Technology Wrap

Saturday, May 20, 2006

The next Power Mac a Media Center

John Martellaro over at the Mac Observer has made some interesting arguments for the revamping of the Power Mac G5. He calls the Intel switch for the Power Mac to contain much more than just the inclusion of an Intel chip. The Intel chip itself could be the yet-to-be-released Conroe chip that was recently renamed to Core 2 Duo. The new Intel Power Mac will include a redesign of the box and its direction as a Mac. John argues that Apple wants to reach a broader market and will choose to revamp the Power Mac or "Mac Pro" to become a Media Center Mac. Some bold claims and an interesting article. Read it here.

Turn XP into Vista for FREE

You can now skin Windows XP to look like Vista. It isn't a full transformation but good enough especially for those people that have Windows XP but can't meet the requirements for Vista.

Vista Transformation Pack 4.0 is completely free unlike the new WindowsBlinds so check it out.

Steve Jobs Interview on 5th Avenue Store (CNBC)

Very interesting video that covers Apple's retail strategy, AMD, Intel, and an iPhone. Make sure you see the very end when Steve Jobs while being questioned on the iPhone states, "We never talk about unannounced products" but yet he looked absolutely happy when the question was popped. iPhone soon? Let's hope.

Thursday, May 18, 2006

ABC Online shows hits 3 million views

ABC, since offering free episodes online for the past two weeks, has just hit 3 million views. Even though this 2-month trial doesn't seem like much this is ABC's way of determining if there is enough interest in watching shows online. If the 3 mil isn't a clear cut sign then I don't know what is. Hopefully, ABC will make this a permanent move and offer even more shows online for free.

ABC has thought of charging for shows online even though they already offer shows through Apple's iTunes.

Vista Requirements posted

Microsoft today has released a new site that will help you determine whether your PC is ready for the switch to Windows Vista. Here are the basics:

Minimum Requirements (Vista-Capable PCs):

800 MHz Intel-compatible processor
512MB of RAM
DirectX 9.0-Capable Graphics Processor
20GB HD

Recommended Requirements (Premium-Ready PCs):

1 GHz Intel-compatible processor
1GB RAM
DirectX 9.0-Capable Graphics Processor, with 128MB graphics memory. (64MB of graphics memory to support a single monitor less than 1,310,720 pixels [no more than 1440x900]; 128MB of graphics memory to support a single monitor at resolutions from 1,310,720 to 2,304,000 pixels [no more than 1920x1200]; 256MB of graphics memory to support a single monitor at resolutions higher than 2,304,000 pixels [more than 1920x1200]).
40GB HD with at least 15GB "free space"

Let me just say though that one of my friends has a Windows XP with 512MB of RAM and it is slow beyond belief. It is only about two years old and is capable of running Vista according to these requirements but I suggest you either buy a high-end machine right now or go the upgrade route because it just isn't worth the upgrade if you want to hurt your computer because it is so slow. If you can wait then I definitely suggest doing so until prices on upgrades come down because the demand for high-end hardware surely will be high after Vista is released. Better yet just get a Mac (I know. I'm a die-hard Mac fan.)

I personally own a MacBook Pro and I really don't want Vista to bog down my system when all I will be doing is playing some PC games. I recommend to all Mac Addicts out there to just put XP on your Intel Mac with Boot Camp right now which is probably what I will be doing soon.

Also, for all you that are planning on waiting then I just would like to let you know that Vista is slated for early 2007 but I would expect some delays if I were you (just in case).

Yahoo going Web 2.0

Yahoo is going to release a YouTube clone soon that will replace its current video service which will allow user submitted videos which will include tagging. Pic:

Yahoo will also update its Finance page with a good bit of AJAX to match Google Finance. I've always liked Yahoo Finance (besides all the image ads) but when Google Finance came out with AJAX I got attracted to it like a moth to a flame so hopefully I'll get attracted to a new flame.

Furthermore, Yahoo will update its MyWeb product with a ton of AJAX as well.

Apple Mecca Pics

Apple is set to introduce their retail "mecca" store in New York on Fifth Avenue. It is rumored that the store will be open for 24 hours. Over 100 Macs and 200 iPods will be on display to use. Here are some great pics (click to enlarge):

Tuesday, May 16, 2006

Sony throws VAIO party and fakes Blu-Ray

Sony should have learned their lesson from E3 2005. Most people don't like it when you fake stuff and they will catch you. Sony recently threw a party celebrating the 10 year anniversary of the Sony VAIO and was showing off a 17-inch flagship laptop with a Blu-Ray player which, at the time, was playing House of Flying Daggers.

Now some reporter (he deserves a raise for this) realized that they were just playing House of Flying Daggers off a regular DVD player instead of a Blu-Ray player.

Wow I really thought Sony couldn't get any lower. First, they lose the mp3 market to the iPod when they should have had it in the bag with the Walkman. Then, they pre-render gameplay footage of the PS3 in E3 2005. Next, they over-price the PS3 and it turns out the PS3's graphics will be very similar to the xbox 360's. Combined with the fact that low-end PS3 will have almost no features Sony is sure to find even more space in that hole of theirs. RIP.

MacBook released

The MacBook has just been released by Apple today with a base price of $1099. It comes with Airport (802.11g) wireless, bluetooth, DVD burner, 13.3" screen, iLife '06, Front Row with remote control, iSight. The MacBook comes in both black and white with a glossy screen.

Also, the MacBook Pro was updated today as well. The lower end processor has been upgraded to 2.0 GHz and the higher end 15-inch and 17-inch has been upgraded to 2.16 GHz and you can also get the new glossy screen. If you have purchased a MacBook Pro recently (since May 2nd) you can return your MacBook Pro and upgrade it for free to the new versions.

Update: Here is a High-Res pic provided by Branislav Milic

Monday, May 15, 2006

SkypeOut free for US & Canada

SkypeOut, a VoIP service that allows users to use the popular Skype to call landline and mobile phones, is now free in the U.S. & Canada. If you are in either the U.S. or Canada you may now call landlines or mobile phones in the U.S. or Canada for free. However, if you are in another country trying to call someone in the U.S. or Canada it will cost regular SkypeOut fees. Also, if you are in the U.S. or Canada and are trying to call someone in another country than it will also cost regular SkypeOut fees.

*Since I first posted this I've tried out Skype. I had installed Skype before but never really did anything with it mainly because none of my friends ever used it. I've download it for Mac OS X and I can say that it worked perfectly.

However, I will admit that I am a SkypeOut n00b so it took me one minute to figure out to put a "+" before the number and it took me about 10 minutes (yeah, i know) to figure out to add the "1" as well. So therefore, if anyone else is in the same boat as me then make sure your numbers go like this "+1XXXXXXX" (X = a number)."