News Archive for 05/12/30

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Forums: PowerMac noise; OS X 10.4.4, Int

12/30, 7:45pm

Forums roundup

Forums roundup: One quad-core Power Mac G5 owner complains of excessive noise from the machine.... Apple fans discuss the possibility of new PowerBooks at Macworld Expo in January.... iMac owners continue to share photos of their setups.... Speculation continues regarding new Intel iBook rumors.... iPod owners continue to talk about their beloved music players in our iPod forum.... Speculation surrounding Mac OS X 10.4.4 continues in the Mac OS X forum.

iPod may hasten movie-watching decline

12/30, 5:05pm

Movie-going declines

The introduction and subsequent popularity of the video iPod may be the beginning of the end of movie-going as we know it, according to one columnist at the Toronto Star. "I see this rite changing dramatically, and it saddens me. This might sound alarmist, and I wish it were simply that. But technological and cultural innovations of the past 12 months have pointed the way to a revolutionary future for the movies, one that few could have envisioned until recently. Watching a film is fast becoming a hermit's pursuit. For starters, there's the video-screen iPod, introduced this fall, which at the moment is being treated as a modest brand extension of Apple's portable jukebox gadget. Right now, early buyers are using it as a miniature VCR, for watching music videos and certain TV dramas downloaded from the Internet." The columnist says that future versions will help expand its poplarity and usefulness as a video-watching gadget.

Jeepintosh: Mac mini in Grand Cherokee

12/30, 4:15pm

Mac mini in Jeep

Leftlane News is reporting that a group of automotive and computer enthusiasts managed to install a Mac mini with Front Row in a 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee. Since the introduction of the ultra-compact Mac mini, many customizers have installed the computer in automobiles. However, the full potential of such setups was only realized recently, after users found a way to install Apple’s Front Row multimedia software on any Mac. Some users also use their in-car Mac minis with map software for navigation. The creators of the “Jeepintosh” installed a rear-facing camera, which is also viewable through the computer. Other recent Mac-in-car installations include: a Ford F-150, Audi A6, and Infiniti M45.

Free songs, shipping promos end soon

12/30, 2:15pm

More Apple refurbs

Apple has added a new refurbished iMac G5 and iBook models to the special deals section of its online store--just a few days before its free overnight shipping promotion on virtually any Mac and many popular iPod/Mac accessories ends. The refurbished 12-inch 1.33GHz iBook with Combo drive is $800, while the 14-inch 1.42GHz iBook with SuperDrive is $1050. Two refurbished iMac G5 models are available: an older 20-inch 1.8GHz iMac G5 with SuperDrive for $1,150 and the previous-generation iMac G5 for $1,300. Apple also a slew of PowerBook models (all sizes), both models of the iPod shuffle, a few Mac mini models, and a few models of the refurbished dual-processor G5 desktops available. PayPal's promotion, offering up to 25 free songs with purchase of any iTunes gift certificate, also ends on December 31st. Customers can purchase a $20 or $50 gift certificate (through iTunes) and receive up to 25 free songs, if they pay using their PayPal account.

Pod Jams bundles for iPod nano

12/30, 2:05pm

Pod Jams bundles

Pacific Rim Marketing today announced its wearable iDiddy "Pod Jams" line of products developed exclusively for Apple's iPod nano. The new iDiddy Pod Jams are a bundle consisting of its new fabric iLanyard, featuring 16.9 mm earbuds covering a rich audio spectrum and our Diamond Etched "Bling" PVC or Clear PVC iPod nano cases. Pod Jams are available in two different styles, including the iDiddy Pod Jams "Bling," which includes either a Black or White Fabric iLanyard along with a patented diamond etched "Bling" PVC case, or its iDiddy Pod Jams "Clear" PVC case, which includes its clear see-through PVC case with either a Black or White Fabric iLanyard. Both are available for $30 and are expected to next year.

iPod makes Amazon's 2005 lists

12/30, 1:55pm

Amazon\'s 2005 lists

Amazon.com today released its "Best Of 2005 List" which includes the best selling, most positively reviewed, most wished for, and favorite gift products as determined by Amazon.com customers in 2005. The black 2GB iPod nano was the fourth best selling product--as counted by total units sold--behind Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling (books), X&Y by Coldplay (music), and Star Wars Episode III- Revenge of the Sith (DVD). The 20GB iPod was No. 4 on its list of products that appeared most often on the Wish Lists of Amazon.com customers in 2005, while the 512MB iPod shuffle was fourth on its list of products most frequently purchased as gifts by Amazon.com customers in 2005--behind the aforementioned Harry Potter book and Coldplay album and the complete first season of Lost.

ScriptPaks for Safari 2.0, Mail 2.0

12/30, 1:40pm

MacSpeech ScriptPaks

MacSpeech has released new ScriptPaks for Safari 2.0 and Mail 2.0. The new ScriptPaks install over 300 commands into iListen that allow the user to do virtually anything by voice in Mail and Safari they would normally do using keyboard shortcuts or menus. "We have been working hard to not only update our ScriptPaks for full Tiger compatibility, but to also add features that are most often requested by our customers," said MacSpeech Chief Evangelist Chuck Rogers. "Both the new Mail and Safari ScriptPaks are almost three times larger than our previous versions, giving iListen users unprecedented voice control of those applications."

SSTL satellite uses iPod parts

12/30, 1:40pm

SSTL satellite from iPods

A company formed by a small team in Guildford UK yesterday launched the first Galileo satellite made of parts from consumer electronics devices, including the iPod. Surrey Satellite Technology (SSTL) celebrated the launch of Giove-A from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, after it beat a rival consortium of three of Europe's technology giants. "We specifically make low-cost and quick satellites," he said. Giove-A, which weighs 600kg, has gone from drawing board to launch in 30 months. "What we do is to take advantage of terrestrial technologies, such as mobile phones and DVD players. The consumer market has been leading the investment in technology. We take these components out of iPods and so on, and work out whether we can fly them in our spacecraft. Sometimes they will, and sometimes they will not."

Free iPod offer among AOL's top spam

12/30, 1:20pm

AOL\'s top spam lines

Apple's iPod is among top ten marketing ploys used by spammers. America Online's (AOL) third annual Top 10 Spam List, released today, includes pitches for products that claim to improve physical appearance, sexual material, and offers for prescription drugs as well as free technology product offers for the iPod Nano, PS3 AND Xbox 360. This year's analysis of hundreds of billions of attempted spam messages targeting AOL's global email customers finds that spammers are using more "special order" style subject lines. In fact, six in 10 of the top subject lines this year fall into this category, compared with just two in 2004, and none in 2003. In 2005, AOL has also been blocking an average of 1.5 billion spam messages each day from reaching the email boxes of the AOL Network. The total number of spam emails blocked by AOL in 2005 reached over a half trillion (556 billion) - a slight increase over 2004.

Jobs named "Radio Person of the Year"

12/30, 12:30pm

Jobs Radio Person of Year

RadioDailyNews, "The Daily Voice and Journal of Broadcasting", has named Apple CEO Steve Jobs as the recipient of the "Radio Person of the Year" award. The recognition is awarded annually to leading individuals in the radio industry who have not only shown remarkable leadership skills in 2005, but who will have a "profound, positive effect" on the radio industry in 2006. Steve Jobs is the CEO of Apple, whose products include the iPod and iTunes. The popularity of the iPod eventually lead to "podcasting" -- the creation of radio-like content for download to digital audio players.

Apps: Celestia, Camino, Mac Shutdown

12/30, 11:40am

Celestia, Camino

Celestia 1.4.0 (free) is a free space simulation application that allows exploration of our universe in three dimensions. Users can travel through the solar system to any of over 100,000 stars, and beyond the galaxy. The exponential zoom feature allows exploration across a large range of scales, from galaxy clusters down to spacecraft only a few meters across. [Download - 23.8MB]
Camino 1.0b2 (free) updates the native Mac OS X browser which uses Mozilla.org's Gecko HTML rendering engine. The update now supports the HTML "canvas" tag, and boasts built-in SVG support. Version 1.0 adds a "page info" window containing a combination of encryption and certificate-related information, as well as a contextual menu on the URL bar lock icon that can display the site certificate and other information. [Download - 8.3MB]
Mac Shutdown 1.0 ($10) is a utility for Mac OS X designed to shutdown a Mac when a specified event occurs, such as when a download finishes in Safari. A shutdown can be scheduled for a specific date and time, as well as on a repetitive schedule. The software warns users 120 seconds prior to shutdown with a progress bar, or alternatively by jumping in the dock. [Download - 212KB]
Chemistry Lab Notebook ($25) is an electronic laboratory notebook for chemists which consists of two databases, the notebook itself and a built-in reagents database. The reagents database contains the structures, name, MWt, density and safety information on over 13,000 compounds that can be used as reagents. Entering the name of a reagent looks up the rest of the information in the database, and additional information can be entered when new chemicals are used for the first time. [Download - 3MB]
aMSN 0.95 (free) is an open-source MSN Messenger clone, featuring custom emoticons, webcam support, and the ability to sign in with more than one account simultaneously. Additional features include full-speed file transfers, chat logs, and animated emoticons with sounds. Version 0.95 also offers conferencing support and tabbed chat windows. [Download - 6.7MB]
iPhoto2PBase 1.6 ($6) is an iPhoto plug-in to upload images to PBase from iPhoto. Version 1.6 can save login information in the keychain, and offers extended support for foriegn characters in titles, descriptions, and gallery names. The update also addresses login issues that were previously being encountered. [Download - 689KB]

Briefly: G5 Quad; Jeep Mini photos

12/30, 10:35am

G5 Quad, Jeep Mini photos

In brief: One user has posted pictures of Apple's latest Power Mac G5 Quad, dissassembled with captions.... Another MacNN reader posted before and after pictures of a Mac mini installation in a Jeep.... The Worldwide Newton Association has announced the 2006 Worldwide Newton Conference, immediately following MacWorld San Francisco.... The latest evidence from software developers suggests that they are ready for the new line of Intel-based Macs, expected to debut at the MacWorld Expo in early January.... The MapMemo website is offering a free list of tips for Apple lovers visiting San Francisco for the MacWorld Expo.

Intel moves beyond PCs

12/30, 10:00am

Intel marketing facelift

Intel is expected to announce a major overhaul of its product branding in the near future, sending the message to consumers that the tech giant is transcending the realm of personal computers. The company has scrapped its "Intel Inside" logo, but will maintain its marketing program of the same name that provides incentives to companies for using its products. Apple is set to debut its new line of Intel-based Macs at the MacWorld Expo in San Francisco during the second week of January, and much speculation persists about whether Apple will become a part of Intel's marketing plan. The tech giant has reportedly developed a new logo without the lowered "e," and has added the tagline "Leap ahead", emulating campaigns such as Apple's "Think different" slogan, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal.