Rollercoaster Tycoon 3 Soaked Review
Saturday, March 31, 2007
If you are looking for decent Mac games, then Aspyr should be top of your list, they have supported the Mac platform for many years and if you buy an Aspyr game, you are generally not going to be disappointed.Amongst their portfolio of games is Rollercoaster Tycoon 3 Soaked - expansion pack. This add on for the main game allows you to build new water filled rides, where you can really soak the visitors that come to your fun filled park. This is the first expansion pack for Rollercoaster Tycoon 3 and it certainly delivers some summery fun to an already great game. You can build splash flume rides, water slides, and even put on an aquatic show.
Rather than me babbling on about the specs of the game, I am going to hand you over to our junior reviewer, Pamela, for an insight into just how good (or bad) this expansion pack really is…
Pamela: Well, I think it is a brilliant game, that flows through the whole way. The Soaked expansion pack is great from extravagant roller coasters through to amazing water parks. It is hours of fun and trust me, you will not be able to get enough of it. The graphics are fantastic and you can see every detail, even the visitors expressions, that are waiting to have the most exciting rides of there lives.The whole thing is easy to follow when you hit the tutorial mode. The basics are simple to get the hang of. When you get into the game a little way, the real fun starts to happen. You will always have a gasp when achievements pop up in front of you. The Soaked expansion pack has all the things that you will find in the real water parks we all have today. You will also discover staff to hire, pools that you can build onto platforms, food stands for if your visitors are hungry and even water flumes passing by. On top of all this there are many more rides and attractions to choose from.
When you are at the main menu, you are given a lot of inspiration on what to build, with video previews giving you an idea of what your ride could look like! Alongside that you have a number of exciting modes to choose from, such as the Sandbox Mode, where money actually doesn't matter for once!!! (What a surprise). You can also select the Career Mode where you have to complete various tasks, and this then unlocks more items and parks to choose from.So, do I think that the Rollercoaster Tycoon 3 Soaked expansion pack is worth the money? If you already own the main game, then £19.99 is well worth it. You get a lot more than you would expect for your money. Even if you have to buy both the original game and this expansion pack, I still think it is good value because it will give you a lot of hours of game play.
Editor: OK, so it seems like Pamela had a great time reviewing RCT3 Soaked. It certainly seems like this expansion pack enhances the original game a lot. I took a look at the graphics and options myself and compared to a lot of games that are five minute wonders, RCT3 Soaked is really something that you will keep coming back to. There are just so many different parks that you can design, it really is great fun, especially when you achieve a whole bunch of happy visitors. Rollercoaster Tycoon 3 and the Soaked Expansion Pack are available now, and should definitely be on your short list of great Mac games.
Product: Rollercoaster Tycoon 3 : Soaked expansion pack
Price: £19.99
Supplied by: Aspyr Media Europe Ltd
Contact: +44 (0) 1923 200 940
Email: info_europe@aspyr.com
The Missing Sync for Blackberry out of beta
Friday, March 30, 2007
Although I have not been an avid user, I have been an admirer from afar of the quality that The Missing Sync software delivers to Mac users. One thing I have been wanting for a long time is a Blackberry Pearl, but I have resisted due to lack of (decent) Mac support. Well, wait no longer, The Missing Sync for Blackberry version 1 is available today and is now no longer in beta form.Quoted from the website, some of the features are below, or click here for the full rundown;
Supports the latest BlackBerry devices via USB
Whether you have a BlackBerry 7100 series, a BlackBerry Pearl or the brand new BlackBerry 8800, The Missing Sync for BlackBerry will bring reliable Mac synchronization to your device. See the complete list of supported devices.
Address Book and iCal synchronization
Stay organized by synchronizing your contacts, calendar, tasks and alarms with Address Book and iCal. Address Book groups and iCal calendars sync with categories on the BlackBerry.
Microsoft Entourage 2004 synchronization
Just activate Sync Services syncing in Microsoft Entourage 2004, and The Missing Sync for BlackBerry will be able to synchronize contacts, events, tasks and notes with your BlackBerry handset.
Includes Mark/Space Notebook for free!
Mark/Space Notebook is a Mac OS X application that allows you to create, edit, categorize and search notes on your Mac, and it syncs up with your BlackBerry via The Missing Sync.
iPhoto album syncing*
The Missing Sync for BlackBerry will download selected photo albums directly from iPhoto to the microSD card in your device for mobile viewing. It will even resize photos to fit your device's screen, so they'll display quickly and take up little space on the memory expansion card.
Labels: Mac Software
Honda's new Civic Type R in Japan
Sorry, I just love the Civic, so had to bring you this news. Come Friday, March 30, the new Civic Type R will go on sale in Japan. Based on the current Civic 4-door, the Type R is powered by a screaming, normally aspirated 2.0-liter four cylinder that eclipses 100 hp/liter, producing around 225 ponies at 8,000 rpm and 159 lb-ft of torque at 6,100 rpm. Aggressive looks complete the killer package.via autoblog.com read more | digg story
Labels: General News
Office 2008 for Mac beta: ‘Escher’ UI
Microsoft's long-awaited Office 2008 has now stepped into the beta stage with a streamlined interface and an all-new "Escher" graphics engine to deliver lush graphic effects and impressive charting.via apcmag.com read more | digg story
Labels: Mac Software
GEAR4 Blu-Tooth - future of audio technology
GEAR4, today announced Blu-Tooth, a specially adapted crown with revolutionary Bluetooth technology that when planted into the third molar, allows you to listen to music or make hands free calls on your mobile without the need for a headset.The Blu-Tooth is the latest in GEAR4’s line of Bluetooth related products following the BluEye and BluPhones and continues the company’s policy of pushing technological boundaries. Just larger than the size of a normal morlar, the Blu-Tooth is specially designed to clip securely onto the third molar and pick up vibrations in the jaw using patented “vibro-denture” micro technology that can be picked up by the inner ear.
It doesn’t stop there either, the device can also work as a hands free kit, pairing with any Bluetooth enabled mobile phone, allowing users to make and take calls much like the GEAR4 BluPhones. You can answer a call by clicking your jaw twice and end a call buy clicking it three times. The state of the art technology acts as a microphone, picking up vocal vibrations in the teeth, projecting this to the person you are calling.
Dr. H Tootulb, Dental advisor, GEAR4 Russia, commented, “The Blu-Tooth is a groundbreaking device that solves many problems in one go. It will work with any Bluetooth music device with A2DP protocol and lets you make and take calls without needing a handsfree kit, in turn making our roads safer as fewer people will have their phones glued to their ears.”
Tootulb continued, “The device needs to be taken out and charged over night on the special tooth shaped charging dock (pictured above). We believe this will become a routine activity much like taking out and washing your dentures or cleaning your teeth before you go to bed.”
Tom Dudderidge, Managing director, GEAR4, commented, “We are very excited about the Blu-Tooth. After 2 years in development, the product is finally here and we believe the possibilities are endless. If the soft launch of the device goes well on the 1st April 2008 we hope to role out drop-in clinics with Carphone Warehouse where customers could get the device fitted. Carphone is an obvious choice as it is a leading iPod/phone supplier and currently sell the GEAR4 range.
Dudderidge continued, “I have been using one of the first prototypes and I must admit, it feels like a part of me now and I don’t know how I lived without it! My dentist was a bit shocked the last time I had an appointment and couldn’t believe something like this was possible. We are also developing a dongle for your iPod so you can interrupt the music on your iPod when you receive a phone call and see who is calling on your iPod’s screen just like the GEAR4 BluEye. You can now answer your calls without decay (or delay!).
Pricing and availability
The Blu-Tooth will be available online from www.gear4store.com on April 1st 2008 and from Carphone Warehouse two weeks later. GEAR4 Blu-Tooth is £119.99 inc VAT and customised professional installation.
Labels: Apple iPod, General News, Mobile Phones
iTunes Introduces Complete My Album
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Apple® today announced Complete My Album®, a groundbreaking new iTunes service that allows customers to turn their individual tracks into a complete album at a reduced price by giving them a full 79 pence credit for every track they have previously purchased from that album.“Music fans can now round out their music collections by upgrading their singles into complete albums with just one click, and get full credit for those songs they have previously purchased from iTunes,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s vice president of iTunes. “Complete My Album is a wonderful new way that iTunes helps customers grow and enjoy their music collections.”
“iTunes continues to revolutionise the digital music industry by offering music fans innovative ways to explore and enjoy new music,” said Thomas Hesse, president, Global Digital Business and US Sales, Sony BMG Music Entertainment. “With Complete My Album, iTunes is giving music fans the best of both worlds—the ability to discover great new music by buying just the single and a credit toward the purchase of the complete album.”
Complete My Album offers customers up to 180 days after first purchasing individual songs from any qualifying album to purchase the rest of that album at a reduced price. When users buy any song on iTunes the corresponding album will immediately appear on their personalised Complete My Album page with the reduced price listed. For example, a user who’s already purchased three 79 pence singles and decides to buy the corresponding £7.99 album would be able to download the remaining songs to complete the album for just £5.62, without having to buy the singles again.
This is great news and certainly gets my vote.
Labels: Apple News
IRIS Card Pro ebay Charity Auction
The kind guys at IRISLink donated an IRISCard Pro business card scanner to be auctioned on ebay. So we have just listed the item and hope that you can head on over and place a bid. It is your opportunity to pick up a bargain and to support our chosen charity too.The auction helps to support the Anaphylaxis Campaign. Many people in the UK have life threatening allergic reactions to many different foods, including peanuts. A reaction is referred to as an Anaphylactic Shock. The Anaphylaxis Campaign was set up to help these people. It provides a weatlh of information and support for sufferers and families.
Many thanks for taking a look, the auction can be found here.
Labels: Apple News, General News
Uniden UBC3500XLT Review
We are complete gadget heads at Geekanoids, with around 95% of our time spent in front of some sort of screen, so getting away from all that LCD brightness is a good thing, if somewhat scary. However, it is important to still bring you something that fits it with the geek flavour and the guys at Radioscan kindly agreed to lend us a Uniden radio scanner.The Uniden UBC3500XLT conjured up thoughts of listening in to robberies in progress, that boeing 747 having to make a landing at an alternative airport, and maybe even the odd ship having to avoid an iceberg (or two). So with great excitement we cracked open the box, plugged in to start charging the unit and turned it on.
Before we share what came next, a little bit about the UBC3500XLT. This is one of Uniden's latest scanners, with its full title being the Uniden Bearcat UBC3500XLT, from herein we will call it the 3500 for ease. It covers a very wide range of frequencies from 25MHz all the way up to 1.3GHz. This promises to cover the citizen band (CB's, breaker breaker, that's a big 10-4), air band (for listening to aircraft), land mobile, analogue phone, and other amateur bands. This should give you the scope to pick up the various local emergency services, for some interesting listening. The 3500 also features Unidens Close Call RF capture technology, which listens for nearby transmissions, and depending on your settings, switches to the signal and lets you listen in. This should be great for airshows, racing events, and perhaps local security transmissions. Supplied in the package is the radio unit itself, some rechargeable batteries, a mains adapter, wrist strap, belt clip, BNC/SMA adaptor (for attaching bigger and more powerful antenna) and the all important owners manual.
The 3500 handset feels very well built and it has a nice size screen, keypad and speaker, all well proportioned on the front. On the left side are some rubberized buttons for the menu and functions of the scanner. The top has a headphone socket and a three-way control that has you pushing for selecting something, and turning for volume and squelch. The back of the handset has meaty connection for the supplied belt clip, but this also puts the unit at a nice angle if you sit it on the table in front of you. The 3500 will work of rechargeable or normal AA batteries, of the mains power (adapter supplied), and can also charge the batts whilst inside the unit.
Being used to the Mac, we were surprised at how complicated the menu system was. It was very difficult to get from one feature to the next and you will find that a lot of button presses are needed to achieve anything. That said, the 3500 has so many features, it would be a mammoth task to do things any different way. Once we had found our way around the menus we could pick up some of the local services, and a lot of aircraft. Sometimes you only get one side of the conversation, other times you can hear the whole thing. We then headed outside and on top of some local hills, which proved to be a good move. The reception was much better and with great excitement we listened in to a coast guard announcement of an unexploded mine along the Dover to Calais Straight. This was fantastic, within hours of cracking the box open, we were enjoying the experience.
We think that this is a great way to get out of the house and away from your computer. It is a quick fix and if you pick up something interesting, it is really exciting. There are a lot of accessories available for these units, and the first purchase should really be a larger antenna. This will allow you to pick up a lot more and enhance your listening experience no end. The UBC3500XLT is very well built, can be used out and about, and just as effectively as a base scanner when attached to a meaty antenna. If you fancy giving radio scanning a try, head on over to the Radioscan website and check out the vast range of units. If you want to be sure you buy the best, then plump up the cash for the 3500, you will not be disappointed.
Product: Uniden Bearcat UBC3500XLT
Price: £144.99
Supplied by: Radioscan
Contact: contact@radioscan.co.uk
Boomtube H201 - iPod & MP3 speakers
When you are looking for iPod speakers, you really are spoilt from choice. It ends up being a decision to either go with the big name brands or take a risk on something a little different. Think Outside have certainly tried to break the mould with their Boomtube H201 speakers, which we take a look at here.Out of the box, things look pretty good, mainly because the unit has some weight to it. The finish is pretty darn good too, with a nice brushed aluminium paint effect. The main tube houses the inputs, outputs and bass/volume controls. This same tube also contains the subwoofer unit. The satellite speakers actually twist and attach to the main tube, which is handy if you are off on your holidays and need to take the Boomtube with you. Of note, you also get a handy carry pouch supplied as part of the package.
I want to get a quick negative out of the way, before returning to the units performance. The way the little speakers attach to the main tube, and the carry pouch supplied, really shouts "portable" to me. The problem is you need a mains power supply. If only Think Outside had included a battery compartment, this would be a really neat all-round package.
With that moan out of the way, back to how this little baby sounds. There is no dock, so you connect your iPod (or any other MP3 player, even a PSP) via the supplied mini-jack cable. Turning the unit on and playing some music was a bit under-whelming at first, but fear not, you just need to tweak that bass control. The Boomtube delivers 40-watts of power and believe me, this little device can really deliver some loud volume and awesome bass. Whilst it is not very refined (audio buffs look elsewhere) for parties and the like, this really could be the answer.
Overall, I was impressed with the Boomtube. It delivers a great sound and goes very loud. The lack of battery power is a big shame, but if you can overlook that, then this is a very well made and extremely power compact speaker system.
But wait, you say there is no batteries compartment… complete and utter nonsense. Think Outside built in a rechargeable lithium ion battery, which one charged delivers about five hours of music. Well, I guess I am off to the local park to shake the local community into submission. The Boomtube H201 rocks both the house and outside the house too.
Product: Boomtube H201
Price: £99.99
Supplied by: Think Outside
Contact: Widget UK Ltd. 0845 055 0005
Link to UK supplier
Labels: Apple iPod
Apple post Adobe CS3 details
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Apple have posted their pages on the new Adobe CS3 software options. Good news on what is on offer, what each package consists of, and that all important link to the pricing and pre-order page. Check it out now.Labels: Mac Software
What makes a great photo?
Joerg Colberg asked a bunch of photographers and photography bloggers: what makes a great photo? The answers, with examples, form a great informal discussion about art, photography, and curating.via jmcolberg.com read more | digg story
Labels: Digital Photography
Mac Chick Of The Month March 2007
Each month Macstein feature a different die-hard, Mac-loving girl who is (almost) as well designed as the Apple products they love. This month we present you with the lovely DeBrane, an artist living in Newport Beach, California long-time Mac fan.via macstein read more | digg story
Labels: Apple News
Is Your New Mac Out Of Date?
The MacRumours Buyers Guide attempts to predict apple's next hardware release based on Apple's release trends. A must-save link if you are planning to buy a new apple anytime soon!via macrumors read more | digg story
Labels: Apple Hardware
Adobe CS3 Education Pricing
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Looks like the education pricing for the Adobe CS3 Suite is pretty good. I could only find US pricing at the moment and it comes in at $599 for the Design Premium Edition. All versions shipping mid-April.Update: UK pricing is here and is £245 for the Design Premium Edition, this is not an upgrade price though, so I will update here again if I can find out this info.
Labels: Mac Software
30 Stunning One-Page Websites
Who said websites need more than one page ? The one page website can be very effective - especially when used as a portfolio website as they let the site take a back seat and let the work shine through. Here we take a look at some examples of the best one-pagers ….via tutorialblog read more | digg story
Labels: Design
How to mount a Windows shared folder on your Mac
So you've made the switch to Mac, but kept your old PC, and now you've got both connected to your home router. How do you access your Windows files from OS X? Turns out that Mac OS X can connect to Windows shared folders very easily. Read on to find out how.via lifehacker read more | digg story
Labels: Mac Tips
Amazon US lists Adobe CS3 pricing
Monday, March 26, 2007
Amazon US has announced pre-order pricing of almost the complete Adobe CS3 line-up. Amongst the various versions are Adobe Creative Suite CS3 Web Premium for $1599, Adobe Creative Suite CS3 Master Collection for $2499, Adobe Creative Suite CS3 Production Premium for $1199 and Adobe Creative Suite CS3 Design Premium for $1599. Some of the prices seem crazy, let's hope the upgrade path is a bit easier on the pocket.Check out the table below for exactly what each bundle offers;
Labels: Apple News, Mac Software
The Moto Lazr?
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Could this be the next big moto phone?via engadget read more | digg story
Labels: Mobile Phones
12 Ways to Pimp Your Office
Collection of cool & unique chairs, desks and other office accessories to really set your desk apart. This is a fantastic look at some awesome bits of furniture.via positivesharing.com read more | digg story
Labels: Design
Apple TV Intro Movie 720p
Ripped straight off the hard drive. Watch the AppleTV Intro movie here in all its 720P glory.via mcwiggin.com read more | digg story
Labels: Apple News
Parallelize applications for faster Linux
One of the biggest complaints about Linux®, particularly from developers, is the speed with which Linux boots. By default, Linux is a general-purpose operating system that can serve as a client desktop or server right out of the box. Because of this flexibility, Linux serves a wide base but is suboptimal for any particular configuration.via IBM read more | digg story
Labels: Linux News
UKsnapshot Site Launched - Apple Event Photos
Friday, March 23, 2007
UKsnapshot, a new site, has launched with a very interesting site and service. It is run by Wiki Design, the same company behind Geekanoids and offers visitors the opportunity to view and purchase photo quality prints from various galleries.The Event Galleries will cover various events around the UK, such as charity runs, the upcoming Tour De France, the 2007 Merida Mountain Bike race, and many other events throughout the UK. There is one gallery up already of the Apple Store Bentall Centre opening, with many more to follow. The idea behind the Event Galleries is to give you the chance to get a picture either of yourself, or that interests you. Many people attend or take part in events and don't even think of capturing the moment, so this is where UKsnapshot do it for you.
When an event is covered, UKsnapshot will hand out cards to spread the word that they are there. Within 48 hours of the event, the gallery will go up online, ready for viewing and ordering prints. The photo quality prints start at just £5.95 delivered.
There are also sections currently being worked on for Landmarks, and Specialized Artwork which includes music, skate and Apple sections. The UKsnapshot website is well worth checking and bookmarking for future reference.
Labels: Apple News, Digital Photography, PC News
Apple TV first impressions
The Apple TV is a bigger, stationery networked iPod that you hook up to your TV, and its degree of desirability is directly proportional to how much iTunes is the center of your digital media universe. If you've got all your music in iTunes and you frequently purchase TV shows and movies from Apple's service, Apple TV is enticing indeed.via Crave read more | digg story
Labels: Apple Hardware
Real amazing digital smoke - Photoshop
This time everything was done in photoshop and it's easier than you can imagine…via abduzeed0 read more | digg story
Labels: Design
Apple TV Dissection with Pictures
First Apple TV is in and first thing we do is break it open! We'll be posting more pics every hour.via techrestore read more | digg story
Labels: Apple Hardware
Belkin N1 Wireless Modem Router Review
We live in a wireless world, or at least we try to. Many companies want us to connect wirelessly and one company that has been ahead of the game for a long time is Belkin.When their N1 Wireless Router was released, people sang its praises, the design was spot on, and the performance was great too. So, when the new model was released which incorporated an ADSL modem, I was on the case, could this be THE all-in-one solution we have been waiting for, enabling us to take advantage of the deluge of cheap broadband offers available at the moment.
The Belkin N1 Wireless Modem Router allows you to connect to your ADSL service via its internal modem. Setting this side of things up is really easy, you will just need to know the connection settings, which can be supplied by your service provider. These can be input manually or with the aide of the provided set-up CD, which walks you through step-by-step, though is PC only.
The N1 also offers up 802.11n draft, which can deliver up to 300Mbps data transfer rate. The 'draft' part of the deal should be taken with a pinch of salt, as all of these new 'n' devices are designed around a wireless technology that has not yet been finalised. This shouldn't worry you, because if things change, then a simple firmware update should set things right. The connectivity doesn't stop there, as around the back of the unit you have four 10/100 ethernet ports for if you need a wired connection, perhaps to a printer or a NAS drive.
The package really gives you everything required. Apart from the main unit you get an ADSL filter, quick install guide, user manual on CD, RJ11 phone cord, an ethernet cable and a power supply.
We had the N1 set up and running within about five minutes. Of important note, the unit performed superbly with our test MacBook, which we had run the Apple supplied 802.11n enabler on. You can make a change to the settings which allows the N1 to support 802.11n, b and g. The connection we achieved was strong, even where we had a 50% signal with a previous Linksys router, the N1 delivered just under the 100% mark. Throughput of data was very impressive and we streamed video and music playback without a hitch. Security is top notch too, with 64 or 128-bit WEP, plus WPA/WPA2 with a pre-shared key.
The design of the box is superb too. Instead of little meaningless LEDs, you get nice blue backlit icons showing you the units status. They show if you are connected wired or wirelessly, if your modem has a connection, and if you have security options selected. This is a very nice touch.
My only negative is the lack of gigabit ethernet, which is available in the Netgear RangeMax WNR854T (but no modem), so we can forgive the Belkin N1 on this one. Overall, this unit is very impressive, it offers everything you could want in a very polished package. Nice design, awesome performance, and a very reasonable asking price. This is definitely one for the upgrade shopping list.
Product: Belkin N1 Wireless Modem Router
Model: F5D8631uk4A
Price: £149.99 : £104.99 Amazon UK
Supplied by: Belkin UK
Contact: +44 (0)1933 35 2000
Labels: Mac Peripherals, PC Peripherals, Reviews
Ten Things to Keep an Old Computer Useful
Thursday, March 22, 2007
This guy's done some impressive work on keeping older hardware working.read more | digg story
Labels: Linux News
Linux MCE looks hot - Download Squad
MythTV, the popular Linux based PVR project, has been around for some time. It's nice, and it functions well, but it's only as functional as Windows Media Center Edition plus, it can be difficult to install and configure. via downloadsquad read more | digg story
Labels: Linux News
Elton John - exclusive on iTunes
Elton John did what everyone expected the Beatles to do: made his entire career's worth of music available online, exclusively through iTunes.via arstechnica read more | digg story
Labels: Apple News
Miglia TVMini Express - Bargain Digital TV
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Today, Miglia Technology announced the launch of TVMini Express for a bargain price of just £39.95. The latest addition to the Miglia TV range this small USB device transforms your Mac into a completely portable digital TV tuner and puts your recorded files directly onto your iPod.TVMini Express features Miglia’s new software which works in harmony with Miglia’s award winning hardware. TVMini Express is perfect for watching and recording TV and exporting to iPod. TVMini Express’s integrated digital TV tuner lets you enjoy a wide range of TV channels at home or whilst travelling. Full Freeview and TNT support makes the product a great choice for students and business travellers alike.
Key Features
- Watch and record all your favourite shows in superb digital quality
- Great performance, crystal clear digital picture quality and perfect sound
- Share shows with your iPod or iPhone for great TV on the go
- Real-time display of what is playing on each TV channel
- Two year warranty for total peace of mind
Labels: Mac Peripherals
AppleTV now shipping in UK
Today, Apple announced they are now shipping Apple TV™, an easy to use and fun way to wirelessly play all your favourite iTunes® content from your PC or Mac® on your widescreen TV, including movies, TV shows, music, photos and podcasts. With Apple TV’s stunning new interface, anyone can quickly browse and view their entire collection of digital media from across the room using the simple and intuitive Apple Remote. Apple TV easily connects to almost all modern widescreen televisions.“Apple TV is like a DVD player for the Internet age—providing an easy and fun way to play all your favourite iTunes content from your PC or Mac on your widescreen TV,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “Apple TV allows you to wirelessly play your content from your PCs or Macs using your existing WiFi network as well as the newest and fastest version of WiFi—802.11n.”
The seamless integration of Apple TV and iTunes lets users choose from over 400 movies and 350 TV shows in near DVD quality; over four million songs; 5,000 music videos; 100,000 podcasts; and 20,000 audiobooks from the iTunes Store (www.itunes.com/uk). Users can also watch their favourite movie trailers right on their widescreen TV, listen to their favourite music on their home entertainment system, and view slideshows of their photo albums in high definition resolution. Apple TV makes it easy for users to explore their entire media collection with an easy to use and intuitive new interface. With the Apple Remote, consumers can easily browse through their favourite movies, TV shows, music and photos from up to 30 feet away.
Apple TV has a 40GB hard drive to store up to 50 hours of video, 9,000 songs, 25,000 photos or a combination of each and is capable of delivering high-definition 720p output.* Apple TV is easy to connect to a broad range of widescreen TVs and home theatre systems and comes standard with HDMI, component video, analogue and optical audio ports. Using high-speed AirPort® 802.11** wireless networking, Apple TV can auto-sync content from one computer or stream content from up to five additional computers right to your TV without any wires.***
Apple TV, which includes an Apple Remote, will be available beginning this week from the Apple Store® (www.apple.com/uk), Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorised Resellers for a suggested retail price of £199 (inc. VAT). Apple retail stores will also offer hands on workshops and demonstrations of Apple TV’s features. It requires iTunes 7.1 or later running on a Mac with Mac OS® X version 10.3.9 or later, or a Windows PC with Windows XP Home/Professional (SP2).
Labels: Apple News, Mac Peripherals
Kodak Z885 - with ISO 8000 !
This years PMA show brought with it many exciting announcements, including Kodak announcing their Z885 compact digital camera. This little beauty offers 5x optical zoom, 8.1 megapixel resolution and an amazingly high ISO setting of 8000. This equates to a camera that should handle low light situations very easily. There are ten automatic scene modes built in, to ease the new user into making awesome shots. No UK pricing yet, but expect to pay $199 when the Z885 starts shipping in May.Labels: Digital Photography
5 Excellent Free Grunge Fonts
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
"These are 5 of the (in my opinion) best free “grunge” or “eroded” typefaces of late. Three of which are from the same artist/typographer Gyom Séguin..."via bittbox read more | digg story
Labels: Apple News
Apple to makeover new iMac
AppleInsider reports that Apple's popular line of iMac personal computers are about to undergo a substantial facelift that will showcase striking new industrial designs that will leave both competitors and onlookers smitten. The redesign, however, will only be applied to the 20-inch and 24-inch iMacs. The 17-inch iMac may go bye-bye...via Appleinsider read more | digg story
Labels: Apple News
PureAV Isolator - filter your power
The Belkin PureAV Isolator Surge Protector does so much more than just provide eight surge protected power sockets. Designed for the home theatre market, it is just as suited to computer use, we take a look at what it has to offer.Nowadays, it seems like we live in a totally wired world, with many manufacturers now striving to bring us an UNwired world. Even if we manage to get rid of most of the wires in our set-ups, it is a forgone conclusion that all of our gadgets, whether home theatre, computer or gadget related, will all need power. Wireless power will never happen, as this is a bit dangerous :-)
There are a lot of surge protector products available, and even from Belkin, you can buy a cheaper product with up to 9 sockets. The PureAV Isolator offers that little bit more, on top of the eight sockets available. For a start the sockets are clearly labeled with the most popular devices your may have, so this makes for easy identification. The unit is also very heavy and well made, a mix of metal and plastic construction that really feels high quality. One of the first things I noticed and liked was that it has built in cable management, so the excess mains cable (which is 3m long) is wrapped around the body of the unit and tucks neatly away.
The PureAV also uses power filter technology (PFT) which isolates any noise coming through the mains channel. You would be surprised, that even with new mains cabling in your house, it can still be quite contaminated with noise. It also protects against electromagnetic interference and radio frequency interference. Sounds very techy, and it is, but all you need know is that the high quality components are helping to deliver the cleanest and smoothest electricity to your equipment.
You can also run through two phone lines and your satellite, cable, or regular antenna, so these are protected too. The unit comes supplied with three 1.8 metre cables for telephone, gold coaxial and aerial, so you have those extra leads available from the offset. To keep things neat there are some cable tidy wraps and wall mounting screws, so it seems like Belkin really have thought of everything.
The build quality, the lifetime product warranty, the unlimited connected equipment warranty, and the fact that this product delivers the highest level of protection you are likely to need, all adds up to a very sensible purchase. Yes, you can buy cheaper, but I doubt at this price point you could buy better.
Product: Belkin PureAV Home Theatre Surge Protector
Model: 8 socket (F9G823uk3M)
Price: £79.99
Supplied by: Belkin UK
Contact: +44 (0)1933 35 2000
Labels: Home Theatre, Mac Peripherals, PC Peripherals
Gizmo Project 3 Released - VOIP alert
Gizmo Project 3 has been released for both the Mac and PC platforms. Having been a long time fan of Skype, the slightly lesser known Gizmo has been in my dock for the odd dabble. This new version 3 brings with it some very interesting new features.The new Meta-voice capabilities of Gizmo Project 3.0 allow users to call four of the most popular Voice and IM networks. All your calls to Yahoo Messenger, Windows Live, Google Talk, and Gizmo Project users are free. This is a superb addition and will prove very popular. Another new feature is being able to customise your avatar by picking a personalized graphic. Your avatar is the picture used to represent yourself in Gizmo Project.
Gizmo Project 3 now supports file transfers via the Jabber protocol. This means you can exchange files with anyone using a jabber client! The new chat history (which has been around in other IM clients for a long time) allows you to save all your past IM conversations, plus you can now chat with several users at once.
This is a very worthy update and well worth checking out.
Labels: Mac Software, PC Software
Roland HPD-10 - Music Goodness
Monday, March 19, 2007
Today we are taking a look at the Roland HPD-10, something to bring out that creativity in you and get you away from those RSI induced aches.We love the fact that technology has progressed enough to bring with it the possibilities of cramming so much goodness into such a neat product. The HPD-10 is a fantastic instrument from Roland's hand percussion range. It is a little larger than a ream of A3 paper, measuring 323x427x75mm. It comes supplied with instructions and a power supply, but high up on the options list should be a PDS-10 stand, which makes the unit a lot easier to use and adjust to a comfortable height.
The best description of the HPD-10 is a really modern drum machine. It doesn't have any built-in recording functions, so it certainly could replace a drum machine if that is your requirement, but you can attach it to an external recording machine. It offer 400 built-in sounds, a metronome function (for keeping the rhythm spot on) and ten individual pressure sensitive pads. There is also a D-Beam controller, which is great fun, you simply wave your hand over the sensor at varying heights to achieve the required sound effect. Before I move on to how great the HPD-10 is, I should also mention the rhythm coach feature. This is great for adults and children alike, and shows an LED duplicate of the ten pads. It gets you to listen to a beat, whilst it shows you which pads to strike, then you have to repeat things at the correct rhythm to progress. This is a great training aid and makes learning fun.
Onto the sounds, and they really are fantastic. There are a lot of futuristic samples in there, with stunning special effects. You also get congas, bongos, tabla, cajon and steel drums, to name just a few. The fact that the pads are pressure sensitive adds to the realism and creativity. The harder you strike a pad, the louder the sound.
You can also turn the HPD-10 into a mini drum kit. Adding two external triggers allows you to add a cymbal and a kick trigger for that bass drum. There are also MIDI in and out sockets, so you can add extra functionality here too. For silent use and practice there is a headphone socket. But for rocking the house you need to connect either a single amp, or two powered speakers for stereo output. We used Roland's PM-10 personal monitor amplifier, which delivered stunning sound and clarity. Every small detail of the percussion instrument or effect was spot on, and when you hit those low bass drums, you really feel them. We also tried the HPD-10 with a Marshall MB30 bass amplifier. It was comparable to the PM-10, not quite as detailed, but certainly an option if you need to save a little on your budget.
Altogether I would put the HPD-10 into two camps, where it scores very highly indeed. If you are a pro musician and need to add percussion to your set-up, then look no further, you will not be disappointed. If like me, you love music, spend all day doing the same thing, and need some creative release at the end of the day, then spend you hard earned cash now. The HPD-10 has given me and my family hours of fun and I am very sad to have to send it back.Product: Roland HPD-10
Price: £449.00
Supplied by: Roland UK
Contact: www.roland.co.uk/buy.asp
Product: Roland PM-10
Price: £199.00
Supplied by: Roland UK
Contact: www.roland.co.uk/buy.asp
Product: Marshall MB30 Amplifier
Price: £105.00
Supplied by: Marshall Amplification plc
Contact: +44 (0)1908 375411
Labels: Music Technology
Comic Relief ebay - David Walliam's iPod
Comic Relief did a marvelous job on Red Nose Day, with the good work still going on at ebay. Amongst the Comic Relief auctions are signed t-shirts, prints, and some rather cool iPods. You can choose from Suzy Murray's Missing iPod, David Walliam's or Alan B'stard's. At the time of writing this post David Walliam's was on £190 for a 4GB 2nd generation Nano. All with personally selected playlists.Labels: Apple iPod, Apple News
Bluetooth Proximity Detection on OS X
Ever wish you could set your mac up to unlock when you came into the room with your bluetooth cell phone? Maybe you'd like to autosync your phone with your mac when you get home? Here is the consummate guide to setting up bluetooth proximity detection.via The Technocrat read more | digg story
Labels: Mac Software
205-inch Technovision Luxio LCD HDTV
Technovision is showing off their 205-inch LCD at CeBit, that makes the formerly buff Sharp 108-inch LCD feel downright pathetic. That's enough space to park two mini coopers on, side by side. Wait...TechnovisionWho?via Gizmodo read more | digg story
Labels: Home Theatre
FoxTrot 1.5 Released - Power Searching
Saturday, March 17, 2007
Today, CTM Development released FoxTrot Personal Search 1.5, an advanced Mac find-by-content application including the most recent optimisations to its high-speed FoxTrot search engine.According to Chantal Favre, VP of CTM, "Even though FoxTrot Personal Search is a great addition to any knowledge worker's MacBook or iMac, version 1.5 now contains many improvements especially relevant to Mac users in the legal, media and scientific fields."
This new release features:
- 14 user-experience and functionality enhancements
- Searches excluding literal strings and words
- Proximity searches
- OR searches of literal strings
- Relevance-ranking tuning
- Improved support for e-mail messages from CTM's flagship PowerMail application
- 5 other improvements and changes
The application can be downloaded here. A full license costs $36 or 29 euros.
Labels: Mac Software
GMail Accounts to hit 3.47 GB Storage
Google has updated the GMail code to calculate 5 years into the future, stopping at 3.47 GB.via searchenginejournal read more | digg story
Labels: Apple News, PC News
Vibro Max now available in UK
Friday, March 16, 2007
The amazing follow up to the Vibro Blaster turns any flat surface into a speaker. No bigger than a rubix cube, the Vibro Max is the ultimate portable speaker – all it needs is a flat, solid surface, the patented electro acoustic technology does the rest, transforming sonic signals into sonic mechanical vibrations to produce 20 watts of sound quality to rival some of it’s bigger, bulkier competitors. The Nimzy Vibro Max is available now for £79.99 from Widget.Labels: Apple iPod, Mac Accessories, PC Accessories
Miglia TVMax+ with digital tuner
Today, Miglia Technology, announced TVMax+. A content collection hub, for use with iPod, AppleTV and Apple computers. TVMax+ allows you to view your favourite shows on every screen in your home, from your living room to your iPod to your Mac. TVMax+ also doubles as a digital TV tuner, so you can watch, pause and record TV shows to watch exactly as you want choose.We have reviewed the first generation TVMax on Geekanoids, well this takes things one step further, adding a digital tuner, which can't be a bad thing.
“In tests TVMax was used to capture a short 30 minute clip of our favourite TV show and was set to put that clip onto an iPod Video, the whole process took 31.5 minutes and we were watching the finished result (at 640x480). The same clip captured using an alternative software capture solution took 61 minutes from start to finish before we could view the show on our iPod, that’s almost 100% faster using TVMax.”
Labels: Mac Peripherals
Rex - Apple Remote for your slot !
SiK inc. took the Apple Remote one step further today. We all know that most of the current Apple Macs come with a nice remote control, but only the iMac has a nice magnet to keep that remote safe. Well, now MacBook Pro owners can pick up a Rex Remote for just $26. It replicates all the normal remote features, but when not in use, can be stored in the MacBook Pro express card slot. Wicked !Labels: Mac Accessories
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Dave
Dave has been in the graphic design industry for 14 years. Long time reviewer of technology related products, he is Owner/Editor of Geekanoids.
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