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December 2006 |
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Thursday, December 28 |
FastMac 15" MacBook Pro Extended Life Battery
 MyMac - "The most obvious appeal of a MacBook/MacBook Pro (aside from warming one's lap in cold weather) is the ability to run from a battery, untethered from AC power sockets. Even though Apple P.R. touts decent run times for its laptops, you need to toggle the display brightness down as far as possible, you can't use the hard drive much, and heaven forbid running the optical drive. Compared to PC laptops, Apple laptops have long suffered from relatively short battery life."
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Wednesday, December 27 |
Macbook converted to Dvorak layout
 Newlaunches - "Though I have not used the Dvorak layout I have heard it is much easier compared to the standard QWERTY keyboard layout we have been using since ages. I wonder why manufacturers dont give the option as all major operating systems (Windows, Mac, GNU/Linux and BSD) ship with standard QWERTY and Dvorak layouts. However this was not to stop an enthusiastic Mac fan from physically converting his MacBook to the Dvorak keyboard layout. it is not that difficult as you only have to swap a few keys here and there using a standard mini screwdriver."
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Friday, December 22 |
VMware releases Fusion beta
 VMware has posted a beta version of Fusion, the Mac version of its desktop virtualization software. The new software allows Intel-based Macs to run x86 operating systems, such as Windows, Linux, NetWare and Solaris, in virtual machines at the same time as Mac OS X. According to the company, "Fusion is built on VMware's rock-solid and advanced desktop virtualization platform that is used by over four million users today. With Fusion, you can run traditional PC applications on your Mac...
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Tuesday, December 19 |
Apple Releases Security Update 2006-008
 Apple has released Security Update 2006-008 via Mac OS X's Software Update utility and on the Web. According to the company, Security Update 2006-008 is recommended for all users and improves the security of the following components: Quartz Composer and QuickTime for Java. The update weighs in at 1.8MB and requires Mac OS X 10.4.8.
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Review: Apple MacBook 13-inch White (Core 2 Duo)
eWeek- "Until now, I was convinced that a new Core 2 Duo-equipped Apple MacBook couldn't possibly come out this year. After all, the Apple MacBook Pro (Core 2 Duo) had already been announced, in what I believed was an effort to create more separation from the MacBooks. So much for that theory. One week after the MacBook Pro announcement, Apple launched the MacBook 13-inch (Core 2 Duo) ($1,174 direct as tested), thereby eliminating any differentiation between the two models. Sometimes you just have to scratch your head and move on, I guess. Despite back-to-back announcements, the move is considered perfectly timed for the holiday shopping season, and with Apple's best-selling laptop by its side, a strong fourth quarter is sure to come."
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Monday, December 18 |
View detailed info on PowerBook/MacBook Pro keyboards
macosxhints - "I'm amazed: I never knew this documentation page at apple.com existed. It explains in great detail how Apple's PowerBook/MacBook Pro keyboards interpret key presses, including how to get Alt Gr, right ctrl, windows, and menu keys, for switchers. Not much of this information is all that obscure; the keyboard viewer will show most of it. But it's useful to see it all compiled in one place."
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Friday, December 15 |
Understanding our 17-inch MacBook Pro benchmarks
Macworld - "Apple announced a 17-inch 2.33GHz MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo along with the rest of the upgraded MacBook Pro line in October, though the 17-inch model didn't ship until November. We finally got our hands on one just before Thanksgiving and began running our usual battery of tests. For the most part, we liked what we saw. Results from tests using applications such as Photoshop, Cinema 4D, Compressor, iMovie, iTunes, Unreal Tournament were all nearly identical on both the 15-inch and 17-inch 2.33GHz Core 2 Duo MacBook Pros. Other tests, like zipping and unzipping one Gigabyte archive files were not as close, but didn't produce numbers that we consider eyebrow-raising."
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Griffin Releases ExpressCard 5-in-1 Card Reader
 Griffin Technology today announced its new versatile multimedia card reader for notebooks. The ExpressCard/34 5-in-1 Card Reader handles the whole spectrum of modern memory card formats, directly supporting: Memory Stick and Memory Stick PRO, SD Memory Card, MultiMediaCard, and xD-Picture Card. In addition, with the card adapter, the 5-in-1 also supports: Memory Stick Duo, Memory Stick Micro, miniSD, microSD, RS-MMC, MMCplus, and MMCmobile...
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Thursday, December 14 |
Adobe Releases Beta Version of Photoshop CS3
 Adobe has announced it will introduce a beta version of Adobe Photoshop CS3, the next release of its digital imaging software, on Friday, December 15th. Adobe is delivering a widely available Photoshop CS3 beta to enable customers to more easily transition to the latest hardware platforms, particularly Apple's new Intel-based systems. The beta is available as a Universal Binary for the Macintosh platform, as well as for Microsoft Windows XP and Windows Vista computers...
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Wednesday, December 13 |
Apple Releases AirPort Update 2006-002
Apple has released AirPort Update 2006-002 via Mac OS X's Software Update utility and on the Web. According to the company, AirPort Update 2006-002 improves AirPort compatibility in the following computers: MacBook Pro (15-inch Core 2 Duo), MacBook Pro (17-inch Core 2 Duo) and MacBook (13-inch Core 2 Duo).
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Shinza Announces ZeroShock Case for MacBooks
 Shinza today began shipping its ZeroShock Case for the MacBook and MacBook Pro. According to the company, "The ZeroShock Notebook Case is composed of high-resistant polyurethane foam that provides superior absorption of external impact force. Applying this technology to notebook cases results in an unparalleled shock-absorption/weight ratio. Translation? Better protection for your notebook with less weight to lug around." The case also includes an exterior pocket for cables, discs, paper, and other accessories...
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Tuesday, December 12 |
Hardcases Protect Apple MacBooks and MacBook Pros
 Mobility Site - "Just in time for the holiday season, RhinoSkin will be offering a new line of hardcases to protect Apple MacBooks and MacBook Pros. The cases hit the market this month.
The RhinoSkin MacBook HardCases are the first in a new line of unique cases designed exclusively for laptops, giving users a reliable and trendy solution to their MacBook travel and protection needs.
The hardcases offer an original, sleek, form-fitting design that serves as a protective shell for MacBooks. The cases firmly hold the MacBooks in place while offering full access to the screen and keyboard. Drop-down sides allow easy access to ports and drives, eliminating the hassle of having to remove the laptop from its protective case. Air vents on the bottom of the case allow for maximum air circulation."
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Monday, December 11 |
Stolen MacBook recovered thanks to built-in iSight
DailyTechRag - "When Apple debuted MacBooks with built-in iSight cameras, software hackers and developers alike saw a device that opened up all sorts of possibilities. Among the latter group was Orbicule software, which developed Undercover, a program that aims to help a user recover their laptop in the event that it is stolen. Here's how it works: if your Mac is stolen, you inform Orbicule and they add your machine to their database of stolen Macs. The next time your machine goes online, Undercover will be covertly activated and will start to send data to you via email--including network information, screenshots of what the Mac is doing and photos of the crook and his surroundings, using the built-in iSight."
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Apple Releases Aperture 1.5.2 Update
 Apple has released the Aperture 1.5.2 Update. According to the company, this update is recommended for all Aperture users and addresses issues related to overall reliability and performance in a number of areas, including: Contact sheet printing, Smart Albums, Watermarks, Lift and stamp, Image export and Versions created using an external editor. Apple also recommends that you download the Digital Camera RAW Support Update 1.0.1...
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Fujitsu Announces 250GB/300GB 2.5" Hard Drives
 Fujitsu today announced the global launch of its MHX2300BT series of mobile hard disk drives. The newest Fujitsu products feature impressive storage capacities of 250GB and 300GB, the first 2.5" PMR hard disk drives in the industry to attain these high levels of capacity. In March, Fujitsu successfully launched the world's first 2.5" Serial ATA (SATA) hard disk drive to feature up to 200GB of storage space.
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Friday, December 8 |
Rants & Raves - Glossy or Not?
The Mac Observer - "If you're any kind of a Mac enthusiast and are considering a new laptop sometime in the near future, you've no doubt given more than a little thought to the glossy or not question. And so, gentle reader, since the nice folks at Apple were kind enough to send me both a MacBook with a glossy screen and a MacBook Pro with an "antiglare widescreen," at the same time, for an upcoming review in the Houston Chronicle, I've had a chance to compare them side-by-side for the past couple of weeks (and I've got the photos to prove it)."
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Wednesday, December 6 |
WoodStand
 Erik - "I created this and a few other iCurve style stands in wood. I experimented with cherry, maple, oak and red oak. No stain was used, only lacquer, so the original beauty of the wood comes out. The trick part was keeping the notebook from sliding down the stand. Two short pieces of solid copper wire are used at the lowest part of the upper rail to provide a "lip" to prevent movement. The lip is lower than the optical drive slot. Now if I could only get a MacBook Pro with wireless power, I could get rid of that last cord."
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Huckleberry turns MacBook, Pro into video camera
Macworld - "If you have a MacBook or MacBook Pro, your built-in iSight is great if you want to have a video conference with someone, but what if you want to record what's going on around you? Enter ecamm network's Huckleberry, a $19.95 apparatus that turns your camera's view around using mirrors."
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Tuesday, December 5 |
The Case For A 12" MacBook or MacBook Pro
Macopinion - "Apple's MacBook notebook computer is an extremely nice piece of work for a very reasonable price by historical Apple portable standards, and especially considering its impressive specification. However, a subnotebook it's not. The MacBook is 7/10 of a pound heavier than the 12" PowerBook G4 it displaced, wider in footprint and depth) although slightly shallower in chord than a 12" iBook) and significantly thinner at a svelte 1.08 inches. Indeed, it's nearly as big as the erstwhile full-sized Titanium PowerBook, and is indeed only .3 of a pound lighter that the current Core 2 Duo 15" MacBook Pro."
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Review: Logitech VX Revolution Notebook Mouse
 CoolTechZone - "When Logitech first launched the MX and VX desktop and notebook mice duo earlier this year, it took the entire industry by surprise. As Logitech keeps innovating, our expectations as users have considerably gone up. What were once used to be mere commodities in the grand scheme of components, they are now considered to be valuable accessories that enhance our computing experience as a whole."
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Hon Hai/Foxconn reportedly wins MacBook contract
DigiTimes - "Foxconn Electronics (the registered trade name of Hon Hai Precision Industry) is expected to ship 3.2 million notebooks in 2007, as it has added Apple Computer and Lenovo to its list of notebook clients, according to the Taiwan-based Topology Research Institute (TRI), as cited by the Chinese-language Commercial Times."
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Monday, December 4 |
Review: Tom Bihn Super Ego Notebook Bag
O'Grady's PowerPage - "The Tom Bihn Super Ego (US$140) is a hybrid messenger/shoulder bag that is designed to fit all sizes of their Brain Cell laptop insert and a lot of other of stuff. I call it a hybrid because it combines the best feature of a shoulder bag (being able to access contents from the top) and the cool flap unique to messenger-style bags. The bag pictured is the Super Ego in Black/Steel with the Blue seat belt buckle strip."
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News 
Macsimum News - "It's hard to find a laptop case that offers some innovative features, but RhinoSkin has done it with the RhinoSkin MacBook Hardcase, a US$59.96 case for the consumer laptop. (Currently, it's only in white, but a black version is coming.) It's a simple, clever concept, flawlessly implemented."