Posted on June 28th, 2007 by Simon
Blog Mac Daddy World (we sympathize: there just aren’t that many Apple-related puns left unused at this point) has uncovered an interesting and heretofore unknown feature of the latest, Santa Rosa-based MacBook Pros: the built-in iSight has been updated to 1.3 megapixels.
Speculation is that this has only just been uncovered because Mac OS X 10.4.10 is required to take advantage of the hardware improvement, which takes the max resolution from 640×480 to 1280×1024. Apparently, though, iChat, etc. don’t (at least yet) support the higher resolution. For the whole story, check out the article.
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Posted on June 26th, 2007 by Simon
We aren’t going to offer any commentary on these, just offer them up for your perusal.
David Pogue has his iPhone review in the New York Times.
Over at The Wall Street Journal, Walter Mossberg has apparently written his iPhone review in the form of a doctoral dissertation, offering a lengthy look at Apple’s latest (we’re sure we’ll regret mentioning the length after Ars releases an iPhone review that rivals War and Peace for length, but still).
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Posted on June 26th, 2007 by Simon
With a few days until the iPhone finally drops, the list of questions about the iPhone is slowly shrinking. Today we found out the long-awaited news on prices for iPhone cell plans from AT&T, ending much speculation. A recent rumor had suggested that the plan would be startlingly cheap, so some might be disappointed, but the prices are really rather average–neither spectacularly inexpensive or inspiringly cheap.
The cheapest plan is $59.99, which includes 450 minutes, the next plan is $79.99 for 900 minutes, and $99.99 for 1350 minutes. Aside from the minutes, all plans include unlimited data, Visual Voicemail, 200 SMS text messages (remember, no MMS), roll-over minutes, and unlimited mobile-to-mobile. There’s also a one-time activation fee of $36, just to toss a little salt in the wound.
Speaking of plan prices, Engadget has an exhaustive look at the total iPhone cost, comparing the hardware costs, plan costs, etc. against those of rival devices, family plans versus individual plans, and more. Highly worth looking at if you’re interested in how this all adds up.
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Posted on June 26th, 2007 by Simon
Our friends over at WaterField Designs sent us word of their just-refreshed Racer-X:
San Francisco, CA, June 26, 2007 – WaterField Designs, a leading maker of custom-fitted computer bags and cases for digital gear, today announced a new size and look to its Racer-X computer case line with a custom size to fit Apple’s 13″ MacBook. As part of the new look, the Racer-X now has an easy-to-access front pocket and a choice of carrying handles: a single mountain bike grip handle, or the new dual leather handles. This new Racer-X is also available in custom sizes for the 15″ and 17″ MacBook Pros and the 12″ Powerbook.
The Racer-X features two zippered, interior compartments: one that encases and protects the laptop with layers of plush neoprene, foam and impact-resistant plastic; and another for documents and files that includes pockets to store accessories like PDA’s, iPod’s, cables, and spare batteries. A rear exterior pocket for magazines and files has a zippered bottom so it can also be used to slip over handles of wheeled carry-on bags. Each Racer-X comes with a removable Suspension Shoulder Strap that helps make the load feel lighter.
The Racer-X is made of sturdy ballistic nylon with a leather strip accenting the front pocket and vibrant trim available in five colors. Industrial-grade metal hardware and YKK zippers come standard with the case.
The Racer-X is available now direct from WaterField, with prices ranging from $169 for the MacBook and 12-inch PowerBook models, $179 for the 15-inch MacBook Pro model, and $189 for the 17-inch MacBook Pro model.
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Posted on June 24th, 2007 by Simon
If you’re interested in the iPhone and need a little something to tide you over until June 29th, or if you want to check it out without the throngs of shoppers or pushy salespeople, Apple has posted a 20-minute tour of the iPhone. Nothing major new here, but if you haven’t seen the iPhone presented at the keynotes, etc., it provides a thorough look at how it works and how impressive the software is.
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Posted on June 24th, 2007 by Simon
If you’re still on the fence on the new MacBook Pros, Gizmodo has a handy summary of seven Santa Rosa MacBook Pro reviews.
ITPro has some interesting speculation on hints from Google’s CEO about more Google tools on the iPhone. Is the iPhone turning out to be the Google Phone…?
Ever wanted to see what a MacBook looks like on the inside? In this video, one man uses a sledgehammer to satisfy his curiosity.
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Posted on June 21st, 2007 by Simon
Apple has some exciting news with a couple photos of the iPhone dock. Now, the dock isn’t anything too flashy visually, following Apple’s traditional clean designs, and there are no ports visible in the photos, but hey, it exists!
In related news, Think Secret has a rumor that the dock will not only charge the iPhone, but also charge Apple’s Bluetooth headset. That would certainly add to the convenience and make the as-yet-unknown asking price easier to stomach after dropping the money for the iPhone itself.
Filed under: iPhone News, Rumor | No Comments »
Posted on June 21st, 2007 by Simon
If you’re interested in developing Web 2.0 applications for the iPhone–or just want to check your favorite websites to see how they’ll look on an iPhone–Mac OS X developer Marketcircle’s iPhoney has you covered.
iPhoney does more than just simulate a small screen: it will send an iPhone user agent, view websites in both landscape and portrait mode, and have the location bar either visible or hidden. iPhoney does support Flash and Java, though, so it doesn’t have the exact limitations of the iPhone.
Features are still being added, but iPhoney is expected to be made open source as soon as possible, so further development is guaranteed.
Filed under: iPhone News, Software News | No Comments »
Posted on June 21st, 2007 by Simon
After several months of hearing little on the story of over-applied thermal paste in Apple portables, it looks like the problem is rearing its head again. Some owners of the new Santa Rosa-based MacBook Pros are complaining that their new machines are hotter even than earlier MacBook Pros, and some of the more intrepid owners have opened them up to find that there is still way too much thermal grease being used, likely contributing at least somewhat to the problem. While the burns can be painful–especially in a time of year when it’s already warm outside and shorts are common–perhaps more troubling are reports of system crashes in cases of extreme processor and graphics card activity, such as while playing 3D games.
It’s worth noting that not all Santa Rosa MacBook Pro owners are having the overheating experience, with some of them even saying they’re cooler than earlier PowerBooks and MacBook Pros. Apple has also had some success with software updates to help with heating problems in the past, doing things such as lowering the threshold for the fans.
We don’t think this is the sort of problem that should make you hold off on a purchase if you’ve been waiting for new MacBook Pros, but it is something to be aware of. If you’ve got something to report on your Santa Rosa MacBook Pro, email us at editor (at) pbzone.com.
Filed under: MacBook Pro News, Troubleshooting | No Comments »
Posted on June 21st, 2007 by Simon
Site sponsor TechRestore sent us this information on their latest upgrade for the MacBook and MacBook Pro:
Concord, CA - June, 21 2007 - TechRestore, Inc. has begun offering a new overnight hard drive replacement service featuring 200 Gigabyte and 250 Gigabyte drives for MacBook and MacBook Pro models.
The high-speed overnight service is completed within 24-hours and includes installation of the new drive into the users laptop and data transfer from the old hard drive onto the new drive. An exact clone of the users data is transferred to the new drive, ready for immediate use when their Mac is returned to them via overnight courier. As an added security step, the customers old drive is returned to them with their upgraded laptop. Nationwide door-to-door pickup service is available for the upgrade, with couriers picking up customers laptops from virtually any location.
Both upgrades are available immediately with pricing as follows:
200GB 7200RPM Overnight Drive Upgrade for MacBook & MacBook Pro: $379
250GB 5400RPM Overnight Drive Upgrade for MacBook & MacBook Pro: $299
For more information, check out TechRestore.
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Posted on June 19th, 2007 by Simon
After making a lot of customers very anxious as to whether the iPhone would have any sort of battery life, Apple has assuaged some fears with new battery life numbers. Here’s the breakdown:
- Talk time: 8 hours
- Standby time: 250 hours
- Internet use: 6 hours
- Video playback: 7 hours
- Audio playback: 24 hours
Now, AppleInsider is reporting on some talk of iPhone battery life by frequent Apple analyst Shaw Wu from American Technology Research that says these numbers are optimistic, but what company doesn’t offer the best-case battery life numbers? Even if we make our expectations more realistic, it’s looking like the iPhone will at least be no worst than the majority of phones in the same product category.
One thing we would like to see, though, is some connectivity to allow the iPhone to be powered while on an airplane for in-flight music, movies, etc. Hopefully that will just be a matter of time and a company will take advantage of this ‘third party opportunity.’
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