ExtraBITS for 31-Aug-09

Behind the Mac vs. PC Ad Campaigns — We’re familiar with Apple’s and Microsoft’s latest competing ad campaigns, and this New York Times article provides a look at the competition from the advertising standpoint. Especially interesting is the section in the middle about how Apple’s iconic “Think Different” and “Switchers” campaigns came about. (Posted 2009-08-30)

China Unicom Will Sell iPhone — The Chinese carrier will sell a version of the iPhone without Wi-Fi, as previously rumored, the Wall Street Journal reports. China Unicom will apparently pay Apple full price, with no revenue sharing. Estimates put 1.5 million iPhones in use in China currently. (Posted 2009-08-28)

Apple Posts List of Incompatible Software for 10.6 — Apple has posted a KnowledgeBase article that explains which software packages (and versions) the Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard installer places in an Incompatible Software folder. The note also details how Snow Leopard will prevent incompatible software from launching to prevent disappointment. (Posted 2009-08-28)

xkcd’s Tech Support Cheat Sheet — The xkcd Web comic has a hilarious (and all too apt) comic that charts the process experts use to solve computer problems of all flavors. With regard to Adam’s recent “Post-Literate” article, note the importance of “related words” in the flowchart. (Posted 2009-08-25)

Sony Reveals Wireless Touchscreen Book Reader — Sony ended the suspense and said it would release in December a $399 electronic book reader that could download books, magazines, and newspapers over AT&T’s cellular data network, much like Amazon’s Kindle hardware does over Sprint’s network. Sony’s model, The Daily Reader, will have a 7-inch touch-sensitive screen, and will also work with libraries for ebook borrowing. (Posted 2009-08-25)