News Archive for 06/02/21

Choose an article from the archive listing on this page or refine your selection using the controls in the gray box below.

Canon debuts EOS dSLR, PowerShot S3

02/21, 5:30pm

New Canon lenses, EOS

Canon today unveiled the 8.2 megapixel EOS 30D Digital SLR camera along with two new lenses for photo pros and enthusiasts, as well as the PowerShot S3 IS digital camera with a 12X IS zoom lens. The EOS 30D includes Canon's proprietary 8.2-megapixel APS-C size CMOS sensor, powerful DIGIC II Imaging processor, fast five fps shooting capability and field-tested tough construction. It can be purchased at a body-only price of $1,400 or as a kit with an EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 II zoom lens for about $1,500. The PowerShot S3 IS will be available in May for an estimated price of $500.

InspectorXL 1.0.2 released

02/21, 5:25pm

InspectorXL 1.0.2

Elemental Audio Systems today released InspectorXL 1.0.2, an update to its Mac-compatible RTAS, VST, and Audio Unit audio plug-in analysis suite. The new update adds numerous processing improvements, resolves several issues with the prior version, and includes interface enhancements. Changes affect all six of InspectorXL's analysis modules (Spectrum Analyzer, Stereo Analyzer, Statistics, Multimeter, Vertical Level Meter, and Horizontal Level Meter) and Elemental Audio Systems recommends that all users move to this latest version. InspectorXL's audio plug-ins integrate spectrum analyzers, phase scopes, balance meter, correlation meter, stereo image mid-side meters, peak and RMS level meters (including K-system and IEC Digital PPM support), and other tools. The update is available for download free of charge to all current registered customers-- a new license costs $90 for a limited time.

FlightCheck Professional 5.8 announced

02/21, 5:20pm

FlightCheck Pro 5.8

Markzware has announced FlightCheck Professional 5.8. FlightCheck Professional is a quality control tool for participants in the print and rich media markets, from creative designers to manufacturing professionals and organizations. The new version now has expanded PDF checking based upon the Ghent PDF Workgroup's (GWG) PDF/X PLUS specification. FlightCheck now comes with built-in Ground Controls that validate PDFs to the GWG specifications for more secure and productive digital workflows. Other upgrades include improved handling for Gradients and Blends, embedded ICC profile detection for PhotoShop EPS, improved Text Overprint reporting for PDF, improved Artificial Text Styling detection for PDF, and detection of Special Print Options for InDesign files. A full license for FligtCheck Profession 5.8 costs $500, with upgrades costing $200 (free for registered users of 5.5 or higher). [product site not updated]

Briefly: iTunes debuts "Conviction"

02/21, 5:00pm

iTunes debuts \"Conviction\"

In brief: NBC's new drama "Conviction" is set to debut on the iTunes Music Store 10 days before the series actually airs on television.... Brokenpod has launched its website, offering to buy broken iPods of any make or model for $30-150.... One MacNN reader today received and unpacked his MacBook Pro, and has posted some photos of the Intel-based system.... ProjectWizards today announced the opening of its first UK agency in London.... Nintendo's sales and marketing VP has admitted that the company is making decisions about its new products based on the concept that has driven the iPod's popularity.

Samsung offers "magic" 20.1-inch LCD

02/21, 4:50pm

Samsung SyncMaster 204B

Samsung today added the SyncMaster 204B to its family of large-screen LCD monitors. Targeted for business and home users, the 20.1-inch monitor features Samsung’s proprietary "magic" set of technologies that work to produce an ultra realistic picture with rich, natural colors. "With the introduction of the SyncMaster 204B, Samsung raises the bar of display perfection even higher providing best-of-breed technology that delivers great image quality at an affordable pricing point," said David Nichols, Director of Display Marketing for Samsung’s Information Technology Division (ITD). it offers 1600x1200 resolution, a 800:1 contrast ratio and 300 cd/m2 brightness, a 160-degree viewing angle, and an ergonomic four-way adjustable stand with height, pivot, tilt and swivel. The SyncMaster 204B is currently available at retail locations across the U.S. for $630.

Valentina 2.2 for C++ for Intel Macs

02/21, 4:20pm

Valentina 2.2 for C++

Paradigma Software today released Valentina 2.2 for C++ for Mac OS X, which brings Universal Binary to the next generation, object-relational database model. Now offering native support for Intel-based Macs, it builds on the traditional relational database model much like C++ builds on top of the C language. "All that you know from working with traditional database systems from IBM, Oracle and Microsoft also apply to Valentina-based development. This robust technology excels at ultra fast management of millions of records." Valentina 2.2 Technology release includes Valentina 2.2 ADK C++ for Mac for developing powerful database solutions. The Standard Edition is available for use with Apple Xcode for $200, while Valentina Studio, Admin Edition 2.2 Mac ($60), now in open beta, is also available in the Universal Binary format. The company says that a native Intel version of Valentina Office Server is under development.

iTunes lists first pay-for-play podcast

02/21, 4:20pm

iTunes charges for podcast

Apple's iTunes Music Store today listed the first pay-for-play podcast, charging users $10 to download the 20-episode audio book of Scott Sigler's EarthCore. The series is the world's first "podcast-only" novel, and was published in March of 2005 as a free weekly serialized audio book podcast, according to vnunet.com. The series drew 10,000 subscribers, and was published as a print novel by Dragon Moon Press. Mike Warden, owner of Conquer The World Records recognized the podcast as "really cutting-edge stuff," and decided to take action. "I started listening to the book and I couldn't put my ears down, so to speak," Warden said. "I enjoyed the science and the suspense of the story, but Scott puts so much passion in the way he vocalized the characters of his own book. He's like a punk rock author; he just did everything himself."

Seven new Nikon Coolpix cameras

02/21, 3:25pm

New Nikon CoolPix

Nikon today introduced seven new Coolpix digital cameras, including its Coolpix P3 and P4, an expansion to its more advanced and feature-rich Performance Series of digital cameras; its three new Coolpix entry-level digital compact cameras, and its new ultra-slim Coolpix S5 and S6 cameras, both offering 6 million pixels, large LCD screens (2.5- and 3.0-inch, respectively) and a new PictMotion function that allows users to select favorite images, movie files and music files to create slideshows. The new Nikon cameras are all expected to be released in February (pricing was unavailable).

"Conviction" to debut on iTMS before TV

02/21, 3:05pm

\"Conviction\" on iTunes

NBC's new drama "Conviction" is set to debut on Apple's iTunes Music Store, 10 days before the series actually airs on television. NBC is the first network to premiere a new series on the iTunes Music Store before it airs on broadcast television, and beginning March 4th episodes will be available for purchase and download for $1.99 each the day after airing. "We believe we have a youthful and energetic cast that should appeal to a new audience that is increasingly comfortable with this downloadable format as a viewing option," said Jeff Zucker, CEO of NBC Entertainment. The pilot of "Conviction" will be available as a free download from February 21st through March 3rd, and NBC will be tagging a portion of its show promos with an on-screen graphic promoting the free preview. Conviction is described as a fast-paced character-oriented story, focusing on the lives and loves of the young assistant district attorneys in New York. The show follows their career paths as the passionate but naive ADAs are confronted with tough, emotional cases that challenge their limited experience.

Canon's new digital ELPH cameras

02/21, 2:05pm

New Canon ELPHs

Canon announced three new six-megapixel digital ELPH cameras to be released in late winter/early spring of this year. The PowerShot SD700 IS ($500), PowerShot SD630 ($400) and PowerShot SD600 ($350) digital ELPH cameras will maintain their petite profile while adding new features designed to make the cameras easier to use. Featured enhancements on all three of these new Digital ELPH cameras include Canon's newly designed six-megapixel image sensor that together with Canon's proprietary DIGIC II image processor helps to dramatically reduce "noise" for better image quality and achieves ISO equivalent speed ratings ranging from 80 to 800. This increased sensitivity allows the use of faster shutter speeds, thereby reducing the effects of camera shake and subject blur during hand-held photography in low light. All three feature 173,000 pixel LCD screens ranging in size from 2.5-inches to three inches.

Briefly: Iconfactory; ComChart Medical

02/21, 1:55pm

Iconfactory, ComChart

In brief: Iconfactory today released Smoothicons 12, replacement icons for iWeb, Pages, Adobe Acrobat, and more.... ComChart Medical Software today released ComChart Mobile for ComChart EMR 9, enabling physicians to carry a synopsis of their patients' medical record on a Palm PDA or Pocket PC.... Matterform Media today unveiled a new version of the company's Yank File Sharing Service which works with Yank, the company's all-purpose uninstaller program.... PC Publishing today released "The DJ Handbook," ($15) a book written for DJs offering advice on choosing equipment.... Apple's latest patent filing last week describes a virtual input device placement on a touch-screen user interface, and the company appears to be working on several methods of displaying a virtual keyboard as part of the Mac OS X interface.... The iPod "halo effect" is reaching into the children's toy market with toy manufacturers hoping to cash on the iPod craze.

iPod inspires Nintendo's new products

02/21, 1:50pm

iPod inspires Nintendo

Nintendo's sales and marketing VP admitted that the company is making decisions about its new products based on the concept that has driven the iPod's popularity. Reggie Fils-Aime is quoted in a recent gamesindustry.biz article, in which Fils-Aime notes the "disruptive" style of the iPod. The article says that the iPod interrupts "the standard progression of escalating technology by being more low-tech than [its] competitors, but innovating in terms of usability, pricing and broad appeal... it offers an end-to-end experience in hardware and software which is unrivalled by any competitor, which appeals to consumers far outside the gadget geek demographic." The company hopes that it can use some of the same paradigms that helped the make the iPod a success in its new DS and Revolution products, according to the article.

Macs in cars: a roundup (with video)

02/21, 1:35pm

Macs in cars roundup

Leftlane News has several interesting stories on Mac mini installations in various cars, including an Audi A6, Infiniti M45, and Ford F-150. The Mac mini has been a popular add-on for car customizers, because of its compact size and quiet operation. The latest specimen is a Toyota Prius with touch-screen control over Front Row. The user configured various points on the screen to emulate the Front Row remote, acting as back, forward, up, down, menu, and play buttons. The reports can be found below:

Toyota Prius (with video) Infiniti M45 Sport Audi A6 Ford F-150 Jeep Grand Cherokee

Doom 3 comes to Intel Macs

02/21, 1:25pm

Doom 3 comes to Intel Macs

Aspyr Media today released a free patch for Doom 3, allowing the game to run natively on Intel-based Macs and improving graphics performance. Doom 3 1.3 Rev A offers improved performance on PowerPC Macs with ATi graphics cards, changes the minimum supported operating system requirement to Mac OS X 10.3.9, and disables OpenAL functionality in Mac OS X 10.3.9. "DOOM 3's dramatic storyline, pulse-pounding action, and incredible graphics, combine to produce the most frightening and gripping gaming experience ever created. DOOM 3 utilizes id Software's revolutionary new 3D graphics engine to create disturbingly realistic graphics, with never before seen detail and real-time lighting." Doom 3 is available for $50.

Toy makers look to iPod for inspiration

02/21, 1:20pm

iPod-compatible toys

The iPod "halo effect" is reaching into the children's toy market, according to a recent report. The Australian IT reports that after the success of last year's I-Dog by Hasbro (at right) and the iZ from Zizzle--both can be hooked up to the iPod--other electronics companies are coming out with iPod compatible toys. There is the Baby Einstein, says the report--an iPod connectable rocking chair-- a SpongeBob SquarePants speaker system for the iPod from Emerson Radio, a set including a stage microphone, drumsticks, and guitar for use with iPod, and more. Isaac Larian, chief executive of MGA Entertainment, says "the iPod is the top toy. My view is why fight them, why not join them," MGA makes a chair which doubles as an iPod speaker.

Apple sales concerns 'overblown'

02/21, 1:20pm

Analyst upbeat on AAPL

The concerns over a slow down in Apple's Mac sales due to the Intel transition are overblown, according to one analyst. Piper Jaffray's Gene Munster, who maintains a 'outperform' rating on AAPL with a price target of $103, said that concerns over the short-term sales impact during the Intel transition are "blown out of proportion," according to Forbes.com: "There may not be significant upside to Apple estimates over the next two quarters based on the Intel transition, but we believe numbers are achievable and we see now as the time to get positioned for the next peak," the analyst wrote in a research note to client on Tuesday. The firm said that only 20 percent of the Apple specialist resellers it contacted indicated that they have seen a measurable slowdown in Mac sales due to customers waiting during Intel transition.

Apple special event on Feb. 28th

02/21, 1:10pm

Apple special event

Apple has planned a special event for February 28th, according to several reports. The invitation-only event will be used to introduce new products and will take place at 10:00 a.m. PT at the Apple Town Hall on its Cupertino Campus, according to various reports. Without offering other revealing the details, the invite says "Come see some fun new products from Apple" and features a large rendering of an iCal-style icon with the date set to February 28th, 2006.

Apps: Doggiebox, Crm4Mac, Astro IIDC

02/21, 12:50pm

Doggiebox, Crm4Mac

Doggiebox 1.3 ($40) is a versatile drum machine application for Mac OS X that allows the users to create and manipulate percussion-based songs. When a song is ready, users can export it to one of a dozen file formats (including AIFF and WAV) for use in other audio programs, or play back in realtime to a MIDI device. New features include a new velocity adjustment available on a beat-by-beat basis, more editing operations options, a new floating inspector, new commands, zooming adjustable for individual bars, cosmetic improvements, bug fixes, and more. [Download - 5.6MB]
Crm4Mac 2.1 ($50) is a professional contact manager, allowing users to link information in Addressbook, iCal, and Mail for use in tracking communications. Crm4Mac gives the user full insight in all communications--from each contact they may access all relevant info immediately. A single mouse click gives the user insight of all correspondence on paper, email and meetings. Crm4Mac 2.1 is now optimized for OS X Tiger and features iCal ToDo support, new icons, and minor bug fixes. [Download - 3.5MB]
Astro IIDC 2.04 ($50) is an astronomy and microscopy oriented applications developed to make camera imaging easier on the PowerPC Mac. New features include added basic AppleScript support for starting or stopping cameras, recording movies and grabbing frames; fixed Dark Frame, Flat Frames and Flicker issues, and more. Astro IIDC requires Mac OS X 10.2 or higher and a PowerPC-based Mac. [Download - 2.9MB]
reNOVAtor 2.10 (€2500) is a high-resolution audio repair processor freeing problematic live recordings from unwanted tenacious audio disturbances. It allows the user to efficiently remove disturbances and replace them with signals re-synthesized from surrounding audio material with no audibal changes in the desired signal and ambience after the removal of typical discrete audio disturbances. New features include automatic identification of clicks, spikes, tones, and harmonics; extended resolution for low frequencies; an included audio editor; numerous shortcut functions; multichannel capabilities; and more. [Download - [login]]
JellyfiSSH 4.3 (free) is a simple bookmark manager for connecting to *NIX boxes like BSD/Linux etc via Telnet or SSH 1 or 2. Users can set preferences for each bookmark including the terminal colours, fonts, window size, transparency and default login. New features include the Universal binary format, an added user defined Remote Command, an added debug level menu in Preferences, an update of the Preferences format, minor bug fixes and improvements. [Download - 180KB]
Disc Cover (not yet released) is an upcoming software from BeLight for designing CD/DVD labels, inserts, jewel case covers, and mini CDs on a Mac. The program features diverse import capabilities, an extended clipart library, over 23,000 images, over 50 professional designs iTunes, iPhoto, and iDVD integration, Direct-on-CD printing, a library of label paper templates the ability to import data from Finder, music CDs, text files, and more. [Download - [coming soon]]

ReadDVD! 1.4 supports Intel Macs

02/21, 11:55am

ReadDVD! 1.4 released

Software Architects announced its release of ReadDVD! 1.4, enabling all new Macs to mount and read disks that were formatted in any version of the universal disk format (UDF). The software supports mounting and reading of recordable DVD, HD-DVD, Blu-ray and other optical media. Version1.4 supports UDF versions 1.5, 2.0. 2.01, 2.5 and 2.6, and supports reading DVD discs containing data or DVD video files. ReadDVD! supports MMC compliant DVD-ROM, DVD-R, DVD-RW and DVD-RAM drives and media, as well as MO drives and next generation HD-DVD and BD drives. ReadDVD! 1.4 now supports new Intel Macs in addition to PowerPC-based Macs, requires OS X Panther or Tiger, and costs $50.

Briefly: Apple Flatiron sublease

02/21, 11:40am

Apple Flatiron sublease

In brief: Despite a decision to not go forward with a retail location in the Flatiron district of Manhattan (due to approval issues for its store front), Apple has been subleasing the 136 Fifth Avenue, New York location since last year.... Paraglyph Press today launched a guide to Mac OS X Tiger Server, dubbed the "Mac Tiger Server Little Black Book" ($35).... CoolMacSoftware today released the second beta version of its television listing software, MacProgramGuide.... An avid programmer has posted a basic introduction to memory usage and arrays in the C language, a tutorial that introduces historically challenging concepts to novice Cocoa and C programmers.... Intego has outlined the late Oompa-Loompa trojan horse in detail, offering questions and answers to the Mac community.... Amazon is expected to unveil its online music service in the near future, but numerous analysts aren't convinced the company can steal Apple's luster.

Canon updates PowerShot A-Series

02/21, 11:40am

Canon PowerShot A-Series

Canon will expand its PowerShot A-Series digital cameras this March. The six-megapixel A700 ($350) and A540 ($300), the five-megapixel A530 ($230), and the four-megapixel A430 ($180) will have additional advanced, enhanced features. Among the featured enhancements on the PowerShot A540 and A700 digital cameras is a new six-megapixel image sensor that together with Canon's proprietary DIGIC II image processor helps to reduce "noise" for better image quality and achieves ISO equivalent speed ratings ranging from 80 to 800. The entry-level PowerShot A430 model offers higher resolution--replacing the 3.2 megapixel A410--and delivers an improved optical zoom as well as other features enhancements.

Canon launches new all-in-one devices

02/21, 10:40am

New Canon PIXMA AIOs

Canon today announced that it has expaned its PIXMA All-In-One (AIO) lineup with two new multi-function printers, the PIXMA MP800R, and the PIXMA MP830 models. The MP830 model features black and white print speeds of up to 30 pages-per-minute (ppm) and color print speeds of up to 24ppm along with both black/white and color copy/fax functions, and edge-to-edge photo printing. Both the PIXMA MP830 Office AIO and the wireless PIXMA MP800R Photo AIO offer Canon's five-color ContrastPLUS ink system with a resolution of up to 9600 x 2400 color dpi. The printers also feature Canon's economical individual ink tank, ChromaLife100 system and the PIXMA FINE print head technology with 3,584 nozzles ejecting ink droplets as small as one-picoliter. Canon also debuted two new PIXMA printers for professionals.

iDive 1.6 video catalog goes 'Universal'

02/21, 10:25am

iDive 1.6 Universal

Aquafadas has announced the Universal binary version of iDive, its video cataloging program. iDive 1.6 allows users to organize and catalog, log and annotate, search, or create clip lists of video clips. iDive allows for the creation of motion graphics from video images with its new Mosaic feature, and the export of video clips to an iPod. The user's created content may be loaded into iTunes for podcasting with a few clicks, and also may be transparently moved between computers. iDive supports use of iMovie, iPhoto, FCE, FCP, and more. The program comes with ten predefined compositions which can also be exported as QuickTime movies in any format available on the user's system for streaming directly to a DV camera or for use in an editing tool. iDive 1.6 requires Mac OS X 10.3 or later and costs $70.

Apps: iTwist, Easy WMA, wKiosk

02/21, 10:10am

iTwist, Easy WMA, wKiosk

iTwist n' Go 1.1 ($20) updates a program for using iChat and an iSight camera for video phone calls; it now allows users to answer/hangup audio/video calls using the keyboard, as well as with the external iSight camera. Users can choose Hot-keys to link with external input devices, providing a choice between the keyboard, mouse, an external iSight camera, and any third party device that can be assigned a Hot-key. MacNN readers can enter the code 'macnn' for a limited time to receive a 25 percent discount. [Download - 144KB]
Easy WMA 2.4.3 ($10) is an audio converter which converts WMA, WMV, ASF and wav files to M4A, MP3, and WAV. EasyWMA has a simple user interface, full drag-and-drop support, and can batch process files to convert an entire library of WMA songs in a single click. The application is now a Universal binary for improved speed on Intel-based Macs. [Download - 2.5MB]
wKiosk 4.5 ($70) is a Public Access Terminal application for Mac OS X that presents web-based content and applications in a safe and controlled desktop environment. wKiosk can individually restrict access to Web sites, the operating system, system settings, and applications. New features include the Universal binary support and a new user interface; it also incliudes bug fixes. [Download - 7.3MB]
Amnesty Widget Browser 1.2 ($20) can run Dashboard widgets directly on the desktop via an icon in the system menu bar, allowing Panther users to Wigdets without upgrading their OS. Widgets loaded in Amnesty Widget Browser run outside of the Dashboard environment, maintain their own preferences and feature adjustable display settings. New features include a new widget engine with performance increases, reduced CPU consumption, a smaller memory footprint, several bug fixes, UI enhancements, and a front/back flip animantion preference for video cards that support Core Image transitions. [Download - 3.98MB]
SpamSweep 1.2 ($25) is an advanced bayesian spam filter for Mac OS X. SpamSweep combines many filtering technologies, including domain and relay blacklists, sender whitelisting, and a bayesian filter to automatically delete spam messages before they're downloaded by the email client. The new version features improved speed and accuracy, tighter integration with email clients, a wider variety of alert sounds, and several bug fixes. [Download - 3.78MB]
Docktop 1.2 ($4) is a launcher for Mac OS X, providing a customizable launchbar on the user's desktop-- behind or above the icons-- to which they can ass items to open applications, files, folders, weblinks, or AppleScripts. New in version 1.2 is the Universal binary format an added option to hide the desktop, a fixed re-launching error, and the "Multiply Docktop" functionality had been integrated into the Docktop preferences. [Download - 1.5MB]

New 74W-H replacement battery for TiPB

02/21, 10:05am

Ti-PowerBook battery

Other World Computing (OWC) and Newer Technology today expanded their line of replacement Titanium PowerBook batteries by introducing the highest capacity battery available for the 15-inch PowerBooks. The newest addition to the NewerTech NuPower Lithium-Ion battery family is rated at 74 Watt Hours (W-H), providing up to 48 percent more run time capacity than Apple factory-shipped batteries, according to the companies. Apple shipped 50W-H battries with original 400MHz/500MHz PowerBook G4, but continued to upgrade the battery capacity as the G4 PowerBook line evolved, offering 61W-H batteries in the 867GHz/1GHz models of the Titanium PowerBook G4. The new 74W-H battery is available for $150 and includes a one-year NewerTech warranty.

Canon debuts two 'Pro' PIXMA printers

02/21, 9:55am

Canon \'Pro\' PIXMA printers

Canon today introduced two affordable, new professional photo printers: the ten-color PIXMA Pro9500 and the eight color PIXMA Pro9000 models. As the first Canon PIXMA printers to earn the Pro designation, the PIXMA Pro9500 printer utilizes pigment-based inks, while the PIXMA Pro9000 printer uses dye-based inks; both produce gallery quality prints up to 13 x 19 inches on a variety of specialty media and fine art papers. The PIXMA Pro9500 Photo Printer uses ten individual tanks of Canon's Lucia branded pigment-based inks and Canon's 7,680 nozzle print head and Full-photolithography Inkjet Nozzle Engineering (FINE) technology. The ten Lucia inks--photo black, matte black and gray as well as cyan, magenta, yellow, photo cyan, photo magenta, red and green--are precisely placed in three-picoliter droplets and are housed in the printer simultaneously, according to Canon.

New 'critical' Safari flaw discovered

02/21, 9:15am

New Safari security flaw

Following reports of the first two Mac OS X worms, a newly reported security vulnerability in Apple's Safari web browser could allow remote system access. Dubbed as "extremely critical" by security website Secunia, the newly reported flaw in Safari takes advantage of an automatically selected option to "open safe files' after downloading--which is turned by default to display images and movies that are compressed. However, Apple's 'safe' filter can be tricked, allowing a specifically crafted shell script to be executed without prompting a user for confirmation, something usually done for applications and executables. MacSecurityNews says that shell scripts stored in a ZIP archive without the so-called shebang line can bypass the Safari 'safe' filter: it no longer recognizes the content as potentially dangerous and executes shell commands without a confirmation prompt. Secunia has posted a proof of concept that launches the 'Calculator' application upon download of an archive. The website has confirmed the flaw on a full-patched system with Safari 2.0.3 (417.8) and Mac OS X 10.4.5 and recommends that users disable the "Open safe files after downloading" option in Safari.

Apple updates ProCare with tune-ups

02/21, 12:30am

Apple updates ProCare

Apple has revised its ProCare program, which offers special perks to users who pay an annual fee for special service at its retail stores. The $99-per-year premium program now adds a "Yearly Tune-up" and rebrands the priority service as "Fast Track". Apple's tune-up service includes system diagnostics, software updates, and a cleaning of the monitor and keyboard: "Pretty much everything you need to make sure your Mac is in tip-top condition." In addition, the service offers personalized one-on-one training from a Mac expert: "These sessions last an hour, cover the topics of your choice, and are free to ProCare members." It also includes "Complete Setup" for transferring files/folders to a new Mac computer, advance reservations at Apple's Genius Bar (up to seven days in advance), and worldwide coverage for support at any Apple retail store.

Despite price, Henrico chooses Apple

02/21, 12:05am

Henrico chooses Apple

Pricing was only one of concerns that helped Apple renew its contract for supplying Henrico County's middle school students with laptops. The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that both laptop size and "breadth of add-ons" were also crucial to Apple's bid for the four-year contract for students in Henrico County, Virginia. Earlier this month, Apple won the Henrico iBook contract, beating out five other companies including rival Dell, who last April had snatched away the landmark contract for Henrico's high school students. While Dell offered a lower priced bid, the size of Apple's 12-inch iBook, the slot-load optical drive, battery life, and other factors were important in the committee's decision to give Apple'e the nearly 13,000 laptop contract for $15.8 million: "Apple included some attractive extras for instruction, such as certain software and an operating system with built-in features for special-education students, such as text-to-speech and zooming capabilities."