MacBook, PowerBook, iBook, and other portable computing is covered
in The 'Book Review. iPod, iPhone,
and Apple TV news is covered in The iNews
Review.
All prices are in US dollars unless otherwise noted.
News & Opinion
Apple Updates
Products & Services
Software
News & Opinion
Apple Warns of Near-term iMac, Mac mini
Constraints
AppleInsider's Kasper Jade reports:
"Apple this week began informing its direct sales channels that
several of its desktop-based Mac offerings have entered a period of
constraint, further hinting that Mac hardware updates are on the
horizon."
Link:
Apple Warns of Near-term iMac, Mac mini Constraints
Apple Ready and Waiting with Redesigned iMac
Line?
AppleInsider's Kasper Jade says:
"Apple as early as this month will begin to fill out its 2009 Mac
product line with a new family of iMacs sporting classier enclosures
and a few added bells and whistles, AppleInsider has learned.
"The new all-in-one, dual-core desktops were finalized earlier in
September and have been rolling off the Mac maker's Taiwanese product
lines for roughly two weeks, according to two people familiar with the
matter."
Link:
Apple Ready and Waiting with Redesigned iMac Line?
First Ever USB 3.0 Hard Drive - Mac Users Will Have
to Wait
TechWorld's John E. Dunn reports:
"After 8 years of success the USB 2.0 standard has begun its long
journey into obsolescence. Dutch storage company Freecom has announced
the first mainstream storage product based on 'SuperSpeed' USB
3.0....
"The company is also supplying drivers to make USB 3.0 work with
Vista and XP. Windows 7 should have 'native' drivers from not long
after launch, or users will hope so. Apple is not yet supported by the
XS 3.0."
Editor's note: PC owners will also have to buy a USB 3.0 card to
take advantage of the ten-times-as-fast "SuperSpeed" performance, as
computers with built-in USB 3.0 ports are not yet shipping.
dk
Link:
Freecom Outs First Ever USB 3.0 Hard Drive, but Mac Users Will Just
Have to Wait
Apple Loses Psystar Ruling
The Register's Rik Myslewski reports:
"Apple's motion to toss out a lawsuit filed by pesky Hackintosher
Psystar was itself tossed out by a US District Court judge.
"Make that one exasperated US District Court judge."
Link: Apple
Loses Hackintosh Ruling, Angers Judge
How to Check Your Mac, iPod, or iPhone's Warranty
Status
FairerPlatform.com says:
"So, you own one of Apple's trend setting computers, media players
or handsets, and you don't remember exactly when you bought it. Did you
get the extended warranty? The receipt is somewhere and you re worried
that your baby is about to go off warranty. Here's what to do...."
Link: How to Check
Your Mac, iPod or iPhone's Warranty Status
Discharging Static Electricity for Safe Computer
Upgrading
OWC Blogger Michael says:
"So often we are asked in reference to our OWC Instructional Series
of Videos, 'How exactly am I supposed to 'Use proper anti-static
precautions when performing this upgrade'?' The real answer is
. . . it depends. There are actually several different ways,
depending on your situation, that you can help to control static
electricity in order to avoid damaging the electronically delicate
components found inside your computer.
"According to Wikipedia: Static electricity refers to the buildup of
electric charge on the surface of objects. The static charges remain on
an object until they either bleed off to ground or are quickly
neutralized by a discharge. And it's that discharge that can 'zap' or
'fry' your computer components, rendering them inoperable.
"To give you an idea of how little static electricity needs to be
generated to cause harm to your computer components, it takes as little
as 5 to 10 volts to cause damage inside your computer. In order for you
to even feel the presence of static electricity, the level needs to be
above 1,500 volts. You can accumulate an average of 10,000 to 12,000
volts just walking across carpeting. Rubbing a balloon on dry fur (or
hair) generates about 20,000 volts. Did you know the average person can
carry up to 25,000 volts of static energy at any given time? So
discharging any built up energy before you begin is important.
"So, how are we to be safe when working in our precious
machines?"
Link:
Discharging Static Electricity for Safe Computer Upgrading
Apple Updates
Apple Releases iWork '09 Update 3
PR: iWork Update 3 is recommended for iWork 9.0, 9.0.1, and
9.0.2 users and includes fixes that enhance the compatibility and
reliability of Keynote, Pages, and Numbers.
To update to iWork 9.0.3, use Software Update or the standalone
installer. You only need to use one of these methods to update your
computer.
What's Included
- All iWork 9.0.3 Applications
- Addresses general compatibility issues
- Updates the help
- Adds a link to online resources in the Help menu
- Improves image handling when reducing the file size of images with
Instant Alpha applied
- Improves file size management when inserting some movies
Keynote 5.0.3
- Improves the reliability of guides by changing the display
frequency and relevance
- Resolves an issue with GarageBand exports
- Fixes an issue when working with Move actions in chart builds
- Addresses an issue with the preview of some charts in the Build
inspector
- Resolves an issue when pasting a Numbers table that has cells with
wrap turned on
- Resolves an issue where pasting multiple cells containing duration
or date/time values into the Chart Data Editor would only paste
zeros
- Fixes an issue with Sleep when the computer's battery has
completely discharged while playing a presentation
- Resolves an issue with updating thumbnail previews in Navigator
view after sending a presentation via Mail as PDF or PowerPoint
- Improves reliability when dragging and dropping text in Outline
view
- Adds a presentation preference for showing the slide switcher when
scrolling
Pages 4.0.3
- Resolves an issue where copying and pasting multiple cells
containing duration or date/time values in the Chart Data Editor would
only paste zeros
- Improves reliability when working with objects in Full-Screen
mode
- Fixes an issue with saving documents with EndNote citations
containing multi-byte characters when using Mac OS X 10.6
- Resolves an issue with EndNote citations when using Mail Merge
Numbers 2.0.3
- Fixes an issue with columns and categorized checkboxes
- Addresses an issue with categories and CSV export
- Improves reliability of import and export of some Microsoft Excel
files
- Addresses an issue that could cause formulas to stop working after
formatting a cell
- Fixes an issue with hiding or deleting rows in categorized
tables
- Improves reliability when reverting a document to the saved
version
- Addresses an issue caused by quitting without saving after editing
some templates
- Fixes an issue with deleting table columns containing chart
data
- Resolves an issue that prevented dropping an audio file into a
media placeholder
iWork.com Beta
- Enhances security with 128-bit SSL encryption and document password
protection
- Improves document reviewing capabilities with Comment notification
features
- E-mail invitations are now sent via iWork.com instead of using Mac
OS X Mail
iWork.com Public Beta is a prerelease version of the iWork.com
service. iWork.com is not included with the purchase of iWork; separate
account setup and activation are required. Fees may apply to future
versions of the service. Internet access and Pages '09, Numbers '09,
and Keynote '09 or later are required. Terms of service apply.
Link: About iWork '09 Update 3
Products & Services
DeathAdder Gaming Mouse Has World's Most Precise
Infrared Tracking Sensor
PR: Razer, a leading manufacturer of high-end precision
gaming and lifestyle peripherals, announces the long awaited update to
the Razer DeathAdder. Newly upgraded with a state-of-the-art 3.5G 3500
dpi infrared sensor and tangle-free braided cable, the Razer DeathAdder
maintains its legendary right-handed ergonomic form factor and rock
solid build quality that made it famous. With these new upgrades, the
Razer DeathAdder has been equipped with the world's most precise
infrared sensor to date trumping the competition yet again.
The DeathAdder is undoubtedly one of Razer's best selling
gaming mice, says Robert Razerguy Krakoff, President of Razer. To date,
the Razer DeathAdder has served the gaming community for a good 3 years
and with all the advances in sensor technology, we put our sensor
scientists and engineers to task to imbue it with the most precise
infrared sensor in the world but at the same time maintain the
specially designed form factor that gamers have come to know and
love.
The new Razer DeathAdder is an upgraded replacement for the original
and is now equipped with the ultra-precise 3500 dpi Razer Precision!
3.5G infrared sensor and tangle-free braided fiber cable. The Razer
DeathAdder utilizes a right-handed ergonomic design to provide optimum
comfort for intensive and extended game play. Its 3500 dpi Razer
Precision!" 3.5G infrared sensor provides gamers with 4x more precision
than a standard 800 dpi mouse. The 1000 Hz Ultrapolling!" response time
of 1 ms delivers instantaneous execution, giving gamers the competitive
edge over opponents with faster communication between the Razer
DeathAdder and the computer.
The Razer DeathAdder maintains all of its competitive features,
including its five independently programming Hyperesponse! buttons,
On-The-Fly Sensitivity! adjustment, Always-On! mode and Zero-acoustic
Ultraslick Teflon! feet. All of these lead to a superior, elevated
gaming experience.
Features
- Ergonomic right-handed design
- 3500 dpi Razer Precision! 3.5G infrared sensor
- 1000 Hz Ultrapolling / 1 ms response
- Technical Specifications
- 3500 dpi Razer Precision 3.5G infrared sensor
- Ergonomic right-handed design
- 1000 Hz Ultrapolling / 1 ms response
- Five independently programmable Hyperesponse!" buttons
- On-The-Fly Sensitivity adjustment
- Always-On!" mode
- Ultra-Large non-slip buttons
- 16-bit ultra-wide data path
- 60 120 inches per second and 15g of acceleration
- Zero-Acoustic Ultraslick!" Teflon feet
- Gold-Plated USB connector
- Seven-Foot, lightweight, braided fiber cable
- Approx. size in mm: 128(L) x 70(W) x 42.5(H)
US: $59.99, Europe: €59.99
Availability:
- Razerzone.com -24 September
- In Stores - Late September
Link:
Razer DeathAdder
Long Hours at the Computer? Contour Design Input
Devices Can Help
PR: Aching shoulders and neck? Wrist pain slowing you down?
Contour Design's line of ergonomic mice are designed to help prevent
repetitive stress injuries caused by computer use. These input devices
were developed to relieve pain for computer workers who already
developed pain, but Contour points to even greater value of their
products to computer users in preventing pain from developing in the
first place.
Providing that awareness is Contour Design's primary focus going
forward, the company affirms, its mission to ensure that its customers'
future journey with increased computer use will be a safe one.
Contour Design's flagship products are the Contour ergonomic mouse
and two varieties of the more radical RollerMouse.
Contour Mouse Key Features and Benefits:
Reduces or eliminates the
grip force required to navigate and click traditional mice. This
ergonomically sculpted mouse is designed to support your hand
comfortably without the need to clutch the mouse to control it. Four
right hand sizes and three left hand sizes are offered in order to
properly fit your hand so you are not trying to navigate a mouse that
is too small or large for your physique. You consequently escape the
necessity of pinching a too-small mouse on the sides while curling your
fingertips back to click on the buttons. Excessive clutching and finger
flexing can aggravate the carpal tunnel and result in repetitive strain
injuries such as Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and Tendonitis.- A pronounced hump on the top of the mouse supports the bones in
your hand from underneath, just like an orthopedic arch in a well
constructed athletic shoe. The specially designed arch fills the hollow
of your palm and allows you to rest your hand on top of the mouse. This
arch promotes straight alignment of your hand and wrist bones and
slightly elevates your wrist off of the working surface and enables
using your elbow for movement, helping break the harmful habit of
resting your wrist on the desk or mouse pad and pivoting the mouse from
side to side. That pivoting can cause pain and discomfort as the
forearm bones (radius and ulna) twist in directions not easily
tolerated by human physiology.
Elongated buttons allow
you to use the second knuckle of your finger to activate clicks, which
exercises a stronger, thicker tendon. On smaller, conventional mice,
most users pull their fingertips back in order to activate the mouse
buttons. The Contour Mouse allows you to rest your hand on top of the
mouse and activate the buttons with small, subtle motions without
flexing your fingers. Please view the product video on this web page
for a more detailed visual demonstration of this advantage. The
elimination of flexing reduces carpal tunnel use and the threat of
repetitive strain injuries.- Customize your mouse with your choice of Black or White color,
Right or Left handed, with or without a scroll wheel, available in four
different sizes. There is a Contour Mouse that is right for you and
your work habits as well as your hand size. One size doesn't fit all in
shoe sizes, and hand sizes have similar variations.
- Convenient, out of the box, "plug and play" connectivity for both
PC and Mac computers. This HID compliant device has the drivers "on
board" and simply needs to be plugged into any empty USB port, without
the need for a cumbersome connection routine.
- Powerful scientific research went in before the product went out.
The owner of Contour Design worked with ten CAD/CAM engineers who
suffered with carpal tunnel pain in a lab for eighteen months to
develop the current Contour Mouse design. They evolved through 120
different molds before they were satisfied. The final design allowed
the injured engineers to work for eight hours without pain.
- 17° pronation angle relieves pressure on the forearm bones
while still minimizing grip force. The design team considered more
vertical designs in the development phase, but found that more grip
force was required in order to activate the buttons. They found that a
17° angle relative to the working surface to be the right balance,
relieving pressure from crossing the forearm bones caused by true "palm
down" devices.
- Comes with a 30 day, no risk, product refund if you are not
satisfied. You won't appreciate this product's ease of use and
responsiveness until you try it out for yourself. View the product
video on the Contour Design Website for initial reactions of some first
time users, so you can rely on an objective opinion and not the
company's view of this product. If you are dissatisfied with your
purchase in the first 30 days for any reason, simply ship it back for a
refund.
Price: $109.95
Link: Contour
Mouse
RollerMouse Pro Key Features and Benefits:
Eliminates reaching for a traditional mouse, relieving neck,
shoulder and elbow pain. Asymmetrical reaching with one side of your
body and not the other causes your muscle groups to compensate for the
weight of your extended arm while reaching for a traditional mouse.
Repetitive reaching oftentimes leads to tightness and pain in the neck,
shoulder and elbow areas. The RollerMouse Free allows you to keep your
elbows comfortably by your side, which is a more beneficial ergonomic
position. Contour claims thousands of users have realized pain relief
they have realized after using the RollerMouse for a short period of
time.- There is no gripping necessary, thus minimizing the threat of
Repetitive Strain Injuries such as Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and
Tendonitis. The RollerMouse Free is controlled with the use of an
unflexed hand, so there is no need to clutch or hold the device in
order to navigate the cursor. Your fingertips roll a narrow bar both up
and down and from side to side simultaneously to navigate the cursor
over the entire screen, with very little friction or resistance. The
elimination of flexing your fingers avoids activity through the carpal
tunnel, overuse of a traditional mouse can aggravate the carpal tunnel
and lead to numbness, tingling and pain.
- Promotes the equal use of both hands, reducing the risk of injuring
your dominant "mousing" hand. With the mouse buttons centered beneath
the keyboard home keys, mouse control is equidistant from either hand.
Ambidextrous use is encouraged and easily accomplished with your
command buttons literally at your fingertips, for both hands.
Useful for both laptop and
desktop computer applications, the RollerMouse Free has been designed
to fit immediately adjacent to your keyboard or laptop. This places the
mousing controls just a few inches below the home keys, keeping your
hands within a small work area, eliminating large reaching
motions.- Convenient, out of the box, "plug and play" connectivity for both
PC and Mac computers. This HID compliant device has the drivers "on
board" and simply needs to be plugged into any empty USB port, without
the need for a cumbersome connection routine.
- Seven powerful button functions right out of the box. There are two
easy options to perform a "left click." Either push down on the
navigation bar itself, or click on the large left button in the button
control area. Other button functions include a traditional "right
click" button, a single touch "double click" button, a scroll wheel, a
scroll lock , "one touch" copy and "one touch" paste. For a visual
demonstration, please activate the "watch video" button on this web
page.
- Custom button configuration available with the use of downloadable
drivers. Although most customers use the RollerMouse button functions
"as is," specialized functions can be mapped to the button controls
after loading the device drivers provided on our website.
- Comes with a 30 day, no risk, product refund if you are not
satisfied. If you are dissatisfied with your purchase in the first 30
days for any reason, simply ship it back for a refund.
Price: $199.95
Link: RollerMouse
Pro
RollerMouse Free
This award winning design captured the 2008 National Ergonomics
Conference Attendees Choice Award for Best New Product.
Key Features and Benefits:
Eliminates reaching for a traditional mouse,
relieving neck, shoulder and elbow pain. Asymmetrical reaching with one
side of your body and not the other causes your muscle groups to
compensate for the weight of your extended arm while reaching for a
traditional mouse. Repetitive reaching oftentimes leads to tightness
and pain in the neck, shoulder and elbow areas. The RollerMouse Free
allows you to keep your elbows comfortably by your side, which is a
more beneficial ergonomic position.- There is no gripping necessary, thus minimizing the threat of
Repetitive Strain Injuries such as Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and
Tendonitis. The RollerMouse Free is controlled with the use of an
unflexed hand, so there is no need to clutch or hold the device in
order to navigate the cursor. Your fingertips roll a narrow bar both up
and down and from side to side simultaneously to navigate the cursor
over the entire screen, with very little friction or resistance. The
elimination of flexing your fingers avoids activity through the carpal
tunnel, overuse of a traditional mouse can aggravate the carpal tunnel
and lead to numbness, tingling and pain.
- Promotes the equal use of both hands, reducing the risk of injuring
your dominant "mousing" hand. With the mouse buttons centered beneath
the keyboard home keys, mouse control is equidistant from either hand.
Ambidextrous use is encouraged and easily accomplished with your
command buttons literally at your fingertips, for both hands.
Useful for both laptop and desktop computer applications. The
RollerMouse Free has been designed to fit immediately adjacent to your
keyboard or laptop. This places the mousing controls just a few inches
below the home keys, keeping your hands within a small work area,
eliminating large reaching motions.- Convenient, out of the box, "plug and play" connectivity for both
PC and Mac computers. This HID compliant device has the drivers "on
board" and simply needs to be plugged into any empty USB port, without
the need for a cumbersome connection routine.
- Seven powerful button functions right out of the box. There are two
easy options to perform a "left click." Either push down on the
navigation bar itself, or click on the large left button in the button
control area. Other button functions include a traditional "right
click" button, a single touch "double click" button, a scroll wheel, a
scroll lock , "one touch" copy and "one touch" paste (On Macs, the top
two buttons are Volume Up and Down rather than Copy and Paste). For a
visual demonstration, please activate the "watch video" button on this
web page.
- Comes with a 30 day, no risk, product refund if you are not
satisfied. If you are dissatisfied with your purchase in the first 30
days for any reason, simply ship it back for a refund.
Price $219.95
Link: RollerMouse
Free
Software
MailForge 1.2 Released
PR: MailForge (formerly known as Odysseus) is the Eudora
style email client that Infinity Data Systems started developing in
late 2007. As such, its designed to be a best-of-breed email client,
focusing on power, elegance, and simplicity.
When compared with other existing email applications, MailForge is
designed to have the same features, options, and capabilities that
power users have come to rely on . . . features that simply
don't exist in other email applications, or are not implemented as
elegantly. Compared to Eudora®, MailForge has the advantage of
being under active development by a software company dedicated to
making MailForge the best email client in existence. This includes
improving on areas where Eudora® had started to lag behind
. . . such as integration with the individual operating
systems that it runs on.
In addition to the features currently in MailForge 1.0, there are a
number of other features that users have come to rely on that will be
added shortly.
New in version 1.2:
- Improved compatibility with STARTTLS servers
- Fixes for numerous small issues with the SMTP socket that could
cause problems with strict servers
- Faster sorting by subject,
- Restoration of Group Messages,
- Improved performance when downloading email to a large mailbox that
is currently open
- Various bug fixes and refinements
Download the 30-day trial.
Single User License
- $39.95 - This will be for the entire MailForge 1.x product
cycle.
Educational, Government, & Nonprofit Licensing
- $19.95 for 1 - 150 copies
- $18.95 for 151 - 300 copies
- $17.95 for 301 - 500 copies
Link: MailForge
Cocktail 4.4 (Tiger Edition) Released as
Freeware
PR: Maintain has announced Cocktail 4.4 (Tiger Edition), the
latest maintenance update of Cocktail for users running Mac OS X 10.4 "Tiger". This
versions fixes miscellaneous bugs discovered in the previous release.
Cocktail (Tiger Edition) is now distributed as freeware and does not
require a license. The update is strongly recommended for all users of
Cocktail (Tiger Edition).
Cocktail 4.4 (Tiger Edition) requires Mac OS X/Mac OS X Server 10.4
or later and is tested for compatibility with Mac OS X and Mac OS X
Server 10.4.11. Cocktail (Leopard Edition) for Mac OS X 10.5 and Cocktail (Snow Leopard
Edition) for Mac OS X 10.6
are available for download from our website. [Editor's note: These are
trialware, not freeware like the Tiger edition, and the Snow Leopard
edition has full 64-bit support. dk]
Cocktail is an award winning general purpose utility for Mac OS X.
It is a smooth and powerful digital toolset with a variety of practical
features that simplifies the use of advanced UNIX functions and helps
hundreds of thousands of Mac users around the world to get the most out
of their computers.
The application serves up a scrumptious mix of maintenance tools and
interface tweaks, all accessible via a comprehensive graphical
interface. Most of Cocktail's major features are arranged in five basic
categories. In addition, a Pilot lets you clean, repair, and optimize
your system with one click of the button.
Link: Cocktail
Desktop Mac
Deals
Low End Mac updates the following price trackers monthly:
For deals on current and discontinued 'Books, see our 13" MacBook and MacBook Pro,
MacBook Air, 13" MacBook Pro, 15" MacBook Pro, 17" MacBook Pro, 12" PowerBook G4, 15" PowerBook G4, 17" PowerBook G4, titanium PowerBook G4,
iBook G4, PowerBook G3, and iBook G3 deals.
We also track iPad,
iPhone, iPod touch, iPod classic, iPod nano, and iPod shuffle deals.
