08/24, 5:50pm
Mimo 720S touchscreen
Mimo Monitors on Monday introduced the 720-S, a 7-inch portable touchscreen display geared for netbook users. The monitor provides 800x480 resolution, 350 cd/m² brightness and a contrast ratio of 400:1, while utilizing resistive touchscreen technology. The device is powered and connected via a single USB cable, enabling use as a secondary screen for presenting applications, formatting palettes, instant messengers or other interfaces.
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01/26, 11:35pm
Monitor a Mac via iPhone
Bjango has released iStat 1.0, a network monitoring app that allows users to check up on thier Macs. The app also provides detailed iPhone stats, including available memory, IP addresses, usage and load averages. Included network tools allow users to ping servers and resolve hostnames with traceroute. The Melbourne-based developer says iStat also includes a "Free Memory" tool which works to free up unused space reserved by third-party iPhone applications.
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08/28, 3:50pm
See2 Xtreme, video card
Monitors keep getting bigger and bigger, but it seems that the more display space you have, the more you may want. While Leopard provides Spaces so you can flip through multiple virtual desktops, you may prefer connecting multiple monitors to your Mac instead. For a simple solution to plugging in additional monitors to any Mac, take a look at Tritton’s See2 Xtreme external video card.
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04/18, 3:25pm
MacBook Air grows LED LCDs
The MacBook Air, with its use of an LED-lit display, is supposedly spurring adoption of the technology all throughout the industry, due to its energy conservation and even lighting. According to Macworld, Apple's slender ultraportable – due to its aesthetic appeal – is spurring an almost exponential rise in LED use in devices ranging from laptops and desktop LCD monitors, to LCD televisions.
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04/14, 7:15pm
HP DreamColor
Hewlett Packard, with some assistance from DreamWorks, is announcing a new technology dubbed "HP DreamColor" that the company says will be a "disruptive" force in the market place. MacNN spoke with Jim Zafarana is Vice President, Worldwide Marketing for Hewlett-Packard Company's Workstation Global Business Unit and Jeff Wood, Director Product Marketing at HP about the new technology, which will purportedly pave the way for displays with accurate, predictable color reproduction at a fraction of the cost of similarly capable monitors and finally offer a transition route to flat-panel displays for graphic design firms (like DreamWorks) that have thus far been stuck with CRT displays.
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04/01, 12:15am
Onset USB humidity monitor
Onset Computer Corporation today introduced the HOBO U14 LCD Data Logger, an environmental monitoring system that tracks temperature and humidity ratings in indoor environtments. The logger notifies users when environmental conditions exceed those specified, and includes both an audible alarm, as well as an auto phone dialer. Onset says the unit functions quickly over USB 2.0, and is selling the unit starting at $200.
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03/31, 4:35pm
DisplayLink beta drivers
DisplayLink recently announced beta drivers for the Mac for its DisplayLink USB line of monitor extension products, but said the drivers do not yet enable 2D or 3D acceleration on the platform. The USB device allows users to connect up to another four DVI or VGA displays to a computer, ideal for computers that do not have many monitor extension capabilities such as the Mac mini. DisplayLink notes that the devices require Mac OS X 10.4.11 Tiger or Leopard 10.5.2.
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03/31, 3:05pm
iMac display suit
Kabateck Brown Kellner, LLP, a law firm out of Los Angeles, California, has filed suit against Apple on behalf of a class of users claiming that the computer maker "deceptively marketed" the 20-inch iMac by purporting improved display performance, though the device's monitor is allegedly of "inferior" quality. The suit claims that the monitors are incapable of displaying “millions of colors,” despite Apple's marketing claims. "Apple is duping its customers into thinking they’re buying 'new and improved' when in fact they're getting stuck with 'new and inferior,'”"said Brian Kabateck, Managing Partner of Kabateck Brown Kellner. "Beneath Apple’s 'good guy' image is a corporation that takes advantage of its customers. Our goal is to help those customers who were deceived and make sure Apple tells the truth in the future."
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02/20, 1:10pm
Optimism 1.0 unveiled
Crackatonic Projects has released Optimism 1.0, a health-wellness
planning application that takes a pro-active approach to dealing with mental health. Optimism works by helping users monitor patterns in their lifestyle such as a person’s mood, exercise, sleep, and other potential triggers, symptoms or activities that may trigger depression. The program requires Mac OS X Version 10.2 or higher and runs as a Universal Binary for both Intel and PowerPC processors. Optimism 1.0 costs $19.95 and is available as a full-featured 7-day trial.
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02/18, 6:35pm
Current State for iPhone
As part of Kaleidoscope's private eco-friendly venture, The Greener Grass, the Ohio-based organization has unveiled Current State, a system designed to help iPhone users monitor power usage in their house. The system consists of a series of pass-through plugs that sit between the power outlet and appliance plugs, taking readings of power usage, and sending them to a software front-end on the iPhone. Pricing and availability for the system were not mentioned.
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02/04, 4:35pm
CheckUp 1.0 released
App4mac today unveiled CheckUp 1.0, a new utility designed to check and monitor the health and behavior of a Mac, even from a remote location. CheckUp monitors processor, memory, disk, and network activity, and allows users to terminate any process that is currently being worked on by the computer. The software functions with PowerPC G4 or G5 processors, and any Intel based Mac. App4mac currently costs $50, and comes with a license that entitles users to install the application on two computers.
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01/25, 7:45pm
VONaLink update for VoIP
Arcosoft recently announced an update for VONaLink ScreenPop, its VoIP service enhancement software, adding outbound dialing restrictions. VONaLink ScreenPop works with any SIP compatible VoIP phone system, including Vonage and Asterisk. By hooking a computer that hosts the software to a hub, users can monitor and manage outgoing calls, preventing undesired charges and fees from unauthorized phone calls. Arcosoft is selling VONaLink ScreenPop on its website for $30, with a free demo version also available.
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01/16, 6:05pm
New Samsung LCDs unveiled
Samsung today unveiled its new series of 24- and 25.5-inch LCD monitors designed for entertainment and multimedia use. The pair of monitors support resolutions up to 1920 x 1200 with full 1080p HD resolution, HDMI inputs, and built-in multimedia speakers. Built-in multimedia speakers allow users to seamlessly participate in teleconferences or listen to videos and audio presentations without the need to use or purchase separate speakers. Samsung's 2493HM monitor is available for $600, while the 2693HM is priced at $700.
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01/07, 6:35pm
New LaCie drives, display
LaCie today announced five new devices at the CES trade show in Las Vegas, Nevada. The company's latest offerings include the newly redesigned d2 Quadra, Little Big Disk Quadra, LaCinema Premier, and the Big Disk Extreme+ eSATA/USB. LaCie also unveiled a new 24-inch monitor designed for creative professionals, which is scheduled to ship later this month starting at $1,050.
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12/19, 12:20pm
Study: Mac user honesty
A study conducted by the NPD Group today revealed that Apple owners are much more likely than PC users to pay for music downloads. According to NPD's quarterly Digital Music Monitor, in the third quarter of 2007 half of all Mac users had paid to download music tracks from sites like iTunes, but just 16 percent of PC owners had done so. What's more, Mac users were also more likely to purchase CDs.
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12/12, 5:05pm
Spector 3.1 for Leopard
SpectorSoft today began shipping Spector 3.1, a new version to its internet monitoring and surveillance software. The company says that Spector is the only such software available for Macs, and that it now supports Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard. Spector is designed to take periodic screenshots – from seconds to minutes apart – and store them on the hard drive for later viewing. In addition to screen monitoring, Spector can also log keystrokes, allowing parents to view all chats, emails, and websites that were visited. Spector for Mac is available from several retailers, including the Apple store, for $100, with an upgrade for users of previous versions for $50.
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12/10, 1:25pm
Envision 22" LCD w/webcam
Envision has launched a new widescreen monitor in its Professional Series, the E218c1. The 22-inch LCD is unique in that it not only incorporates embedded speakers, but also a 1.3-megapixel webcam, and an internal microphone with echo cancellation. These features are intended for businesses looking low-cost conferencing options; performance of the screen itself remains fairly high however, with a 5ms response time, and an above-average contrast ratio of 700:1.
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