Posts Tagged ‘Launch’

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Apple Airport Invisible


2008
10.06

It doesn’t help that much, but you can make a network invisible, so that you need at least one set of hacker tools to get in. For Apple Airports, here is what you do, it is really buried in the latest user interfaces:

TMO Quick Tip – Make Your AirPort Basestation Invisible || The Mac Observer

# Launch AirPort Admin Utility. It’s in Applications/Utilities/AirPort Admin Utility.
# Select your Basestation for the list on the left
# Click Manual Setup
# Click the Wireless Tab
# Click on Wireless Options
# Check Create a closed network.
# Click on Done and then Update

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New DSLRs


2008
09.05

(Finally a reprieve from soccer registration). “Photokina”:http://anandtech.com/digitalcameras/showdoc.aspx?i=3400 is coming and it is just an incredible time to buy a high end SLR. The lower end cameras seem to be a deadend. Although they have 12 megapixels, they are reaching the end of the line in image quality (small lense) and low noise (small sensor), but right now is the peak for top end:

* Nikon D90. This is a 12 megapixel camera with full HD movie mode (720p) so is a good step up now.
* Actually, I think the Nikon “D700″:http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d700.htm is way more interesting as a full frame camera that is 12MP and just $3k. That is expensive, but it is amazingly fast and the quality is amazing.
* “Canon 50D”:http://www.anandtech.com/digitalcameras/showdoc.aspx?i=3388 is 15 megapixels in APC size at $1400 street, so higher resolution than the D90, but not full frame. This is a terrific camera in terms of price point and resolution.
* “Sony A900″:http://anandtech.com/digitalcameras/showdoc.aspx?i=3400&p=2. Sony is catching up fast with the giants and is launching a 24MP (!!!) full frame camera. Wow, that is terrific, but what about all my lenses!
* “Canon 5D Replacement”:http://anandtech.com/digitalcameras/showdoc.aspx?i=3400&p=3. I’ve been waiting for this camera for two years. The move to full frame would be terrific, although the 50D is really good. The launch of the 50D and a 5D replacement will put Canon back in the ring. Nikon has really been kicking butt and the Sony guys are not far behind, so this is Canon’s chance to get back in there. This camera has been slipping for 18 months now. The rumor is that it is 18-21MP full frame.

Wow that is a long way from the 8MP 350D I got in 2006 or just about 2 years ago. I stil can’t believe how many great shots even that camera allows. Nice thing is the incredible lenses are all going to still work, so the old maxim of put it in the glass is really true.

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Apple momentum


2008
09.03

Ten million sales secured, is iPhone an iCannibal? | 9 to 5 Mac

Apple’s iPhone sales are breaking expectations, with the latest guess-timates indicating eight million sales of the iPhone this year alone – meaning the company’s well on course to achieve its stated ten million sales target.

AppleInsider | RBC says sub-$100 “iPod phone” market up for Apple’s taking

“resilient post-launch” sell-through has paced the company ahead of Wall Street’s expectations and on target with his forecast of 5.1 million 3G units in the September quarter and 14 million total iPhone units for the calendar year

AppleInsider | Apple may report unprecedented 3 million Mac quarter

ike Abramsky cited proprietary data from his firm’s recent IQ/ChangeWave Panel which “suggests that massive back-to-school Mac sales” could see the Cupertino-based company report year-over-year growth of 44 percent to 3.04 million units for the three month period ending September.

The study of 4,400 respondents demonstrates “resilience despite a sluggish consumer spending environment,” and would also signal 22 percent growth on a sequential basis, the analyst said. Apple shipped a record 2.496 million systems for the most recent quarter ended June.

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Blackberry Bold coming on AT&T


2008
08.26

AppleInsider | New BlackBerry suffering same 3G connection drops as iPhone

early testing of the Bold, which uses the same 3G network standard as current iPhones, finds the device with just as unstable a connection as that reported in the US and elsewhere for Apple’s handset, with data sometimes dropping to the slower EDGE network or even cutting out entirely.

“We had a few occasional 3G signal dropping troubles at some locations,” Suva writes, “especially on high-rises building streets on our 34th floor… which may be why AT&T has yet to launch the product.”

And while Rogers Wireless in Canada has already launched Research in Motion’s new smartphone, the researcher suggests that an American launch may hinge on either a patch for the Bold’s firmware or straightening out network issues with AT&T, which will be the phone’s sole carrier in the US.

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Four ways to make Mac simpler


2008
08.26

Mac 101: Four simple ways to make your Mac more efficient – The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)

1. Easy access from the dock

I always drag my hard drive and Applications folder into the dock. No need to minimize windows, invoke Expose or, worst of all, shuffle windows around manually to reach the folder or file you want. Just click to reveal a speedy, hierarchical menu.

2. Learn some keyboard shortcuts

Mouse jockeys will balk, but memorizing even a few keyboard shortcuts will save you much time in the long run. For instance, most web browsers will select the address field with Command – L.

Things get even more fun with the Finder. Shift-Option-D brings up the Desktop Folder. Shift-Option-A presents the Applications folder. Command-M minimizes the frontmost window.

Is the dock in your way? Command-Option-D hides it away, and then calls it back. There are many shortcuts to choose from, but find the four or five that address the tasks you perform most often. Sure, it only takes a second to move from the keyboard to your mouse and back again, but seconds add up.

3. Embrace the menu bar

Several applications offer functionality that can be accessed from the menu bar. For instance, you can set your iChat status and even monitor which of your buddies are online without launching the application.

First, launch iChat and select “Preferences” from the iChat menu. Select “Show status in the menu bar” from the General tab. If someone initiates a chat with you, the application will launch in full and ask if you’d like to receive the invitation.

There are others, of course. Initiate a sync (for MobileMe customers) or Time Machine backup, alter display settings, select a wireless network or check the date and time without exiting the program or project you’re woring on. Many third party applications will let you interact with them via the menu bar as well.

1M iPhones and 10M app downloads


2008
07.14

Wow, at this rate of 10 apps per new iphone, this is going to be an amazing platform. The lower price I’m sure really helped. Hope I get mine soon. (Despite the short battery life and I’m going to love the white color!)

Mac Rumors: Apple Mac Rumors and News You Care About

Despite long lines and activation troubles, Apple announced today that they sold its one millionth iPhone 3G on Sunday, only three days after its initial launch on Friday, July 11th. In the press release, Steve Job points out that it took 74 days to sell the same number of the original iPhone.

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MacBook, iPhone and Blackberry updates coming


2008
05.21
!

* "iPhone v2":http://www.intomobile.com/2008/03/10/not-so-minor-changes-coming-to-next-iphone-v20-bonjour-full-screen-browsing-vector-graphics-locally-stored-web-apps-powerpoint-mass-email-delete-and-possibly-search.html. This is probably the biggest announcement, but v2 software is supposed to come with an updated iPhone. Many rumors about what that will have. v2 itself will allow officially downloadable apps, multiple mail delete (yeah!), bonjour so you can connecto other wifi, full-screen mode safari, PowerPoint vewing, contact search. The biggest rumor is AT&T will subsidize the phone, so it will be as low as $200. Yeah!
* "Blackberry Bold":http://gizmodo.com/389384/blackberry-bold-aka-9000-officially-official. This is Blackberry's answer to the iPhone v2. It will support HSDPA/UMTS/3G (will the phone guys ever give us pronounceable acronyms) which basically means 500Kb-800Kpbs instead of the 100-300Kpbs we see now with 2.5G/EDGE. It is 802.11a/b/g (why a?), 480x320 resolution screen, 624MHz processor (they need it to be faster) and be about the same size 4.5"x2.6"x0.5" and weight 4.7 oz. Looks like a good OK update for the Blackberry.
* "MacBook Air":http://jaws.wordpress.com/2008/02/24/macbook-air-intel-montevino/ was just out in February, but it looks like there will be an update at some point to get it to Montevina. This would allow a cooler processor but will probably stay at 1.6/1.8GHz.
* "MacBook":http://www.macrumors.com/2008/05/15/apples-next-macbook-due-in-q3-2008/. The MacBook Pro is really too big while the MacBook Air is too expensive. So we are going to try to delay notebook purchases as much as possible, but right now, it look like the MacBook will get a 3Q Cal2008 release and then in Cal2009 gets the really nice LED screen that the MacBook Air has. Hopefully by then the solid state disks will migrate down as well. The last update was in February 2008 and in June 2008, we expect to see the "Montevina":http://www.macrumors.com/2008/02/27/next-macbook-and-macbook-pro-updates-in-june/ from Intel arrive.