Tomorrow, Apple will kick off its Worldwide Developers Conference by showcasing iOS 7 and OS X 10.9. We already know some of what will be revealed: iOS will feature a design overhaul, native Flickr and Vimeo support, and better vehicle integration; OS X will improve Finder, Spaces, and multitasking for power users.

Last year, I discussed what I wanted in iOS 6. Before starting this year’s list, let’s take a look back. Did anything improve in the last year?

We got a Google-created YouTube app, background app downloads, and apps now have to ask before accessing your contacts and photos. But Safari is little-changed, App Store search and discovery is still fundamentally flawed, apps can’t truly share files, and Wi-Fi phone calls are still a pipe dream... Continue reading   ▸

The WWDC keynote is tomorrow. As expected, Apple will unveil a litany of new products and software.

Let’s get the leaked things out of the way: a revamped Maps app, Facebook integration, Siri for iPad, OS X Mountain Lion preview, more iCloud apps (notes, reminders), and new Mac hardware (Retina Display laptops, anyone?).

Got it? Good, now forget about them. Instead, let’s prognosticate on some bigger and bolder ideas. Things that haven’t been discussed to death already.

Here’s my wish list of features I’d love to see in iOS 6 or beyond:

1. Apple TV apps

The WWDC schedule has a lot of “To Be Announced” sessions, which has led people to suggest Apple’s introducing something big: possibly apps for the Apple TV set-top b... Continue reading   ▸

I really, really hate companies that don’t let you use their devices without registering them in some way. Even Apple isn’t that evil.1

But Barnes & Noble is.

I recently purchased a Nook Simple Touch as a gift for someone and wanted to set it up with some books for them. I’ve done this before with a Kindle without any problems.2

However, the Nook Simple Touch forces you to create a Barnes & Noble account and add a credit card on file before you can actually use the device you paid for.

Aside from being a bad out-of-box experience, it also makes things like selling the Nook down the line harder (assuming you like to reset your devices before selling them and the buyer wants to see them actually working before paying.)

Well, for anyone else in the same bo... Continue reading   ▸

I once read an article about the things that taste most like chicken.1 First was chicken.

But second was Tofurky.

I don’t know if that’s true or not. What I do know is that Tofurky puts quotidian vegetarian fare to shame. And it keeps getting better every year.

Try one sometime. You might—nay, will—be pleasantly surprised.

PS. Some Black Friday advice from a battle-hardened veteran: skip the stores, shop online.

I think it’s safe to say that iOS 5 is the greatest single-year leap in Apple’s mobile OS, not least of which is due to iCloud integration. That said, amongst the bevy of new features, I’ve come to appreciate a few that have more-or-less flown under the radar.

• Group by Album Artist

  For far too long, the iPod app on the iPhone has actually been inferior to an actual separate iPod. Why? Because the artists list was cluttered with every artist from every song in your collection.

  On the contrary, iTunes on your computer will only show you album artists (as it should). For example, if you have a movie soundtrack – do you want it to show up once as “Various Artists” or “Soundtrack” in your artists, or do you want 15 different entrie

Steve Jobs passed away today. He will be remembered for revolutionizing at least four industries: music (iPod, iTunes Music Store), movies (Pixar), mobile phones (iPhone) and, of course, computers (Macintosh, iPad).

His contributions to the world have made my life immeasurably better. He continually pushed the envelope and the technology industry is demonstrably better for it.

Most people will remember him tonight for the products he had a hand in creating. I’d like to take a step back and look at the consummate showman and prescient visionary.

Because he generally shunned interviews and public appearances, there is not much public footage available of Jobs. In fact, I only know of three places that he had publicly spoken: Apple keynotes, the D: All Things ... Continue reading   ▸

If you’re anything like me, you need a large display to be productive (I used a 24-inch LCD when I lived at home and was later spoiled by using Dan Tran’s 30-inch monstrosity when I was in Seattle).

Fortunately, Mac OS X has great support for multiple displays. However, one weird quirk I am often frustrated by occurs when you initially connect the external display to a MacBook or other laptop.

If you do it the proper way, the MacBook should still be sleeping (or turned off) when you connect the Mini DisplayPort (or DVI, for older models) cable to your laptop. However, in Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) and 10.6 (Snow Leopard), my MacBook Pro would never automatically register that a new display has been connected and turn it on accordingly.

Hence, I would have to manually g... Continue reading   ▸

As I write this, I’m 20,000 feet in the air, en route to Chicago. I’ve just left Seattle, where I’ve been living for the past 2 months.

On the plane, I have a very small knapsack and one overstuffed carry-on bag. I didn’t check in any luggage, so those are actually the only bags that I have with me.

Between those 2 bags and the things I have on my person, I’m only carrying 75 items.

That’s right, 75 things in all.

That’s pretty much all I brought with me 2 months ago, too. And the crazy thing is that I actually didn’t even need all that.

The fact of the matter is that I have been happily living with fewer things than I used to cram in my car trunk alone.

Minimalism in Action

Sound impossible? Perhaps to some people. But ever since I started pursuing a clutter-free life ... Continue reading   ▸

Note: This post was actually drafted almost one year ago (Feb. 2010), after the iPad was announced but before it was released. I never published it then, but I think it’s an interesting read now that we know much more about how people are using tablets in general and how the iPad specifically has fared in the market (namely, a rollicking success). Without further ado, a blast from the past…

On the day the iPad was announced, I immediately tweeted this:

I’m continually fascinated to learn what hardware and software people I admire use. The Setup does a fantastic job interviewing prominent technologists about this exact topic. One of my favorite bloggers, Paul Stamatiou, has created a version of this as well, which I’m blatantly stealing (with permission!).

Computer Setup

• Laptop: 13.3-inch unibody MacBook Pro (2.4GHz Core 2 Duo/4 GB RAM/250GB hard drive)
• Monitor: BenQ 24-inch LCD
• Mouse: Logitech MX Revolution wireless mouse
• Keyboard: Logitech Wave wireless keyboard
• Speakers: Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 THX speakers
• External Hard Drive: Seagate Freeagent (500GB), Western Digital My Book Essential (1TB)
• Home Server: HP MediaSmart Windows Home Server (4x1TB Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 HDDs)

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