Compiled by Charles Moore
and edited by
Dan Knight
- 2006.04.13
PowerBook, iBook, iPod, and other portable computing is covered
in The 'Book Review. News about
Apple's transition to Intel CPUs and other Intel developments is
covered in The Macintel Report.
iPod news is covered in The iNews Review.
All prices are in US dollars unless otherwise noted.
News & Opinion
Products
News & Opinion
Original Ways to Switch to the Mac
PR: BeLight Software published the collection of ideas
received during the "Let's Get Switched" contest. Proposed
switching methods range from setting up an iChurch for Apple
adopters, to iPod banning laws.
"I think most will agree that nothing comes close to the best
Switching solution than Apple's Boot Camp. But still many ideas
that we received are fun to read" says Andrew Cherfas, Marketing
Manager for BeLight Software.
About "Let's get Switched" contest:
In the end of March, BeLight Software run a special contest in
order to celebrate Apple's 30th anniversary. All visitors were
asked to contribute their advice on how to convert a "die-hard" PC
user to the Mac. More than 300 brilliant ideas were received.
BeLight Software was founded in January 2003 by a team of very
different people in Odessa, Ukraine. The common goal is to provide
Macintosh community with smart Mac OS X applications, combining the
newest computer abilities and simplicity of use. The product line
includes the award-winning Business Card Composer, Mail Factory,
Swift Publisher, Disc Cover and Image Tricks for small businesses
and home users.
- Link: Let's Get
Switched
Japan Bank Turns to Macs for pre-IPO
Makeover
Reuters' Jonathan Soble reports:
"On the 16th floor of a central Tokyo office tower, rows of
workers sit perched behind the cool white lines of Apple Computer
Inc.'s Macintosh desktop machines.
"This isn't a graphic design firm or a publishing house -
usually among the few businesses to favor Macs over PCs that run
Microsoft Corp.'s ubiquitous Windows operating system.
"This is the headquarters of Aozora Bank, one of three Japanese
lenders snapped up by foreign investors after collapsing in the
late 1990s.
"Now majority-owned by U.S. buyout fund Cerberus, Aozora is
sprucing up ahead of a widely expected share listing, and it has
asked Apple to outfit 2,500 work stations at its main office, data
center and 17 branches.
"The order has made Aozora the iPod-maker's biggest financial
industry client worldwide."
- Link:
Japan Bank Turns to Apple for pre-IPO Makeover
Intel iMac Boots Vista after Complete Wipe of
OS X
The Register's Tony Smith reports:
"Windows Vista has been booted on an iMac, according to a poster
on the OSx86 Project forum yesterday. Previous attempts to install
and run Vista - currently available in pre-release form - have been
unsuccessful.
"According to OSx86 Project's correspondent, the solution is to
eradicate the machine's Mac OS X disk partitions and install
only Vista. Airman Pika said he used Apple's recently released Boot
Camp utility to install the Microsoft operating system and
apparently had to delete all the OS X partitions."
- Link: iMac
Boots Windows Vista, Survives to Tell Tale
Products
TVMicro: TV Has Never Been Smaller
PR:
Miglia's TVMicro lets you to watch analog TV on your Mac in a
window that floats anywhere on your screen and can be resized as
you need. Barely the size of an iPod Shuffle and in 'cool' white,
TVMicro delivers a crystal clear picture and is compact enough to
take with you anywhere you travel. Simply plug TVMicro into a free
USB 2.0 port, connect your antenna or analog cable feed and start
watching TV! Powered by EyeTV 2.0 software, TVMicro is perfectly
suited for users on the go or people wanting a quick and simple
solution to watch TV on their Mac. TVMicro also allows you to
record straight to your Mac with a single mouse click.
Iain Mackay, Director of Sales, commented: "Miglia's TVMicro is
a great little product at a dynamite price, it will massively
increase the number of people who can afford to watch analog TV on
their Mac and makes a perfect copmpanion for TVMini, our DVB-T
solution. With TVMicro you can access online TV Guides and receive
a crystal clear, unprocessed picture directly to your Mac. TVMicro
is the perfect solution for people who want a quick and simple way
to watch TV on their macs while they work, or play."
Key features TVMicro:
- Watch analog TV on your Mac almost anywhere in the world
- Watch TV in a window or in full screen
- Browse Online TV Guides to find the right TV show for you
- Remote Control included for perfect viewing experience
System requirements:
- Mac with USB 2.0 Connectivity
- PowerPC G4, G5, Intel Processor
- Mac OS X 10.4 or higher
- Dual G4 or G5 or IntelDualCore CPU required for full size
recording
Miglia TVMicro is available now from Miglia's distribution
partners, and it's online store, for a recommended retail price of
£58/€82/$99 ex VAT.
All units carry a full 2 year RTB warranty. A list of
distributors and resellers is available on Miglia's website.
- Link: TVMicro
'The iPatch' iSight Cover for Your Mac
PR: The iPatch is a nifty little device to help keep time
spent at your computer private. Now you can be 100% sure nobody can
"see" what you're doing. When you wish to use your in-built iSight
Camera, simply slide the iPatch to one side.
Love your
internal iSight camera, but wish it wasn't "looking" at you all the
time? the iPatch is ideal for checking your emails in your
birthday-suit...
The iPatch comes in two distinctive designs; Classic and Curve.
Classic blends-in with the form-factor of your Mac in perfect
harmony. Curve takes it's cues from Dali's "La persistencia de la
memoria" (Wikipedia)
Colors - Available in four colors, choose the iPatch to suit you
mood. Ivory matches your iMac's body, Sunshine for Summertime,
Candy Pink for fun, and the translucent Smoke for contrast.
Customize the iPatch - Your Mac is fun, the iPatch is fun. If
you like, use it to mount anything from a small microphone to a
little cuddly toy. Your Mac, your way.
Compatibility: iMac 20" & 17" models (MacBook Pro coming
soon!)
Were you banned from buying a New iMac with a built-in iSight
Camera for your workplace for security reasons? Many firms simply
can't allow cameras within their facility. With the iPatch you can
have your favorite Mac, without covering it in security-tape! The
iPatch can be fixed permenantly in place if required ('Perma-fix' #
included).
The iPatch ensures that your internal iSight Camera can only see
what you want it to see, when you want to see it.
Slide the iPatch to one side when you use your in-built iSight
Camera. Slide it back when your done.
Features:
- Handmade in the USA
- Includes 'Perma-fix' # (to attach the iPatch to your Mac)
- Two designs: Classic, and Curve
- Available in four colors: Ivory, Candy Pink, Sunshine &
Smoke
- Link: The iPatch
The Memory Place Offers Savings on Mac Memory
Upgrades
PR: A highly decorated computer memory distributor, The
Memory Place now offers a full line of Apple memory upgrades. Along
with a lifetime warranty and award winning customer service, The
Memory Place offers cost savings of up to 62% over the Apple
Store.
The Memory Place is introducing memory upgrades for all the
latest Apple computers, including the Mac mini and iMac with Intel
Core technology. These new models boast processing speeds up to 4x
faster than the previous iMacs, thanks to their new design around
Intel processors and DDR2 667 MHz SDRAM memory.
Although the new Apple Mac mini and iMac models ship with 512 MB
of RAM and memory upgrades are available upon purchase, The Memory
Place offers instant savings of up to 62% over the Apple Store and
retail outlets! While the average BuyMemory.com savings on an iMac
Intel Core Duo 1 GB upgrade is about $160, you can save over
$760 on the iMac G5 20-inch 2.1 GHz 2 GB memory upgrade. With
that much money back in your wallet, you could buy an entire
computer system with the dollars you've saved!
This customer service-friendly distributor's core business is in
premium quality computer memory upgrades with a Lifetime Warranty,
earning an unprecedented 9.8 out of 10 Customer Satisfaction Rating
on Bizrate.com and Shopzilla.com. An easy, online memory
configurator is available to find your computer's upgrade. A
well-seasoned staff of Memory Upgrade Experts is also available by
phone for that comforting human voice and a personal service
touch.
The Memory Place has offered high quality memory products for
over 23 years at steep discounts for Apple and IBM compatible
computers as well as printers, digital cameras, PDAs, laptop
computers and other handheld devices such as the latest mobile
phones. They offer a tremendous variety of top brand memory
upgrades for all computer models, ranging from the antiquated to
the very latest available. Along with their award winning customer
service, they provide free tech support and upgrade advice.
Visit BuyMemory.com or call 1-800-306-8901 for pricing and
upgrade advice.
- Link: The Memory
Place
Desktop Mac
Deals
Low End Mac updates the following price trackers every two
weeks:
For more deals on current, recently discontinued, and older
notebooks, see our MacBook Pro
deals, 12" PowerBook G4
deals, 15" aluminum PowerBook G4
deals, 17" PowerBook G4
deals, titanium PowerBook G4
deals, iBook G4 deals,
PowerBook G3 deals, and iBook G3 deals.
