Kevin Rose of Digg fame has posted an interesting entry and video on his blog. Telling us of his insider information, revealing a new iPod Nano in a curved and tall/skinny form. Plus all of the iPod line-up dropping in price. All this plug a juicy snippet on Mac OS 10.5.6. Check out the video for full details below and visit Kevin's blog here. It is nice to see him doing posts like this, thanks dude.
Turn you iPhone into a trackpad with pearPad
This little application sounds really interesting, it basically allows you to turn your iPhone into a trackpad and take control of your Mac. Taken from the publishers website; "pearPad is a little application that turns your iPhone/iPod Touch into a remote trackpad and keyboard for your Mac. This comes in handy for example if you connect your Mac to an HDTV to show off some pictures, browse the web, or give a presentation. pearPad gives you almost full control in your palm." Check out the website here for a free download.
Apple post another new ad, but ssssh don't tell!
Wow, yet another new advert out of the Apple HQ... and this one is probably a favourite of mine from their newest releases. 'Off the Air' introduces viewers to the fact that if you are switching from a PC to a Mac, Apple will help you transfer your files across... cool! Check out the new advert here.
Three new Apple Adverts... Calming Teas
Apple have three new adverts today, as part of their 'Get a Mac' series. Things kick off with 'Pizza Box' which is kinda funny, moving on to 'Throne' and then my favourite of the trio 'Calming Teas'. You would have thought that the humour would be wearing a little thin on this format. Not so, Apple deliver the message with their usual pizazz, I suggest you check the new ads out here.
Yazsoft Sharetool - sharing for the masses
Yazsoft is proud to announces a major new application, ShareTool. Developed for Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later, ShareTool is hands down, the fastest, easiest, and most secure way to access all of your Bonjour services from anywhere in the world. No server or technical skills required. Just a simple mouse click. Also works with VPN connections. For anyone that's been itching to get Bonjour working over VPN, ShareTool is for you!
ShareTool lets you access all of the Bonjour services on your home or office network from anywhere in the world - securely. This includes iTunes Music Sharing, Screen Sharing, File Sharing, printing, and more.
With ShareTool, you can listen to your entire iTunes music library at work, control the screen of any of your home computers, or grab that important file you forgot to bring with you. And this is simply the tip of the iceberg. With ShareTool, it's as if you've never left the comfort of your very own network!
Some Key New Features in ShareTool:
* Simple Setup: ShareTool automatically configures routers supporting NAT-PMP or UPnP.
* Easy Access: Remote services automatically appear in Finder, iTunes, and other applications.
* Compatibility: ShareTool enables remote access for any application or service that advertises itself using Bonjour and runs over TCP/IP.
* Security: All network traffic is strongly encrypted. Access to your services requires your Mac OS X username and password.
* Dynamic domain name support
* On the fly compression: Transfer large files quickly.
* Secure web browsing: surf the internet using your own browser securely.
* and much more!
What's New in version 1.2.2:
* New: Major new interface changes for even more simplified usage.
* New: Updated internal ShareTool protocol to be more versatile.
* New: Added Remote Printing functionality.
* New: Integrated Sparkle support for future updates.
* New: Remote Login detection procedure.
* New: Built-in Help menu added.
* New: Updated ShareTool manual added.
* Other: Many internal tweaks to ensure optimal performance and security.
Supported Languages:
* US English
System Requirements:
* Requires Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later; Leopard ready.
* 22 MB Hard Drive Space.
* Internet connection.
Pricing and Availability:
* $20: 1 User license.
* $30: 2 User license. (Save $10)
* $75: 5 user license (Save $25)
Free demo is available today from this link.
Griffin announce iTrip Universal
Griffin Technology Inc., creator of all things iPod and iPhone, today announced the availability of iTrip Universal, the newest addition to Griffin's iTrip family of FM transmitters. iTrip Universal is compatible with most portable audio players and is the first iTrip to feature a rechargeable lithium-ion battery.
iTrip Universal allows audio to be played through the FM stereo at home or in the car using any portable audio source that uses the common 1/8" (3.5mm) headphone jack, including iPod, Sansa, Zune, portable CD players and more.
iTrip Universal's internal battery can be recharged through any USB port, and then connects to the player with the included stereo audio cable. Three user-programmable presets save the best frequencies. In addition, stereo/mono output modes are also user selectable.
iTrip Universal Features:
Streams music to any FM radio
Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery
Quick set-up and easy frequency selection
Three-station memory and backlit LCD screen
Compatible with Samsung, Creative, Sansa, Sony, iPod and any audio source that uses a 1/8" headphone jack
Pricing and Availability
Griffin's iTrip Universal is priced at $39.99 and is now shipping and available. For more information, please visit www.griffintechnology.com/products/itrip-universal
QuarkXpress 8 Available Today
Today Quark announced that QuarkXPress® 8, the next major release of the industry standard page-layout and design software, is now available to purchase directly from Quark and through Quark Authorized Resellers worldwide.
As a user of QuarkXpress for many years, this new release really excites me. I hope to bring you two video reviews covering the new features over the next few weeks, so watch this space.
QuarkXPress 8 delivers superior design power through a new, intuitive interface developed purposefully for the creation of high-end page layout and includes new features such as built-in print, Web and Flash® authouring tools, advanced typography control, and global publishing capabilities. QuarkXPress 8 also offers users an enhanced design experience so they can work faster and smarter by quickly and easily accessing the tools they need. The new, intuitive interface delivers updates that allow for more design with fewer clicks. For example:
- Flash and Web Authouring Tools: Without any programming skills, designers and creative professionals can share print content on the Web and in Flash format without purchasing multiple applications or learning code.
- Picture Content Tool: Allows users to grab, rotate, and scale images in real-time without typing in numbers or switching from tool to tool.
- Item Tool and Text Content Tool: Smart behaviour within these tools allows for less switching between tools, even for rotation and managing multiple items.
- New Bézier Pen Tools: Draw illustrations directly in QuarkXPress 8 with the redefined Bézier Pen tool.
- Workspace Enhancements: Include new buttons for instant access to master pages and exporting to PDF, EPS, SWF, and HTML - plus new split-view buttons, enhanced contextual menus, and customisable active pasteboards.
- Measurements Palette: Further enhanced to make even more functions easily accessible, including new clickable controls for on-the-fly drop-shadow modification.
- Drag-and-Drop: Drag text and pictures from the desktop, Adobe® Bridge, iPhoto®, or any other application that supports drag and drop. Alternatively, drag content from QuarkXPress to Photoshop®, Illustrator®, Microsoft® Word, and other applications for direct editing.
"We are excited to announce the broad availability of QuarkXPress 8. This new version of our flagship product raises the bar once again for page-layout and design," said Terry Welty, Senior Vice President of corporate marketing for Quark. "QuarkXPress 8 offers users advanced features and functionality and increased productivity while maintaining familiarity for long-time users. I encourage everyone to try QuarkXPress 8 with our 60-day Test Drive version, or visit us at one of our Xperience Design Global Tour stops."
60-Day Test Drive
In addition to being available for purchase, Quark is also now offering a free, fully functional, 60-day Test Drive version to users who are interested in experiencing QuarkXPress' new user interface, improved typographical control, built-in Flash functionality and much more. The 60-day Test Drive can be downloaded here.
Xperience Design Global Tour
The Xperience Design Global Tour is now underway and, in total, will span 30 countries and 58 cities across the globe. The upcoming portion of the tour to hit the United States includes Dallas and Milwaukee (Pewaukee). The international tour will visit various cities in the following countries: Argentina, Austria, Australia, Belgium, Chile, Brazil, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Please visit this page to find out more.
Purchase Information
QuarkXPress 8 is now available for purchase directly from Quark and through Quark Authorized Resellers. An upgrade to QuarkXPress 8 from any previous version is £279 and full product can be purchased for £779. To purchase, visit the Quark Store http://www.quark.com/sales/estore.html or find your nearest authorized Quark reseller.
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.
Griffin announce Lucky 7 Slots for iPhone
Griffin Technology Inc., creator of all things iPod and iPhone, today announced the availability of its second app for iPhone, iPhone 3G and iPod touch. Lucky 7 Slots, a Vegas-style slot machine game, is offered exclusively through Apple's App Store and iTunes.
Lucky 7 Slots is the second in a series of applications that Griffin is rolling out for the Apple App Store. Griffin apps are available for download directly onto the iPhone or via iTunes, and give users the convenience of accessing the game at all times, even when iPhone is in Airplane Mode.
To play Lucky 7 Slots, simply place a bet and set the reels rolling. The machine begins the game with 1000 credits and allows you play between one and three credits a spin. When you're finished playing, Lucky 7 Slots keeps track of your winnings.
- Easy to play slots simulator
- Fast animation and graphics
- Keeps track of your winnings and hands played, won and lost
- An iTunes App Store exclusive
Pricing and Availability
Lucky 7 Slots is priced at $1.99 and is now available for download at Apple's iTunes App Store. For additional information on Lucky 7 Slots, please visit the product here.
Why my iPhone 3G went back
It is a sad day in the Geekanoids office. I love my Mac computers, my Leopard, all of my iPods, but my iPhone 3G just did not cut the mustard. I had the original iPhone and loved it (still do) and I suppose that the greatness of the original, plus a couple of other things, combined into the decision to return my 3G... let me explain...
First off, the iPhone 3G. Yes, it was sexy, but it felt cheap. The 3G connectivity was poor to say the least. I found myself turning 3G off to get a good signal in my area, and to correct an error where the handset would not receive cellular data. This error would stop Maps, Email, Internet, basically anything that needed access to the cellular network would fail. It also ran warm, and after a couple of days use a small pimple had raised up on the back of the handset. These problems may have been isolated to just my iPhone, but they worried me.
Then throw in the equation of the original iPhone. It was better built and felt classy. The brushed aluminum back was really nicely done and did not show those fingerprints. The screen seemed nicer to me, yes, we all know about the yellow added to the 3G, but c'mon Apple, you should give us the choice.
Finally, a look at me. I am in the office probably 75% of my time, bringing you reviews. Of the remaining time that I am out, I probably have my laptop with me. During this time, I only get a few calls, so I can pick those up on my original iPhone. If I want an Application, I can get that over my broadband connection at home (rather than EDGE). If I want to find my way, I have a TomTom. So I came to the conclusion, that problems aside, I did not need 3G. Don't get me wrong, it is a great mobile phone, just not essential for everyone, and definitely not an essential upgrade from the original iPhone.
Apple give 30 day free extension for MobileMe problems
Well, you certainly can't say that Apple don't value their customers. They acknowledge that the MobileMe roll-out did not go quite as smoothly as planned. They also tell us that their use of the word 'push' was not exactly as users had expected. As a goodwill gesture, they have given all MobileMe subscribers a FREE 30 day extension to the service.
Text below;
We have recently completed the transition from .Mac to MobileMe. Unfortunately, it was a lot rockier than we had hoped.
Although core services such as Mail, iDisk, Sync, Back to My Mac, and Gallery went relatively smoothly, the new MobileMe web applications had lots of problems initially. Fortunately we have worked through those problems and the web apps are now up and running.
Another snag we have run into is our use of the word "push" in describing everything under the MobileMe umbrella. While all email, contact or calendar changes on the iPhone and the web apps are immediately synced to and from the MobileMe "cloud," changes made on a PC or Mac take up to 15 minutes to sync with the cloud and your other devices. So even though things are indeed instantly pushed to and from your iPhone and the web apps today, we are going to stop using the word "push" until it is near-instant on PCs and Macs, too.
We want to apologize to our loyal customers and express our appreciation for their patience by giving all current subscribers an automatic 30-day extension to their MobileMe subscription free of charge. Your extension will be reflected in your account settings within the next few weeks.
We hope you enjoy your new suite of web applications at me.com, in addition to keeping your iPhone and iPod touch wirelessly in sync with these new web applications and your Mac or PC.
Thank you,
The MobileMe Team