Daily Techno-Babble

Just in case you have not already noticed the problems plaguing the iTunes store over the last few days (Apple TV launch?) here is a quick heads-up. My own last few downloads off the iTunes web site have resulted in incomplete files. Some of these problems appear to be badly uploaded content from the vendors such as the History Channel’s “Lost Worlds” season which has two incomplete episodes while others just appear to fail during the download process and do not resume. I also noted several podcasts which seem to be also effected by this problem. Notebly the latest episode of Hack .5 has only the first 15 seconds before it dies. This is really irritating me since I was happily having a good time watching some of this content on my new AppleTV when I discovered the problem. So far Apple has not made any attempt to correct the problem which I am sure others are finding annoying as well.

UPDATE: iTunes support staff responded to my report of the two problem files by refunding the charges and initiating an dialog with the owner of the content to see what went wrong and to fix the two files ASAP. Kudos on Apple getting back to me quickly and giving me a full refund no questions asked.

Technorati Tags: apple, ipod, music

Right on the heels of my BMW 328xi review comes this rare chance to sample something truly special. Yes, there is nirvana and no it’s not a rock band. For BMW enthusiasts it can be found in the drivers seat of the 2007 BMW 335i thanks to the technological tour-de-force that is BMW’s latest enterprising twist in automotive engineering, twin turbo power. Sadistically fast but sporting deceptively benign looks, the 335i marks itself as one of the sneakiest cars on the road, fooling everyone into thinking you are driving just another 3-Series, until you step on the accelerator that is.

Technorati Tags: 328i, 335i, auto, bmw, cars, review, sport sedan

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In recent days there have been numerous reports on why folks are ditching Microsoft. I think these all are symptomatic of a larger movement that points to a singular undeniable fact. Microsoft is on the way out. Windows Vista has been a disappointment for Microsoft and the industry as a whole. However, this is not the whole story. As a consequence of Windows Vista not meeting expectations we are seeing for the first time many companies (even including the US Government) actively seeking alternatives to Microsoft Windows. This is not happening with just a few select companies or government offices, this is happening on a wide scale, involving numerous large corporations and even entire nations. So why now? What has changed? Was Vista THAT bad? Even if you factor in the lukewarm reception for Vista there still remains little doubt that there has to be something more on the table for these companies to seriously consider dumping a product they have used for almost a decade. The reason is not that Windows is so bad, but that Linux/OSX/etc is now so much better. So here are five simple reasons why dumping Microsoft won’t be all that bad.

Technorati Tags: apple, microsoft, vista

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After trying several bluetooth headsets from Motorola I picked up the Plantronics Discovery 640 while cruising through Best Buy one day almost as an after thought. I was not particularly impressed with my last headset, the Motorola H500 since it never seemed to provide the clarity or the comfort I was looking for. So after several weeks using my Plantronics bluetooth headset I was not only happy with it, I finally started actually using it for just about all my cell calls since the quality was better on the headset than using the phone itself!

Technorati Tags: bluetooth, cell phones, gadgets, headset, wireless

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