Tuesday, November 30, 2004
News
FPT Becomes Official Distributor Of Apple Computers
Viet Nam's leading computer producer and distributor, the Corporation for Financing and Promoting Technology, has become the first official distributor of the US computer group Apple in Viet Nam.
Students Warm To Free iPod Offer
Apple Gains On iPod Enthusiasm
Shares in Apple Computer gained 6 percent on Monday after two key analysts raised their target prices for the company's stock amid continued strong demand for the group's popular iPod digital music player.
Apple iPod: Faster Than A Speed Walkman
After 2.5 years on the market, sales of the iPod are about 1 million units ahead of Walkman sales after the equivalent period of time.
Black Friday Delivers For Apple
Several stores report moving at least four times the average Friday volume on the day after Thanksgiving.
Review
iMac's G5 Top Choice Of Year
This is a computer that will deliver several years of good use and thus is a good value for the money.
iPod Will Be Music To Her Ears
Lost iTunes Library, Found iPod
The issue is what one should do when an iTunes music library has been vaporized due to a hard drive crash and a copy of that library exists on an iPod.
iPod Photo: Color Does Make A Difference
I don't know if there is something Apple can do with the photo thumbnails to make them a bit bigger, but nothing else realy stood out on the negative side for me. On the positive side, there is a lot to like about the iPod photo.
The Complete U2: The World's First Digital Box Set
$149 buys a lot of U2. How much do you need?
Sidetrack
"Dear boss, I need a voice recording device, and I hear that there is this great new white little thing that I can use to do voice recoding..."
("And I can listen to some great podcasts on the way to the interview too.")
Yes, you guessed it. At least one reporter out there is using the iPod as a microphone.
As software professionalists, we need to advice this more often: "What can I use to prevent spyware? The short answer is: Use a Macintosh."
Your mouse ball (if you still have one), your mouse button, and your wrist are all doomed, I tell 'ya. Cause Apeiron X is here.
No plots. No too-dark-to-see-anything corridors. No do-not-even-know-where-to-begin puzzles. Just pure plain shootin' and killin' arcade fun.
Monday, November 29, 2004
Top Stories
To Know Me, Know My iPod
Somehow, I had ended up inside of Ken's head — in Kenworld.
News
Passion For Music Keeps 'Hard Times' Rolling
"Hard Times", which won a Billboard music award in 2002 for Best Regional Music Video Show, has been picked up by several diferent broadcast and cable stations. Woodward produces "Hard Times" on his own time at home on a Macintosh computer and says his show's budget is pretty much nonexistent. His staff, he says, consists of "me, myself and iMac."
Sidetrack
Once upon a time in Mac OS X land, if you remember, Finder used to suck.
Sunday, November 28, 2004
Opinion
Sidetrack
Rumor Today: Peter Mehring, Former Founder of Umax, New Mac Hardware Division Chief At Apple?
Redazione speculates on Apple's replacement choice.
Are we going to see mroe radical designs, or more of the evolutionary-kind of products like the iMac G5?
Friday, November 26, 2004
Top Stories
King Of Music Players
As Apple's iPod capitalizes on a shift in the way people enjoy entertainment, many believe its popularity will endure.
News
Apple To Press Play On iTuens In Canada
Apple said this week the company intends to meet [it's self-imposed] deadline. "It's still November; we'll launch in November."
Boiiiiing: Adam Curry And Postcasting Hit Mainstream Media — So Do Not Forget: Windows Mobile Devices Are Pefect For Podcasting Too!
Sidetrack
Band-Aid: Some Suggestions for Apple's Damage-Control
So, here's the London Times' article about how Apple refused — simply refused — to sell the tune "Do They Know It's Christmas?" for charity, because the song is supposed to be sold at £1.49, while Apple balks at anything that doesn't sell at the standard 79p price point per song.
No matter whether you agree that Apple has a case or not, whether the Times article is fair and balanced, or not, the damage has already been done. (As far as I know, the Times is a rather reputable, or at least, mainstream, paper over there.)
So, what can Apple do?
Apple can agree to sell the song on iTunes Music Store at the 1.49 price. Apple may also not sell on the iTunes store, but instead choose to sell it on the online Apple Store instead.
But those are still cop-out options. Rather, may I humbly suggest, that Apple should negotiate with Universal Music to sell the tune at 79p on the iTunes Music Store. And Apple should match the remaining 70p per song as a charity donation.
This may or may not totally repair the damage already caused, but at least it's going to be a worthwhile gesture.
Thursday, November 25, 2004
Top Stories
Apple iTunes Don't Know It's Christmas-Tme At All
The Apple iTunes music store has refused to sel the charity Band Aid song Do They Know It's Christmas? because it would damage the company's dominance of the download market. The track cost £1.49 on other major online sites which have agreed to donate their profits to relief efforts in Africa. Apple sells individual tracks at 79p but has refused to raise its price for the charity song.
News
iPort Pipes iPod Music Into Whole-Hole System
Sonance is now shipping iPort, an in-wall docking station that enables you to play the music in your iPod over a whole-home audio system.
Opinion
Apple, Audio And Hardware
There's nothing as flexible as a personal comptuer. But there's nothing more user-friendly than a well-designed appliance. Apple obviously knows the difference.
iTunes Is Ripping Us Off
I love U2, but there is no way in hell that I'm paying $150 for a handful of rare tracks.
U2 Makes A Note Of It
The greatest contribution U2 has made to digital music is nudging Apple one step closer to releasing liner notes for the albums it sells.
Review
Panorama V For Victory
Throughout the nearly 20 years of its history, ProVue's flagship database application, Panorama, has been ahead of its time; now the times have caught up, and Panaorama has risen to the challenge.
Wednesday, November 24, 2004
Top Stories
Apple iPod Holds Sway In Japan
In Japan, home to four of hte world's top-five consumer electronics companies by sales, advance orders made Apple's iPod mini the top-selling portable player three weeks before its July 24 release. It still is.
News
Give Your iPod Fifteen Minutes Of Clubbing Fame
North London digital music lovers have a new forum where they can share their musical taste in a democratic clubbing experience — Playlist Club.
Watson Now Available For Free
It should be noted that some of Watson's tools are no longer functional, and developer Dan Wood said he cannot update the program because of the deal with Sun.
Review
Mo' Better Podcast Listening!
While there's no way to delete content directly on your iPod, I think I've come up with a way that might be even better!
Modifying Stickies
In this article, you're about to learn how to update your Stickies applications to give it abilities that its authors probably never considered.
A Company With Simple And Elegant Products
For as long as I've been writing for the Times, one company has consistently created clever, well-priced products — and I've never reviewed them. It's SanDisk, the memory-card maker. The trouble is that its products are so simple in concept, none of them really merits the full 1300-word "State of the Art" column treatment.
Sidetrack
Rumor Of The Day: Apple May Go Galactic
News.com summarizes today's rumor: Apple's Asteroid, which allows musicians easily plug their analog gear into a Mac.
Tuesday, November 23, 2004
News
Apple Developer Numbers Growing
Apple has grown the size of its global developer community by 2 1/2 times over the past two years, with much of the credit going to its switch to the Unix-based OS X operating system.
Engineering, Support Executives Leave Apple
Two Apple Computer executives have quietly left the company in recent weeks, including the Macintosh unit's head of engineering.
Apple Posts iCal 1.5.4 Security Update
Xserve Shipments Soar 119 Percent; Trend Likely To Continue
Analysts expect triple digit growth for the Xserve could continue into 2006 before it levels off.
Apple Stocks End sDay Up 11 Percent
This is after Piper Jaffray raised its price target on the stock to $100.
Opinion
Six Percent Of Windows iPod Users Have Already Switched To The Mac, But This Is Just The Beginning
Windows users who buy an iPod for use with their PC, are in fact coming back later and replacing that PC with a Macintosh.
Sidetrack
Reason #6 on why David Pogue is so productive: "I do most of my work in Mac OS X. I therefore spend zero time on viruses, spyware, maintenance and all those other typical computer time drains."
Wintel
Microsoft Notebook: Top Exec Shares Business Lessons
Jeff Raikes shared a series of business lessons, explaining each using inside stories from his more than two decades at Microsoft.
Monday, November 22, 2004
News
Laptop-Less Freshmen Have Differing Views About Status
For most of the freshmen, the loss of the iBooks is no big deal. Some said they are glad to be rid of them.
.Mac Reinstates Virex Download For Members With New Version 7.5.1
5000 Apple Religious Nuts Camp Outside London Store
More than 5000 followers of Steve Jobs encircled a sacred site in Regent Street in Londinium over the weekend as a new holy of holies was opened.
Apple Reboots Into Retailing
The Geniuses — tech support staffers clad in black, offering free advice from behind a sleek, barlike counter — were an afterthought when Apple expanded into retailing in 2001, another non-traditional tool to bring in shoppers and draw attention that Apple computers were not getting at traditional computer retailers. The concept has become so successful that 100,000 people visit the Geniuses every week.
Review
RadioSHARK A Great Addition To The Digital Hub
A New Computer
You really don't notice the raw power of the G5 that much in the Finder. It's quick, but it's when you open up applications that are dual processor aware, you feel the speed this kind of machine supplies.
Sidetrack
Please Use The Product Before Reviewing
How does a mainstream press manage to do comparison review between different products, without showing a single thread of evidence of using one of the said product?
Sunday, November 21, 2004
Top Stories
Apple's Flock Worships New Store
Shop openings this side of the Atlantic traditionally consist of some feeble ribbon-cutting, a few pictures for the local newspaper, and maybe even a free goody bag for the first lucky customer to pass the threshold. But in the world of Apple it was always going to be so much more.
News
Apple Shop Bucks Dire High Street Sales Trend
The frenzied interest in Apple's store is in sharp contrast to the fortunes of many UK retailers who are preparing for the toughest Christmas in years.
Opinion
Made In USA
Unlike other American companies, Apple's obsessed with good design. Or more precisely, their CEO is.
Mac Crowd Bashes Windows
The reason behind the growing support for Macs has less to do with Apple than with the failure of Microsoft's Windows operating system and Internet Explorer browser.
Mac 911 Attends The London Apple Store Opening
If today's reception is any hint at how The Apple Store will be greeted in other European capitals, The Store has a very bright future abroad.
Review
iPod Brings Music To Your Photos
Apple's latest offers a brilliant color screen and photo capabilities, but the price is high.
Saturday, November 20, 2004
News
Creative Stunt Lands 20 iPods
By the time the shutters came down at 7pm, Creative had collected 20 iPods.
Stormy Braves Storm To Be First In Line
A student from Texas is camping out on a rainy sidewalk to be first in line for Saturday's grand opening of the new London Apple store.
Apple iPod Mini Waterproof H2O Audio Case
Apple Confirms Plans For First Canadian Retail Store
Apple confirmed plans to open the company's first retail store in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Opinion
Software Blades
Windows still sits in the middle, but now, with the BlackBerry, the iPod, the Mac, Wi-Fi, and RSS, I can route around it.
My First Sony Walkman
I miss the feeling that I had when I got my first Walkman.
Why Apple Is Worth Revisiting
Apple is making a serioius play for both the small-and-midsize business and the enterprise storage markets.
Sidetrack
A live webcam pointing at the queue outside fo Apple's London store is now in operation over at ifo Apple Store web site.
David Pogue discovers that there are other us-verus-them debates besides the great Mac and PC uproar whenever someone writes something remotely controversial in the mainstream press. Be careful when you compares LCD and plasma television. :-)
Wintel
Dumping Microsoft Isn't Always Practical
ActiveX, IE, and Outlook aren't easy to do without.
Friday, November 19, 2004
Top Stories
Wanna Buy An iPod, Guv?
Don't bet your house on getting your hands on the iPod of your choice, though. The newest iPods have yet to arrive.
Apple Confirms More UK Retail Stores
Apple today confirmed it plans new retail outlets across the UK and Europe.
News
iPod Updater Brings Parity And A Bit More
So what's this "and a Bit More" promised in the headline? It turns out that the update changes some of the mini's diagnostic tests.
MacExpo: Fans Wait With Intent For Apple Store Opening
The queue has started. A tent and a handful of dedicated Mac users were spotted outside the Apple Store on Regents Street last night at 1 am. Two days before the store is set to open to the public.
U2 Sees iPod TV Spots As Synergy, Not Sellout
"Selling out is when you do something you don't want to for cash. We really wanted to do this. What could be cooler than having our own iPod and exploring new digital formats?"
Wozniak Gives Old Friend Jobs High Marks For Technology Leadership
Wozniak said Apple is the best bar none at developing technology that "fits how a human being is and thinks. I still see that going on at Apple more than any other company in the world."
The iPod Economy
All kinds of companies are going along for the ride.
MacExpo: Knoica Minolta Offers Free iPods
Knoica Minolta is offering a free 20GB iPod with some printers.
iPod Updater 2004-11-15 Released
This update is mainly aimed at iPod mini users.
Review
Apple's iSight, A Webcam And More
Software developers have made the iSight good for much more than just video chat.
Radio Takes The Big Leap Forward
Despite some flaws, for radio buffs like me, RadioShark is a very useful product but it could use some fine-tuning.
Spider-Man 2: The Game
If you are not 110% hardcore Spider-Man fan you will not enjoy this.
Wintel
Microsoft Says IE Updates Possible
Microsoft, under pressure to add new features to Internet Explorer, said it might do so by way of the browser's add-on mechanism.
Thursday, November 18, 2004
Top Stories
Apple Plans Music Download Service In Japan — Paper
The Nihon Keizai newspaper reported on Thursday that Apple aimed to offer more than 100,000 songs with an emphasis on Japanese music by March 2005.
News
Apple Updates G5 Firmware, Xserve RAID Admin Tools
Lost Ellen Feiss Switch Ad Unearthed
Errol Morris has posted several of the never-seen-before Swtich ads to his website, including a new spot featuring the only breakout star, Ellen Feiss.
Freeverse Ships Big Bang Board Games
Apple Computer Says To Delist From Tokyo Bourse
Apple said the turnover of its shares had been small, making it difficult to justify high listing costs.
Opinion
iBetter? Haha
If I own a Zen Micro, I would be spending my time hiding it from being seen.
Win Autographed Creative Zen Micros
Who wants to buy or win an MP3 player with some CEO's signature on it?
Review
Creating iPod Tattoos
Printing these things is more fraught with peril than you might think — the problem is getting the size of the graphic right and getting your software to print the graphic at the top of the page. There are easy ways to get it done, however.
Eudora 6.2 Alternates Between Silly And Serious
The... new features in Eudora 6.2 are more along the lines of what I know and love about the program.
Peace Of Mind For Notebook Data
U2 iPod Impressions: Better Looks, Cleaner Audio?
Like a number of other recent Apple products, the U2 iPod just looks better in person than it does in official publicity shots.
Wednesday, November 17, 2004
News
Apple Of Their Eye
SoHo's Apple Store has become the latest singles hotspot. The techie's paradise on Prince Street is a hive of young, hip New Yorkers who stop by to read their e-mail, load their iPods and check out new digital gizmos — and each other.
Tiger Presents New Opportunities For Developers
The real benefit of Mac OS X 10.4 will be realized as users discover the massive new wave of innovative, Tiger-ready applications from independent developers.
Bono Cheating On Apple With Sony?
According to Tech Digest, Bono has supposedly been hiting up Sony for one of their new 20GB NW-HD1 Network Walkman digital audio players.
Students In 36 Maine High Schools Are Getting Laptops
Three dozen Maine high schools that opted to use local money to pay for laptops for ninth graders have received the computers and students can scarcely wait to get their hands on them.
Apple Changes iPod Photo To 'iPod photo'
In an apparent attempt to unify its iPod product names, Apple has tweaked the name of its iPod Photo to iPod photo (lower case "p").
Opinion
Review
iPod Photo: Breakthrough Device Or Work In Progress?
The iPod photo is a great evolution of the iPod product line. It doesn't do everything that everyone wants the iPod to do, but it is an evolution of the digital wallet.
Wintel
MSN Music To Offer GarageBand Songs
MSN Music is teaming up with music site Garageband.com to distribute free music from artists that aren't signed to traditional music labels.
Tuesday, November 16, 2004
News
Greek Music Fans, Too, Can Now Get It On The Internet
Launched in Greece late last month, Apple's iTunes Music Store has, despite the lack of publicity, already drawn a considerable number of local customers for online music purchases at a cost of 0.99 euros per song.
Steve Jobs To Keynote Macworld Expo San Francisco
AirPort 4.1 Fixes Encryption Irritation
Apple has released AirPort 4.1 software for Mac OS X 10.3, and this update includes a feature that's been in great need: the ability to use more modern and secure WPA encryption when you're also linking base stations wirelessly through WDS.
PortalPlayer Rides Popularity Of The iPod
PortalPlayer, based in Santa Calra, Calif., is a chip maker for personal media players. But its business is highly concentrated: 93 percent of its sales go to Shanghai's Inventec Appliances Co., which assembles iPods.
Apple's Computer Sales Could harmonize With iPod's Success
Shop Till You're Cool
Checkout lines and stocked shelves? Not at these stores, where the point is hanging around.
Opinion
iPod And Corporate America
My brother's employer, BIG BANK Inc., has decided to get every employee above call center and administrative staff an iPod so they can listen to things like earnigns calls on their way to work.
iPod In The Sky?
Get music-on-demand for a monthly fee.
Review
Blast! No Infraread
If El Gato added an IR blaster, I would immediately turn my G4 Cube into a home entertainment center.
Safari -> Firefox
Firefox is faster, cleaner, more extensible, and user-friendly than Safari.
Sidetrack
There's No Such Thing As Native Speakers of Traditional/Simplified Chinese
The whole deal with traditional and simplified Chinese is in the writing, not the speaking. Even though a resident from Beijing writes in simplified Chinese, while a resident from Taipei writes in traditional Chinese, so long as they are using the same dialet (most likely Mandarin), they will pronounce their words in exactly the same way.
Monday, November 15, 2004
News
Burberry iPod Cases
If you've got $200 burning a hole in your daddy's credit card, the plaid lads of Burberry are selling two new iPod cases at each of their 5 US stores.
Audio Hijack 2.2 Adds New Features
The new version adds an AIFF sample rate selector, a "Stop Recording After" setting, two new post-processing scripts and several other features.
Review
This One Goes To Eleven
The iPod Photo has been causing me some headaches. Mostly because the hype has been so strong around the Mac web, but no one has really been able to tell me why I'd want one.
The Time Of Your Life
Come on, stop reading so many weblogs, focus!
Sidetrack
Podcasting Overloading In My Mac Life
It's up and running: one of my favorite radio show, Your Mac Life, has the first "official" podcast up on the net. You can download the MP3 manually, or you can subscribe to the XML feed via iPodderX so that this and future podcast can be automatically pushed to your iPod.
Sunday, November 14, 2004
Top Stories
Gates Vs. Jobs: The Rematch
In many ways, the story sounds eerily familiar.
News
London's Apple Blossoms
Shoppers crave it for Christmas with a near religious fervour, but now those who revere Apple's iPod music player will be able to worship their icon at a high-street temple. Europe's first flagship Apple Store is about to open in Britain.
Mac Fans Attack Schools' PC Plan
As school districts across the country have become more and more PC-driven, Mac lovers have held on with a vengeance.
Review
Apple's Latest Development iPod Photo Seems Unfocused
Ultimately, the iPod will successfully transcend its original mission, of a jewel-like, musical companion, to something beyond audio. It hasn't yet.
Sidetrack
A real ghost sighting, or another urban legend? You decide whether the whispering or the white mist that are being captured in this commercial are real or fake.
:-)
Wintel
Microsoft Takes Lead In Software For Handhelds
For the past three months, gadgets running the software giant's Windows Mobile operating system outsold Palm handhelds, finally overtaking a rival that first popularized the electronic datebook organizers in the mid-1990s.
Saturday, November 13, 2004
News
FileMaker Takes Major K12 Award
Students Cash In On iPod Giveaway
Rumors Of Apple iPod Deal Lift Digital River Stock
Shares of Digital River rose to a four-year high driven on what analysts said were rumors that its technology might be used to download games onto the next version of Apple's popular iPod.
Staples: Brand Warriors
"Staples is all about easy, and the Apple platform just makes it easy for my team to be creative. That freedom lets up push the limits, test more options, and produce more compelling communications."
Opinion
Microsoft Biting The Apple
One fact is clear: Microsoft is looking long term and has the cash to stay the course. At some point, portable media players will become commodity items, and Apple won't be able to charge customers the high prices it does now. Then the equation will change, perhaps to Bill Gates' advantage.
Review
Getting In Tune With AirPort Express
AirPort [Express] is by no means the perfect solution for streaming music on a local network. But it's darn good.
Friday, November 12, 2004
Top Stories
The True Story Of Audion
In short, we didn't want Audion, flashy crazy Audion, to go with a whimper. We felt it was time to celebrate this one application — this one tiny tale in a world of millions — that's done so much for us, and whose customers and fans have helped us become what we are today, to whom we owe so much.
Opinion
Comments Field: Useful Or Useless?
What should really happen is that the Comments field should be way more accessible.
Two Things I Wish Every Mac OS X User Knew
We get enough support requests to have some idea of the things people often don't know about Mac OS X.
Additional Poofery
I offer the following addendum to last week's bit on poof consistency.
Review
Griffin RadioSHARK
It was worth the wait.
Shrek 2
The pity is that with a touch more thought the game could have been tweaked to be a shining example of what a platformer should be about. Instead, it's a competent example of the genre.
Wintel
Microsoft Registers Trademark — 19 Years Late
Microsoft introduced its Excel spreadsheet program in 1985, but didn't get around to officially registering its trademark until earlier this year.
Thursday, November 11, 2004
Top Stories
Apple No Longer Reviewing Itself
Apple products now appear without a rating.
French Court Won't Force Apple To Open Up iTunes
The French Competition Council has dismissed a case brought by Virgin's French arm against Apple for alleged abuse of market dominance.
News
iPod Socks Now Available For Order From Apple Store
Google To Give Gmail POP3 Support, Plans Antivirus
"We want to make it the best e-mail service in every single dimension so you have aabsolutely no reason to use any other."
Opinion
Little Black Disc Killers
U2's deal, in which the band will market its massive 400-track digital box set — the entire U2 collection, including stuff not previuosly heard — suggests the end of the CD as we, and the big labels, know it.
The Word On The Next iPod: Flash
Despite denials from Apple, teh buzz is building that the company is ready to launch a digital music player that uses a memory card.
Apple's Inadequate Quality Testing
Apple's hardware universe is sufficiently small that Apple should be more dilligent than it appears to be.
Review
Build Your Own Blogging Application, Part 1
How to harness the power of Perl and Tcl/Tk along with your .Mac iDisk to build your own blogging application.
Bose's Pricey iPod Speaker Dock
The sleek, shoebox-size device produces solid sound, but at $299 it's rather pricey.
Log In, Rock On
The biggest advantage of iTunes, apart from ease of use, is that it supports iPod.
Sidetrack
Shawn King, of Your Mac Life, tries out PodCasting. Unfortunately, he missed out on one key feature of Podcasting: the automatic push to the iPod. What's missing? The actual MP3 file should be placed into the Enclosure field of the RSS feed, so that applications such as iPodderX can automatically download the MP3 file, put into a special playlist in your iTunes, so that the next time you connect your iPod to your Mac, the MP3 will automatically upload itself to your iPod.
Look Ma, No hands.
And if you want to get into the pod-casting business, here's a new web site that teaches you how to podcast in three (relatively) easy steps.
Wintel
Microsoft Web Searcher Isn't As Good As Google, But In Time It Could Be
Google is still my search service of choice, but Microsoft has arrived in search and will be a more and more attractive alternative.
Microsoft Skips Itanium With New Windows
Microsoft will come out with a special version of Windows next year for clusters, but it won't run on Intel's most powerful server chip, at least for now.
Wednesday, November 10, 2004
Top Stories
Why iPod's Tune Won't Change
The hardware add-on market is fiercely energetic, with more than 300 accessories. But that's only half the story.
News
Developers Have 'Opportunities In Mac Audio'
Mac developers should take a deeper look at the platform's musikc ecosystem, according to last month's third O'Reilly Mac OS X Conference.
Reader's Digest: Mac Shows True Colours
"ColorSync is a really extraordinary chance for the publishing and printing industries to carry out colour management, calculations, adjustments and adaptation using the same framework — it's the best system-level colour management available today."
USD 250 makes PowerSchool A Priority
After a couple of years of discussion and a presentation last night, the Pittsburg USD 250 Board of Education voted to make the PowerSchool program a purchase priority this year.
Analysts Raise Apple, iPod Projections For The Quarter
Amazon To Launch iPod Store
Online retailer, Amazon, is preparing to debut a new store focusing on sales of Apple's iPod and related products.
Apple Supported Technologies Approved By DVB
The revision includes two technologies supported by Apple, H.264 or Advanced Video Codec (AVC) and High Efficiency AAC (HE-AAC) audio codecs.
Virtual PC Update Fixes RAM Issue
Corrects an issue affecting users running G5 machines with more than 2GB of RAM.
Review
Fun iPod Tricks
Not only can you use your iPod to play msuic from your favorite singer or band, you can use it to listen to radio recordings, listen to "audio weblogs" (known as podcasts), and more.
How-To: Play "Movies" On An iPod Photo
Pointless? Yes. Will a lot of people try this and put movie trailers and porn on their iPod photo? You betcha, and we’re here to help as always.
Delicious Library
It's clever, pretty, and fun, but also a bit green.
Replace Your iBuds
As cute and identificable as the iPod's stock earbuds are, they're no match for the quality of sound the iPod is capable of producing.
Airburst Extreme
AirBurst Extreme is an absolutely wonderful game, and excellent fun for people of all ages.
Sidetrack
No Legally-Rippable Content For iPod Movie?
Dear Steve Jobs, I beg to differ. At least, I beg to differ here in Asia, where the dominant delivery medium for movies is VCD, rather than DVD. There's no DRM-protection, however weak, on the VCD format, so ripping from it for own personal use should be legal.
But I will agree with Steve Jobs: what's the point of watching movies on a tiny 2-inch screen? There's a reason why, before the iPod era, you do often see people listening to radios or Walkmans or Discmans, but rarely do you see people watching programmes on a portable TV during the commute.
What is worse than having a song stuck in your head early in the morning? Having a song from Barney (the television show that my daughter is now crazy about) stuck in your head early in the morning.
Wintel
Microsoft Aims At iPod Market
Microsoft is fighting to expand its online music share and break the hold Apple's iPod has on the market.
Microsoft Commits To XML Docs For Long Term
Responding to a request from the European Union to improve data interoperability, Microsoft has committed in perpetuity to offering a royalty-free license of Office-related XML document formats.
Tuesday, November 9, 2004
News
iPod Nation?
Tufts Associate Professor of Anthropology David Guss said that the iPod is so successful because it "empower[s] people to become more than simply passive consumers. iPod and other systems create new circuiltires in which consumers are also producers."
The Apple Of Their Eye
Store offers comptuers, tech help for Mac users.
Making The Cut
Apple's GarageBand, Sony's ACID and other powerful yet easy-to-use software programs let professional musicians write and record music whenever and wherever the muse strikes.
Here Comes The Sun — Get Out The iPod!
MyPower Adds Up To 32 Hours Of Playback Time To Your iPod
The new iPod case is rechargeable battery and portable dock, all in one.
Apple, Jobs Snare Two Billboard Awards
Apple won Brand of the Year while Jobs secured Visionary of the Year for his dual roles as CEO of Apple and Pixar.
Opinion
U2 Is Smart To Bite Into This Apple
What U2 has done is adopt the new playbook for pop-music success.
Google Search On Mac Not Needed
Video iPod: Wrong Time, Wrong Place
With its iPod success and Steve Jobs' Hollywood ties, I sure wouldn't bet against Apple. But only when the time is right. And that time isn't now.
Tasty Fruit
Product upgrades and strong demand are driving growth at Apple.
Review
Singing With The Sonnet Encore/ST G4 Duet
For those of us who still aren't at ease with Mac OS X, a processor upgrade is a great way to extend the viability of an existing Mac without the trouble and expense of buying a whole new system.
New iMac Delivers Value For Windows Users
Style, performance and security make Appel's new iMac G5 computers one of the best values for home and small-business users — especailly for Windows users shopping for their next PC.
The New iMac Is Beautiful
Simply put, the new iMac is beautiful.
Apple Has Surprises Tucked Into Panther
Here's how to bring out a few of the hidden features of the application with the simple name, Mail.
Apple iPod Photo
What's stopping us getting over-excited? One, to view the images properly you really need to view them on a television and two, to view images ont he television you need to carry around a long cable with three phono plugs in your pocket.
Wintel
Microsoft Moves Closer To Wiping Its Antitrust Slate Clean
By reaching antitrust settlements with two additional litigants — Novell and Comptuer & Communications Industry Association — Microsoft has broguht its cost of persuading rivals to drop lawsuits to roughly $3 billion.
Monday, November 8, 2004
News
Apple Insiders Sell $73 Million In Stock
So far this year, 10 top executives havve sold $229 million in company shares.
Music Sharing That's Free And Legal
A new twist on file sharing is holding out the promises of allowing millions of people to share their song collections online, at no cost — and without legal risk.
Delicious Library Ships
Delicious LIbrary is an "electronic card-catalog" application for Mac OS X. It lets users track books, movies, music and video games that they own.
Macworld Is Moving To The Hynes
"Based on feedback that we have, the show in its current size is not big enough" to fill the new center's massive exhibit hall, said IDG World Expo. "We want people to be able to feel a lot more close together."
Apple Opens Store In Jordan Creek Town Center
The mood was more like a concert and fans lined up well before dawn.
Old Computers Tossed; New Apple Store Opens
While some were perusing the new Apple Store, hundreds more were waiting in line at the Ley Creek transfer station as part of household computer and television recyclig day.
Review
Should You Want New iPod Photo? Well, It Depends
Icing on the cake, or gliding the lily?
On The Leading Edge, With Elan
Slim. Sleek. Streamlined. Stylish. Chic. Those aren't adjectives normally associated with a desktop computer — unless it's an Apple iMac.
Device Does For AM/FM Radio What TiVO Did For Television
If you're a fan of late-night radio talk shows, or odd-hours disc jockey music programs that air while you're at work or asleep, RadioShark may be the answer for you.
Sunday, November 7, 2004
News
Creative's Offering A Free Zen Micro For Your Old iPod — If You Live In Singapore
If you live in Singapore and are one of the first five people to get in line at the Creative Fest they're holding there later this month.
iPods At The Gate
Like little armies dragging their downloadable ammunition behind them, Apple's iPod are poised at the juncture of teenworld and your campus, just waiting to invade. Can this be a good thing?
Apple Dashboard Widget Contest
Members of Apple's Developer Connection who hold an active software seed key are eligible to enter Apple's new Dashboard Widget Contest to win a new iPod.
Review
Minimalist-Looking iMac G5 Is A Powerful Desktop Computer
Photo Plus Music Equals An Expensive iPod
iPod Photo's biggest obstacle isn't other products, it's human nature. It's a lot harder to gawk at pictures while walking, running or driving than it is to listen to music; none of Apple's engineering wizardry can change that.
Saturday, November 6, 2004
Top Stories
U2 Talk iPod Strategy
Band's partnership with Apple has deep roots.
News
Debdoot Das
"Now you can afford to have a system that does it all, so I was able to do everything under one roof. And because it's all connected with the same philosophy, it just flowed."
Playing God: BiblePlayer For iPod Catches On
Combining the use of the iPod with the Bible highlights the gadget's potential as a conduit for e-books.
Mac OS X 10.3.6 Released
The update delivers enhanced functionality and improved reliability.
Macworld Boston Switches Venues
Boston Macworld will move to Hynes Convention Center for 2005, as the center "is a more appropriate location and will provide an excellent customer experience for this particular event based primarily on venue size."
Opinion
Music At A Wheel's Click, But Do We Really Hear?
Maybe an irreversible progression is under way: more kinds of music, fewer listeners for each kind.
Review
Protect Your PowerBook From Scuffs And Wear
Over the years I've used dozens upon dozens of products to protect my laptops from harm. Here are a few I recommend without hesitation.
iPod Remote Doesn't Control Photos On iPod Photo
You can only use the iPod remote to control music on the new iPod, but not to advance, pause or play photo slideshows.
text.editor.addicts.txt
If, as I hope, you are just like me, and you have a strange fascination with text editors too, perhaps you might like to join me as I take you on a tour, line by line, character by character, into the wonderful plain text world I've explored.
Battlefield 1942: Secret Weapons Of WWII
Gamers looking for something a little more new or inventive in terms of game play will find this expansion lacking.
Sidetrack
Another Design Tips For The iPod Guys
Attention to details, that's what Apple is famous for. When your iPod is switched off while it is on hold, releasing the hold switch will automatically turn on your iPod.
Unfortunately, the reverse is not true. When your iPod is paused and is not playing any music, turning on the hold-switch should switch off your iPod. After all, no music is being played and you will not be playing any music anyway while on hold, the iPod might as well be switched off. But, this is not the case. My iPod mini will just stay on doing nothing.
(Technically, your iPod doesn't get switched off. It just goes to sleep.)
You can listen in live all day from Blogggercon — the event for all bloggers and readers and podcasters — at ITConversations.
Even though I didn't really miss listening to Your Mac Life due to my QuickTime Player not cooperating with me, nevertheless I am still happy I am able to solve the mystery and have my player start to download and play the archives.
Turns out QuickTime Player is really brain-dead. For some reason, QuickTime Player decided, one fine day, to use "UDP" as the transport portocol, which didn't work at all. (In Mac OS X, you can find this setting at System Preferences : Connection : Transport Setup.) So, I switched it to "Automatically determine the best protocol and port ID, trusting QuickTime Player to try all combinations and give me a setting that simply "just work."
Did I mention QuickTime Player is really brain-dead? Turns out that the player is not smart enough to determine the best protocol and port ID. In fact, I don't think it even tried.
The correct way to listen to Your Mac Life and other QuickTime-streamed content is — if the earlier options still don't work for you — to use "HTTP" and Port ID 80. Set it manually yourself, and it will finally work.
So, now I finally am able to listen to Shawn King and the rest of his gang. And my hatred for QuickTime Player has just increased another notch.
P.S. And special thanks to Shawn King for prompting me via email to get up on my lazy ass and do something about QuickTime Player.
Friday, November 5, 2004
Top Stories
Apple Store Takes Reviews — But Not Of Its Own Stuff
Customers visiting Apple's online store can now post their own reviews of the products they buy — unless it's the latest iPod.
Rate Products, But Not Apple's
Apple's online store now allows customers to rate many third-party products, but not Apple's own. "It gets worse."
News
New Apple Stores In Liverpool, Jersey
More news from Apple's reseller channels, with a new stores in Jersey and Liverpool and a new accreditaion...
Apple Launches Epson Promo
Free Epson printer with the purchase of a qualifying computer.
At Posh Hotels, iPod A High-Tech Mint On The Pillow
Music lovers checking into fine hotels may want to ask the front desk about the latest trend in upscale amenities: in-room iPods.
Apple Addicts Will Arrive Early For Store's Opening
Twenty years after Apple introduced the Macintosh, the company is opening a retail store in Iowa.
Mac Developer Looks To Windows To Escape Tiger
With Apple threatening to push his product aside, longtime Mac developer Arlo Rose has moved his Konfabulator over to Windows.
Cell Signaling Technology: Switching An Entire Company To Macs
"Switching to Macs company-wide has been good for us. No one worries about the system anymore. They're concentrating on their work, using the Mac as a tool rather than as a computer."
Opinion
How Far Can Apple Ride The iPod Craze?
It's tough to bet against a company seemingly doing everything right, and there's no real reason to at the moment.
Wintel
Microsoft Wants Servers To Drive Office Sales
Microsoft wants to create closer ties between its Office desktop software and its server applications in the next version of Office, hoping customers will upgrade their copies of the dominant desktop software suite.
Thursday, November 4, 2004
Top Stories
Apple Trims Music Purchases To iTunes 4.5 Or Higher
As of today users of iTunes 4.2 or lower will not be able to purchase or download songs from the iTunes Music Store. "Less than 5 percent of all iTunes customers are using the old iTunes 4.2 version, so asking them to upgrade to the free iTunes 4.7 is no big deal."
News
iPod-Crazed Youths Invade London Station
Welcome to the world of Mobile Clubbing — turning up at a pre-arranged public place on mass where you begin to dance to the sound of your own personal stereo.
Glenda Adams Speaks Out On Mac Doom 3
"For most games it is a huge optimization effort to even get the Mac version to run close to as fast as the PC."
iPod And iPod Mini Win Which? Praise
Despite Consumer Association accusations that Apple overcharges for iTunes tracks in the UK, its monthly magazine, Which?, continues to celebrate Apple's iPod.
Opinion
But There's No Software For The Mac, Right?
Apple's iPod Must Beware Woes Of Netscape, Nokia
There's no question that Apple has built a beautiful mousetrap... Still, the likes of Microsoft and Sony are hardly going to stand still while Apple pockets every last cent of what Bono called "the dividends of the digital age."
Review
Hacking iTunes
I'll explore ways to work with the iTunes Music Library file, an XML document, for fun and education, including transforming the library into an HTML page using various technologies, and querying Amazon and Google's web services for other suggested recordings and related information.
Automatically Import Images Into iPhoto
There seems to be a great opportunity to automate the process of moving images from Bluetooth camera phone into iPhoto for asset management. But there are a few potholes along the way.
Power Pack For An iPod Keeps The Music Playing
iPod Sings With Harman Speakers
Sizing Up The Latest iPod Iteration
The new iPod Photo is a great choice for storing and sharing digital photos. We just hope it comes down in price.
Sidetrack
Internet Radio, Here Comes Your Competition
Lately, for some reason, I cannot get to listen to the archives posted on Your Mac Life, the Internet radio show for Mac people. My QuickTime player will try to connect — and then fail after a long time. (Actually streaming doesn't seem to work on my Mac anymore. I could not watch the latest iPod event on Apple's web site either.)
But, I don't miss it anymore — because of all the other podcasts that are available on the net. Probably everyone listens to Adam Curry's Daily Source Code and IT Conversations, but I'm also starting to listen to Dave Winer again. (His new microphone really made a lot of difference.) The best part: they are all free, and I can put them on my iPod very easily.
Update on the QuickTime Player: a bulb finally lighted above me and I am able to get the player working again.
Wintel
Some Like It Small
Look out iPod. Flash digital-audio players are getting better than ever.
Microsoft Expands European Music Download Business
Microsoft launched its MSN music download service in eight new European countries on Thursday in an attempt to fend off a recent expansion push by archrival Apple's iTunes.
Coming To Project Managers: Multiscreen Microsoft PC
The Project PC is an extension of Microsoft's philosophy of customizing PC hardware for specific verticals. Its innovation is essentially to offer small-form-factor hardware optimized for multiple screens.
Wednesday, November 3, 2004
Top Stories
Resellers: Market Share Down Because 'Apple Eats Its Children'
Resellers said that there's been too little product to sell for too long and that Apple continues to "squeeze" resellers and distributors, removing sales incentives.
News
Can Radio Kill The Digital Music Star?
A funny thing happened on the way to the consumer electronics store.
iPod Mini-Matching Earbuds
The catch? Japan only.
Apple Shares Reach Four-Year High On Demand For iPod
Apple shares rose to a four-year high as demand for the iPod surges before the year-end shopping season, reversin the slump triggered in September 2000 by a disappointing profit forecast.
The Old New Thing
Aside from partisans for the Macintosh, there are also many determined fans of a smaller, hand-held device who are so united in their devotion that they form a kind of secret society. No, not iPod fans. Newton fans.
Opinion
Can The iPod Keep Leading The Band?
Apple has to continue to out-innovate a growing crowd of contenders.
Review
A Simple Drawing Sample In Quartz 2D
iBook, Power Mac 1.8GHz Benchmarks
The message here is not about value; the new Power Mac is definitely a bargain. But it does appear that, when it comes to frontside bus speed, megahertz does indeed matter.
The iPod-Powwered PC
Migo Personal for iPod transforms Apple's popular music player into both a backup device and a setup device for remote PCs.
How-To: Get Music Off Your iPod
In this How-To we show you several different ways of getting the music off of your iPod and onto both Macs and PCs, all with free tools.
Sidetrack
The People Of America Have Failed Us Today...
Joi Ito: "For awhile, many of us thought that you had been conned into voting for Bush — that you didn't iknow he wanted to be a War President... We thought you had made a mistake. Now US policies = US Citizens. You have my sympathies, but it's still your fault.
Wintel
Tuesday, November 2, 2004
News
Mac OS X — 'World's Safest'
A 12-month study by a leading digital security company concludes that Mac OS X and Open Source BSD OS's are the world's safest computing environments.
iTunes Gooing Places, But No Music For Our Ears
Waiting For The 'Halo Effect'
Though the jury is still out, there is some evidence the iPod's success may boost Apple computer sales.
iPod Download Giveth, Apple Taketh Away. But Not For Long!
It appears the code used to disable this specific utility can be overcome by simply forgetting how to spell.
There's No Worm In Your Apple — Honest
After a week of contemplation, Apple has annnounced that the 'Opener' malware program blighting OS X is not a virus — although the security community disagrees.
Strange Mail.app Bug Caused Full Processor Usage In The Last Hour Of October
Apparently, Mail.app became a bit confused with the change back to standard time, and began ramping up processor usage in the last hour of October.
With iPod Success, Apple Takes "Network Effect" From Microsoft
Apple has finally beaten Microsoft at its own game. The iPod, not Microsoft's extensive platform and ecosystem, is defining the market for portable digital media. And for a company that has long struggled in the shadow of its massive competitor to the north, that's good news indeed.
Opinion
Examining The Consistency Of Your Poofs
It's a cute effect, made for demoning how cool Mac OS X looks — but it's shitty user-interface design, and Apple has implemented it inconsistently.
Top Down Vs. Bottom Up Technology
We need Apple and Microsoft. We also need Linux and the Internet. To grow the technology sector we need a balance, and unity.
Word To The Whiners
iPod Download was written as an iTunes plug-in. Apple controls the SDK for these plug-ins and has some say abou what they can and cannot be used for. Anyone writing such a plug-in would be well served to carefully scrutinize the SDK's licensing agreement.
More 'iPhoto On Windows' Thoughts
Apple Should Get Into Games
Apple has shown that they can come out of nowhere, and simply dominate a market. So why not games?
Review
The Inside Wire: Keeping A Journal
Beginning with Mac OS X 10.2, Apple added a useful technology called Journaling.
Solution For Noisy iPods
In nearly every case, the iPod exhibited the problem only when used with third-party headphones.
Homeworld 2
The game is a blast just to play and the visuals just make it that much better.
Wintel
Internet Explorer Takes Another Market-Share Hit
Challenges to Microsoft's Web browser dominance are mounting as Internet Explorer loses more market share to open-source rival Mozilla.
Monday, November 1, 2004
Top Stories
Apple Sees Market Share Decline In Q3
Despite positive financial results, an increase in Mac unit sales, and the popularity of the iPod, Apple's worldwide market share has declined, according to Gartner.
News
iTunes On Pocket PC 'Possible'
Information Appliance Associates has devised an application that enables the automatic transfer of music from Apple iTunes to Pocket PCs and MS Smartphone handsets.
iPod Still An Eyecatcher
Analysts say Apple could continue to dominate. But, they say, they expect its market share to erode amid the slew of new arrivals, which are matching the iPod's storage capacity; approaching it in style and ease of use; adding extra features such as an FM tuner or voice recorder; and, in some cases, undercutting Apple in price.
Opinion
More On Apple's Breaking Of The iPod
There are innumberable untilities available to help you move your music from your iPod to your Mac, of course, but that's not the point. The point is that Apple is devoting time, money, and lawyer- and engineer-hours to breaking your iPod and selling it to you as a "fix."
Stevenote Review
Arguably, what's right is that you can take any digital content with you, but whatever: Apple only has a photo solution right now, so they'll run with that.
Review
A Computer To Love
It's certainly a machine that would sit well anywhere in the house and, with the outstanding iLife software suite, is a powerful and flexible computing tool.
Airport Express — Don't Leave Home Without It!
We thought the Airport Express would have its travel advantage in hotels, but as it turns out its real advantage has been in internet cafes where the owners don't seem to mind us using our laptops.
Sidetrack
Touch Me, Scroll Me, And I'll Play You Some Tunes
An actual working iPod Halloween costume, with a Microsoft Tablet PC as the brain.
It seems Apple's DRM restriction is getting dumber everyday. A reader from MacInTouch reports that the latest iTunes will not get the track name for you, if you didn't rip the song in iTunes yourself. The fine line between being the good guy (it's all RIAA's fault!) and the bad guy (I'm in bed with RIAA folks) is now somewhere underneath Apple's feets.
And the winner of this election: John Kerry. Why? Because the Redskins lost to the Green Bay Packers.
