Apple has brought us platforms that have expanded social media. It was through products innovated by apple, such as the iPhone and iPad, that allowed developers to write and produce applications that become the game changer in the social media sphere. Social media is the new way of life. Connection though different platforms is the way business must run to survive. Although apple has given us ‘this’ platform, Apple as a company does not get social media. It is because of this that apple will always have shortcomings. Here is why.

Closed Platform / Limited Communication

Apple has had a history of being a closed platform. Communication outside of the apple campus has always been ‘hush hush’. It’s because of this that they have missed the boat on many opportunities to improve their products. An example would be cut and paste in the iPhone. It took them 2 OS versions to finally include cut and paste. Twitter, blogs, all sources across the web were in an outcry when cut and paste was not implimented during the first and second major OS versions. Only after the third did apple finally listen to their fan base and did something about it. What does it take for Steve Jobs to actually listen to his fan base?

Twitter/Facebook Presence

There is none. I see Microsoft and Major Banks like Bank of America on Twitter all the time listening to their customer base. People like @comcastcares are out there listening to people and taking care of their issues. So far, I don’t see an @apple out there listening to what people have to say or managing any concerns. This concerns me because it shows that Apple has turned their backs on what people think, and it’s either Steve’s way of the Highway.

It seems to me that Steve Jobs is out there overseeing the world in his tower, surrounded with lightning and laughing menacingly at the people below. Once an Apple product has been purchased, it’s up to the people themselves to determine if things are appreciative or not. People who run Microsoft Zune is out there watching what people have to say and are up to the minute in their activities.

We need more companies out there to give products a personal touch. It’s only when things get personal, even through Twitter, that people express appreciation and allow companies to shine.

One of the limits however, is one brought upon by Apple itself. It’s the lack of Adobe Flash support. The keynote originally showed the lack of Flash when Steve Jobs ventured upon a website that contained Flash. Many people became sour at the fact that the device, like it’s iPhone/iPod predecessors lacked Flash support. If the device is supposed to replace the night time venture of netbooks and such, why is Flash still left out in the cold?

According to Steve Jobs, running Flash video on the iPad would cut its battery life from 10 hours to a measly 1.5. It is unknown if this is true, but what it does mean though is that it may force websites to rethink their adoption of Adobe Flash on their sites. If the adoption of the iPad into people’s lives becomes a hit like the iPhone, it can force webmasters into rethinking their strategy on consumption.

If a website wants to be seen, it’s important to adapt to what the consumers are using. The iPad could be the game changer in this market. Apple has given us a list web sites that rely on Web standards without Adobe Flash. This makes them ideal for viewing content on the iPad. They have also provided a submission form to include new sites to be added to the “growing list” of standard-compliant pages. This type of move will force Webmasters to rethink and redesign websites into adopting the HTML5 standard and dropping Adobe all together.

It has already shown that the WSJ and NPR have started redesigning their website to ensure the iPad will be able to view their websites. Virgin America has also dropped Adobe Flash to allow the iPhone to view their website and allow others to check on flight information.

So, “Will the iPad force Adobe Flash out of the scene? Probably not, but it appears that Apple has definitely forced the direction of the river when it comes to how websites are to be displayed. Being a thorn of web standards, Apple has also forced rejected apps from their App store to rethink their deployment, Much like Google Voice favored HTML5 to bypass the App Store all together. As long as Apple makes it a pain for others to get their Apps in the App Store, people will adapt to the way Apple has paved the road.

Adobe won’t die but Flash has probably seen it’s peak. This means it’s time for Adobe to step up the challenge. Any Flash developer now has to consider the iPad/iPhone/iPod market and wonder if it’s worth it to lose those potential viewers. It may be worth it as a whole. It all depends on how the iPad takes off and how many viewers are visiting via the iPad. But it probably won’t make much of a change otherwise when it comes to new development. Adobe still does have to make some game changing steps to ensure they stay in this market and not go the way of “Real Player”. Apple may have the upper hand this round. Let’s see how things develop in the coming months.

Apple has really taken the march into innovative gadgets that people seem to flock their hard earned cash into. Maybe it’s my conservative nature pounded into me by my Dad. Maybe it’s my tilt towards non-Apple products and saving on the “Apple Tax”. Whatever the case may be, I am not purchasing an iPad let along pre-ordering anything from Apple. Even with an estimated 90,000 preorders the first day, I don’t think the iPad is all that, let alone any sort of sliced bread. Here are my reasons…

1) There is nothing innovative with the iPad.

To broaden in this statement, let me just say that the iPad is an oversized iPod touch. Yep. That’s it. Even at it’s starting price of $499, why would I want to purchase this thing that doesn’t even handle any flash based web applications or multitasking? The iPad does not bring anything new to the table. If anything, it has kept the important things off. If anything, it’s an item with more surface area. I don’t need bigger things in my life to deal with.

2) It helps me with absolutely nothing in my life

My iPhone right now does the following…
a) Point and Shoot camera
b) Video Recorder / Live Streaming Recorder
c) Sync’s my email for both work and home
d) Address / Phone book
e) Games for off time
f) Organizes my calendar (in the offshoot that I actually have something to keep track of).
g) Alarm Clock

The list, as you can see, just goes on and on. the iPad replaces NOTHING. It’s actually a step backward if you think about it. With all the innovation Apple has demonstrated, this device brings nothing new. My iPhone does all (and MORE) than the iPad can do.

This is a simple list of reasons I will not be purchasing an iPad. It still baffles me why people are rushing out to pre-order this device that doesn’t bring anything new to the table and is just as capable of doing what the iPhone does. Until a new device comes around (or the Windows 7 Mobile gets into my hot little hands), I will stick to my iPad Nano.

Originally posted on Fireberry.org

1) Go to Server Manager
2) Select the root folder of the navigation pane for Service Manager
3) Click Configure IE ESC
4) When the dialog box shows up, enable / disable for users and admins.
5) The end

Alternate:
1) Go into Control Panel
2) Add/Remove Programs
3) Click Add/Remove Windows Components
4) Deselect Internet Explorer Enhanced Security Configuration
5) Go
6) The end

Well this update has since been pulled by Symantec, however there are many search results in Google giving false information about PIFTS.exe. Most of them are malware / spyware programs attempting to get their claws into the unknowing public.

I am not going to talk about the forum problems Symantec was having. It’s not my place to write that story here.

I am just writing a quick note that PIFTS.exe is a Symantec update and there shouldn’t be anymore worries about it. Just don’t download any programs saying it will fix PIFTS.exe. If you did accidentally did download a piece of malware, then I recommend using Malware Bytes Anti-Malware program. It’s the one I use to clean up malware and other crud that shouldn’t be in systems.

Outlook 2003

I had an issue lately where a user was unable to print from an email in her Inbox. She would open up the email she wanted to print, select file, then print. The print option would not open. It was if she did not hit the print button at all. All the other applications would print ok. It was just inside an open email that would not print.

Below are steps I used to attempt to resolve the issue. I will state right now that she had other OS issues going on so her problem was not resolved. However I did find some good articles and steps to take which may prove more fortunate to others.

First and foremost, I found that I was unable to select different printers in the print option of the email. All the printers were greyed out. It was only after I selected ‘Table mode’ that I was able to switch between other printers. I did not want to print the email in table mode though. I needed the memo mode.

Next I attempted simple techniques. I attempted reinstalling the printer, I tried right clicking the email in the list and selecting print. It was if the memo option for printing did not exist. I did find an obscure Microsoft KB [http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;821297] indicating that there was a known bug for the issue.

I was not about to give up there. I found an Experts-Exchange post which included steps in repairing what seemed to be the exact issue I was having.

Try starting Outlook once with the /cleanviews command line switch.

It could be a problem with your outlprnt file, which you can rebuild:
1. Close Outlook.
2. Click Start > Search.
3. Select All files and folders.
4. In the All or part of the file name box type “Outlprnt” (without the quotes) and then click Search.
5. When the search process is complete, right-click Outlprnt, and then click Rename.
6. Type Outlprnt.old, and then press ENTER.
7. Close the Search window.
8. Restart Outlook 2003.
9. On the File menu, point to Page Setup, and then click Print Styles.
10. Click the Memo style, and then click Close.

If those don’t work, I’d have to suggest a repair/reinstall.

The suggestion from Experts Exchange seemed like it was going to work, however when I attempted a search, I found that the search function on this user’s PC was corrupt and missing. That’s when I decided to reinstall the PC all together.

Although I did not resolve my issue, I hope the steps above will help others with the same problem. I think the ‘Outlprnt’ may have been the issue, however I was unable to verify that problem on my end.

Problem: The following blue screen appears

STOP: c0000218 {Registry File Failure}
The registry cannot load the hive (file):
\SystemRoot\System32\Config\SOFTWARE
or its log or alternate.
It is corrupt, absent, or not writeable.

After the message, the computer automatically reboots.

These solutions assume that you have decent knowledge of the windows directory structure and command line. You must boot into the Windows XP CD and select Recovery Console. This is where the nitty gritty starts.

Solution 1:

cd system32\config
ren software software.bak
copy c:\windows\repair\regback\software

If for any reason, there is no regback (which occurs in many cases), then you will have to use Solution 2.

Solution 2:

cd system32\config
ren software software.bak
copy c:\windows\repair\software

[reboot]

Warning: This second solution will allow Windows to bootup. However it will restore the system to it’s first successful installation time. Registry entries will not exist for installed products. If you get to this stage, it is good to perform a System Restore on the computer to an earlier time. If you cannot perform a restore, then you might as well start reinstalling software that is essential.

To my knowledge (as of the time of writing this), If you get to this point, you might as well pull the data you have to get off and reinstall the OS. Otherwise, if you can work around it, then things should of course be peachy.

Any comments and suggestions are welcome. I will modify this article accordingly.

The instructions recommend clearing cookies before attempting to log back in. I myself reset the password about 5 times before I actually read the detailed instructions on what to do aftewards. I hope this helps somewhere.

I have seen multiple reports of Dell disabling the stereo mix option or the wave option for recording. People who are attempting to record Skype conversations and such are finding that it will not work.

The reason it has been disabled apparently is because the RIAA has requested it to be disabled to prevent piracy and Dell has programmed their drivers to do so. I personally don’t agree to these terms and I won’t get into how disappointed I am with Dell.

Anyway, the link below will lead you to a resolution to the problem. I personally don’t have a Dell system so I can’t verify the functionality of the fix.

http://www.ekhoury.com/2006/08/25/sigmatel-stereo-mix-support-for-dells/

It took me a while to sort of figure out how to put a twitter feed on the blog. Basically I was running myself in loops in the wrong direction so to put it in, this is how you do it…

1) Log into WordPress. When you get in, go into your ‘Presentation’ tab and select Widgets.

2) Insert the ‘RSS 1′ widget and configure it for the RSS feed of your twitter. (You can find the RSS feed on the bottom of your twitter page).

3) Save the widget and the RSS of your twitter should show up in your wordpress.

This sort of tutorial would have saved me an hour or so of setup. I hope it helps someone out.