E*TRADE made a name for themselves as one of the early internet banks and online trading firms. At the time, online banking and trading were considered un-secure and risky.
Fast forward to today and mobile banking is the new frontier. The same concerns over security exist and E*TRADE once again is there with a new way to trade.
The E*TRADE iPhone app is a free tool that allows their customers to access accounts, buy and sell stocks, and get detailed stock quotes, news and other financial info.
The menu interface was well thought out and unique. Their designers have done a good job of carrying over the look and feel of the main website. Not much learning curve if you’re familiar with the main site.
The app has the shake to update feature (a la Facebook) and is very responsive.
I have mobile banking apps from Chase and BofA and while they both have their pluses, they seem a little rushed in comparison to E*TRADE. Now if only there can be a bank error in my favor…
One question our techs often get asked, especially by those new to Apple products, is “just how sturdy and reliable are they?”
Well, personally I would say that the 12″ iBook could rival the Panasonic Tough book in many ways and of the current books, the polycarbonate MacBook is quite a workhorse.
If you don’t believe me, then just take a look at the white MacBook in this photo. This poor fellow suffered through a house fire and while it came out bruised and battered, it was functional.
Growl is a free OS X utility that provides application notifications.
Notifications display new information from your applications without having to switch to that application.
For example you can setup an Ebay notification using Growl that will alert you when an auction is ending. A widget like (and highly customizable) popup will display info on that auction when the time comes.
Its very similar to the push notifications that are being implemented on the Palm Pre and iPhone 3.0.
The setup takes a little work up front but can save you some time in the end.
When I first saw that the Apple Store was selling LoJack for laptops, I thought to myself, “Are they serious?”
I’ve always thought of LoJack as more of a gimmick than a useful tool. Not something I would want to install on my Mac.
After checking the software out however, its actually pretty useful and could provide certain users real value.
Here’s how it works:
You install a behind the scenes piece of software that pings a LoJack server with the IP address of the computer when it accesses the internet (every 15 mins when in recovery mode.) The system overhead is so low you wouldn’t notice it and since it runs in the background, most thieves would have no idea it’s there or how to de-activate it. If the computer is stolen, the LoJack team can help law enforcement track the location and recover the laptop.
Yes, the thieves could reformat the HD and re-install the OS to bypass this, but if they were smart enough to do this, would they still be stealing laptops?
The software is sold as a yearly $29 (3 years for $69) subscription and is available in a premium edition that includes remote data deletion. The ability to remotely delete sensitive files is where the real value may be had with this software.
While Apple has updated MobileMe to track and remote wipe the iPhone, no Apple solution currently exists for laptops. For companies running Macs with sensitive data, LoJack could be a good solution.
Apple has release version 2.4 of the AppleTV software and updated their Remote app for the iPhone/Touch.
The new updates allow for gesture control of the AppleTV through an iPhone or iPod Touch.
You can now navigate the AppleTV menus using finger swipes, taps and mulit-touch. The new Remote App also allows you to search your AppleTV using a QWERTY keyboard. These updates combine for a much faster and easier to use AppleTV/Remote interface.
Previously, it felt like the Remote app was only useful if you were not in view of the TV you were controlling (i.e. as a jukebox.) It always felt faster and easier to use the included AppleTV remote to navigate the menus on screen. This new setup really delivers an enhanced remote and makes typing on the AppleTV a breeze.
You can learn more about the AppleTV and Remote app functionality here.
