Andy Taylor

April 20, 2008 Andy TaylorLeave a commentUncategorized

Hands On: Office 2008 for Mac ‘plays nice’ with Exchange Servers

We’ve been testing Office 2008 for Mac for a couple of months now and each of our users has gotten comfortable enough to complete the transition from using both a Mac and a PC, to just using either their iMacs or Macbooks exclusively.
The downside is that we don’t have any I.T. staff that are intimately familiar with the OS.

The Good, The Bad and the…well…so so:

The upside is that OS X now lives in a PC driven box.

And Entourage (Outlook for Mac) can now syncronize with Exchange 2003, with even more features opening with Exchange 2007.
Then there’s the servicing of a Mac; both good and bad – Apple Care covers almost any defect for a full three years; however, you have to wait for a prepaid shipping carton to arrive, pack up the whole unit and send it in for repair. (To Apple’s customer service’s credit, this process has rarely taken more than two to three days to complete)

Upgrading a Mac is still rather limited and costly compared to an OEM PC, with RAM being ridiculously priced (example: 1 x 2GB of 667MHz DDR2/PC@-5300 SODIMM is $200 from the Apple Store ).

Fortunately you can buy from third party sellers for a fraction of the cost and still get

guaranteed compatibility (example: we purchased 2 x 2GB of the same SODIMM RAM from Crucial Memory for only $105.99.

For us, the pricier and less flexible Mac’s are still relegated to the arts…graphics and music departments are the only ones who can get them without much hassle; and we’ve only got one department head who just has to have one for the shinny factor, and frankly I’m glad we’ve gotten to the point where the technologies can finally “play nice” in a PC dominated network domain…still a few glitches to find workarounds for…but for the most part they are a welcomed addition to the work place.

If only I could get a memory upgrade and additional storage space for my BRAIN to expand my working knowledge of Mac hardware (and a bazillion other new technologies)—maybe then I could “come out of the closet,” and fully embrace the platform…Nah! It ain’t snowing in Hades just yet! LOL

You can visit Microsoft’s Mactopia site or check out several independent reviews of Office 2008 for Mac and decide which of the three versions would best suit you by clicking on one of the links below. As for pricing, depending on the end use/user, you are going to shell out somewhere between $200 and $500 bucks for the full suite. (There is a much more affordable charity/educational option available through Microsoft’s eOpen Licensing program, if you qualify for it)

– Mactopia sites by Microsoft covering Office for Mac 2008

– Government Computer News article on Office 2008 for Mac Special Media Edition

– PC Magazine Review of Office 2008 for Mac

– Office 2008 for Mac 12.0.1 Update (3/11/08)

April 18, 2008 Andy TaylorLeave a commentUncategorized

Could Windows XP Continue?

Great story on CRN on the possibility of XP getting extended life. While not a direct statement from Steve Ballmer, reading between the lines could indicate life beyond June?

Read the story here
http://www.crn.com/software/207400689

April 17, 2008 Andy TaylorLeave a commentUncategorized

Asus Lamborghini VX3

Asus is showing their latest Lamborghini line, the VX3.

The Asus VX3 is build using Aluminium-magnesium allow and the glossy top cover makes it looks very sexy. If you think the VX3 looks strikingly similar to Asus U6, you are not alone. Still no word on availability and pricing yet for US market.

ASUS-LAMBORGHINI VX3 Specification

Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T9300

Chipset – Intel PM965

WLAN – Intel Next-Gen wireless N (4965ABGN 802.11N)

Windows Vista Ultimate

NVIDIA GeForce 9300 / 256MB video memoryUp to 320GB – 5400rpm

Up to 4GB DDR2 – 667 MHz12.1″ WXGA with Crystal Shine

Built-in 3.5G & Webcam

DVD-S-Multi Double Layer LightScribe

April 17, 2008 Andy TaylorLeave a commentUncategorized

Forgetting Sarah Marshall Movie Review

About a week ago, my friend told me about this movie, “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” and I’ve been seeing the previews on TV… and sometimes on the TV previews they “only” show the funny parts of the movie…

Well, I got some passes to go the movie premiere of “Forgetting Sarah Marshall”, so I decided to go check it out…

I have to tell you… this movie is one worth paying for at the theaters… It is “non-stop” laughter from beginning to end…

I’m not going to give it away, but what I found most surprising, is the little bit of a treat it gave for us women… The other thing that I did not know is that Brandscome Richmond plays a part in the movie… I’ve met him a couple of times…

I totally enjoyed the movie… if you go by yourself, or with your wife/husband, girlfriend/boyfriend… you WILL be laughing!!!

The movie opens in theaters tomorrow, April 18. Go check it out!

April 17, 2008 Andy TaylorLeave a commentUncategorized

The B17 Fly Over

I have always loved Vintage Aircraft. When I was a kid, I was lucky enough to live in Orange County California where John Wayne (Then Orange County Airport) was just a short ride on the bike. My buddy Paul and I would hang out all day at the airport, checking out the planes. We stumbled upon a museum call Movieland of the Air which was owned by Veteran stunt pilot Frank Tallman. I would hear his B25 Camera plane fly over the house and would run outside to see this awesome looking plane.

I heard a similar sound today, the B17 Flying Fortress as it was doing flights from nearby Marana Airport to raise funds to continue to perserve this flying legend.
Here’s what I saw:

Author: Andy Taylor