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My sister stepped on her laptop a few months ago. So I gave her my old trusty laptop which I had not been using for a while. All 8 lbs of my trusty HP laptop from 2002. It was still a good machine and she is happy with it.

I have a linux box and a windows box setup with dual monitors. I normally use the windows box and use Exceed to connect to the linux box. This setup serves me well. I miss my laptop on days when I want to lie down on my couch, watch TV and do stuff on the computer. So I was in the market for a laptop.

I had been eyeing the macbooks for a while. I'm a man. Things that look good attract me :). I also knew that MacOSX has a UNIX core so, it would not be too hard to adapt. The fact that I could install linux/XP on the macbook made my decision a little easier. Anyway long story short, I got a MacBook.

I love the hardware. Looks nice, feels nice and just works. I'm getting used to MacOSX. There are some things which I don't like about it.

1. There is no concept of maximize in the mac. I hate having to resize windows manually to use the full screen.
2. No right click. Ctrl-Click gives you a context menu like the right click on Windows. I guess I would be a lot more productive on the mac if they had a right click button.

Anyway more to explore. But I like what I see. I can drop into the shell and build, install utilities I need, the UI is nice. Most of the apps I need on the go are available.

I don't think I could do away with my linux & windows boxes though. I would need them just to develop on those platforms. And there are apps there that I just cannot live without.

"Mac OS X Leopard for Starters: The Missing Manual" (David Pogue)

No, I am not promoting one of those websites that make you sign up for offers you dont need. I am presenting an arbitrage opportunity that everyone should capitalize on. If you love games and game consoles, you will understand this even better.

News:

• The PS3 is releasing on November 17
• The Wii is releasing on November 19

Some of you may have understood what the arbitrage play is. For those that did not, here is a little more information.

Fact: When demand exceeds supply, prices go up

Ok, for those of you who still do not get it, I’ll get to the point.

Historically, whenever a new game console is released, there is always a severe shortage of consoles. This shortage forces many game aficionados to pay extra for the consoles. How much extra ? Sometimes 2-4 times the price of the original. (Sometimes you have to pay to be the coolest kid).

How to exploit this ?

Stand in line the day the console is released. Take some friends(who dont want a game console) along if you can. On the day of the release, you can typically buy one console per person. So buy as many as you can. Once that is done, go home and list them on ebay with a reserve price which equals the price of the consoles + shipping. You are guaranteed profits. The console will normally sell for twice its original price. If you get more, even better. If you really want one of the consoles, keep one for yourself or wait till the hysteria dies down.

Have fun with the money :)

I think the IPod absolutely sucks. All my friends have ipods. I bought a few ipods as gifts but never felt like owning one. Why ?

1. I have a NetMD player that serves my needs. The only time I need a music player is at the gym. I have access to my music at all other times.
2. The ipod is fragile. I’ve dropped my NetMD player a few times. Still works. Its a rugged piece of equipment. Sometimes I pray the damn thing breaks so I have a reason to buy myself a new music player
3. The itunes software totally BLOWS.
4. The Ipod craps out in under 2 years. ( I know this because I had to buy my sister 2 ipods so far)

The 4th reason is the main reason. When I buy electronics, I expect most of them to last atleast 10 years. Even though my NetMD player has some moving parts in it, it has outlasted my sister’s ipods. My sister takes care of her ipod while I toss my player into my gym bag. I know a lot of people who have ipods that stopped working after a year or little over a year. What did they do ? Buy a new one. Most of these people thought their ipods broke because they mishandled their ipods or because they got a lemon. Here is the truth. The expected life of an ipod is 2-3 years. And if you are a heavy user expect less. Most people can afford to buy an ipod every 2 years and they do. This allows Apple to sell more players every quarter and the stock does well. The stock has been riding high lately. But all is not well.

Microsoft is releasing the Zune on November 14th 2006
There are other players in the market, but no one has been able to eat Apple’s share. Ipod is what all the cool kids have. I can bet top dollar that Zune is going to be what the cool kids are gonna have. Why ?

1. Customizable UI – This is big. No this is HUGE. A look at myspace should tell you why.
2. FM Radio – This is a missing feature. Another biggie. Many users have complained that they miss this in the ipod.
3. More colors
4. Better video playback – Bigger screen for video
5. TV output connectivity
6. Wi-fi – Send songs to upto 4 other players at the same time. This is another huge feature. The kids now are used to the youtubes and the myspaces. They want to share media. They want their devices to be more social, more connected. Zune lets them.
7. DJ Mode – Broadcast what you’re listening to
8. Faster charge times
9. Zune tag – Something like an ad-hoc network neighbourhood for Zunes. It allows you to select a name for your Zune. This information is sent to all other Zunes who are in your vicinity and you in turn can see them on your player.

I’m sure Microsoft will do a better job with the software integration than the itunes piss job. Microsoft has stayed true to its mantra of embracing and extending. Flashback anyone !

If the Zune has a longer life than the Ipod, I’ll definitely buy one. If I were forced to buy a music player, I’d buy the Zune. Better feature-set. And dare I say it is the first truly cool product Microsoft has released. Did anyone think Microsoft would get such a big share of the gaming market when they released the original Xbox. No ! Look at things now.

The Zune is actually a HOT buy. Lets see how much Microsoft eats into Apple’s share.

A betting man would be shorting AAPL right now. A gun slinger would be buying long term puts on AAPL.

Here is a video demonstrating the Zune. Enjoy !