Jawbone II Bluetooth Headset Review
Thursday, January 29, 2009
If you need a classy and high quality bluetooth headset, then check out this review of the Jawbone II. Superbly styled and balanced, it could be just what you have been looking for.Product: Jawbone II Bluetooth Headset
Price: £75 (average UK price)
Supplied by: Aliph
Contact: +44 (0) 203 027 2094
Labels: Mobile Phones, Reviews
My thoughts on Macworld 2009 - Apple goodies
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
Yesterday's keynote was for me a mix of missing Steve and really wanting that 'One More Thing' to be a Mac Mini Tower. Everyone comes away from Macworld or from watching the keynote with some sort of complaint, but on reflection it was pretty sound.
Steve Jobs not being there was a big shame. All I really want to say on the matter is that my thoughts go out to you Steve. I hope you are fighting fit real soon and carry on as CEO at Apple for a long time to come.
iLife 09 was really nice to see. Expected, yes, but the content was very good. Face recognition and Places in iPhoto is worth the upgrade alone. Add to this the added functionality in iMovie, where we get better editing modes for more accurate clips, plus lots of nice candy thrown in too. The new version of iMovie keeps it simplicity and adds back some of the timeline features that we missed in iMovie HD without Apple admitting they were wrong making such radical changes to the app last year.
iWork 09 is another nice upgrade. I like the idea of Keynote being controllable with such style from the iPhone. The iWork.com announcement is also very very cool. When it comes out as a full version I hope that Apple add the ability to give editing writes to certain people. Yes, I know they could download the Pages document (for example), make changes and then re-upload a new version. But making online edits or local edits, with true version tracking would be a really powerful combination. Although not of great interest to me personally, the new Numbers and Keynote features are also very good too.
The new 17-inc MacBook Pro had some things to like and others to question. The questionable inclusion is the lack of user replaceable battery or hard drive. Yes, the reasons were explained and eight hours battery life is awesome. Power users will no doubt complain that they need to carry a spare battery with them. Much more positive is the anti-glare screen option. It seems like Apple listened that not everyone likes gloss. Whilst I don't expect this to filter down to the MacBook, I would be very surprised if we did not see this as a CTO option on the 15.4-inch pro version pretty soon. Apple would sell a lot more if they added this to the 15.4-inch MacBook Pro sooner rather than later.
The final iTunes announcements were a nice round-off to the whole event. At last DRM has been kicked into touch and we can now enjoy moving our music downloads around as and where we wish. Well done Apple.
In closing, it really saddens me that there will be no Apple next year at Macworld. No Apple Expo Paris and certainly no appearance by the company at MacLiveExpo London. I just hope that they more than make up for this by holding at least one special event for new products every year... on their own schedule of course.
Labels: Apple News, Opinion
Letter from Apple CEO Steve Jobs - Re Macworld keynote
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
Today, Apple released a letter from Steve Jobs detailing exactly why he will not be giving his usual keynote speech at Macworld 2009. This is very nice to hear and reassuring that Steve is going to be OK. It reads as follows...Dear Apple Community,
For the first time in a decade, I’m getting to spend the holiday season with my family, rather than intensely preparing for a Macworld keynote.
Unfortunately, my decision to have Phil deliver the Macworld keynote set off another flurry of rumors about my health, with some even publishing stories of me on my deathbed.
I’ve decided to share something very personal with the Apple community so that we can all relax and enjoy the show tomorrow.
As many of you know, I have been losing weight throughout 2008. The reason has been a mystery to me and my doctors. A few weeks ago, I decided that getting to the root cause of this and reversing it needed to become my #1 priority.
Fortunately, after further testing, my doctors think they have found the cause—a hormone imbalance that has been “robbing” me of the proteins my body needs to be healthy. Sophisticated blood tests have confirmed this diagnosis.
The remedy for this nutritional problem is relatively simple and straightforward, and I’ve already begun treatment. But, just like I didn’t lose this much weight and body mass in a week or a month, my doctors expect it will take me until late this Spring to regain it. I will continue as Apple’s CEO during my recovery.
I have given more than my all to Apple for the past 11 years now. I will be the first one to step up and tell our Board of Directors if I can no longer continue to fulfill my duties as Apple’s CEO. I hope the Apple community will support me in my recovery and know that I will always put what is best for Apple first.
So now I’ve said more than I wanted to say, and all that I am going to say, about this.
Steve
Apple's Board of Director's added;
It is widely recognized both inside and outside of Apple that Steve Jobs is one of the most talented and effective CEOs in the world. As we have said before, if there ever comes a day when Steve wants to retire or for other reasons cannot continue to fulfill his duties as Apple’s CEO, you will know it. Apple is very lucky to have Steve as its leader and CEO, and he deserves our complete and unwavering support during his recuperation. He most certainly has that from Apple and its Board.
I am sure you will all join me in wishing Steve well and hoping to see him gain that healthy weight back during 2009.
Labels: Apple News
Happy New Year to All
Monday, January 05, 2009
Happy New Year to all of my readers! I have some interesting announcements for you all too. You have probably noticed that there has not been many new postings over the Christmas period. Well, I took a well earned break and spent some time playing with my kids and their gadgets. It also gave me a chance to really get some hands-on use of some new bits of kit too. I have reviews of the Sony NWZ-S639 MP3 player coming up, where I look at just how well it integrates with the BBC iPlayer service and how you can get it working with Windows on the Mac.
Keeping with the Mac goodness though, I have plenty of reviews lined up. The Kodak Zi6 HD handheld camcorder for starters, followed by a roundup of snazzy sleeves to keep your MacBook, MacBook Pro and iPod touch nice and cozy. Not only will they protect your kit from bumps and scratches, but also keep them nice and warm over the winter months (yes, the first snow of 2009 fell over Kent last night). I also have a couple of Broadband Router tests coming up, including a budget model from Buffalo Technology. So plenty to keep me busy and to keep you informed. Thanks for sticking with us, I hope you enjoy the Geekanoids website throughout 2009.
Labels: General News
The Authors
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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