website!" Doesn't sound so cool, does it?
My other reason is what makes being a fanboy the worst thing on the internet. The harsh claims, the arguments, the criticism. And this isn't coming from you -- but the peers who surround you. Taking a look into this life reveals a saddening image. You can't even walk into a simple IRC channel consisting of people knowing you, without one saying "Hey, are you going to marry Steve Jobs?" When you like Apple, everything related to Apple seems to find its way into your ego. That can be either for the best, or for the worst.
Now you can probably see why being an Apple fanboy isn't so great. As a result, I've tried my best to remove myself from that image. Now it seems that every time I criticize something Apple makes, people are shocked. I was once asked "Who are you, and what have you done with Konstantino?" Seriously.
If you're an Apple fanboy, or starting to become one, stop yourself. Feel free to appreciate what Apple has to offer. Be a Mac user. Listen to your iPod. Or even flick the screen of your iPhone. But if there's one thing I don't want you to do, it's to live every day of your life thinking about any of those things.
My conclusion? Don't be a fanboy. |
| Permanent Link |
July 28, 2007 - Is this the new Apple Keyboard? |
 Recent rumors suggest that Apple will be bundling a new keyboard with their new (and also rumored) iMacs. Engadget has received a tip with pictures, suggesting that the images provided are indeed those new keyboards. You can see the photos in their gallery here.
Just as the rumors speculated, these images appear to be using keys similar to that of the keyboards included on the MacBook. Personally, I think it'll be a little awkward to be typing with this thing. The body is thin, the keys are thin, and it doesn't look very ergonomic. Plus, some of the key locations that I've known to love have been moved (e.g. the speaker volume buttons and eject key).
I still, however, don't quite buy into this. Aside from the fact that the EXIF data on the images says "Photoshop" (though they could have just cropped the images or whatever in Photoshop), the keyboard just doesn't seem to be exactly right for a desktop computer. It also doesn't make sense that Apple would rearrange some of their keys. Why fix what isn't broken? That, and no leaked images ever leave Apple's Fort Knox-esque base in Cupertino California.
[Via Engadget] |
| Permanent Link |
July 24, 2007 - Could this be the 6G iPod Interface? |
 Somebody recently tipped Mac Rumors on a 6th generation iPod interface, complete with 3 videos. Apple legal requested that they be taken down, but luckily, someone took the videos and submitted them as one video on YouTube. However, this video is also down. Is Apple trying to stop something from getting out?
I happened to back up the video, but it isn't in a common format (in fact, it was downloaded with no format). I can still play it in VLC Player, however. Basically, the interface in the video outlines a similar interface to that of the iPhone, although it is still very reminiscent of the iPod. Half of the screen shows the menu, while most of the time album art or whatever you're selecting on the menu is on the other half of the screen. The video looked cool, but it was just so perfect that it's hard to believe it could be real. (It wasn't a blurry video, it was a direct feed of the interface). I don't know if I can mirror the video, but you can enjoy that outline and wait and see what Apple has down the pipeline for us. |
| Permanent Link |
July 23, 2007 - New Design...Again |
 Well, I'm really proud of this theme. Thanks to lazyboy for all the help messing around with aspects of the blog layout. I worked for a few hours on this and really want it to stick around for a while.
As some of you may remember, I had this little issue with some of the themes on EFX2. They crashed all Gecko-based browsers on my Mac. (Firefox, Camino, Flock, etc). Well, I developed this theme to combat that. It was working perfectly. I even developed the whole theme in Firefox. But then...once I was done, it decided to start crashing on me again.
By now, I'm pretty much sulking.
...In my mind, at least. |
| Permanent Link |
July 21, 2007 - We are not on Hiatus |
For those of you who care, you may have noticed that Aqua Blog hasn't been itself lately. First and foremost, we have had this crazy design. The banner doesn't even say Aqua Blog anymore! Don't worry, we are not "Woodilicious" and never will be. Perhaps I'll release this design to the public, however.
In the meantime, I've been doing nothing with the blog. It's pretty sad. The design lazyboy recently made for me, along with this one (it was based on his design) crash all Gecko-based browsers on my Mac. That includes Firefox, Camino, and Flock. It runs on Safari perfectly, however. Sadly, my heart belongs to Firefox and will stay that way for a long time. You can blame my relationship with the big fox for my lack of updates. I'm going to keep blogging, and I'm going to try and make this place better. Step one will be to fix the design (I'll be reverting back to the theme lazyboy made for me for now), followed by posting a heck of a lot more.
Don't worry guys, I'm still in this. |
| Permanent Link |
July 2, 2007 - New Design, Lots of Gratitude |
 Firstly, I would like to thank lazyboy so much for the new design. Here's the deal -- I showed him this Leopard design idea that some guy did on deviantART. Next thing I know, he starts making this crazy design. By the time he's more than half way done, I realize it was for me! It was a big surprise, but also a really good one. This thing is sleek.
I had to re-do my desktop, tip, and account images. I'm having a little trouble with the account images (they don't connect horizontally), but I'm pleased with this blog's design overall. I'll probably be messing around with the banner a bit, though. Expect to see this baby around for a while. |
| Permanent Link |
July 1, 2007 - iPhone icon |
 Right about now, you must be thinking either of the following: A) Tino's at it again, or B) My goodness Tino, stop with the icons! Well, regardless of your opinions, the next icon in my set of iCONs is ready -- and this time it's iPhone.
That's right, just in time (well, we're a couple days late) for its American debut, this icon represents the same iPhone that has quickly become a technology icon. This icon captures the realism of the iPhone while also maintaining a very icon-y look. I know I can't really say icon-y, but I did. There I go again! I'll just...shut up now, mmkay?
The only thing hard about this one was the time it took to make the metallic border look right. After that, everything was a piece of cake. You can check out the new icon at my deviantART account, here. If you'd like a closer look, click here or on the image thumbnail. |
| Permanent Link |
June 29, 2007 - iPhone: Get Yours 6:00 PM Today |
 Today, the iPhone will be released at Apple and Cingular (er...AT&T) stores at 6:00 PM in the US. The moment many of us have predicted for years. The rumors have been true, starting perhaps with the fact that iPhone.org redirects to apple.com. Needless to say, Apple has made a dramatic entrance for iPhone today on their site, completely getting rid of the bottom four images and focusing on the iPhone. I'm a little disappointed that they quickly lost focus on Leopard so quickly (hell, they had that iPhone image at the bottom of the site for like six months). Needless to say, Apple is excited about this thing.
There's also a crap load of videos on the iPhone page now demoing tons of stuff, so if you want to check it out go here. |
| Permanent Link |
June 15, 2007 - Safari 3 for Windows Reaches One Million |
 That's right -- in two days, Safari 3 for Windows has reached 1 million downloads. That's crazy! Congrats to Apple for a successful software release -- I'm sure they'll be gaining market share in no time flat. Oh yeah, and for those of you who noticed security issues with Safari, Apple has released Safari 3.01 which squashes all those bugs. Make sure to update your version of Safari quick! |
| Permanent Link |
June 11, 2007 - WWDC 2007 |
Yes, that's right -- WWDC 2007 was today. In fact, my buddy lazyboy posted about it before me ( oh the shame I have now). Nonetheless, Apple's WWDC was pretty cool, but a little disappointing. They didn't announce any new products this time around, but they have given us full details on Mac OS X Leopard, along with some details on the iPhone.
The best thing about all this, however, is probably Apple.com's new website design. I absolutely love it! Oh yeah, and Safari 3 beta has been released for Mac OS X Tiger and Windows XP and Vista. Yeah, you heard me right. Holy cheese! It seems that Apple wants a hunk out of this browser war. With their popularity concerning the iPod, I'm sure it'll be sooner than later when Apple takes over the browsing market too. I stand by this, considering iTunes is the most downloaded software for Windows.
My favourite thing about Leopard is the new desktop. I'm not a fan of the transparent menu bar, but I love the new dock "table" which is very reflect-ish. The overlay text on icons is now surrounded by a black caption bubble, too. (I love that). Oh yeah, and as windows approach the dock, they reflect on its surface. Can you say huzzah?
Check Leopard out here. Keep an eye out for the keynote stream!
P.S. Doesn't the iPhone look smaller? |
| Permanent Link |
June 5, 2007 - WWDC Less Than A Week Away |
| Wooh! It feels like just yesterday that Apple unveiled Leopard on us. Well, it's already been nearly a year, and WWDC (World Wide Developer Conference) is just around the corner. We know that Apple will be showing off a feature-complete Leopard, along with news about the iPhone. Another popular rumor is the "ultra portable" iMac. What's true? What's false? The wait is over June 11th. |
| Permanent Link |
June 5, 2007 - New MacBook Pros |
 My oh my, Aqua Blog isn't what it used to be. I've missed out on posting about several Apple announcements, but I decided I wouldn't forget to tell you about this one. Yeah, that's right -- Apple has yet again updated their MacBook Pro product line. Recently they also bumped up the specs on their MacBooks.Moving more into the past, Apple announced that YouTube streaming would be a feature of Apple TV, and finally, the iPhone's release date has been confirmed to June 29th (as stated by the three new iPhone commercials).
So, what's with these new MacBook Pros? It's a small upgrade, consisting of bumped up processor speeds (still on the Core 2 Duos, though), the wireless card has been upgraded to 802.11n, and they now have nicer graphics cards. Now don't quote me on this, but I also believe these new MBPs have been updated to LED displays. But I'm too lazy to check, so why not take a look? |
| Permanent Link |
May 30, 2007 - Praising Pokemon Diamond |
 Wow, there have been so many things I could've blogged about this whole entire month. Yet for some reason, the laziness inside of me had this urge to keep away from EFx2. Yeah, it's been getting wild around the site lately. Not just with Aqua Blog, but with everyone's. Especially Keith's development blog, which has announced that ReStyle has been "put away with" as a feature for EFx2 and that the features will be implemented into a new blogging site. I don't know what this means for Aqua Blog, but we'll just have to wait and see.
But anyway, on with today's topic - Pokemon. Yeah, I know it sounds really childish. But honestly, the Pokemon franchise deserves all the praise in the world. Concerning me in particular, Pokemon has led average young kids on to the path of gamer-hood. I've had some great memories with Pokemon, buying into every generation that comes by. Diamond has resurrected those memories. My awesome brother chose Pearl. Having a brother with a separate version has its pros, considering these are some Pokemon only available in either version. Oh yeah, and on a side note, I did have this game on its North American release date, I was just too lazy to tell anyone about it. Read on for more information on the game.
The same typical formula which has led other Pokemon games to success is apparent in this one, too. You pick one of three starter Pokemon and go on an adventure to catch'em all. As expected, you run into some challenges on the way. A new team is around, this time called "galactic". While Ruby and Sapphire had team aqua and magma, which were based on the game's legendary Pokemon, galactic (which is around in both games) is strongly linked with Diamond/Pearl's legendaries. Dialga controls time and Palkia controls space. Together, these Pokemon make for a fierce battle.
On the note of legendary Pokemon, this game has ton. In fact, more than any other game before it. You have your main guy (Dialga/Palkia), plus the expected "legendary trio" (this time Mespirit, Uxie, and Azelf), along with a ton of others. Some include Giratina, Darkrai, Cresselia, Heatran, Regigigas, and let's not forget the EXTREMELY rare Arceus (which is considered the "god" Pokemon, so to speak). Arceus is only available through a Nintendo event which will provide you with the item you need to call him about.
Anyways, it's really fun. This isn't a review or anything, but I thought I might get some of you guys hyped about it. Until next time, blog on! |
| Permanent Link |
|
About Me
Inspire, create, explore.
Friends
|
I don't think this image needs any explanation. This is straight from my inbox. Just take a look.
