Posts tagged Reviews at The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)

Posts with tag reviews

Mossberg, Pogue, Baig review the iPhone 3G

Posted Jul 9th 2008 6:00AM by Cory Bohon
Filed under: Reviews, iPhone, App Store

While most people are waiting in line for their soon-to-be new friend, pal and everyday communications device, the world's top tech reviewers have already been playing with the long awaited device. Below is a summary of their findings along with links to their full reviews of the iPhone 3G.

Walt Mossberg (Wall Street Journal)

Pros: Faster cell network data speeds, GPS
Cons: Weaker battery life due to 3G/GPS
Bottom Line: If you don't already have an iPhone and can live with the weaker battery life, then you should go ahead and buy; otherwise wait out for the 2.0 firmware update (hmm... I think I've heard this advice somewhere else)

David Pogue (New York Times)

Pros: You can talk and access 3G data network simultaneously, cheaper, improved audio quality
Cons: 3G isn't wide-spread, AT&T pricing,
Bottom Line: "iPhone 3G is a nice upgrade," 2.0 firmware update will make your original iPhone in most ways similar to the iPhone 3G

Edward Baig (USA Today)

Pros: Faster data network, cheaper, GPS, Visual Voicemail
Cons: Slow EDGE speeds when not in 3G area, no video, no memory expansion
Bottom Line: "The Sequel, is worth the wait," he also shows a side-by-side comparison between EDGE and 3G speeds

As an interesting note: David Pogue says that the iPhone's GPS antenna is too small to provide you with turn-by-turn directions in Google Maps -- this is something that Apple has failed to note until now.

TUAW: iPhone AppStore Testing and Reviews

Posted Jul 8th 2008 4:00PM by Erica Sadun
Filed under: iPod Family, TUAW Business, iPhone, App Store

Dear Developers,

Until Apple introduces ad-hoc distribution, should you want to have TUAW test your software, start by contacting us at our tips line with general information about your software.

One of us will write back to you with a test unit device identifier. You will need to provision that device for Development and then send us a copy of the mobile provision and a zipped Release version of your iPhone application (not a Distribution version).

Other welcome items include:

Pricing information and system requirements
Website URL for the software
A basic press pack
Corporate/PR contact information for TUAW
General contact information for our readers

We love you all,

Auntie TUAW

Reviewing the new MacBook Pro

Posted Mar 12th 2008 12:00PM by Dave Caolo
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Portables, Macbook Pro

Blogger Shawn Blanc has written another one of his thorough reviews. This time, it's the new MacBook Pro.

The interesting thing is that he's using it to replace his Mac Pro. Most tech professionals have a primary machine (often a desktop) and a secondary (usually a laptop). After living with this setup for some time, Shawn noticed that the laptop had become his main machine:

"I don't need the Mac Pro. The loss in horsepower is negligible for what I do, and the gain in simplicity cannot be expressed with words. I'm selling the tower and going back to being a one-computer consumer, and connoisseur of fine laptops."

The same thing eventually happened to me. My MacBook Pro is the machine I use most often, and my iMac is the machine I use to sync my iPhone, make iTunes purchases and upload photos. Other than that, it pretty much just sits around.

Shawn goes on to describe setup, migration of his older data and (much, much) more. The whole thing is written in Shawn's comprehensive and readable style. Check it out.

MacBook Air review round-up

Posted Jan 24th 2008 4:00PM by Scott McNulty
Filed under: Apple, MacBook Air

Ah, it is that magical time after an Apple announcement: the big media reviews are starting to roll in. As you might be aware Apple loans out new hardware to technology journalists to put through their paces. The MacBook Air, being a new product, was delivered to a few tech heavy hitters (with the slightly less heavy hitters having to wait a little longer to get their review unit. And no, TUAW doesn't get any review units from Apple) sometime last week, and have been subjected to lots of prodding. The first few reviews are up, and they all pretty much say the same thing: the MacBook Air is really thin, and a great machine so long as you don't need the ports it doesn't have. The good news seems to be that Apple's estimate of 5 hours of battery life doesn't seem to be too far off.

Read 'em' for yourself:

Edward Baig's review in USA Today
Steven Levy's review in Newsweek
Walt Mossberg's review in The Wall Street Journal

Our friends at Engadget just received their review unit, and have confirmed what we suspected: the external SuperDrive will not work with other Macs. They also list what you can and can't do with Remote Disc.

And finally, the groovy folks at Gearlog have received their review unit and kindly posted unboxing pictures. Who doesn't like a good set of unboxing pictures?

iLounge reviews Apple Bluetooth Headset

Posted Jul 31st 2007 9:30AM by David Chartier
Filed under: Accessories, Hardware, Apple, iPhone

Those unstoppable cats over at iLounge (whom I am convinced are using genetically modified oompa loompas) have gone and reviewed themselves an Apple Bluetooth Headset. For $129, you get a pretty darn sleek headset that one-ups the competition by including only a single button for control (or perhaps that's 'one-downing' the competition...), a Dual Dock for charging both the iPhone and headset and a travel charger that can handle the same job. iLounge's verdict? Well, it's a mixed bag. The headset doesn't blaze any trails in the places it matters, such as audio quality or battery life, nor is it as functional as many would expect from a typical bluetooth headset (it doesn't even have on-board volume buttons; that's controlled from the iPhone). However, the headset's performance does rank in at around average, and the included accessories are certainly a leap beyond the rest. The headset also features some unique integration with the iPhone in that charging both via the dock or cable will display the headset's battery level right alongside the iPhone's. Also, to some people's surprise, the headset (just like most bluetooth headsets) can be paired with a Mac for audio chats with the likes of iChat and Skype.

All that said, it seems like Apple's Bluetooth Headset will be a good buy for the general customer who can make use of the rich set of extras that come with it. Personally, I'm counting my pennies for one of those Jawbone headsets with the crazy noise cancellation technology. In my opinion, every bluetooth headset on the market sucks. Period. I've tested a very hefty portion of them from the bottom of the barrel to the premium $100+ models (return policies are a beautiful thing), and they're all terrible because both the caller and myself sound horrible to each other, especially when there's anything louder than a pin dropping in the background. Given Apple's tendency to try and solve some of the major problems plaguing a particular technology or industry (i.e. - Visual Voicemail), I'm surprised they didn't at least try for something like the Jawbone with the Bluetooth Headset.

But I digress - if you're on the Apple Bluetooth Headset fence, iLounge's review might be able to help you out with the decision. Check it out.

Why the iPhone Will Fail

Posted Jun 27th 2007 1:00PM by Chris Ullrich
Filed under: Wireless, Apple, iPhone

With all the mostly glowing and semi-glowing reviews starting to come in about the iPhone, I thought it might be interesting to read and provide to you a little counter perspective. Not that reading this article at Suckbusters gave me much reason to doubt my love for all-things iPhone, but its still nice to hear opposing viewpoints -- especially those that actually make a bit of sense and some good arguments.

In the article, author David Platt outlines three key reasons for his prediction that the iPhone "is going to be a bigger marketing flop than Waterworld and Ishtar combined." If you know those movies, that's saying quite a bit. That said, what are his three key reasons? For starters, he complains that the designers of the iPhone have ignored the simplicity and ease of use demonstrated by the iPod and have instead designed a device that is not simple or easy to use.

Second, he feels the iPhone "crams" too many features into a single unit which when used in combination will require "far more dedication than a user is willing to invest and remember." This, he says, "condemns the iPhone to a tiny niche at best." Lastly, Platt laments the iPhone's touch screen and lack of "tactile feedback" which will force users to look at the screen at all times while using it -- something, he says, they will "detest."

Some valid points to be sure and perhaps worthy of consideration. But does any of it change your opinion about the iPhone? Or is it still the shiny, touch-screened soon-to-be love of your life it always was?

More iPhone reviews coming in -- Newsweek & USA TODAY

Posted Jun 26th 2007 8:30PM by Michael Rose
Filed under: iPhone

Two more reviews of that loveable scamp of a cellphone are out on the Interwebs, and it's more more more of the same: Steven Levy of Newsweek and Ed Baig of USA TODAY are saying it's time to start believing the hype. Both writers, like Pogue and Mossberg, point out the iPhone's weak spots (EDGE, no one-touch or voice dialing, limited apps, no video capture) while furthering the basic premise: by and large, the iPhone experience lives up to the insane advance billing. Levy's long and thorough review states it plainly early on, as he reports on the reaction to his iPhone use during a visit to Pittsburgh, PA:

"[W]hen I showed the iPhone to people during that trip and in the days afterward-especially people under 25-the most common reaction was, "I have to have this," sometimes followed by a quick, if alarmingly reckless, consideration of what might need to be pawned in order to make the purchase.... And there it is: one of the most hyped consumer products ever comes pretty close to justifying the bombast."

Baig puts it this way: "[W]ith a few exceptions, this expensive, glitzy wunderkind is indeed worth lusting after... That's saying a lot. After months of hype, Apple has delivered a prodigy - a slender fashion phone, a slick iPod and an Internet experience unlike any before it on a mobile handset."

Interesting tidbits from both reviews: Levy got a call from Steve Jobs during his evaluation period, just to check on how he was doing (!), and he noted the new thinking behind Apple's buy-it-and-go-home iTunes activation plan. Baig's article includes a sidebar entitled "The Quest Begins" with the get-an-iPhone strategies of a few would-be buyers, and Baig encountered a feature I haven't seen mentioned anywhere else; when he finished watching A Bug's Life (it would have to be a Pixar film) on his iPhone, the device asked him if he wanted to clear the movie from memory to reclaim the space. Nice.

via Apple 2.0

First "official" reviews of the iPhone are out

Posted Jun 26th 2007 7:20PM by Chris Ullrich
Filed under: Retail, Apple, iPhone

Sure, there's been a lot of speculation and discussion about the iPhone, its features and its usability in the mainstream and online press. We might even be guilty of a little speculation here at TUAW, too. I know, try to contain your surprise. Fortunately, speculation time is coming quickly to an end as release day approaches and we get real announcements of data plans and other details. In addition to all the "official" announcements, we've got some actual reviews of the device hitting the wires this evening.

Some of the lauded Apple pundits dropping reviews today are Walt Mossberg and Katherine Boehret of the Wall Street Journal, who call the iPhone "a breakthrough handheld computer," and New York Times columnist David Pogue, who says the iPhone "matches most of its hype." To be sure, I expected these rather notable Apple fans to express positive reviews about the device. Still, it's good to see actual reviews in print which confirm what I, and many others, hoped the device would be. Reading these reviews, I'm even more convinced I want an iPhone on Friday. Of course, if I really want one, I probably should get in line now -- especially if more reviews like these come out.

What about you, the highly intelligent and discerning TUAW reader? Do these reviews give you any more reason to get an iPhone, or do they make no difference at this point?

Thanks Scott

NY Post says don't get "hung up" on the iPhone

Posted Jun 26th 2007 3:00PM by Erica Sadun
Filed under: iPhone

NY Post contributor Glenn Fleishman writes that tens of thousands of customers will line up for the iPhone and he recommends that you not be one of them. It might be flashy, it might have lots of features, but with its small screen (compared to a laptop) and its high price tag (compared to an iPod), its lack of 3G and minimal onboard storage, and its two year calling commitment, Fleishman thinks you should wait for the next iPhone rather than buying this first release. If we weren't so busy trying to get our own iPhones to play with, TUAW might even admit that Fleishman makes several good points.

Thanks, SimDan.

Update: Fleishman has written a follow-up post on his personal weblog. He has used the iPhone (briefly) and the column was not meant as a review.

O'Reilly posts iPod microphone shootout

Posted May 22nd 2007 8:30AM by Erica Sadun
Filed under: iPod Family, Reviews

Over at O'Reilly, Mark Nelson tested all three major iPod microphone add-ons and wrote about his results. He tried out the Belkin TuneTalk stereo, the Griffin iTalk Pro, and the XtremeMac MicroMemo. When all was said and done, all three solutions performed well despite the fact that they were all horrible battery hogs.

The $50 iTalk Pro offered one-touch recording and three input levels but its built-in microphone picked up a lot of hard drive noise. The $60 MicroMemo used a handy boom that avoided picking up iPod noises but had no level controls and could only record mono audio. The $70 TuneTalk Stereo offers a USB port that allows you to record while your iPod is docked and charging but had stability issues for positioning and the microphone, like the iTalk Pro, picked up iPod hard drive noises.

TUAW readers: have you bought an iPod mic? Which one did you buy? And are you happy with your purchase? Let us know in the comments.

Full disclosure: I write for O'Reilly.

Transmission 0.7 beta reviewed by Torrentfreak

Posted Nov 1st 2006 4:00PM by David Chartier
Filed under: Software, Internet Tools

The market for Mac torrent clients has been expanding quite a bit recently, and Torrentfreak has a nice review of a new beta version of Transmission, a long-standing favorite of many a Mac torrenter. While the review rounds up many of the nice new features, I'll give you the cliff notes for the slackers in the crowd: "Transmission 0.7 Beta is by far the fastest, most light-weight and one of the most appealing BitTorrent clients for the Mac."

Diving further in, some of Transmission's new features seem to be inspired by Xtorrent, a new beta client from Dave Watanabe (of NewsFire fame). Of these new features, notables include time-of-day based speed limits (i.e. - slow down my torrent downloads while I'm at my desk at work from 9-5), as well as a Watch Folder with automatic cleanup of your torrent files (again, very Xtorrent inspired). The idea is: most Mac browsers by default download all files to the desktop, but that might not be where torrent users want to keep their downloads as well. This Watch Folder allows Transmission to automatically snag any torrent files you download to the desktop, move them to a user-specified folder and begin the torrent download. Ah, software automation - it's a beautiful thing.

Check out the rest of Torrentfreak's review, as plenty more is packed under the hood of this new beta.

[via digg]

First impressions: buying a game from the iTunes Store

Posted Sep 13th 2006 10:00AM by David Chartier
Filed under: Gaming, iPod Family, iTS

Scott beat me to buying a movie from the store and posted his first impressions, so I thought I would move on to the new games section (iTS link) of the store. The games work with 5G iPods (of which I am an owner) as well as the newly announced 5.5G iPods. I can't decide whether I'm surprised you can't play the games right inside iTunes, but this post isn't about my indecision, for I dropped some cash and bought my first game: Cubis 2 (iTS link). The way iTunes handles games is interesting, largely in part because you can't really do anything with them in iTunes - you can't even rate them or modify any of their metadata; they're only usable and playable on an iPod.

Read on for all the details!

Continue reading First impressions: buying a game from the iTunes Store

Consumer Reports: iPod Hi-Fi is "mildly disappointing"

Posted Mar 17th 2006 10:00AM by Damien Barrett
Filed under: Audio, iPod Family

Consumer Reports weighs in with their review of Apple's new iPod Hi-Fi sound system and gives it a fairly lackluster rating, calling it a "mildly disappointing" entry with "so-so sound quality" in the iPod sound system game. They also didn't like its hefty weight (15lbs) and relatively poor sound performance when compared to competing products.

The magazine did like the easy-to-use remote control and the unique power-saving features of the iPod Hi-Fi but in the end didn't see much of an advantage over competing products already on the market like the Altec iM7 and the Bose SoundDock.

iPod Hi-Fi Getting Positive Reviews

Posted Mar 6th 2006 9:00AM by Damien Barrett
Filed under: Audio, iPod Family

It's been almost a week since the iPod Hi-Fi was released and the reviews have started to roll in. Playlist Magazine's extensive review gives it a four out of five rating and calls the iPod Hi-Fi an "attractive option for people looking for good, room-filling sound in a compact package".

AppleTalk Australia's review includes some nice unboxing pictures and calls the iPod Hi-Fi the "best iPod speaker set on the market right now."

PC Magazine gives the iPod Hi-Fi a 4.5 out of 5 rating, calls it a "winner" and a "compact powerhouse that charges your iPod while it pumps out pristine audio."

Like many, my initial reaction to the iPod Hi-Fi was...meh, but I believe that was mostly because I personally don't like the aesthetics of the product or have much a need for for it. However, I'm definitely willing to allow my opinion to be changed. These reviews have all been overwhelming positive, so I'm rethinking my impression of the iPod Hi-Fi even if I doubt I'll ever buy one.

#	Blogger	Posts	Cmts
1	Cory Bohon	89	1
2	Robert Palmer	64	44
3	Steven Sande	58	22
4	Scott McNulty	40	0
5	Mat Lu	40	10
6	Dave Caolo	37	0
7	Erica Sadun	28	2
8	Brett Terpstra	23	0
9	Mike Schramm	20	1
10	Michael Rose	11	32
11	Christina Warren	10	38
12	Joshua Ellis	3	2
13	Chris Ullrich	2	2
14	Lisa Hoover	2	6

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Mossberg, Pogue, Baig review the iPhone 3G

TUAW: iPhone AppStore Testing and Reviews

Reviewing the new MacBook Pro

MacBook Air review round-up

iLounge reviews Apple Bluetooth Headset

Why the iPhone Will Fail

More iPhone reviews coming in -- Newsweek & USA TODAY

First "official" reviews of the iPhone are out

NY Post says don't get "hung up" on the iPhone

O'Reilly posts iPod microphone shootout

Transmission 0.7 beta reviewed by Torrentfreak

First impressions: buying a game from the iTunes Store

Consumer Reports: iPod Hi-Fi is "mildly disappointing"

iPod Hi-Fi Getting Positive Reviews

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