Super Talent to Release 256 GB SSD Notebook Drive
March 26, 2008 12:07 PM
Chris Barylick

Solid State Drives (SSDs) are cool, but still an early adopter technology. While you'd love to see a MacBook or MacBook Pro arrive with a 200GB SSD for only pennies more than a conventional hard drive, this may be a ways off.

Still, there's some progress to be had.

According to Macworld, San Jose-based memory device developer will soon begin commercial sales of a 256GB SSD for notebooks.

The drive, which is the same size as a 12.5mm-thick 2.5" notebook drive, is slimmer than many other 256GB SSDs on the market and features a SATA-I interface. Super Talent has stated that the drive boasts a 0.1 millisecond access time with maximum sequential read speeds of 65 Megabytes per second and a write speed of 50Mbps.

Super Talent, which typically only supplies PC makers, is presently shipping samples of the drive to customers and plans to begin volume shipments in late April. The drive will retail for US$5,950.

It's worth noting that the MacBook Air uses a 5mm high 1.8" HDD or SDD, so this puppy won't fit in it. Bummer.

It's not really designed for consumer use, but if anyone has thoughts on paying almost six grand for their next 256GB SSD notebook drive, let us know in the comments or forums.

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Category: Hard drive
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Apple Orders Manufacture of 10 Million 3G iPhones
March 26, 2008 9:00 AM
Chris Barylick

Per Gartner Analyst Ken Dulaney, Apple has apparently ordered the manufacture of no less than 10 million 3G-capable second-generation iPhones.

The analyst, according to Macworld UK, cited sources in Asia that mentioned the news. Dulaney suggested the order for ten million of the new units could be in addition to an order ten million units of the current generation of iPhone hardware.

Interestingly, the new iPhone could feature an OLED display, which would allow for a thinner device with a longer battery life.

The analyst claims Apple to have accelerated development of the new model of the device in reaction to weaker than anticipated sales in Europe, where potential consumers aren't satisfied with the EDGE data connection offered by the first model.

Dulaney claims Apple may have accelerated development of the updated iPhone model in reaction to weaker sales in Europe, where customers were critical of the EDGE data connection speed offered by the current generation of iPhone hardware.

Cool stuff and let us know what you make of this over in the comments or forums.

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Category: iPhone
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Apple Releases Plugin Manager 1.7.3 for Pro Applications
March 26, 2008 8:30 AM
Chris Barylick

On Tuesday, Apple released Plugin Manager 1.7.3, an 864 kilobyte download recommended for users of the company's "Pro" series of applications such as Final Cut Studio, Final Cut Express, Aperture, Logic Studio and related software development kits and improves the reliability and stability of these programs.

The update is also available through Mac OS X's built-in Software Update feature provided one or more of these programs is installed.

Plugin Manager requires Mac OS X 10.4 or later to install and run.

If you've tried the update and noticed any major changes, let us know over in the comments or forums.

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Firefox 2.0.0.13 Released
March 26, 2008 8:00 AM
Chris Barylick

It's not a huge update, but it's a damn good browser and being current never hurts.

Late Tuesday, Mozilla.org released version 2.0.0.13 of its Firefox web browser.

The new version, a 17 megabyte download, offers the following fixes and changes:
-XUL popup spoofing variant (cross-tab popups).
-Java socket connection to any local port via LiveConnect.
-Privacy issue with SSL Client Authentication.
-HTTP Referrer spoofing with malformed URLs.
-Crashes with evidence of memory corruption (rv:1.8.1.13).
-JavaScript privilege escalation and arbitrary code execution.

Firefox requires Mac OS X 10.2 or later to run and is available for free.

If you've tried the new version and seen either positive or negative changes, let us know in the forums.

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Apple Registers "iPod Air" Domain Name, Web Site
March 25, 2008 10:36 AM
Chris Barylick

Because, let's face it, speculation is fun.

The guys over at Macworld UK are reporting that Apple has registered an "iPod Air" domain name and web site.

And now, the speculation bit: additional wireless iPod technologies down the road? The patents seem to indicate this and the iPod touch has been successful.

Let us know what you think over in the comments or forums.

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Category: iPod
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MacPhoneHome 3.2 Released
March 25, 2008 9:00 AM
Chris Barylick

On Tuesday, Brigadoon Security Group released version 3.2 of its MacPhoneHome software. The application, a 109 kilobyte download (courtesy of MacUpdate, installs on your computer and, once configured sends a stealth e-mail message pinpointing its exact location to a pre-determined e-mail address.

In the event a computer is stolen, the customer is required to make a report with the local police and then notify the MacPhoneHome Command and Tracking Center, which then offers a tracking and recovery support.

From there, MacPhoneHome works with local law enforcement to recover the stolen property, if possible.

No release notes as to changes made with this version are available.

MacPhoneHome retails for US$29.95 and requires Mac OS X 10.4 or later to install.

If you've tried MacPhoneHome or had success with an alternate computer recovery service, let us know in the comments or forums.

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Carbon Copy Cloner Reaches Version 3.1
March 25, 2008 8:30 AM
Chris Barylick

Late Monday, Carbon Copy Cloner, the shareware favorite for drive cloning operations by Mike Bombich, has released version 3.1. The new version, a 2.1 megabyte download, adds the following changes:
-Implemented rsync 3.0.0 to provide even greater fidelity when backing up using the incremental backup method.
-Improved the wording of options in the interface to make it more clear what CCC is doing.
-Implemented "bootability" checks -- CCC now reports whether the backup volume will be bootable based upon the options you have chosen.
CCC now offers a dialog box to opt out of a backup task that is scheduled to occur when the target volume is reattached.
-Resolved an issue in which an existing disk image selected as the target would not get mounted during a "Copy everything" backup.
-When creating a new sparse image during a "Copy everything" backup, the capacity of the disk image is now the same as the capacity of the source volume rather then just enough space to accommodate the files that will be copied.
-Resolved issues with installing the Authentication Credentials installer package from multiple source machines on a single target machine.

Click the jump for the full story...

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Apple Releases iPod Reset Utility 1.0.3
March 25, 2008 8:00 AM
Chris Barylick

Late Monday, Apple released iPod Reset Utility 1.0.3. The software, a 3.6 megabyte download, allows users to completely restore the first and second generation iPod Shuffles to their default factory settings and install current iPod software on it.

iPod Reset Utility requires Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later to install and run.

If you've tried the software and have any feedback about it, let us know in the comments or forums.

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Review: Perfect Headphones Set
March 24, 2008 1:11 PM
David Klein

It has taken me many years to acquire what I like to call the perfect headphones setup. Despite my limited experience within the audio industry, I have gone through many pairs of headphones. Some fall apart, some are regrettable, and some are sold for an inevitable upgrade.

I have divided headphones into three categories: work/travel, mobile, and home. Work and travel overlap because in both situations one needs to block out obnoxious noises (co-workers, cell phone blabbers, engines, etc.) with strong noise canceling. The only requirement for the Mobile category is they must be small enough to fit in your laptop bag/purse. This usually means lightweight or in-ears. Home is basically professional. You don't have to worry about taking them outside or on airplanes so don't hold back. These are your dream headphones: sealed, large drivers, etc.

Below is my current setup. I had to sell off my Sennheiser HD 212 Pro's, Senneheiser HD 280 Pro's, and Sony MDR 7000's to achieve the perfect array.

Work/Mobile:
Audio-Technica ATH-ANC7 QuietPoint Active Noise-Cancelling
This pair has some cool features. Besides the obvious 40mm drivers, its battery enclosure is built-in (no external compartment). Also, its cable is detachable allowing you to shut out your surroundings without a dangling, unused cable. And for my corny, immature side, this pair has a small blue light when the noise canceling is active. I'm a sucker for blue lights (hence my passion for LaCie hard drives). They are currently US$131.19 on Amazon.

Travel:
Shure SE420
These in-ears are absolutely amazing. They come with several fittings to ensure maximum comfort once inside your ears. The rubber fittings have an unusual insertion process. First, you have to press them with force on all sides. Then you quickly insert them into your ears and hold them still for about five seconds. This allows them to expand and essentially clog your ears creating a virtual sound isolating experience. They are currently US$259.99 on Amazon.

Home (Professional):
Sony MDR 7506
This is by far the best pair of headphones I have ever owned. Honestly, when I first placed them on my head I thought "How great can these be?" They're so light and flimsy!" As soon as I clicked the play button I was corrected. You literally hear every detail intended to be heard by the artist. They are currently US$99 on Amazon.

What's your ideal headphones set? Let us know over in the comments or forums.

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Adobe Releases Photoshop Elements 6
March 24, 2008 8:55 AM
Chris Barylick

On Monday, software giant Adobe announced the release of Photoshop Elements 6 for Mac, its consumer-level image editing software.

The new version, which retails for US$89.99, boasts changes such as a streamlined interface as well as tools such as "Photomerge," which allows users to create group shots by combining the best facial expressions and body language poses from a larger group of shots. According to Macworld, the software now had three edit modes (Guide, Quick and Full) with Guided Edit mode offering step-by-step help for new users.

Additional improvements include new tabs to provide access to multiple features as well as an improved color to black-and-white conversion tool.

Other changes in the new release include customizing layouts for photobooks, scrapbook pages, greeting cards and DVDs, the ability to design a personal online album, hardbound book printing through a professional service, and U.S. postage stamps featuring your own photos.

Photoshop Elements 6 requires Mac OS X 10.4.8 or later to install and run. Owners of previous versions of the software are eligible for a US$20 rebate included in the box.

If you've gotten your mitts on the new Elements or plan to pick it up and use it today, let us know what you think of it over in the comments or forums.

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