Monday, June 22, 2009
Friday, June 19, 2009
Saturday, June 13, 2009
"Eight, Freak'n, Hours!!!
(via macrumors.com)
AnandTech takes a look at the new MacBook Pros released at WWDC last week and focuses on the new non-removable battery design. Apple first introduced the non-removable battery into the 17" Unibody MacBook Pro last fall with mixed reactions from the community. Apple's reasoning behind making the battery custom and non-removable has been the ability to incorporate a larger battery that will provide even longer battery life. They've also argued that most laptop owners do not carry spare batteries.Anandtech does a good job exploring the technology behind the design:
Apple did some clever work on its own here. Standard lithium ion batteries are made up of cylindrical cells, similar to AA batteries. The problem with these batteries is that they waste a lot of space within a notebook (try cramming a lot of cylinders into a box, you end up with wasted space). This wasted space translates into larger batteries than are necessary, which makes for larger notebooks.
They found the 15" MacBook Pro got an additional 46% of battery capacity with no additional weight. Improvements were dramatic in their benchmark testing:Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Is this what we're all waiting for?
The newest whispers are that Wintek has been independently confirmed as the supplier for an Apple "e-book form factor netbook product," which reads as a tablet-PC with a display somewhere in the 9-10 inches range. Meanwhile Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster has been at it again, offering a fairly detailed prediction about the device. According to Munster, the project's been delayed until early 2010, and it'll run a third version of OS X that's halfway between the iPhone and Apple's full operating system. He expects it to be in the $500 to $700 price range. Meanwhile, Micheal Arrington over at TechCrunch is taking time off from promoting his own pseudo-netbook to say that there's evidence Apple's diverted "significant" personnel from the iPhone and MacBook teams to work on the project, that the device is "very real" and will be "particularly useful for gaming." Would anyone out there buy one?
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Facebook Tips/Tricks You Might Not Know
How To Place Facebook Chat On Firefox Sidebar
If you are using Firefox, you can place the Facebook Chat at the sidebar.
Facebook Chat is cool, at least it allows you to send instant messages to online Facebook contacts. However I’m not really a fan of the chat bar being at the bottom of the page, what if I’ve left Facebookbut still wants to remain chatting with my Facebook contacts? If you are using Firefox, you can place the Facebook Chat at the sidebar.
Step 1
Look for Bookmarks on the top navigation. Select Organize Bookmarks…
Step 2
Click New Bookmark... tab and enter the following:
- Name: Facebook Chat
- Location: http://www.facebook.com/presence/popout.php
- Check Load this bookmark in sidebar.
Step 3
Launch the Firefox sidebar, click Facebook Chat and start chatting with your Facebook contacts within Firefox.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
iPhone "Field Test" mode
The iPhone's Field Test mode gives technical information on how well the iPhone is connecting to the cell towers.
To activate Field Test Mode: bring up the keypad, type in *3001#12345#* and press the Call button.
This brings up the Field Test main menu. (Note that you should see the signal strenth bars in the upper left corner of the screen replaced with a number indicating the strength of the signal in decibels.)
The signal strength is indicated as a negative number, and the lower the number the better. You can use this feature to determine where the best reception is at work and at home.
To activate Field Test Mode: bring up the keypad, type in *3001#12345#* and press the Call button.
This brings up the Field Test main menu. (Note that you should see the signal strenth bars in the upper left corner of the screen replaced with a number indicating the strength of the signal in decibels.)
The signal strength is indicated as a negative number, and the lower the number the better. You can use this feature to determine where the best reception is at work and at home.
Turn off 3G to improve phone performance and conserve battery power
Unless you are in an area with good reception, you'll probably get better cell performance and longer battery life with 3G turned off. To turn off 3G, tap on the Settings icon in the home screen, select General and the Network.
iPhone tip: Save Web Pictures
If you're browsing the Web with Safari on your iPhone and see an image you want to save, touch and hold down on the image with your finger. A menu will pop up allowing you to save the image to your photos folder.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Friday, March 6, 2009
Creating HD Video with iMovie '09
An increasing number of video-sharing sites are now beginning to support HD video. At the time of writing, both YouTube and Vimeo support 720p video.
On the Mac, the premiere consumer video-editing software is Apple’s iMovie, and it, too, supports HD video. Sort of.
Getting HD video into iMovie is easy enough. Getting it out again, still in HD, is surprisingly tricky. By default, the maximum export resolution is 960×540 - which is higher than Standard Definition, but not quite enough to count as true “HD”, which starts at 1280×720, otherwise known as 720p. Read More...
On the Mac, the premiere consumer video-editing software is Apple’s iMovie, and it, too, supports HD video. Sort of.
Getting HD video into iMovie is easy enough. Getting it out again, still in HD, is surprisingly tricky. By default, the maximum export resolution is 960×540 - which is higher than Standard Definition, but not quite enough to count as true “HD”, which starts at 1280×720, otherwise known as 720p. Read More...
Apple Issues AirPort Admin Utility and Client Software Updates
Apple released several software updates related to its AirPort networking products. The updates are presumably related to release of new AirPort Extreme and Time Capsule products bringing several new features.
AirPort Client Update 2009-001 is targeted at for all Intel-based computers running OS X 10.5.6 and is said to address "issues with roaming and network selection in dual-band environments." The update weighs in at 2 MB.
AirPort Utility 5.4.1 (17.4 MB) and AirPort Utility 5.4.1 Windows (10.92 MB) provide updated setup and management tools for the AirPort Express Base Station, AirPort Extreme Base Station and Time Capsule. No specific details on changes present in the updates are given, although they presumably incorporate new features allowing users to administer the updated AirPort Extreme Base Station and Time Capsule models introduced today.
AirPort Client Update 2009-001 is targeted at for all Intel-based computers running OS X 10.5.6 and is said to address "issues with roaming and network selection in dual-band environments." The update weighs in at 2 MB.
AirPort Utility 5.4.1 (17.4 MB) and AirPort Utility 5.4.1 Windows (10.92 MB) provide updated setup and management tools for the AirPort Express Base Station, AirPort Extreme Base Station and Time Capsule. No specific details on changes present in the updates are given, although they presumably incorporate new features allowing users to administer the updated AirPort Extreme Base Station and Time Capsule models introduced today.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
What's up with Microsoft whining about Apple?
Some of you may have read this week that Microsoft has launched a campaign slamming Apple for "the apple tax". Basically it's the old argument that a Mac costs more than an equivalent PC...
What are they afraid of? Is it the fact that most people would rather have an iPhone than a windows mobile phone? Or the fact that almost anyone would rather have an iPod touch than a Zune?
Hmmm...
Do PC's come with a virus tax? A support tax? An OS upgrade tax–I mean your PC comes with vista but if you want more of the features that are available on every copy of OS X you have to upgrade to Vista ultimate or is it vista business or vista business ultimate or vista premium service pack 1?
Any PC notebooks out there carved from a single piece of aluminum? The fit, finish, build quality, OS and service/support of Macs are far superior than these so called equivalents and consumers are flocking to them in droves. And yes, if you have to or want to run windows Macs do that better than most PC's. Anyone else remember that PC World article that revealed the fastest windows vista notebook was a mac?
I mean would you rather have this 17" Toshiba for $4,199 or this 17" Mac starting at $2,799?
But hey, don't take my word for it: Here is Bill Gates take on the Mac.
What are they afraid of? Is it the fact that most people would rather have an iPhone than a windows mobile phone? Or the fact that almost anyone would rather have an iPod touch than a Zune?
Hmmm...
Do PC's come with a virus tax? A support tax? An OS upgrade tax–I mean your PC comes with vista but if you want more of the features that are available on every copy of OS X you have to upgrade to Vista ultimate or is it vista business or vista business ultimate or vista premium service pack 1?
Any PC notebooks out there carved from a single piece of aluminum? The fit, finish, build quality, OS and service/support of Macs are far superior than these so called equivalents and consumers are flocking to them in droves. And yes, if you have to or want to run windows Macs do that better than most PC's. Anyone else remember that PC World article that revealed the fastest windows vista notebook was a mac?
I mean would you rather have this 17" Toshiba for $4,199 or this 17" Mac starting at $2,799?
But hey, don't take my word for it: Here is Bill Gates take on the Mac.
Performance Related Announcements at Macworld
Performance Related Hardware Announced by Apple
- Unibody 17" MacBook Pro with up to 2.93GHz clock speed and up to 8 GB of RAM. It also supports up to 8 hours battery life. CTO options include a 256GB SSD and matte display finish.
Third Party Performance Related Hardware
- Other World Computing is showing the HighPoint RocketRAID 4322 in booth 2218. It supports up to 8 external drives on the Mac Pro at over 1000MB/s. Check out OWC's 936 Rack Solutions, too.
- Wiebetech has announced a Photo Contest to win a free RTX400 4-bay quad-interface SATA enclosure.
Third Party Performance Related Software
- Roxio has launched Toast 10 Titanium Pro whose new features include support for backup of original video from AVCHD camcorders direct to DVD or BD media in one easy step and addition of over 20 new DVD and Blu-ray Disc menu styles.
- FileMaker 10 has a dramatically improved user interface.
- Parallels Desktop for Mac 4.0 build 3810 adds DirectX 9.0 with Shaders Model 2 support and SSE4 support.
Summary Thoughts on MacWorld Expo
Nice to see the 17" MacBook Pro update. I hope Apple follows in a few weeks with an announcement of a "Nehalem" Mac Pro and "nVidia" iMac.
If you want to see the keynote, Apple has posted the QuickTime Replay of it.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Macworld Rumors Round-up
Macworld 2009 is the last one for Apple. Will El Schillerino come up with a hubblelicious supernova of hardware and software? Will it be a farty puff? Here are all the rumors, sorted by probability.
While Apple has downplayed its importance, maybe the Macworld 2009 keynote with Phil Schiller will be a special part of Steve Jobs' exit strategy: Perhaps there will be a last explosion of announcements to show that the company can still hit the ball out of the stadium without El Jobso doing the show-n-tell.
In any case, here are all the rumors that have been circulating the web lately. Like always, remember our first rule of rumors: Never believe in them.
Sure shot
iLife '09 and iWork '09: It's a new year and time to get new versions of the most popular software suites for the Mac. Will they migrate to the cloud with tighter integration with MobileMe? Scary thought.
Likely
Mac mini: Apple stopped Mac mini shipments to some retailers back in October. The current rumor is that the new incarnation of the Mac mini will look like the product of a night of steamy dripping sex between an iMac and a Time Capsule. For some reason, this idea turns me on.
MacBook Pro 17: Another strong rumor this weekend has been the possibility of a new MacBook Pro 17-inch model. The new flagship (literally flagship, as you can probably sail the Atlantic on top of one) will have the same looks of the latest MacBooks and MacBook Pros, and perhaps a new battery technology that will push its autonomy to 50%.
Cinema Displays: Long overdue, the redesign of the 30-inch Apple Cinema Display, with new looks and LED backlighting, seems like a strong possibility. This has been rumored for quite a while, but after the announcement of the latest 24-inch LCD, this Macworld 2009 may be a good venue to announce a relatively low-key product like a display. Or maybe they will save this one for the new Mac Pros (which are long due for a redesign).
Hmmmmaybe
iMac Early 2009: A site called PC Perspective claims that Apple will launch new revisions of the iMac, including a crazy 28-inch model that could be a great home computer/TV (and a great work computer for megalomaniacs like me).
Both Apple Insider and Ars Technica echo this rumor, pointing out that the supersizeme iMac will use Intel's X58 chipset and an Intel Core i7 CPU with four cores and HyperThreading, which emulates the behavior of an eight-core system. On the graphics, they say to expect a dedicated Nvidia card, all tied together with a new cooling system technology. I wonder if it will have a new simplified look—like the one above—without the chin (thanks for the illustration, Sebastian).
My only "but" about this is the fact that Apple may want to save this one for an special event. After all, this approaches TV territory and may require its own sales pitch, not just a space in the keynote.
What?
Home server: Another rumor is a home server, a grown-up Time Capsule that will centralize all your media and available through the Web via MobileMe. Sure, because the media companies, like Disney—Steve's other darling—will love that.
Snow Leopard: Given the fact that this new release is still a long time away, I don't think this will happen at all. The features we already know—which are quite esoteric for most consumers—were announced at WWDC. And, whatever other secret features Snow Leopard has under the hood, they won't be announced so much in advance. Specially with Windows 7 coming soon and with MS apparently back in the OS race. Wait for a Snow Leopard update later in the year.
Hahahaha. Ha
iPod Touch Pro: Some analysts are hot about a potential Apple netbook at Macworld. Jobs said they didn't want to do it because it would be crap. I agree. But he didn't exclude the possibility of expanding the iPhone/iPod touch family to fill that space, which Apple obviously sees as a computing platform with the same validity and scope of the Mac itself.
That's why I think an iPhone OS-based tablet could be a possibility. But certainly, whatever product it is, it will require its own special announcement, not a segment at the last Macworld.
Or maybe Schiller will pull it out of a magic hat just to tell the world that nobody f*cks with The Schiller.
iPhone nano: Seriously, TFSU.
Our secret hopes
New version of the iPhone OS: Some people are saying new colors, others are saying new capacity. I'm saying: For the love of all that is good and sacred, add the bloody Copy and Paste. That's my hope. Schiller talking about how good the iPhone has been doing and then saying that the next OS will add copy and paste at last.
While Apple has downplayed its importance, maybe the Macworld 2009 keynote with Phil Schiller will be a special part of Steve Jobs' exit strategy: Perhaps there will be a last explosion of announcements to show that the company can still hit the ball out of the stadium without El Jobso doing the show-n-tell.
In any case, here are all the rumors that have been circulating the web lately. Like always, remember our first rule of rumors: Never believe in them.
Sure shot
iLife '09 and iWork '09: It's a new year and time to get new versions of the most popular software suites for the Mac. Will they migrate to the cloud with tighter integration with MobileMe? Scary thought.
Likely
Mac mini: Apple stopped Mac mini shipments to some retailers back in October. The current rumor is that the new incarnation of the Mac mini will look like the product of a night of steamy dripping sex between an iMac and a Time Capsule. For some reason, this idea turns me on.
MacBook Pro 17: Another strong rumor this weekend has been the possibility of a new MacBook Pro 17-inch model. The new flagship (literally flagship, as you can probably sail the Atlantic on top of one) will have the same looks of the latest MacBooks and MacBook Pros, and perhaps a new battery technology that will push its autonomy to 50%.
Cinema Displays: Long overdue, the redesign of the 30-inch Apple Cinema Display, with new looks and LED backlighting, seems like a strong possibility. This has been rumored for quite a while, but after the announcement of the latest 24-inch LCD, this Macworld 2009 may be a good venue to announce a relatively low-key product like a display. Or maybe they will save this one for the new Mac Pros (which are long due for a redesign).
Hmmmmaybe
iMac Early 2009: A site called PC Perspective claims that Apple will launch new revisions of the iMac, including a crazy 28-inch model that could be a great home computer/TV (and a great work computer for megalomaniacs like me).
Both Apple Insider and Ars Technica echo this rumor, pointing out that the supersizeme iMac will use Intel's X58 chipset and an Intel Core i7 CPU with four cores and HyperThreading, which emulates the behavior of an eight-core system. On the graphics, they say to expect a dedicated Nvidia card, all tied together with a new cooling system technology. I wonder if it will have a new simplified look—like the one above—without the chin (thanks for the illustration, Sebastian).
My only "but" about this is the fact that Apple may want to save this one for an special event. After all, this approaches TV territory and may require its own sales pitch, not just a space in the keynote.
What?
Home server: Another rumor is a home server, a grown-up Time Capsule that will centralize all your media and available through the Web via MobileMe. Sure, because the media companies, like Disney—Steve's other darling—will love that.
Snow Leopard: Given the fact that this new release is still a long time away, I don't think this will happen at all. The features we already know—which are quite esoteric for most consumers—were announced at WWDC. And, whatever other secret features Snow Leopard has under the hood, they won't be announced so much in advance. Specially with Windows 7 coming soon and with MS apparently back in the OS race. Wait for a Snow Leopard update later in the year.
Hahahaha. Ha
iPod Touch Pro: Some analysts are hot about a potential Apple netbook at Macworld. Jobs said they didn't want to do it because it would be crap. I agree. But he didn't exclude the possibility of expanding the iPhone/iPod touch family to fill that space, which Apple obviously sees as a computing platform with the same validity and scope of the Mac itself.
That's why I think an iPhone OS-based tablet could be a possibility. But certainly, whatever product it is, it will require its own special announcement, not a segment at the last Macworld.
Or maybe Schiller will pull it out of a magic hat just to tell the world that nobody f*cks with The Schiller.
iPhone nano: Seriously, TFSU.
Our secret hopes
New version of the iPhone OS: Some people are saying new colors, others are saying new capacity. I'm saying: For the love of all that is good and sacred, add the bloody Copy and Paste. That's my hope. Schiller talking about how good the iPhone has been doing and then saying that the next OS will add copy and paste at last.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)