FastMac today announced new MacBook batteries. The new batteries come in black or white versions, and 60-watt promising increased usage times compared to the standard battery that ships with the MacBook. The design also includes and integrated safety circuit, which should protect you if the worst happens. They are available for pre-order now at an introductory $99.95.
Vista update - part two
I wanted to give you a quick update on my Vista experiences. Today I took delivery of some extra RAM for the Toshiba A100, so it now has a respectable 2GB of memory. With this new upgrade Vista seems to perform a lot happier, with not as much writing to the hard disk.
It is still far from perfect, the OS seems to take for ages to load, and applications take a while to load too, but once everything is running, the whole is experience is a lot snappier.
I also installed Trend Micro's Internet Security 2007, which comes in a Vista Certified version. Although I hate the necessity of installing such an application (being used to not having to on my Mac), I must say that Trend Micro's product installed very smoothly, updated with not a single hitch, and offers some very nice features. I will be publishing a full review of Internet Security 2007 on Geekanoids soon.
Case-mate Leather Case for MacBook Pro
Case-mate have launched a new version of their luxury Signature Suit for the MacBook Pro. This leather clad case for was previously only available for the MacBook, but is now available for the MacBook Pro for $159.99. I have a Signature Suit on my MacBook and can highly recommend it, the quality is superb and it does a really good job of protecting the laptop against knocks.
Available in Alpine White, Phantom Black and Sienna Red, check out the full range here.
Geekanoids Podcast on iTunes
Today Geekanoids published their first podcast onto iTunes. The Screencast review that you may have seen earlier today is the content of the first video based podcast. Please feel free to click the picture to the left or the link below to subscribe to our iTunes content.
We hope you enjoy the audio and video content on the podcast. There is a lot of good content lined up already, with some great product reviews, as well as regular features bringing you the latest news & tips.
Our monthly schedule should be something like this;
- Week 1 - Video podcast - special video reviews, screencasts & interviews
- Week 2 - Audio podcast - the latest news, reviews, tips & interviews
- Week 3 - Audio podcast - the latest news, reviews, tips & interviews
- Week 4 - Audio podcast - the latest news, reviews, tips & interviews
PC Laptop OK - Vista Sucks
Yes, I know I am biased towards the Mac, but as a writer I am confident that I can detach myself for part of the day. So, just yesterday I took delivery of a Toshiba Satellite A100-596 laptop, complete with Vista installed. For those who need to know, it was Vista Home Basic, so the least taxing on a system. The laptop is a CoreDuo, running at something like 1.7GHz. I bought this because I felt that if I was reporting news to you on PC software and what is happening in the Windows world, I felt I should experience it first hand.
Now, I am not going to write this article and slag off the PC (and Vista) at every opportunity I get. What I will do is tell it like it happens. So here goes...
The Good
The Toshiba A100 is actually pretty good. The 15.4-inch screen runs at 1200x800, the same as my MacBook. It is nice and evenly lit, and goes up to a nice brightness. The keyboard is a little noisy, but has a good responsive feel to it. The trackpad is tiny and I have a little trouble scrolling with it, but in normal use it is accurate and does the job. In use the fans kick in now and again, but for the past 2 hours it has been a very quiet experience. Battery life is looking good, I have been doing my normal surfing, emails, and this article for around 1 hour in this session and I still have 4 hours left, so I am impressed if it last out this long.
Things I still have to do is install Nero, so I can then test writing a DVD with the dual layer DVD writer. I will report on this at a later stage.
The Bad
I am so used to opening a new Mac, turning on, and within about 5-10 minutes OS X is ready to go. Turning on the A100 (with Vista) was a different matter. I left the machine for about 30 minutes configuring the software, it then restarted. Thinking this was it, the real deal, was a big mistake. I hovered my pointer with anticipation, but clicking did nothing. The screen went blank, refreshed, and the system was still doing something. Well, I finally got to click on something and whilst Vista was downloading some updates (you even have to do this on a Mac from time to time), I configured my system a little. Then I was prompted to restart so the updates could finish installing, which I did, and waited about another 10 minutes.
The Ugly
Back up and running I wanted to install Quicktime. I downloaded it and clicked to install, well actually I double-clicked ! Now, I had heard about the new security features in Vista and ironically had just finished watching the new 'Security' ad from Apple just before I started this install. Vista asked me to 'cancel or allow' the installation, which I did, then 20 seconds later it asked me again, so I clicked 'allow' yet again. Then QuickTime was trying to install something, did I want to 'allow' it... no of course not, that is why 2 minutes ago I double-clicked the install icon. I am not exagerating this at all, during the Quicktime saga I had to click allow 6 times! I think this is taking things a bit far, there has to be a better way.
Even after the install was complete I found that Firefox worked fine, but Internet Explorer 7 still refused to playback Quicktime content.
So, I will persevere, after all Vista does look prettier, and I am sure when I put 2GB of memory into the A100 laptop it'll work a little smoother. I will keep you posted.
Sony Ericsson New Phones !
Sony Ericsson today announces two new Walkman® phones which should be available by mid-2007. The W880 (shown here), the W888 and W610 build on the success of hit-models such as the W810 and to broaden the appeal of the Walkman® phone. 20 million Walkman® phones have been sold to date. Sony Ericsson also announces a suite of music accessories designed to enhance the Walkman® phone listening experience.
At just 9.4mm thin, the W880/W888 is the slimmest Sony Ericsson phone yet and combines the full Walkman® phone experience with a device that fits easily into your pocket. The 1GB Memory Stick Micro™ (M2™) provided in-box gives you room to store up to 900 full length tracks*, whilst the host of innovative music applications (such as Walkman® Player 2.0 & Disc2Phone) make it easy to get music onto your phone in the first place & search through play lists once its there. All of this, plus a 2.0 megapixel camera, is packed into a UMTS phone that’s as slim as a standard CD case.
The W610 Walkman® phone is all about the detail, whether this is detail in design that builds on the look of earlier Walkman® phones or the detailed combination of mobile music with a credible digital camera. The W610 stores up to 470 full-length music tracks* on the 512MB Memory Stick Micro™ (M2) provided, and offers the inventive TrackID™ music recognition application; a feature that lets the user record a clip of an unknown music track onto their phone and immediately receive a notification of the track name, artist and album. Add to this a 2.0 megapixel camera with auto focus and the W610 is a credible fusion of phone, music player & digital camera. Read the full details here.
Worldwide Developers Conference 2007 (WWDC)
Apple today announced the World Wide Developers Conference 2007 (WWDC 2007), so put this date in your iCal now, you can be sure of some great announcements. It will take place in San Francisco, California, between June 11th and 15th.
"This June, the center of the Mac universe will be in downtown San Francisco, as developers and IT professionals from around the globe come together for the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference. Don't miss this opportunity to connect with Apple engineers, get a firsthand look at the latest technology, and spend a week getting the kind of inspiration you won't find anywhere else." Check out the full details here.
Fujitsu LifeBook P7230 - MacBook twin?
Fujitsu today revealed its new LifeBook P7230, available in black or white, in an all new sleek design. What amazed me is the similarity in styling (apart from the keyboard) between this new offering and the Apple MacBook. It seems like Fujitsu have paid a lot of attention to detail in the design.
"The LifeBook® P7230 notebook offers exceptional performance with its Crystal View display, extended battery life (up to 9.75 hours), and the latest Intel® Centrino™ Mobile Technology. The LifeBook P7230 notebook is the ultimate travel companion weighing as little as 2.63 lbs."
Three models are available, all sporting 10.6-inch screens, Core Solo processors, 40GB - 80GB hard drives, and all running Windows Vista. The battery life claim seems amazing, and although speed performance would not be on par with a MacBook, it all adds up to a pretty nice package. The Fujitsu website allows you to configure various parts of the system, but not the processor, which is a shame. I am not really into PC's, but if this had a Core2Duo chip, I may well have been tempted.
New Get a Mac Ad pokes Vista Security
Don't you just love Apple. A few days after the release of Windows Vista and they put a new ad on their website and USA television making fun of the Vista security features. Called 'Security' it can be found here and is very funny indeed.
Corel - Painter X for Intel Macs
Corel Corporation today announced that Corel® Painter™ X, the world’s most powerful painting and illustration software, is now available for pre-order. The latest version of Corel Painter continues its focus on giving professional artists, designers and photographers a natural painting and illustration experience that is unmatched by any other software.
Delivering the next-generation art studio, Corel Painter X blurs the line between traditional and digital art like never before. Working closely with professionals including entertainment artists, commercial designers and photographers, the Corel Painter team explored the relationship between the artist’s hand and the canvas. As a result, Corel Painter X sets the standard with the introduction of unparalleled performance, new composition tools and the revolutionary RealBristle™ Painting System that provides an organic painting and illustration experience—right down to the individual bristles on the brush…
"Corel Painter X is by far the most advanced and intuitive painting program in existence today. The new Divine Proportion Composition tool puts the compositional secrets of the masters in the palm of your hand," said Andrew Jones, Corel Painter Master, respected game industry concept artist and co-founder of Conceptart.org, a leading concept-art online community. "To put it simply, Corel Painter continues to evolve and push the limits, allowing me to realize my imagination’s manifestations."
New Features in Corel Painter X include;
- RealBristle Painting System
- New Composition Tools
- Enhanced! Photo-Painting System
- Match Palette effect
- Universal Mixer palette
- Enhanced! Speed for Intel Based Macs
- Workspace Manager
- Improved Dodge and Burn tools
- Enhanced Color Management
Compatibility
- New! Windows Vista™ support – Corel Painter X is designed to run on Windows Vista.
- Enhanced! Mac OS® X support – Corel Painter X supports the latest operating system from Apple.
- Enhanced! Adobe® Photoshop® support – Layer behavior is very similar to Adobe Photoshop, making it simple to move files between the applications. Files saved to the Photoshop (PSD) file format open in Corel Painter, with layer masks, alpha channels and layer sets (groups) maintained. Enhancements include easier layer grouping and combining, and improved support for layer merge modes. Corel Painter X also supports many Photoshop plug-ins for Mac OS X.
- Enhanced! Wacom support – With Corel Painter X, artists can use the entire Wacom product line—including the Cintiq® 21 UX interactive pen display and the Intuos®3 pen tablet. In addition, the new RealBristle Painting System and the Wacom 6D Art Pen work together to take digital painting to an unprecedented level of realism.
Pricing and Availability
The English version of Corel Painter X, offered in a full version, upgrade version, education edition and Limited Edition Painter Can, is available for pre-order starting today through Corel and select partners. English version box product will be available through Corel and reseller partners in late February 2007. Japanese, French, Italian and German versions of Corel Painter X will be available throughout the spring of 2007.
Suggested retail pricing for Corel Painter X £492.33, with an upgrade weighing in at £257.33.
For more information about Corel Painter X, to pre-order or download the full-featured trial version (which can be purchased today as full product electronic download), please visit www.corel.com/painterx.
BBC Web TV - watch your Monthly Usage
So, the MyBBCPlayer is going ahead, and soon you will be able watch BBC One and BBC Two programmes on your computer at the same time as they go out on regular TV. This is great news, as it means that in a few years time, with everyone streaming and downloading content on their computers, maybe we can see the end to the horrible BBC license fee.
But beware, with more and more services springing up online, everyone will find themselves downloading a lot of data. The first question is how all our Broadband providers will cope? The second and more important question is, do they really care? As we all happily download a film, or the latest episode of Eastenders, we will be racking up Gigabytes of data. If you are on a capped service with for example an 8GB monthly limit you may well find yourself with a hefty bill, or notices from your supplier saying "You have exceeded your download limit this month. We will not charge you on this occasion, but from next month this will be a chargeable item." Even if you have an unlimited service, the fair use policy often in place may also catch you out too.
So, we might be happy about all the extra content available online, but will we still be smiling when we have to pay for it?
Apples advises delay on Vista upgrade
There is no hiding the fact that Apple does not particularly want to do lunch with Microsoft. The launch of Vista also seems to have broken iTunes, with various problems and a previously issued fix. Apple has said in a statement; “iTunes 7.0.2 may work with Windows Vista on many typical PCs. Apple recommends, however, that customers wait to upgrade Windows until after the next release of iTunes which will be available in the next few weeks.”
So, Apple have warned you to wait a few weeks before upgrading... so do it, just wait guys, the new iTunes is just around the corner, maybe even wait a little longer for the far superior Leopard !