IBM Donates Speech Technology to Open Source Community

At SpeechTEK 2004, IBM announced that it has contributed speech technology to the Apache Software Foundation. By releasing its source code, IBM hopes to bring a quick end to battles over competing, proprietary standards and solidify the industry behind VoiceXML

O'Reilly Releases 'PDF Hacks' Book

O'Reilly has released PDF Hacks. The book, by Sid Steward shows readers how to use a variety of PDF tools--not just Adobe Acrobat--to create, rearrange, customize, and present information as PDF." Several sample hacks are available at the O'Reilly site.

New OS X 10.4 Tiger Features?

AppleInsider (link, link) has published screen shots of various components of OS X Tiger builds showing previously undocumented features. Among them are support for Jabber accounts in iChat, broadened parental controls for family members with Family Controls, RSS reader preferences for within Safari, Address Book sharing, PDF bookmarking, and incremental Energy Saver settings, Dynamic DNS sharing preferences, an iTunes album art screensaver, and an option to encrypt memory when being swapped to disk. Among several other noticeable additions, the new Tiger builds reveal a brand new Mac OS X Graphing Calculator application, iCal calendar groups, and an enhanced dialog that provides bug report and safe relaunch options following an unexpected application crash, according to AppleInsider.

While not technically a rumor since these are coming from developer builds, the screen shots show a glimpse of the direction Tiger is taking, and show the relative refinement of the operating system at this stage of development.

Inside iMac G5_4

Inside iMac G5_4
Originally uploaded by thedr.

Here it is!
Look great!

Inside iMac G5_3

Inside iMac G5_3
Originally uploaded by thedr.

One screw to go, almost finish...

Inside iMac G5_2

Inside iMac G5_2
Originally uploaded by thedr.

Ok, now let's flip the stand to access the screws...

Inside iMac G5_1

Inside iMac G5_1
Originally uploaded by thedr.

Just for the hell of it we feature a serie of photos
showing the "Bowel of Apple new iMac G5.

This is the first of 5, showing a brand new iMac as it is removed from it's box....

On-demand audio on the way for Apple's iPod

"In what may prove to be the next big thing for the iPod, weblogger Adam Curry has released the source code to an application which allows users to automatically download MP3 audio files from weblogs and other web sites to their iPod," Ian Betteridge reports for ExtremeiPod. "The project, called iPodder, utilizes the ability of RSS feeds to syndicate content, including files, combined with a small application which takes this content and puts it on your iPod. Both Mac.

Mail Factory gets iPhoto integration, more

BeLight Software released Mail Factory 1.3, a program to design and print envelopes, address and shipping labels on your Macintosh. Now the application takes addresses from Excel, vCards and text files. Avid users of databases like FileMaker and all contact managers can export their data to a tab-delimited file, readable by Mail Factory. The version also features iPhoto integration, more label paper layouts and improved work with the Address Book, Entourage, Eudora and Now Contact.

Hitachi to release 100GB hard drives for notebooks

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Inc. (HGST) announced the availability of 2.5-inch hard drives with capacities up to 100GB for notebook computers by the end of 2004, the company said on Tuesday. The Travelstar 5K100 and E5K100 hard drives spin at 5400 rpm (revolutions per minute) and are available in 40GB, 60GB, 80GB and 100GB capacities. They are 9.5 millimeters in height, and consume relatively little power, the company said in an announcement.

Newer High-Capacity iPod Battery

Newer Technology and Other World Computing have teamed up to release the Ultra High Capacity replacement battery for first- and second-generation iPods. According to Other World Computing's website, the Lithium-Polymer battery offers an extra 70-percent capacity over the iPods' original battery.

Aspyr: Splinter Cell goes gold

It's been more than a year since Aspyr Media Inc. first announced plans to port a Mac conversion of Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell. On Wednesday the company finally announced that Splinter Cell for Mac has gone gold master, the last step before a game goes into production. Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell, licensed from Ubi Soft Entertainment, is a stealth-based 3D action game that features secret US government operative Sam Fisher, as he seeks to unravel a plot that left unchallenged could lead to nuclear war and a shift in world power. Aspyr Media expects Splinter Cell to hit store shelves starting October 2, 2004. System requirements call for Mac OS X v10.2.8 or later, G4/867MHz or faster, 256MB RAM, 1.7GB hard disk space, 32MB VRAM and DVD drive.

Download songs from your iPod to iTunes

iPodDownload, which allows you to bypass Apple's restrictions and download tracks from your iPod to iTunes, is now available. The free plug-in displays the contents of your iPod in iTunes, enabling you to simply drag and drop the songs you want to transfer to your computer. It works with all versions of Mac OS X.

Symantec to offer Web-based Norton AntiVirus console

Symantec Corp. on Thursday announced plans to release a Web-based console to help system managers and network administrators to centrally administer Mac clients using Norton AntiVirus for Macintosh 9.0. The Web console -- to be made available specifically to corporate and enterprise licensees of Norton AntiVirus software -- will allow administrators to distribute virus definitions and product updates on demand, install the Norton AntiVirus software itself, lock-down settings, push configuration changes, and maintain client data in a MySQL database. Symantec plans to release the Web console in November; customers who have Symantec's Norton AntiVirus Corporate Edition 8.x, Enterprise Edition 8.x and C.

STM’s iPod cocoon- fully evolved for 4th generation iPods

As the iPod has evolved, so has STM’s protection for it.

The cocoon now fits the latest fourth generation 20G and 40G iPods, with clear access to the click wheel and other ports.

STM’s cocoon now comes with 4 skins
- New 4th generation 20gb
- New 4th generation 40gb
- 3rd generation 10/15/20gb
- 3rd generation 30/40gb

Cocoon consists of 2 pieces

- a clear plastic skin that has been custom fit to the iPod (4 sizes available for all 3g and 4g iPods). The skin has holes so you can access the buttons and ports, and velcro on the back so that it sticks securely to the cocoon

- a hard outer shell, completely enclosing your iPod. There is even a pocket for your ear buds, lanyard for wearing it around your neck and a belt clip for those who need it.

Stick your iPod in an STM skin, stick the skin into the cocoon and off you go!

The New iPod Cocoon 4G is available from all on-line resellers listed
www.radtech.us
www.laptoptravel.com
www.rushfaster.com

Paul McCartney to join Apple board speculation

The latest legal battle between Apple Computer and The Beatles' Apple Corps could result in a record breaking settlement, according to US entertainment newspaper Variety.

The last settlement between the two companies resulted in $26.5mn payout by the computer manufacturer. However one lawyer told Variety: 'People are expecting this to be the biggest settlement anywhere in legal history, outside of a class action suit. The numbers could be mind boggling.'

Some speculation has suggested that Apple Corps may take a large stake in Apple Computer and that former Beatle Paul McCartney may join the board.

The case, despite Apple Computer's protestations, will be heard in London. It concerns a dispute over the use of the Apple name and has been brought as a result of Apple Computer's expansion into the music market with iTunes and iPod. Apple Corps claims this violates a territorial agreement, a claim that Apple Computer rejects.

Xserves aid US military

A supercomputer cluster made up of 1,566 Xserve G5s could aid the US military in designing intercept missiles and understanding scramjets.

The cluster, dubbed MACH5 (Multiple Advanced Computers for Hypersonics), consists of 1,566 64-bit, dual-processor Xserve G5s. It was created for the Hypersonic Missile Technology (HMT) team at COLSA and the US Army so they could conduct leading-edge analysis of hypersonic flight for a number of important military programs.

Microsoft has admitted that it 'copied' Apple's iTunes Music Store

The company, which has just released a beta version of its music store, told The New York Times: "Apple set the bar very high. We told our developers: 'Look at how Apple does it'."
The NY Times compares the two stores, stating that: "The Microsoft music store couldn't look more like Apple's iTunes music store if you ran it through a copying machine."
The report goes on to draw the following parallels: "It is priced the same (99 cents a song, $10 an album) and comes with the same rights – the user can copy to 5 computers, burn up to seven copies of the same playlist onto CD's, and download to unlimited pocket players.

"You get the same 30-second previews for free, you use the same Genre pop-up menu for browsing, and you use the same sort of jukebox software to manage your music collection (Windows Media Player 10, which serves the function of Apple's iTunes program). And you get the same one-way auto-synching feature to a pocket music player."
In the light of the similarities, the report asks: "If all other variables are equal (price, selection, features), which music system do people like better: Apple's or Microsoft's?"

Extras?

While Apple can claim many features that Microsoft can’t, there are a few extras Microsoft can boast that Apple can't. These are albums by Radiohead, AC/DC, Metallica and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. However, notes the report, "there's a catch: you can't buy individual songs from these albums. You have to buy the entire CD's worth"
It is this factor that the NY Times thinks is the real reason why Apple doesn't offer music from these bands. It explains: "It's pretty obvious why Apple and its rivals chose not to list these recalcitrant artists at all. First, the ability to cherry-pick only the desirable songs is a hugely important feature of an online music store. Losing that right is a big setback for the consumer, and possibly the top of a slippery slope to less freedom and more money-grubbing by the record companies."

Adobe debuts Photoshop Elements 3.0

Adobe today announced Adobe Photoshop Elements 3.0, a major upgrade to its entry-level image editing product.

The updated product includes a series of powerful image editing tools taken from Adobe Photoshop CS, and it's described as "the perfect companion to iPhoto".
Adobe senior vice president of digital imaging and digital video, Bryan Lamkin, introduced some of the new features: "A new set of powerful editing tools, such as the Healing Brush, makes this a milestone release for Photoshop Elements on the Mac.
"For consumers who love iPhoto but want to advance to sophisticated image editing, Photoshop Elements 3.0 is the best choice, providing them with incredible creative control over their photos."

Simple controls for power-editing
Updated editing tools in this release, such as Healing Brush, can swiftly clear away imperfections in an image. The release also offers new effects and filters, colour and lighting correction, improved red-eye reduction. This release also supports Camera Raw, so users can edit the best, most high-quality imaging data. 16-bit images are also supported.

Apple welcomed the release, its vice president of worldwide developer relations, Ron Okamoto, said: "Photoshop Elements 3.0 is a great companion for our ground-breaking iPhoto software and delivers advanced editing capabilities that bring Photoshop's legendary quality into the hands of photo enthusiasts."


Improved search and share features
Photoshop Element 3.0's new file browser can look for images according to a range of criteria, including creation date and time, camera type and photographer. The product also integrates the capacity to create a slide show using Adobe PDF, with music and transitions. Print features have also been improved, and a wide range of image borders added to the application.

Apple revises Mac OS X security update

Apple has posted Security Update 2004-09-07 v1.1, which fixes certain issues introduced with the original version of the software released last week. The updated version, which includes the same security enhancements as Security Update 2004-09-07, corrects the path to the configuration directory in lukemftpd, and fixes Safari (10.3.5 only) to provide compatibility with Web sites that use an old version-checking mechanism. Security Update 2004-09-07 v1.1 is available for Mac OS X 10.2.8, Mac OS X 10.3.4, Mac OS X 10.3.5, Mac OS X Server 10.2.8, Mac OS X Server 10.3.4, and Mac OS X Server 10.3.5.