Geekanoids News Video #003 - 8th Sept 2008

It gives me great pleasure to bring you the third installment of Geekanoids News. This weekly roundup shares the news that has really excited me over the past week. Kevin does it again, "Let's Rock" with Apple tomorrow my prediction, nice picture from San Francisco, Zune (what!), and some exciting Adobe news. Remember to join me again tomorrow (Tuesday) evening for some extra special news coverage.

Coming soon to Geekanoids

A quick update for you all... there is a busy week ahead. Check the website tomorrow for the next installment of Geekanoids News. It certainly is going to bring you some food for thought. Tuesday will bring you the newest of our Video Reviews in the morning, followed by a special news update in the late evening.

Over the next couple of weeks you will see some really great reviews. Including a series of Quark Xpress 8 New Features, the Elgato EyeTV DTT Deluxe, and the Slingbox Solo. Until then, happy computing :-)

Geekanoids News Video #002

The second installment of Geekanoids News. This weekly roundup brings you details of what has caught my attention over the last week. New software for iPhone, something special at the Regent Street Apple Store, an iPhone contender and a brilliant product for MacBook Pro owners... enjoy.

Geekanoids News Video #001

I am so sorry, apologies to all my readers. Having done the short video for my 'news' last Monday, I was certain that I had shared it with you all. Just this morning I finished editing episode 2 and found that I had not published last weeks to the website. Without further ado, here it is.

M-Audio Announces Sponsorship of International Songwriting Competition

M-Audio, a part of Avid Technology, Inc. (Nasdaq: AVID), and a leading provider of creative tools for musicians, is proud to sponsor the 2008 International Songwriting Competition (ISC). Judged by a host of A-list artists and producers, the ISC is the premiere contest for aspiring songwriters across the world.

ISC contestants compete in 20 different categories to win a variety of gear, scholarship and cash prizes. M-Audio is pleased to provide a host of professional solutions designed to make it easier for aspiring songwriters to compose and record their own music. Featured products include the Studiophile® BX5a Deluxe studio reference monitors, Studiophile® Q40 reference headphones, ProKeys™ Sono 88 portable digital piano with USB audio interface, and KeyRig 49 USB keyboard controller.

The ISC has assembled a panel of 46 high-profile judges from across the music industry. The panel includes artists Rob Thomas, Tom Waits, Chaka Khan, KT Tunstall, Ray Davies and Paul Van Dyk; music industry executives Monte Lipman (president, Universal Records), Nick Burgess (Head of A&R, Virgin Records UK) and Amy Doyle (Senior VP, MTV Artist and Talent); acclaimed producer Steve Lillywhite, and many more.

“The ISC provides a great opportunity for up-and-coming songwriters to get feedback from renowned industry veterans who know what it takes to succeed in this business,” says Adam Castillo, director of marketing for M-Audio. “M-Audio is proud to contribute to the success of those who will be writing the hits of tomorrow and helping shape the future of the music industry.”

Category prizes include a $3,000 equipment package for first place, $2,000 package for second place, and a full scholarship to the Berklee College of Music's five-week Summer Performance Program for the winner of the Teen category. The Overall Grand Prize Winner will receive a generous package of $20,000 in prizes and $25,000 in cash. Each entrant’s submission is judged on a variety of criteria (partially dependant on category), including creativity, originality, lyrics, melody and arrangement.

Entries must be postmarked on or before October 15, 2008. ISC 2008 finalists will be announced in February, 2009 and winners in April, 2009. For more information on the International Songwriting Competition, visit www.songwritingcompetition.com, or call (615) 251.4441.

Lexar Media - Expanded Crucial Ballistix DDR3

Lexar Media, a leading global provider of memory products for digital media, today announced immediate availability of Crucial Ballistix® PC3-10600 (DDR3-1333MHz) and PC3-14400 (DDR3-1800MHz) high-performance memory modules. These new modules expand on the award-winning Crucial Ballistix DDR3-1600 and DDR3-2000MHz product offering. As part of its commitment to the PC enthusiast and gaming community, Lexar Media continually seeks to bring new memory offerings to market and enhance its product lines.

Specific Crucial Ballistix modules, such as the DDR3-1600MHz, -1800MHz, and -2000MHz modules, have enhanced performance profiles within the module programming that when paired with a supported platform, provide users with an option for easy setup and configuration instead of a manual process that may require trial and error or advanced system knowledge. The modules also support manual configuration in the event the user wants to maintain full control.

"We're pleased to offer gaming enthusiasts a full spectrum of DDR3 product speeds and densities that will satisfy their system and over-clocking requirements," said Jeremy Mortenson, Lexar Media's senior DRAM product marketing manager. "Crucial customers can now select from a wide variety of award-winning DDR3 offerings to best suit their needs, while experiencing advanced performance and stability."

The new Crucial Ballistix DDR3 memory modules are available in 1GB modules and 2GB kits at www.crucial.com/ballistix, www.crucial.com/uk/ballistix or www.crucial.com/eu/ballistix.

Airun + - at last an alternative to Nike+

I previously covered the Nike+ iPod at the 2006 Mac Expo and it seems that whilst this product has stood still, other companies have been developing this technology to a new level. Airun have launched a new and rather snazzy looking trainer, that records a lot of vital exercise stats. Not only is speed recorded, but also the weight you are putting down through your right foot. Your BMI and daily calorie burn is also calculated. Not only does this look like a very promising product, but the trainers look very stylish too.

From the company press release... The first product to launch out of the Airun lab is Airun +. Featuring the latest in Weighted Technology, on board Smart Technology Controller and a world first in Sensory Technology, Airun + is a serious contender in the motivational fitness market and a leader in the demand for healthy footwear.

When the creators of Airun Plus researched how many people knew what their goal or calorie burn should be when exercising, 99% of people studied didn’t know. The truth is, most of us fail to maintain our exercise plans and don’t achieve our optimum fitness and weight because we lack goals, guidance and motivation.
Based on this problem, the developers of Airun Plus designed a trainer that would offer all levels of wearer, from first timers to professional athletes, the structure, information and statistics necessary to begin a successful exercise plan or up the intensity of a previously planned workout. By using the Smart Technology Controller to calculate current fitness levels andexercise stats, Airun Plus aims to put the motivation back in to exercise.

The Airun+ trainers are going to set you back £125 and are available in yellow or black, in UK sizes 3.5 to 10. Well worth checking out, if you are serious about your training.

Eee Monitor - challenge to iMac

Over at Laptop Mags blog we found some really snazzy photos and brief details of the Eee Monitor. Please check out their gallery and article here.

I find this news very interesting for many reasons. Firstly, with my recent acquisition of an Advent 4211, I have been reading with great interest about users getting Mac OS X running on it. My proposed use is to also install Linux (Ubuntu) on this little unit.

Secondly, I have an Asus Eee PC 1000H on winging its way to the Geekanoids office. Why? I hear you ask. Well, I know that we cover primarily Mac based news, but these new mini-PCs or Netbooks, give users the chance to have a really portable device. In my day-to-day use, there is often times when I pop out, to a meeting, or perhaps to a local café for a change of scenary and I don't want to take my 15-inch MacBook Pro with me. I am sure a lot of people have the same thing happen to them, where a cheap 8.9-inch or 10-inch laptop would be ideal.

This leads me to my interest of the Eee Monitor (sorry it took so long to get to the point). For a long time now, if I wanted a second desktop based Mac, perhaps for myself, or another room in the house, my only choice due to price was the Mac Mini. The iMac is just too expensive for a secondary or luxury purchase. Well, if the Eee Monitor comes in at around the £300 mark, they will get my money. It looks very impressive. I am sure the 19-inch monitor will be of a decent quality and the Linux OS will suit me very well for the intended internet browsing and email use. Add into the equation the slim possibility of being able to install Mac OS X and you have a win win situation. The question of whether this is intended to be a monitor for an Eee PC netbook or a standalone all-in-one computer... I favour the latter. It has no VGA or DVI port to accept another computers video signal. Also, if you look closely at the back, it has one ethernet and a modem output, hinting that it has networking built-in. Last, but by no means least, the front of the uit sports an infrared receiver, triggering this would enable the built-in tuner, surely controlled by the units OS. Oh, and one more thing, around the back you can see some fans underneath the central grill... these must be to cool a processor.

I will be watching the Eee Monitor very closely. It really looks as though it is challenging the iMac on the design front and absolutely smashing it on price... interesting!

iMac Project 2008 - New iMac & edits = better videos

It has been a whole year since we started producing video reviews on a regular basis. Last June we managed to purchase a MacBook Pro which we had sponsored and laser etched with various company logos. This was a great success, not only did it get great exposure, but it also performed admirably with the video crunching we threw at it.

This year we needed some extra processing power, which came in the shape of a new 24-inch 3.06GHz iMac. This time around we had the sponsors logos thermally printed and applied to the back of the iMac. We also created a desktop wallpaper displaying the logos too. The new iMac is superb, really fast, quiet and stable. We have upgraded our software to Final Cut Express, so we can edit together some more attention grabbing video reviews for you this year. As well as the iMac, a new Audio Technica AT2020 mic, an Alesis Multimix 8 USB2 mixer, and some new studio lighting. I hope you start to see an improvement in quality and keep coming back to the Geekanoids website to check out our great reviews.

A big thank you goes out to the sponsors, who are listed below;
Academy Class
BMI Solutions
Crucial Technology
Eazydraw
Maccast
Make
Mamut (MYOB)
Miglia
Proporta
Quark
Roxio

Jungle Disk & Amazon S3 - first thoughts

Over the past week I have been testing the latest version of Jungle Disk, working alongside Amazon S3. I have never used either before, but the small price-point of Amazon S3 was very attractive to at least see if the service is a viable solution for me.

In simple terms, Amazon S3 (Simple Storage Service) is a storage solution 'in the cloud'. I am starting to dislike the 'in the cloud' term, but we are all stuck with it. It equates to uploading and storing your files on a server at Amazon HQ, hidden away behind some security wall. The S3 service is pretty complicated and you need to use an application (either built by yourself or pre-made) to give you a GUI and some way of getting your files uploaded. One such solution is Jungle Disk.

The application is available for Mac, Windows and Linux, so everyone is catered for. You can get a 30-day trial download, or pay $20 for all three platform versions, with unlimited free upgrades, plus the ability to install on as many computers that you own. This is fantastic value for money. Setting up the software is really easy. It asks for your Amazon S3 log-in details and hidden key. Once logged in, you can set up your first upload. This again is really straightforward, simply ticking boxes for what you want to include or exclude. You can schedule automatic backups, or click the 'start' button manually. You get a nice progress bar, so you always know how far your backup has progressed.

My only niggle was user error. I had forgotten to uncheck some larger files, such as my email database. So this large file had been included in the backup. Not a massive problem, there is a 'cancel' button that effects just the individual file (rather than the whole backup). The button is very responsive and worked straight away. Subsequent backups check the Amazon server and look for changed files only, so in my first test, only the initial backup was just under 2GB. The great thing is, that I checked my Amazon account today and it cost me 18pence so far. The monthly charge will be slightly less than this, but as you can see, this is fantastic VFM. I will keep you updated and bring you more news about the Jungle Disk application further down the line.

Courts Design Finds Formula for Success with OKI

Courts Design is a small multi-disciplinary creative agency based in the quiet Hampshire town of Hartley Wintney. Its core business involves the design, construction and installation of exhibition stands and display interiors. Increasingly, however, it is focusing on graphic design work for clients in the IT and pharmaceutical sectors.

In delivering these services, Courts Design faces the twin challenges of growing competition and increasing constraints on time. To combat these pressures, the company is always looking for ways to raise the quality of printed output while ensuring it consistently meets tight deadlines.

As Mike Abbott, Head Creative of Graphics, Courts Design explains, “in a busy design agency, you need to produce visuals and artwork as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, our previous printer was increasingly unable to deliver the quality of output or delivery speeds we were looking for.”

As a result, Courts Design decided to upgrade to a flexible colour printer from OKI Printing Solutions that can be configured to handle either A3 or A4-sized paper. Delivering 36 pages per minute (ppm) in colour and 40ppm in mono A4, the printer is one of the fastest printers in its class.

Courts Design now uses the printer extensively for all its graphic design work, including brochures, direct mail documentation and marketing flyers as well as for client reports and presentations.

Flexibility
One of the most compelling benefits of the printer is its flexibility. The printer is Mac compatible. This is crucial to Courts Design which makes extensive use of the devices in its daily work.

“We also benefit from the printer’s flexible paper handling,” says Abbott. “We use it to print everything from presentations to document details on high-quality CD labels. Unlike our previous device, it switches easily between different paper sizes, types and textures. This allows us to cut the time taken to develop new materials.

In addition, investing in the printer made sound economic sense. Previously, Courts Design would have often outsourced jobs with tight deadlines, such as client presentations, to digital print houses – a process that would inevitably result in overprinting and wastage of resources.

“The OKI printer saves us money by enabling us to deliver high-quality documents cost-effectively and on-demand,” adds Abbott.

A Colourful Future
Printing in full colour is key to Courts Design, especially when it comes to generating high impact visuals. Research shows that readers pay attention up to 82% longer when colour is used and that presentations are 70% clearer when colour highlights the pertinent details.

Investing in the printer has had a positive impact on Courts Design’s business. It has helped the company to deliver a faster, more efficient service for clients. It has also enabled it to keep short-run print jobs in-house and, in this way, boost profit margins.

It’s most far-reaching benefit at Courts Design, however, has been in building competitive advantage. The printer has not only produced beautiful, colour documents for Courts Design but it has done so quickly, reliably and affordably. In so doing, it has given the business a crucial edge on its competitors.