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About Timothy R. Butler

Timothy R. Butler is Editor-in-Chief of Open for Business. Tim founded Universal Networks, a technology consulting firm, in 1996. He holds a B.A. (Hons.) in English Literature, Religious Studies and Philosophy from Lindenwood University. In the past, he has done freelance writing for a number of publications. Recently, he contributed to the the Snow Leopard Bible, published by John Wiley & Sons.

Articles by Timothy R. Butler

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Pre and Pixi Plus: Is WebOS Ready to Take Off?

By Timothy R. Butler | Mar 6, 2010 at 1:21:46

Ever since the Palm Pre was announced for a premier on Sprint last year, speculation has raged about when this contender for the smartphone crown would show up on the technologically compatible Verizon network. With the Palm Pre Plus and Pixi Plus, announced in January, a souped up arsenal of WebOS phones finally arrive on the Big Red Carrier. Was it worth the wait?

A Month In, How Are Those Resolution Going?

By Timothy R. Butler | Feb 1, 2010 at 15:44:50

It is February, believe it or not. Just a month ago was that time many of us would like to forget when we made hopeful resolutions about things we needed to accomplish this year. How are your resolutions working out? If you are thinking perhaps you could use some help with them or perhaps need a new resolution or two, a handful of mobile apps and a good smartphone might actually be your ticket to success.

The Missing Screen

By Timothy R. Butler | Jan 26, 2010 at 20:57:9

While the January 2007 unveiling of the iPhone was over a year prior to the App Store launch, the iPhone was already stunning at its initial unveiling despite its limitations. I suspect if a nearly empty app store had been unveiled at the same time, if anything, it would have merely been a negative distraction to the overwhelmingly positive points of the device. The lack gave time for the iPhone’s merits to build up a market for the store that in some ways felt like it should have been there from the beginning. The iPhone and, eventually, its app store, also helped create the market for the tablet, and, I’ll up the ante, the product after it.

The Hidden Danger of Peacemakers

By Timothy R. Butler | Jan 9, 2010 at 11:41:43

Here is a story. The leaders of a church have a personal agenda against someone and want to quiet him, exact revenge or what have you. They not only come at him within their church, they continue by following him outside of that church to any other church he seeks refuge at and any place he works, making a wreck of his life in the process. That is the sort of thing that only happened in the past, in dusty tales of witch-hunts in Salem or the Inquisition in Spain, right? Wrong: it is happening today, perhaps at a seemingly normal church near you.

Gifts of Christmas 2009: Eris is Not Just “Droid Lite”

By Timothy R. Butler | Dec 23, 2009 at 10:22:35

If you weren’t paying too close of attention last month, you might have missed the HTC Droid Eris in all the commotion over the Motorola Droid. Despite both being “Droids” and both landing at Verizon on the same November day, the Droid Eris comes from a different manufacturer, offers different features and comes at a lower price. Last minute Christmas shoppers take note: the Eris deserves your attention.

Gifts of Christmas 2009: HTC Pure on AT&T

By Timothy R. Butler | Dec 22, 2009 at 11:48:47

Windows Mobile in recent years has become the forgotten mobile OS. On AT&T’s network its phones inevitably sit behind the shadow cast by the iPhone. On other networks Windows Mobile faces a similar problem from phones like the Droid and Pre. Yet, HTC continues to quietly, but successfully create enticing phones based on the OS. The HTC Pure is one of those Windows Mobile devices.

Gifts of Christmas 2009: Macs and the Accessories to Go With

By Timothy R. Butler | Dec 20, 2009 at 0:25:8

So, you are thinking about giving a new computer for Christmas. Good choice – almost anyone will enjoy getting a nice, fresh, new computer free of the junk that accumulates over the years and with plenty of space and speed to spare. But, while you are at it, have you considered a Mac? (Keep reading for gift ideas for current Mac users too.)

Gifts of Christmas 2009: 3G Netbooks

By Timothy R. Butler | Dec 16, 2009 at 14:12:45

Netbooks are all the rage: they are lightweight, compact and relatively capable computers that generally weigh in at a few hundred dollars. Could one be the perfect Christmas gift for the technology loving person on your shopping list this holiday? Recently, we were able to spend some time with two of Verizon’s 3G enabled netbooks to see how they stacked up.

UPDATED: Black Friday Picks

By Timothy R. Butler | Nov 26, 2009 at 0:53:56

Trying to sort through the noise and find a few good deals online for Black Friday? Here are some of the most interesting deals that are available right now, including great deals on MacBooks and KitchenAid stand mixers. Updated at 5:30 p.m. (CST) on November 27

Imagio is Impressivio

By Timothy R. Butler | Nov 12, 2009 at 21:35:13

The Imagio is a phone that would be easy to overlook. After all, not only does it face the usual opponent, the iPhone that clearly influenced its design, it also faces the Motorola Droid, which is Verizon’s most newsworthy phone in years – and deservedly so. That the Imagio has been somewhat lost in the dizzying lead up to the Droid’s launch is too bad; the Imagio deserves some attention of its own.

The Danger of Peacemaker

By Timothy R. Butler

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Tap the Power of
Snow Leopard

Looking to get acquainted with Apple's latest operating system? Mac OS X Snow Leopard Bible, the definitive Mac OS X reference, features OFB's own Timothy R. Butler alongside Galen Gruman and Mark Hattersley.