We have been testing the turbo.264 for some time now, and this speed gadget from Elgato has impressed us so far. The full review will be up online in the next 48 hours, so check back soon.
Adobe to launch Office rival
Check out the news over on CNet, where it reports that Adobe may be readying a rival to Microsoft Office. This is great news, as competition is always good for us all. For me, the new iWork may just be what I was looking for, but if Adobe come out with something better (and fresh) who knows.
New Mac Mini & Geekanoids Upgrade Fever
Soon after the latest batch of Apple announcements, a new Mac Mini was winging its way to sunny Kent. It landed, was tested, and before you could blink an eye, it was down to the business of upping the memory. The reason for this post, is just to share some wisdom gained through the process, so that if you choose to undertake (at your own risk) such an upgrade, it may go a little smoother.
The first task was to get the case off the Mini. I had read horror stories of taking a wallpaper stripping tool to the case, and this was not the way I wanted to go. I like my Mac kit in good condition, so the fear of scratching it up was a no no. Stumbling across an article that involved feeding thin wires into the case and over the retaining pegs sounded just the trick. Ninety minutes later I had it all wired up, and then when I tried to pull the pegs, it would not work, what a total waste of time. So a trip to my local DIY shop soon had me going full circle on my earlier decision, as I returned home with two wallpaper stripping tools.
The tools were very sharp and went in the side of the case really easily. I then padded things out with some plastic credit cards, and gently coaxed the case off. It was easier than I expected and no damage whatsoever. The airport received pops off, then one tiny wire, and four screws, the whole gubbins then sort of hinges backwards, allowing access to the memory.
I used the two 1GB sodimm modules that had come out of the Geekanoids MacBook Pro, so no cost was involved (just time). Installing them from this point was a breeze. Re-assembly was very easy indeed and before snapping the case back on, I carefully powered up the Mini to check it recognised the new memory, which it did. This is a good idea, as if it hadn't worked, getting the case off again would have been an ordeal to say the least. Getting the case back on was really easy, so I was very happy. Then comes my next tip…
The Mac Mini was behaving really weird. My mouse pointer would not go where I wanted, it also kept insisting I had a button pressed down. The dock would not resize, or magnify, or auto-hide. This was weird, but then I remembered the most fundamental thing to do when performing any type of memory upgrade, and that was resetting the PRAM. I did this, but still had problems, so then I reset the PMU, after which things returned right back to normal. So heed this advice and upgrade with care.
Skype launch 2.7 Beta for Mac
I love Skype, so it comes as good news that you can now try out the new 2.7 Beta version. This introduces integration with your Address Book, plus the ability to organise your contacts into groups. There is also a handy icon for tweaking your sound during a call. Check it out here.
Pixelmator - a PhotoShop alternative
Head on over to the Viddler link here, and you can see Pixelmator in action. This exciting new application, which is due to begin a private beta later this month, looks very polished indeed. It looks as though it will give us all a very cost effective alternative to PhotoShop.
Crucial - new website design
Crucial today announced the launch of its completely redesigned Web site, located at www.crucial.com, www.crucial.com/uk, and www.crucial.com/eu. The new Crucial.com site offers customers improved functionality, more robust online tools, and an expedited order process. Crucial.com offers over 240,000 memory upgrades for more than 30,000 desktops, notebooks, servers, printers, routers, and other electronic devices.
The Crucial Memory Advisor™ tool, which takes the guesswork out of finding compatible memory upgrade options, now allows users to select their systems’ manufacturer, product line, and model on a single page—making it even easier for customers to find 100%-compatible memory upgrades. Additionally, a simplified order process saves customers valuable time during checkout.
“At Crucial, our goal is to deliver the best customer experience possible -- outstanding online tools, information and support, as well as product recommendations – so users find everything they need for memory upgrades in one place,” said Rick D’Ambrosio, e-business manager for Crucial. “We want our customers to have an effortless experience from start to finish.”
iMac Keyboard iWork 08 iLife 08... my thoughts
The announcements Apple made yesterday made a lot of people happy, disgruntled a few and for myself, well, it was mixed feelings. As promised, I would love to share my thoughts, it may leave you wanting to add something in the comments, so feel free.
Well, to kick things off, Steve Jobs did a grand job, nothing could have made me happier than seeing how Steve delivered the news. Sitting at my desk, the iMac amazed me. Great specification, better pricing, well worth while to upgrade with the new graphics and processor power. Then Steve delivered a big blow, that word 'glossy'. Do not get me wrong, the MacBook glossy screen was fine, so why not on the iMac. I suppose it was just that my screen of choice is matte. Although I will most likely buy an iMac, it would be great if there was a matte option, but there is not, so I could never see myself using it for pro type work.
The keyboard that now accompanies the all new Macs (except the mini) is fantastic. I love the slimline design and having had a MacBook, the flat keys are nice and very easy to get used to. Two USB 2.0 ports is also a welcome addition, as are the quick keys that have been added. The wireless Bluetooth 2.0 version is also great, and due to its compact size will be a great companion for laptops.
The Mac Mini also got a revision, but nothing to really shout about. Speed bumping the Mini at least means it'll be around a bit longer. Shame it didn't get some graphics love, maybe a dedicated GPU, even at 64MB would have attracted a lot of users. If Apple ever added dual display capability this little wonder would be an even greater success.
On the software front, at last we got iLife and iWork 08. The new iLife adds some fantastic new features. For myself, iMovie sounds fantastic, having just got a lot more involved in video work for Geekanoids, I am very keen to try it out. The improvements to iPhoto also sound very interesting. In the past I have only ever used it to quickly import photos and never really organised my photos properly, so my task when my software arrives, is to really get organised using the new Events and better Keyword features.
iWork 08 is also on my review list. I used previous versions, but never really stuck with them. This was really due to using Quark Xpress for my page layout and TextEdit for everything else. Another promise to Apple coming up, that apart from the review of iWork, I will stick with it and give it a chance to shine. The addition of Numbers also made perfect sense, and if it works in the style I would expect, should negate the need for anyone to invest in the new MS Office, when/if it ever arrives.
Yesterday was a great day for Apple and they really delivered on all fronts what all Mac users have been waiting for. At last we can sit back and start enjoying the new software and hardware, content that the software will be safe for a while, and that new hardware is just around the corner. Many thanks Steve and the rest of the Apple team, on behalf of all your fans.
New Apple iMacs - the full details
Apple® today unveiled an all new all-in-one iMac® line featuring gorgeous 20- and 24-inch widescreen displays encased in elegant and professional aluminium and glass enclosures. The entire new iMac line features the latest Intel Core 2 Duo processors and a new, ultra-thin aluminium Apple Keyboard, built-in iSight® video camera for video conferencing and iLife® ’08, making it the ultimate digital lifestyle desktop computer for both consumers and professionals. The 20-inch iMac now starts at just £799 (inc VAT), £200 less than the previous 20-inch model, and the 24-inch iMac starts at just £1,349 (inc VAT), £200 less than the previous 24-inch model.
“This new iMac is the most incredible desktop computer we’ve ever made,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “Our new design features the innovative use of materials, including professional-grade aluminium and glass, that are highly recyclable."
Redefining Apple’s signature all-in-one design, the new iMac integrates the entire computer system into a sleek, professional aluminium enclosure for a striking, clutter-free desktop. An elegant glass cover joins precisely to the aluminium enclosure creating a virtually seamless front surface. The new iMac’s 20- and 24-inch glossy widescreen displays provide incredibly crisp images, ideal for photos and movies using the all new iLife ’08 suite of digital lifestyle applications that are included. The new ultra-thin aluminium Apple Keyboard is just 0.33 inches thin at its front edge. A new optional Apple Wireless Keyboard is a compact design that, with Apple’s wireless Mighty Mouse, offers a cable-free desktop.
Packing professional performance into the convenience of an all-in-one design, the new iMac includes the latest Intel Core 2 Duo processors running up to 2.8 GHz with 4MB of shared L2 cache and up to 4GB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM memory. The iMac line features ATI’s next generation of graphics with the ATI Radeon HD 2600 PRO with 256MB of GDDR3 memory and the ATI Radeon HD 2400 XT with 128MB of GDDR3 memory. The new iMac now offers up to 1TB of internal storage to accommodate a user’s growing library of digital photos, movies and music.
Providing the latest in high-performance connectivity options to quickly and conveniently transfer digital photos, music and video, the iMac includes built-in AirPort Extreme® 802.11n Wi-Fi networking, delivering up to five times the performance and twice the range of 802.11g;* Gigabit Ethernet; a total of five USB 2.0 ports (including two on the new Apple Keyboard); and one FireWire® 400 and one FireWire 800 port.
The new iMac, with its stunning design, features highly recyclable and durable materials including scratch-resistant glass and professional grade aluminium. The power-efficient iMac also meets the stringent new Energy Star 4.0 requirements.
Every iMac also includes iLife ’08, the most significant update ever to Apple’s award-winning suite of digital lifestyle applications, featuring a major new version of iPhoto® and a completely reinvented iMovie®, both seamlessly integrated with the new .Mac Web Gallery for online photo and video sharing. The new iMac also comes with the world’s most advanced operating system, Mac OS® X version 10.4.10 Tiger, including Safari™, Mail, iCal®, iChat AV, Front Row and Photo Booth.
Pricing & Availability
The new iMac line is available immediately through the Apple Store, Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorised Resellers. The new Apple Wireless Keyboard will ship by the end of August and will be available as a build-to-order option with the new iMac through the Apple Store (http://www.apple.com/uk/) for a suggested retail price of £20 (inc VAT) or £34 (inc VAT) when purchased along with the wireless Mighty Mouse, and as a standalone purchase for a suggested retail price of £49 (inc VAT) through the Apple Store, Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorised Resellers.
The new 20-inch 2.0 GHz iMac, for a suggested retail price of £799 (inc VAT), includes:
• 20-inch widescreen LCD display;
• 2.0 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor;
• 1GB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM expandable to 4GB;
• a slot-load 8x SuperDrive® with double-layer support (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW);
• ATI Radeon HD 2400 XT with 128MB GDDR3 memory;
• built-in iSight video camera;
• built-in AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking & Bluetooth 2.0+EDR;
• 250GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 7200 rpm;
• mini-DVI out (adapters for DVI, VGA and Composite/S-Video sold separately);
• built-in stereo speakers and microphone; and
• the new Apple Keyboard, Mighty Mouse and infrared Apple Remote.
The new 20-inch 2.4 GHz iMac, for a suggested retail price of £949 (inc VAT), includes:
• 20-inch widescreen LCD display;
• 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor;
• 1GB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM expandable to 4GB;
• a slot-load 8x SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW);
• ATI Radeon HD 2600 PRO with 256MB GDDR3 memory;
• built-in iSight video camera;
• built-in AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking & Bluetooth 2.0+EDR;
• 320GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 7200 rpm;
• mini-DVI out (adapters for DVI, VGA and Composite/S-Video sold separately);
• built-in stereo speakers and microphone; and
• the new Apple Keyboard, Mighty Mouse and infrared Apple Remote.
The new 24-inch 2.4 GHz iMac, for a suggested retail price of £1,149 (inc VAT), includes:
• 24-inch widescreen LCD display;
• 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor;
• 1GB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM expandable to 4GB;
• a slot-load 8x SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW);
• ATI Radeon HD 2600 PRO with 256MB GDDR3 memory;
• built-in iSight video camera;
• built-in AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking & Bluetooth 2.0+EDR;
• 320GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 7200 rpm;
• mini-DVI out (adapters for DVI, VGA and Composite/S-Video sold separately);
• built-in stereo speakers and microphone; and
• the new Apple Keyboard, Mighty Mouse and infrared Apple Remote.
Build-to-order options and accessories include: a 2.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Extreme processor, up to 4GB DDR2 SDRAM and up to a 1TB Serial ATA hard drive on the 24-inch iMac; up to 4GB DDR2 SDRAM and up to 750GB Serial ATA hard drive on the 2.4 GHz 20-inch iMac; and up to 4GB of DDR2 SDRAM and up to 500GB Serial ATA hard drive on the 2.0 GHz 20-inch iMac. Additional options include: new Apple Wireless Keyboard and wireless Mighty Mouse; AirPort Express® and AirPort Extreme Base Station (now with Gigabit Ethernet); the AppleCare Protection Plan; and pre-installed copies of iWork™ ’08, Logic® Express 7, Final Cut® Express HD 3.5 and Aperture 1.5.
Apple launch new Mac Mini
Amidst all the new announcements today, Steve Jobs only mentioned the new revision Mac Mini in the Q&A section at the end of the event.
The new models sport either a 1.83GHz Intel Core2Duo or a 2.0GHZ, both have 1GB of RAM, and you get either an 80GB hard drive or a 120GB. Intel GMA 950 graphics remains unchanged. Oh, and you get iLife '08 with it too.
Apple detailing new iMacs and iLife 08 today
Early reports from various websites attending the Apple Special Event confirm that new iMacs are being launched. They will have 20-inch or 24-inch displays, aluminium enclosures and glossy GLASS displays. They look very thin, black on the back, with a full compliment of ports. More news as we have it.
Update 1: Models will have up to a 2.4GHz Core 2 Extreme processor, up to 4GB of memory. ATI Radeon HD graphics card, and up to 1TB of hard drive storage. 802.11n wifi and Bluetooth 2.0 built-in. The keyboard will also be wireless, nice thin design (0.33-inches thin), like the one we reported on last week. All models available starting today (not sure of the lead time until the AppleStore is back online).
Early opinion: The new iMacs look pretty darn cool. It seems like Apple has not re-invented the iMac, rather it has evolved it. The materials used look like they are really top quality, aluminium, glass and superb finish plastics. This looks very exciting.
Update 2: iLife '08 also being detailed. One of the apps in the suite is being replaced.
iPhoto gets new 'Events' organising, so photos taken on particular days or shoots (like a Birthday party) are put into these 'Events' so they can easily be retrieved. Improved editing also allows you to copy changes you made on one photo onto other photos. Another new feature allows you to hide photos, which is pretty cool.
Update 3: Looks like .Mac is getting the rumored upgrade. With .Mac Web Gallery you can do one button publishing of galleries from iPhoto, or… from your iPhone. You can then download print quality images from this new 'Web 2.0' application. At last, there is a way to get photos out of your iPhone without syncing, so the iPhone talks to .Mac all in time for the UK launch, yippee. Photos sent to your .Mac from the iPhone can then sync with iPhoto. Other users that you authorise can also send photos to your .Mac Web Gallery.
Update 4: iMovie is next, with a new way to edit your movies. Works with AVCHD hi-def camcorder. One click encoding for iPod, iPhone, Web Gallery, Apple TV, YouTube etc. With the YouTube option, you can also upload direct from within iMovie.
Update 5: iWeb now has Live Web Widgets, you can grab content from the likes of YouTube, Google Maps, AdSense etc and drag it right into iWeb. The Media Index page allows you to drag photos and videos onto the page and it'll build itself.
Update 6: iDVD gets ten new animated themes and professional grade encoding.
Update 7: Magic GarageBand, sort of seems like a modern day Bontempi organ. You pick your genre, piece of music, change instruments. It is all simplified and you play around until you have something you like for the project you are working on.
Pricing: iLife 08 for $79 available today, and starting today it ships with all new Macs.
Update 7: Big one this, well in size at least. The .Mac storage has been bumped to a massive 10GB, up from 1GB. No doubt this is to allow for all those photos from your iPhone and HD video content. This makes me happy.
Update 8: iWork 08. Wow, Steve, you are giving us the whole caboodle today :-) Starting off with Keynote with new transitions and text effects.
Update 9: Pages, now with two new modes, a word processing and separate page layout mode. 140 new templates and compatible with Microsoft Word documents (no word on if this includes 2008 versions, but I expect it will). Plus they added change tracking.
Update 10: New application time ladies and gentlemen. Numbers is Apple's new spreadsheet application. (Sidenote, probably too much info, but I am nearly wetting my pants with all these announcements). Numbers can import from Excel and has customisable templates and works in the same fashion as Pages and Keynote.
Pricing: iWork '08 available today for $79.
Update 11: Q&A session, Steve invites Tim Cook (Apple COO) and Phil Schiller (EVP Product Marketing) up on stage. Various questions to follow;
Q: How thin are the iMacs?
A: They're really thin. You can measure it in the next room in just a few minutes. But they're appreciably thinner.
How is the Mac Mini doing? And are you updating it? A: We are refreshing the Mac Mini and making it even faster. It's already in the online store.
Comment: What the ?@£! does this mean when the store comes back online we will have a new Mac Mini? Come on store, go live again!
Q: What's the relationship between Apple and Google/YouTube?
A: We like their products. It's a good relationship. We like working with them.
Questions an answers from Gizmodo.com (so don't expect too many, I don't want to steal their limelight).
Q: Will the iPhone use both EDGE and wifi to upload pictures?
A: Yes, both.
Why not support HD uploads to .Mac?
A: The camcorders right now don't capture in HD, just slightly less than HD. That's the resolution we support.
Q: Apple is known for premium priced products, and has a notion of being for the elite. Is it your goal to overtake the PC in marketshare?
A: I'll tell you what our goal is. Our goal is to make the best personal computer in the world and to make products we are proud to sell and recommend to our family and friends. There are some stuff in the industry that we wouldn't be proud to ship and recommend. THere are thresholds we can't cross because of who we are, so there is a very significant slice of the industry that wants that too. Our products are usually not premium priced, you add the features you have to add to make them useful, and in some cases they are more expensive than our products. THe difference is we don't offer stripped down, lousy products. If you move those aside and compare us to our competitors, we compare favorably.
Looks like that's it. Check back soon for Geekanoids thoughts on what Apple has announced today.
Geekanoids Laser Etched MacBook Pro - Complete & Good to Go
Monday, 30th July, 2007; Geekanoids today announced the completion of their Laser Etched MacBook Pro Project. A new top of the range MacBook Pro funded by some rather snazzy sponsorship. Check out the full details below and some video footage further down the page.
As you are already reading this on the Geekanoids website, you probably know the type of content we cover, but for our new readers here is the lowdown on just what we do. Geekanoids is a UK based website, covering technology related news, as well as publishing full written and video reviews of various products. Although there is a bias toward Mac related content, a wide variety of content can be found. This includes reviews of Mac and PC software, digital cameras, mobile phones, and a whole host of gadgets. You will find a strong Mac content mainly because it is our platform of choice. If you are a PC user, this shouldn't put you off visiting us, as many of our articles and reviews are applicable to all platforms, so if you are looking for unbiased opinion on that new printer or digital camera you have your eye on, check Geekanoids out, as we may well have covered it.
Over the past month Geekanoids have been working closely with a number of companies worldwide to sponsor 'laser etched' advertising space on a new MacBook Pro. Owner/Editor of Geekanoids, Dave Cryer said, "We really wanted to improve the content on on the website and it became clear that our most popular content was our video reviews. We needed more powerful equipment to produce the video content and saw this as a very creative way of raising the funds. Without the support of these great companies it would not have been possible."
The funds raised covered the cost of a 15.4-inch MacBook Pro, which sports the latest Santa Rosa chipset and LED backlit screen. It will be used with Apple's Final Cut HD Express software to create some very informative and unbiased video reviews. The reviews will be available on both www.geekanoids.co.uk and via the podcast section of the iTunes Store.
The laser etching was performed by Razorlab, based in London, UK. The whole process was a joy to experience, and with their meticulous attention to detail, the end result really looks fantastic. When viewed in dull light, the etching appears as a light grey, and when caught at an angle by artificial or sunlight, it appears to light up as a vibrant white finish.
It gives us great pleasure to share the transition, from a virgin MacBook Pro, to the completed laser etched version;
Great image - the Evolution of Apple
Art director and designer Edwin Tofslie has posted this fantastic image. It shows the evolution of the Apple Macintosh, with some accessories thrown in for good measure. It is very interesting to see how the shape and form factor of Macs have changed over the years… thanks Edwin.