“Thereis only one thing that makes Macs substantially safer than PCs,” wrote Mr. Gray, “and itis called market share; a 3.8 percent market share, measured by net presence, to be precise. If Macs were the dominant operating system with, say, 80 percent of the market, there is no doubt all the clever malware writers would…
HP Computers First to Receive Intel Quad-Core Chips
Hewlett-Packard workstations due to be introduced on Nov. 13 will run on Intel’s new quad-core processors, dubbed Xeon 5300, according to IDG News. Rival AMD, which is wrapping up its purchase of graphics card maker ATI, isn’t expected to launch quad-core processors before the middle of next year. Reporter Ben Ames noted that AMD claims…
Consumer Reports: 'iPods Rule, But Consider Other Brands'
Consumer Reports has released the results of a July survey it conducted on MP3 players, which the magazine combined with feedback from its own testing and reporting, concluding that despite the iPod’s dominance, it “has its flaws.” Of course, the magazine acknowledged that its survey didn’t include comments on the new iPods Apple introduced last…
Redline: Virtual Racing w/Fast Cars
Redline: Virtual Racing w/Fast Cars In this episode, allow me to introduce you to an enjoyable game/simulation that won’t do anything to improve your productivity, sex life, or looks, but is inexpensive, fun, and worth trying. It’s called Redline and it’s Ambrosia Software’s excellent new race car simulation/game. I’m a sucker for fast cars. I…
TMO Reports - MacAddict Circulation Falls 10,000 in Six Months, Audit Shows
MacAddict magazine’s average circulation plummeted by almost 10,000 in the first six months of this year compared to the last six months of 2005, new figures released Wednesday from the publication auditing bureau BPA Worldwide revealed. The news that the magazine’s average of issues distributed is now at an all-time low comes just days after…
Intel Sued Over Chip Patents
On Wednesday, Intel was sued by Transmeta, which said that the semiconductor giant violated ten of its processor design and power efficiency techniques patents. According to IDG News, Transmeta listed Intel’s Pentium III, Pentium 4, Pentium M, Core, and Core 2 processors as those in violation; it asked for an injunction keeping the company from…
Eudora to Become Open Source
QUALCOMM announced on Wednesday that it is halting the development of the Eudora email client and is now working with the Mozilla Foundation to turn it into an open source project. Future versions of Eudora will be based on the same technology platform as the Mozilla Thunderbird email client. QUALCOMM states that the open source…
Razer Pro|Click v1.6 Mouse
Some Mac users need the highest level of precision out of their pointing devices, whether thatis a mouse, trackball, or graphics tablet, and thatis exactly what Razer is aiming for with its Pro|Click v1.6 optical mouse. The Pro|Click v1.6 is a 1600 dpi six-button mouse with a scroll wheel and USB interface. Each button and…
Hidden Dimensions - Apple, Microsoft and the War Mentality
"…the hardest thing to do is change an organization that’s been around a long time, has thousands of workers and has a set corporate culture and way of doing things. Even if the employees know intuitively that the government is bloated and archaic, very few would vote to slim down and flatten out the organization.…
Parallels Desktop Update Removes 2GB RAM Limit
Other changes include a hard disk caching tool that improves Mac OS X performance while Parallels is running, and better sound and video quality in virtual machines. The full version of Parallels Desktop For Mac sells for US$79.99. It requires Mac OS X v10.4.6, an Intel processor, 512MB RAM (1GB recommended), and 30MB of available…
Apple Hot Deals Update For B&H Photo Video, Ramjet, Sweetwater Sound
The new B&H Photo Video Hot Deals page has offers on the new Canon EOS Digital Rebel 10.1-megapixel SLR Black Body Kit, Sony DCR-SR100 Handycam 30GB Hard Drive Camcorder, Jamo i300 2.1 Channel iPod Speakers with Dock, Bose SoundDock Speaker System for iPod, JBL On Time Alarm Clock/Radio for iPod, Hewlett Packard L1940T 19-inch LCD…
TMO Quick Tip - Auto-Click Tab Sets in Safari
If you have a group of Web sites you like to visit, Safari gives you an easy way to open them as a group of tabs or windows with a single mouse-click. It’s called Auto-Click. Here’s how to create an Auto-Click set: Launch Safari. If it isn’t in your Dock, go to Applications/Safari. Click the…
Ultra-Cord Cable Kit for Road Warriors
Iive always carried a bag filled with a variety of different cables in a backpack with my PowerBook. This “bag oi tricks” used to be a disorganized, tangled mess, so when I saw an ad for a 13-piece cable and connector kit in an in-flight magazine I knew I had to have it. It contained…
Analyst: No More Studios on iTunes Before Holidays
Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster on Tuesday said that recent meetings with four of the six major film studios revealed that they likely wonit be adding their movies to iTunes before the holidays because of fear over retaliation by big retailers, as well as issues with content protection and pricing. He wrote: “Our checks lead…
Google Acquires YouTube For $1.65 Billion in Stock
Google on Monday announced the acquisition of YouTube for US$1.65 billion in stock. The company said in a press release: “Following the acquisition, YouTube will operate independently to preserve its successful brand and passionate community. YouTube will continue to be based in San Bruno, CA, and all YouTube employees will remain with the company. With…
TMO Reports - MacAddict Rep Discusses New Magazine
Steve Aaron, publishing director at MacAddict parent company Future US, on Monday spoke with The Mac Observer about the magazine’s change to Mac|Life next spring. Last Friday, TMO reported the news after seeing a Craigslist job listing that sought an editor-in-chief for the rechristened publication. That information quickly circulated among the Web-based Mac media. “We…
Podcast - Mac Geek Gab #73: All the Strokes for All Mac Folks
Show notes for TMO To Go: Mac Geek Gab For October 8th, 2006 Direct Links: MP3 Version or AAC Enhanced Version (courtesy of Michael, aka Computernap!). The long-awaited keyboard shortcuts show is here. John and Dave go through so much it’ll make your head spin. Quit reading this and get to listening! Then when you’re…
Digital Foci Memory Card Gateway
At first glance, the Memory Card Gateway from Digital Foci seems like just another unassuming memory card reader. As it turns out, its diminutive case packs more than I expected to find. The Memory Card Gateway is a multi-format card reader that supports a long list of card types. The full list of cards includes…
Google May Buy YouTube
Internet search giant Google reported to be is in negotiations to acquire the streaming video site YouTube. According to The Wall Street Journal, the deal will cost Google about US$1.6 billion, but talks are still in early stages and could fall apart. YouTube offers a community site that lets users upload their own videos for…
Former Apple CFO Fred Anderson Profiled
The San Francisco Chronicle on Thursday published an overview of former Apple CFO Fred Anderson’s career. He joined the company’s board of directors in 2004, after stepping down, but on Wednesday he resigned that post in the wake of Apple’s investigation into improperly backdated stock option grants, all of which occurred during his tenure as…
Open Source Extends a Classic - Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory
Other times, the effort works out. Bugs are fixed and the collective effort brings about some amazing new features. The open source community makes a great thing that much better. When I first downloaded the multiplayer demo of Return to Castle Wolfenstein for the Mac several years ago, I was blown away. Even with only…
AVIATOR Laptop Stand
Airline trays, coffee shop tables, and hotel room desks… all places that your Mac laptop sits, but just doesnit feel great. The AVIATOR Laptop Stand from Keynamics aims to bring a little bit of comfort back to your portable computing experience. The AVIATOR lifts your laptop up and off of the desk or airline tray…
Analyst: Minimal Impact Seen From Stock Options Probe
Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster on Thursday weighed in on Appleis stock options probe, noting that while the 15 impacted option grants was more than he had expected, he sees minimal financial impact. He wrote: “Apple will take a non-cash charge for options related compensation expense. In addition Apple will pay back taxes, which we…
Analyst: Apple Options Disclosure a Positive Step
Mr. Wu stated “While details such as the amount of non-cash charges have yet to be disclosed, we nevertheless view Appleis latest disclosures a positive in that we believe we are one step and perhaps two or three steps closer in reaching a resolution on its options investigation.” Apple has been conducting its own internal…
