P. J. Connolly

About

P. J. Connolly began writing for IT publications in 1997 and has a lengthy track record in both news and reviews. Since then, he's built two test labs from scratch and earned a reputation as the nicest skeptic you'll ever meet. Before taking up journalism, P. J. was an IT manager and consultant in San Francisco with a knack for networking the Apple Macintosh, and his love for technology is exceeded only by his contempt for the flavor of the month.

ARM for Macs: On What Planet Does That Make Sense?

The rumor that Apple is considering the use of ARM-based processors in future generations of Mac OS X systems is an interesting one, but I’m just not sure how practical such a move would be. [WP_IMAGE] If the rumor proves to be true, that would be Apple’s fourth processor change since the introduction of the […]

Video Conferencing Bucks Trend

There seems to be no such thing as a middle ground for video conferencing. Essentially, the choices for most businesses boil down to being either cheap or pretty. The full-blown telepresence scenario, on one hand, provides a polished and professional experience, but requires a tremendous investment in facilities and hardware. On the other hand, the […]

Apple Rushes Location Services Patch, Rightly

As it turns out, the hard part of being tough but fair is the fairness bit. It’s very easy to slam somebody when they foul up; but giving due credit doesn’t always come naturally to some people. I’m certainly guilty of finding it easier to criticize than to praise, particularly when the subject is Apple. […]

Will RIM’s Rope-a-Dope Pay Off?

Research in Motion’s BlackBerry devices have a solid place in the enterprise, due in no small part to its BlackBerry Enterprise Server. I admit that I’ve been dismissive of RIM’s future, thanks to widespread adoption of Android and iOS devices in corporate settings, but I may have to find a new way to prepare crow. […]

Office 365 Beta Proves Promising

Using the cloud to deliver applications isn’t a new idea, but it’s one that’s had to wait until now for technology to catch up with it. Microsoft’s Office 365 is the company’s answer to the increasing demand for anywhere, anytime access to applications and services. It provides small businesses as well as enterprises with hosted […]

Apple Comes Clean on Location Services Controversy

Some days you just get lucky; today is one of those. First, I’m excited because Apple has finally released the iPhone 4 in white, after a delay of only ten months. As I recall, one problem seemed to be matching the various shades of white that each parts supplier was using as a reference. In […]

Cloud storage not panning out?

Although storage and cloud services seem like a natural fit for each other, they don’t seem to be faring very well as a business proposition. Cirtas Systems appears to be on the ropes, according to a story posted by The Register‘s Chris Mellor on April 25, while earlier in April, Iron Mountain stopped accepting customers […]

Apple Blows Opportunity to Spin Location Services Controversy

[WP_IMAGE] The stupid continues to burn around the discovery of a “secret file” on iOS devices that apparently tracks one’s location. The consolidated.db file, the existence of which became public on April 20, appears to record one’s position from time to time. Although the data in the file is reported to be imprecise and occasionally […]

PC Repair: Now in Two Easy Steps!

From the “Not Really Serious, But Oh So True” Department, we have a guide that shows you how to fix problems on any PC in only two steps. That’s right; just two steps in Linux, Mac OS X or Windows will end all of your computer frustrations! Could troubleshooting get any easier?

Good advice for anyone considering IT consulting

Whether you like the idea or not, it’s clear that many IT jobs in the years to come are going to be on a contract or consultant basis. I was woefully unprepared for my first real consulting gig when I landed it in the mid-‘90s, and the experience gave me a kick in the pants […]