Upcoming Reviews - What a busy month

Wow, it has been a busy September so far, with absolutely tonnes of new products to report on and review. I hope you are all enjoying the reviews that have been appearing on Geekanoids and that they give you a good insight into if you should splash your cash.

Over the next few weeks, we have some great product reviews lined up, so in no particular order, here is the rundown:

How to Get Rich Quick - book by Felix Dennis.
Apple's 2G iPod Nano (4Gb model).
Griffin iTrip Auto - now legal in the UK.
Lineform - by Freeverse, a nice alternative to Illustrator.
M-Audio Podcast Factory.
Netgear DG834N - wireless ADSL2+ modem router.
Extensis Suitcase Fusion.
Extensis Portfolio 8.
Buffalo LinkStation Pro - 320Gb NAS hard drive.
Fujitsu ScanSnap S500 & Scantango OSX Driver Software.

As you can see, things are going to be very busy, so keep coming back to Geekanoids and check out all my hard work, enjoy !

Seitz 6x17 Digital Camera - 160 million pixels

Wow, now that is what I call a digital camera. Check out the Seitz website for details of a new digital camera that delivers 160 million pixel images. An uncompressed panorama weighs in at 950Mb so if you have a 1Gb memory card, that is one snap per card. Just kidding, storage is supplied by a Mac Mini in a bag, just check out their website for some images of what this awesome set-up looks like.

Lacie bump FA Porsche Hard Drive to 500Gb

For many years now I have been a fan (and user) of Lacie hard drives. They have always proved to be reliable and the build quality is superb. If you ever need to ask them a question, support is very good too, so I was please to learn that on September 12th, LaCie today announced increased capacities for its LaCie Hard Drives Design by F.A. Porsche. Quote from press release, "New drives reach a phenomenal 500GB in a small, sleek case created exclusively for LaCie by the renowned agency Porsche Design GmbH. Exhibiting world-class style and elite performance, LaCie Hard Drives Design by F.A. Porsche allow people to easily add massive storage to a desktop computer. New USB drives are shipping now, and FireWire drives ship in October."

LaCie Senior Product Manager Olivier Mirloup said, "LaCie’s awarded Design by F.A. Porsche hard drives are quiet, easy to carry and stack, and now have some of the largest capacities available at a low price per gigabyte. These drives are the fastest, easiest way to add storage to your computer, making room for lots of additional video, audio and music files. And our 1-Click Backup Software simplifies data protection.”

LaCie Hard Drives Design by F.A. Porsche offer the choice of a USB or FireWire interface for use with Windows, Mac OS or Linux. Cables are included for immediate use. Drives are durable and lightweight for transporting from one machine to another, and multiple drives can be stacked thanks to secure rubber feet underneath.

I hope to bring you a full review of a Lacie offering very soon.

Link to new 500Gb Hard Drive.

Bargain 128Mb SanDisk Memory Stick Duo

Not one to really post bargains to the site, but I came across this at www.bigpockets.co.uk and just had to let you all know. It is a SanDisk 128Mb Memory Stick Duo, suitable if you want a bit of quick storage for your Sony PSP or compatible digital camera. At £3.99 plus only £1.09 postage, this has gotta be worth picking up.

Link to product.

NAS or Mini Server - food for thought !


For a long time now I have been considering some network storage. My setup consists of a desktop machine (iMac DC) and a MacBook, which I use for a lot of surfing, downloading, posting to Geekanoids etc.

Now many NAS (Network Attached Storage) devices support the Mac platform in one way or another, but many reviews compain of performance problems, so I really wanted to avoid this. My main aim is to have somewhere central that I could store all the images I download, so that when I come to put a review together, all my files are in one central place.

It has come down to two choices, both of which have their own merits. First up is something like a Buffalo Linkstation Pro, which would give me a one box solution, I can leave it on all the time and have access to it from both my iMac and MacBook. The second option is a Mac Mini, to which I can connect one of my many existing USB or FireWire hard drives. This is a more expensive option, but performance should be better, it gives me more control and also a spare Mac to use should I need to.
I could do this with minimal expense with my current iMac, but the only thing stopping me is that I do not want to leave my iMac on 24/7.

So what do you all think, your comments are welcome.

New iTunes 7 ! But no movies for the UK !

Apple® today announced iTunes® 7, the most significant enhancement to the world’s most popular music jukebox and online music and video store since it debuted in 2001. iTunes 7 delivers stunning new features such as the new album and Cover Flow views of music, TV shows and movies, enabling users to quickly find titles in their library as well as casually browse through and re-discover titles they already own. In addition, the iTunes Store (www.itunes.com) is now offering over 75 movies from Walt Disney Pictures, Pixar, Touchstone Pictures and Miramax Films, that customers can purchase and download to watch on their computers and iPods, and soon on their flat screen televisions with Apple’s upcoming iTV* player. Movies will become available on the iTunes Store the same day they are released on DVD, with new releases priced at $12.99 when pre-ordered and during their first week of availability, and $14.99 thereafter, and library titles available for just $9.99 every day.

“Here we go again! First music, then TV shows, and now movies,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “In less than one year we’ve grown from offering just five TV shows to offering over 220 TV shows, and we hope to do the same with movies. iTunes is selling over one million videos a week, and we hope to match this with movies in less than a year.”

“ABC and Disney Channel were the first networks to offer television programming on iTunes, and we’re once again breaking new ground as The Walt Disney Studios becomes the first to debut feature films on the iTunes platform,” said Robert Iger, president and CEO, The Walt Disney Company. “Disney is committed to providing innovative ways for audiences to enjoy their favorite entertainment content, and our association with Apple is yet another example of how we continue to reach consumers on their terms, regardless the time, location or device.”

“Steve Jobs and Apple have consistently demonstrated that they have their finger on the pulse of today’s audience with regard to legal downloads of music and television shows, and our presence on iTunes will now allow us to deliver Disney’s films in this popular and convenient format,” said Dick Cook, chairman of The Walt Disney Studios. “Not only are we proud to be expanding our association with Apple, but we feel that this new venture meets a growing demand for movie viewing that will ultimately expand the market for our films.”

The iTunes Store has quickly become the world’s most popular video download store, selling over one million videos per week. The iTunes Store began selling TV shows with five shows from ABC/Disney less than a year ago, in October 2005, and rapidly expanded its library to over 220 television shows from over 40 networks today. The iTunes Store also features the world’s largest catalog of online music with over 3.5 million songs and has sold a stunning 1.5 billion songs, making it the world’s most popular digital music store.

The iTunes Store now features great new releases and library titles from Walt Disney Pictures, Pixar, Touchstone Pictures and Miramax Films, such as “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl,” “Shakespeare in Love,” “The Princess Diaries,” “The Incredibles,” “National Treasure,” “Toy Story,” “The Rock” and “The Rookie.” Customers can purchase and download movies from iTunes the same day they become available on DVD, or pre-order upcoming movies which are automatically downloaded when they become available. Customers get the same great one-click download experience for movies that they enjoy with music and TV shows.

With iTunes 7, all videos purchased from the iTunes Store are downloaded in near-DVD quality at a resolution of 640x480 (up to 480, depending on the aspect ratio), which is four times higher than before. Downloaded videos can be played on computers and iPods. iTunes 7 also includes new features to better organize and enjoy digital music and video, including expanded parental controls, an iTunes video playback window with on-screen controls, and the new Cover Flow view that lets you visually browse your entire video collection by cover artwork.

The iTunes Store now also offers downloads of popular video games for fifth generation iPods, including “Tetris,” “Mahjong” and “Mini Golf” from Electronic Arts Inc.; “Pac-Man” from Namco Networks America Inc.; “Cubis 2” from FreshGames, LLC; “Bejeweled” and “Zuma” from PopCap Games, Inc.; “Texas Hold’em” and “Vortex” developed by Apple, all available beginning today for $4.99 each.

With Apple’s legendary ease of use, pioneering features such as integrated podcasting support, iMix playlist sharing, seamless integration with iPod® and groundbreaking personal use rights, the iTunes Store is the best way for Mac® and PC users to legally discover, purchase and download music and video online.

Pricing & Availability
iTunes 7 for Mac and Windows includes the iTunes Store and is available as a free download immediately from www.itunes.com. Purchase and download of content from the iTunes Store for Mac or Windows requires a valid credit card with a billing address in the country of purchase. Television shows and feature films are available in the US only, and video availability varies by country. Games are available for download in the 21 countries in which iTunes operates and play on the fifth generation iPod. New release feature films are $14.99 (US) each and other feature-length films are $9.99 (US) each, television shows are $1.99 (US) per episode, music videos and short films are $1.99 (US) each and games are $4.99 (US) each.

* iTV is the project’s internal code name and will not be the final product name.

New revised iPods - 80Gb and brighter too !

Apple® today introduced the new iPod®, the best digital music player and most popular portable video player in the world. The new iPod features a 60 percent brighter and more vibrant 2.5-inch color display perfect for watching TV shows and now Hollywood movies right in the palm of your hand. The new iPod features seamless integration with iTunes® 7 and the iTunes Store (www.itunes.com) which now includes over 75 Hollywood movies, 220 television shows and popular video games designed specifically for the fifth generation iPod. The new iPod is available in a 30GB model at the new low price of £189 and an 80GB model, which holds up to 20,000 songs or 100 hours of video, for £259.

“The world’s best digital music player has evolved into the world’s most popular portable video player too,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “The new iPod’s brighter and more vibrant display and longer battery life make it perfect for watching Hollywood movies and TV shows right in the palm of your hand.”

The new iPod features Apple’s patented Click Wheel for precise, one-handed navigation, and is seamlessly integrated with iTunes 7 which now features gapless playback for enjoying albums the way they were intended to be listened to. iPod’s new Search and Quick Scroll feature makes it even easier for music fans to find exactly what they are looking for and Apple’s patent pending Auto-Sync technology automatically downloads digital music, podcasts, photos, audiobooks, movies, music videos and popular TV shows onto the iPod and keeps them up-to-date whenever the iPod is plugged into a Mac® or Windows computer.

With its stunning high-resolution color display, iPod allows users to view album art and photo slideshows while playing music, or watch video and play games in full color. Popular video games designed specifically for the fifth generation iPod include: “Bejeweled,” “Cubis 2,” “Mahjong,” “Mini Golf,” “Pac-Man,” “Tetris,” “Texas Hold’em,” “Vortex” and “Zuma,” and are available for purchase on the iTunes Store.

The 30GB model features up to 14 hours of battery life for music playback and up to three and a half hours of video playback, and the 80GB model features up to 20 hours of battery life for music playback and five and a half hours of video playback.* The new iPod features brightness control allowing users to easily change the brightness.

Pricing & Availability
The new iPod models are available worldwide through the Apple Store® (www.apple.com), Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers. The new 30GB iPod model in white or black is available for £189, and the new 80GB model in white or black is available for £259. All iPod models include redesigned earbud headphones providing superior comfort, fit and sound quality, and a USB 2.0 cable.

New Nanos from Apple - Multicoloured

Apple made so many announcements today, most excited about the new colour Nanos.

From the Apple website:

"Completely Remastered" - A thinner design. Five stylish colors. A brighter display. Up to 24 hours of battery life. Just about the only thing that hasn’t changed is the name. In 2GB, 4GB, and 8GB models starting at £99, iPod nano puts up to 2,000 songs in your pocket.

Your music says a lot about you. So should your iPod nano. A super-slim design says you always have room for music — up to 2,000 songs, in fact. Durable anodized aluminum says you won’t let the rough and tumble of everyday life ruin your groove. And one of five colors says whatever you want. Choose your hue and make a statement.

The black Nano is the king of the bunch and comes in 8Gb only at £169.00 with all available and shipping within 24 hours.

New Sneak Peek Apple Set-top Box iTV

So it seems I got another one right, a set-top box from Apple. Like the Mac Mini everyone originally wanted. This is a new typ of announcement for Apple as this new product is a glimpse of the future, to be available in 2007. They have never pre-announced anything like this before, so good on them for their openess. It will be half the size of the Mini with USB, ethernet, wifi and that all important HDMI port. Plus component video, stereo analogue audio and optical audio outputs.

Now onto the name 'iTV', this is great, but I am sure that ITV in the UK will have something to say about it, or will Apple win out by more or less owning the letter 'i' ? The name is only a work-in-progress, so I assume they will change it to something snappier.

It also sounds like this device will not record, rather it is the updated Video Airport Express I posted about earlier, so streaming, rather than recording content... more details as they unfold. [MacRumors]

Movies here today

So one prediction seems to have come to fruition with the announcement of movies available from the iTunes store from Walt Disney, Pixar, Touchstone, Miramax (please note these are all Disney owned). Good news this is for the US, for us in the UK we will have to wait until next year... this is a big shame, as a worldwide rollout would be the ace in the pack.

It seems at this stage we will not see a new Video iPod and I suspect this will not come until suitable content is available worldwide, as this would effect sales.

iPod Shuffle gets an update too

Well well well, I really thought Apple would kill off the Shuffle, what with the Nano being so small and all that jazz. Big surprise is a new second generation Shuffle, smaller (about the size of the iPod/iMac Remote and in an aluminium finish. One size only and it is 1Gb. [MacRumors]