Final Cut Pro group meet provides clues to Apple's MWSF plans
When a collection of Final Cut Pro user groups assemble to hold a meeting at Macworld San Francisco later this month, Apple will have a surprise presentation for its guests, AppleInsider has learned.
The January 16th gathering, which follows a day after Apple chief Steve Jobs' Macworld keynote, will feature "something super secret" from the Mac maker, according to the announcement.
Despite the nature of the group, the Apple unveiling is unlikely to include an update to the Final Cut Studio video production suite, which was updated in April and has rarely been updated during the San Francisco show in the past.
Historically, Apple has at times used professional audiovisual industry gatherings to discuss its high-end computers, including the MacBook Pro, Mac Pro, and Xserve.
Radiohead makes its iTunes debut
Scoring a minor coup in its fight against Amazon, Apple today announced that the iTunes Store now carries
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Lenovo launches three IdeaPad laptops
One of three new entertainment laptops, the IdeaPad U110 features a textured red lid.(Credit: Lenovo)
Getting a jump on the product-launch blitz that is CES 2008, Lenovo has announced a whole new brand of consumer-oriented laptops and desktops. Called IdeaPad and IdeaCentre, the lines are intended to complement the company's flagship business-oriented ThinkPad and ThinkCentre lines. While today's announcement does not include any specifics on desktop models, we learned plenty about the new IdeaPad laptops.
The first full line of entertainment-oriented Lenovo laptops to hit the United States (we saw one consumer model, the Lenovo 3000 Y410, sneak into the States last fall), IdeaPads include such welcome design touches as textured lid finishes and a sleek "frameless" screen that's ergonomically situated a bit farther away from the keyboard than most laptops. Also key to the IdeaPad look are touch-sensitive media controls above the keyboard and a bright orange button, called the Shuttle Key, which can be used on its own to control volume or in combination with the touch controls for additional functionality (somewhat like a Fn key). There's Front Row-like media software, called Shuttle Center, and Dolby Home Theater sound. Every IdeaPad is also outfitted with a built-in 1.3-megapixel Webcam, VeriFace software for biometric security via face recognition, and a ThinkVantage-like Novo key that provides quick system recovery should you ever encounter a data-destroying virus.
Tonight's announcement includes the first three laptop models in the IdeaPad line: the 17-inch Y710, the 15.4-inch Y510, and the 11.1-inch U110. Individual specs and details after the break.
A unique hinge on the Y710 makes for better ergonomics.(Credit: Lenovo)
First up, the IDEAPAD Y710, which Lenovo describes as "the 17-inch notebook for entertainment-focused users." Key specs include a 17-inch wide-screen display with a 1,440x900 native resolution, a 256MB ATI Mobility Radeon HD2600 graphics card, and Dolby Home Theater sound with a built-in subwoofer. The laptop can be outfitted with a Blu-ray drive (handy when paired with the laptop's HDMI output) as well as up to 500GB of hard drive space for your collection of media files. If those features don't provide enough entertainment, there's always the glowing Lenovo logo on the lid and lighting along the side bezels.
Early photos of the IdeaPad Y710 also reveal a feature called the Lenovo Game Zone, located to the right of the full-size keyboard. In addition to oversize directional keys for game control, there's an overclocking switch to control CPU speed and a secondary display to show performance information. I'm told this feature won't initially be available on models in the United States, but it is expected to appear on our shores early in the second quarter.
The IdeaPad Y710 weighs 7.9 pounds and measures between 1 inch and 1.5 inches thick, making it a relatively portable desktop replacment. Pricing starts at $1,199--though features like the Blu-ray drive will likely raise the cost significantly--and the laptop will be available this month at Tiger Direct.
The IdeaPad Y510 is best suited for general computing(Credit: Lenovo)
The IDEAPAD Y510, meanwhile, is aimed more at generalists. Its 15.4-inch display features a fairly typical 1,280x800 native resolution and its 6.4-pound case is stocked with mid-range components: a handful of processor choices topping out at the 1.83GHz Core 2 Duo T5550, integrated Intel graphics, up to 4GB of 667MHz RAM, and up to 250GB of hard drive space. The Y510's standout features are its Dolby sound, including a subwoofer, and an LED battery life indicator on the keyboard deck. The laptop also features an attractive "light weave" texture on its gray lid. With a starting price of $799, it should stack up favorably against similar sub-$1,000 laptops we reviewed last fall. The Y510 is available this month at various retailers including Best Buy, Newegg, and Tiger Direct.
We love the 'tendril' texture on the IdeaPad U110.(Credit: Lenovo)
Last but not least (unless you're talking about weight) there's the IDEAPAD U110, a 2.3-pound ultraportable with an 11.1-inch screen. Judging from the floral design on its textured, red, aluminum-alloy lid, the U110 is aimed at women who want a lightweight machine for personal use. Being squarely in that demographic, I'm smitten by this laptop's looks. Adding to its appeal: thickness that ranges from 0.7 inch to 0.9 inch.
Like the Y710 and Y510, the U110 features a "frameless" display plus the Shuttle Key, touch-sensitive media controls, and Dolby Home Theater sound, though it (unsurprisingly) lacks a subwoofer. To that the U110 adds support for a solid-state drive, which should provide faster access to data and--important in an ultraportable--lengthy battery life. Some configurations will also include Lenovo's Active Protection System, which protects the hard drive in case the laptop is dropped.
The IdeaPad U110 isn't scheduled to ship until April, which is why the rest of the details are sketchy. However, the laptop will likely incorporate low-voltage Core 2 Duo processors on Intel's latest Centrino Duo platform, 667MHz RAM, and up to 160GB of hard drive space. The official starting price has yet to be set, but given the inclusion of a costly solid-state drive, the IdeaPad U110 will likely cost around $1,800.
A reverse engineer finds Kindle's hidden features
Amazons Kindle e-book reader.(Credit: Amazon.com)
A significant amount of skill with a soldering iron and some custom firmware has revealed a number of interesting features Amazon.com hid within its Kindle e-book reader.
Among the ones that hardware hacker Igor Skochinsky uncovered and described on his blog are a basic photo viewer, a minesweeper game, and most interesting, location technology that uses the Kindle's CDMA networking to pinpoint its position. There also are some basic location-based services that call up a Google Maps view to show where you are and nearby gas stations and restaurants. I confess I was as interested in the reverse-engineering process, documented in three blog postings (first, second, and third).
Skochinsky started by scrutinizing the Kindle source code Amazon publishes. (Some open-source licenses, including the General Public License (GPL) that governs Linux that the Kindle also uses, require source code to be published when a product ships that uses it.) From the source he inferred the Kindle employed console software, which displays text output.
Through methodically testing electrical pins on an external port he eventually found the text output from the Kindle boot process. That showed the machine was using das U-Boot software to handle booting, during which stored software is loaded into memory. U-Boot offers an interactive shell with a command-line interface, and Skochinsky used that to laboriously piece together the Kindle operating system kernel used during its firmware update recovery process. From that he deduced the file format of firmware updates.
Getting a real Linux command line took more work. By looking at the file system, Skochinsky found a root password of "Fiona"--but also found that password had been changed before shipping. Using the firmware update process, he was able to swap in a new shadow file, which stores a garbled byproduct of passwords called a hash, that enabled him to use the hash from the original root password.
On reboot, he was able to control the system and see what processes it runs, what file systems it mounts, and what files are stored in its directories.
He also found that the interface is written in Java. Using the Jad decompiler software, he uncovered the hidden features and a number of keyboard shortcuts.
Stereo Bluetooth headset cuts the cord for $57.99
(Credit: Plantronics)In the perfect utopia that exists only inside my head, all cell phones and MP3 players incorporate A2DP, also known as stereo Bluetooth. As a result, they're all compatible with stereo Bluetooth headsets like the Plantronics Voyager 855, which CNET rated 8/10, and which Newegg currently has on sale for $57.99, shipped. That's a pretty big savings over the $149.95 list price.
During business hours, the Voyager 855 functions as a fairly standard headset, albeit one with a cool sliding boom mic. When you want to get your groove on, you just connect the second earpiece and presto: stereo earbuds. Once you've experienced the ecstasy of walking around with your phone in your pocket and music piping wirelessly into your head, you'll never go back to corded headphones.
Just make sure your phone supports A2DP. Many models do, but for some reason it's not available on all handsets (cough Palm Centro cough). And it's pretty much AWOL on MP3 players, which mystifies me because (as I may have mentioned) wireless earbuds rawk.
Anyway, I've used the Voyager 855 myself, and while I like the noise-canceling nature of the earbuds, I agree with CNET's reviewer that sliding the boom mic does kill the fit. Still, music sounds great, and $57.99 is less than you'd pay for many non-stereo headsets. And now, back to my personal utopia, where my 60GB iPod touch supports A2DP. Ahhh.
Digital camera goggles let you shoot underwater, look like a pod racer
(Credit: Liquid Image) Underwater cameras are nothing new. Many cameras can accept waterproof casings for wet shooting, and the Olympus Stylus 790SW and Pentax Optio W30 can take a solid dunking without any armor. Still, until now I haven't seen an underwater camera you can strap to your face.
Liquid Image has revealed the Underwater Digital Camera Mask, a strange hybrid of bulky swim goggles and a waterproof point-and-shoot camera. It comes in 3- and 5-megapixel flavors, both offering 16 MB of onboard memory and 18-25 fps variable rate VGA video. It runs on two AAA batteries, and accepts microSD memory cards for additional space (and since 16 megabytes will only hold 30 or so photos, you'll need it).
The mask uses a silicone skirt and tempered glass lenses to help keep the water out of your eyes while you swim and shoot. Its displays and controls are extremely simple, consisting of a small LCD screen and two buttons. Of course, if you're enjoying a swim you might not want to fiddle with a lot of buttons, and the goggle-mounted shutter button lets you pretend to be Cyclops from the X-Men, which I think is a pretty significant bonus.
Liquid Image officially launches the Underwater Digital Camera Mask next week at CES in Las Vegas, though it won't start shipping until March. The 3-megapixel model will retail for about $80, while the 5-megapixel mask will go for $100.
Will Apple Rescue Intel's Silverthorne?
Sources familiar with Apple's plans for 2008 report that the company is eyeing a new mobile processor from Intel code-named Silverthorne for use in a new generation of handheld devices. That has broad implications for Apple's expanding role in consumer electronics, and holds out the prospect for the company to play the savior for a chip originally designed to power the second-generation of Microsoft's beleaguered UMPCs.
The market for tablet sized computing devices has repeatedly disappointed in the past. Enthusiasm for "pen computing" erupted in the early 90s led by Go's PenPoint OS (below, running on the short lived, early 90s AT the iPhone typically delivers 64 times as much Flash as other smartphones. When the cost of mobile service is included, the iPhone is even several hundred dollars less than simpler $99 smartphones such as the Motorola Q running Windows Mobile, as outlined in iPhone Price and Profits vs Nokia, LG, HTC, RIM, Palm.
On
The market for tablet sized computing devices has repeatedly disappointed in the past. Enthusiasm for "pen computing" erupted in the early 90s led by Go's PenPoint OS (below, running on the short lived, early 90s AT the iPhone typically delivers 64 times as much Flash as other smartphones. When the cost of mobile service is included, the iPhone is even several hundred dollars less than simpler $99 smartphones such as the Motorola Q running Windows Mobile, as outlined in iPhone Price and Profits vs Nokia, LG, HTC, RIM, Palm.
On
Air France to begin study of inflight cell phone use
Now arriving, phones on a plane(Credit: Philippe Noret/AirTeamimages)
Sorry I missed this one, but in the rush to close out before Christmas ,I overlooked that Air France finally is ready to start its six-month study of inflight cell phone service. As I told you last April, Air France is partnering with a company called OnAir to run the trial on one of its airplanes. The trial will gauge passenger reaction to inflight use, which Air France will then use to determine if the program should be extended to more of its fleet.
The chosen aircraft, an Airbus A318, is a short-range plane used only on intra-European flights, so you won't be seeing the service on any intercontinental journeys. And in any case, the FCC's continued ban on cell phones would nix any mile-high talking in U.S. airspace. Air France took possession of the jet in late spring of last year, but the airline needed several months to get the program off the ground (so to speak).
During the first three months of the study, passengers will be allowed only to send text messages and e-mails. But during the second three months (originally the study was scheduled to last a year), passengers will be allowed to make voice calls. According to Wi-Fi Net News, calls can only be made above 10,000 feet and depending on passenger feedback, cabin crew can disable the service at any time. As you may expect, the satellite calls will be $2.50 per minute. Also, passengers will not know they're flying on the test aircraft until after they board.
The history of the Atari 2600
Last month, some of Silicon Valley's biggest names showed up at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, Calif., for the 25th anniversary of the Commodore 64.
What no one I heard mentioned, despite the presence of Pong designer Al Alcorn, was that October marked the 30th anniversary of what may have been an even more influential video game machine, the Atari 2600.
Now, over at GameSpy, Marty Goldberg has spun for us the
The Atari 2600 turned 30 in October. Now, GameSpy is telling the story behind the groundbreaking video game console.(Credit: Wikipedia)
And when I say iconic, I do mean it. After all, who doesn't recognize the 2600's signature joystick, that particularly ugly black thing with the circle of orange around the middle and a bright orange button? See?
Goldberg's story begins in the summer of 1975 with the release of the Sears home version of Pong. From there, Goldberg weaves a tale of the history of the 2600 that begins with the search for the machine's microprocessor and goes on from there.
This is actually a three-part series, and parts two and three have yet to run.
But for anyone with a serious interest in the history of video games and video game technology, this is a must-read.
What no one I heard mentioned, despite the presence of Pong designer Al Alcorn, was that October marked the 30th anniversary of what may have been an even more influential video game machine, the Atari 2600.
Now, over at GameSpy, Marty Goldberg has spun for us the
The Atari 2600 turned 30 in October. Now, GameSpy is telling the story behind the groundbreaking video game console.(Credit: Wikipedia)
And when I say iconic, I do mean it. After all, who doesn't recognize the 2600's signature joystick, that particularly ugly black thing with the circle of orange around the middle and a bright orange button? See?
Goldberg's story begins in the summer of 1975 with the release of the Sears home version of Pong. From there, Goldberg weaves a tale of the history of the 2600 that begins with the search for the machine's microprocessor and goes on from there.
This is actually a three-part series, and parts two and three have yet to run.
But for anyone with a serious interest in the history of video games and video game technology, this is a must-read.
Jammie Thomas loses lawyer but avoids paying RIAA's legal fees
Jammie Thomas
UPDATE: Jammie Thomas is going to have to sell a lot more thongs.
Thomas, the woman ordered by a federal court in October to pay the recording industry $222,000 for pirating music, doesn't have enough money to fund an upcoming appeal and has been forced to look for a new lawyer, according to her current attorney, Brian Toder.
Thomas was the first person sued by the recording industry for copyright violations to argue a case before a jury and was found to have illegally shared 24 digital-music files.
Toder, who represented Thomas in the civil case, told CNET News.com on Wednesday that handling her appeal on a pro bono basis would be too expensive. Thomas has been selling merchandise, such as T-shirts, coffee mugs, and women's underwear, as well as accepting donations, to help raise money for her defense. But the fund-raising efforts have "actually raised very little," Toder said.
"I'm very confident she will find representation," Toder added. "There are many passionate organizations, such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), chomping on the bit to help her."
The other good news for Thomas is that the music labels have agreed to waive their lawyer fees, Toder said. After winning a judgment against Thomas, the record companies could have required her to pay their legal costs.
Toder said that because one of the plaintiffs, Virgin Records, was forced to dismiss its part of the case on the day of trial, Thomas was therefore entitled to attorneys fees from Virgin. Toder used that to negotiate with the rest of the plaintiffs and they agreed not to seek fees.
That Toder was not going to handle Thomas' appeal came as news to Fred von Lohmann, senior staff attorney for the EFF, which advocates for the rights of Internet users and has offered support to Thomas in the past. He said the group would most certainly try to help Thomas when the time came but that he couldn't guarantee anything.
"We've helped lots of people caught in the music industry's litigation campaign to find counsel," von Lohmann said. "But I can't say we've succeeded in every case. It's easier for me to find lawyers in San Francisco and New York than it is in Minnesota...If people think we're out there backstopping every lawsuit, they need to donate a lot more money."
Thomas' case, however, has several things going for it, von Lohmann said.
"There is a strong basis for an appeal based on the jury instruction," von Lohmann said. "There's been a lot of speculation that (Thomas) is guilty, but the thing to keep in mind on appeal is that it's not whether the jury got the facts right. It's about whether the right legal standards were applied. A lot of copyright attorneys think the jury instructions were erroneous."
Thomas won't be able to file her appeal until a federal district judge in Minnesota decides on a motion to reduce the jury award. The $222,000 award violates the Constitution, Toder said.
The blog TorrentFreak was first to report that Thomas is looking for a new attorney.
New Year's tech resolutions
The New Year's resolution might be way up there on the great list of journalism clich�s, but that's no reason not to go back to the well and see what our pals in the tech industry are pledging to do in 2008, at least as far as their gear and gadgets are concerned.
"Make spam a priority, and eliminate clutter." --Don Sears, eWeek.com
"Hack and/or overclock what I have more, so that I don't have to always race out to get the latest and greatest. And buy an iPhone if they ever finally add proper word processing." -- Darren Gladstone, Games for Windows magazine
"In an era of Blu-ray vs. HD DVD, Facebook vs. Twitter, blogs vs. magazines, less family time than hyperproductive hours, and more gadgets with more gee-whiz features than common sense, it's important to never lose sight of the medium's most important benefits and greatest applications." --Scott Steinberg, DigitalTrends.com
"Play the Wii more, so I don't feel guilty about all the dust it gathers." --Alex Brewer, HighWater Group
My New Year's tech resolution is somewhat less ambitious--I'm pledging to clean out my wire box.
Is the 'I can't hear the difference' myth killing the speaker business?
Do you really think they sound the same?(Credit: Steve Guttenberg)
Sophisticated baby boomers and Gen Xers pride themselves on their ability to appreciate the finer things in life. They're wine snobs, crave gourmet food, drive exotic cars, buy 1080p high definition TVs, but for some bizarre reason think low-end speakers are just dandy. At a New Year's Eve party I polled perfect strangers about their hi-fi systems, and the three men and one woman all said that, sure, music was once really important, but now it's mere background. And they now owned very small systems, because "I can't hear the difference anymore."
Hmmm, I sold audio from the early 1980s to the late 1990s and personally demonstrated hi-fi to thousands of people over the years. Folks in their 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, and more than a few seniors, and I was able to demonstrate a "difference" to well over 80% of them. Many walked in doubting their ears, convinced that "they all sound the same," but once I asked them to focus on the sound they easily discerned even fine subtleties. It's not so different than learning about wines or food. The details become more significant as you become engaged in the subject at hand.
Once I asked my customers, for example, to listen closely to the believability of Eric Clapton vocal, they started to notice differences. Over one speaker Eric seemed to emerge from a box, and over another speaker he all but materialized between the stereo speakers. There was a three dimensional quality to the voice, he was more human. You could hear the body attached to the voice. Once you know what to listen for, the differences aren't at all subtle.
The same listening awareness can be applied to the sound of instruments, do the drums sound like bees buzzing inside a small table radio or can you feel the sticks beating skins, do you catch the bass drum's thump in your chest? Does the rhythm make you want to get up and dance? These aren't small things, and can make a gigantic difference in the way you emotionally connect with the music. Like I said, most people, when presented with bona-fide, better sounding speakers definitely can hear the difference. Sure, whether they want to spend the extra cash, or live with larger speakers is something else. But if you really love music, try to search out a high-end audio store and listen to some of your favorite tunes.
But once you've settled for "good enough" sound, well, who's foolin' who. You're missing out on something good.
Transmit: An exhaustive review
Filed under: Software, Internet, Internet Tools
Blogger Shawn Blanc is at it again. After writing a thorough exploration of NetNewsWire, he's turned his attention to Transmit, Panic's popular FTP client. He starts with the origin of Panic and Transit 1.0 (there was no "M" back then) before looking at the Transmit we all know and love, comparing it to "...the huge dude in the gym that makes everyone else look like 7th graders."Favorites, Droplets and visual confirmation of what's going on (via the Dock icon) are just a few of the little things that make Transmit so pleasant to use. If you're searching for an FTP client, check out Shawn's review.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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HierarchicalDock 1.2 is ready to go
Filed under: Software
HierarchicalDock is one of the three applications we recently wrote about (along with Quay and OldFolder) that adds hierarchical menus to the Leopard dock. It works easily: Just drag any folder onto the HierarchicalDock icon and presto! It'll behave like a good, old-fashioned dock folder.This week, Eternal Storms Software released version 1.2 of HierarchicalDock. Changes include:
- Preview listed items with Quick Look
- The Finder's color labels are displayed
- You can now set global or per-folder preferences
There's more, of course, and you can read the full release notes here. HierarchicalDock requires Mac OS 10.5 or higher, is a Universal Binary and, best of all, free.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Resolve to organize: Together 2.0.4
Filed under: Software, Productivity
The all-purpose organization app, Together, has been updated to version 2.0.4. Formerly known as KIT (Keep It Together), the new name came with the 2.0 version and a Leopard-only status.
Together, by way of background information, offers functionality similar to Yojimbo with several major differences, including file system storage, hierarchical folders, and a wider range of supported filetypes. Together handles multiple libraries and deals well with large files and large file collections.
The development of Together is progressing nicely, and 2.0.4 fixes a few low-profile but crucial bugs. I'm especially pleased about the lowering of the sensitivity in the spring-loaded folders when dragging to the import drawer. I just tested the new build and am happy to report that the delay is indeed improved and the drawer is now highly usable. The new build also improves tag handling and fixes some tag-related bugs, among other fixes.
A forum was just opened today as well for user feedback and discussion.
Together can be purchased for $39 from Reinvented Software.
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Lenovo's Olympic USB drive is well short of a 10
(Credit: Engadget) In trying to milk its Olympics marketing campaign for all it's worth, Lenovo has proven that successful designs can't just be slapped on any product of any size or shape. And that's a shame because the "Cloud of Promise" theme was nothing short of stunning when unveiled for the Beijing Olympics torch, but it quickly loses its dramatic visual effect when applied elsewhere.
The distinctive swirls may have made an acceptable accent on Lenovo's limited-edition laptops, but its latest appearance--on a USB flash drive--is downright cheesy. In an unforgiving close-up image first seen on Engadget, it looks like a cheap stamp on a tin toy. But hey, this is the Olympics, and that means anything goes where souvenirs are concerned--and the first place they'll go is eBay, of course.
Green or not, this car is ugly in any color
(Credit: Gizmodo) When we first spied the "Mini Solar Racer" last summer, it seemed like a neat little toy that would make a nice novelty gift for our greener acquaintances. Little did we know that it could be a miniature prototype for an actual car.
That, at least, appeared to be the case with the equally unattractive Taiwanese solar-powered car that Gizmodo rightly likens to a golf cart. Even if it does make good on its claims of reaching 44 mph during three-hour jaunts between charges, something tells us that this design won't have droves of customers jamming showrooms. It makes the Prius look like a pimped Hummer.
Until they make one that doesn't look like it escaped from Disneyland's Autopia, we think an electric Escalade is a better compromise--and more than $10,000 less than the Taiwan model's $24,600 price tag.
Wizz away with plasma "enhancement"
(Credit: P2i) Imagine buying sneakers and cell phones waterproofed with the same stuff.
You may be able to do that soon with the development of something called Ion Mask, a cold plasma surface enhancement technology developed by the U.K.'s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory and the University of Durham now being marketed by spin-off Porton Plasma Innovations (P2i.)
When applied, the technology invisibly modifies the surface of products making them super oil and water repellant. How repellant? It's three times more effective than Teflon, according to P2i.
The treatment works by decreasing the surface energy of virtually any object with an ionized gas or "plasma" mere nanometers thick, according to P2i. In the case of cell phones, PDAs, and other electronics this invisible "enhancement" not only waterproofs the outside, but the insides as well; with no damage to precision components. Water bounces off treated surfaces "like beads of mercury" with no change to the look, feel, or performance, according to the company.
"Ion Mask is extremely effective against the problem of moisture ingress as it can be applied to the most intricate electronic objects without damaging the precious circuitry," said P2i's Ian Robins. "The process is particularly well suited to high value applications such as MP3 players, which are required to perform outdoors in all weather conditions, or other small, lightweight electronic items which may be inadvertently worn in the shower or while swimming."
The technology was originally developed by the British Ministry of Defence to protect soldiers from chemical and biological weapons. P2i and its investors at Circus Capital Technology expected it to revolutionize everything from water-repellent footwear to sportswear to medical disposables to the long awaited shower phone.
P2i has shown that it's not shy about licensing the technology. Check out Whizaway.com ; "The World's First Antibacterial and Hydrophobic Urine Director" designed for both disabled and active, outdoorsy women. Plasma enhancement insures that no "residual droplets of urine" are left on the device, so that it may be confidently stowed after use. Revolutionary indeed.
Answer all your Macworld questions with Macworld Bound
Filed under: Macworld
For an Apple blogger, I've a little admission to make: this year is going to be the first time I'll have made the 10,716 mile round-trip to Macworld Expo San Francisco. Whilst I've been to San Francisco before, I'm in the dark when it comes to the insider-knowledge required to survive the week-long Mac-athon (and of course, who's having the parties). If you too are heading to MWSF for the first time and wanting to read-up on what to expect, then you might want to check out Macworld Bound -- a site dedicated to everything you might possibly want to know about the Expo.As we mentioned briefly in our year-end talkcast on Sunday, TUAW will of course be bringing you full Macworld coverage from San Francisco. Stay tuned for more details!Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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TUAW Talkcast #21: Should Auld Acquaintance...
Filed under: TUAW Business, Podcasts
Our final TUAW talkcast of 2007 was a super-sized affair, with a big bunch of bloggers (including the overseas presence of Nik Fletcher and the introduction of Brett Terpstra) and predictions, favorites and top story of the year picks, crammed into an ample 1:15 of audio fun. Download the show directly or from Talkshoe, play it from the Flash player in the continuation of this post, if you like, or pick it up on iTunes. To give you some Dashboard goodness, Cory has whipped up a widget to allow you to play any of our shows -- try it out if you're in the mood.Don't forget to join us again this Sunday at our usual 10pm ET timeslot, and then the following Sunday we'll be shifting earlier (exact time TBD) for the kickoff of our Macworld Expo coverage.
Continue reading TUAW Talkcast #21: Should Auld Acquaintance...
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Mini-review of Mac OS X: The Missing Manual, Leopard Edition
Filed under: Productivity, Tips and tricks, Education, Odds and ends, Books and Blogs, Leopard, Books
If you're trying to figure out what to buy yourself with the gift card you got this holiday season, let me recommend David Pogue's Mac OS X: The Missing Manual, Leopard Edition. I was fortunate to get a copy of it for Christmas this year (thanks, sweetie!) and it's 866 pages of sweet, Leopard-y goodness. The book is divided into six sections that cover just about every conceivable thing you could ever want to know about the OS. It takes a look at how to maneuver around the desktop, how to use the native apps to their fullest potential, what to do with once your online with your Mac, and everything in between.
If you already know your way around OS X, this manual is a terrific reference tool for looking up obscure things you don't do very often, like tweaking onscreen colors to mimic a Windows PC monitor. At the other end of the spectrum, if you're a switcher there are roughly seven trazillion tips and tricks to help you learn how to get the most out of your new operating system.
Pogue's writing style is upbeat, easy to understand, and sometimes downright hilarious. The book is well laid-out and progresses fairly intuitively, although the editor seems to have gone a little crazy with the headings, sub-headings, and sub-sub-headings on many of the pages. Also, while I'm sure Pogue touches on all 300 of Leopard's new features, it's not always immediately clear which features he's describing are different from the previous version, Tiger.
Despite these minor shortcomings, I love this book and think it's a great addition to any Mac users bookshelf. This manual is one you don't want to miss.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Apple may offer external optical drive with new sub-notebook
Corroborating AppleInsider reports dating back to last February, MacRumors this week added that its own sources also believe the company's upcoming ultra-compact notebook design will lack a built-in optical drive.
Instead, Apple will reportedly offer customers a detachable external optical drive capable of both reading and writing CD and DVD media. Such a move would allow users to service and install updates on the new MacBook breed when needed, but otherwise present those users with the option to travel light while on the go.
The omission of a built-in optical drive, as has been reported, is part of the Cupertino-based firm's ongoing efforts to maximize its hardware real estate while simultaneously reducing the size of its notebook offerings. It also represents yet another parallel between the upcoming portable and Apple's much loved PowerBook 2400 sub-notebook design, which bundled an external floppy drive when it made its debut back in 1997.
It should be noted that the Mac maker's original design for the upcoming sub-notebook indeed called for the inclusion of an built-in optical drive through unconventional measures. However, the daunting ergonomics of the task reportedly forced engineers to make a concession early in the product's design process in which the idea was scrapped.
Other features of the upcoming Apple sub-notebook, due to make it's inaugural appearance during a keynote presentation by chief executive Steve Jobs at the Macworld Expo on January 15th, are on-board NAND flash memory, a 13.3-inch LED-backlit display, built in iSight, and a footprint that is nearly 50 percent thinner and lighter than the company's current MacBook Pro offerings.
The Apple PowerBook 2400 with its external floppy drive.
Meanwhile, it was also reported this week that the new sub-notebook may not be the only Apple notebook announcement to come out of the this year's Macworld trade show in San Francisco. While details are few and far between, it has been reported that Apple is also wrapping up development of a new breed of MacBook Pro notebooks that will employ Intel's upcoming 45 nanometer dual-core "Penryn" chips.
Last month, AppleInsider detailed its expectations for the impending updates in a series of configuration charts, which include models with 800MHz front-side buses, 6MB of Level 2 cache, and 2.6GHz and 2.8GHz processors at the upper echelon of the product mix.
In its report this week, MacRumors suggested that at least one the notebooks slated for an introduction at Macworld would include a trackpad with advanced mutli-touch capabilities akin to the iPhone. Apple in the course of the past year has filed for several related patents, including one for wide notebook touchpads with multi-touch capabilities and another for illuminated touchpads.
Much of the work being done on the company's multi-touch technology, which made its debut in June on the iPhone, is believed to draw from resources and engineers garnered through the quiet 2005 acquisition of Fingerworks.
Specializing in alternative input methods, Fingerworks' portfolio included technology for multi-touch hand gestures that could be used by notebook users for optimized cursor manipulation, application switching, web browsing, and more. Several animated tutorials depicting these techniques are still available from the old Fingerworks website and may provide hints at what to expect from Apple's next-generation trackpad and keyboard designs.
Instead, Apple will reportedly offer customers a detachable external optical drive capable of both reading and writing CD and DVD media. Such a move would allow users to service and install updates on the new MacBook breed when needed, but otherwise present those users with the option to travel light while on the go.
The omission of a built-in optical drive, as has been reported, is part of the Cupertino-based firm's ongoing efforts to maximize its hardware real estate while simultaneously reducing the size of its notebook offerings. It also represents yet another parallel between the upcoming portable and Apple's much loved PowerBook 2400 sub-notebook design, which bundled an external floppy drive when it made its debut back in 1997.
It should be noted that the Mac maker's original design for the upcoming sub-notebook indeed called for the inclusion of an built-in optical drive through unconventional measures. However, the daunting ergonomics of the task reportedly forced engineers to make a concession early in the product's design process in which the idea was scrapped.
Other features of the upcoming Apple sub-notebook, due to make it's inaugural appearance during a keynote presentation by chief executive Steve Jobs at the Macworld Expo on January 15th, are on-board NAND flash memory, a 13.3-inch LED-backlit display, built in iSight, and a footprint that is nearly 50 percent thinner and lighter than the company's current MacBook Pro offerings.
The Apple PowerBook 2400 with its external floppy drive.
Meanwhile, it was also reported this week that the new sub-notebook may not be the only Apple notebook announcement to come out of the this year's Macworld trade show in San Francisco. While details are few and far between, it has been reported that Apple is also wrapping up development of a new breed of MacBook Pro notebooks that will employ Intel's upcoming 45 nanometer dual-core "Penryn" chips.
Last month, AppleInsider detailed its expectations for the impending updates in a series of configuration charts, which include models with 800MHz front-side buses, 6MB of Level 2 cache, and 2.6GHz and 2.8GHz processors at the upper echelon of the product mix.
In its report this week, MacRumors suggested that at least one the notebooks slated for an introduction at Macworld would include a trackpad with advanced mutli-touch capabilities akin to the iPhone. Apple in the course of the past year has filed for several related patents, including one for wide notebook touchpads with multi-touch capabilities and another for illuminated touchpads.
Much of the work being done on the company's multi-touch technology, which made its debut in June on the iPhone, is believed to draw from resources and engineers garnered through the quiet 2005 acquisition of Fingerworks.
Specializing in alternative input methods, Fingerworks' portfolio included technology for multi-touch hand gestures that could be used by notebook users for optimized cursor manipulation, application switching, web browsing, and more. Several animated tutorials depicting these techniques are still available from the old Fingerworks website and may provide hints at what to expect from Apple's next-generation trackpad and keyboard designs.
Email jockeys, this one is for you (as long as you use Apple's Mail, that is). Adam Tow has updated 