I've been a long-time Windows user and, for the most part, been a happy camper. Despite a steady campaign from my brother-in-law, I've never considered a move to the Mac side of the house...until I started using a MacBook. Whether it's the novelty, the fact the MacBook is super-fast, or whether the Mac is just a better way to go, I've become a convert. The biggest challenge is getting hold of all the software (e.g. Mac for Office) that I had in my library. I've been playing around with 1Passwd as a password manager but still far from convinced it's better than Roboform. I've also got to play with QuickSilver some more to figure out how to take advantage of what it has to offer. That said, the MacBook is a joy. Any tips on software, features, secrets, etc. would be much appreciated.

Another week, another Talking Tech podcast. We've gone high-tech, migrating from an Olympus digital recorder (which mysteriously locked up and remains so until someone from Olympus returns my e-mail) to Apple's GarageBand (sweet!). Anway, where was I? Oh yeah, Talking Tech. This week, Kevin and I take a look at Apple's stellar fourth-quarter results, including the fact more than 39 million iPods were sold in fiscal 2006. We also explore the "new and improved" Internet Explorer 7, and take a skeptical look at the virtual world/Second Life phenomena. If you have suggestions, comments, etc., you can e-mail us.

Mike Urlocker has a good post today on Sony's decline from disruptive innovator (transistor radio, Walkman, portable TV, betamax video camera) to struggling consumer electronics player. His take is as Sony got bigger, it became more concerned about protecting market share than innovating and taking chances. Mike's thesis mirrors a column I did recently in the National Post.

The BlackBerry Pearl is getting rave reviews (Walter Mossberg, the NYT's David Pogue, Mark Evans :), etc.) and sales have been extremely brisk (some stores apparently sold out in the first week). That said, I'm wondering if news about a Pearl-like BlackBerry with a QWERTY keyboard (called the Blackberry 8800) will take some momentum out of the Pearl's sales. To be clear, there are a lot of people excited about the Pearl's cool look and feel and the fact it comes with a 1.3 megapixel camera as well as a video and music player. There are, however, some people less than enthused about the SureType keypad, even though it seems as easy to use as a QWERTY keypad. As information about the BlackBerry 8800 starts to escape from the geekdom (a.k.a. Engadget, BBHub, etc.) to the mainstream press will consumers decide to hold off on buying a Pearl until the 8800 is launched? As much as the Pearl is compelling, RIM may need to ramp up its marketing to show people how easy it is to use the SureType keypad. 
Update: According to Think Secret, Apple plans to launch its iPhone exclusively with Cingular early next year. The iPhone will feature a 3-megapixel camera, iTunes and iSync.Apple apparently believe iPhone shipments will be 25 million in 2007. Engadget also has a post.

We're driving for a weekend of golf (and Coronas) weekend, listening to my brother's 20GB iPod for a couple hours when we started talking about what will happen to satellite radio when every car comes equiped with an iPod connection as a standard feature. If it's a snap to plug in your iPod when you drive and have total control over content (music, podcasts, audio books, etc.), why would you pay $15 or so a month for satellite radio? That said, satellite radio does offer tremendous variety and there will be niches where it will thrive (rural communities, cottage owners, travelling salesmen) but how big will the market be if the iPod becomes really car-friendly? I could be badly under-estimating the appeal of satellite-radio and/or over-estimating the appeal of the iPod but I can see the iPod becoming a far more popular on the road tool.