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This was a lot easier than I thought. Background – Bootcamp is the name for the part of Mac OS that enables modern Macs to have Windows installed alongside Mac OS. On start-up a user can choose whether to run Windows or Mac. Normally, Bootcamp setup only allows a user to split a hard drive into two parts.

I read the guide here first which looked scary. But things seemed to have changed since:

• Disk utility can split a hard drive into three, without deleting data. This avoids the need to back up that way or restore a disk image afterwards.
• Time machine, part of the most recent Leopard version of Mac OS, enables easier backups.

The process worked like this:

1. Back up Mac with Time Machine. As this was a new Mac it was quick.
2. Boot from the Mac OS install CD by holding ‘c’ while the Mac powers up.
3. Exit the Mac OS installer app and run Disk Utility, which is listed on the menu.
4. I chose to set up three partitions as follows: 32Gb FAT32 last; 20Gb unformatted middle; remainder Mac OS. I understand it’s important that Windows is on the last partition.
5. Boot from the Windows CD, follow the install prompts to install into the last 32Gb partition.
6. Don’t alter the partitions using Windows installer.
7. I chose to do a “quick format” of the drive, although I’d already formatted it in Disk Utility.
8. When Windows installer asks to reboot hold the ‘c’ key to boot from the CD.
9. Boot into Windows. Install the Bootcamp drivers from the Mac OS CD.

Tip: the above was on a brand new Mac. Previously, I’ve set up Bootcamp on an older Mac and had problems. I was using the Bootcamp application itself to split the drive into two parts. Bootcamp refused, despite there being ample free drive space. The problem seemed to be that the drive was fragmented and the Bootcamp installer wouldn’t re-arrange files. After defragging, the install all went smoothly.

Update – Fixing 3 Partitions and Boot Camp Problems, published August 10, 2009.

iPhone photo of a church

Nokia N82 photo of the same church

Manufacturers quote megapixels when selling phones and cameras. Yet colour quality, sharpness, lens, sensor and software are more important if you want good photos from a cameraphone. Here I compare two shots, one from the 5 megapixel N82 and the other from the 2 megapixel iPhone. I’ve resized them so that the number of megapixels shown here is the same.

At this identical size the iPhone image looks poor compared with the Nokia, especially its colour. At the full five megapixels, the N82 picture is stunning for a phone. Both photos above were taken at the same time at the same place. The framing is a little different as I found I had to stand a lot further away from the church to capture the whole spire in shot with the iPhone.

The camera is the iPhone’s Achilles heel. It’s not the number of megapixels that’s the problem. It’s the lens and sensor which lead to poor colour reproduction, some image distortion, and a lot of softness.

Yesterday VirginMedia announced it would cut 2200 jobs, 15% of its workforce, to take effect around the end of 2009.
On the radio, I heard this reported as being a result of the current downturn in the UK (in the third quarter the UK experienced negative growth). But VirginMedia’s reasoning is not the result of a change in consumer spending.
The problem VirginMedia face is that they have been carrying billions in debt generated during the rapid expansion of cable networks in the UK during the 90s.
Over the last few years, the level of market competition that VirginMedia has faced has limited VirginMedia’s ability to generate significant enough revenues to retrieve their position. The vaunted multi-play that has been at the core of VirginMedia’s strategy has resulted in a war on multiple fronts: in TV against Freeview and Sky; broadband versus Carphone Warehouse, BT, Orange, Sky, Tiscali; and home phone against Carphone, BT, and numerous others.
VirginMedia’s announcement was a hangover from last time’s problems, combined now with the greater difficulty in raising capital and sustaining existing debts caused by the credit crunch. Effects of changes in consumer spending will take longer to come through. There may be more pain to come.
Read related research on the economic downturn from us. More will follow soon.