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
Reviews
Products & Services
Software
News & Opinion
Apple #4 in US Market
BusinessWeek's Arik Hesseldahl reports that research firm Gartner
has just released its latest market share estimates for the PC market,
with Apple in fourth place holding an 8.8% market share, up from 8.6%
last year, just beating out Toshiba.
IDC's rankings, also also out this week, likewise place Apple fourth
in the US market, although with an even more substantial 9.4% share, up
from 8.6% last year.
Link: Gartner and
IDC: Apple Places Fourth In US PC Market for Q3
Oz Cop Says Use Macs, Not Windows, for Online
Banking
Munir Kotadia of Australia's IT News for Business reports that
according to Detective Inspector Bruce van der Graaf of the New South
Wales Police, who was giving evidence on behalf of the NSW Government
at a public hearing into Cybercrime this week in Sydney, consumers
wanting to safely connect to their Internet banking service should use
Mac OS X or Linux - or an Apple iPhone.
van der Graaf, who is with the Computer Crime Investigation Unit,
told the hearing that he uses two rules to protect himself from
cybercriminals when banking online: 1) never click on hyperlinks to the
banking site and 2) avoid Microsoft Windows.
Van der Graaf also mentioned the iPhone, which he called "quite
safe" for Internet banking because it is "only capable of running one
process at a time so there is really no danger from infection."
Link:
Oz Cops Say Use Mac, Not Windows, for Online Banking
Roddenberry's Mac Sells for $8,260
Airlock Alpha's Michael
Hinman reports that the early production Macintosh* given to Star
Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, which was put up for auction last
month, fetched $8,260 during the Profile In History auction in
California - well above the projected sales price of between $800 and
$1,200. The computer came with a letter of provenance from
Roddenberry's son, Eugene W. Roddenberry.
Editor's note: Roddenberry's Mac
apparently began life as a Macintosh 128K, the first
Macintosh model, and was later upgraded to a Mac Plus. dk
Link:
Roddenberry Mac Sells for $8,260 on Auction Block
Mossberg Says Windows 7 Nearly Equal to Mac OS
X
The Wall Street Journal's Walter S. Mossberg says:
"In just two weeks, on Oct. 22, Microsoft's long operating-system
nightmare will be over. The company will release Windows 7, a faster
and much better operating system than the little-loved Windows Vista,
which did a lot to harm both the company's reputation, and the
productivity and blood pressure of its users."
Mossberg reports that with Windows 7, PC users will finally have a
strong, modern successor to Windows XP, which at a greybeard eight
years old is still the most popular version of Windows, working well
(so to speak) for many users, but weak in areas like security and
networking
Mossberg has been testing prerelease versions of Windows 7 for nine
months using 11 different computers ranging from netbooks to desktop
workstations - and even on a MacBook - and declares it the best version
of Windows yet, and one that he can heartily recommend to mainstream
consumers, packed with features and tweaks that make using your
computer an easier and more satisfying experience.
Looming large, Mossberg says, is that Windows 7 mostly banishes
Vista's main flaws - sluggishness, incompatibility with third-party
software and hardware, heavy hardware requirements, and constant,
annoying security warnings.
Mossberg acknowledges that in recent years he's argued that Mac OS X
is much better than Windows, but he says that is no longer true,
although he still gives the Mac OS a slight edge because of its much
easier and cheaper upgrade path, more bundled software, and far less
vulnerability to viruses and other malicious software. However, it's
now a whole new ball game and more of a toss-up between the rivals,
with Windows 7 beating the Mac OS in some areas, observing that Apple
will have its work cut out for it now that "the gift that just kept on
giving" of a flawed Vista has been replaced with a reliable, elegant
version of Windows.
Link: A
Windows to Help You Forget
Windows 7 Preview Party Makes a Big Splash in a Mac
House
ZD Net's Sam Diaz says:
"Did you hear the one about the Mac family that opened its doors -
and its mind - to Microsoft Windows?
"For one night, Windows 7 took center stage in my living room as a
half-dozen or so friends stopped by for one of the official Windows 7
preview parties hosted by Microsoft employees last night. My cousin
Raquel, who works in college recruiting in Redmond and has long been a
good sport to my Mac smack-talking, was working in Silicon Valley this
week and needed a place to host her party. How could I resist?....
"I'd sort of mocked those YouTube videos of the Windows 7 parties
because they were so cornball. But this party turned out to be a smart
idea."
Link: Windows 7 Preview Party Makes a
Big Splash in a Mac House
Man & Machine Receives Trademark Registration
for 'Mighty Mouse' for Computer Mice
PR: Man & Machine, Inc. announces
it was awarded a registration for the trademark Mighty Mouse from the
United States Patent and Trademark Office on October 6, 2009. The
registration conveys upon Man & Machine, Inc. the exclusive right
to use the trademark Mighty Mouse in connection with computer mice in
the United States.
Others* have used the name Mighty Mouse for their computer mice and
have sought registration of that trademark, but now the United States
government has spoken.
Man & Machine, Inc. looks forward to the continuation and
expansion of the Mighty Mouse line of waterproof mice.
For more than 5 years, the Mighty Mouse line of rugged, hygienic,
waterproof mice have set the standard for the industry. They feature a
"silk touch" silicone rubber skin and 5 button ergonomic design that
mimics the scroll wheel of a standard mouse.
The Mighty Mouse, along with
its compact sister, the Petite Mouse!, may be combined with Man &
Machine, Inc.'s line of waterproof keyboards to create an effective
defense against infectious diseases, such as H1-N1 Flu (swine flu) and
hospital-acquired infections like MRSA. Cleaning can be easily
performed using chemical disinfectants, alcohol or soap & water.
All Man & Machine premium keyboards and mice are dishwasher safe
and support a natural antimicrobial disinfecting process.
"Others have used the name Mighty Mouse for their computer mice and
have sought registration of that trademark, but now the United States
government has spoken," said Clifton Broumand, CEO and Big Cheese, Man
& Machine, Inc. "We look forward to the continuation and expansion
of the Mighty Mouse line of waterproof mice."
The Mighty Mouse computer mouse can be found worldwide in hospitals,
laboratories, medical/dental facilities, schools, public safety,
libraries, offices and in industrial applications. It is available in
hygienic white and black.
Man & Machine, Inc. is an international provider of leading edge
computer accessories focusing on medical, governmental, industrial and
general office environments. Products include waterproof keyboards and
mice, mobile keyboards for the RIM Blackberry, LCD privacy monitors for
HIPAA compliance and financial security, and customized products to
meet client's unique applications. The company was founded in 1982
outside of Washington, DC with satellite offices in New York,
Tennessee, Missouri, The Netherlands and China. Man & Machine, Inc.
adheres to a strict environmental code for the sustainability and
protection of our environment.
More on Man & Machine keyboards and mice below.
* Editor's note: Apple. dk
Link: Man &
Machine
Hitchhiker's Guide Author Eoin Colfer Is Mac
to the Core
The Guardian's Stuart O'Connor reports that Hitchhiker's Guide to
the Galaxy author Eoin Colfer hates PCs with a passion, and says
his favourite piece of technology is his MacBook Air, which has made his
life "a million times easier," although he wishes it was waterproof
after an unhappy incident with a latté, and pessimistically
predicts it will be obsolete in six months' time, anticipating that the
next big thing in portables will be touchscreens.
Coifer says he once had a PC, but "bloody hated it," and declared
that "all PCs should be burned and stamped on," adding somewhat
redundantly, "I really don't like PCs," whereas "Macs are beautiful
things; they rarely break down, they're totally idiot proof, and yet it
seems to be only the idiots who don't use them."
Link:
Hitchhiker's Guide Author Eoin Colfer Is Mac to the Core
Reviews
24" Cinema Display and Atlona AT-DP200
Converter
Bare Feats' rob-ART Morgan says the 24" Apple LED Cinema Display
makes a perfect companion for an Apple laptop, and he decided to get
one for a "home base" display for his 17" MacBook Pro Unibody as a
great way to extend the desktop when working on projects while not on
the road.
Rob suggests that the 24" Cinema LED Display is now the obvious
choice for most buyers of new Mac Pros as well, but two of the fastest
Mac Pro GPUs (GeForce GTX 285 and Quadro FX 4800) don't have Mini
DisplayPorts, and with Apple not offering a converter box, you need a
third party DVI to Mini DisplayPort solution.
Enter the
Atlona Model AT-DP200 converter box, which Rob tested connecting
the 24" LED Cinema Display to Bare Feats' Mac Pro Nehalem, and reports that it
works like a charm. He notes that At $170, the Atlona AT-DP200 is a
pricey option but considering one's investment in Mac Pro, optional
graphics card, and 24" LED display, it's worth it.
Link: Apple's 24" Cinema and the Atlona
AT-DP200 Converter for Mac Pro
Apple's Aluminum Keyboard Dissected and
Analyzed
TechReport's Cyril Kowaliski notes that the Mac keyboard is thin,
flat, and quiet. Noting that he finds typing on his MacBook so
comfortable, surely a desktop version of its keyboard would be right at
home connected to his desktop computer.
"This thing almost makes you embarrassed to have an untidy desk, and
it took me a little while to feel comfortable eating in font of it,"
Cyril says, noting that the Apple 'board is a very low-profile design,
in which the front edge lies only 0.2" (5 mm) above the desk surface,
and the rear beam props the back edge to a height of 0.67" (17 mm), and
happily includes a pair of USB 2.0 repeater ports on either side, which
come pretty handy if you'd like to plug in a camera or USB thumb drive
without having to find a spare port on your computer or your USB hub is
fully occupied, as it were
"Under the hood," as it were, Cyril found a plastic scissor-switch
design with membrane type collapsible rubber plungers providing the
spring function, but compared with the similar-design MacBook keyboard,
the freestanding 'board is a little springier and louder, whereas this
one has a softer, smoother feel that provides less tactile
feedback.
Summarizing, Cyril says he never expected to find himself saying it,
but he likes the Apple keyboard, and is enjoying the ride - able to
type without deafening every one during conference calls and podcast
recording sessions.
Link: Apple's Aluminum Keyboard
Dissected and Analyzed
Products & Services
Mac OS X Snow Leopard: The Missing
Manual
PR: Since its release in September 2007, Mac OS X
Leopard: The Missing Manual has been the best-selling computer book
in America. And now the beast is back. The new Snow Leopard edition
offers a wealth of detail on Apple's newest operating system. Snow
Leopard is faster and more reliable than earlier Mac OS X
versions, and no one is more reliable at bringing you up to speed than
David Pogue.
"Steve Jobs said that Apple was going to 'put a pause on new
features' in Snow Leopard," Pogue says, "but not everyone got the memo.
An insane amount has changed - tiny, tweaky things, under-the-hood
things, and even some big, routine-changing things. Writing the
ultimate, complete, most entertaining guide to all of it was absolutely
exhausting, but I guess somebody's got to do it."
The most authoritative book for Mac users of all technical levels
and experience, Mac OS X Snow Leopard: The Missing Manual
(O'Reilly/Pogue Press, $34.99) is amusing and fun to read, but Pogue
doesn't take his subject lightly. Which features work well and which
don't? What should you look for? What should you avoid?
You get all the answers with crystal-clear, jargon-free explorations
of:
- Everything new: the rewritten Finder, 64-bit mode, Microsoft
Exchange compatibility, build-them-yourself Services and keyboard
shortcuts, self-waking networked Macs, and more
- The Dock, the Mac OS X folder structure, and Mail: all faster and
with new Snow Leopard-only features
- Safari 4: the latest and best-performing Mac web browser
- QuickTime X: the new multimedia player that lets you trim and share
clips to YouTube, MobileMe, and iTunes
- The coolest collection of tips, tricks, and undocumented shortcuts
ever assembled
David Pogue, Yale '85, is the weekly personal-technology columnist
for the New York Times and an Emmy award-winning tech
correspondent for CBS News. His funny tech videos appear weekly on
CNBC. And with 3 million books in print, he is also one of the world's
best-selling how-to authors. In 1999, he launched his own series of
amusing, practical, and user-friendly computer books called Missing
Manuals, which now includes 100 titles.
- Mac OS X Snow Leopard: The Missing Manual
- David Pogue
- ISBN 13: 9780596153281
- 912 pages
- $34.99, £30.99
- order@oreilly.com
- 1-800-998-9938
- 1-707-827-7000
Purchase link: Mac
OS X Snow Leopard: The Missing Manual, $20.46 at
Amazon.com.
Man & Machine Hygienic, Washable Keyboards
& Mice
PR: The Really Cool is a
water-resistant and contaminant proof keyboard with tactile feedback
keys. The sealed and rigid surface is ideal for industrial, marine, and
medical use, as well as other applications where moisture, cleaning,
and durability are a consideration.
Because the Really Cool is also quieter than "standard" keyboards,
they are great for applications where noise generated from key-clicks
is a problem. The Really Cool is compatible with standard keyboard
layouts and drivers are not needed. The Really Cool keyboard is an
excellent choice when you prefer a clear yet easy keystroke and when
you use gloves while typing. This keyboard can be equipped with our
Magfix, SCOP and Backlit features.
Really Cool - Waterproof Medical Keyboard
Features:
- Sealed silicone design for dust-free,
- contaminant-free and water-resistant use
- Cleans with soap and water
- No moving parts to minimize failures
- Tactile feedback similar to standard keyboard
- Easy to install
- Full size keyboard
- USB & PS/2
- 1U Keyboards Tray
- Limited Lifetime Warranty
Whether your challenge is dirt or durability, blood or
bacteria, coffee or coughing, Man & Machine's liquid resistant,
100% latex-free, rugged, silicone base keyboards and mice are
engineered to withstand environmental hazards in all workplace
settings. From the OR to the ER, the factory to the field, our
contaminant IP-68 rated keyboards and mice can not only withstand the
harshest conditions, they can be disinfected, sprayed, wiped, sanitized
and even submerged to dramatically reduce incidence of damage and
contamination.
Cool Concept
Distinguished by their rugged, ergonomic, sealed design, Man &
Machine's keyboards and mice are ideal not only for industry, health
care, food service and dentistry, but also enable silent, sanitary
keyboarding in courtrooms, libraries, laboratories, pharmacies and
schools anywhere safety and durability are issues and employee,
student, or patient health is a priority.
Specifications:
- Size: 15 x 5.5 x 0.6 (in) / 381 x 140 x 15.3 (mm)
- Weight: 1.7 (lb) / 780 (g)
- Cable Length: 6 (ft) / 1.83 (m)
- Storage temperature: -20 to 70C (-4 to 158F )
- Operating temperature: 0 to 70C (32 to 158F )
- Power Consumption: 26mA (Max)
- Platform: windows and Mac
- Layout: Includes numeric keypad and 12 Function keys
- Color: Black or Cool grey
- Resistance: IP 68
- Compliance: CE, FCC, EN-IEC 60601-1
Really Cool Keyboard
Price: $199.00
Color:
Link: Man & Machine Cool
Solutions Hygienic, Washable Keyboard & Mice
WD Caviar Black Desktop Hard Drives
PR: WD Caviar Black drives combine a high performance
electronics architecture with a rock solid mechanical architecture to
deliver a perfect storage solution for your fully loaded PC or maxed
out gaming machine. Cool drive operation, no-touch head technology, and
leading-edge vibration protection ensure enhanced reliability and
sustained data throughput. And backed up with a 5-year limited
warranty.
Key Features
- High Performance Electronics Architecture
- Dual processor - Twice the processing power to maximize
performance.
- Colossal cache - Bigger, faster cache of up to 64 MB means faster
performance.
- Rock Solid Mechanical Architecture
- Dual actuator technology - A head positioning system with two
actuators that improves positional accuracy over the data track(s). The
primary actuator provides coarse displacement using conventional
electromagnetic actuator principles. The secondary actuator uses
piezoelectric motion to fine tune the head positioning to a higher
degree of accuracy. (2 TB only)
- StableTrac - The motor shaft is secured at both ends to reduce
system-induced vibration and stabilize platters for accurate tracking,
during read and write operations.
- NoTouch ramp load technology - The recording head never touches the
disk media ensuring significantly less wear to the recording head and
media as well as better drive protection in transit.
- Massive Capacity - WD Caviar Black SATA drives are available in
capacities up to 2 TB.
- Compatible - Tested on hundreds of systems and a multitude of
platforms in WD's FIT Lab and Mobile Compatibility Lab to give
customers confidence that these drives will work in their systems.
- 5 Year Limited Warranty
Ideal For
Power computing applications such as multimedia, video and photo
editing, and maxed out gaming computers.
How this WD hard drive protects your data
Data Lifeguard is an exclusive set of data protection features,
including shock protection, an environmental protection system and
real-time embedded error detection and repair. WD's Data Lifeguard
technology automatically finds, isolates, and repairs problems that may
develop over the life of a hard drive.
Data Lifeguard Tools are software utilities designed for WD hard
drives that work with the embedded Data Lifeguard features to make hard
drive installation,diagnostics and repair both simple and
worry-free.
ShockGuard instantaneously protects the hard drive against damage
from bumps and vibrations while it is running. This technology enables
WD Caviar drives to achieve industry-leading shock specifications.
Link: WD
Caviar Black Desktop Hard Drives
Trans International DX4 Internal Storage Solution
for Mac Pro
PR: Trans International, a company known for maximizing Mac,
introduced DX4, an internal storage solution for Apple Mac Pro [all
models].
DX4 is another unique internal storage
solution from Trans International for Mac Pro. Install Four more (4)
2.5" SSD or HDD inside your Mac Pro connecting to your choice of Fast
and affordable third party SATA/SAS RAID host adapter. In RAID 0 get
Performance not possible even with Expensive Fiber Channel Storage
Systems.
Install up to 14 TB of internal storage in the Mac Pro with Trans
International Storage Solutions. A true convenience and improvement for
the power users. Quick and Easy installation.
Specifically designed for Mac Pro (all models) DX4 is an Affordable
and Versatile Four (4) 2.5" internal SATA SSD or HDD mounting
solution.
With DX4 and Pro Caddy 2 now it is possible to pack your Mac Pro
with up to 14 terabytes of Internal data storage.
Perfect for film, video, music, data protection, and other
drive-intensive operations, multiple drives can be setup in a RAID 0,1,
5, 10 or JBOD configuration using any third party SATA adapters.
A simple yet powerful internal storage solution crossing performance
limits not possible even with expensive Fiber channel storage
solutions.
Features
- Easy Installation.
- Does not alter original system configuration.
- Use any Fast 2.5" SSD or HDD.
- Houses Four 2.5" SSD or HDD.
- Ships with custom designed Power Cable, Second Generation Halogen
Free Signal cables and manual.
- SAS/SATA Hardware RAID host adapter available.
- Requires Mac Pro with one open PCIe Slot.
Price
- $129 (with no drives)
- $274 with RocketRaid 2310 RAID card
Link: Trans
International DX4 Internal Storage Solution for Apple Mac Pro
Software
Google Quick Search Box
PR: When most people think of Google, search comes to mind.
Hundreds of millions of people have come to know and love Google.com as
their starting point for searching the Internet.
About 2 years ago, Google introduced Google Desktop to extend Google
search capabilities to your Mac and, earlier this year launched a
developer preview of the next evolution of search outside the browser.
Now they're officially releasing this technology to all users as the
Google Quick Search Box (or QSB for short).
With Google Quick Search
Box you can search for information from just about anywhere. As you
type, suggestions will appear that match your query, ranging from
applications and local files on your computer, to web search and
navigational suggestions, to items from your browser history and
contacts - and the types of results you can get will only grow over
time.
Once you've found the result you want, we wanted you to be able to
do something with it. To find out what you can do, select a
result and press the tab key or the right arrow on the keyboard. Some
examples of actions include instant messaging friends, playing a song,
or emailing a URL. Just like the data you can search over, the list of
actions you can perform will grow over time!
The quickest way to launch the Google Quick Search Box is by pushing
Control + spacebar at the same time (Google Desktop devotees will still
be able to press Command twice to summon the box). If you prefer
another keyboard shortcut to summon the Google QSB, you can change it
in the Preferences panel.
As you use the Google Quick Search Box more, it will learn which
results you are likely to want. The goal here is that we get you to
what you're looking for as quickly as possible. In the above example,
if you chose Google Calendar, the next time you search for "cal",
Google QSB will reorder the results so that you don't have to arrow
down to your desired choice. Instead, you can just type "cal" and press
enter.
Last, but definitely not least, the Google Quick Search Box is
extensible. This means that anyone can create a plugin that enables the
QSB to search over additional data or perform more actions on results.
As an example, we really enjoy the Twitter plugin . After enabling that
bad boy, we can send tweets right from the QSB and then do a Google
search right after!
The Google QSB allows you to do your daily tasks faster.
Features
Google Desktop is a desktop search application that gives you easy
access to information on your Mac and from the web. Desktop makes
searching your own email, files, music, photos, and more as easy as
searching the web with Google.
Quick Search Box
The Quick Search Box is your fastest way to do web and desktop
searches and launch applications. You can call it up by pressing the #
key twice, and hide it by pressing # twice again. Type a few letters or
words into the search box and your top results pop up instantly,
including applications. For example, you can launch iTunes simply by
typing "itu" into the Quick Search Box and pressing Return when iTunes
appears as the first result.
Search Your Gmail and Web History
Not everything you're looking for lives on your Mac. Whether you're
searching your computer or the web, Desktop helps you find it by
searching your Gmail and web history along with your hard drive. Also
because your index is stored locally on your own computer, you can even
access your Gmail and web history while you're offline.
Google Gadgets
Google Gadgets are interactive mini-applications you can add to your
Dashboard to show you new email, weather, photos, and personalized
news. Other gadgets include the clock, calendar, scratch pad, to do
list and many more.
Use the Google Gadgets application to choose from the enormous
collection of gadgets created by Google and users all over the
world.
Many File Types
Google Desktop automatically indexes and allows you to search the
full text of virtually all your files, including the following
types:
- Gmail
- text files (.txt)
- PDF
- HTML
- email from Apple Mail and Microsoft Entourage
- iChat transcripts
- Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
- music and video files, including artist and song names
- Address Book contacts
- system preference panes
- file and folder names
Google Desktop also searches file types that have a Spotlight
importer.
Familiar Results
When you do a Desktop search, you'll see a list of search results.
Each result, just like Google web search results, includes the file
name and a brief snippet with your search terms highlighted. You can
also filter for a particular type of item - only emails, for instance -
by using the links at the top of your Desktop search results page.
Smart Indexing
After you install Google Desktop, it starts indexing the files that
are already on your Mac. This one-time indexing is designed to
peacefully coexist with your normal work, so you can continue working
while indexing takes place. Depending on how many files and other items
you have on your computer, this process can take up to several hours.
Once it's done, Desktop makes sure your index stays up to date by
adding new email as you receive it, files as you update them, and web
pages as you view them.
Google Integration
What if you already have the information you're looking for but
don't realize it? When there are useful results on your Mac related to
your Google web search, Google Desktop will include these files with
your search results. There's also a simple command center for searching
your computer, which you can access by clicking "Desktop" above the
search box on Google.com.
File Versioning
Google Desktop creates cached copies (snapshots) of your files and
other items each time you view them, and stores these copies on your
Mac's hard drive. As a result, you can often use Desktop to find
previous versions of your files or ones you've accidentally
deleted.
MacSpeech Dictate Gains Bluetooth Support
PR: Don't be left out in the snow. Have you recently upgraded
to Apple's latest operating system, Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, or do
you plan to do so soon? Then you'll want to be sure to upgrade your
MacSpeech Dictate speech recognition product to the brand new version
1.5.5.
MacSpeech Dictate 1.5.5 is 100% compatible with Mac OS X 10.6 Snow
Leopard and supports all MacSpeech Dictate products, including
MacSpeech Dictate Legal, MacSpeech Dictate Medical, and MacSpeech
Dictate International. What's more, MacSpeech Dictate 1.5.5 adds a new
feature: a contextual menu for the Available Commands window, providing
options to Edit, Execute, and Copy Description to Clipboard.
And you can't beat the price . . . the MacSpeech Dictate 1.5.5
update is FREE. That's right, free of charge to registered MacSpeech
Dictate 1.5 customers using the "Check for Updates" feature.
If you're still using MacSpeech Dictate 1.3 or earlier, you'll want
to upgrade right away and begin enjoying increased accuracy
. . . near perfect at up to 99%, stronger recognition
. . . support for 13 different English dialects, faster
performance . . . optimized for key Mac apps like Microsoft
Word and TextEdit, and much more.
Visit the MacSpeech website to order your MacSpeech Dictate
upgrade.
The new MacSpeech Dictate 1.5.5 adds one more nifty feature you're
sure to love: Exclusive support for the Plantronics Calisto Bluetooth
Headset. Check the next column for all the details
You know the MacSpeech Dictate family of speech recognition products
provides unparalleled freedom - freedom from your mouse, freedom from
your keyboard. And now MacSpeech Dictate 1.5.5 provides unmatched
freedom of movement when used with the Plantronics Calisto Headset with
Bluetooth USB Adapter bundle.
Certified by MacSpeech for exclusive use with MacSpeech Dictate
speech recognition products, the Calisto headset provides
state-of-the-art features you're sure to love, including:
- Industry-leading sound clarity and noise canceling technology
- Range of up to 10 meters (up to 33 feet) from headset to
adapter
- Up to 8 hours of talk time, and up to 240 hours of standby
time
- Extremely comfortable ear interface and single button control for
volume
- Easily adjustable for left and right ear
Get the most from your speech recognition experience with a Calisto
headset for the ultimate solution. You can purchase any MacSpeech
Dictate 1.5.5 speech recognition product bundled with the Calisto
headset, or you can get the Calisto headset on its own.* The choice is
yours.
For complete details and to make your purchase, visit macspeech.com.
And at checkout, be sure to enter coupon code CALISTO - if you're one
of the first 2,000 customers, that code will score you a whopping $50
discount on your Calisto headset purchase. From your friends at
MacSpeech, enjoy.
* The Calisto headset requires version 1.5.5 or greater of any
MacSpeech Dictate speech recognition product and Mac OS X 10.6 Snow
Leopard.
Link:
MacSpeech Dictate
Plantronics Calisto Headset Certified for Use with
MacSpeech Dictate
PR: MacSpeech, Inc. has announced the Plantronics Calisto
Headset with Bluetooth USB Adapter is now certified for use with
MacSpeech Dictate, the premier speech recognition solution for the
Macintosh.
By
combining the Calisto Headset with Bluetooth USB Adapter and MacSpeech
Dictate, customers can now use a single wireless headset for dictation
and control of the Macintosh, that can also simultaneously pair to a
Bluetooth-enabled mobile device, such as the iPhone, to make and
receive calls.
The Calisto Headset with Bluetooth USB Adapter is the only
Bluetooth-enabled device certified for use with MacSpeech Dictate.
"MacSpeech Dictate provides state-of-the-art speech recognition for
the Macintosh," explained Andrew Taylor, founder and CEO of MacSpeech,
Inc. "The Plantronics Calisto with Bluetooth USB Adapter provides
state-of-the-art noise-cancelling Bluetooth headset technology and
great mobility. Now you can use the same Bluetooth device with your
iPhone, and then using the USB Adapter, dictate directly into your
Macintosh, or control it with your voice. All this voice power with one
sleek device."
"Simplicity, sound quality and wireless mobility have resulted in
very favorable response to the Calisto Headset with Bluetooth USB
Adapter," said Judi Hembrough, director of Product Marketing at
Plantronics. "Now Macintosh users can benefit from a best-in-class
wireless headset for MacSpeech."
The Calisto Headset with Bluetooth USB Adapter combines a robust
noise-canceling microphone with an extended boom to deliver outstanding
audio quality. The Calisto headset battery offers up to 8 hours of talk
time, up to 10 days of standby time and a range of up to 30 feet from
the adapter. It comes included with a USB charger for convenient
charging.
MacSpeech Dictate is the only desktop speech recognition solution
for the Macintosh. MacSpeech Dictate provides unprecedented speech
recognition accuracy with minimal training and works with existing Mac
applications. MacSpeech Dictate delivers a truly Mac user experience,
and conforms to behaviors already familiar to Macintosh fans worldwide.
Beyond dictation, MacSpeech Dictate lets people perform basic
navigation of their Mac and control it with their voice to launch
applications, open new windows, execute menu commands, etc.
The Calisto Headset with Bluetooth USB Adapter is available today
for use with MacSpeech Dictate 1.5.5 or higher. MacSpeech Dictate
requires Intel-based Macintosh hardware and requires Mac OS X 10.5.6
Leopard through Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard.
Available immediately, only in North America, directly from
MacSpeech, Inc., MacSpeech Dictate with Calisto Headset is priced at
$299, and the Plantronics Calisto Headset with Bluetooth USB Adapter
alone is priced at $149. Orders from all other countries are subject to
significant additional customs and shipping charges.
Link:
MacSpeech
Desktop Mac
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