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  • Swad

    Google Notifier released

    By Swad, in OSx86,

    If you use Gmail or Google Calendar, don't miss the new Google Notifier.


    The Google Notifier is an application that shows you alerts in your menu bar, so you can see when you have new Gmail messages or upcoming Google Calendar events without having to open a web browser. Don't you just love (beta) free stuff?
  • REVENGE
    A MacDailyNews reader noticed on Tuesday that Microsoft's Security webpage showed a picture of a happy PowerBook user captioned with the phrase "Click. You're Clean." [from "malicious software"] as the title banner.
     
    In light of this "blunder", the site's authors have promptly corrected their mistake by replacing the old picture with a new one, this time of a mother and son using what appears to be yet again, a PowerBook (sans Apple logo, of course).
     
    Microsoft is indeed the authority on security and insecurity... right?
  • Swad
    Just when you thought that life couldn't get much better than two dual-core Xeons packaged together in a Mac Pro, Intel releases more details on their upcoming quad-core processor, code named "Kentsfield." Anandtech reports:

    Intel's newest roadmap started making the rounds last week, and the headline title across the roadmap was absolutely Kentsfield, Intel's upcoming quad-core processor. During last month's investor call, Intel CEO Paul Otellini announced the chips would be shipping this year, as opposed to Q1'07 that was originally slated on the roadmap.
     
    Now a few additional details of Kentsfield have slipped out. Intel's most recent roadmap claims Kentsfield, which will ship as a Core 2 Extreme branded processor, will run each core at 2.66GHz and a 1066MHz front-side bus. Essentially, the processor is two Core 2 Duo E6700 processors packaged onto a single CPU.
     
    There is no announced ship date of Kentsfield yet, though Intel has announced that the processor will ship for $999 -- the same as every other "Extreme" processor the company has announced. Intel has no price cuts for the E6700 processor planned until after the quad-core Kentsfield launch as well. Since the E6700 has a distributor price of $530, the Kentsfield actually offers some discount for the second core. It seems that Intel has vastly increased the speed of its processor production schedule, now releasing major upgrades only months apart. 2006 will have seen the jump from a single core processor in January to a quad-core processor in December. This (so far) equates to faster Mac updates as well.
     
    The frequency of the upgrades, however, leaves consumers in a quandary. Should I buy a Mac Pro now or wait 3-4 months when I can get 2x the core power for the same price (for an excellent treatise on the benefits of a multi-core Mac Pro, you absolutely must read Anandtech's MP review, parts 1 and 2)? Will the resale value of a Macintosh, traditionally higher than its Wintel counterpart, diminish as a result of these developments? Are you concerned that your cutting edge computer will be made obsolete in a matter of weeks rather than months?
  • Colonel
    Many Intel Mac owners use Parallels to run Windows and OS X side-by-side on their Macs. It's a great tool for those of us that need our Windows programs but want to use the Mac OS. Due to a bug in the Parallels software, however, new Mac Pro owners might not be able to use the VM software. A poster on Parallels' Forum has the scoop:


    I just bought a new Mac Pro (Intel tower) this morning. I installed Parallels (I tried both the 1848 build and the latest beta)... The installation went fine, I was able to create the virtual machine just fine... However, as soon as I go to "Power On" the virtual machine for the first time, it crashes my computer (I get the translucent grey Apple screen that locks up my computer and says that I need to reboot my computer). Every once and a while, it won't crash my computer, but I will get a Parallels error dialogue that says "Unable to connect to hypervision".
    So what does this mean for Mac Pro owners who want to run Windows? Boot Camp isn't working too well, and now we find out that Parallels isn't an option. Hopefully Parallels will fix this bug so Mac Pro owners can enjoy running Windows on their Intel Macs too.
  • cavemonkey50
    Great news MacBook owners! Apple has just posted a new firmware update. MacBook SMC Firmware Update 1.0 changes the MacBook's fan behavior, thus fixing the mooing issue while bringing down the overall temperature of the unit.
     
    Initial results of this firmware update are very positive. The mooing issue is now gone for good and the temperature drop is astounding. Some users are reporting as much as a 20C drop in temperature.
     
    The fixes don't come for free, however. The MacBook's fans will now run at a very low speed all of the time. I personally don't notice it at all, and only hear the fans when my ears are directly up against the fan vent. For a 20C drop in temperature, a small increase in sound is worth it.
     
    If you're looking to download MacBook SMC Firmware Update 1.0, you can get it on Apple's website or download it from Software Update.
  • Swad
    Rejoice, Master Chief fans – Macsoft yesterday announced the availability of a universal Halo. While it’ll almost certainly be a few months before the unibin is available in stores, owners of the PowerPC version can download the universal update disk for a whoppin’ 5 bucks. The full (older) version is USD $30.
     
    From MacGameStore,


    The full download is 650 MB. This download is only for the North American English version of Halo.
     
    During the checkout you will be asked to supply the CD-key that came with your original Halo CD. Please look for this CD-key before making this purchase as it is required during the checkout.
     
    Once you have downloaded the Halo UB disc image, you will need a blank CD disk to burn the Halo Universal Binary CD. Use Disc Utility (found in the Utilities folder on your Mac) to burn the Halo UB image you downloaded. Please note that using a utility other than Apple Disc Utility, such as Toast, will not work. As always, let us know your thoughts when you get it!
  • Alex Oughton

    Mac Pro Vs Power Mac

    By Alex Oughton, in OSx86,

    Quick heads-up to let you guys know that Barefeats have released a head-to-head comparison of the new Mac Pro, versus the old Power Mac G5.
     
    Whilst many of you won’t be surprised by the performance recorded, it’s still a worthwhile read, and gives us a great insight into even greater performance further down the road, once the application transition to Universal apps is complete.
     
    You can check out their benchmarks here. Keep posting your Mac Pro tests here in our forums so we can get some real data on the apps we all run!
  • suleiman

    Bootcamp Beta

    By suleiman, in OSx86,

    Apple has just announced the release of a new version of its popular beta software which allows windows to run natively on Intel-based Macintosh computers.
     
    BootCamp Beta 1.1 comes with several new enhancements, including:
    Easier partitioning using preset buttons for popular sizes iSight camera support Built-in microphone support Right-click when pressing the right-hand Apple key on Apple keyboards Improved Apple keyboard support including Delete, PrintScreen, NumLock, and ScrollLock keys Among the list of new features, iSight and Built-in microphone support rated among the top most requested features for users of Boot Camp. Will this be a blow to Parallels virtualization software for the new Intel-based Macs? 
    The Version Tracker link to the new beta is located here: http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/29549
  • Colonel

    My thoughts on Leopard

    By Colonel, in OSx86,

    With the release of Leopard, I thought it would be safe to unleash a piece of history that was locked up in the dark depths of the insanelysecret article archives. This is an unreleased article that I had written right after the first WWDC06 beta/alpha of Leopard came out during the summer of 06. It's interesting what has changed and what hasn't since the original demo of Leopard way back two Augusts ago. Here's the original article, unchanged since when I first typed it up on build 9A241. Hope you enjoy it as much as I have.
     

     
    It's no surprise that the WWDC copy of Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard has been floating around the usual places. Just for educational purposes (after all, what would a respectable news blog like this be doing if not covering the news), I decided to check it out and see what Apple has been working on for the past several months.
     
    In the past 4 days I've had time to explore the brand new operating system and play around with its new state-of-the-art features. While there were a few features for which I didn't care, overall Leopard is a vast improvement.
     
    Spaces
    Now, I don’t know about you, but I’m always running multiple programs that get squished together on one desktop. This is usually a big problem for me, especially when programming... needless to say I'm not a big fan. Spaces takes care of this problem for me. It allows you to make up to nine virtual desktops into which you can sort your applications. Looks like I can finally say goodbye to cluttered desktops.
     
    iChat 4.0
    I’m a big fan of iChat’s video conferencing abilities on my MacBook. I was exceptionally impressed with iChat 4.0’s new video effects. I was only able to test out the Photobooth effects in this Leopard build, but I was surprised to see how well they work over live video. iChat 4.0 has to be one of my favorite improvements in Leopard.
     
    Time Machine
    I know I’m incredibly bad (like most other people) when it comes to making backups. It’s a pain to sit there and copy all of your files over to another drive. Thanks to Time Machine, making backups is as easy as changing a file. With it you can actually go into the past of your computer and recover lost files with just a few clicks. When you’re looking into the past, it appears as if you’re flying through space and time. Backing up hasn’t been easier.
     
    Spotlight
    Back in Tiger, I would almost always use Spotlight when I wanted to find a file. Sure it was fast, but occasionally it would take a few minutes to find what I was looking for. Well, now in Leopard, Spotlight is instantaneous. It appears to be finding what you’re looking for before you type the entire word in. Spotlight in Leopard is a GREAT improvement from what it was in Tiger. Apple really won me over with this awesome new enhancement.
     
    In conclusion
    After trying out Leopard, I’d have to give Apple an enormous round of applause. Leopard includes many new features that we Mac users have been lusting after for years. From virtual desktops to dual booting with Windows, Leopard is by far the best Mac OS X operating system that I’ve used. I’m looking forward to trying out the final version of Leopard and all of its cutting-edge features when it debuts next spring. Keep up the good work Apple!
  • Swad

    New Leopard (10.5) Forum

    By Swad, in OSx86,

    You asked for it... so we made it.
     
    Introducing the new OS X Leopard (10.5) discussion forum, your home for perspectives and information on the beta and beyond.
     
    Enjoy and spread the word!
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