Monthly Archive for March, 2006

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Another Apple Event?

Published on Sunday, March 12, 2006 in Apple, Noteworthy and Technology. Closed

apple logo According to AppleInsider, Apple is planning another special event on April 1st. This could be an April Fools joke, or maybe not because Apple’s anniversary date is April 1st. Believe it or not, Apple was founded on 1st April 1976 by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak.

True to industry-wide speculation, the event is expected to fall around the iPod maker’s 30th anniversary, which takes place on April 1, 2006. However, Apple is considering holding the event immediately before or after the 1st — not on that date — because it falls on a Saturday, people familiar with some of the company’s plans have said.
As has been the case in the past, Apple is expected to use the event to spotlight some of its latest innovations and products in both the personal computer and digital media market segments, those same people said.

AppleInsider speculate that a 13-inch Intel iBook and a 17-inch MacBook Pro could be release with a video iPod as well. I think that if Apple did have yet another event, that this time it would be big products, so that the huge amounts of people that were dissapointed at the last event would be relieved. I think that a video iPod will be released, but as a separate line than the 5G iPod, so that those who prefer only music for a cheaper price can buy that, as not everyone wants to watch video. As for the rest, an Intel iBook and perhaps a bigger MacBook Pro. I don’t think anything else will be revealed unless it is a MacMini DVR, which in itself is quite unlikely (in my opinion).
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More Windows Live Messenger Invites – Get them now!

Published on Sunday, March 12, 2006 in Internet, Microsoft, Software, Technology and Web 2.0. 34 Comments

I have received more (22) invites to send out for Windows Live Messenger. If you want them then post a valid msn/hotmail email in the comments and I will send one out to the first 22 commenters. Please please check your email so I don’t waste the invites. If you have already posted your email when I gave them out last time and you haven’t received your invite, then post it again below so I can avoid all the confusion!

Once again, all my invites have now gone. I’ll be sure to make another post when I get some more so keep watching this post or the blog.

No need for invites anymore, Microsoft has released Windows Live Messenger BETA to the public! [link]

Sony CEO confirms that the PS3 is late

Published on Thursday, March 9, 2006 in Gaming and Technology. Closed

Sony CEO Howad Stringer “has officially admitted to the press that the PS3, will indeed, be delayed for launch this year. He made his remarks to Hollywood industry newspaper, Variety, and stated that the PS3 will most likely be launched towards the end of this year, instead of the planned launch for May in Japan. He attributed the delay to problems with the console’s chipset.” This is, according to GamerNode, but they don’t seem to show any links to Sony Press articles or the actual words that Stringer uses. But it has been on many other sites (I’ll try and digg up the links later) so I am inclined to believe this hasn’t been flasified.
I knew from all the rumours that the PS3 won’t launch in Spring, and NVidia even said that they haven’t started making the graphics yet for the PS3. But, the end of the year seems extremely long. By that time the Revolution will have probably launched and it means less market for Sony. I’m sure that’s not the way they want, but we’ll have to wait after all the rumours we’ve been hearing of the ridiculous price of the PS3 and its components.

Screenshots of Office 2007′s new UI

Published on Thursday, March 9, 2006 in Microsoft, Shorts, Software and Technology. Closed

This morning at the CeBIT conference in Germany, we revealed the new visuals for the Office 2007 user interface.
You can see a few screenshots of the new look on the Office 2007 UI Preview Site. If you’ve got a craving to see even more, I’ve created a mini-gallery of full-size screenshots from a recent build of the product below.

Impressions of the DS Lite

Published on Wednesday, March 8, 2006 in Gaming and Technology. Closed

Some people have gotten their hands on the new DS Lite and have been testing it out and comparing it to the DS. There is even a video review of it here. So far the reactions seem to be very positive. Its size and design is very good and looks really sleek. With an Apple-esque finish and a much brighter screen (seen above) it is a far better improvement and also has a bigger stylus which is now easier to use.

Apple modifies Intel TV Ad for the UK

Published on Tuesday, March 7, 2006 in Apple, Noteworthy, PC and Technology. 2 Comments

Apple has changed the Intel ad for the UK and replaced it with words that make it a lot less effective. They have changed the voice over to remove the ‘dull little boxes dutifully doing dull little tasks’ line and replaced it with, ‘dutifully doing all the things PC’s were built to do.’ You can watch the ad for yourself here, and I’m sure that you’ll find that it is rubbish. Literally I think they might as well not air the ad because it sounds a bit stupid really. I wonder why though? It’s not as if the UK people would take offense more than the Americans. Who knows, but now it’s time for you to see the ad that will embaress Apple (ok, maybe that is a bit harsh).

UPDATE: I saw the ad on TV (Discovery Channel, I was watching MythBusters!) and I do have to say it wasn’t nearly as powerful as the original ad. I am still questioning why they changed it for the UK.

The MacBook Pros have amazingly bright keyboards!

Published on Friday, March 3, 2006 in Apple and Technology. Closed

Some new images arised on ZDNet showing the comparison between the MacBook Pro’s backlight keyboard (on the right above) and the PowerBook G4 (left, above). Amazing, seriously, so Apple didn’t just make the screen brighter but the keyboard as well. I think it would make me blind at night. “In fact, the MBP’s keyboard backlight set to one bar is brighter than the keyboard backlight on the PowerBook set at 16 bars (100 percent.)” I bet it could light up my room! I really want one!
They also noticed that the caps lock and numlock LED’s changed colour from a pale green to a more vibrant “kelly” green.

Mac mini’s processor is upgradeable

Published on Friday, March 3, 2006 in Apple, Noteworthy, PC, Shorts and Technology. Closed

Today was the day that just about everyone that ordered a mini on the 28th received it via FedEx. Tons of pictures of the Intel Mac Mini’s internals flooded the internet this morning. Shots of the double-layered DDR2 200pin SO-DIMMs slots, the IR port next to the optical drive responsible for the Front Row remote control feature, the new Serial-ATA hard drive interface and more surfaced. However, one thing that caught my attention was the use of a socket for the CPU rather than a soldered-on, unreplaceable processor. The big connotation with this is that you can buy a cheaper Mac Mini such as the 1.5GHz Core Solo (assuming the motherboard and software is identical between Core Solo and Core Duo versions) and upgrade it to something like, say a 2.0GHz Core Duo. I still have to sift through some whitepapers and find exact heat specifications for the 1.83, 2.0 and 2.16GHz Core Duos to see if the Mac Mini’s heat sink and fan combination would be up to the task.

Put your Mac to sleep using the Apple Remote

Published on Friday, March 3, 2006 in Apple, Shorts and Technology. Closed

Here’s a tip for all you folks out there that have a Front Row enabled Mac (and I mean one that Apple recognizes as having Front Row on it, sorry hackers).
[...]
Wrong. You can put your Mac to sleep using the included Apple Remote Control. Simply hold down the Play button for a few seconds and the screen will dim an show you the icon pictured in this post (which has been edited for size). The snoring Apple Remote Control icon lets you know that your Mac is about to go to sleep. Keep on pressing the play button if you want this to happen, or release it if you want your Mac to stay awake.