Walking down the memory lane: The Apple II Turns 35 now!

A history-making machine
On April 16 and 17, 1976, a scrappy startup named Apple Computer introduced the Apple II at San Francisco's West Coast Computer Faire. The most sophisticated of the early personal computers, it was an enormous hit -- helping to jumpstart the PC revolution and foreshadowing the impact of the Mac, iPod, iPhone and iPad.

 

The Two Steves

Steve Jobs (left) was 22 when the Apple II debuted at the 1977 West Coast Computer Faire; Steve "Woz" Wozniak was 26. Here are Apple's founders at the Faire, classic expressions already in place. Their complementary gifts -- Jobs' visionary consumer sense, Woz's engineering wizardry -- made the Apple II a breakthrough.
  

The first Apple of them all

The Apple II's primitive predecessor -- known at first simply as the Apple Computer -- didn't even come in a case until retailer Paul Terrell insisted on it. Designed by Woz and selling for $666.66 in 1976, it sold a few hundred units -- back when when that was enough to make it a success.
  

Expandability was built in

The Apple II had an easy-to-remove lid and eight slots for add-in cards, making it one of the most customizable computers of its era. Here it is with a Hayes Micromodem II installed -- providing dial-up access to bulletin board systems and other online services at a zippy 300 bits per second.

   

The follow-up that flopped

In 1980, when the Apple II was still a huge hit, Apple released a souped-up, more business-oriented computer called the Apple III. One of few products ever released by the company that is most famous for having failed, it was pricey and flaky, and couldn't compete with 1981's IBM PC.

The Apple II evolves

For more than a decade, the original 1977 Apple II inspired additional models, even after the arrival of the Macintosh. 1988's Apple IIc Plus -- in a trim, pseudoportable case -- was the final new computer in the II line. Another moodel,, the IIe, stayed on sale until November 1993.

 

 

Do You Know That One In Four Households In The World Use Wi-Fi (web, internet, users, statistic)

A new study estimates that 25 percent of all Internet-connected households in the world now have wireless home networks -- and that number is growing quickly.

On April 4, Strategic Analytics, a global market research and consulting firm, released a report stating that 439 million households worldwide now connect to the Internet via home Wi-Fi networks, a number that is "equivalent to 25 percent of all households." The company forecasts that the number will rise to 492 million by the end of 2012, an increase of 12 percent.

Assuming that the average household is four people, that means that more than 1.9 billion people -- about 27 percent of the world's population -- will connect to the Internet via wireless home networks by the end of 2012.

So where is the world's preeminent wireless hotspot? According to Strategy Analytics, the Asia Pacific region is leading and will continue to lead the world in wireless connectivity. The study states that 80 percent of South Korean households that had broadband Internet access ran wireless networks in 2011. China, where only 25 percent of households now have wireless, is expected to add more than 110 million wireless homes over the next five years.

"Because of its population size, China already has the highest number of Wi-Fi households in the world, followed by [the] USA and Japan," senior analyst Jia Wu said in a press release issued by Strategy Analytics.

The study also forecasts that 678 million households worldwide will be connected to broadband Internet service by the end of 2012, and that 73% of those households will be wireless ones.

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1 Huron Street, Takapuna, North Shore 0622
Tel: (09) 551-5344 and Mob: (021) 264-0000
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Funky Apple iPhone 4S gadget and casing for you -- an iPhone Case with a Built-in Magna Doodle. Auckland, David, Lim, 095515344

IFOOLISH

In a world brimming with iPhone cases, it takes a lot to get noticed. This iFoolish case might just have what it takes.

Careful to sidestep any legal entanglements, the £19.99 ($32) case simply bills itself as “a 3.7″ retro red magic drawing board,” though the resemblance to the venerable Magna Doodle is uncanny. Kids, ask your parents about it and hunker down for a good hour-long, misty-eyed tale of simpler times when people couldn’t skip commercials, video games had only one button and children frequented a magical land known as “outside” – t’was truly ancient history.

The iFoolish case currently features free shipping even on international orders (the company is based in the U.K.) but that offer is only good “for a limited period” according to a recent update on the company’s Facebook page.

This post sponsored by:

Dr Mobiles Limited
1 Huron Street, Takapuna, North Shore 0622
Tel: (09) 551-5344 and Mob: (021) 264-0000
Web - Map - Google+ - Email - Posterous - Twitter - Blogger - Flickr -  Author 

Hidden feature of Apple iOS, iPhone 4S: Secret Keyboard and Panoramic Photos, Auckland, David, Lim, Unlock, jailbreak

When people talk about iPhone secrets, they’re usually referring to little tricks and tips you might not have known about. But a couple new hidden iOS 5 features uncovered this week are much more hardcore, requiring some light hacking to unearth capabilities that Apple decided to bury–specifically, an alternate keyboard that includes spelling suggestions and a panorama mode for the camera.

(MORE: Siri Tricks and Tips: Do More with the iPhone 4S Virtual Assistant)

Neither hack requires jailbreaking, and I’ve tried them both on my iPhone 3GS, running iOS 5. Here’s how to get them on your iPhone:

Get Spelling Suggestions on the iPhone Keyboard

Fair warning: You’ll probably find this keyboard to be a nuisance. The spelling predictions aren’t very good, and if you don’t select from the suggestions on top, you have to type “confirm” to enter the word, then hit spacebar. But at least your friends will be impressed. (Thanks to 9 to 5 Mac for this.)

1. Download iBackupBot, but don’t run it yet.

2. Plug in your iPhone, open iTunes, click on the device, and choose “Back up to this computer.” Then click “Sync.”

3. Install and run iBackupBot, and click on the latest backup for your iPhone.

4. Locate “Library/Preferences/com.apple.keyboard.plist” (You may want to click “Path” to sort files alphabetically). Click “Cancel” in the dialog box that appears when you choose the file path.

5. Under the line that reads “</true>”, insert another line that reads “<key>KeyboardAutocorrectionLists</key>” (without quotations), then add another line beneath it that reads “<string>YES</string>.” Close the file and save your progress.

6. Click “File” from the iBackupBot menu, and choose “Restore.” Be patient, and wait for the iPhone to restart after the restore is complete.

Take Panoramic Photos from the iPhone’s Camera

Although I got the Panorama function working on my iPhone 3GS, I couldn’t take a single photo without the camera crashing. (There’s a reason Apple keeps these things hidden.) You may have better luck on a newer iPhone. (Hat tip to FunkySpaceMonkey.)

1. Follow steps one through three from above.

2. Locate “Library/Preferences/com.apple.mobileslideshow.plist.”

3. Just after line 36, which reads “</false>,” start a new line that reads “<key>EnableFirebreak</key>, then add another line underneath it that reads “<string>YES</string>,” all without quotations. Close the file and save your progress.

4. Click “File” from the iBackupBot menu, and choose “Restore.”

If you want to undo these changes, just go into iBackupBot and remove the lines of code you added, then restore the phone again. And if you want panoramic photos on your iPhone without the hassle, you can get Photosynth or 360 Panorama from the App Store.

This post sponsored by:
Dr Mobiles Limited
1 Huron Street, Takapuna, North Shore 0622
Tel: (09) 551-5344 and Mob: (021) 264-0000
Web - Map - Google+ - Email - Posterous - Twitter - Blogger - Flickr -  Author