Apples vs. Pearls

So, I got an iPod Touch for Christmas (yay me!). It's amazing. And, the $20 update notwithstanding, a marvel of technology. I'm constantly blown away by the multitouch interface, and the intuitive control scheme.

What prompted me to write this post though, is that a family member just got a new phone - a Blackberry Pearl. It's very pretty. The first thing I did when I played with it? Tried to touch the icons on the screen. Nothing. Amazing. I'd expected the thing to just work, intuitively, by touch. I was surprised and confused when it didn't - it took me a little while to readjust to the notion that not everything was as easy to use as an iPod Touch/iPhone.

OK, I say to myself, it should still be easy though, right? It's got email, like my Touch, and a web browser, and other cool stuff too. I'm smart. I like technology. How hard can it be to get it to work?

You figure it out. How do I get to the browser? Check my email? Listen to some tunes?
I defy you to do it without looking at the manual . Here's the iPhone equivalent:

Believe me folks, this is the future.

Leopardy Goodness

Not sure if I've mentioned it before, but I'm a big Mac fan (not the hamburger, the computer). So, I anxiously awaited the arrival of my copy of Leopard the other day, not without a little trepidation, because the blogosphere was abuzz with FUD about the new OS.

Not surprisingly, everything went swimmingly with the upgrade, even on my less than new, barely above the minimum specs ibook.This points out, I think, a big issue with blogs and, more especially, commenters to blogs. As always, the squeaky wheel get the oil, and I would assume that the majority of upgraders have, like me, had no problems with the update. Those that have (and there are legitimate reasons why), have been very vocal. For an example of the hype, see the Macalope.

The upshot? Don't always believe what you read on the interwebs.