ATBOM

A couple weeks ago Jared posted an opinion about the future of Apple, how the tech giant was losing its touch. I agree, but for different reasons than their less than refreshing product lines. Similar to the Supreme Court Justices, I'm writing a dissenting opinion, agreeing with the judgement, but for the reason that Apple used to be an innovator, but in the last few years, they've modified their product lines to be able to compete rather than take the lead.  Lets look at the tablet market in the last 2 years. The Kindle Fire, the Nexus 7, the Galaxy Tab 7. All 7 inch tablets made for a market that Apple had no foot in. Thus came the iPad Mini. Something clearly not designed to take lead of the market, with its non retina display, its severely underpowered processor, subpar cameras, and derivative design. For the last 2 years, the retina display has become the centerpeice of Apple's products. It started with the iPhone, moved to the iPod Touch, then to the iPad, and most ...

I teased a few months ago, that I would tackle the topic of Apple's fall from grace.  At the time, Steve Jobs had just recently passed and the signs were starting to show that the tech behemoth was losing its shine.  But, recent missteps have been very eye-opening for me.  In the next few paragraphs, I hope to show you why I feel that the future is not so bright for Apple.  And before you start accusing me of being an Apple hater, know that I currently have an iPhone 4S and love it.  My wife and I each own an iPad, and again, we love them.  Plus, I'm not the biggest fan of Microsoft, to be honest.  So, there is no bad blood here.  Just some honest observations. Let's start with the simplest and most visible issue, the product line.  I'm not going to focus on the Mac product line , because they continue to fill the niche that they always have.  Little has changed in that regard.  It's still a wonderful computer for artists, edu...

I recently came across a pretty cool text messaging app called Wickr that promises military grade encryption  and security for your messages.  It's not the first app to make that promise, but what I have found is that it may be the easiest to use.  For that reason, I will quickly say that I recommend it to everyone (in case you don't have time to read my full review). Let's start with the basics.  Why do you need military grade protection for your text messages?  You're not doing anything that's top secret, right?  Maybe not.  But, it's a great option to have for those moments when you do need to conduct a little secret business.  Perhaps your spouse asks for a credit card number?  What if you are trying to plan a surprise party for a friend?  What if grandma wants to send you a picture of that Christmas present that she's planning on buying, and you don't want little Johnny to see it while he's playing Angry Birds on your phone? ...

Let's face it.  The idea of working on Windows 8 is not enticing.  Yeah, it is shiny and new...blah, blah, blah, but it is also a serious departure from our comfort zone.  Nobody likes change, right? Wrong. If I had shown you the iOS interface at the height of Microsoft's reign, you'd laugh and tell me how ridiculous it is that you can't even run two applications side by side.  You would quickly say, why should we take a step backwards?  This will never work.  But, it did.  iOS showed that we are willing to adapt.  The interface on an iPad couldn't be any more foreign when compared to a traditional Windows OS interface.  So, why should Microsoft take a step backwards with Windows 8?  They aren't exactly.  They are promising compatibility with Win 7 applications on the Desktop, but adding a layer of apps and widgets, like we have come to expect from our tablets and phones.  That's acceptable, right? Regardless of the outcome...

As the founder of ATBOM, I was recently asked "Why don't you guys post more often?  Your articles are great!"  Gee, thanks.  There's actually a very simple reason that we don't post more often...we're pretty busy in our everyday lives.  In all seriousness, the contributors at ATBOM have real lives, but all share a passion for technology.  The gig is at-will for them.  And to be completely honest, the Internet is full of places to get basic technology information or a generic opinion on the latest products.  What we have tried to do, is offer an insightful opinion on topics that we feel aren't necessarily being covered everywhere else. When we sense that there is a topic that can use deeper insight than what your traditional blog is willing to offer, we will be there.  Personally, I will make the effort to write a bit more often.  Simply because there is a lot going on out there that warrants a strong discussion, like the inevitable fall fro...

While most of the students at Liberty are throwing crazy parties and yelling "YOLO" in the streets, there are some people that are working on things that they genuinely love to do. 17 year old Taylor Thomas is the epitome of this. He loves music, and for the last year or so, he's been producing his own electro-house and dubstep tracks. He's signed to Solfege Records out of LA, and released a few tracks on Beatport. And he's pretty fantastic. No matter where I am, there is always one of his tracks blasting from the severely underpowered speakers in my new Honda Civic. (Check him out on  Facebook  or  Soundcloud .) Every school has at least a couple of these focused individuals and every school should be helping lift these individuals to the next level. The staff and students at Liberty have done a phenomenal job helping Taylor. He's performed at school events, community events, student parties, even a live stream! If every student like Taylor had this kind ...