Posted by: Chris Barylick
Date: Thursday, March 8th, 2007, 16:35
Category: News

On Thursday, Matrox Graphics introduced the TripleHead2Go Digital Edition, a converter device that allows up to three displays to your Mac or PC’s dual-link DVI connector.
The TripleHead2Go, which works in conjunction with your Mac’s video RAM and display output, allows for a resolution up to 3840 x 1024 pixels according to Macworld News. The USB-powered box splits a single DVI signal into three DVI outputs, each capable of driving a display.
The TripleHead2Go Digital Edition retails for US$329 and requires Mac OS X 10.4 or later to run.
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Posted by: Chris Barylick
Date: Thursday, March 8th, 2007, 06:07
Category: News

On Thursday, Adobe announced that it will release two versions of its long-awaited Photoshop CS3 graphics program – Photoshop CS3 and Photoshp CS3 Extended.
According to an article on Macworld News, Photoshop CS3 Extended will include the same tool set as Photoshop CS3 but also include a new set of capabilities for 3D graphics, motion graphics, image measurement and analysis. These formats have become more critical to Adobe’s market and the needs of its user base over the past few years.
Photoshop Extended will allow users to perform tasks such as 3D model visualization and texture editing as well as painting and cloning over multiple video frames. The program will be able to export in various formats including QuickTime, MPEG-4 and Adobe Flash Video. The tools, which aren’t designed around making Photoshop a full-fledged 3D tool, are more geared towards supporting the needs of the company’s user base.
Click the jump for the full story…
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Posted by: Chris Barylick
Date: Wednesday, March 7th, 2007, 16:25
Category: iPod

Fitting into the realm of “Hey, that’s kind of nifty”, Elecom has released its ASP-P100 Portable iPod Speaker Charger, a dual-function device which operates as both a speaker system and charger.
The device can draw power from either an AC adapter or USB connection as well as operate via 4 AA batteries and features integrated volume controls.
Elecom is asking US$59.00 for the unit, which is available in both black and white. The ASP-P100 is compatible with fifth generation iPods as well as the first and second generation of iPod Nanos.
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Posted by: Chris Barylick
Date: Wednesday, March 7th, 2007, 11:39
Category: News

When Adobe releases its long-awaited Creative Suite on March 27th, Apple stands to gain as well.
A recent report by financial analyst Gene Munster of Piper Jaffray released Tuesday stated that Apple could make as much as US$900 million in revenue and sell as many as 450,000 additional units as a result of Adobe’s CS3 launch, Adobe calling the event “the largest software release in Adobe’s 25-year history.”
Though relatively unknown and still kept under wraps, CS3 will be the first version of the Creative Studio package to run natively on Intel-based Macs, a change which could offer a dramatic performance boost.
Click the jump for the full story…
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Posted by: Chris Barylick
Date: Wednesday, March 7th, 2007, 11:46
Category: News

Gear Live caught up with Michael Foley, executive director of the Bluetooth Special Interest Group, who demoed the new features of the upcoming Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR specification.
A full video demonstration including the spec’s new features and improvements can be found here.
The new specification boasts easier pairing between devices via a new feature called “near-field communications”, increased security and a 5x reduction in battery drain on devices.
Foley mentioned that the specification is “being finalized now” and that the first devices to use this should be available for the 2007 holiday season. The video also runs a side by side comparison in terms of finding a Bluetooth picture frame and sending a camera phone photo to the device, the Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR spec beating out the older protocol by 16 seconds in the test.
Take a look at the video and see what you make of it. And if you have any ideas or comments, let us know.
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Posted by: Chris Barylick
Date: Wednesday, March 7th, 2007, 08:52
Category: News

The Department of Transportation, which already bars bulk shipments of certain types of lithium batteries on passenger planes, is expected to introduce additional restrictions this year according to an article in Monday’s USA Today.
While the Department of Transportation has no plans to ban the batteries from carry-on luggage, Bob Richard of the DOT’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration mentioned that the risks of the batteries within airplane cabins are being studied. As a result, changes may emerge as to what can and can’t be placed in checked luggage.
In 2005, at least nine fires involving lithium batteries occurred in airplanes or cargo destined for airplanes. Though none of the fires led to serious injuries, fire safety officials, airline pilots and consumer groups are pushing for new rules and guidelines on the batteries.
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Posted by: Chris Barylick
Date: Tuesday, March 6th, 2007, 15:12
Category: Rumor

Apple may have disclosed more than it meant to with yesterday’s release of iTunes 7.1. The update, which included support for the company’s much-anticipated Apple TV, due to ship around the middle of this month.
The updated version of iTunes will offer as a communications point between the computer and the Apple TV unit and synch content such as movies, videos, podcasts and photos to the Apple TV as well as use the the Apple TV as an external hard drive, as mentioned on AppleInsider.
A hidden string file in the updated iTunes may have tipped Apple’s hand. User prompt messages within the program such as “Are you sure you want to sync games? All existing games on the Apple TV,” and “Some of the games in your iTunes library were not copied to the Apple TV [...] because they cannot be played on this Apple TV.” show a potential future for the Apple TV to be used as a gaming device.
Click the jump for the full story…
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Posted by: Chris Barylick
Date: Tuesday, March 6th, 2007, 10:25
Category: News

On Monday, Adobe confirmed that it would launch its long-anticipated Creative Suite 3 program on Tuesday, March 27th in New York City.
The program is expected to be the first version of the Creative Suite package to function as a universal binary, operating at native speeds on both PowerPC and Intel-based Macs according to an article on Macworld UK.
To date, the company has yet to specify the features, applications, fixes and improvements to be found within Creative Suite 3 and has released a vague but imaginative YouTube-based video to help boost a sense of anticipation.
Additional details such as new user and upgrade pricing have yet to be released.
If anyone has any thoughts, ideas or comments, let us know.
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Posted by: Chris Barylick
Date: Tuesday, March 6th, 2007, 08:00
Category: Software

On Monday, Carbon Copy Cloner, the shareware favorite for drive cloning operations by Mike Bombich, has released a version 3.0 beta. The new version, a 1.9 megabyte download, adds the following changes:
-Support for block-level disk-to-disk clones.
-Support for backing up across the network.
-The ability to drill down into folders to select exactly what gets copied and what doesn’t (you can drill down indefinitely).
-A more responsive interface and the ability to stop the clone.
-More accurate feedback during the clone.
Click the jump for the full story…
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Posted by: Chris Barylick
Date: Tuesday, March 6th, 2007, 08:00
Category: News

On Monday, Apple released version 7.1 of its iTunes music program, a 28 megabyte download which adds the new Cover Flow feature and additional sorting options as well as support for Apple’s upcoming Apple TV.
The company also released QuickTime 7.1.5, a 41.4 megabyte download designed around providing bug fixes and resolving security issues.
Both programs require Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later to run and can also be downloaded through Mac OS X’s Software Update feature.
If you have thoughts on the new revisions of these programs either way, let us know.
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