Jump to content

InsanelyMac

Manage articles
Show all categories
  • Paranoid Marvin
    BBC has launched it's "Flagship" online TV service which allows users to download their favourite programmes from the last seven days.
     
    The "iPlayer", as it is creatively named allows viewers to download a selection of programmes from the last seven days and watch them for up to 30 days afterwards. It is similar to Channel 4's similar service "4OD" which gives access to programmes across their range of channels.
     
    Viewers interested in the iPlayer can register for the service on Friday and will then be invited to join. The number of users will increase over the summer, before a full launch in the autumn.
     
    Don't go signing away just yet though - there are some crippling technical limitations on the service.
    No Mac support - the minimum specs demand Windows XP SP2 and it needs WMP 10 or above No Linux support - for the same reasons as above It doesn't use modern, decent video codecs, like h.264 In my opinion, the BBC has come up with a very good service, but have crippled it with DRM and no open-source support. 
    Full story here
     
    There is already an e-petition to get BBC to open it up to other platforms.
    The petition is here
    Full story here
  • Takuro
    As you might already know, Apple iMac line is due to get a major update as soon as August 7th, sporting a new ultra-slim keyboard. The good folks over at Engadget now have photos of what may actually be a late-development stage iMac keyboard. If authentic, the pictures verify two earlier rumors: First, that the new iMacs would have a new aluminum finish. Secondly, that the keyboards would have keys similar to the low-profile buttons currently found in MacBooks.
     
    Although data within the pictures indicates that they have been run through Photoshop at some point, Engadget strongly believes that their source is credible. According to the photos, the keyboard has a new Expose and Dashboard button. This explains how Dashboard, which by default doesn't have an icon in the Leopard dock, will be accessed.
     
    iMac Keyboard Snapshots: (courtesy of Engadget)
    Overview Shot Frontal View Back View Frontal Zoom Back Zoom USB Port Keyboard Against a Ruler The last two photos reveal just how thin this keyboard really is. Compared to a standard USB female input, the main board and keys combined are slimmer. This truly is the smallest Apple desktop keyboard ever made.
  • EFI
    Well, this is another interesting news. We all know that we're not perfect..er..not even close at times, and this can affect our Macs (or wannabe Macs). This is where Jason Swadley, who has thought this through clearly, made 10 easy steps to maintaing your Mac fresh...Cupertino fresh, that is (as he says):
     

     
    To sum the basic topics:
     
    10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's new Mac
    9. Thou shalt not bear false security
    8. Thou shalt not steal. From developers
    7. Thou shalt not commit peripheral adultery
    6. Thou shalt not murder thine files. (But if thou doest, be of thankful heart for thine merciful backups)
    5. Honour thy startup and thy reboot, that thy days may be long upon thine Mac
    4. Remember the Stevenote day and keep it holy
    3. Do not use the Mac's brain in vain
    2. Thou shalt not worship graven icons
    1. Thou shalt have no extra apps before me
     
    For an indepth description of each of the commandments, check out the blog, avaliable here: Link
  • EFI
    Not exactly the latest news considering the patent was filed in late 2006, but neverthless the patent was only dug up recently by rumor sites. Who would have thought that Microsoft would be the one to patent this? Yes, it's true folks, the Redmond giant patents what will probably be considered as the largest adware system out there. Considering this will enter the home of any and everyone who will use the Windows operating system in the future...it's true impact potential is seriously mind boggling.
     

     
    Yes, it gets scarier...read on:
     

     
    Scared yet? This should finish you off:
     

     
    Full article
    Patent documentation page

    What will be the outcome of this proposal is yet to be found out, however, it has the potential to target users needs at a level far greater than just the traditional web ads.
  • EFI
    Looks like AT&T spilled the beans on this one..er..again. According to the latest 2nd quarter earnings posting from AT&T, they revealed how much iPhones were activated through their service in the first 30hrs upon going gold:
     

     
    Earnings documentation link
     
    These first 30hrs of sales include only June 29 going into June 30. Upon hearing this news, Apple stock plummeted this morning back to the low 130s. Many speculate this being the result of buying into the hype of the iPhone sales/activations that were previously posted within the days of release. These hyped numbers went as far as 500,000, to (this date inclusive) 1,000,000. Seriously this was not the case. Many also state that there were activation problems/issues with some customers, and therfore the purchase date and the activation date varied among individuals. This, however, accounted for only 2% of the users.
     
    For a more official (from the monster's mouth, so to speak) breakdown, Apple's 2nd quarter earnings are coming up very soon. July 25 to be exact. Whether this number will be the same/approximate from Apple, or different is yet to be found out.
     
    EDIT: Apple actually shifted a pretty respectable 270,000 iPhones in the final 30 hours of its 3rd fiscal quarter - not too bad!
  • Paranoid Marvin
    This truely is a CompactFlash card suitable for the almighty himself!
     

    *Note, this is not actual size
     
    Kingston's new lineup of 'Ultimate' CompactFlash cards come in at 2, 4 and 8GB. But most importantly they are fast! The write speed is up to 266x, which Kingston claims is "twice the minimum sustained write speed previously available in the Ultimate line."
    Unfortunately, they are a tad expensive, at $83, $144, or $280 respectively.
     
    I would just buy it so I can tell people I have "the ultimate CompactFlash card", but that's just me
     
    Full details available here.
  • EFI
    Unlike the last so-called "security threat" that was posted by an anonymous blogger claiming to have created an exploit for OS X, which he took back the same day as he was unable to prove it (and refused to send the "threat" to Apple therafter)due to increased pressure from Mac users...this vulnerability, actually has some significant and serious thought behind it.
     
    Reported by The New York Times (online edition), and discovered by researchers at a security firm Independent Security Evaluators, this vulnerability will take advantage of the iPhone from visiting a malicious website, or through a WiFi hotspot. In detail, the exploit can read the log of SMS messages, address book, call history, voicemail data and transmit it to the malicious site.
     

     
    Apple has apparently been notified of this vulnerability as of this finding, and an Apple representative has replied:
     

     
     
    There is no evidence so far however, that this flaw had been exploited or that users have been affected. It is, at this stage, still a proof of concept vulnerability only. A personal statement from the finder of the vulnerability on the iPhone hereafter:
     

     
    Full article link
  • Paranoid Marvin
    Mac OS 9 is coming, and it’s going to make your Mac more powerful—and more Internet-friendly—than ever before. Designed to be your co-pilot on the Internet, Mac OS 9 is packed with over 50 new features.
     
    OS9 is released on the 23rd of October, 1999, so make sure you have a suitable computer!
    The minimum specs are:
    Mac OS-based Apple computer with a Power PC processor 32MB of physical RAM, with virtual memory set to at least 40MB And for you lucky folks that have just bought the new super fast 500mhz Power Mac G4, you're going to have to hold on tight, as the G4 is the most powerful personal computer in the world! OS 9 is, of course, an OS designed for the internet. AOL has some good offers at the moment that can get you online and enjoying OS 9 to the full.
    Some of the new features in OS 9 are impressive! Sherlock 2 will make it so easy to find stuff on the internet and will make shopping easier. Voiceprint Password and built in Encryption will make your Mac's data invulnerable.
    As expected, OS 9 also features a new, metallic looking UI.
     
    I've ordered my disk and hopefully it will be here soon - I'll post screenshots as soon as I have updated
     
    October 1999
  • Takuro
    For months it's been speculated that Apple iPod line would get revamped some time after the iPhone's launch. Now many believe new iPods may be arriving as soon as early-mid August. For a while, most sources hinted at a possible touchscreen interface, but new leaks are beginning to prove otherwise.
     
    MacRumors has exclusively grabbed what may be the first video captures of the 6th generation iPod user interface. If their source is authentic, the videos lead one to expect a forthcoming iPod with a standard 4:3 screen and clickwheel (contrary to previous reports of a large wide-aspect screen and virtual clicker.)
     
    Click here to check out the videos.
     
    Taking visual cues from the iPhone, the supposed new iPod interface offers smoother transitions and menu options. A new split-screen view enhances media browsing. CoverFlow may actually still be a viable possibility.
     
    Although it cannot yet be confirmed if this is in fact how the 6G iPod's UI will look, there's one thing that cannot be denied: It's pretty darn convincing.
     
    Update: As of this morning the Apple legal team requested that MacRumors remove their videos. It seems this is much more than a simple mock-up. Special thanks to Zimmoframe for finding a video mirror on YouTube.
  • EFI

    iPhone Nano

    By EFI, in OSx86,

    Knowing Apple, we all knew this was going to happen...at one point or another. However, could it really be true that we have underestimated the delivery time for the smaller, and more affordable iPhone Nano (if that's what it's even called finally)? Latest rumor has it that it might be much closer to reality than we originally imagined it to be. As the iPhone; the current full featured model (that is out now) went into the production stage...AppleInsider (who got the information from 'extremely reputable' sources) states that the smaller iPhone Nano, came out of the engineering labs.
     

     
    Full article link
     
    This means that the iPhone Nano, with that hypothetical name, has been in the works for quite some months now. Thus (from the article) pricing wise it is said to be much lower than the full featured iPhone, however not low enough and near the iPod Nano range, to prevent cannibalization of it's sales.
     
    As for how the user input is going to be for the device:
     

     
    Source in the full article link.
×
×
  • Create New...