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The Speaker Keyboard has an integrated dual speaker system for stereo sound, and volume and bass boost controls to control the audio. There are also media controls, such as play and pause, designed for use with iTunes and other audio programs. To round things out, the keys are backlit, providing improved key visibility in low…

Not very well. I started off with a bang, nailing that new versions of iLife and iWork would be the initial announcements at the Expo. From there, I quickly headed downhill. There was no preview of Mac OS X 10.6. Much worse, none of the hardware that I had anticipated showed up. No Mac mini,…

Mr. Munster also said that Apple’s move to a DRM-free iTunes catalog by the end of the current quarter will have a “slight positive impact” on iPod sales. He believes that DRM restrictions on iTunes music downloads had been a “significant barrier” to many music customers. As for the keynote, the firm said it believed…

New features found in iPhoto ’09 include face detection technology, GPS geotagging for sorting images by place and including maps in printed books, direct uploading to Facebook and Flikr, and new slideshow themes, including a shattered theme that breaks up photos and recomposes them. Slideshows can be saved directly to iTunes for syncing with an…

Though Mr. Jobs and Apple’s Board of Directors have insisted that his health was a private matter, investors reacted vigorously to the public news , pushing the stock higher. As of this writing, AAPL was trading at $95.30 per share, a gain of $4.55 (+5.01%) on moderately strong volume. Investors had been spooked in recent…

Version 10 also added several new database templates, new script triggers, the ability to save searches, the ability to import from Bento databases, and more. The company also announced FileMaker Pro Server 10. The new version of the server-level database solution gained server-side direct data import and export support, an updated PHP setup assistant, can…

In a statement, Mr. Jobs said that the cause of his weight loss had been a mystery to his medical team until just recently. “A few weeks ago, I decided that getting to the root cause of this and reversing it needed to become my number one priority,” he said. “Fortunately, after further testing, my…

Small size: The worst case scenario is that I would buy an original EEE PC which can be had almost anyplace these days for less than $300. These wee machines are cute, they are too small for me to do any real work on. Little memory, both RAM and hard drive: Again, the worst case…

Even though Macs are easy to use, for most users, simply plugging in massive hard disk isn’t a solution, rather, it’s just the beginning of what can be a frustrating management experience, especially if there are other drives using different connection protocols. Here are some tips I’ve learned throughout the years that may help. Step…

Apple, Microsoft and Google are all looking at more potential court time now that Cygnus Systems is suing the companies over claims that they are violating a patent it holds. The patent in question describes using icons to preview files before opening them — a feature common to many applications. The suit specifically identifies Mac…

  It remains to be seen as to whether or not Maxis’ Will Wright is brilliant or insane. Or both. That being said, Spore for the Mac lives up to the standard set by Maxis via the SimCity and Sims titles. Unlike the company’s previous titles, the game acts not as a personality or populace…

The X25-M product is shipping now, and the 1.8-inch 160GB version will be available next month. Intel had announced the 80GB versions of the X25-M and the X18-M at its Developers Forum in August and shortly after announced that the X25-E drive would be available for both enterprise servers and workstations. The company’s X25-E Extreme…

Bob Pearson, Dell Vice President of Communications & Conversations, has called Apple to task over its commercial that touts the MacBook’s environmentally friendly features and even went so far as to say the ad “may not even be truthful.” In a blog post on the PC maker’s Web site, Mr. Pearson claimed that Apple has…

Also at Computerworld was a great article by Mac OS X expert Ryan Fass on how to slim down and speed up your Mac right now . (For those who can’t wait for Snow Leopard.) Some of the ideas will take some work, other may unpalatable. Fortunately, in his usual style, Mr Faas describes step-by-step…

Axiotron’s Modbook

Amidst the great wailing and gnashing of teeth came predictions across the Mac web that the Expo was doomed. And maybe it is. It’s certainly the end of an era, but things like the Internet and a couple hundred retail stores will do that to a tech conference. Whereas Macworld was the biggest megaphone around…

Macintosh security is a hotly debated subject for various reasons, including the scarcity of viruses. In fact, the number and severity of viruses is just a very small piece of the big picture. Those who really understand security know that a comprehensive security profile for the Mac is required to deal with threats via the…

“While we are obviously disappointed by Apple’s decision not to participate in Macworld 2010,” IDG said in a statement, “we are on track for a terrific show this year, with strong attendance numbers and nearly 500 exhibitors showcasing their products at the January event.” Looking for life after Apple, IDG added, “Macworld Conference & Expo…

Mr. Gottheil listed these benefits: It will provide web access, e-mail, media playing, and essential applications at a single low price. Computer beginners will be able to start using it quickly and easily. Users will have fewer questions, problems, conflicts and security breaches, as the device will be less intimidating than both PCs and Macs.…

For example, today there was an article at Online Media Daily that reaffirmed that the mobile Internet isn’t going to be dominant in 2009. Or 2010. A study, “Future of the Internet III,” surveyed 600 Internet experts who assessed the change over to Internet access via mobile phones. Mobile phones won’t be the dominant device…

On Tuesday, Mozilla released Thunderbird 3, Beta 1 for testing. It includes the long-waited integration with the Mac OS X Address Book. This Quick Look review briefly introduces the Thunderbird e-mail application and compares it to Apple’s Mail App. People generally have strong feelings about their e-mail program. One can get very attached to a…

Still, just like I believe there’s somebody for everyone, I believe there is a place in this world for Office apps. Big business, for instance, would come to a screeching halt if the Redmond Gang decided to quit making Office and start making ketchup instead. It’s an unfortunate state of affairs that nearly every industry…

Addonics Technologies announced the immediate availability of its Addonics NAS adapter for USB storage devices on Thursday. The adapter attaches USB-based hard drives to their local network so multiple users can access the device. The NAS adapter supports SMB and Samba network protocols, USB 2.0 and 1.1, 10/100 Ethernet networks, remote FTP access, and can…

The card offers performance speeds up to five times faster than Apple’s factory 802.11b card and requires a Mac running Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later to install and run. Other features include a CD-ROM with drivers included, a user guide, support for the 64/128/152 bit WEP, WPA/WPA2 security protocols and a 2 year warranty. NewerTech’s MAXPower…