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Microsoft
In an email of talking points circulated by Microsoft spokespeople, the company addresses the various rumors about today's new MacBooks, preemptively claiming that they will be overpriced, underspec'd and locked down. They offer charts comparing the feature lists of similarly priced Windows and Mac notebooks and make numerous accusations of an "Apple Tax." The email is interesting: nothing they say is incorrect, but none of it is new. Most importantly, all of it misses the point completely.
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Microsoft Responds to New MacBooks, Just Says "Apple Tax" Eight Times
In an email of talking points circulated by Microsoft spokespeople, the company addresses the various rumors about today's new MacBooks, preemptively claiming that they will be overpriced, underspec'd and locked down. They offer charts comparing the feature lists of similarly priced Windows and Mac notebooks and make numerous accusations of an "Apple Tax." The email is interesting: nothing they say is incorrect, but none of it is new. Most importantly, all of it misses the point completely.
More »
Pantech matrix
Pantech Matrix Dual Sliding Phone Has More Buttons Than Sense
Formed from the same genetic ooze as Pantech's Slide Duo smartphone and rebranded Helio Ocean handset, the Matrix is a mildly frustrating device: spec'd with the best, but dressed in the worst. An HSDPA-enabled handset with GPS, a full QWERTY keyboard in addition to a dialpad, and two cameras should have the software to leverage the hardware, but AT&T and Pantech have chosen to stick with an in-house OS rather than opt for Windows Mobile as they did with the Duo QWERTY smartphone. Still, it doesn't look like a bad feature phone for people who message more than they talk, and it's available today at AT&T stores. [Crave]
Geeks In Space
Richard Garriott Arrives at ISS, Reportedly Ready to Fix the Toilet
The Soyuz TMA-13, carrying computer game rich guy, son of an astronaut, and current space tourist Richard Garriott has successfully docked with the International Space Station as of 8:26 GMT (3:26 EST). The three-man crew just finished floating around in orbit for a few days, and are now commencing their scheduled missions. For the two astronauts, that means spending six months building new life support equipment for future crews; for Garriott, that means ten days of floating around, giggling and getting sick on piles of freeze-dried Neapolitan ice cream. More »
Wi-Fi
Quantenna Chips Boosts Wi-Fi Coverage In Every Corner Of Your Castle
My parents live in a pretty big house—well, at least it seems big if you've spent the last five years living in various closets in New York. One of the most annoying things about occasionally blogging from there is that sometimes, depending on where you are in the big house, the wireless connection will crap out inexplicably. Luckily for them, a California startup called Quantenna Communications is trying to solve that problem with chipsets that boost Wi-Fi signals and evens out wireless coverage. More »
Apple
New MacBook Pro 2008 Mock-Up Lights My Credit Card On Fire
Here's a crystal clear image of the new MacBook Pro 2008. At least, if you trust yesterday's alleged spy shot. I created it using that image as a guide for those of you too impatient to wait until tomorrow's Apple event, like myself. Just like it happened with the iPod nano mockups, let's hope this one is also right on the money. Why? Because 1) I love the design and 2) I'm in the market to buy a replacement for my aging PowerBook 17. I can't wait to get this 15-inch beauty.
Dealzmodo
Newegg Offering 4GB MacBook RAM Upgrade For $45
Sure, the new MacBook's about to be revealed and that's super exciting, but some of us around here are actually starting to feel the effects of the recession and could sure use a good deal right now. For you belt-tighteners, here's a cheap and quick upgrade from Newegg. The online retailer's offering a Corsair 4GB DDR2 kit (two sticks of 2GB RAM) for Apple notebooks for $45 after a $40 mail-in rebate. Get it quick though, the deal ends tomorrow, October 15th. [Newegg]
Coming to America
Years after selling notebooks in Asia and Europe, Samsung has finally braved the jump to the U.S. market. The company will be releasing five different notebook lines to North America, including its pretty little 10-inch netbook for $499 and the super skinny X360 starting at $1,599. Other lines include their Q-series all-purpose notebooks, their R-series desktop replacements and the business focused, rugged P-series. Ha! We knew you couldn't stay away, Samsung. [Laptop Mag]
Samsung Releasing Laptops Into the U.S. of A.
Years after selling notebooks in Asia and Europe, Samsung has finally braved the jump to the U.S. market. The company will be releasing five different notebook lines to North America, including its pretty little 10-inch netbook for $499 and the super skinny X360 starting at $1,599. Other lines include their Q-series all-purpose notebooks, their R-series desktop replacements and the business focused, rugged P-series. Ha! We knew you couldn't stay away, Samsung. [Laptop Mag]
Rumor
Apple's $899 Product Might Be LED Display Rather Than Ultra-Cheap MacBook
Earlier this evening, something with the proposed price of $899 appeared on Apple's product lists, causing certain parts of the internet to cry out that perhaps a low-end MacBook was in the works. Now, according to Macrumors and AppleInsider, it looks like the item will most likely be a 24-inch LED Apple Cinema Display, rather than a cheap lappie. I guess all will be revealed come 10am PST. [Macrumors]
Sirius XM
Sirius Coming Out With New Satellite Radio Boombox
For those of you aspiring to be the next Satellite Radio Raheem, here's a few newly leaked photos of the upcoming Sirius SUB-X2 Boombox. Much like the current SUB-X1, the new music player will sport a front-panel headphone jack, auxiliary input for other MP3 players, and a universal docking system. I wonder if that docking system will support XM radios as well, now that they're married and all. Prices and more detailed specs have yet to be announced, though it shouldn't cost you too much more than its last iteration. More »
Flip
Flip Mino Now Available With Fully Customized Paintjob
Flip Mino, one of the best cheap camcorders money can buy, can now be personalized to your heart's delight. The new Flip site allows you to choose from hundreds of pre-made designs, upload your own image, or make a one-of-a-kind pattern using their awesomely trippy pattern generator to be printed on the camera's shell. Better still, you can share your designs with the Flip community, and any camera sold with your image will score you $10. If you're the giving kind, you can donate the proceeds to charity as well. But times are tough, and after dropping $180 on the Mino, your beer money fund looks like a worthy cause. [Flip]
Apple
New MacBook 2008 Event Bingo: Play and Win Free Pizza
The new MacBook 2008 line-up. Oh yes. At last, after all this endless waiting, we are just a few hours away from the Apple MacBook 2008 event in which His Steveness will show the new wonderbooks to the world. We have already told you what to expect, but until tomorrow nobody really knows for sure. That's why we have created this bingo game, so you can play with us as you follow our MacBook 2008 liveblog event. You only have to print this and get it. More »
11:25 PM on Mon Oct 13 2008
By Jesus Diaz
7,021 views,
25 comments
Apple
As is always the case, this undercover iPhone pic of what appears to be the new MacBook Pro is too blurry to rule for sure one way or the other. But as far as spyshots go, this one's looking pretty solid. And just like with the presumed-fake-and-then-verified-true iPod nano leaked pics from last time (coincidentally also sent in by our friend JR here), it matches what's been popping up in even more dubious pics over the last few weeks—a more rounded, piano-black bezel, MacBook Air-like keyboard and a large (although not glass) trackpad. We'll know for sure tomorrow at 10AM PST—stay tuned until then. [Thanks, JR!]
Spyshot Shows What Looks to Be The New MacBook Pro
As is always the case, this undercover iPhone pic of what appears to be the new MacBook Pro is too blurry to rule for sure one way or the other. But as far as spyshots go, this one's looking pretty solid. And just like with the presumed-fake-and-then-verified-true iPod nano leaked pics from last time (coincidentally also sent in by our friend JR here), it matches what's been popping up in even more dubious pics over the last few weeks—a more rounded, piano-black bezel, MacBook Air-like keyboard and a large (although not glass) trackpad. We'll know for sure tomorrow at 10AM PST—stay tuned until then. [Thanks, JR!]
10:53 PM on Mon Oct 13 2008
By John Mahoney
15,249 views,
129 comments
free wireless
FCC Says Free Wireless Plans Won't Screw Up T-Mobile's 3G
Trying to add a silver lining to your undoubtedly dismal economic future, the FCC has struck down T-Mobile's complaints that the agency's scheme to offer free wireless to lower-income peoples will interfere with established 3G networks. In an engineering report, the agency claimed that there would be no “significant risk of harmful interference.” More »
Digital libraries
America's Biggest Universities Build 78-Terabyte Library, Still Missing Front Door
Today, 23 of the biggest public and private universities in California, Michigan, Virginia, Illinois and other states* announced a 2-million book online library made of 78 terabytes of information, 16 percent of which are free of copyright and ready for public consumption. Even though the press release says "public domain materials will be available for reading online," however, the search interface itself has yet to be constructed. More »
Dealzmodo
Microsoft NXE Deal Upgrades Your Xbox 360 Memory For Less
Afraid your Xbox doesn't have enough memory for the New Xbox Experience? So is Microsoft, and they're willing to sell you the storage space you need for a much reduced price. You can now log on to the company's Xbox site to see if you're eligible for one of their special memory upgrade offers. Under their deal, a 20GB hard drive will run you $20—not bad, considering Microsoft usually sells it for closer to $80. [- Thanks Adam!]
Transformers
French performance art troupe "Not So Noisy" have spent the last month "assembling" giant, life-sized Autobots from normal cars, and shooting the action from overhead. Of course, they're not really building anything. They're really arranging cars (or people) in an empty parking lot so that it looks like Optimus Prime knocked back a few too many quarts of oil and passed out. But it's awesome.
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Life-Sized Autobot Assembles in French Parking Lot, Doesn't Really Roll Out
French performance art troupe "Not So Noisy" have spent the last month "assembling" giant, life-sized Autobots from normal cars, and shooting the action from overhead. Of course, they're not really building anything. They're really arranging cars (or people) in an empty parking lot so that it looks like Optimus Prime knocked back a few too many quarts of oil and passed out. But it's awesome.
More »
Joost
