News Archive for 08/08/19

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DJ-1800 v3.2 supports Nicecast, more

08/19, 9:05pm

DJ-1800 software released

A new version of the professional DJ software DJ-1800 has been released for Mac. Version 3.2 supports the Hercules DJ Rmx controller and improves iPhone and iPod touch integration. Full support for Nicecast, an internet broadcasting application, allows users to share their mixes. DJ-1800 is a complete system, not requiring any hardware mixers or CD players. A full plug-in API allows the integration of any DJ controller.

Intel shows off quad-core low-power Core 2 Extreme

08/19, 8:55pm

4-core, Core 2 Extreme

At its IDF developer conference in San Francisco Tuesday, Intel unveiled 4-core laptop processor that uses just 45 watts . The Core 2 Extreme is the latest addition to the Centrino 2 platform launched in July. David Perlmutter, Executive VP and General Manager of Intel's Mobility Group also introduced the latest dual-core processors for ultra-thin notebooks like the MacBook Air.

Motorola Q9h with WM 6.1 arrives at AT&T

08/19, 8:10pm

Mtorola Q9h available

AT&T stores are beginning to receive the new Motorola Q9h handset, according to BoyGenius. A full QWERTY keyboard is located below the 320x240 screen. The Q9h offers stereo Bluetooth, a 2.0MP camera, and High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) for transfer speeds claimed to reach 3.6 Megabits per second. The Q9h is only 11.8 millimeters thick, enclosed in a silver/chrome color case.

Olympus announces FE-360/FE-370 for US market

08/19, 8:00pm

Olympus FE360 and FE370

Olympus today quickly followed up on European announcements with two new FE series cameras that will be available for US customers. The FE-360 and FE-370 both have 8 megapixels and face detection. The FE-360 offers 3x optical zoom while the FE-370 has a more powerful 5x lens. Both feature digital image stabilization, with additional optical stabilization on the FE-370.

Next-Gen Intel Core i7 Processors get "Turbo Mode"

08/19, 7:45pm

Intel Core i7 goes "turbo"

Intel's next-generation Core i7 Processors will include a new "Turbo Mode," that delivers a speed boost without a "heat penalty." Pat Gelsinger, Senior VP and General Manager of Intel's Digital Enterprise Group outlined the company's processor roadmap in his keynote speech at the Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco Tuesday. He said the i7 chips will make its first appearance in desktop PCs and "energy-efficient high-performace server products," code-named "Nehalem-EP."

HP's Q3 reveals computer shipments up 20%

08/19, 7:40pm

HP computer shipments up

HP's third quarter financial statements, released today, showed an increase in computer shipments of 20 percent and an increase in notebook profit of 26 percent. Those numbers are significantly less than one of their main competitors, Apple, that just reported computer shipments up 41 percent with a 43 percent increase in revenue. Despite the growth differences in the computer sector, HP still dominated in overall revenue of $28 billion, almost quadruple Apple's numbers for the quarter.

Freecom unveils "smallest" hard drive

08/19, 6:45pm

Freecom USB hard drive

Freecom has announced a new hard drive, the Mobile Drive XXS, that houses a 2.5" hard drive in a total package weighing just 5.5oz. The overall dimensions of the device are 4.3" x 3.1" x .5". The drive is actually an internal Samsung HM160HX that is connected to a bridge unit with a USB socket. The drive is contained in a soft rubber case, operating at 5400rpm with a cache of 8MB. No external power source is needed, since the unit draws all of its power from an available USB connection.

WaveMaker 4.0: one-stop web app creation

08/19, 6:45pm

WaveMaker instant web apps

The folks at WaveMaker think big, calling their Visual Ajax Studio 4.0 web app development tool "a fundamental breakthrough" -- and they may just be right. In a demonstration for MacNN it took about three minutes to build a simple database web app -- something that traditionally takes a team of developers to manage the complex weaving of web and server functions. This could be especially good news for the growing number of Mac Developers, since WaveMaker is browser-based. The company says it works just as well on Safari as it does on Microsoft Internet Explorer -- in fact it works better on Safari.

DealNN: MacBook, iPod touch, Apple TV

08/19, 5:55pm

DealNN deals MacBook

DealNN roundup: Currently DealNN is featuring a wide selection of great deals on Apple products. Get $75 off a MacBook plus get FREE Parallels Desktop 3.0, and a FREE Epson Stylus printer all for $1,018.99 at MacMall.com. Apple lanyard headphones for the first generation iPod nano have been reduced to $25 from $54 at BestBuy.com.

Canon ships 100 millionth digital compact camera

08/19, 5:00pm

Canon 100 millionth camera

Canon will celebrate the recent shipment of its 100 millionth compact digital camera by releasing a special edition in the near future. Canon's first compact digital was the PowerShot 600 introduced in 1996. Over 100 different models have been delivered by the company since then. Most of the production has come from Canon's Oita facility in Japan, with plants in Malaysia and China now contributing.

Cooliris 1.8 gains Safari 3.1 compatibility

08/19, 4:35pm

Cooliris 1.8 update

Cooliris has released an update to its self-titled browser extension, bringing it to v1.8. Formerly known as PicLens, the plug-in lets users access more elaborate, full-screen galleries of images and videos on a website, presented in a "3D Wall" view that lets users rapidly scroll through dozens or hundreds of images. A site must be Cooliris-enabled for the technology to work, but some supporting sites include Google, YouTube and Facebook.

Second-gen 3 Skypephone S2 makes debut

08/19, 4:30pm

3 Skypephone S2 debuts

Skype, together with network operator 3, have once again teamed up to bring the second-generation of the 3 Skypephone, dubbed S2. Functional changes from the original VoIP candy bar handset include the addition of a bigger screen and HSDPA wireless network support. The 2.2-inch, 320x240 resolution display replaces the old 176x220 unit, while the built-in camera now takes 3.2-megapixel photos as opposed to 2-megapixel captures.

Apple will cover, replace exploding Nanos

08/19, 4:25pm

Apple replaces Nanos

After recently discovering the sizzling first generation iPod nanos were not an isolated incident, Apple is recognizing the issue and offering to replace the faulty units. Three reports out of Japan showed several incidents of the player smoking or sparking, which also saw melted face plastics and bent back plates. In response to the claims, Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry is examining three cases in which the devices caused burns to their owners.

Olens intros ultra-affordable XPJ projector

08/19, 4:15pm

Olens low-cost projector

Ölens Technology on Tuesday announced the release of its affordable projector, the XPJ Personal Entertainment Projector, meant for use in the home and at school for standard-definition applications such as gaming or presentations. The unit is capable of throwing up images up to 70 inches in size and features a resolution of 640x480 pixels. The 270W lamp is based on a proprietary design, and the company ships the projector with a spare.

ASUS unveils four new Eee PC notebooks

08/19, 4:15pm

ASUS shows new Eee PCs

The Eee PC line has yet again expanded with four new models, ASUS announced on Monday. The 1000HD XP is the only one with a 10-inch LCD display, while the 904HD XP, 901 XP and 900 XP (16G) feature an 8.9-inch screen, though all are capable of 1024x600 resolution. The spec sheet reveals only the 901 XP will positively come with the Intel Atom 1.6GHz processor, while the other three are simply shipping with an Intel Mobile CPU.

Forums: software update, email woes, new App

08/19, 4:00pm

Forums software update

Forum roundup: MacNN forum goers have been discussing the latest 2.0.2 software update for the iPhone 3G, stating that it seems to have improved the overall speed of contacts, updates and GPS. Viable calendaring systems that will work properly with iCal on XServe are discussed in this thread. One user was about to purchase a 30-inch monitor, but instead decides to ask opinions from other forum members about the pros and cons of having two 24-inch monitors instead of one 30-inch. Calverson, a Forum Regular want's to buy a second portable Mac and is looking for some advice on the one with the best battery life. Users debate the legality of a new App that allows you to stream media from your home computer to mobile devices such as the iPod and iPhone.

Axiom's T2 in-wall speakers offer customizable colors

08/19, 3:55pm

Axiom in wall speakers

Axiom Audio today announced its new T2 loudspeakers. The T2 utilize the same technology found in the M2 bookshelf units but are designed to be mounted in the wall. The speaker dimensions are only 11.65" x 6.4" with just 5/8" rising out from the wall surface. Four grille covers are offered including white, black, silver, or a paintable version that includes a special jig so only the edges of the speaker can be seen.

Arbor intros 7-inch tablet PC with Intel Atom CPU

08/19, 3:55pm

Arbor intros tablet PC

Taiwan-based Arbor on Tuesday announced the release of its first rugged tablet PC, the Gladius G0710. The tablet sports a 7-inch touchscreen LCD with 1024x600 resolution that is bright enough to be legible in direct sunlight, the company claims, though that is an option. The standard display features an 800x480-pixel resolution. With an Intel Atom CPU rated at between 1.1GHz and 1.86GHz, the Gladius G0710 sports an integrated 2 megapixel camera and microphone. Up to 1GB of RAM will be supported.

Apple applies for iDisk, Macintosh trademarks

08/19, 3:55pm

iDisk, Mac trademarks

Apple has applied for two new additions to its trademark pool, filings show. The first is simply entitled iDisk, and covers the online file storage system first debuted through .Mac, and more recently continued with the advent of MobileMe. A successful trademark would be listed under International Class 042, and Apple cites its iDisk website as evidence of commercial use.

Ricoh intros newest 10-megapixel R10 digital camera

08/19, 3:40pm

Ricoh's R10 digital camera

Ricoh's newly introduced R10 digital camera uses a 10-megapixel CCD sensor, like the R8 it replaces,. The R10 ups the size of the LCD screen, now sized at 3 inches versus the R8's 2.7-inch version, with resolution pegged at 480 by 320 pixels. The camera features Ricoh's 3rd generation of face recognition software and a range of easy shooting functions that automatically optimize settings based on the shooting environment.

Jabra unveils SP700 Bluetooth for car or desk

08/19, 3:30pm

Jabra SP700 car or desk

Jabra has introduced its newest Bluetooth device, the SP700, a dual purpose speakerphone with an FM transmitter, according to The Headset Gazette. This speakerphone can clip onto a vehicle's sun visor or placed on a desk for handsfree talking. The SP700 will transmit to FM radio so the conversation can be 'forwarded' to the vehicle's sound system. Caller ID is even transmitted, showing the phone number on any RDS compatible radio display. Jabra claims a talk time of 14 hrs or standby time of 10.5 days.

Casio shows photo printers with keyboards

08/19, 3:10pm

Casio PCP-1200 and 250

Casio Japan today hoped to stand out against traditional digital photo printers by launching two with much more control over editing images than before. The PCP-1200 and PCP-250 both have a QWERTY keyboard that permits comments and other text overlays for photos and also enables content creation that would be impractical on photo printers using only a touchscreen, such as calendars.

LG Voyager gets firmware upgrade, new color

08/19, 3:00pm

Voyager gets new firmware

The LG Voyager offered by Verizon has finally received the previously rumored visual voicemail application as part of a new firmware upgrade, according to today's report. Owners of a Voyager can currently bring their phone in to a Verizon dealer for a free firmware upgrade. At the same time, Verizon will offer the Voyager in a new Titanium color, in addition to the originally available black.

Fantasktik toolbar allows docking, collapsing windows

08/19, 3:00pm

Fantasktik window manager

Dockland Software has announced Fantasktik, a taskbar app for the Mac which allows switching between Finder and application windows. It groups windows according to application in collapsed form on the taskbar, and uses Leopard's Core Animation to offer previews of the minimized content. The app uses a click-and-slide method for searching through numerous windows in a grouping, and offers one-click window switching. Collapsing and expanding windows is also a one-click operation.

ClipWrap converts m2t files to QuickTime HDV

08/19, 2:45pm

ClipWrap m2t converter

Divergent Media has announced ClipWrap for the Mac, an m2t batch converter for creating QuickTime HDV files. With most Hi-Def cameras recording in m2t transport streams, and few video applications capable of handling m2t, ClipWrap attempts to bridge the gap, converting the streams to QuickTime movies. The software is a rewrapping tool, moving video and audio streams to a QuickTime container. In theory this avoids generational loss through re-encoding, and saves hours of encode time.

Olympus readies 7X zoom Stylus, new FEs

08/19, 2:15pm

Olympus Stylus 1060 UK

Olympus on Tuesday gave a preview of updates to its camera lines ahead of Photokina with European announcements of cameras that should appear in the US. The µ[mju:] 1060 (Stylus 1060 in the US) is unusually long-ranged and boasts a 7X zoom, 37-260mm equivalent lens that helps compose distant landscape shots. Both hardware- and software-based image stabilization keep the resulting 10-megapixel images steady and are backed by a very high-speed mode that shoots at nine frames per second in exchange for lower-resolution three-megapixel shots.

Destineer ships Age of Empires III: Asian Dynasties

08/19, 1:25pm

AoE: Asian Dynasties ships

Destineer has announced that the latest Age of Empires III expansion pack, The Asian Dynasties, has shipped for the Mac. The pack features three new Asian civilizations -- the Indians, Chinese and Japanese -- each of which receives units unique to its culture. Game modes include a new single-player campaign, which allows players to relive major events in Asian history.

Archos intros media tablets with 3G, more

08/19, 1:15pm

Archos Media Tablets

Archos mid-Tuesday launched an aggressive campaign to capture the touchscreen media player market with the Internet Media Tablet line. The devices are pitched as complements to the earlier fifth-generation media players and focus primarily on Internet access: all use a Flash-enabled version of Opera for browsing and support both radio and video streams. Aside from a new and slimmer design, the 5-inch Archos 5G also marks one of the few devices of the type with built-in 3G: an internal modem and SIM card support HSDPA cellular data from most providers and enable Internet access from most areas.

Pad for iPhone/iPod controls Macs over Wi-Fi

08/19, 12:55pm

Pad remote-controls Macs

Philip Hansson has announced Pad, an iPhone and iPod touch application for remote controlling a Mac via Wi-Fi. The app lets users can control a Mac's mouse, keyboard and volume controls, and supports functions such as dragging, zooming and scrolling, left-, right- and double-clicks, and hotkeys with the option for application-specific custom keys. A host Mac can use any resolution, and any number of screens.

Intel announces Mainstream SSD drives

08/19, 12:25pm

Intel Mainstream SSDs

In the wake of last Friday's leak, Intel has now formally announced its Mainstream series of SSD drives. Models will be available in 1.8- and 2.5-inch sizes, and rely on MLC (multi-level cell) NAND memory, which should in theory aid to keep prices down. One of the first examples is the 80GB X25-M, which is also Intel's first SATA-based SSD for notebook and desktop OEM builders.

US cellphone sales down 13% in spring

08/19, 12:00pm

Cellphone sales report

A report today from The NPD Group reveals that 2008's spring quarter saw cellular phone sales in the US drop to 28 million units, or 13 percent less than the same time period in 2007. Revenue from the sales for the same time period, at below $2.4 billion, represented a two percent decrease, the NPD report concluded. Accounting for the discrepancy between these numbers is the fact consumers are spending 14 percent more in the spring quarter of 2008, $84 on average, on phones that have more features, with sales of QWERTY keyboard-equipped handsets jumping by a record of 28 percent, while handsets with Bluetooth jumped 12 percent.

HTC aims for top 5 in worldwide phone share

08/19, 11:40am

HTC Aims for Top 5 Share

HTC hopes to become one of the top five phone manufacturers in the world, company chief Peter Chou tells the Taiwan area Commercial Times. While not setting out a timeframe to achieve the goal, the executive believes his company will sit between third and fifth place regardless of the phone class. The target would require that HTC multiply its predicted 2008 sales of 15 million phones by more than six times to beat Motorola, which wants to sell over 100 million phones by the end of the year.

Fort Worth, Texas Apple Store to open Aug 23rd

08/19, 11:30am

Fort Worth store opening

Apple has announced that the grand opening of a new retail store in Fort Worth, Texas will happen this upcoming Saturday, August 23rd. The new store is located on University Drive, and will be the 15th Apple Store located in Texas. The location is halfway between downtown and TCU (Texas Christian University), giving both students and residents of Fort Worth easy access.

SingTel posts iPhone plans in advance of launch

08/19, 11:20am

SingTel iPhone plans

Singaporean carrier SingTel has confirmed its pricing plans for the iPhone 3G, launching August 22nd. Customers looking to purchase the phone will be able to pick between seven different plans, which are broken down into two categories: iFlexi and SingTel. The iFlexi plans range from $56 to $205 a month, and come pre-bundled with data plans offering up to 3GB; the data options are, however, only available until September 5th. The SingTel plans range from $26 to $193 a month, but require people to add data separately, for instance through the BroadBand on Mobile Plus package which gives users 500MB of data a month for $20. Overage charges are $0.0019 per kilobyte, roughly equal to $2 per megabyte.

Apple deals: iPod collection, MacBook, Xserve

08/19, 11:00am

Refurb iPods, MacBooks

Apples online store is currently offering previous generation refurbished iPods in 30GB (up to 7,500 songs) and 80GB (up to 20,000 songs) configurations for $159 and $189 in black and white. Current generation 1GB (up to 240 songs) iPod shuffles are only $39 and come in silver, blue, green or purple. For $149 is the 8GB (up to 2,000 songs) iPod nano in silver, blue, green black or pink. Three iPod touch configurations are also featured: 8GB (1,750 songs) for $199, 16GB (3,500 songs) for $299 and 32GB (7,000) for $399.

Mac OS X 10.5.5 updated to build 9F17

08/19, 10:55am

Mac OS X 10.5.5 build 9F17

Apple has seeded its Mac OS X developers a new private build of the upcoming Mac OS X 10.5.5 update. A source has informed AppleInsider that on Monday a new build titled 9F17 was released, alongside the public release of the iPhone 2.0.2 firmware. Sources also claim the build introduces five new fixes, bringing the total number of code corrections for v10.5.5 to 120. More specifically, Apple is said to have addressed issues related to Back to My Mac, Mail syncing, CoreAnimation, iCal Invitations and read-only local calendars. The release comes less than a week after build 9F13 and is reported to contain no known issues.

Apple airs three new Get a Mac ads

08/19, 10:40am

New Get a Mac ads

Apple has posted three new Get a Mac TV ads to its site. Two of the ads merely take jabs at Windows Vista, while a third adds that college users are generally picking Macs over PC. In the former category, "Throne" talks about how easy it is for users to switch over to Mac; if they simply bring their old PC into an Apple Store, the ad claims, an employee will migrate all of their files over.

Dell gives Studio notebooks Mike Ming art treatment

08/19, 10:35am

Dell Studio Mike Ming

Applying the same touch that it did to earlier Inspirons, Dell today has introduced Mike Ming Edition Studio notebooks. Both the 15- and 17-inch models now have both the "Bunch O Surfers" and "Sea Sky" looks on their rear lids from the since phased-out models but also three new patterns that reflect the tattoo-like work of their namesake New York City-based artist.

New iPod nano fires spark concern in Japan

08/19, 10:25am

iPod nano fires in Japan

The Japanese government has taken a serious interest in iPod nano defects following three separate fires this year, the Wall Street Journal reports. Hiroyuki Yoshitsune, an official from Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, says that a pair of Nanos recently overheated in Tokyo, scorching a straw mat in one case and paper in a second. These incidents surround another from March, in which sparks were caught erupting from a Nano.

Palm makes Treo Pro official

08/19, 9:55am

Palm Treo Pro

Palm on Tuesday ended speculation with the official launch of the Treo Pro. The GSM smartphone is Palm's first to support tri-band 3G over HSDPA, allowing it faster Internet speeds not only in North America and Europe but also places such as Japan and Korea. It also marks the first significant redesign of GSM Treos in years and has a new, sleeker design that incorporates a flush touchscreen and a button to quickly switch its built-in Wi-Fi on and off.

Piper: Student iPods, Sept. event to drive 2H08

08/19, 9:25am

Piper on 2H08 factors

Apple's current Back to School promotion -- in which students can pick up an iPod nano or touch for free, alongside a new Mac -- might have more significance than normally attributed to it, write analysts with Piper Jaffray. The firm notes that at $299, the cost of a Touch is a significant hit for Apple, which in past years has limited its iPod rebates to $199. This is likely one driver of Apple's decreased gross margin predictions, set to slide to 31.5 percent in September and eventually 30 percent during FY09. By contrast, margins reached 35 percent in the June quarter.

Mitsubishi Japan updates TVs, shows Blu-ray/TV hybrid

08/19, 9:25am

Mitsubishi MZW200 HDTVs

Mitsubishi on Tuesday gave a preview to Americans of some likely HDTV updates with refreshes to its REAL TV line in Japan. The MZW200 series at 40 and 46 inches claim a strictly average 15,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio but have a comparatively high 3,000:1 base ratio that helps improve their overall black levels. They also use the electronics giant's newer Diamond Engine Pro III technology to process video in 16-bit detail and reduce noise beyond typical efforts from competitors.

Logitech preps Cordless Desktop Wave Pro

08/19, 9:15am

Logitech Desktop Wave Pro

Logitech today put out a more ergonomic pairing of mouse and keyboards through its Cordless Desktop Wave Pro set. The bundle mates a 2.4GHz RF-based wireless Desktop Wave keyboard with a new, similarly ergonomic MX1100 RF mouse to ease the stress on users' hands and wrists over long work periods without forcing users to relearn their control layouts.

Apple tops satisfaction scores with Vista help

08/19, 8:00am

Apple Tops ACSI Scores

The American Customer Satisfaction Index on Tuesday gave Apple its highest-ever score for pleasing customers of its Macs, giving the firm a record 85 points in the ACSI annual report based on reactions from users to both their opinions on computer quality as well as support after the sale. The award is Apple's fifth consecutive nod in as many years and is partly attributed to the sales success of its computers, which have been gaining marketshare in recent months.

Nokia intros sports car-inspired 8800 Carbon Arte

08/19, 7:15am

Nokia 8800 Carbon Arte

Nokia this morning gave its 8800 series a more unique special edition with the 8800 Carbon Arte. Unlike some previous editions, the Carbon Arte signals a change of materials and uses the same lightweight carbon fiber and titanium as many supercars in addition to glass and steel. Unlike most such updates, however, the Carbon Arte is also a practical improvement and bumps up internal storage to 4GB, giving more room for shots from the existing 3.2-megapixel (and autofocus-capable) camera.

Bold lands in Canada, other countries this week

08/19, 12:40am

BlackBerry Bold launches

The BlackBerry Bold will hit the Canadian marketplace Thursday, according to the sole GSM provider Rogers Wireless, allegedly carrying a cost between $300 and $400. While not a simultaneous worldwide release, like Apple's iPhone, carriers are expected to see the device all throughout this week, with Germany already offering the Bold to customers. The Bold represents Canadian company RIM's first attempt at a high-speed HSDPA device. Rogers could not confirm pricing.

USB 12V socket adapter charges five devices

08/19, 12:20am

USBfever cigarette adapter

USBfever has announced a new product designed to allow users to charge multiple devices at once through a 12V line. The new car charger adapter features four usb ports and one cigarette socket. The adapter plugs into an existing cigarette socket and then allows multiple devices to be charged without the need for a cigarette socket splitter that requires additional stickers or nails to be used for installation.

Keyboard Maestro 3.4 adds macro strings, more

08/19, 12:00am

Keyboard Maestro 3.4

Stairways Software has announced Keyboard Maestro 3.4, the latest version of its 'productivity enhancer' for Mac OS X. This release includes a 'typed string' trigger, allowing the user to fire off macros when typing a matching string. Triggers can be created with easily remembered mnemonics. Appearance has been enhanced to look more like the default system program switcher. Import/export of the named clipboards has been improved for better sharing of macros.