As of right now, Bisonium.com is officially 10-7 (out of service). I will no longer continue to post news and updates due to reasons I don't care to go into at this moment. This may change in the future if circumstances permit. Thanks for everyone who has come by to visit the site as part of their daily news fix. Please feel free to leave your comments if you so desire.
October 2004 Archives
Halo 2 leaked onto the internet:
A version of the eagerly awaited Xbox game, Halo 2, has appeared on net piracy sites and newsgroups, almost a month before making it into the shops and <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/games/default.aspx">Microsoft</a> has said it is trying to track down the people behind the pirated copy.
In a statement reported on BBC News today, Microsoft said it was investigating the leak, adding that it was "aggressively pursuing the source of this illegal act". The copy in circulation is reported to be a European version of the game on DVD, which is almost three gigabytes in size.
"We consider downloading this code or making it available for others to download as theft," said the company in a statement. "We are currently investigating the source of this leak with the appropriate authorities. Microsoft takes the integrity of its intellectual property extremely seriously."
Halo 2, due to go on sale worldwide in the second week of November, is expected to sell millions of copies. At the start of the week, the game's makers Bungie Studios, which is owned by Microsoft, said work on the title was complete and the game was ready to go into production.
Enderle: Apple's iPod dominates market 'because it is superior to competitors':
"Apple has clearly become more than a computer company. The Cupertino, Calif., firm said it sold more than 2 million iPods in the quarter, up from 860,000 sold in the third quarter... Rob Enderle, consumer electronics analyst at The Enderle Group, says Apple has dominated the MP3 player market because its product is superior to competitors', and Apple 'outspent everyone else on marketing 10 to one,'" Jefferson Graham reports for USA Today.
"Companies such as Dell,...
Credit Suisse First Boston: Apple's Q1 04 'is shaping up to be one of the best on record':
"Credit Suisse First Boston raised estimates on Apple Computer and raised the target price. CSFB said the company's latest fiscal fourth-quarter results were the strongest since September 2000 'as iPod showed no signs of slowing down,'" Forbes reports.
"CSFB said 'iPod shipments of two million increased 500% over the year-ago quarter as supply constraints eased and expanded distribution opened up a larger percentage of the market.' The research firm said...
Analyst on Apple's earnings: 'It's shocking. I'm shocked':
"Apple Computer Inc.'s fourth-quarter profit more than doubled, beating analysts' estimates, as surging sales of iPod digital music players drove revenue to its highest for the period in nine years," Bloomberg reports. "Net income rose to $106 million, or 26 cents a share, from $44 million, or 12 cents, a year earlier, Cupertino, California- based Apple said in a statement. Sales rose 37 percent to $2.35 billion. IPod shipments increased fivefold to...
Analyst: Apple is going to do for digital content what Microsoft did for the office:
"Even though more competitors are angling into the crowded online music business, Apple's iPod (the hardware) and iTunes (the software) remain the standard for digital music," Paul R. La Monica writes for CNN/Money. "The company is no longer nearly dependent on the Mac as it once was. As such, Apple has continued to post better-than-expected financial results, and skeptical Wall Street analysts have had to keep raising their earnings estimates."
La Monica...
Steve Jobs on why Apple's customers are so loyal, innovation, and more:
BusinessWeek Computer Editor Peter Burrows recently talked about the nature of innovation with Apple CEO Steve Jobs. Excerpts of a few of Jobs' comments:
I get asked a lot why Apple's customers are so loyal. It's not because they belong to the Church of Mac! That's ridiculous. It's because when you buy our products, and three months later you get stuck on something, you quickly figure out [how to get past it]. And you think, "Wow, someone over there at Apple actually thought...
Report: Apple iPod holds 92.1 percent of hard drive-based music player market:
"Despite increasing competition, Apple's iPod still rules the digital-music world, according to new reports from market researchers," David Becker reports for CNET News.
"Research company The NPD Group said in a report released Tuesday that various versions of the iPod accounted for 92.1 percent of the market for hard drive-based music players, up from 82.2 percent a year ago. Players from Creative Technology and Digital Networks North America's Rio were a distant second...
Microsoft offers Office 2004 Service Pack 1:
Microsoft Corp.'s Mac Business Unit (MacBU) on Tuesday announced the availability of Office 2004 for Mac Service Pack 1, an update for the latest Macintosh release of the company's popular productivity application software suite. The service pack "addresses potential security issues and bugs that [user] feedback played an important role in identifying," according to Microsoft. What's more, the new version features support for Microsoft Error Reporting Protocol (MERP), which allows customers to send bug reports to Microsoft anonymously.
Yet another reason to go with Sirius radio!!!
-----0-----XM Radio Online getting integrated into Windows Media:
Slowly but surely more and more details are leaking out about what’s going to be announced at the big Windows Media press even Microsoft is holding later today. We already told you about Plays For Sure, their new system for ensuring that when you buy a song from an online music store it’ll be able to play on a certified digital audio player, and the launch of Windows XP Media Center 2005, but the latest bit of news to dribble out is that XM’s new XM Radio Online service is going to be directly integrated into Windows Media Player, though you’ll still have to keep waiting for a version of Windows Media Center that works with a proper satellite radio tuner.
New York Times: 'switching from Windows to Apple is a revelation':
"Not that long ago, Microsoft and Netscape were fighting for control of the computer desktop, a battle that still goes on in one form or another. Microsoft argued that only a browser tightly integrated with the rest of the operating system could deliver the seamless, gratifying Web-browsing experience most people hope for," Verlyn Klinkenborg reports for The New York Times.
"But Microsoft was wrong. These days, nobody wants to have anything tightly integrated with the...
A month with an Apple Mac: a die-hard PC user's perspective:
"I've always been a fan of trying alternate Oses - I was even an OS/2 user (both 2.0 and Warp) for a little while in my early years. So, a while back, I conjured up this idea to try using a Mac for a month. At first, it started as just a personal experiment, but it later developed into the foundation for the article that you're reading now. After doing the necessary research to make sure that I could actually get work done on a Mac, I whipped out the trusty credit card and decided to...
The MacSurfShop today announced that it is reopening...
Dell Recalls Millions of AC Adaptors:
matgyver writes "Both CNET and CNN are reporting that Dell is recalling 4.4 million AC adapters worldwide. About 990,000 of those were sold to US consumers, 1.5 million to US businesses, and the rest where outside the US. The adapters were sold with laptops between 1998 and 2002 and included Dell's Latitude, Inspiron, and Precision laptops. The part numbers for the adapters are 9364U, 7832D and 4983D. Apparently the adapters run the risk of overheating and can be a fire and electrocution risk."
Get your Apple iMac G5 in any color you desire:
Color-Ware Inc., established in 2000, is an industry leader in altering the color of existing products. The idea behind Color-Ware started with transforming the ubiquitous beige computer into a custom-colored work of art.
Now Colorware is doing it with Apple new white iMac G5 by offering 20 different standard colors and also the choice of "custom" color. Prices start at US$1,760 for the 17-inch iMac.
What's your favorite iMac G5 color?
More info here.
Griffin ships PodPod auto cradle for iPod:
Griffin Technology said today that it is now shipping PodPod, its soft foam iPod cradle that slips into any auto cup holder...
Podcasts: New Twist on Net Audio:
A technology that delivers internet audio programs directly to iPods and other MP3 players, podcasting is gaining a following among people who can't listen to their favorite shows when they're live. By Daniel Terdiman.
The Back Page - Fool vs. Fool: Apple is Rotten and Macs Suck, So There!:
The Motley Fool published a new Fool vs. Fool debate over AAPL that features a cogent defense of Apple...
Fortune: New Apple iMac G5 a 'triumph in both technology and design':
"Has apple got a deal for you - a brilliant, 17-inch LCD flat-panel display for $1,299, with a powerful desktop computer thrown in free. But the real bonus is that the computer itself does not take up any desk space. Zero. Zip," Peter Lewis writes for Fortune. "With its new family of iMac G5 computers - there's a fancier 17-inch model for $1,499 and a 20-inch model for $1,899 - Apple has defined the shape and style of desktop computing for the next few years. Combining...
Well folks, after what has been a pretty damn crappy week here, there is some light at the end of the tunnel. It looks like my MONSTER of a G5 system is finally on its way. I just got the shipment notification at 9:04pm this evening. I must say, this was getting a bit OLD. It has been over 2 months since I ordered it. That damn NVIDIA 6800 Ultra card better be out of this friggin world. I have had the 23" Cinema display sittin here as a 2nd extended monitor for my PowerBook and now it gets to plug into it's real mama. pple was nice enough to ship it 2 day Fedex free of charge. Looks like I will be indoors all weekend - WOOOOHOOOOO!!!!!!!!
_________________________________________________________________________
Dear Apple Customer,
The following products shipped on 10/06/2004. Transit time will
depend upon whether you have chosen standard or premium freight
options. If your order is shipping standard freight, it should arrive
within 10 days of shipment.
Product # Product Description Qty Ext Price
__________ ________________________________________ ____ ________________
_________________________________________________________________________
Z0AC 2.5DPG5 CTO 1 3,732.00
With the following configuration:
Processor 065-4803 2.5GHz PowerPC G5
Memory 065-5115 4GB MB DDR400 (PC3200)-8x512
Hard Drive 065-4983 2X250GB Serial ATA-7200rpm
Optical Drive 065-4928 8x Super Drive (DVD-R/CD-RW)
Graphic Support 065-5128 NVIDIA GeForce 6800 Ultra DDL
Gigabit Ethernet PCI 065-5080 None
Fibre Chl PCI 065-4491 None
Modem 065-5168 56k V.92 Modem
BlueTooth 065-4985 Bluetooth Module
Airport 065-1899 None
Keyboard Language 065-4923 Apple Keyboard & Mouse
Mac OS Language 065-4897 Mac OS X
Server Mac OS Language 065-4494 None
Custom SW I 065-4683 None
Custom SW II 065-4681 None
Country Kit 065-4894 Country Kit
_________________________________________________________________________
norburym writes "W. Jason Gilmore and Apress have put together an impressive volume, both in girth and content, in Beginning PHP 5 and MySQL, From Novice to Professional. At first glance, it appears that any technical manual that tries to approach such heady stuff such as PHP and MySQL for an audience ranging the span from beginner to the uber-geek is headed for failure. Happily, I can report that Gilmore and Apress have given the world one book that will replace many other PHP and MySQL volumes. This is one that the reader will consistently rely on and keep near to hand." Read on for the rest of Norbury-Glaser's review.
CTO of Infoworld Embraces PowerBook, Can't Quite Ditch ThinkPad:
Chad Dickerson, the CTO of Inforworld, has been spent the last year managing his magazine's IT infrastructure...
The Mac Observer Spin: Mr. Dickerson's experience is an invaluable one for anyone in the enterprise space wanting to Switch
The J4: JVC's Bluetooth-controlled bipedal robot:
Akihabara News saw a lot of fresh gadgets at the CEATEC 2004 trade show in Tokyo, but our fave is this shiny red robot which looks a lot like JVC’s answer to Sony’s bipedal QRIO. Best part: the J4, as it’s called, is controlled via Bluetooth.
iPod dominates teenage mindshare, market share:
by Larry Angell - Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster said today that based on a survey of 600 teenagers, Apple's iPod is dominating "mindshare and market share."...
Migo: keep your desktop on your iPod:
PowerHouse Technologies Group has announced that their Migo software is now available for iPods, at least the ones that work with PCs. Migo allows people to bring their personalized computer setting anywhere their iPod is. Migo software stores email, calendar, and contact information from Outlook, as well as IE bookmarks and history. It also stores personal documents in the same document structure you have on your personal computer. What’s more, it lets you bring your desktop wallpaper with you werever you go…or me go…or Migo. Ahem. They way it works is thus: plug the Migo-equipped iPod into a foreign computer and it transforms into your own - your desktop pattern, email, contacts, and files are all there just like home. Pull up Internet Explorer, and your bookmarks and history are all ready to go. For security purposes, the folks at PowerHouse say that nothing will be left behind, including passwords and cookies, on the host computer. The software sells for $99, and it’s also available in a USB flash-key configuration if you don’t have an iPod.
Apple delivers to enterprise markets:
Infoworld says that Apple's server and storage offerings are helping the company overcome its reputa...
Virtual PC 7.0 (#2): Confirmed problem with more than 2 GB of RAM, workaround; other issues:
Confirmed Problem with more than 2 GB of RAM, workaround By far the most widely reported, and serious issue with Virtual PC 7.0 is a repeatable crash caused by having more than 2 GB of RAM
Makes unsupported DVD writers behave
Sony updates the AIBO ESR-7, lame jokes about teaching old dog new tricks made everywhere:
The AIBO ESR-7 digital doggy is getting a major software update. In a new version of the AIBO Mind software, improvements to response time, speech recognition, and vision have all been completed. In test units, the dog was able to recognize objects and remember where they were, so it eventually creates a topographic map of its environment and navigates around things rather than, well, through them. Response time has also been improved, with reported times as little as one second for voice commands as well as the ability to accept new voice commands while still executing a previous one. This will add to a more “lifelike” experience, say Sony. The new AIBO can also play media files, including MP3s and WMVs. For the surveillance gurus, the watch-dog portion of the software has been improved - you can now set the dog to take photos or video based on trigger events like motion or sound, and then send those image or video files via e-mail. Or, you can control it remotely with included software. So when you get an email containing a picture of a ninja stealing your goldfish food, don’t say AIBO didn’t warn you.
Non-Apple news: Howard Stern signs deal with SIRIUS satellite radio:
From time to time we bring you news items that are not Apple-related - unless we'll be able to get SIRIUS satellite radio on our next generation iPods, that is.
"King of All Media" Howard Stern and SIRIUS announced today an epic agreement whereby Stern will move to SIRIUS beginning January 1, 2006. SIRIUS is the premium satellite radio provider known for delivering the very best in commercial-free music and sports programming to cars and homes across the...
New DTS surround encoders leverage OS X, Xserve:
Digital Theater Systems Inc. (DTS) on Wednesday announced the availability of two new audio software encoders aimed at audio professionals creating multi-channel soundtracks for DVD-Audio, DVD-Video and 5.1 CDs: the Pro Series 6.1 Surround Encoder, a standalone solution designed to work on Mac OS X and Windows-equipped computers, and the DTS Pro Series Network Encoder, which allows up to 99 users on Macs or Windows computers to encode audio using an Apple Xserve and Xserve RAID system. Both encoders were announced earlier this year, and are anticipated for release this month. DTS's Pro Series encoders can create up to 96kHz, 6.1-channel DTS-ES soundtracks.
Smaller, slimmer Xbox 2 will please the Japanese, says Microsoft:
The Xbox has never gotten all that much love in Japan, which maybe isn’t too surprising given the hometown advantage Sony’s PlayStation 2 has there, but apparently Microsoft thinks that (besides the PS2’s two year headstart) the problem is that the original Xbox console is simply too big for people over there, with corporate veepster Peter Moore insisting that a smaller, slimmer Xbox 2 will do better in Japan because the large size of the original was “unappealing to Japanese consumers”.
[Via Joystiq]
Latest Apple interface spotted in new Tiger builds:
Brushed aluminum swept aside as Apple's Mail 2.0 will reportedly sport an updated theme.
For the...
Apple Store offers price matching policy:
Apple's online store is offering a price matching policy for new purchases...
Microsoft releases Virtual PC 7 with Windows XP Pro:
Microsoft today announced the immediately availability of Virtual PC 7 with Windows XP Professional ...
Another Apple reseller bites the dust:
Following a saddening turn of events, a longtime Apple reseller has decided to call it quits.
Aft...
SpaceShipOne Captures the X Prize:
SpaceShipOne's second flight was a success, the craft successfully launching from mothership White Knight and returning safely about 20 minutes later. If the flight is certified to have reached the X Prize's target height (62.5 miles) before its safe return, it will win the $10 million purse, and more importantly attain the prestige of repeatably (if only technically) reaching space, on a budget embarrassingly smaller than NASA's. Today's flight was manned by 51-year-old test pilot Brian Binnie (rather than Mike Melvill, who piloted last week's trip), and according to spectators present at both launches seemed even smoother than last week's flight. The view from the sidelines was incredible. flapjack submits a link to CNN's coverage of the launch (which lists a claimed height attained of 368,000 feet), noting "Interesting to note that a majority of its funding ($20-$30 million) was put up by Microsoft's own, Paul Allen." See also the official X Prize site for continuing live coverage. Update: 10/04 17:05 GMT by T: I was able to attend the launch; read below for my short sketch of the event.
Install a system-wide GMail status notifier:
For all those who have GMail accounts and don't use FireFox (i.e. you can't use this hint), there's a free little utility available called GMailStatus. This works just like the "system tray" notifier for PCs that will display...
Meet the special-effects gods who created the most anticipated game of the year. By David Kushner from Wired magazine.
Incase Charger keeps your iPod juiced at home or in your VW:
It’s not the first time we’ve seen a multi-purpose adapter/charger, but Incase’s new charger will power any iPod with a dock connector at home or in the car, which is kind of nice. But for the $50 they want for it, why couldn’t they be kind enough to include an FM transmitter while they were at it? Because this thing is going to take up the car lighter port you’d probably otherwise use for the transmitter, so come on, little help? Jeez.
[Via iPodlounge]
Ecamm Network announces new iGlasses software for Mac OS X. iGlasses provides total control over your iSight video settings from within iChat AV. Choose from settings such as "Enhanced", "Extra Bright" and even conference in near darkness with "Night Vision".
As an added bonus, the software also activates the iSight on G3 computers which fall below Apple's minimum system requirement of 600 MHz.
Arriving right on schedule, palmOne officially introduced the Tungsten T5 just a few minutes ago. Completely skipping over the T4, their new flagship PDA has a massive 256MB of storage, a 320x480 pixel LCD screen, a 416MHz processor, and built-in Bluetooth. The big disappointment: it runs on Palm OS Garnet 5.4, not Palm OS 6 (aka Cobalt) like a lot of people had predicted/hoped. The even bigger disappointment: no built-in WiFi (we know, it’s totally weak). Should go on sale November 3rd and retail for $399, but you know that by that point it’s gonna be completely overshadowed by the Treo 650 announcement scheduled for the week before. Click to see a few more pics.
PowerBook/iBook Upgrade And Repair Guides:
kwiens writes "We had such a positive response from Mac Slash with our Free-As-In-Beer Mac disassembly instructions last time around, we decided to do it again: We've made six more FixIt Guides, perfect for those intrepid road-warriors who refuse to trust anyone else to work on their 'Book. Now there's nothing stopping you from trying that LN2 overclock on your PowerBook-- or just a hard drive upgrade. The new Guides have professional photos, a new GUI design, and screw guides (no, not this). Guides are now available for all iBook G3, PowerBook G3, and PowerBook G4 models (including the oft-requested 12", 15", and 17" Aluminum 'Books)."
Music Thing: The Vestax Guber Cube-T CM-01:
Each week Tom Whitwell of Music Thing highlights the best of the new pro music gear that’s coming out these days. Last week it was Live6’s new PODxt Live, this week it’s Vestax’s new Güber Cube-T CM-01 turntable:
Warning: At the end of this article, you’re going to be really, really annoyed.
So, you know the guy. He was a bedroom DJ in the 90s, running a little club night. Now he’s making £££ working in marketing or sponsorship or whatever. He lives in a nice flat with his girlfriend, so he’s not allowed to have pair of Technics and a mixer in the living room. But he’s still got 1,000 records in the spare bedroom. That’s right, I’m talking about you.
What you need is a great-looking DJ turntable that will look good next to that collection of Wallpaper* back-issues. And now you’ve found one. Vestax’s ‘Güber Cube-T CM-01’ suddenly makes playing vinyl records seem a lot more appealing than iPod DJing or scratching beats from an SD card on your Technics SLDZ-1200. It’s has similar specs to the bog-standard Technics SL1200, but looks like a piece of high-end Swiss scientific equipment (in the best possible way). It
has an enamelled metal body, in black or white. The platter is made from clear plexiglass balanced on brass spikes, and there’s a discreet rotary pitch control and a built-in phono preamp. It’s going to look particularly fly with a Cadillac slipmat from http://www.sicmats.com/
The UK price hasn’t been confirmed, but Vestax say it should sell for about £400, which seems very reasonable, considering you can still get £500 for a pair of Technics on Ebay.
So what’s stopping you from rushing out to buy one? There’s one small, but significant problem. Bafflingly, the Cube is limited edition. Limited to 50 worldwide. So Pete Tong is getting one, but you ain’t.
Courtesy of Bryan Bell
-----0-----
A request was made for me to release desktop-image sized version of the photos I took this wednesday. So here you go. All images are 1280x1024.
SpaceShipOne: Monday Launch Is On:
Satisfied that his spaceplane is sound despite a series of unexpected rolls during Wednesday's flight, Burt Rutan will send SpaceShipOne aloft as scheduled to try to capture the $10 million X Prize. By Dan Brekke.
BusinessWeek: 'Apple's future looks surprisingly bright':
"As Apple Computer Inc.'s eye-catching iMac G5 PC began appearing in late September, Mac lovers were buzzing about how much the machine resembles a certain portable music player. A canny move by the folks at Apple, no doubt," Peter Burrows reports for BusinessWeek. "But the question remains: Will the new iMac duplicate the iPod's megahit success and revive Apple's waning fortunes in the cutthroat PC business?"
"Why the sudden bullishness about the Mac? Part of it...
No, not the vicious killer whale from that 70s movie. Going overboard? No problem. See, you’re sporting the Orca (Overboard Recovery Communications Apparatus), a new device worn by deck personnel in the military that alerts the ship if, and when, you take a little involuntary swim. The ORCA provides a unique ID for each individual, and it triggers pre-set messages to the bridge at the time of the big dive. It is also capable of triggering several beacons at once (in case a few deck hands go down for whatever reason) and pinpoints each one using GPS. It lets nearby helicopters know what your name is, and to what ship you belong. And for those thinking more hellacious scenarious, the device even forces the host ship to redirect itself, helping to avoid any close encounters with the ship’s propellers. Now, if we could just get these things for kindergarten kids, we should be all set.
Probably should mention that T-Mobile has started shipping the BlackBerry 7100t, you know, the one with that newfangled keyboard where they put two letters on each key and uses predictive text to guess which letter you mean.
[Via MobileTracker.net]
FBI Ordered to Turn Over Lennon Files:
CatDogLordOfTheRoot writes "CNN is reporting that a U.S. District Judge rejected the governments arguements to keep the secret records of John Lennon sealed. The FBI argued that releasing the last ten pages would pose a risk to national security as a foreign government (not identified) secretly gave information to the US Government. Looks like another big step in the Freedom of Information Act."
It's official: TiVo and Netflix teaming up on movie download service:
Well, it’s official: As expected, Netflix and TiVo are teaming up on a video-on-demand service, with Netflix handling all the gory details of arranging licensing deals with the movie studios and TiVo focusing on all the technological stuff of actually delivering online movie downloads. They wouldn’t discuss a date about when they might introduce the service, what it might be called (TiVoFlix? NetVo? NetfliVo?), or any other specifics, but TiVo CEO Mike Ramsay says that the two companies are absolutely, definitely not merging.
Wow! Boy I wish I could have been there to see this! Bryan Bell is one lucky dude...
-----0-----
Yesterday Erin Clerico and I dragged ourselves out of our nice warm beds and drove to Mojave at 3:30am to see the Launch of SpaceShipOne. This was the First in a series of 2 Space flights needed to collect the Ansari X Prize. After getting over the shock of getting out of bed so early, Erin and I had a really good time. The crowd was large but pleasant and the whole event had an upbeat atmosphere that was hard not to get into.
Video of the launch is available here
USA Today: "New iMac Even More Exquisite Than Last One":
USA Today's Edward C. Baig has penned a review of Apple's new iMac where he not only says the iMac G5...
The Mac Observer Spin: Apple is going to need to be able to make a few boatloads full of iMacs. With all of these incredible...
New Sony Webcams with Wi-Fi, Two-Way Audio:
Sony's new webcams aren't really that cool - I'm still frustrated their max resolution is only 640 x 480 pixels - but they do have a couple of tricks up their sleeves, including native MPEG4 support and built-in Wi-Fi. Well, they do have web servers built-in, too, so you can access them directly from the internet (although that could be a bad scene if they get hacked). Plus they also have built-in microphones that allow two-way audio communication, so that if the person viewing the webcam wants to talk to a person in front of the cam, they can.
So yeah, what I was saying is that these webcams are really pretty cool.
Product Page (Japanese) [SonyJP via SorobanGeeks]
Gefen offers extension solutions for Apple HD Cinema Displays:
Gefen has announced two new extension solutions for Apple's new 20 and 23-inch HD Cinema Displays...
EasyWatch PC card enables digital TV on PowerBooks:
Elgato and SCM Microsystems today announced "the first" EasyWatch DVB-T PC card, allowing Mac users ...
Apple Macs now cost less and run faster than Wintel PCs:
"About a month ago, I compared the cost for Apple's desktop, server and laptop products to their nearest Dell equivalents and discovered that Macs generally cost less than comparable PC products," Paul Murphy writes for LinuxInsider. "That was a bit of surprise, but the truly astonishing thing that came out of the comparison was that Dell's product line extends marginally below Apple's at the low end, but has nothing to stack up against Apple's 17-inch Powerbook,...
MOTU releases Digital Performer 4.5 with beat engine:
MOTU has released Digital Performer 4.5, an update to the company's integrated MIDI and audio sequen...
Logitech has a new set of 5.1 PC speakers that push out 505-watts of THX-certified vibration. The Z-5500 is your standard PC speaker concept - powered subwoofer connecting to a bunch of satellite speakers, a setup that lets you forgo a receiver (for better and for worse) to plug them up directly to your PC or DVD player. The Z-5500 also feature on-board 96/24 digital decoding ability, if you're into high-fidelity audio output but not into it enough to buy a full-blown audio system.
Should show up next month for about $400. They also are launching a new 2.1 system called the Z-2300 for about $150.
Press Release [ChaitGear]
Sony ditches copy-control CDs:
Seems Sony is going through something of a change of heart recently: following its decision to support MP3 in its audio players comes news that, in Japan at least, Sony Music Entertainment is ditching copy-control CDs from November. They claim the reason is “an increase in awareness by music consumers”, which we assume is supposed to mean that they’ve succeeded in educating everyone that copying CDs is a bad thing. Dare we suggest that the truth is simply that they’re starting to see the light?
Apparently, it’s illegal to use video cameras to record movies in movie theaters. We had no idea, and watching movies recorded on screens featuring the back of some dude’s head is such a great viewing experience! The fun must all end now, though, as a bill passed by the House on Tuesday has made the Seinfeldian act illegal. While that’s no surprise, the bill contains some hidden little goodies that are more worrisome. For instance, the bill offers copyright protections for video playback technologies that helps parents prevent their children from seeing scenes depicting sex, violence or foul language. We can’t wait to see a Tarantino flick with that technology turned on. It would last - what - ten minutes? “No, really, Billy. The movie is about hamburgers and dancing and a glowing briefcase. It’s a short film.”
Jeff Nolan has a great article on wisely picking your VC's on your next venture. Great info and useful insight for anyone with an interest in being an entrepreneur. If only I could actually get one of these VC's to invest in my plan! In all honesty, I avoid "Vulture Capitalists" just on the mere basis that they usually don't understand the passion and personal reasons that some of us start a business (at least not the ones I have met with). They are 100% about the bottom dollar with no interest in the actual operation. I guess that is how they have to be - after all, the point IS to make money. If I could find a VC that actually would agree to be a mentor instead of a dictator, it might be worth looking into. until then, I suppose I will be waiting on that lotto ticket to finally hit.
iMac G5: “even more exquisite than last one”:
“This latest head turner manages to better its clever predecessor in design — no small achievement,” writes Edward C. Baig for USA Today. “The back of the computer is elegant in its simplicity. You can loosen three captive screws to remove the cover to add, say, extra memory, or a wireless AirPort networking card.” [Sep 30]
Don't even think you're too cool for the Nixichron:
Your friends will think you’re totally a nerd if you actually know what a nixie tube is (outside of completely amazing looking), but we hope that won’t stop you from buying one of these $500 GPS time-synced Nixichron clocks. Screw that 72-inch plasma, let this be the proper centerpiece to your living room.
[Via Near Near Future]
Wall Street Journal: "Apple's New iMac An Excellent Choice":
In this week's column for the Wall Street Journal, Walt Mossberg has put together his annual buying guide...
The Mac Observer Spin: Mr. Mossberg could be adding to whatever momentum Apple has leading up to the holiday buying season...
New York's Putnam Valley students and teachers get Apple iBook G4s:
"Heavy backpacks stuffed with books may soon become artifacts in the Putnam Valley schools, where students and teachers are receiving free laptops this year with wireless Internet access. The computers - Apple iBook G4s - will be outfitted with compact discs and online textbooks and are part of a new initiative in the district to improve student achievement and prepare children for careers," David Novich reports for The Journal News.
"All of the 120 middle and high...
Sprint-Branded Treo 650 Pictures:
There are like two or three dozen pictures of a new Sprint Treo 650 over on TreoCentral, although most of them make the new smartphone look like a melty creature because the photographer got entirely too close to his subject. Still, there's some good stuff to be picked out, like the fact that the 650 does have a removable battery, they repainted the number keys like the Treo 600, and its running Palm OS 5 Garnet - not Cobalt as we'd hoped (but didn't really expect).
650 in my hand...sweet! [TreoCentral]
Related
Treo Archives [Gizmodo]
Speed Freak: Power Mac G5 DP 2.5GHz:
Windows, Intel, AMD processors just aren't in the hunt.
4,280 RIAA Lawsuits and Counting.:
In this season of Induce, let's not forget that the RIAA is using existing laws to make thousands of American families miserable. Of course, just as the Induce Act won't solve the P2P dilemma, the lawsuit campaign doesn't seem to be working, either. For a recap on the RIAA lawsuit campaign, as well as EFF's suggestion for what they should be doing instead, read the editorial published today in Law.com:
Four thousand two hundred and eighty lawsuits and counting.
That's how many lawsuits have been brought by the major record labels against music fans for using peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing software (like Kazaa or Morpheus) to swap music over the Internet. This month marks the one-year anniversary of the recording industry's unprecedented litigation campaign against its own customers. The campaign appears to have hit its stride, with the Recording Industry Association of America announcing roughly 500 new suits each month.
Link.
How to move your stuff easily from Windows PC to Apple Mac:
Heads up Mac newbies....you need NOT spend $50 on this software to move your PC files to your nice new Mac. A simple ethernet cable and a little know-how is all you need.
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Windows users, frustrated with patches for patches that patch patches, service packs that break their programs, rampant virus and worm attacks, spyware and adware polluting their PCs, the counterintuitive Windows user interface, waiting forever for the stripped-down 'Longhorn,' and more, are now looking to upgrade to new Apple Macintosh personal computers running the latest version of the world's most advanced operating system, Mac OS X.
If you're thinking about upgrading to Mac or just...
Venturi Fetish: First Production Electric Sports Car:
French auto maker Venturi should get a healthy round of applause when it shows off its 245-horsepower "Fetish" sports car in January. Not because it's super-powerful - although it's quick enough, with a 4.3-second 0-to-60 time - but because it's the world's first production sports car to be powered by electricity.
Of course, when it hits the roads early next year it'll set you back almost half-a-mil, not to mention the trouble you'll go through to find a place to charge it all the time. If you can swing the purchase price, though, I bet you'll manage fine. Plus the quick-charge system in the Fetish is fast; 10 minutes on the plug nets 16km worth of drive time.
Finally on the roads: Venturi Fétish [AutoCorseIT via TheRawFeed]
.Mac Increases Email & iDisk Storage:
.Mac, the popular suite of Internet software and services, now offers both new members and its more than half million existing members 250MB of combined online storage for .Mac mailboxes and iDisk folders, perfect for sharing photos, movies and documents with family, friends and coworkers. Sign up now for a free 60-day trial. [Sep 29]
Introducing Two New Jam Packs:
Apple introduces two new Jam Packs for its GarageBand music creation software, giving musicians and aspiring musicians more Apple Loops and software instruments to create music. Jam Pack 2: Remix Tools makes it easy to produce compelling dance, hip-hop and electronica tracks, while Jam Pack 3: Rhythm Section offers songwriters a complete backing band for their rock, alternative and country music. [Sep 29]
Logic Express 7, a streamlined version of Logic, provides a basic set of professional tools for students, educators and advanced hobbyists at an affordable price. [Sep 29]
Logic Pro 7, the next major release of the award-winning professional music creation and audio production software, will change the way musicians and audio engineers worldwide compose, record, edit and mix music in any studio environment. In addition to more than 100 workflow enhancements, breakthrough new software instruments, new mastering plug-ins and support for Apple Loops, Logic Pro 7 also debuts distributed audio processing, a revolutionary technology which allows audio pros to tap into a virtually unlimited number of Macs to expand available Digital Signal Processing (DSP) power. [Sep 29]
Apple among best workplaces for commuters:
Apple has placed 12th in the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) "Best Workplaces for Commuters" list, compiled from Fortune 500 companies, reports AP...
