News Archive for 08/10/22

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

Adobe Lightroom 2.1, Camera Raw 5.1 now available [u]

10/22, 11:40pm

Lightroom, RAW updates

Adobe today announced updates to Photoshop Lightroom and the Photoshop Camera Raw plug-in. Available immediately as free upgrades for Lightroom 2 and Photoshop CS4 users, the releases provide added raw file support for 15 digital cameras including the Nikon D90, Nikon D700, Canon EOS 50D and Canon EOS 1000D. The Lightroom 2.1 update also includes improvements to Photoshop integration, Web module stability for Microsoft Windows Vista 64-bit operating systems, performance with 64-bit Mac OS X 10.5 Macintosh computers, and Keyword migration from Lightroom. A complete list of improvements is available in the Lightroom update documentation.

Apple hires Yale dean to start Apple University

10/22, 11:35pm

Apple University dean

Apple recently hired Joel Podolny, the dean of the Yale School of Management, to join the computer maker as the vice president and dean of Apple University, according to the Wall Street Journal. Podolny has worked with Yale since 2005 with a particular focus on organizational-behavior research, with recent studies of how leaders infuse meaning into their organizations. He also taught at Stanford and served as the Director of Research at the Harvard Business School.

New iPhone ad: Game Changer, with MLB app

10/22, 11:05pm

Game Changer iPhone ad

Apple has posted a new iPhone ad to its site which puts a focus on the MLB At Bat application. The new promotion follows Apple's, now common formula for building an iPhone ad. A hand is seen operating the phone over a white background with the same tune playing in the background, the same voice describing the capabilities of the iPhone and the phone ringing and being answered to end the advertisement.

HighPoint intros RocketRAID 2680 SAS HBA

10/22, 10:05pm

RocketRAID 2680 SAS HBA

HighPoint Technologies has introduced the RocketRAID 2680 SAS host bus adapter (HBA). The company focused on making an adapter with a small form factor measuring only 3.3 inches long, terminating at the end of the PCIe x4 slot. The company claims RAID 5 performance of up to 561MB per second read and 654MB per second write. The device features 8 SAS/SATA ports and supports RAID levels 0, 1, 5, 10, and JBOD with scaling up to 128 devices if an expander is also used.

iPro Recorder for iPhone records, organizes audio

10/22, 9:45pm

Audio recorder for iPhone

Berkley Integrated Audio Software (BIAS) has launched the iPro Recorder for the iPhone and iPod touch. The new app records voice memos, lectures, sermons, legal briefings, field interviews, business meetings/dictation, ambient sounds, music, and more, with three levels of quality from CD fidelity to dictation quality levels. The software records in 16-bit mono from 44KHz to 11KHZ, in .WAV format, (up to 13 hours of audio per gigabyte) offering cross platform compatibility with Macs and PCs. It provides one-touch recording, pause and resume and appending of previous recordings with new audio. It has an option to send a call on the iPhone straight to voicemail, or can pause and resume after the call.

iKey unveils rugged Bluetooth keyboard

10/22, 9:25pm

iKey rugged keyboard

iKey has unveiled its latest rugged keyboard, the BT-87-TP, which offers wireless connection using Bluetooth. The keyboard is fully sealed and meets NEMA 4X specifications that require resistance from water, dirt, dust, ice, and corrosives. Designed for industrial use, the silicone covering allows the device to be submerged and disinfected. A touchpad has been integrated into the ABS polycarbonate case to offer an alternative to a standard mouse.

USBfever releases tire-look USB hub, notebook stand

10/22, 9:00pm

USBfever hub and stand

USBfever has released two new products for computers, a foldable notebook stand and a 4-port USB hub that looks like a car tire. The notebook stand features adjustments for height and control of the angle from 30 degrees to 160 degrees. Depending on the position configuration, it can be used as a small standalone desk, bed stand for working or watching movies, or chair stand to hold the computer at a specific angle. The device could also be used as an outdoor work-surface for writing or a projector stand.

Yamaha releases AudioGram recording interfaces

10/22, 8:40pm

Yamaha AudioGram recording

Yamaha has begun shipping its latest computer recording systems, the AudioGram 3 and AudioGram 6. Both devices offer mic and line inputs and connect to the computer via USB. Various connections are provided, including XLR, 1/4 inch instrument, 1/8 inch headphone, and RCA jacks. Both devices integrate a preamp when using mic inputs and provide 48-V phantom power as needed for condenser microphones. AudioGram 3 features both a mono input that can be used for a mic or instrument, and a stereo channel for connecting line level sources.

Nomad Factory launches British Series Audio plug-ins

10/22, 6:30pm

New audio plug-ins launch

DontCrac[k] has announced new Nomad Factory British Series plug-ins for high-end audio sequencers and editors, such as ProTools, Cubase, Adobe's Audition and Apple's GarageBand. The two new plug-ins are a part of the new Nomad Factory Ultimate 26 Plug-ins Producer Pack, with a special promotion launching in November. The new British plug-ins, the MCL-2269 and NEQ-1972, offer emulations of the equalizers and master bus compressor/limiters found in "British" mixing consoles.

US Congress considers iPhone as option, testing now

10/22, 6:00pm

iPhones may be on the Hill

US State Senator may have a trendy new gadget next year, as congress is considering the iPhone as its newest communication device. TheHill.com is reporting that Congress's Chief Administrative Office (CAO), the office in charge of congressional communications, is testing a set of iPhones among its ranks to see if the device will function within the needs of Capital Hill representatives and support staff.

PhotoCopy 1.0 mirrors iPhoto folders to Flickr

10/22, 5:35pm

PhotoCopy mirrors Flickr

24x7digital has introduced PhotoCopy 1.0, its new iPhoto to Flickr mirroring utility. The user selects albums in iPhoto for sharing and PhotoCopy then uploads the photos to Flickr and organizes them in matching sets. It also copies metadata like tittles, date and time, ratings, keywords and descriptions. A primary feature of the new software is its ability to mirror the iPhoto folder on Flickr; when images are added to a PhotoCopied folder, the changes are updated automatically on the same folder on Flickr. It also works in reverse, adding images to iPhoto as the Flickr folder changes. It will mirror changes including adding, deleting reordering or editing photos.

DealNN: bargain Macs, 3rd gen. iPod nano, HP printer

10/22, 5:00pm

DealNN: bargain Macs

A selection of bargain Mac computers are currently featured at DealNN today. First off is the new 13-inch, 2.0GHz MacBook priced at $1219 after a mail in rebate from OnSale.com. Also at OnSale is the 1.8GHz MacBook Air priced at $1919 after mail in rebate. Get a refurbished 20-inch iMac with 2.0GHz processor, 1GB of RAM and a 250GB hard drive for $949 at Apple's online store. MacMall.com has reduced the price on the 3rd generation iPod nano in silver from $135 to $119. For today only (10/22/08) the HP Photosmart all-in-one printer is available at Newegg.com for $39, it is regularly priced at $74.99.

LaCie reveals LaCinema Rugged

10/22, 4:40pm

LaCie LaCinema Rugged

LaCie today hardened its media storage and released the LaCinema Rugged. The 2.5-inch hard drive is now covered in a rubber shell around an aluminum case and contains internal shockproofing, all of which let users take the disk on trips without damaging the content inside. It can reportedly be loaded quickly through USB from a Mac or Windows PC and works as its own media server: common audio, photo and video formats (including XviD) can play at up to 1080i without a set-top box or PC. A bundled remote handles usual navigation tasks.

Steve Jobs suggests Apple will invest through slump

10/22, 4:40pm

Apple plans through slump

Many people are wondering if Apple is planning acquisitions, or working on a new product concept, after CEO Steve Jobs hinted that his company might have big plans to take advantage of the economic slump, according to Digital Daily. Jobs took part in yesterday's Q4 financial conference call, and reminded everyone that Apple has $25 billion in the bank and no debt. Exactly what the future plans might entail is unknown, but this amount of cash could be used to expand production facilities, develop new products, or consume companies weakened by the global credit meltdown.

Apple deals: refurb cinema displays, Mac Pro, iPods

10/22, 4:25pm

Apple deals cinema display

Currently Apple's online store is offering some great deals on refurbished Apple products. The Time Capsule is available with two storage capacities to chose from, 500GB ($249) or 1TB ($419) along with Apple TV units in 40GB ($199) and 160GB ($279) configurations. Cinema displays come in three sizes, 20-inch for $499, 23-inch for $749 and 30-inch for $1499. Apple certified Mac Pro models are available in two configurations: 2GB of RAM, 320GB hard drive and 2.8GHz Intel Xeon processor for $2399 and 2GB of RAM, 500GB hard drive and 3.2GHz Intel Xeon processor for $4099.

MIU HDPC combines phone, PC functionality

10/22, 4:25pm

MIU HDPC is phone and PC

South Korea's Mobile Intelligent Ubiquitous (MIU) has released the third version of its Hybrid Dual Portable Computer (HDPC), which, fittingly, has two screens, two processors and two operating systems. Not quite a netbook, but a lot larger than a smartphone, the device features a 4.1-inch, 800x480 TFT screen that slides and then flips over to reveal a 320x240, 2.4-inch AMOLED display and keypad. An ARM processor handles phone-related tasks like capturing photos, playing music, and navigating the WinCE operating system. The phone operates either over VoIP or GSM/GPRS/CDMA networks.

PRIE Ambassador SideHook case released for Touch 2G

10/22, 4:20pm

SideHook Touch 2G case

Tunewear has unveiled the PRIE Ambassador SideHook case for the iPod touch 2G. The leather case features a hook, placed on the side, which can be attached to a belt loop or other anchor point. The location of the hook allows it to double as a stand while watching videos. An integrated cardholder, meanwhile, can be used to hold identification or similarly-sized items. Button functions are said to remain uninhibited, and all ports have been left exposed.

New Motorola i9 at FCC, coming to Sprint-Nextel

10/22, 4:15pm

Motorola i9 spotted at FCC

An FCC filing spotted on Wednesday reveals a new Motorola flip phone is coming to wireless provider Sprint-Nextel. The handset, which may also possibly launch under the Cabo name, will operate on iDEN and CDMA networks from Sprint. It features a 3.1-megapixel camera with autofocus and 8X digital zoom, a useful update over other iDEN handsets' 1.3-megapixel shooters.

Super Talent ships add-on micro SSDs

10/22, 4:10pm

Super Talent SSDs

Super Talent today added still more flash memory to its lineup with the introduction of a new class of ZIF IDE drives. Based on Intel's Z-P140 and other drives from the family, the Parallel ATA drives are built as add-ons for Eee PCs and other netbooks which are internally expandable but are too small for ordinary hard drives. The storage measures either 0.85 or 1.0 inches and so won't block airflow or affect the weight of upgraded systems.

CoverScout 3 updates interface, search options

10/22, 4:10pm

CoverScout 3 released

equinux has begun shipping CoverScout 3, an update of its iTunes assistant utility. The software is used to find and apply album art not available through the iTunes Store, by searching through various online resources such as Amazon, Walmart and Google Image Search. New to the program is a revised interface, which combines Cover Flow with other technologies such as Quick Look.

Android Market now open with more than 50 apps

10/22, 4:05pm

Android Market goes live

To coincide with today's launch of the long-anticipated T-Mobile G1 that is billed as the biggest competitor to Apple's iPhone yet, the online application store for the handset that is the Android Market went live on Wednesday as well. Users can now download any of the more than 50 existing applications for their Android OS phones and can rate them after use as well as leave comments. Between user feedback and anonymous usage statistics, the applications will be ranked in the Android Market.

Apps: Backboard, Calories, iSync plugins

10/22, 4:00pm

AllBookmarks, Backboard

Backboard 1.0 (Free) offers a desktop application that works with 37signals Backpack organization and collaboration tool. The application features a calendar which shows events side by side with list items and reminders. Users can also add, edit and search list items and reminders across all Backboard pages. [Download - 1.3MB]

Specs, photo leak of Nokia E63 handset

10/22, 3:45pm

Nokia E63 handset leaked

What is believed to be one of the upcoming handsets reported last month from Nokia has been spotted online over the last couple of days and is believed to be called the E63. As such, it bears a strong resemblance to the E71 handset, though reports suggest it is thicker than the existing handset and the model designation hints it will slot in below that phone in the Nokia lineup. While nothing is official, the E63 is expected to include a 3.5mm headset jack on the top of it and include a 2-megapixel camera wrapped in a mainly plastic body.

Comcast expands 50Mbps access, adds 22Mbps

10/22, 3:30pm

Comcast DOCSIS 3 Expands

Comcast today officially launched and expanded its DOCSIS 3.0 service in a bid to compete against Verizon's FIOS and other very high-speed Internet connections. Originally available in a limited form just in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, the now established Extreme 50 plan bonds cable channels together to reach downstream speeds of 50Mbps, or bandwidth three times faster than the provider's DOCSIS 2.0-era 16Mbps tier. The performance is high enough to make HD video feasible: a full 6GB movie can download in as little as 16 minutes.

iPhone apps: MileBug, Handshake, Chess Pro

10/22, 3:30pm

Brain Jogging, Flex photo

MileBug - Mileage Log ($7) helps people who drive their own vehicles for business, charity, medical or other reasons track miles travelled in order to receive their reimbursement and/or tax deduction. The application keeps track of all trips made and which category each trip falls under; users may then choose to email any of these records to either themselves or employers.

Absoft debuts Fortran plug-in for Xcode 3.1

10/22, 3:25pm

Xcode 3.1 Fortran plug-in

Absoft has announced a new plug-in for Apple's latest development platform, Xcode 3.1. The Absoft add-on lets users program in Fortran within Xcode, via support of the company's special IDE. Both 32- and 64-bit compilers are present, and users additionally have access to Absoft's Fx3 debugger, MRWE framework and third-party libraries. Resulting programs can be composed entirely of Fortran, or a mix of Fortran and C++.

ASUS G50 and G71 gaming notebooks now shipping

10/22, 2:30pm

ASUS G50 and G71 ship

ASUS has announced it is now shipping its new gaming notebooks, the 15.4- or 15.6-inch G50 and 17-inch G71 that can be equipped with Intel's Core 2 Extreme quad-core mobile CPU. Both use NVIDIA's GeForce 9700M GT GPU with a dedicated 512MB of memory for not only graphics processing but other time-intensive computational tasks such as converting videos into other formats. The GPUs include support for technologies such as NVIDIA PhysX and other video acceleration and image-processing capabilities. Software drivers for NVIDIA PhysX and CUDA technologies will be offered as free downloads over the next few months.

Nokia releases extra-small BH-804 headset

10/22, 2:00pm

Nokia BH-804 Headset

Nokia on Wednesday aimed at the ultraportable side of Bluetooth headsets and launched the BH-804. The peripheral is the company's smallest-ever earpiece at just under 1.7 inches long and is also made of relatively high-end materials, including an almost entirely aluminum shell. It lasts for about four hours of continuous talk despite its size and builds in DSP-based noise canceling to cut back on outside noise.

OWC intros external Blu-ray drives with quad output

10/22, 1:20pm

OWC external BD burners

Other World Computing (OWC) on Wednesday introduced its Mercury Pro Blu-ray external drives, the first on the market, the company says, that include a quad interface. This includes FireWire 800, FireWire 400, USB 2.0 and eSATA connectivity options for both Macs and PCs, allowing the external drives to write Blu-ray media at speeds up to 4X or 150MBps, or twice as fast as OWC's previous generation BD burners.

Apricot drops Linux from Picobook Pro

10/22, 1:10pm

Apricot drops Linux

Linux is no longer a choice of operating system on the Picobook Pro, according to Apricot. Although the netbook was only released last week, Apricot has decided to remove the option of SuSE Linux Enterprise Edition, which cost only £279 ($454) instead of the £328 ($534) for a Windows XP system. In compensation the company has lowered the price of the latter, which is now £299 ($487).

Quebecor building Canada-wide HSPA sevice

10/22, 12:25pm

Quebecor HSPA Coming

Cable provider Quebecor today said it would roll out an HSPA (High Speed Packet Access) 3G network across Canada and establish itself as only the second carrier using the technology in the country. The company plans to have the first elements of its network in use within the next 12 to 18 months and plans to finish its efforts within four years.

Psystar lawyer denies possible settlement with Apple

10/22, 12:15pm

Psystar: No settlement

People should not get the impression that Apple and Psystar are on the verge of a settlement, says a lawyer for the latter company. Colby Springer admits that the companies have entered into Alternative Dispute Resolution, but says this is just a program required by the Northern District of California, and should not be interpreted as a sign that any understanding has been reached. "Quite frankly, all the talk about entering negotiations is really a non-story," says Springer. "The case is very much alive."

Super Talent outs high-capacity 64GB USB drives

10/22, 11:45am

Super Talent 64GB USBs

Memory device maker Super Talent will release a new family of USB drives later this week with the highest capacity in the industry, at up to 64GB. The Luxio USB Drives are housed in black, silver or wood grain finished UV-coated ABS/PC plastic cases with chrome-plated zinc trim. The drives can also be had in 16GB and 32GB capacities, and are built using dual-channel flash memory architecture. They are fully compatible with USB 1.1 and 2.0 ports, with no drivers needed to work with the majority of operating systems.

Intel blames iPhone problems on ARM processor

10/22, 11:35am

Intel rags on iPhone chips

The iPhone lacks power because it relies on ARM processors, claims Pankaj Kedia, Intel's director of ecosystems in the ultra-mobility group. Kedia spoke at the Intel Developer Forum in Taiwan yesterday, adding to comments from the company's VP in the mobility group, Shane Wall. "Any sort of application that requires any horsepower at all and the iPhone struggles," said Wall. Kedia accuses ARM of hurting the smartphone world as a whole, specifically by underpowering a number of devices.

Sprint set to lower cancellation fees

10/22, 11:10am

Sprint to lower exit fees

Sprint's Chief Executive Dan Hesse said it will terminate its early cancellation fees to customers as soon as December in a move that is in-line with rival companies, says a Tuesday report. The fees will be lowered from the current minimum of $200 when subscribers leave Sprint before their two-year contracts end once Sprint's billing software is updated, the company announced, though the amount of the new charge was not disclosed. The fee would be reduced according to how many months are left on a user's contract, mirroring the prorating moves from competitors such as AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile.

AT&T to launch BlackBerry Bold Nov. 4th

10/22, 10:55am

BBerry Bold ATT on Nov 4th

AT&T today finally announced a release date for the BlackBerry Bold on its network, giving the much-delayed phone to customers. Company wireless chief Ralph de la Vega in the company's financial quartely call revealed that the first production 3G BlackBerry for HSPA networks will be available on November 4th, or roughly six months after the provider first announced it as an exclusive for its network in the US. Pricing is set at $300 with a two-year contract.

Analysts contemplate tougher times for Apple

10/22, 10:05am

Analysts on Apple Q4

Apple is beginning to experience harsher conditions than it is used to, say analysts in the wake of yesterday's Q4 results call. Researchers from Needham & Co. comment that Apple's guidance for the next quarter is "downbeat," as a result of worries about a looming recession. UBS' Maynard Um is still more pessimistic, downgrading Apple's rating from "Buy" to "Neutral" based on the economy, which Um suggests will hurt Mac sales. The company's average selling price of the iPhone, $635, is further said to be "unsustainable" in a competitive environment with longer replacement cycles. Um's price target has slid from $125 to $115.

Scitec intros 320x240 ultraportable projector

10/22, 10:05am

Scitec pocket projector

Scitec Japan recently announced the upcoming launch of its VLP-100 pocket projector based on a four LED system manufactured by German company OSRAM. The projector weighs in at 2.2lbs and measures approximately 7.1 by 4.3 by 2.2 inches, although its resolution is on par with that of some smartphones, at 320x240. The VLP-100 features a maximum brightness of 350 lumens and a native aspect ratio of 4:3.

Panasonic reveals daylight-capable 3D sensor

10/22, 10:00am

Panasonic Daylight 3D

Panasonic has introduced a 3D sensor that it says should be the one of the first to work properly in regular light. Where normal sensors only detect the amount of reflected light and so are often rendered useless in the daytime or under bright lights, the new technology's CCD sensor is intelligent enough to measure the differences in electrical charges between ambient and reflected light. This lets it work outdoors or in other areas previously off-limits for 3D sensors.

AT&T activates 2.4m iPhone 3Gs in summer

10/22, 8:40am

ATT Q3 2008 and iPhone

AT&T today reported results for its summer quarter that reveal the company owing a significant portion of its cellular business to the iPhone 3G. About 2.4 million iPhones were activated on the carrier's network between its July launch and the end of September; the number is actually higher than the 2 million net gain of total customers during the year, 1.7 million of which were subscription customers. The latter is the largest increase for any quarter in AT&T's history, the company says. It now claims a total of 74.9 million cellular customers of any kind.

T-Mobile G1 starts shipping

10/22, 7:45am

T-Mobile G1 Ships

T-Mobile today formally began shipping the G1, the first production Android-based device and the carrier's first full-touchscreen phone poised to challenge the iPhone. The launch sees the HTC-built handset available online to non-T-Mobile users for the first time and also makes the phone available in retail for those regions that carry T-Mobile's HSDPA- or UMTS-based 3G service; the company claims about 95 individual cities in over 20 major areas have the faster coverage.

Samsung nixes SanDisk offer, blasts recent decisions

10/22, 12:55am

Samsung snubs SanDisk

Talks between Samsung and SanDisk have ended, with a letter sent by Samsung chief Yoon Woo Lee to SanDisk's Eli Harari and Irwin Federman, blasting its board for not acting to resolve a deal. The letter is intertwined with warning, about how SanDisk's recently posted quarter-billion dollar loss reflects the ailing state of its market. Lee also draws attention to SanDisk's "hurried renegotiaton [sic]" with Toshiba, as well as major job losses as being major signs it should have more closely considered Samsung's offer.

New Get a Mac ad implies wasted spending by Microsoft

10/22, 12:30am

New Get a Mac ad

Apple's latest Get a Mac ad stokes the marketing rivalry between the company and its primary competitor, Microsoft. The ad, available online, suggests that Microsoft sets its customers' needs at a low priority, exemplified by the ad campaign costing millions that could have been spent reworking Windows Vista. This is the third ad in a recent series that has focused on Microsoft's exorbitant advertising spending which began with the Seinfeld/Gates commercials that completely omitted any information regarding its products.

iRa allows surveillance control and viewing on iPhone

10/22, 12:10am

iRa iPhone surveillance

Lextech Labs has introduced iRa, a remote surveillance viewing and control application for the iPhone or iPod touch. The app goes beyond the simple video feed function by allowing full control over pan, tilt, and zoom (PTZ) functions of monitoring equipment. Users can define groups of cameras containing an unlimited number of feeds even across several geographic locations. The camera views can be tiled across the screen and then switched to a single camera by touching the appropriate feed.