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No BS Podcast #132: The All Rant Edition, Pt. 1

The Maximum PC Staff — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 14:37:56 -0600

You asked for it, we've delivered: The No BS Podcast #132 is all rants, all the time. We've compiled all of Gordon's best rants into one 148 minute ragestravaganza. So if you missed any rants, or just want to relive your favorites, you know what to do.

Do you have a tech question? A comment? A tale of technological triumph? Just need to get something off your chest? A secret to share? Email us at maximumpcpodcast@gmail.com or call our 24-hour No BS Podcast hotline at 877.404.1337 x1337--operators are standing by.

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5 Reasons You Shouldn’t Upgrade to the iPhone 3G S

Florence Ion — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 10:30:00 -0500

Unless you spent this morning snoozing underneath a rock or immersed in your new Palm Pre, you are aware that Apple announced the impending release of a new mobile phone, the iPhone 3G S. The additional letter stands for Speed; the new iPhone boasts a longer battery life, environmentally friendly construction, voice commands, and a 3 megapixel camera with programmable macros, as well as the ability to record video. No doubt plenty of Apple fans have since been drooling uncontrollably over the announcement of yet another reason to empty their wallets on yet another Apple product – but not us, mind you, no siree. Here are five reasons why you won’t find us running to the Apple store on June 19th to upgrade our phones.

1. Pricing Runaround

While the iPhone 3G S will cost $199 and $299 for the 16GB and 32GB models for new customers, those of us who rushed out to buy an iPhone 3G just one year ago (some Maximum PC editors included) will have to pay the full retail price. According to the Apple website, non-qualified customers, including existing AT&T customers will be charged $699, $599 and $499 for the 32GB, 16GB and 8GB models, respectively. And that’s with a new two-year network agreement. Factor in the fact that since iPhone 3Gs are now $99, your 1-year old phone has pretty much no resell value. As one commenter posted on Gizmodo, “"40,000,000 iPhones sold to date. 40,000,000 now pissed off iPhone customers who have to pay out their asses if they want to upgrade.” Amen, brother.

2. New features, Old news

Apple’s dog and pony show this morning touted iPhone 3G S’s fully-functional 3MP camera and voice dialing capabilities. Big whoop. These may seem like some amazing features for the Apple faithful, who have not been able to verbally instruct their iPhone to switch songs or call Jane Doe before the update, but to those of us who have been on other cellphone networks using other brands of mobile phones, voice dialing and a video recording are tricks we take for granted. Just another example of Apple masking their last-gen inadequacies as ZOMG SHINY NEW FEATURES.

3. All the Awesome Rumors were False

We were genuinely intrigued by the photoshop mockups and rumored new iPhone hardware posted online leading up to the WWDC keynote. Rumors speculated that the version 3 JesusPhone bring both major internal hardware and aesthetic updates, especially since that’s what happened at last year’s WWDC. We drooled at the thought of an OLED screen (which has since been announced for the Zune HD) and a front-facing camera for iChat (a la Nintendo’s DSi). But no dice – Apple failed to deliver.

4. iPhone OS 3.0 Update Hosts the Bulk of the Features

We really don’t need the new iPhone when we’ve got a software update that contains most of the features of the iPhone 3G S. iPhone OS 3.0, coming out June 17, will include the ability to copy and paste, run apps in landscape, get push notifications, send artsy photos over MMS, as well as offer tethering support for Apple users who’ve never heard of Verizon’s Wireless EVDO service. And as long as you’ve got the iPhone 3G, these bonuses are a free upgrade. We like free.

5. No Tethering or MMS for AT&T Users (at launch)

Though it’s not specific to the iPhone 3G S, but rather to the iPhone 3.0 upgrade, there will be no tethering OR MMS available to AT&T users when OS 3.0 and the 3G S go live. It could be because AT&T is hammering out the pricing details, but when they’ll figure it out is still up in the air. Additionally, tethering could cost quite a bit (the latest rumor is $40 a month) which seems to be an insane rip-off if you’re already paying $30/month for AT&T’s wireless mobile internet.

The newest iPhone is a non-event for existing iPhone owners, and not even a must-have gadget for geeks in the market for a new phone. Apple has some real competition heating up with the release of the Palm Pre and the Google G2, as well as the ever-growing family of Blackberrys increasing in popularity. The mobile wars are just starting to get interesting, and it’s way too early to put your money on a device that will undoubtedly get ushered into obsolescence next year.

Discuss your thoughts below!

No BS Podcast #91: The All Rant Edition

The Maximum PC Staff — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 14:00:00 -0600

We checked our Maximum PC zodiac chart, and realized that 2008 was the Year of the Rant. Gordon's capacity for rage never ceases to amaze, so this week, we present to you 3 hours and 40 minutes of non-stop ranting. Culled from this past year's podcasts, this all-rant episode includes anger toward interoffice spam emails, indignant hippies shopping for organic food, and shirts sticking out of sweaters. A certain Cuppertino-based tech company doesn't get off easy, either.

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Microsoft Takes its Fight to the Apple Store

Justin Kerr — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 18:30:35 -0600

Die hard Apple fans love to defend their platform, and that’s okay, it’s actually good to know they are capable of emotion. But is this really what passes for a news story? The popular web tabloid AppleInsider.com ran a news feature on Friday criticizing Microsoft’s decision to place a Vista campaign booth outside an Apple store in Birmingham England. The booth was apparently set up to record I’m a PC videos for possible use in upcoming marketing efforts. Some of the clips gathered are slated for use in TV commercials while others will be used for web promotions. In addition to gathering video clips, Microsoft staffers are on hand to convert potential Mac customers back into the fold. The booths are the continuation of the Vista ad campaign which started with Bill Gates and Jerry Sienfeld, and more recently matured into the “I’m a PC” initiative.

So are Mac users whining again?

Click the jump and let us know what you think.

(Image Credit AppleInsider)

Mac Users Are Whiny Losers. Love, Maximum PC

Paul Lilly — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 01:00:00 -0500

We don't like taking on the role of enforcer, nor do we like bullying those ill equipped to defend themselves. But sometimes, for the greater good of all involved, as PC users we feel obligated to step in and lay the smack down when our Mac brethren come asking for it. In a way, we feel like Billy Madison did when he told a bunch of first graders "Now you're all in big, big trouble" before proceeding to pummel them in dodgeball.

Well, Mac users have come asking for it, courtesy of our friends over at MacLife (Maximum PC's sister magazine) who this week posted 25 Reasons Why Non-Mac Users Should Shut Their Damn Pie-Holes. To borrow from Billy Madison, now you're in big, big trouble. Here are our retorts:

1. Justin Long is a dick - There are only two people who are fans of Justin Long, his agent and his mother. And to be perfectly honest, we're not even sure about the latter.

2. Shinier = better - Just because your computer is shiny and aluminum doesn't mean it's better. We'll take a Lenovo X300 over a MacBook Air any day.

3. We don't want to be Steve Jobs' bitch - You guys constantly get reamed by the House of Jobs, whether it's the incessant train of forced hardware upgrades, lightning fast price cuts, or the industry standard features that Apple supports with proprietary implementations, Mac users get hit where it hurts most--the wallet.

4. OS X is awesome - It's not nice to pick on disadvantaged folks (it's the reason why we seldom pick on Mac users). We all know that OS X is awesome, but we defend Vista even though it sucks because it's what we're stuck with. Just because you've got something that's better, doesn't mean you need to get all Justin Long about it.

5. Team Fortress 2 kicks ass - We believe you when you say you have more important things to do than play games. Like sitting in Starbucks dressed in stonewashed jeans wishing you could play games. But hey, Oregon Trail still rocks, right?

6. Elmo had a line, too - We can't dispute that hundreds waited in line for the Mac OS X Leopard release, just as many also clamored for the Tickle Me Elmo doll when it first came out. But we're still not trading in our cooler toys to get one.

7. We have Newegg - Intel P45 motherboard: $99. Core 2 Duo E8400: $170. 2GB DDR3-1333 RAM: $80. Not having to throw away your PC and buy a brand new one when it comes time to upgrade: Priceless.

8. Secure in our insecurity - You love to tout the lack of viruses targeted towards Macs as an indication that Macs are more secure, but could it be that even hackers don't give a f*** about Mac users? In a way, it'd be like invading Iceland. It's not that it can't be done, but what's the point?

9. Mighty Mouse - Like all things Mac, the Mighty Mouse is cute. And also mighty lame compared to the Logitech G5 PC users have been computing with for the past 24 months. But then again, what would a Mac user do with all those buttons?

10. Who compiles 25 reasons of why Macs don't suck? - Mac users do. And while we'd love to spend time coming up with 25 retorts, we have better things to do. Like play games, run executables, overclock, watch NBC Olympics On The Go, and not overpay for under powered hardware.

Will Smith contributed to this story. Image Credit: Flickr super-structure

No BS Podcast #51: The Live Without a Net Edition

Tom Edwards — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 13:30:07 -0600

This week, we present an all-listener-mail edition of the podcast! Join Tom, Dave, Will, Gordon, and Jeremy as we tackle a load of tough tech questions. Of course, we'll bring you Gordon's rant of the week as well.

To learn more about Intel-sponsored LAN parties, mosey on over here.

Do you have a tech question? A comment? Just have something you want to get off your chest? Email us at maximumpcpodcast@gmail.com or call our 24-hour No BS Podcast hotline at 877.404.1337 x1337, operators are standing by. Also, get your game on with the editors of Maximum PC by joining our Steam group or Facebook Page.

Modders and modding aficionados, check out Mod Shop: submit and vote on the coolest mods around—and win prizes!

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