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iTunes movie purchases can not be re-downloaded

Ok, I admit up front that this is more of an [informational] rant regarding the iTunes Store. In addition to iPhone / iPad apps, I purchase music, television and movies. I rented a movie once but was disappointed by the asinine expiration rules of digital rentals.

  1. After hitting play I have 24 hours to finish the rental (is a problem)
  2. I have 30 days from the date of rental to watch (unlikely problem)

Digital rentals should be leisurely. The most unusual of renters should be able watch 10 minutes of a film every other day if they wanted. Once it’s finished, done. No more access to the rental. But that’s rentals and I will rarely if ever go down that path again.

My rant is about movies downloaded from the iTunes Store. Earlier this month I was packing up for a trip to Whistler, BC for a weekend of snowboarding. Last minute I decided I’d download some epic snowboard / ski films for downtime at the lodge. I opened the iTunes Store and purchased The Art of Flight, All.I.Can and One for the Road. Easy. The weekend happens and I capture lots of GoPro Hero2 footage. I’m running out of disk space on my MacBook Air so I start deleting previously viewed movies from iTunes.

Once home, I sift through the GoPro footage – deleting a good portion of the files and recovering some disk space. After reviewing my homemade clips, I decide I want to watch The Art of Flight again. I had grown so accustomed to how the iTunes Store treated app, music and television purchases that I assumed the same applied to movies.

  1. Purchase and download [iPhone / iPad app, music or TV show]
  2. Use app, listen to music or watch TV show
  3. Grow tired of app, music or TV show
  4. Delete
  5. Months later decide to use, listen to or watch show
  6. Re-download free of charge

Who hasn’t done that?

You can re-download songs, apps and TV shows from the iTunes Store however you will not be able to re-download the movies.

Lesson learned. Digital movie purchases aren’t really yours to keep unless you really do keep them in your possession. I guess if I plan on keeping my Air as a main machine, I’ll have to consider carrying an external drive with me to hold my iTunes Library. So continue enjoying the freedom of re-downloading purchases from iTunes free of charge – just don’t forget movies are not re-downloadable.

P.S. If it’s a bandwidth thing, Apple can start saving some immediately if high-def (HD) and standard-def (SD) variants of videos were not bundled. If I want to purchase the HD version, don’t force the SD download as well. Note: even if you pause and delete a SD variant during download, the iTunes Store will continually attempt to serve the file until you accept.

P.P.S. If you’re contemplating picking-up the GoPro Hero2 and want to send some referral love use this link. I’m enjoying mine – Early powder morning at Stevens Pass.

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Steve Jobs letterpress for charity

Awesome. The iconic Steve Jobs quote as a 10″ x 26″ print. 100% of the proceeds will be donated to Acumen Fund. Available for $95 unframed or $195 framed – Get yours here.

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iPhone 4S

Last week I preordered the iPhone 4S (along with over 4 million others). One 16GB for Syl and a 32GB for myself – both in white. The processor bump and Siri is pure awesomeness. Period.

I can honestly say that any experience I had with [the previous] iPhone 4 Voice Commands were purely accidental. Comparing iPhone 4 Voice Commands to Voice Actions for Android? Android wins no contest. Compare Voice Actions (Android) to Siri (iPhone 4S)?

Let’s just say that the moment an iPhone user triggers Siri, they need only speak while Android requires certain keywords in order to perform an action like “send text to” or “send email to”. Interacting with Siri comes naturally.

As Siri continues to mature and grow through the initial beta period, I can’t even begin to imagine how much the system will improve.

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Post SSD install, the MacBook [Pro] Air not-so-thin

A couple of days ago I said I would share my thought post install. After swapping the factory installed Hitachi 7200 RPM hard drive with an OWC Mercury Extreme Pro SSD, all I can say is wow. The overall improvement was immediately apparent after the startup Apple logo appeared then quickly disappeared moments before the menu bar and dock popped into view.

  • Faster startup / shutdown
  • Notebook runs slightly cooler
  • Similar “instant-on” MacBook Air users enjoy
  • Applications start within a second or two (including Adobe apps)

My previous habit of starting an app, bouncing back to another to continue working then returning to the first (after fully loading) are a thing of the past. Click on an icon in the dock and it opens immediately. Productivity boost! Check out the read / write performance figures before and after installation. The second column is the Xbench score.

Apple installed Hitachi 7200 RPM

OWC Mercury Extreme Pro SSD

Props to Apple for making the hard drive so easy to swap. The entire swap not including disk cloning was under 15 minutes. The OWC Data Doubler kits look super tempting now.

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Small OWC upgrade, new notebook tomorrow

I’m still sitting at work checking off work tasks but I can not wait to get home. Delivery Status just confirmed delivery of my soon to be installed OWC Mercury Extreme Pro SSD. The peppy little SSD should transform my MacBook Pro into an entirely new notebook – right?

MacBook SSD upgrade

Credit to blogjunkie for the disassembly photo

After a short period with the 11″ MacBook Air, it was difficult to resist the urge for a full upgrade removing the SuperDrive from my MacBook Pro. I considered moving the existing 7200 rpm drive using the data doubler kit but was advised against the idea (no Sudden Motion Sensor to protect the plates). For now, the SuperDrive remains until I can convince myself to splurge for a secondary SSD to replace the optical drive.

If all goes as planned:

  1. Clean-up Applications / files – removing anything I don’t need and are long overdue for deletion.
  2. Installing the SSD into an internal Firewire drive.
  3. Cloning the existing HDD to the SSD using SuperDuper (test by booting off SSD).
  4. Disassemble MacBook Pro for install.
  5. Enabling TRIM for OS X 10.6.7 (found this handy utility).
  6. Making a super slick boot time comparison video for YouTube (isn’t that the natural thing to do?)

I swapped drives not too long ago so the install should go smoothly. Have you upgraded to solid state?

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iPad 2: The usual “thinner, faster, lighter”

Did you hear? The new iPad was announced as the iPad 2. Thinner, faster and lighter. Dual core A5 chip, better graphics (for videos & gaming) and the same great battery life. Oh, and one other surprise(?) front and rear facing cameras. You know, so you can get your Facetime, Skype or Fringe on. Black or white, AT&T or Verizon… Decisions.

Android Honeycomb powered tablet thingamajing what? But does the iPad support Flash? The latest and greatest competitor from Motorola seems to have something to say about Flash.

In any case, check out the latest iPad 2 features. Are you sold?

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11″ MacBook Air vs. iPad 3G

At one point, I had both an 11.6″ MacBook Air (1.6GHz, 128GB, 4GB) and iPad 3G (16GB) to supplement my main 15″ MacBook Pro. After 30 days, the MacBook Air went back to Apple. Why? In those 30 days, the Air was used for no more than 10 total hours. The rest of the time, it sat under the display or on a corner of my desk.

I had convinced myself that the MacBook Air had a purpose. The problem was that I was looking for a niche that needed filling. As hard as I tried, there really wasn’t a place for an ultraportable like the Air in my workflow. Maybe if I was a writer, the Air would still be around…

Work and play are spread out between three core pieces of hardware:

  • 15″ MacBook Pro + 27″ Cinema Display
  • 16GB iPad 3G
  • 16GB iPhone 4

I thought that my productivity could be improved had I replaced an iOS powered iPad with a full OS X notebook. Surprisingly, I reached for the iPad 9 times out of 10 when I stepped away from the MacBook Pro. The iPad – in my eyes – is the ultimate go-to device. Instantly on whenever you need it, access to a huge collection of useful applications, able to capture crude or refined sketches and equally capable as an entertainment device.

iPad 2 anyone? I can’t wait…

UPDATE: I just setup and moved my apps to my new white iPad 2. Initial impression: this thing is awesome and has a new peppiness to it.

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Apple iPad, Underwhelmed? Will you buy one?

The Apple tablet for the masses is here and it’s called the Apple iPad. I’m sure Apple conducted hours of user research & feedback to decide on the name iPad. Right? I really liked the idea of the tablet being called Canvas though. So what are my initial thoughts?

When will the iPad Pro be announced? You know, the grown up version capable of running professional software like Photoshop?

The truth of the matter is that I will somehow convince myself to buy one. An ideal device for the coffee table, beside your bed, on the toilet (having the iPhone has changed the way I poop), or while travelling. What do you think, will you buy one? Will the first iPad usher in a new era of power tablets to be released by Apple over the next 10 years? Or will Apple keep the iPad line focused on entertainment with no real plans to offer a full OS version?

To find out more about the iPad, check out this exhaustive post on Gizmodo: Apple iPad: Everything you need to know.

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The Magic Mouse

I’m glad that Man & Machine won the rights to the name "Mighty Mouse". The Apple Mighty Mouse was an absolute disappoint. Three years ago I was ignorantly unaware of just how terrible the white wireless pill was. Initially impressed by its clean lines and bluetooth connectivity, I eventually came to realize what a pain it was to live with the thing. Over time, the little scrolling nub would collect oil, dust, and grime crippling functionality. I stopped using the side buttons altogether because of the pressure required to activate whatever shortcut I had mapped when squeezed.

The Mighty Mouse was the sole reason I discovered and subsequently moved to all Logitech peripherals – MX Revolution (excellent) & VX Nano (mobile awesomeness). Logitech offers multifunction mice that just work without looking terrible e.g. OOMouse. Impressed by ergonomics and the super fast "hyper scrolling", I thought I had found the last physical mouse I would ever need.

Apple Magic Mouse

Then the Magic Mouse was announced. Leaps and bounds above what was offered by the Mighty Mouse, the Magic Mouse was created with Multi Touch at its core – the same feature found in the iPhone, iPod Touch, and recent MacBook hardware.

Spend a few days with the Magic Mouse then switch back to a typical left / right click + scroll wheel mouse. You’ll notice a difference. Spend any time in Photoshop, Illustrator, or any other creative software where zooming in and scrolling is a regular necessity and you’ll love the Magic Mouse even more. Accelerated 360 degree scrolling to move quickly through files is perfect.

Ergonomics

With its super slim profile, you have to question the negative long term effects (if any) which may result from prolonged use. I admit that the first few days of use felt awkward. Coming from the [now chunky] MX Revolution, the low profile design worried me a bit. The palm of my hand rested on air as I tried to accustom myself to the flat mouse. Over the course of a week I trained myself to lay my hand directly on top of the mouse as though I were palming the desktop beneath. One month later, I can honestly say that I have not experienced any soreness.

Are you using a Magic Mouse? Have you experienced any soreness or discomfort using the mouse on a daily basis? Purchase the Magic Mouse directly from Apple or Amazon.com.

Extras for your Magic Mouse

The single recommendation I will make for first time users is to open System Preferences > Mouse to change the tracking speed. Just in case you’re convinced that the Magic Mouse feature set is incomplete, check out these utilities for adding middle click and mapping custom touch gestures:

  • MagicPrefs – Improves the overall functionality of the Magic Mouse. Customize finger clicks, taps, swipe gestures, and more.
  • MouseZoom – Cocoa preference pane which speeds up your mouse cursor movement.
  • BetterTouchTool – Magic Mouse tool based on the trackpad MultiClutch utility.
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Gmail IMAP vs. Push, sanity more important than Push?

UPDATE: Thanks to reader comments, I discovered that this mini-rant concerning Gmail Push was due to my handset being unable to sync properly. Formatting the phone and following the Google Sync setup instructions agin resulted in a properly synced phone. Thanks Camron.

Boxcar Push notification

iPhone toting Gmail users with a knack for pulling out their phone to check for the latest emails raved when Google announced Gmail Push. What’s not to like? Instant notification of unread emails on your iPhone without looking like “that guy” pulling out the phone to refresh in the middle of dinner. Exactly what you wanted right?

As soon as the setup info went live, I enabled Google Sync, flipped the Email toggle and waited. Minutes later, 5 unread email notifications popped up (exaggerated, more like audible notification alerts). Twenty minutes later, another 7. A short time later, even more emails.

Browsing the web, playing a game, or reading a Kindle book. There it was, yet another Push notification from Gmail.

What had I done? I realized that Gmail Push suddenly became the service I wished for and hated all at the same time. I mean, how could I focus on beating my personal best score in Orbital (iTunes) or Chain Rxn (iTunes) if the screen was routinely hijacked by Push notifications?

Understandably, the average internet user receives a manageable set of emails on a daily basis but I’ve moved everything online [which means all sorts of notifications]. Filters can only go so far and a lot of info lands in the inbox (despite the option of selecting which labels can Push alerts). A barrage of Push notifications wasn’t the only nuisance. I discovered another trade-off enabling Gmail Push.

Addicted to IMAP

In order to understand why IMAP is so slick, you’ll need to understand the difference between POP and IMAP. For a good walkthrough on the differences between the two, check out this the Official Gmail Blog.

POP vs. IMAP

The benefits of accessing your email via IMAP could not be any clearer. So you go on, accessing and reading your email from your fancy iPhone via IMAP. Then Google announces Push. You jump for joy and follow the setup instructions to add the Google service as an Exchange Server. Guess what, if you didn’t delete your existing IMAP Gmail account, you now have TWO Gmail accounts on your phone.

Gmail #1 syncs your unread / read and deleted email with your inbox. Downside, emails are fetched automatically at set intervals OR manually fetched on refresh.

Gmail #2 pushes new messages alerts to your device but has zero sync capabilities. Those 30 emails marked as read you had in your inbox a few minutes ago aren’t showing up in your iPhone inbox. Confused, you back out of the inbox and climb back up the Mail tree and are reminded of your two different accounts.

What do you? Do you continue accessing Gmail IMAP and leave Gmail Push enabled for a hybrid overkill system to satisfy your email addiction? Or, do you disable Push, marvel at the convenience of IMAP access and wait for Apple to put a little more attention into managing Push notifications?

Somewhere in the middle: Gmail IMAP + Boxcar

So you want the convenience of IMAP but the instant gratification of Push notifications at the same time? Try the Gmail IMAP + Boxcar (iTunes) combo. Boxcar is the best choice for Push notifications from services too slow to deliver their own solution(s) without having to rely on Exchange.

With Boxcar, I can fine tune Push notifications from both a personal and work Gmail account, change sound settings, and keep my Exchange account open and unused.

How can Apple make Push notifications better?

Apple’s lack of fine grain control over Push events can easily drive a iPhone user mad. Your Push options are either on or off. You can toggle sounds, alerts, and badges off, but what’s the point of Push with those limited notifications disabled?

Why can’t standard iPhone users enjoy the same useful utilities available for jailbroken handsets? Don’t actually answer that. There’s a great utility which adds a icon to the iPhone menubar for new notifications. What changes to the Push notification settings would you like to see in order to make Push a little more to your liking?

Gmail IMAP vs. Push, where do you stand?

Which method do you prefer for accessing Gmail from your mobile device – IMAP, Push, or mobile version of Gmail? How about Push notifications, have they improved or taken away from your mobile experience?

How do you access email on your iPhone?

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