For all your owners of the new camera enabled Apple iPod Nano, there is a new software update available via iTunes for you.  This update fixes known issues with Genius Mixes, VoiceOver, and some other minor issues.

The big fixes:

• playback settings for audio books (normal, slower, faster) now work for audio podcast playback as well
• Genius Mixes now work in conjunction with Nike + iPod
• fixed an issue with headphone controls when using Voice Over; VoiceOver menu items
  

  are omitted when you navigate using the up and down volume control on your headphones

Thanks to Geek.com for the news!

A few months back I posted that Apple’s tight control over the iPhone platform, combined with their flaky and frustrating App Store approval process would, at some point, begin to hurt the platform. At the time there was some degree of criticism in the comments. A number of observations were made that it was only those of us who are super involved in the tech world will actually care about the situation. Well, a few months later, I’m back to say that while there are now over 100,000 applications in the app store and Apple grabbed over 17% of the worldwide smartphone market last quarter, we are beginning to see the backlash.

First it was the developer behind the Facebook application jumping from the OSX iPhone ship. The application is a huge hit and more and more Facebook users are accessing the site through their iPhones and iPod touches. That success, however, isn’t enough for him to want to continue to fight with Apple at the step of the way. And so he has thrown in the towel with regard to the iPhone and passed on the project to someone else. He’s still developing mobile apps… just not for the iPhone. (And if you have used the Facebook app you KNOW that this is a huge loos- he is good at what he does!!)

Now today we hear that the developers over at Rogue Amoeba, well-known Mac developers, are following in his footsteps.

Continue Reading

OWC (Other World Computing) has announced a $500 price reduction and expanded options on the Axiotron Modbook, what they call “the world’s only Mac-based tablet computer that lets users draw and write directly on the screen.”

Custom configured 13.3″ Modbook tablets now start from $1,599 with a standard Intel Core 2 Duo 2.13GHz processor, 2GB of memory, 160GB internal hard drive, an 8X Dual-Layer SuperDrive, Airport Extreme 802.11b/g/n wireless, Bluetooth, and Mac OS 10.6.x “Snow Leopard” installed. Exclusively for OWC customers, a built in WAAS enabled GPS is also included for no additional cost. Customers may also custom configure their Modbook with up to 6GB of memory, Solid State Drives (SSD) up to 256GB, and hard disk drives for up 1.28TB (1280GB) of total internal storage capacity and have it shipped within 48 hours.

Owners of an existing Apple MacBook 13″ (with FireWire 400) can choose Modservice and have their MacBook converted by OWC into a fully featured Modbook for $649.99 – now 40% less than the previous conversion price.

Both new Modbook and Modservice conversion offerings are backed by a 90 Day Axiotron Hardware limited warranty, which can be optionally extended to up to a Three-Year OWC Warranty starting from $129.00.

You can learn more about there service here.

A number of us have had fun with hackingtosh-ing our netbooks. There is something neat about a netbook running OSX while we continue to wait for something official in the form of a netbook or tablet.

Well it looks like iPhone jailbreakers aren’t the only ones Apple is trying to shut down.

Word is that yesterday’s 10.6.2 update to Snow Leopard officially drops support for Atom Processors- the brain in almost all netbooks. The result is a world of hurt for anyone trying to update a netbook to 10.6.2.

All is not lost, however. Continue Reading

If you ordered one of the new 27″ iMacs with the new Core i5 and i7 quad-core Intel-powered machines you are in luck. Word is that Apple is now shipping the speeds-demons, and they will likely make their way to happy new owners by week’s end.

This kind of speeds doesn’t come cheap. The 27-inch machine running at 2.66 GHz with a Core i5 750 iMac has a retail price of $1,999. For $200 more you can bump that to a 2.8 GHz Intel Core i7 860 processor. Additional details are…

* 27-inch 2560 x 1440 LED-backlit display
* 2.66 GHz Intel Core i5 quad-core processor with 8MB shared L3 cache
* 4GB 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM (up to 16GB taken)
* ATI Radeon HD 4850 discrete graphics; with 512MB GDDR3
* 1TB Serial ATA hard drive running at 7200 rpm
* A slot-load 8x SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD+ / -R DL/DVD+ / -RW/CD-RW)

Did you order one? If so, let us know when it arrives!

via AppleInsider

Apple just sent out an urgent email to Apple TV owners to alert them of a necessary, immediate upgrade to Apple TV software version 3.0.1.

Continue Reading

Apple Retail Stores are packed on a quiet day. So imagine trying to go shopping in the two weeks leading up to Christmas…

You walk in the store. You are thinking, “Lucy REALLY wants an iPod!”

The store is packed with wall to wall shoppers. You think, “Boy, I must really love Lucy to put up with this crowd!”

You can’t get near a demo unit let alone a salesperson. You think, “I LOVE Lucy… but not THIS much!”

You walk out.

Apple wants to make sure this type of scenario doesn’t play out at THEIR stores. One way their are addressing it… their new “Reserve and Pick Up” service. As their site explains…

We recently posted on Apple’s upcoming plan to replace the Windows CE-Based EasyPay handhelds hey use in Apple retail stores with a new system that is iPod Touch-based. AppleInsider has an exclusive sneak peak of the new units. As they explain…

Perhaps more significantly, the change to an iPod touch and Apple software will bring the entire point-of-sale (POS) system under Apple’s control. In addition, the system will have the added benefit of advertising the usefulness of the iPod touch to customers who see it being used right in front of them.

More images and a few thoughts follow…

Continue Reading

photo credit: Joseph Robertson

If last week’s news is any indication, we’re all about to see an army of Droids to be released and hit the mobile scene — in a very big way. Even if you didn’t already pre-order through Best Buy, Big Red hopes you’ll be stopping by their stores this Friday to see what all the fuss is about.   Some good hardware from Motorola and a faster, much improved Android 2.0 should please quite a few Verizon customers by providing what could be argued as the carrier’s first eagerly anticipated smartphone.   But will it pose any real threat to the iPhone?

Continue Reading

Rumor has it that the upcoming 10.6.2 build of Mac OS X has removed support for the Intel Atom CPU, which is the processor under the hood of many netbooks on the market today, including my beloved Dell Mini 9. This isn’t an issue for most Mac users, but if you’re like me and you’ve Hackintoshed your way to super-portable bliss, you might be a little worried.  See, Apple…this is why I wish you had your own official netbook!

Continue Reading

We wanted to let you know about a new tool we’ve added to the Gear Diary web site.

Mac users can now download a Gear Diary Dashboard Widget.  If you don’t know it already, Dashboard Widgets are mini-applications that are opened by clicking the Dashboard icon in your dock or by completing a keyboard short cut.

These applications open all at once and generally help you complete every day tasks or provide you with very target specific information.

Continue Reading

Since the first time I used one of the multi-touch trackpads on the current MacBooks I have wanted to have similar multi-touch abilities when using my iMac. I love using the trackpad on the MacBook. It works beautifully. The buttonless left and right click work great. And the multi-touch capabilities… well I didn’t really understand why I would want such a thing… until three minutes after I first tried it. Now I would never use a notebook without one. (Except the netbook I am using to write this, but that is another story.)

When Apple announced the new Magic Mouse, I was excited; finally Apple was bringing the amazing technology to their desktops. So when Larry IM’d me earlier today that the new Magic Mouse was finally in stock in Apple retails stores, I wanted one… fast.

I called my wife Elana and asked if she was near an Apple Store. “Nope but I can be if you like.” (Now THAT’S a good gadget-freak’s mate!) A short time later she IMed the following to me…

Mouse in hand. $69. Expensive, no?? Nice Style and packaging- shocking for Apple

So do I love the new Magic Mouse? Does Apple hit a home run with their new mouse? Yes… and NO!

Continue Reading

It always struck me as a bit odd that Apple retail stores used specialized Windows CE devices to speed checkout. I mean… using a WINDOWS device to sell Apple products? Why, that would be like a TV news program displaying the Windows 7 logo on a MacBook Pro… (Oh, they did? My bad…)

Anyhow, word is that Apple is planning to replace each of the aging devices (they first came on line in 2005) with a shiny new iPod touch.

Continue Reading

Twelve South, the makers of the “Back Pack”, which we told you about here, recently announced that both their Back Pack and Book Arc work fine with Apple’s newly released 21.5″ and 27″ iMac and Mac Book.

The Back Pack is a shelf which attaches to the back of the iMac and is the perfect place to rest your external hard drive.  I have one myself and love it.  It’s available for $29.99 here.

The Book Arc is a stand which holds most Mac Books freeing your desktop from clutter.  It’s available for $49.99 here.