:knock knock:
...anybody still around? Yeah? Wow, a patient bunch you are! Thanks for hitting your bookmark for this site!
Time for some new content, wouldn't you say?
OK, that sounds good to me too. I've been saving a bunch of cool sites for you to check out, and of course, I need to keep you up-to-date on Apple Computer news! Finally, time to really blog about the world outside my door -- movies, books, food, family, friends -- I promise.
Be back soon!
~Kachup
Apple introduced an extensively updated iPod line today including:
Two fun finds today...the first is Found, a website devoted to found objects. According to their About section:
We collect found stuff: love letters, birthday cards, kids' homework, to-do lists, ticket stubs, poetry on napkins, doodles-- anything that gives a glimpse into someone else's life. Anything goes.We certainly didn't invent the idea of found stuff being cool. Every time we visit our friends in other towns, someone's always got some kind of unbelievable discovered note or photo on their fridge. We decided to make a bunch of projects so that everyone can check out all the strange, hilarious and heartbreaking things people have picked up and passed our way.
Hello again, Apple fans. Apple, Inc. announced some updates to hardware and software yesterday, and for a more complete overview than what I could provide, I thought I'd list here the opinions of the gang over at Small Dog Electronics, who put together some great Mac newsletters. I've used some of their content before, and I really like their writing style, so take it away, Small Dog!
[Copyright 2007 Small Dog Electronics, Inc., Waitsfield,
Vermont USA - All Rights Reserved]
New iMacs!
By Ed@Smalldog.com
Today Apple announced greatly updated iMacs. They featuring brand-new
Extreme 2 Duo Intel processors (more on those below), a boldly
refreshed pro design featuring 20" or 24" glass displays encased in
aluminum, an all-new keyboard and iLife 08 (more on that below, too!)
Standard configurations are:
20" iMac with a 2.0 GHz processor, 250 GB hard drive and ATI Radeon
HD 2400XT video card - $1199
20" iMac with a 2.4Ghz processor, 320 GB hard drive and ATI Radeon HD
2600 Pro - $1499
24" iMac with a 2.4Ghz display and 320GB hard drive and ATI Radeon HD
2600 Pro video card - $1799
All models come standard with 802.11n and Bluetooth 2.0 wireless
capability, an 8x Superdrive, 1 GB of RAM, and the new Apple
Keyboard. They can be customized with up to 4 GB of RAM, and up to a
1 TB hard drive.
The new iMacs feature three USB 2.0 ports, a firewire 400 port, a
firewire 800 port, a gigabit ethernet port, mini-DVI port, an audio
in and audio out port. All models also continue to feature a built-in
iSight camera and microphone. You can run a second display up to 23"
from the mini-DVI port.
The new glass displays are glossy, and the resolution appears to be
the same as current 20" and 24" iMacs - 1680x1050 and 1920x1200
respectively.
Updated Mac minis!
By Jimmy, Jimmy@Smalldog.com
Previous to this announcement today there was a lot of speculation
around the death of the Mac mini. Many though Apple was going to
phase it out of their product line but today instead of doing that
Apple refreshed it.
The new Mac minis include Core 2 Duo chips which are up to 33% faster
then previous chips, allows 4GBs of RAM, has 4 USB ports, has digital
in/out audio and has a Gigabit ethernet port. The new minis also come
with iLife ‘08.
According to the Apple tech specs page (http://www.apple.com/macmini/
specs.html) on the Mac mini it does not come with 802.11n wireless
networking which seems a bit odd to me. Overall it’s a nice upgrade
and I would love to replace my Xserve with one of these.
iLife '08!
By Ed, Ed@Smalldog.com
Apple also announced a new version of iLife, now called iLife 08. As
an iLife 06 fan, I have to say this new version looks incredible.
Here is a brief rundown of the new features in each iLife application.
iMovie 08 - iMovie is being released as an all-new application, and
has a new interface and icon to show it. The app is now centered
around an iPhoto-like library, where you can catalog all your video.
This is something I've always wanted - it should be very convenient
to keep all the video on your Mac in one central location, ready to
be watched, scanned, and even edited.
iMovie now claims to accept video from "any source," and the video
can be mixed & matched in single projects. It also features a newly
expanded "Share" menu, with updated options for outputting video to
iPod, iPhone, Apple TV - and direct exporting to YouTube. The YouTube
feature is going to be huge. Steve Jobs is telling people to skip the
DVD, and exchange high-res video files computer to computer, or
computer to TV. iMovie also integrates with the new .Mac iWeb Gallery
- which I'll discuss below.
There are actually dozens of added features, upgrades, and
enhancements throughout iMovie 08. It really is a whole new
application. We'll explore iMovie in depth in the future; you can
read about some of the new features here:
http://www.apple.com/ilife/imovie/
iPhoto 08 also received some updating love. A new feature called
Events allows you to easily group and organize huge iPhoto libraries.
New photo editing features include noise reduction, white balance
adjustment, selective improvement, guided cropping and more. You can
choose to automatically show or hide photos based on your star rating
(you do rate all of your photos with stars, right?) There are new
books and calendars available (including much larger calendars than
the previous options.) Photos can now be exported to a new .Mac Web
Gallery, which promises a better way to post and organize photos
online. You can contribute to the gallery "from anywhere" you have
internet access. Read more here about the new version of iPhoto here:
http://www.apple.com/ilife/iphoto
Garageband is updated with a slew of new features. The biggest all-
new feature is the Magic Garageband. This is a "virtual onstage band"
that you can jam and record with. There are new interactive
instruments that can be edited in real time. There is a new multitake
feature. Garageband can now record high-fidelity 24-bit/44.1kHz
audio. There is a built-in Mastering Engineer to make your songs
sound like a commercial CD. There is a new visual EQ to allow you to
graphically adjust frequencies for each track by clicking and
dragging EQ bands. Parameter Automation sets the parameters of
instruments and effects to change at multiple points within a song.
You can now organize the structure of a song by using predefined
sections (intro, verse, chorus, and bridge), print software
instrument tracks as music notation with automatically formatted
staffs and complete measures, and display the name of chords in real
time as you play on a USB keyboard. Also - you can now export tracks
as MP3s. Read more here:
http://www.apple.com/ilife/garageband/
I'm glad to see that iWeb has been updated. First, you can finally
easily switch iWeb themes. This was not possible in the previous
version of iWeb. There are eight new themes to go along with this
feature.
There are new animated web album pages. You can put 500 photos online
per album. iWeb makes it easy to integrate Google Maps and Google
Adsense on your web pages. A new feature called Web Widgets makes it
easy to embed a snippet of live content from another website on your
iWeb page. Web Widgets would include YouTube videos, stock tickers,
weather reports, and more.
Finally, Apple has made it easier to use a personal domain name with
your iWeb pages. Read more about iWeb here:
http://www.apple.com/ilife/iweb/
iDVD received the least love in this upgrade. The main feature is
new, pro-quality DVD encoding. Apple says "the new professional-
quality option in iDVD uses advanced encoding technology to maintain
the highest possible quality for DVDs that are near or at the disc’s
capacity."
There are 10 brand-new themes, and the all of the older themes are
also compatible. The interactive "drop" editor has been updated. Menu
navigation, real-time preview, and theme switching are all faster.
Indeed, iDVD touts better performance throughout rather than a glut
of new features. Read more about iDVD here:
http://www.apple.com/ilife/idvd/
iLife '08 requires a PowerPC G4 (733MHz or faster for iDVD), PowerPC
G5, or Intel Core processor, 12MB (1GB recommended) of RAM, and Mac
OS X v10.4.9 or later.
Numbers and Pages and (Key)notes, galore!
by Kali, Kali@smalldog.com
I have been waiting for an update to iWork for what seems like
forever. So, I was happy to see Apple finally announce an update
today that includes revamped versions of Pages and Keynote, and a new
application called Numbers.
Pages is a word processor that has style; more specifically, it has
nicely designed templates that make it sort of a word processor-slash-
desktop publishing program. (I like to think of it as an InDesign
“lite” or something like that.) In Pages ‘08, more templates have
been added, and Apple has declared you will be able to “switch easily
between word processing and page layout modes.” Sounds great to
someone who loves to multitask.
Keynote is designed for presentations, and is fantastic for the same
reason—it’s really easy to use, and the templates actually look nice!
There are several new features to Keynote ‘08, such as new effects
and transitions between slides. It also looks as though slide
manipulation has gotten a little slicker, too: you’ll be able to
remove a background with one click. And, if you need a little help,
new video and animation support will add punch to an otherwise
lackluster presentation!
Now on to the newbie: Numbers ‘08 adds spreadsheet functionality to
the iWork suite, which it had previously lacked. Those of you who use
(or have used) Appleworks know that it was a feature not brought over
into Pages. In reality, I don’t use spreadsheets too often in my
every day life, but it seems to me that Apple needed to remedy this.
Numbers is touted as “spreadsheets the Mac way,” which has to mean
both its ease-of-use, and an impressive, clean interface! (I don’t
think Apple will disappoint.) Some of the features include:
customizable templates, tables, charts, an interactive print view,
and “effortless” compatibility with Microsoft Excel.
iWork ‘08 will be available for $79.99… we’ll add more info as soon
as we can get our hands on it!
Sure, there are many fine sites out there that showcase contemporary photography, such as Flickr. But what about all those cool vintage photos that we have laying around, maybe in old photo albums, or ones acquired in garage sales? Well, now they have their day in the sun.
Shorpy, billed as "The 100-year-old photo blog", showcases all sorts of cool vintage photos. You can create an account and add your own, if you like. The site states that they are particularly interested in photos "from the dawn of photography to the 1940s". Check it out!
Shorpy
On the official Google Blog today, I saw a post that discusses the many services Google offers to clients who have varying accessibility issues -- whether sight or mobility-based. This list shows a little more than a dozen of their various services (hyperlinked to the service itself), then also includes a link at the end to join the accessible Google user group and make your voice heard on various topics.
I love to find companies that go the extra mile on accessibility issues, whether they are located online, or in brick-and-mortar buildings. This is also another reason I love Apple, Inc., as they have always had a team devoted to these very issues as well.
Overview of Our Accessible Services
[via the Official Google Blog]
OK, let's switch gears a bit. Here's a fun site. Garage sales have been around forever -- well, at least as long as people have had garages, I guess. With the explosion of antique collecting and the promise of finding that potential treasure in your neighbor's basement, plus the recent popularity of shows such as "Antiques Roadshow", the garage sale is as popular as ever.
Well, Bruce Littlefield has taken it upon himself to travel to garage sales from coast to coast, and as many as he can find. Then he reports on his finds on a blog, and the wonderful website that surrounds it. You'll find a spot to list your own garage sale, find others, do's and don'ts, and much more. The site is beautifully put together and a pleasure to navigate.
Here's a fun example from his blog:
EVERYTHING I EVER NEEDED TO KNOW ABOUT LIFE, I LEARNED AT A GARAGE SALE
•Everybody’s looking for something.
•Just because it’s old, doesn’t mean it’s gold.
•One man’s junk is another man’s treasure. And vise versa.
•When you give, you get.
•Life can be perfect, even in its imperfections.
•There’s nothing worse than the one that got away.
•Even “free” comes with a price.
•A bargain is something you didn’t know you needed at a price you couldn’t resist.
•Greed isn’t pretty.
•Know when to cut bait.
•Nothing is yours forever.
David Pogue, technology columnist for the New York Times, took a look at the iPhone in his "Circuits" column yesterday, and today he's back with a really good article that reads as a F.A.Q. for all of us eager users that can't wait to get their mitts on one, and have questions about what our hundreds-of-dollars flying out of our wallets are going to get us.
On the bright side, he mentions that some folks will ultimately say "neat, but, it's missing (fill in the blank)". He notes:
Apple has indicated that it intends to add features through free software updates, so the real, secret answer to some of the “no” answers is actually, “Coming soon.”
Original article at engadget.com, here. Apple has come out with some rules on purchasing an iPhone, due to launch tomorrow, at Apple Stores and AT&T stores.
Highlights --
The first day of summer is upon us, and you know what that means -- we're just days away from the release of Apple's iPhone! (Wait, what? That's not what it means? Oh. Well, anyway...)
I think it's safe to say that no techie gadget (certainly no cell phone) has ever seen so much anticipation, so much pressure, to be the end-all and be-all of everything cool in this world than the iPhone does at this moment. Yes, it will be released, and there will be those folks that will buy one on the first day, the first minute, the first second that it's available. Heck, there's probably people camped out at Apple Stores right now. So what is it about this gadget? Apple says it's the best iPod they've ever made, that, oh, by the way, happens to also be an internet appliance and, oh yeah, the best phone ever. I'd love to say that I will personally test all these features myself and report here, but it's just a wee too steep for my budget at the moment. But hey, we should be able to play with one at the Apple Store once they become available (at least I hope so.)
However, until it launches, I say enjoy the hype. I know of no other company that inspires such brand loyalty and can whip the fan base into a lather than Apple, Inc can. After its release, there will almost undoubtedly be some bell or whistle that doesn't work exactly as advertised, or was left off completely. But until then, we have the image of a perfect product, and Apple can do no wrong.
Here's some links to sites blogging about the iPhone, courtesy of the gettrio.com newsletter I receive:
iPhoneFreak
theiPhoneBlog
TalkiPhone
You gotta love free stuff, right? Well, it's not Free Friday yet, but this one is too good to sit on. Bryce is an application you use to create 3-D landscapes and more. From the product download page description:
Create breathtaking realistic 3D landscapes and animations with DAZ 3D Bryce 5.5. The easy user interface simplifies the design process for a novice or the seasoned professional. Start out building or importing a landscape as impressive as the Grand Canyon. Populate it with buildings, people or any other object you create or from the extensive DAZ 3D library. The Light Lab provides you robust control over your sunsets, moonlight nights or high-noon ambiance. Tree Lab allows you to plant your landscape like the gardens of Versailles. You'll have to register your copy of Bryce 5.5 on the publishers web-site to gain access to your free Bryce serial number.
On Monday, Apple CEO Steve Jobs gave the keynote address at this year's Apple World Wide Developers Conference. This meeting is targeted at the companies and programmers who develop software for the Macintosh platform. Steve's presentation focused on key features of the MacOS X 10.5 Leopard that will be released in October.
Watch a Quicktime stream of Steve Job's presentation (approx. 90 minutes long)
MacOS X 10.5 Leopard Highlights
The new release of MacOS X will feature an extensively refined desktop and Finder, bringing many of the features of the iTunes interface to the Mac desktop. It also features easier to use file sharing, the new Time Machine backup utility, Spaces - a screen virtualization tool, and Quick Look that allows you to preview entire documents without opening them in an application.
Safari 3.0 Beta for Mac and Windows
Apple also released a beta version of the Safari web browser for not only the Mac platform, but for Windows XP and Vista as well. However, I'd caution you that this beta version has already been found to be fairly buggy, so be cautious.
More MacOS X 10.5 Links
Apple 10.5 Leopard website with video previews
MacWorld Preview article
Information Week review
[Thanks, Verne!]
For those of you that weren't around for the live event blogging, the video of Steve Jobs' keynote presentation at the WWDC '07 has been posted by Apple.
Steve Jobs WWDC '07 Keynote
Hello, fellow Mac fans. For those who don't know, today is the kick-off of the Apple Worldwide Developer's Conference (WWDC). And you can't kick-off an Apple conference without a keynote by His Steveness, Steve Jobs. I still miss the days where Apple released satellite feed links so you could watch along in real-time, but I guess those days are over as Apple keeps the lid tight on news, even as it happens.
Oh well. In the meantime, you can watch Engadget.com provide live updates on their webpage, and we'll all gather 'round the virtual watercoolers after, to discuss topics like the iPhone and the upcoming Leopard release.
Engadget.com WWDC live updates
Apple on Tuesday introduced a refresh to its line of MacBook Pro laptop computers, raising CPU speeds, memory capacity and improving graphics performance across the line. The new systems can accommodate up to 4GB of RAM and feature CPU speeds of up to 2.4GHz.
Steve Jobs was interviewed by Walt Mossberg of the Wall Street Journal yesterday at the D: All Things Digital Executive Conference. Amongst the topics were the upcoming iPhone release (Steve coyly confirming that it would ship in June, even if it was the last day in June), iPod/iTunes, and AppleTV.
Engadget.com has excellent coverage of the event, with a transcript, on their webpage. I also have here a link to the edited interview. Excellent reading and viewing.
Engadget: Steve Jobs Live from D 2007
Link to Steve Jobs interview
Hopefully, you've had a chance to visit an Apple Store, the real brick-and-mortar stores that sell and show-off Apple technology to its brilliant best. Once in the store, you might notice something called the "Genius Bar" towards the back. What is that, exactly? Do they serve really cool drinks with techie names back there?
Well, actually, the Genius Bar is where you can get expert Apple advice on software or hardware questions or problems. The folks trained to be such experts are called, naturally enough, Apple Geniuses. How did they reach that exalted position? Lots of hard work at the mother ship, my friend.
Read all about it in this behind-the-scenes exclusive interview with two Geniuses (Geniusesses, Genii?) in Mac|Life Magazine, here. And to answer a possible question: No, even considering myself an Apple power user for many years, I don't think I'd make it out of boot camp here. Yeah, they're that good.
Exclusive: A Day in the Life of an Apple Genius
[courtesy of Mac|Life.com]
As noted on macworld.com, Blizzard Entertainment today released news of its latest game in the pipeline. And it is the sequel to one of their best-selling games of all time, StarCraft. Enter StarCraft II. Besides the fact that I came to know Blizzard through playing StarCraft before the WarCraft series (and now the World of WarCraft MMORPG), I'm stoked that they are developing the Mac version and the Windows version at the same time. This epic game set in outer space pits three playable races against each other for domination of their corner of the universe. Many sleepless nights will soon ensue.
MacWorld article
StarCraft II Official Page on Blizzard.com
I like this one a lot...I've run across some websites that tell you, via text descriptions, how to do certain tasks, like tie a necktie, solder a wire, cook an omelet -- and they are fine for what they are. But, if you're a visual learner like me, you tend to do better when you can see someone showing you how to do something.
SuTree is that site. From the home page, it describes itself as:
SuTree is a knowledge community. We nurture the ultimate tree of knowledge: the world's largest index & library of free video lessons, video tutorials, video lectures & video how to guides. Our content is handpicked by our users and then examined by our team/community.
Microsoft announced yesterday that the plug-in/converter to allow Office Mac 2004 to read the new Office/Windows 2007 file formats has been delayed yet again. The company indicated that a full set of converters will not be available under after the release of Office/Mac 2008 later this year.
Announcement on C|Net news.com here.
