[ via Macworld ]
Flixpo.com offers video clips for iPod, PSP:
Flixpo.com is a new service that provides iPod and PSP-ready video clips for free.
November 2005 Archives
If you haven't already heard, Firefox 1.5 is officially out. Get it while it's hot. For you G5 owners, here's a special treat just for you...
[ via BeatnikPad ]
G5-optimized Firefox 1.5 released:
It’s been a long time coming, but Firefox 1.5 is finally rocking the house and making nerds salivate into their indie beards with delight.
The official changelog includes such top ten hits as:
- Automated update to streamline product upgrades.
- Faster browser navigation with improvements to back and forward button performance.
- Drag and drop reordering for browser tabs.
- Improvements to popup blocking.
- Clear Private Data feature provides an easy way to quickly remove personal data through a menu item or keyboard shortcut.
- Answers.com is added to the search engine list.
- Improvements to product usability including descriptive error pages, redesigned options menu, RSS discovery, and “Safe Mode” experience.
- Better accessibility including support for DHTML accessibility and various assistive technologies.
- Report a broken Web site wizard to report Web sites that are not working in Firefox.
- Better support for Mac OS X (10.2 and greater) including profile migration from Safari and Mac Internet Explorer.
- New support for Web Standards including SVG, CSS 2 and CSS 3, and JavaScript 1.6.
And everyone’s favourite tune, “many security enhancements”. If you want to bask in some hardcore changelog goodness, check out the “comprehensive changelog” for the dirty details.
As usual, there is now a G5-optimized build for your browsing pleasure:
» Download the G5-optimized Firefox 1.5 release
» Alternate download location
With this fairly major upgrade, most extensions will need to be updated. I have tweaked a bunch of the extensions I use to work with the new version, but I haven’t had time to update that post, so you might want to check out the official Mozilla update site first.
Enjoy, folks, and don’t forget to clean those indie beards before you go out in public.
Neil (feeling tired, giddy, and more than a little bit strange.)
[ via PSP Fanboy ]
Homebrewers beware; the newest 2.60 firmware update for PSP is now available for download via the console's Network Update feature. From what we can tell, the most useful feature upgrades for this 18MB update are the ability to play WMA files and an RSS channel. Disappointingly, WMA digital rights management is not supported, so any chance of being able to download and use music from subscription-based services like Napster or Yahoo pretty much goes out the window.
The RSS channel, which is really just a corporate-y moniker for Internet radio, gets our vote for most practical addition. Those who missed out on PSPRadio because they moved up from firmware 1.5 should be happy to note that they can now get streaming Internet soundage as well, although you may have a heck of a time searching for a usable radio or podcast feed.
Of course, upgrading means being yet another step farther from being able to run homebrew on your PSP, especially if you've already been suckered convinced into taking the firmware 2.5 plunge. With significant gains already being made towards wheedling a path through 2.0, perhaps updating to 2.6 now may seem a little foolhardy. That RSS channel's mighty tempting though.
[ via PSPMagazines.com ]
PSPWorld.com
A hands-on first look at Sony's Japanese PSP accessory the Talkman has been posted by our friends over at Lik-Sang. The USB microphone turns your PSP into a learning and translation machine. The included software helps the user train for Japanese, Chinese (Mandarine) and Korean, along with English. The Talkman system is available now from Lik-Sang at a price of $69.90.
In true typical ExtremeMac fashion, they have released another kick-ass case for their iPod lineup. This thing is beautiful! If I ever upgrade my iPod to the new video, this is the case I am buying. Nicely done!
"XtremeMac announced its first accessory for iPod with video today, a clear protective case called MicroShield. This two-piece case snaps onto the front and back of the iPod, providing the body and screen with protection from scratches while highlighting its sleek design.
MicroShield comes with one front and two rear panels: one with an integrated, low-profile belt clip, and one without. This design offers the flexibility of using the front and rear panels separately or together and provides users with the option of using a belt clip or not. When used together, the front and rear panels encase the iPod in a hard plastic shell that provides unobstructed access to the Click Wheel, Dock Connector, and earbud jack. In addition, the design of the rear panel accommodates the iPod with either end up—allowing users to position the earbud jack either at the top or bottom—a feature that will be appreciated by those who prefer to use the belt clip with this case.
"The design of the new iPod is so striking that we decided to build a protective case that truly showcases it," said Gary Bart, CEO of XtremeMac. "MicroShield has been our most popular case for the iPod nano, and looks to be just our leading case for the new iPod."
MicroShield is available in 30GB and 60GB models to accommodate both sizes of the new iPod with video. It retails for $24.95 and will be available in stores and online in one to two weeks. For more details and images of MicroShield, or to place an order, visit www.XtremeMac.com."
For you 24 fans, no this is not the CTU you are thinking of. This is Colorado Technical University's online program. I have been considering furthering my education and getting an advanced degree and found this program, which so far looks pretty decent. All was going well on the phone interview until I asked the million dollar question: "Does your curriculum work on a Mac?" All I heard was silence. After consulting with the manager, the answer was NO. You must use an IBM I was told. Interesting. I didn't realize IBM was an operating system.
So let me ask you this my blogsphere friends...don't you think that an online university should be able to not only be platform agnostic and work across the board on Mac, Linux and Windows, but also not be tied to one vendor and the limitations of proprietary software in an education environment? Common sense would dictate that they use open source technologies and teach fundamental principals rather than specific vendor platforms (unless that is the course, like an MCSE certification or something).
This was quite an eye opener for me. Could Microsoft have bought their way into the school by providing "incentives" to the school? Or was it simply an oversight from an IT manager without the foresight to think that there might be some potential students out there that have not necessarily drank the Microsoft Kool-Aid, and actually own a Mac or Linux box?
If you have done the online university thing, what school did you use? Anyone have a solid recommendation for an online school with a solid name and IT program? Chime in via the comments link.
Not Sure how I missed this one, but here is a cool site that adds yet more value to that iPod of yours. iPodiway allows you to enter a starting address and destination and will map your route with directions, and throw a .zip file your way with all the appropriate files to drop into your iPod. All of that and FREE to boot. Now THAT is cool.
It's been I dunno how many months now since the official launch of the Sony PSP, and until now I have had to go without. In my single days, I would have been first in line to get this, but alas - being married with a kid, the wife can put the kibosh on my so-called "frivolous purchases" these days. However, never underestimate the power of knowing the right people in the right places. Thanks to my good buddy Abe, I got the hookup on a brand spankin new PSP for my personal entertainment pleasure.
After having this beast for the better part of the week, I have come to the conclusion that this little thing absolutely KICKS ASS. The video quality is stunning. Pictures, wallpapers and videos look amazing. I have to admit, I don't really use it that much for music (not at all to be exact), mainly because the iPod just can't be beat when it comes to that. I have been really jonsing for a video iPod, but after getting this PSP, the video iPod just isn't that compelling for me anymore. This little device does all that, AND plays some pretty wicked video games to boot. I currently have 2 games, SOCOM 3 and Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories. I have got to tell you that these 2 games are just incredible. The online game-play and use of the headset and mic in SOCOM is awesome. I am still in disbelief at the quality of the graphics on such a small device. Don't get me wrong, a PSP is not going to stand up to an XBOX 360, but for a portable gaming platform, it is amazing.
Other features which are insane is the WiFi and built-in web browser. I just can't believe how well this little browser renders just about anything I come across. The best is those PSP formatted websites and portals. People have done some great work squeezing a lot of information into a small area and making it usable. It has inspired me to actually roll out a dedicated PSP section of my business website (when I finally finish updating it). I can think of an insane amount of things to do with this device and I am amazed more folks have not developed apps and sites centered around the PSP. Looks like a solid market just ripe for the picking.
With all that being said, the PSP is not without it's downsides. The WiFi should have been 802.11g instead of (b). That was a huge mistake. The lack of a built-in hard drive is just about the most stupid mistake I can think of on this device. For something that is geared to play video, there is just something wrong with expecting people to buy a bunch of Memory Sticks to store their media on. Ohhhh yeah.......wait a second. Isn't SONY the manufacturer of those proprietary little things? Yeah, I thought so. That kind of crap just really pisses me off. And what is up with this UMD format? Stupid, just plain old STUPID. Again, Sony with their proprietary strangle on the market. Hasn't Sony learned their lesson yet? Apparently not. How they can think I am going to spend MORE on a UMD disc than an actual DVD, and be stuck with a disc that only works on my PSP is utter stupidity at it's finest. They can expect ZERO UMD Movie sales from this PSP owner. I will buy the games and nothing else. I also think the games are WAY overpriced. Again, this is a portable device that can't stand up to the full-blown big brother PS2 or an Xbox. For most of these games, I would rather own the console version.
All-in-all, I still give this thing a solid review. For a tech junkie, I would say it's a must have. I can only hope that future generations of the PSP take my gripes into consideration, because that is about the only way I will spend my hard-earned cash to upgrade to the next gen PSP. I am adding a PSP category to the blog and will add the PSP to the list of things I cover. Within the next few days, I hope to put up a list of some of the best PSP sites out there and some useful resources for PSP owners, especially those on a Mac. For now, back to PSPeeeing in bed. :-)
My interest in INXS has been rekindled ever since the hit show INXS: Rock Star over the summer. I have been patiently waiting for the new album since it should have been out by now. I figured I would cruise on by their website at www.inxs.com and I was greeted to a brand new re-design of the site. The best part is that apparently their designer is one of the few that have a clue when it comes to the next generation web design, they decided to incorporate RSS News Feeds and make use of CSS. Nicely done guys....nicely done. Now if you could only release the damn album on iTunes Music Store, we could all be happy campers. :-)
For those of you with the Cingular Treo 650, if you haven't read, there is a new update available at Palm. If you happen to be on a Mac, you may want to keep an eye out for a potential problem. My particular Treo 650 was the "G" (Treo650-X.XX-CNG) firmware. When you download the updater and expand it, there should be 45 files in the folder. Somehow Palm managed to get 46 in there, the extra file being a dupe of the actual .zip archive! If you blindly go in there and attempt to update your Treo using all 46 files, they won't all be able to fit into internal memory, therefore causing your update to fail. Simply remove that extra .zip archive file and re-install the updates and you should be fine. Follow the Palm instructions to a T or you could potentially lose data. As always, make sure you backup before starting the process. Rock on...
This is so typical. I must say, this is nothing short of what I would expect from MSFT. Anyone who knows me knows that I really dislike anything Microsoft, but the exception to the rule has been the XBOX. This really pisses me off. Not only do they make a cluster f$ck of the launch by pissing off half the world due to their stupid marketing tactics, but to actually be one of the few who gets one and then after paying all that money for it to crash on you? Wow, pissed off is not even close the profanities that would be flying out of my mouth.
[ via Xbox 360 Fanboy ]
Seems like the launch hasn't gone as smoothly as expected. Not only are there shortages, and a lot of frustrated would-be customers, several of those who did manage to get their hands on a 360 are reporting failures.
The most common problem is overheating, with hard drive errors also occurring for some unlucky owners. 3D glitching has also been reported, although rebooting seems to fix it. Keep the stories coming, folks!
[Thanks to everyone who sent in tips on this]
I just couldn't help myself on this one. Sometimes you just gotta wonder where the hell people have been for the past 20 years. What on earth is up with this dude and the NASCAR Mullet? Yep - you see some scarrrrrry folks at the races..... :-)
Back from the fun and excitement in Homestead this weekend. I posted some pics on my FlickR site of the events. For the first night, it was looking pretty bad with some heavy rain looming overhead and the threat of a tropical storm hitting us by Monday. The Friday night races were insane, tried to start about 4 times and every time we came within half a lap of going green, the rain opened up again. They finally called the race and decided to run it at 8:30am the following morning. From there, things got much better. Busch and Nextel cup practice and qualifying went without a hitch and soon we were racing. The Busch race was exciting to the end. The Cup race couldn't have asked for a better finish with my Roush Racing guys going neck and neck to the end.. All 5 of my Roush Teams finished in the top 10 and 4 were in the top 5! Can't wait for the 2006 season to start!
Well, at least this makes me feel better that I have one! :-)
[via Palminfocenter ]
Treo 650 Named Best Converged Device:
Strategy Analytics, a global research and consulting company, today released, "Blackberry Learning Curve Too Steep for Consumers as Palm Treo Sets New Usability Standard," its latest converged device benchmark report, which concludes that thePalm Treo 650is the highest rated converged device in the USA, narrowly edging the Samsung i730 into second place and also beating the UTStarcom PPC6600 and Blackberry 7100. These results come from hands-on consumer testing by the Strategy Analytics Advanced Wireless User Panel.
[ via Broadband Reports ]
BellSouth 6Mbps Launched:
Expected faster tier emerges. As we've been discussing for months, BellSouth today officially released their new 6Mbps/512kbps DSL tier at $46.95 per month for BellSouth phone customers (see official press release). The launch was intended for earlier this month, but was apparently pushed back due to hurricane recovery. Customers in our BellSouth forum discuss successful orders, and how close you need to be to the CO in order to obtain the full 6Mbps.
Yellowmonkey has released iQuotes, a new screensaveer that displays some of Steve Jobs best quotes ever. Quite a nice (and funny) bit of code, great if you are doing a presentation and just waiting for the audience to trickle in. Toss it up on the projector and let it rip! ;-)
Looking for some content for that shiny new iPod video? Networks got ya down with their idiotic mentality and fear that the world is out to steal their content? Well fear no more. Enter Podtropolis. This is the first known bit torrent tracker dedicated exclusively to the cataloging of content for your iPod. All video is encoded in iPod compatible formats saving you the hassle of doing it yourself. The site comes complete with tutorials for Mac and PC. They are just getting started, so if you have some content to seed, Share The Wealth!
OMG...I think I am going to lose control of my bladder! This has to be one of the funniest letters I have ever seen. I can just imagine the executives reading this letter. This is one you don't want to miss...make sure to click on the link at the bottom.
[ via Jeff Nolan ]
I had tears reading this letter to Continental Airlines. Anyone who has ever sat in a seat in close proximity to the airplane lav knows exactly what this guy is talking about. What the hell is it about people not being conscious of the fact that their ass is in somebody's face when standing around in the aisle? This would be a good time to review my 20 simple rules for air travel.
Link via RealTechNews: Complaint from seat 29E.
You won't see this done with a Dell!!!
[ via Apple ]
Small School Makes Big Statement with Xserve Cluster:
With a limited budget and relying almost entirely on undergraduate students to assemble and configure, Bowie State University built Xseed, an Xserve cluster that ranks among the world’s most powerful computers. [Nov 04, 2005]
Killer find from our buds at The Unofficial Apple Weblog [ TUAW ] - Thanks guys!!!
Free Johnnie Walker iPod Cover:
Who doesn't like free stuff? Johnnie Walker is offering a free iPod cover while supplies last. Now your iPod can be striding man too.
The mother of all PowerBook bags!
[ via TUAW / MacMinute ]
Booq announces large capacity Python XL bag for 17" PowerBooks:
Booq has done it again and announced the Python XL, a capacious and compartmentalized rugged backpack for the 17" PowerBook. A waterproof zipper, water-resistant ballistic nylon exterior, seatbelt nylon straps, rigid laptop compartment and pockets and compartments galore make up this $199 monster of a backpack. The bag has room for a water bottle, a dedicated no-scratch iPod pocket, a stack of books 6" high and more. There's even a small "clip-on accessory bag" they call Ecto which has room for the little stuff like your checkbook, and iPod, cell phone, etc.
I've owned a Booq pack before, and I can vouch for their construction. These things are built really well, but their premium is sometimes tough to swallow. Head over to Booq's product site for more pictures of the pack and what you can stuff into it and make your own decision.
This is one of those things that has been pissing me off for quite some time. What the hell is the problem with these idiots that make their show 1:01:00? It completely screws up the Tivo and causes you to potentially miss a show if you don't catch the goof. Glad to see Tivo fighting back!
[ via Gizmodo ]
TiVo's 7.2.1 software update will now include overlap protection, which will prevent you from missing the beginning of a show if it overlaps with another, less important, show in your schedule. Big deal? Kind of. This essentially solves the problem of TV programmers tacking on an extra minute or so to foil PVRs and piss off TiVo owners.
The system rates the shows by importance and stops recording the "less important" shows when more important shows start. Works on Series 2 TiVos.
Update: The overlap protection gets a nice dissection at Zatz Not Funny...
