The Apple Core: Intel PowerBook may get cellular radio
09 December 2005 01:15 EST
Jason D. O'Grady
It seems logical that the new Intel-based PowerBooks will be the first to ship with three radios - like the new Sony Vaio VGN-T350.
Read the rest of the story on my ZDNet Blog: The Apple Core.
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..............................................................................................Makin' Copies
09 December 2005 01:15 EST
Bob Snow
Here are four Macintosh backup solutions ranging in price from US$5 to US$100.
Carbon Copy Cloner is a tried an true solution for creating a clone of your hard drive. No frills, it gets the job done and for just $5.
If you need a truly elegant way to make a bootable backup, try SuperDuper!. This program has an easy intuitive interface and super simple scheduling. It excels at copying your boot volume and it only costs US$27.95. Backing up folders requires some scripting and is not so simple.
SynchronizeX Pro does it all, bootable backups along with an infinite variety of data backups. At US$99.95, it is a serious comprehensive backup solution. If you don't need bootable backups, then Chronosync does a tremendous job of backing up your data for just US$30.
My backup strategy has gotten quite robust, yet quick and easy. I have a 120GB as well as a 160GB dive in my trusty Quicksilver G4. The 160 is partitioned 120GB and 40GB. I typically boot up from the 120GB partion. Every week, my 120GB partition is backed up to the 120GB drive. Every day, just my user data is backed up to the same drive. I have a clean OS install on the 40GB partition, so I have three bootable volumes. I also back up my user data to a TiBook over my wireless network on a regular basis, so I am able to keep working without missing a beat, even if my primary drive fails.
Contributed by Bob Snow.
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..............................................................................................Two Must-Have Treo Applications: Ringo and Palmary Clock
09 December 2005 01:15 EST
Jason D. O'Grady
As I've reported here before, I'm a Treo 650 convert. The simple fact is that the Treo 650 is the best smartphone for the Macintosh platform. Period. One of the best things about Treo 650 is the amount of cool software that's available for it. Two of my favorite Treo applications right now are:
- Electric Pocket's Ringo (US$29.95) - allows you to use MP3 ringtones with the Treo and set personal ringtones and pictures for your friends and for address book groups. You can also compose new ringtones with a ringtone mixer. If you don't want to upload your own MP3 ringtones to your SD card you can download free MP3 ringtones directly to your Treo or purchase polyphonic ringtones over the air (OTA). In addition to ringtones you can set personal SMS alert tones too.
- PalmaryClock Wireless (US$19.95) - Fills one of the major gaps in the Palm software included with the Treo 650, a repeating alarm clock. My Blackberry 7100t included a smart alarm clock which I could set to go off at 6:30 a.m. Monday to Friday. Sounds simple enough right? PalmaryClock adds a repeating alarm clock that does much more. Their "Wireless Edition" displays the current weather forecast, offers currency conversion and is completely skinnable.
What are your favorite Treo apps?
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..............................................................................................The Apple Core: FireWire not dead, but it's on life support
09 December 2005 01:15 EST
Jason D. O'Grady
I was genuinely surprised when Apple dropped FireWire sync from the iPod nano. So much so that I almost returned mine when I first made the gruesome discovery. I thought for sure that FireWire would live forever in the bigger iPods and that it was just a casualty of the nano's small size. Unfortunately, FireWire's almost dead completely.
Read the rest of the story on my ZDNet Blog: The Apple Core.
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..............................................................................................PowerBook nano Counterpoint
09 December 2005 01:15 EST
Jason D. O'Grady
While I think you idea about a Powerbook Nano is really cool and could do wonders for Apple's product line, I doubt the company will implement such as idea until it can be built around an Intel-based architecture. I'm hoping Apple will come out with a Viiv version of the iBook. A Viiv-ized iBook Nano would be incredible!
One area I disagree on is giving up the optical drive, or allowing Apple to put it in an external FireWire enclosure. Next thing you know, Apple will offer external optical drives using USB 2.0 only. No thanks!
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..............................................................................................The Apple Core: LED Tubes Show Promise for PowerBooks
09 December 2005 01:15 EST
Jason D. O'Grady
Yesterday I discussed how a PowerBook could be improved using flash memory technology in place of fixed disks. Today I want to look at ways to improve the display.
One obvious way to improve the screens of Apple's PowerBooks and iBooks would be to further increase the available screen resolution. Another display technology that shows real promise for Apple's professional portables is an experimental backlight technology called LED tubes.
Read the rest of the story on my ZDNet Blog: The Apple Core.
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..............................................................................................Apple Ropes the Peacock in iTunes TV Deal; Ups Prices (Updated)
09 December 2005 01:15 EST
Jason D. O'Grady
I was watching my favorite TV show last night (The Office on NBC) when I saw a banner come up across the bottom of the screen saying that you could now download it to your iPod from the iTunes Music Store. Apple has signed a deal with NBC to carry a number of their television shows on the iTMS.
NBC Universal programming now available on the iTunes Music Store spans from the 1950s to the present, including NBC's "Law & Order," "The Office," "Surface," "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," "Late Night with Conan O'Brien," the USA Network's Emmy Award-winning "Monk" and Sci-Fi Channel's "Battlestar Galactica" as well as classic TV shows including "Alfred Hitchcock Presents," "Dragnet," "Adam-12" and "Knight Rider," on the iTunes Music Store beginning today. Customers can purchase and download their favorite shows, including current shows the day after they air on TV, and watch them on their computer or iPod. The NBC Universal programs will be available in newly designated areas of the iTunes Music Store featuring the NBC Universal brands, including the NBC network, Sci-Fi Channel and the USA Network.
UPDATE:
iTMS is charging US$9.99 for hour long episodes of Late Night with Conan O'Brien and US$1.99 for under 15 minute clips. This appears to be the first deviation from the US$1.99 per TV show price point. Are song price increases inevitable at this point? Chime in in the comments below. (Thanks Digg).
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..............................................................................................Are iPods Making Their Fans Deaf?
09 December 2005 01:15 EST
Jason D. O'Grady
I've ranted about tinnitus here before, but a salient article in Rolling Stone underscores my point that listening to your iPod too loudly will eventually make you deaf.
Hearing loss is one of the dirty secrets of the music business, and everyone involved-from musicians onstage to fans who crank MP3s through headphones-is at risk. "We turn it up without realizing that we're doing damage," says Brian Fligor, an audiologist at Boston Children's Hospital. "Noise-induced hearing loss develops so slowly and insidiously that we don't know it's happened until it's too late."
More from the article and a link after the jump...
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..............................................................................................The Apple Core: Diskless PowerBooks on the Horizon
09 December 2005 01:15 EST
Jason D. O'Grady
It would be great if Apple seriously considered creating a diskless PowerBook. They should ditch the fixed disk (or Winchester) hard drive forever in favor of Flash or Non-Volatile Read Write Memory (NVRWM) in their portable offerings.
The hand writing is on the wall. After trashing flash-based MP3 players for years in favor of the disk-based iPod, Steve Jobs sucked it up and announced the flash-based iPod shuffle at Macworld Expo on January 11, 2005. When that was met with luke warm reviews for its small capacity and lack of display Apple answered critics with the iPod nano in September 2005.
Read the rest of the story on my ZDNet Blog: The Apple Core.
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..............................................................................................The Apple Core: Intel Outlook Not so Rosey for 2006
09 December 2005 01:15 EST
Jason D. O'Grady
Paul Murphy's has an excellent blog entry on ZDNet yesterday that throws a cold bucket of water on the irrational optimism that Apple will launch a raft of successful Intel-based Macs in 2006.
Quite a number of pundits have gone out and predicted the appearance of Intel based Powerbooks from Apple this January - but it isn't going to happen. In fact what I expect is either, or both, an Intel based Mini and/or some Intel based iBooks. Beyond that, however, Intel is just not going to happen for Apple next year - no Powerbooks, no iMacs, no Workstations, and no X-Serves.
While Paul agrees that cases can be made for the Mac mini and iBook going Intel in early 2006, he makes a pretty goood case as to why the rest of the Intel product line will take a while to catch up. His two main arguements for Intel Macs not reaching critical mass in 2006 are price and availability.
Read the rest of the story on my ZDNet Blog: The Apple Core.
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