My friend Julie likes to talk about her picks, which you can find here. Thought I would offer my own right here on the blog.

I’ll start this article with a bit of commentary on the Colts/Titans game, since that game was played already. Scroll down to see a quick summary without reading all of my commentary.

Colts at Titans (Thursday Night Game): Final Score: 28-21
The football world can calm down now. The world is balanced once again. Peyton Manning was Peyton Manning and the Titans are clearly spiraling out of control. I have two thoughts on this game. First-off, I never really doubted that Peyton Manning was going to make a comeback. He’s Peyton Manning. He’s a machine. Being an elite quarterback is more then just winning your football games and playing at a high level. If you’re an elite quarterback, when your game seems to be a little off, you find out what you’re doing wrong, and you bounce back. I see Indy winning out the rest of the season and securing their rightful place as 1st in the AFC South.

My second thought concerns Randy Moss. If you go through all of the trouble of getting the troubled but talented receiver, why do you never get him the ball? Randy clearly wants to play. You can see it in his face as he watches the game from the sideline. Jeff Fisher argues that because he plays the same position as Kenny Britt, the starter, Moss only gets a few reps, but I promise you that Moss, even at this point in his career, is a more talented wideout then Kenny Britt. If you own Randy Moss, you have to use Randy Moss. It should be a rule.

Browns at Bills: 12PM CST
This game to me seems like a snoozer. Both teams aren’t really going anywhere this off season and the Bills look like they are now competing with Cincinnati, Detroit, and Carolina for the 1st pick in the 2011 draft. Most sources are claiming that Jake Delhomme will get the start for Cleveland. Nothing to see here for this game, but I pick Cleveland to win by 3.

Packers at Lions: 12 PM CST
At first glance this game looks like a severe mismatch. Aaron Rodgers and that staunch Green Bay defense verses an ailing Detroit team with Drew Stanton as their quarterback, but this game is going to be a lot of closer then you might think. With Ryan Grant out for the season, Green Bay has struggled to get its running game going (read: it’s nonexistent) and has become an entirely one-dimensional offense. Despite this, the Lions are the Lions, and their QB did the dougie in the end zone last week vs. the bears. Their doomed. Green Bay by 4.

Bengals at Steelers: 12PM CST
A lot of pass-first teams have been able to put up points on the Steelers this year, including the Saints, the Patriots, and even Buffalo (whom the Steelers were one ridiculously dropped ball away from losing to). Despite this, don’t expect this one to be close. Steelers-D is insane. Two words: Troy Polamalu. Also, when your team loses a game thanks to the most bone-headed off-sides penalty this season, you don’t get any credit. None. Zero. Zilch. Steelers by 10.

Bucs at Redskins: 12PM CST
I was rooting for the Buccaneers last weekend since the Saints need Atlanta to lose a game before their matchup in a few weeks on Monday Night Football, but alas, Freeman was picked up with less the two minutes remaining. Despite the loss, the Bucs continue to plow ahead, though they have experience some injuries at key positions, including star cornerback Aqib Talib. Despite the injuries, the Bucs are facing an awful Redskins team that can’t seem to do anything right. I root for them this week too because A) I think Josh Freeman is the real deal and B) I hate Dan Snyder. Period. Bucs by 10.

Falcons at Panthers: 12PM CST
While I desperately need Atlanta to lose, I don’t think it happens this week. Not much worth writing about. Carolina is pathetic and looks to be a lock for the No. 1 pick in the draft next year. Atlanta by (at least) 10.

Raiders at Jaguars: 12 PM CST
The Jags are one team that has really flown under the radar this season. They come to work and win games without much fanfare. They are currently No. 1 in their division. They face a Raiders team who seems to be an up and down this season. Al Davis should never be one to make decisions on choosing a quarterback. The last couple of decisions he’s made doesn’t seem to have worked out. Also, West Coast teams that travel to the East Coast usually have a hard time adjusting to the time change and get crushed. Jags by 3.

Rams at Saints: 3:05 PM CST
I like the Saints’ chances in this game, especially with it being in the Superdome, but the Saints have been beaten by two rookie quarterbacks already this year, and this rookie is by far the best this season. He’s certainly having one of the best rookie seasons (statistically) ever. I think Bradford is the real deal, but the Saints have too much to play for. They are one game behind Atlanta and have to keep winning games if they want a shot at claiming the NFC South title for two weeks in a row. Saints by 7. WHO DAT!?

Seahawks at 49ers: 3:05 PM CST
This season could mark the first time that a team with a losing record makes it into the playoffs. The teams in the NFC West are pretty much awful. I think the Rams are the best, but the division overall is lackluster when compared with the rest of the league. Not to see here, I think Matt Hasselbeck has a decent game against a 49ers defense that doesn’t have anything to play for because they aren’t gonna catch Seattle or St. Louis. Seahawks by 3.

Patriots at Bears: 3:15 PM CST
After the absolute dismantling of the Jets last week in Monday Football Game, the Patriots have to roll into Chicago on a short work week. A lot of people talk about how these games typically wear on teams at this time of the year, but not the Patriots. I think Bill Belichick is the best NFL coach to have ever been in the game and I think he has this team playing a level that few can rise to in the NFL. I doubt the legitimacy of the Bears overall, I think Jay Cutler is too flaky to come up big in this matchup. Patriots are going into Chicago and shutting down the Bears. Patriots by 4.

Dolphins at Jets: 3:15 CST
I loved Rex Ryan’s moving illustration he used this week in meeting with his players. He gathered his players around outside of the Jets’ complex and literally buried the a game ball from Monday night’s game. Although they got embarrassed by the Patriots, I still this is a good football team and I think they outgun the Miami Dolphins in a lot of areas. Also, warm weather team playing in a cold weather game? Ouch. Jets by 4.

Broncos at Cardinals: 3:15 PM CST
The Cardinals serve as a perfect example for the impact of one stellar player. Without Kurt Warner, the Cardinals are irrelevant. You need a Quarterback to succeed in the NFL. I don’t count the revolving door of players put in that position by Arizona as quarterbacks. Yeah, they take snaps, but they can’t freaking throw the football. Not to their own guys anyway. Also, by the current rule of the season, a team will win their game when it’s immediately following the firing of their head coach. See the Dallas Cowboys (Wade Phillips) and Minnesota Vikings (Brad Childress) for evidence on this theory. Broncos win by 3.

Chiefs at Chargers: 3:15 PM CST
This game’s been mentioned a few times this week for several reasons: it has big playoff implications for both teams, since Kansas City can clinch the AFC West with a win here and the Chargers need a win to keep their playoff hopes alive. It’s also been mentioned because the Matt Cassel being out with a surgical procedure. Without Cassel, I don’t think KC stands a chance. Chargers by 4.

Eagles at Cowboys: 7:20 PM CST – Sunday Night Football on NBC
Last year, the Cowboys beat the Eagles three times in a single season. Twice in the regular season and again in the wild-card round of the playoffs. Philadelphia is out for blood. They got shellacked in those last two games and want some serious payback. I like Jason Garrett and I like what they have going on in Dallas right now, but I don’t seem them extending that streak to 4. Eagles by 3.

Giants at Vikings: Monday Night: 7PM CST
The funny thing about this game is that it was originally scheduled for Sunday, but some travel delay occurred for New York and they has to postpone the game. The Giants are doing well this year and are currently staying in the thick of the NFC playoff race. Brett Favre’s streak has been threatened, but I don’t seem sitting. He might only make a couple of throws at the start of the game, but he’ll be in the game. Expect Tavaris Jackson to take a lot of the work though. I don’t see Brett making it through the full 60 minutes. Without Favre in prime shape, New York will win by 3.

Ravens at Texans: 7:30 PN CST – Monday Night Football on ESPN
Most people aren’t talking about this matchup, primarily because the Texans are once again turning this season into one of disappointment. Hopes were high this after their victory against the Colts to start the season but after completely collapsing on defense, this team is once again probably going to end up on the outside looking in when it comes time for playoffs. The Jags and Colts are currently competing for the AFC South title, and with so many AFC teams in contention (Primarily, Chargers, Chiefs, Patriots, Jets, Ravens, Steelers, Jags, Colts), the Texans are too far outside of it to be in the conversation. Despite this, I think they play the Ravens close, but that staunch defense holds. Ravens by 3.

Looking forward to catching this week’s slate of games and I’ll try to have some thoughts about the games when the dust settles.

Summary:
Browns at Bills: Cleveland Browns by 3
Packers at Lions: Green Bay Packers by 4
Bengals at Steelers: Pittsburgh Steelers by 10
Buccaneers at Redskins: Tampa Bay Bucs by 10
Falcons at Panthers: Atlanta Falcons by a ton
Raiders at Jaguars: Jacksonville Jaguars by 3
Rams at Saints: New Orleans Saints by 7
Seahawks at 49ers: Seattle Seahawks by 3
Patriots at Bears: New England Patriots by 4
Dolphins at Jets: New York Jets by 4
Broncos at Cardinals: Denver Broncos by 3
Chiefs at Chargers: San Diego Chargers by 4
Eagles at Cowboys: Philadelphia Eagles by 3
Giants at Vikings: New York Giants by 3
Ravens at Texans: Baltimore Ravens by 3

Last week: N/A
This week: TBD

Because of the mainstream media picking up the story, there’s of course been wild speculation on what’s truth, what’s just rumors, and what’s been blown way out of proportion.

I’m not going to get into the details of the situation too much. You can find plenty of good information on this subject on the internet (informative sites include Daring Fireball and Engadget). Essentially, some users encounter issues with cell quality in already low-quality areas when they bridge the gap on the lower left antenna with their hand (now nicknamed the “death grip”.) The issue is usually resolved by a) moving into an area with better coverage, b) holding the phone a different way, or c) using a case to put a gap in between the antenna (part of the structure of the phone) and your hand.

Apple’s argues that every other smartphone has this issue. This is fact. You can effect signal on most phones by holding it in a similar manner. I can and have done it with my iPhone 3GS. I have a problem with this argument though.

Marketing is a huge part of Apple’s strategy, and it works really hard to get it right. Since the introduction of the original iPhone, Apple has bragged that their phone is different from every smartphone on the market. Notice however, that Apple quickly takes the opposite viewpoint when faced with this antenna issue. “Every other smartphone has this issue” they say.

But according to your marketing language, this phone is different from every other phone, so why is it plagued with the same problems?

Anyone who knows me knows that I drank the kool-aid. I’m a huge Apple fan. However, I’m somewhat put off by this whole ordeal, and Apple’s insistence on calling it a non-issue. If it’s a non-issue, why do you offer free bumper cases to correct the problem?

I don’t buy all of the BS about wanting to please all their customers. I love Apple and their products, just want to see it a little bit of honesty and transparency when it comes to stuff like this.

Game developers have long resisted porting their products for Mac, and for good reasons. Until recently, Apple products used special hardware that was different from most PCs and made porting games complicated due to the highly differing hardware configurations between the platforms. This is no longer the case, as Apple’s Mac products are running the same software as their distant PC cousins, making it easier for developers to make the switch.

Another problem plaguing developers has been one of exposure. How do you get the word out to Mac users about games? If you walk into any electronics retailer or any retailer in general that sells games, you can find large, easily distinguishable sections in the store that are dedicated to PC games. Unfortunately, there are very few retailers that carry Mac games (since very few retailers carry Macs in general), and this presents a problem of exposure. Even when there are Mac games available, the selection is usually limited to a few well-known titles.

The Steam platform solves this is a simple way: it allows users to download their titles. Its been a proven platform in the last several years on the PC and as this platform moves to the Mac I think it will be successful there. Apple users are already quite accustomed to getting most of their software via downloads, as a majority of Mac software is distributed in this manner already.

Through the well-known and already established Steam platform, developers now have a window through which can be visible to Mac users. They can promote their products through Steam, get their word out to gamers, and increase their bottom line (and make up for development costs associated with porting).

I just hope that developers take the risk and make the plunge.

He pretty much hits the nail on the head, in true Steve Jobs fashion.

Adobe’s platform is closed and proprietary, insecure, unstable, and simply is not the best solution for touch-based computing as Apple is trying to define it.

While Apple does use plenty of proprietary software and tools, the big difference is Apple’s contributions to open-source computing. Apple incorporates a lot of open elements into it’s own products.

Also, allowing developers to develop in Flash brings their products away from the iPhone. From a business standpoint, this makes a lot of sense. Apple wants developers to code for the iPhone using it’s own tools because that is the best way to make quality applications for the platform, and that will bring the best apps and developers to the iPhone OS platform.

From the letter, on Adobe’s approach to iPhone development with Flash:

“We know from painful experience that letting a third party layer of software come between the platform and the developer ultimately results in sub-standard apps and hinders the enhancement and progress of the platform. If developers grow dependent on third party development libraries and tools, they can only take advantage of platform enhancements if and when the third party chooses to adopt the new features. We cannot be at the mercy of a third party deciding if and when they will make our enhancements available to our developers.

This becomes even worse if the third party is supplying a cross platform development tool. The third party may not adopt enhancements from one platform unless they are available on all of their supported platforms. Hence developers only have access to the lowest common denominator set of features. Again, we cannot accept an outcome where developers are blocked from using our innovations and enhancements because they are not available on our competitor’s platforms.”

You’re only as good as your weakest link. Apple is removing the weakest link. Goodbye Adobe.

AppleCare is probably the most misunderstood product/service that Apple offers. Because of the stigma associated with most extended warranty-type programs offered by retailers, it is often ignored by customers without a closer examination to the benefits.

I used to work for an Apple Authorized Service Provider/Specialist and of course one of the biggest pressures we received from management (and Apple) was to sell AppleCare to people. Like every other retailer, this company carefully tracks “attachment rate”, or the percentage of applicable unit sales that have AppleCare attached to them.

I no longer work for the company, and it is of no personal benefit to me (I say this in disclosure), but I would highly recommend that you consider getting AppleCare for your future Apple products (and current, if they are eligible).

I say this for more then just the practical reasons. Yes, the out-of-warranty repair costs for most repairs on Apple products are outrageous, but my reasoning is founded on more then just that.

Part of the reason why Apple has such a loyal customer base is because it has systems in place that are very beneficial to the customer. It’s warranty repair system would fall under this category.

When you have an Mac (I’ll use a Mac as an example for this because the iPhone/iPod programs are a little different) that is under warranty that encounters failures, you have three options (four under some circumstances):

1. Take the computer to an Apple Store. This seems like a no-brainer. The folks at the Genius Bar can take a look at your machine and look into having repaired.
2. Take the computer to an Apple Authorized Service Provider (AASP). This is usually one of the quickest solutions to getting your computer fixed. I’ll explain later.
3. Ship your computer to Apple. This solution is for people who don’t have an Apple Store or AASP within a decent distance
4. If your computer qualifies, have Apple send a technician to fix it onsite. This solution is only available for certain machines (iMacs, Mac Pros, and Xserves)

Have you ever bought a computer from Best Buy and had to go and bring it in the get looked at by the Geek Squad? Yeah. I know.

The process sucks. You have three solutions when trying get warranty service from Best Buy:

1. Take the computer to the Geek Squad to get it looked at. This is annoying. Since you can’t schedule an appointment with the Geek Squad, you usually end up waiting in line for awhile before you get any kind service. On top of that, there’s a good chance that Best Buy will either tell you to use option 3 on this list or use option 3 themselves
2. Have Geek Squad come to your house and look at the computer. This can get expensive because Best Buy usually charges for this service regardless of your warranty.
3. Contact the manufacturer. Easily the most frustrating of three (unless you purchased a Mac!).

Biggest difference between Apple and the Geek Squad is this: training and specialization. Apple’s “Geniuses” fly out to Cupertino for service training before they are put on the Genius Bar. Apple Certified Macintosh Technicians (ACMTs) go through a rigorous testing process before they are certified to service Mac computers for AASPs. Geek Squad offers no real training for it’s technicians and a majority of the work on your computer is performed off-site, so you end up having to wait for several weeks before getting your computer back.

While Apple Stores do ship their computers to a service center for hardware repairs, AASPs typically employ technicians on-site who diagnose and repair your machine in-house, having the parts shipped to them and usually generating a turnaround time of about 3-5 days for most repairs, rather than 2 weeks that is typical for most repairs that are shipped out.

You can also ship your computer to Apple. Apple sends you a pre-paid shipping box and you ship the computer back to them. They diagnose and repair your computer and send it back to you. Turnaround time is usually 1-2 weeks. Just this alone is more convenient then dealing with Best Buy’s Geek Squad.

And in-case you didn’t know, AppleCare also entitles you to 3 years of free phone support with Apple. Apple can answer various questions about OS X, iLife, iWork, networking within OS X, and help troubleshoot issues, all for free. This costs about $50 per incident once you are outside of the initial 90-day support window that Apple provides.

The point of this post was to clear some common misconceptions about AppleCare and about its usefulness. Apple’s service program easily distinguishes itself from the rest and doesn’t warrant the resentment many customers have towards it because of practices that are standard in the electronics retail industry. As always, Apple is a cut above the rest. Faithful Mac customers know this, and should expect the same from their service and support of their products.

For a Mac, getting AppleCare grants you amazing service for three years (two years for iPods, iPhones, and iPads). Crazy deal if you ask me, especially considering that AppleCare for a MacBook Pro is a small fraction of the cost of a major repair.

Think about it.

I’ve been combing through all of the big rumors this evening and this is what I want to see the most:

1. Multi-tasking: This one’s a no-brainer. Apple is running out of excuses NOT to have this in the iPhone. Jail-breakers do it and it doesn’t kill their battery life that much (and if it does, so what? I want mutli-tasking!)
2. Orientation Locking: The iPad already has this feature, though it’s through a switch. Seems like it would be easy just to add a setting in the software that disabled it. I use my iPhone a lot when I’m laying in bed and would love to be able to prevent it from flipping around automatically.
3. Unified Inbox: This one was pretty much confirmed from “the man” Steve Jobs himself. I want to be able to view all of my inboxes at once I want to, like I already do on my Mac.
4. AT&T Tethering: I know that it’s very unlikely but this would be nice. Come on you guys, you promised this to us LAST YEAR!
5. UI Refresh: The iPhone UI has remained largely unchanged since it debuted in 2007 with the original iPhone. Some updates to bring it up to speed with current trend would be nice. Especially…
6. Customizable Home Screen: Yes we have this already with the iPad. Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to change the background on our home screens?

Find out what Apple is up to with OS 4 by following the live blogs like gdgt.

I’ve seen some pretty scathing editorials from websites such as Gizmodo, and Engadget, these websites all have a difficult time of determining a use for the iPad.

I disagree with about 60% of the tech pundits when I say this. I think the iPad is awesome. I think the tech pundits need to stop gabbing about its lack of multi-tasking/flash support and look at one thing:

Who really cares about multi-tasking and flash support? I mean really? The iPhone and iPod Touch has become prolific, and you don’t hear the average joe complaining about the lack of multi-tasking and flash support. The average user really doesn’t care. Flash support is something that is going to become moot over the next couple of years with the advancements in HTML5, and I imagine that eventually Apple is going to open the doors to multi-tasking, so in the end, it really doesn’t matter.

Everyone and their mom is going to want one of these. They want to be able to browse the internet from their couch without worrying about the complications that are involved with dealing with a full fledged computer. It’s less of a hassle to use an iPhone OS-equipped device to browse the internet. Just touch and go. No worrying about settings or configurations, or which browser to use. It’s simple.

One writer for Gizmodo put it in a good way: “The iPad is the Gadget We Never Knew We Needed.”

I think this thing is going to take off. And for all the people laughing at Apple for coming up with something like the iPad,  I think Apple is going to get the last laugh.

All the way to the bank.