The RDM critique Top Secret: Greenpeace Report Misleading and Incompetent examined the accuracy and usefulness of the “Greenpeace Guide to Greener Electronics,” as well as its accompanying press release spin that bent over backward to attack Apple on its environmental record.
Here’s the expensive apology and the somewhat ineffectual rebuttal RMD received from Greenpeace International which concedes that original exposé was right on the money!
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Contributed by: Daniel Eran, RDM

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Dear Microsoft:
I can’t help but noticing that this latest iPod killer situation is unfolding along the same lines as Origami. Rally the troops and apply these ten simple strategies to salvage the half-assed efforts you’ve already expended!
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Contributed by: Daniel Eran, RDM

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RoughlyDrafted takes a look at some iTunes 7 quirks and the hack potential of the new iPod games, including a detail of what’s inside a game, and why iTunes is where all the of Apple’s DRM action is and how it works. Plus a review of some of the games Apple has released. Read More…
Contributed by: Daniel Eran, RDM

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Why Apple’s “iTV” Airport AV will be a killer app to drive adoption of fast 802.11n wireless, why n is needed, how it will benefit all users (not just Apple’s), and what users will have to pay (it’s less than you think). Plus more notes on the iTV device: iTunes 7 remote control features, DVR & DVD ripping.
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Contributed by: Daniel Eran, RDM

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If you’ve been living in a (broadband-less) cave for the past couple of days you may not have heard that Apple has released a slew of iPod updates (along with a new version of iTunes).
All three designs are attractive, but by far the most gorgeous is the completely redesigned iPod Shuffle. Clad in brushed aluminium, this triumph of miniaturisation weighs in at just over half an ounce. Its dimensions are about as small as you can get while retaining a play button and a headphone socket! It has plenty of room (and battery) to play over 10 hours of music, and the £55 price tag includes a tiny docking station.
It is a superb example of what Apple does so well. I’m still trying to think of a good reason for getting one!
(Contributed by: Brett Jordan)

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A closer look at Apple’s announced iTV set top box, why it isn’t ready yet, how it differs from existing products already on the market, and how it fits in with the company’s online media strategy.
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Contributed by: Daniel Eran, RDM

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Apple has taken ownership of the music download market by using some of the same principles used by Microsoft to build support for Windows. RoughlyDrafted Magazine presents an interesting look how Apple took the lead, why there is so little effective competition, and why things aren’t likely to change. Why Apple is Winning in Media Downloads. Also presented: A Visual Comparison of CD, DVD, HD and iTMS downloads.
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Contributed by: Daniel Eran, RDM

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The following is some feedback I just types into Apple’s Mac OS X Feedback web form:
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I wanted to take this opportunity to comment of the “Print & Fax” controls built into Mac OS X 10.3 (and later) System Preferences.
It is still necessary to correspond with some people in business via FAX. Some people still prefer to send some documents to our home-office in this way. (Broadband has not yet penetrated universally, anyway, so asking people to scan and email their documents is not always practical, even for those who are technologically literate enough to do so.)
Regarding the “Print & Fax” capability in Mac OS 10.3 and later…
When I want to receive a fax, I have to take a late-model Mac with 10.3 or later installed, have it configured to receive the fax, plug it into a phone line, and wait. Mac OS X doesn’t put any icons in the menu bar to let you know the status of the built-in modem. (Why not?) Mac OS X doesn’t give you a status report on modem activity, such as who the fax is coming from/caller ID, what page number, what bit rate, etc. (Why not?) Added to this, Apple sells external modems for newer Intel Macs as an extra-cost option.
This being the case, why doesn’t Apple simply make a deal with the manufacturers of all of these multi-function machines (print/scan/copy/fax machines from Brother, HP, Lexmark, etc.) so that computers on a network (Airport via USB, or maybe via Printer Sharing) could send faxes though a multi-function machine hooked to a base station via USB, and maybe even receive faxes to a designated machine on the network? If a modern Mac can scan and print via USB, why can’t it fax as well?
Contributed by: Walt Atwood

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Fresh from the ‘Who the heck would buy one of those?’ department, Yahoo.com reports: [edited]
The Miuro turns an iPod music player into a dancing boombox-on-wheels. The 14-inch-wide machine from ZMP blares music as it rolls and twists from room to room.
The $930 (yes, you DID read that right, ed.) Miuro — short for “music innovation based on utility robot technology” (ouch! ed.) — responds to a handheld remote control and WiFi trasmissions from a PC to play music from iTunes and other programs.
At a demonstration in Tokyo, the 11-pound Miuro did a preprogrammed dance, rolling about and pivoting to music.
“This is a robot version of music-on-the-move that’s so popular,” said Miuro designer Shinichi Hara, who also creates album jackets for Japanese pop stars. “I designed it to have a gentle look because it becomes a part of everyday life by integrating robotics and music,” Hara said.
The robot went on sale Thursday in Japan by Internet order, and overseas availability is expected in the second half of 2007. ZMP is hoping to sell 10,000 Miuros in the first year, targeting sales of more than $8.5 million.
ZMP President Hisashi Taniguchi said robotic technology adds another convenience to mobile music. “The robot helps you listen to music wherever you are without even thinking about it,” he said. “Sometimes I don’t even have the energy to put on a CD.”
Separately sold options add a camera and sensors to the robot so it will map out its own position and remember routes.
Contributed by: Brett Jordan

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Since isolating the heatsink as the cause of the MacBook’s Rapid Sudden Shutdown (RSS), readers have isolated the specific part of the heatsink that is causing the problem, is actually the CPU thermometer itself.
Essentially the heatsink can expand during use, and comes into contact with the lead from the termometer’s sensor cable. A short circuit results, and the SMC pulls the plug. Once the system cools down, the heatsink resides and the contact is broken. This also explains why sometimes you cannot immediately power the MacBook back on. The heatsink is still in contact with the metal lead.
Apple’s solution to this is to realign the location of the thermometer and cabling on the heatsink so that it does not short circuit. That is why the new heatsink is necessary. In the view of this writer, it warrants a public recall. Any user can produce easily the scenario that causes the MacBook to crash, even with pre-installed applications such as iLife.
This also explains Apple’s recent SMC Update for the MacBook. In short, the ramped up fan is a response to Apple knowing the heatsink is going to expand, and attempts to proactively cool it down to prevent the short circuit.
Unfortunately, as countless users have shown, it is still possible with something as simple as a terminal command, to overheat the CPU. The only solution is to reproduce the crash, call Apple, and have them replace the heatsink.
That is what every MacBook owner should do until Apple implements a recall program.
Contributed by: Christopher Price – www.pcsintel.com

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