This is where the rest of the story comes in. Former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer is new the LA Clippers owner. If I’m not mistaken, this is the first time a former CEO/President of a major technical based corporation is also owner of a major sports franchise.? But Ballmer already appears to be throwing his weight around. According to a Reuters article, Ballmer feels some players and coaches aren’t on Windows. Clippers coach Doc Rivers said, maybe jokingly or not, “We are probably going to get rid of these iPads, aren?t we?” Steve Ballmer replied, “Yeah, we probably are.” I highly doubt the new Clippers owner was joking about that one. So this coming NBA season, don’t be surprise to see all Clippers personnel using devices like Surface tablets, whether they want to or not. Why should we be surprised? Some reports say Ballmer won’t even let his own family use Apple products.
I appreciate loyalty as good as anybody. If Steve Ballmer wants to represent his old company, may he be blessed at doing so. But to refuse or ban your own company from doing so is crossing the line. What Ballmer should do is encourage his players and Clippers staff to switch to Windows products on their own. Do a cool demonstration and show how the Surface is better than the iPad. Be the salesman he is. Maybe this is how Ballmer is going to get the organization off Apple. I hope it is. But I don’t like how this is leading: a potential forcing a entire team to switch to one brand. Now I know some people say, “It’s his team. He can do whatever he wants.” But tell me, how would you like to be forced to switch technical brands just because the new CEO said so?
Not everything we blog about here at Computer Geeks has to do with that nasty virus on your computer. We have feelings, and know when we’ve seen something great, and real, that we may never see in our lifetime again. Derek Jeter isn’t just a New York Yankee or a ?Major League Baseball player, he is what the MLB wants to be. Derek Jeter is what MLB should be, and lets be honest, Derek Jeter is who we should all strive to be in our life’s endeavors.
Last night I sat down in my office/gaming man cave (set up by Computer Geeks), turned on my iPad and put on my Beat’s Headphones so I could drown out planet earth for 3-4 hours and take a ride much greater than I could have expected. I just wanted to see my hero one last time at Yankee Stadium, because after 22 years, Derek Jeter was playing his last game at the house that HE BUILT. It didn’t start off great, as the visiting Baltimore Orioles blasted 2 home runs and took a 2-0 in the top of the first inning. Including a HR during Jeter’s last roll call, so disaster was in the air. But fret not, Captain Jeter showed he had a little bit of magic left on this day, blasting a run scoring double off of the wall, and later tying the game later that inning by scoring. GAME ON!
The middle of the game was relatively uneventful, until Jeter stepped to the plate in the 7th inning with the bases loaded. He hit a slow roller and made it tough for the SS who threw it into right field, scoring 2 runs, eventually leading to a 5-2 Yankee lead. This looked to be Jeter’s last at bat, as their Closer David Robertson, is as solid as they come, But not on this night. They gave up 3 runs tying the game at 5, and honestly I had never been more excited. I would get to see my hero, 1 more time, and know THIS IS IT.
Derek Jeter’s Final At Bat
The first batter gets a hit, then Brett Gardner bunts him over to 2nd, setting it all up. Derek Jeter, the Yankee Captain, my hero, and the man of the night was stepping to the plate. You could see it on his face, fighting back tears, not everyone gets this opportunity, this was his moment and he would not disappoint. I woke my 4 year old son out of bed, put him in my lap and told him “watch this Alex, this is what magic really is.” With tears in my eyes I watched in awe, as Derek Jeter slapped a base hit into right field, scoring the winning run for the Yankees 1 more time. It was AWESOME, I have watched the clip around 50 times already, I can’t tear myself away from it. I just witnessed magic, greatness and real joy from a man that has brought so much of it into my home.
After the game Derek Jeter announced that he would be playing his final weekend in Boston at Fenway Park, which I will be attending, but he wont be playing SS. He wants to leave that memory there, and what a memory it was…RE2PECT
Some are reporting Apple is planning to put Beats on the shelf altogether. That’s not true. I’m not sure how that rumor came about, but even those reporting it say that Apple is not planning on shutting Beats down. In fact,? Apple CEO Tim Cook already boasts and brags about the Beats subscription program that’s been put together. Through that plan, one can get all-you-can- handle music for $10 a month. What’s more likely to happen is the Beats/Apple alliance will modify in the months to come. It could even involve changing the Beats Music Brand. What changes might be made? I guess we’ll all have to wait and see.
But I’m still puzzled about how all this ‘end of Beats’ talk came from. During the September 9 press conference, Beats wasn’t mentioned. The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus didn’t come with any Beats apps. It doesn’t look like it will be part of the iWatch either. In fact, Beats hasn’t made much noise at all since this acquisition. But still, Apple spent 3 billion dollars on Beats. Wouldn’t it be silly to just not do anything with it? That’s like buying a $50,000 car and never driving it, or a $2 million dollar home and never living in it, or a $5 million dollar luxury private jet and still insist on flying commercial. Apple didn’t get to be one of the top companies in the world by making silly decisions. So for those of us in the blogging or online journalism game, it’s so important for us to get our facts straight before releasing a report. But what will become of Beats in the months to come?
Do you remember several months ago I talked about the ongoing beef between online mega conglomerate Amazon and publishing company Hachette over e-book cost and distribution? There’s been some who are urging peace. But in a later move I just found out about, it doesn’t look like peace is coming anytime soon.
Every year around this time, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos hosts a retreat in New Mexico for authors to attend. Writers from every walk of life come because hey, when the owner of the company that sells nearly half of all books around the world calls, you should take heed. Besides, authors really enjoy these retreats; of course they’re asked to take a vow of silence about retreat activities. This year it’s going to be a little different. Apparently, some authors with ties to Hachette haven’t been invited this year. Others have opted not to come in order to show solidarity with Hachette. One of those writers is world renown best selling author James Patterson, who stated even if invited back this year, he wouldn’t attend. Months ago, Patterson openly criticized Bezos for his dealings with Hatchette, even claiming Amazon needs to be stopped by any means necessary. Even science fiction writer Hugh Howey, who defended Amazon, isn’t coming. They’re several others that are off the list, either by choice or by force, but they’re not talking.
From what I’ve read, these retreats are nice: the peace, the food, the parties, the pool, the connections being made. But I’m wondering if these writers are being told, “I control many of the books you sell. I can practically make or break you. You better yield to me or else.” E-books are selling at a far faster clip than paperbacks are, and Amazon by far controls that market. Is that the real reason so many want to go to this retreat? Is that the reason so few are willing to speak out against it?
So all the rage today is going to be about the iPhone 6. I know it, you know it, but fret not, ye who are not eligible for an upgrade on their iPhone 5S, it’s not all that bad. ?iOS 8 is here for all iPhone models. I am currently downloading it for my iPhone 5s, and I am boiling with excitement. Honestly the only difference that we are going to see between my old iPhone and the new iPhone 6 is the better camera, the fact that the screen is bigger, thinner and it has an optional 128 GB HDD. Other than that, my phone will still have the camera improvements, Quicktype keyboard, Health App, Spotlight and Mail improvements, a newly renovated Siri along with map improvements and of course the most important upgrade of all BUG FIXES. We here at Computer Geeks?have compiled a list of all of the iOS 8 upgrades for you to peruse and check out. Make sure you go on your phone and download the new iOS 8 and have a blast with it!
If you are thinking of buying the new iPhone 6 you can read our iPhone 6 launch blog?and check out all the cool features.
?iOS 8 Message improvements
o??? Smart editing tools to adjust light and color with a swipe
o??? Fine-tune controls?to adjust exposure, brightness, contrast, highlights, shadows and more
o??? Search by date, location, or album name or use smart suggestions
o??? Smart albums for Slo-mo videos, Bursts, Panoramas, and Time-lapse
o??? Third-party photo filters and editing tools supported directly in Photos
o??? Your photos and metadata from iPhoto will be migrated to Photos. Books, Journals and Slideshows will be converted to albums containing only photos.?iPhoto for iOS is not supported on devices running iOS 8 or later.
Camera improvements
o??? Time-lapse mode
o??? Capture timer
o??? Adjust exposure with a simple nudge to lighten or darken a photo prior to capture
o??? Burst mode on front facing camera on iPhone 5s
o??? Panorama for iPad Air and iPad mini with Retina display
QuickType keyboard
o??? Predictive typing personalized to your writing style, and customized based on the recipient and the app
o??? Predictive is available in English (Australia, Canada, UK, US), French (Canada, France, Switzerland), German (Germany, Switzerland), Italian, Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish, Thai
o??? Third-party keyboard support
iOS 8 Health app
o??? New Health app with easy-to-read dashboard of health and fitness data
o??? Ability to share health data with apps to provide a more comprehensive way to manage your health and fitness
o??? Add a Medical ID with information about allergies, medical conditions, and more with the option to make accessible from the lock screen
o??? Available on iPhone and iPod touch
Family Sharing
o??? Share iTunes, iBooks, and App Store purchases with up to six members of your family.
o??? Pay for family purchases with a single credit card and approve purchases by children with Ask to Buy
o??? Easily share family photos, a family calendar, locations and more
iCloud Drive
o??? Store all your documents in iCloud and access them from your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac, or PC
o??? Share the same file across multiple compatible apps
o??? Edits you make on one device update on all your devices automatically
Continuity features so your iPhone, iPad, and Mac work together more seamlessly
o??? Handoff to continue what you?re doing as you move from one device to another
o??? Make and receive calls and send and receive SMS or MMS messages on your iPad or Mac
o??? Instant Hotspot to automatically use your cellular connection to get online with your other devices
o??? AirDrop compatibility with OS X Yosemite
o??? Available on iPhone 5 or later, iPad (4th generation), iPad Air, iPad mini, and iPod touch (5th generation)
Spotlight improvements
o??? Displays suggestions from Wikipedia entries, places nearby, movies (US only), popular web sites, App Store, iTunes Store and iBooks Store
o??? Safari also supports Spotlight suggestions alongside Top Hit and search suggestions
o??? Supported for local languages in US, UK, Austria, Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland
Mail improvements
o??? Easily jump between drafts and your inbox with a simple swipe down on the draft
o??? Intelligent suggestions for Calendar events and Contacts
o??? VIP threads
Siri improvements
o??? Improvements to responsiveness, reliability and accuracy
o??? ?Hey, Siri? option to initiate Siri using just your voice when your device is plugged in
o??? Streaming voice recognition
o??? Works with Shazam to answer ?What song is playing??
o??? Purchase content from iTunes Store
Safari improvements
o??? DuckDuckGo search engine support
o??? Private browsing per tab
o??? Subscribe to RSS feeds in Shared Links
o??? Use Camera to scan and enter credit card info
Maps improvements
o??? Flyover city tours
o??? Maps place cards in Phone and Contacts
o??? Inline map view and travel time notifications for Calendar events
App Store improvements
o??? New Explore tab for easier category browsing
o??? Top trending searches displayed in Search tab
o??? Scrolling search results
o??? App video previews
o??? Expanded data protection to Calendar, Contacts, Messages, Reminders, and Notes in addition to Mail and 3rd-party apps
o??? Per message S/MIME email controls
o??? Improved UI to make it easier for users to understand the remote management of their device
o??? Automatic reply for Exchange
o??? Free/busy lookup for Calendar invitations
o??? MDM Managed books can be automatically pushed to users
Accessibility?features
o??? Redesigned Zoom with one-handed control and multiple zoom modes including picture-in-picture
o??? Built-in timer and Touch ID support for Guided Access
o??? Speak Screen to read out contents of the screen via gesture or Siri command
o??? VoiceOver improvements including Alex voice option and Braille input support
o??? Multi-device support for MFi hearing aids to seamlessly switch from one paired iOS device to another
The video game Minecraft is now a cult obsession. No wonder while Microsoft wants it, and got it. Microsoft acquired Mojang, the Swedish company that gave us Minecraft, for around two billion dollars. Now I can see why.
Minecraft is more than just a video game in which you play. You use Lego blocks to create your own fantasy world. In 2013 alone, Mojang made over$100 million, only using 100 employees. This game sells about $7-$27 a pop. Not that’s what I call profit. Microsoft wants to use Minecraft to give a struggling Windows Phone a shot of success that franchise needs. This would help Windows Phone get a younger audience, as Minecraft is extremely popular with that age group. This deal has literally been years in the making. In 2011, when Minecraft was limited to a PC game, Microsoft officials and Mojang founders met at a video game conference to discuss the matter. And now, here we are.
If you’re familiar with my blogs, you know I’m not a big fan of mergers or corporate acquisitions. But this is very smart on Microsoft’s part. Not only will this open Microsoft to a lot of new consumers, this will open them up to a popular culture technological revolution. Teachers are using Minecraft as school tools to educate children. For years, parents have often scorned their children for video games. But Minecraft is actually bringing families together, as generations are playing together. Some community leaders are using Minecraft to build libraries and other public facilities. I’ve grown up in the video game era. I’ve seen Pong, Pac-Man, Super Mario, Zelda, Sonic, Madden Football, Halo, and all in between. I’ve never seen a game be honored the way Minecraft has. And we all know how dependent we all are of Microsoft. So is this a good merger or am I making too much of this?
