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Nook Color Revealed – Ships Nov 19

Steve — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 20:25:12 +0000

The rumors were true. Barnes & Noble is currently hosting their special event regarding the release of a new version of the Nook, the Nook Color.

The new device is much different from the older models. It no longer has the e-ink screen but a full touch screen powered by Android. The new device is not just an ereader, it’s a tablet.

Listed below are the features of the new Nook Color.

The Ultimate Reading Experience:

Stunning 7-inch color touchscreen
Magazines & newspapers in rich color
Kids’ books come alive
Over 2 million titles at your fingertips
Get social, surf the web, play games, even listen to music

All for $249.

To get more information on the Nook Color visit the Barnes & Noble site by clicking here. The product page has already been updated.

The New MacBook (2.4ghz)

John — Tue, 18 May 2010 12:45:28 +0000

Apple has just updated their site today showing new specs for their white unibody MacBook. I wonder if this was a planned release, or if it was due to the number of posts online showing the “rumored / new” Macbook specs and physical machine itself.

2.4GHz : 250GB (Updates Highlighted in Red)

2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
2GB DDR3 memory
250GB hard drive
8x double-layer SuperDrive
NVIDIA GeForce 320M graphics
Built-in 10-hour battery
Polycarbonate unibody enclosure

Ships: Within 24hrs
Free Shipping
$999.00

Buy Now: Apple Store

The Next MobileMe Mail. Now in Beta.

John — Thu, 13 May 2010 12:48:50 +0000

I happened to log into my MobileMe account today and noticed a new banner showing an invite for the MobileMe Mail Beta program. Apple late on Wednesday announced a new beta program for the mail component of its MobileMe internet service. The new beta offers new interface views, server-based mail rules, SSL-based security, and improved performance, according to the company.

To sign up for the beta, MobileMe subscribers will need log into www.me.com/mail and click the “Request an invitation” link in the lower left corner. You will then receive an e-mail notification once they’ve been added to the beta.

From what I had read, the mail rules feature will allow MobileMe users at last to filter mail into separate mailboxes in advance of downloading them to your devices, such as iPhones, iPads, Macs and PCs.

Once I get my beta account setup I’ll be sure to review this service and provide some feedback to everyone.

More Information: MobileMe News

iPad USB Charging Problems

John — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 16:35:59 +0000

Apple iPad customers are reporting that their newly purchased devices aren’t charging over USB on both Windows and OS X based computers.

The iPad specs page states the ability to charge with USB, but Apple has also provided a support document disclosing that “some USB 2.0 ports and accessories do not provide enough power to charge iPad.”

Providing some further clarification to Macworld, Apple asserts that USB charging is supported but that it varies according to the state of the iPad and the power output of the USB hub:

For the fastest charging, use the iPad’s included 10-Watt USB power adapter. This will fully charge the iPad in a few hours, even if you’re using the iPad at the same time.
When connected to a high-power USB port—such as the ones on recent Macs and the iPhone Power Adapter—the iPad will charge, even during use, but more slowly. (We haven’t yet determined how much more slowly.) Some third-party powered USB hubs provide higher-power USB ports, but many don’t; similarly, the USB ports on most Windows PCs don’t provide this additional power.
When connected to lower-power USB ports—those on older Macs, most Windows PCs, and most USB hubs (powered or unpowered)—the iPad’s battery is not charged while the iPad is awake, but is charged (again, slowly) when the iPad is asleep. What’s confusing here is that the message “Not charging” appears in the menu bar when the iPad is awake, which might lead you to assume that the offending USB port can never charge your iPad. But rest assured, Apple says: once you put the iPad to sleep, the battery will indeed charge. (If you could see the screen while the iPad was asleep, it might even display the charging icon. It’s the modern-day “Does the refrigerator light stay on when I close the door?” mystery.)

Further analysis from Apple’s statements indicate that the iPad can only be charged off of USB connections that provide near 1 amp of current. The majority of USB ports on most older Macs and PCs only provide 500 mA and thus can’t be used to charge the device.

Google Electric

John — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 18:45:12 +0000

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission grants ‘market-based rate authority’ to Google’s newest subsidiary, appropriately named, Google Energy.

Internet search engine and global tech giant, Google Inc., has officially entered the electric utility game, although don’t expect to be writing a check to Google Energy for your monthly electric bill any time soon.

In a unanimous vote, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has approved a request from Google, Inc. to buy and sell electricity, granting Google “market based rate authority.” But like many new ventures the Mountain View, California-based tech giant embarks on, they’re not quite sure where they’re going with it yet, or what they’ll do with their new authority. Google has no immediate plans to buy or sell electricity, but reportedly made the move to better position itself to manage its own energy and to have more access to renewable energy

Apple Reportedly Offering 15% Refunds to Purchasers of Troubled 27-Inch iMacs

John — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 20:24:08 +0000

Apple has been struggling with the flickering issue on the 27” iMac displays, it appears that Apple is apparently offering 15% refunds to users who have exchanged their iMacs multiple times in seeking to have the issues addressed.

On a $2,000 iMac 15% is about a $300 apology from Apple’s customer support. Digging around online, it sounds like you need to be a repeat iMac returner who’s dealt with multiple 27-inch iMacs.

Despite the apparent refund program in effect and Apple’s efforts at addressing the flickering issues, the company has yet to publicly acknowledge the yellowing issue generating significant numbers of complaints from customers.

VOIP Apps using 3g now allowed on iPhone

Steve — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 13:05:42 +0000

By now, just about everyone has heard of the announcement of the iPad. But, the more important announcement yesterday as far as I’m concerned is a change to the Apple SDK.

Apple Computer, Inc. has updated the iPhone developer SDK to allow VoIP over cellular networks.

What this means is, as of yesterday, Apple allows VOIP applications such as Skype, and iCall to use the 3g network rather than limiting them to WIFI as they have up until this point. Currently only one app, iCall, has this functionality built in.

Keep checking for updates to your favorite VOIP apps over the next week or so, as I am sure they will quickly try to update. For now, I am going to give iCall a try. I will post my initial impressions of it within the next few days.

Viacom HD channels soon on FiOS

Steve — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 20:39:45 +0000

A few weeks ago it was announced that Verizon had finally made a deal with Viacom to add their HD channels to the lineup. Rumor had it that we would get them some time in late June/July. Well, it looks like a date has finally been set.

Here is the proposed channel lineup:

MTV HD 710
VH 1 HD 717
CMT HD 721
Nick HD 752
Spike HD 554
Comedy Central HD 690

The first of these channels should be live starting on June 24 (subject to change), with the rest to be added over the following week.

This is in no way official, but it has been spreading over the internet today. Let’s hope that it’s true. I have been waiting for Spike HD. Now that it has been added I basically have every HD channel that I need. All is good…

Come on, AT&T

Steve — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 21:44:04 +0000

By now, just about everyone has heard about the upcoming release of the iPhone 3Gs and the 3.0 firmware update for the iPhone. There are some great features in the new firmware. Two notable ones are tethering and MMS messaging; both of which won’t be supported by AT&T when the firmware is released.

For those who don’t know what MMS and tethering are, here is a brief description:

Tethering would allow people to use the iPhone’s 3g network access to connect other devices to the internet. For example, if you have a laptop you could connect the iPhone via usb, or even bluetooth, and access the internet through your iPhone data plan.

MMS messages are delivered in a fashion almost identical from a user standpoint to SMS, but any multimedia content is first encoded and inserted into a text. It is primarily used to send photos, or sounds, such as ringtones.

When the new firmware update is available next week, 22 carriers will allow tethering and nearly 30 will have MMS enabled. AT&T won’t support either.

AT&T stated that MMS will be available in the “summer.” They state that it will take that much time to change all of the existing iPhone plans so that they don’t “opt out” of the MMS function.

As for tethering, I wouldn’t get your hopes up. AT&T, if they ever do allow it, will probably charge a ridiculous amount to enable it’s usage. That is assuming their 3g network could even handle it.

Something needs to change about the way AT&T does business. They are constantly behind other carriers. They need to understand that the iPhone alone isn’t going to save them. As soon as their exclusive agreement with Apple ends, I’m sure many people will change providers, myself included.

Snow Leopard upgrade only $29

Steve — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 17:52:45 +0000

Snow Leopard will be available for all Intel Macs – past and present.

How should it be priced? Leopard was $129 and Apple wants all Leopard users to upgrade to Snow Leopard.

Snow Leopard will be $29 for those using Leopard.

A Family Pack will be available for $49, and both will be released in September.

A near-final developer preview available is today.

Since 2001, Mac OS X has delivered more than a thousand innovative new features. With Snow Leopard, the next major version of the world’s most advanced operating system, Mac OS X changes more than its spots, it changes focus. Taking a break from adding new features, Snow Leopard builds on Leopard’s enormous innovations by delivering a new generation of core software technologies that will streamline Mac OS X, enhance its performance, and set new standards for quality. Snow Leopard dramatically reduces the footprint of Mac OS X, making it even more efficient for users, and giving them back valuable hard drive space for their music and photos.