This week, I was given the assignment of writing something about some "Spring tech," so my column would seem more like an actual part of The Mirror instead of the token corner of testosterone it actually is. Though technology is very seasonal, it doesn't exactly shout spring like a chartreuse scarf from J. Crew, although the bamboo-covered Dell Studio hybrid comes close.
However, since the campus has been deprived of any technology coverage all winter, I thought it might be a good idea to go over a few things that happened while I was gone:
All of the iPhone and iPod Touch owners on campus should be excited about Apple's upcoming iPhone OS 3.0. This update will give the iPhone features that it should have had since day one, and some that can already be found on my busted Nokia 1100. The new features include cut-and-paste, multimedia messaging service, stereo Bluetooth for wireless headphones and Spotlight search. The update will be free for iPhone users, while iPod Touch owners will be gouged out of $9.95 while Apple deflects blame to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.
In non-Apple news, Palm announced the Pre smart phone to slay the iPhone. While this new phone has gadget hounds all atwitter, it remains to be seen if Palm can both remain in business and convince general consumers to defy the Cult of Mac.
Speaking of, there is this thing called Twitter, but I can't tell you more because it's limited to 140 characters.
Also, netbooks have become the latest fad in computers. However, corporations can't resist adding features and increasing the power in these supposedly super-small, super-cheap laptops. This week, Asus, the granddaddy of the segment, announced the Eee PC 1004DN. It is the first netbook with a built-in DVD drive. At this point, the term netbook is meaningless. It is just a small, cheap notebook with the performance of a first-generation Centrino laptop from six years ago.
Finally, I have some things to say about BlitzMail. For some reason, BlitzMail hasn't been getting much love lately. I am getting more and more e-mails that are about 10 times too large, come with ">" symbols all over the place, and heaven-forbid use crazy fonts and colors. Some of these folks are using third-party mail clients, like Thunderbird, Outlook or Apple Mail. (There is also Entourage, but that program does not deserve mention, except to ridicule.)
My beef with these programs is that they lack character, much like the sterile, IKEA-furnished new dorms.
BlitzMail is something uniquely Dartmouth, so why would you want to use some corporate e-mail tool? While I understand those email power users who crave rules and filters, I say that supporting BlitzMail is like supporting your local, neighborhood store. It will never be as flashy or as efficient, but there is no replacement for the simplistic homeliness of Blitz.
On a related note, I have been asked to join the team testing potential BlitzMail replacements. I am going to hold off on saying anything about them until I get a full experience, and because I would hate to spread rumors and misrepresent important computing events. After all, some work must be left for the News section of The Dartmouth.
