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OS X

apple

Psystar Update: Automatic Updates Activated Plus New Quieter Case

Psystar, the company that's shipping hacked versions of OS X Leopard in off-the-shelf hardware, has just updated their product to address some of the main complaints in their recent reviews. The biggest change is that they're rigging up a custom version of Automatic Update (the thing that didn't work at all in their old version) to push "safe" updates from their site, not directly from Apple. That's because installing updates from Apple would possibly break their hacked version of Leopard, forcing all their customers to send back units for repair. More »

apple

Apple Reveals WWDC Plans; Keynote Set for Monday, June 9

Today Apple revealed its plans for WWDC, confirming that the Jobsnote this year will take place 10AM PST on Monday, June 9, rather than the usual Tuesday. (No word as to whether the turtleneck will still be black, or if the 3G iPhone will actually be present.) The WWDC will of course have two separate tracks, one for iPhone and one for OS X. More info at Apple's WWDC website, or in the press release after the jump. UPDATE: Some things we tend to forget repeatedly around here—WWDC keynotes are always on Monday, Macworld Jobsnotes are the ones that are always on Tuesday. My bad! More »

gadgets

The Massive, Expensive Problem of Obsolete Tech

In 2005, a control room for the A and C subway lines in NYC caught fire. "No larger than a kitchen," the room held 600 relays, switches and circuits that keep track of trains and keep everything running. Officials originally thought it would take three to five years to get the lines back to normal capacity. (Thankfully it didn't.) The epic repair time was because the fixed-block signaling system dates back to 1904 and only two companies in the world were able to repair it, one in Pittsburgh and the other in Paris. This is technology's trailing edge, according to Peter Sandborn in IEEE Spectrum: the huge, crippling problem of obsolescence. More »

question of the day

If OSX Was Available on Non-Proprietary Hardware, Would You Ditch Windows, Macs?

This is a question that has been on my mind for years now, and with the whole Pystar fiasco making headlines recently, the subject has been on the brain once again. I have always wondered how much market share OSX would gain over Windows if Apple opened it up to non-proprietary hardware. It seems unlikely at this point, but if it did happen would you ditch Windows? And if you already own a Mac, would you choose to install OSX on different hardware? More »

mods

Mini iMac Mod Wants to Be a Real Mac When it Grows Up

A German modder under the alias Phyro-Mane took an old laptop and hacked it together to resemble a scaled down iMac, in fact calling it the iMacmini. But ironically, it runs Windows XP skinned to look like OS X. The mod features a 14-inch screen, AMD Athlon XP 1700+ processor, 20 GB HDD and 512 MB RAM. The AMD processor ruled out any possibility of an OS X install. Still, the aesthetic appeal of the iMacmini cannot be denied. [Case-Modder via Hack A Day]


apple

Apple WWDC08 Sessions Open

If you got nothing better to do June 9 through 13, Steve Jobs is hosting his "landmark" three-pronged developer conference in San Francisco, with choices for Mac, IT and iPhone concentrations. Have a look at the list of session topics, including iPhone Multi-Touch Gestures, Ruby on Rails Apps for Safari, even CoreBanana and Xcode for Chimps (wait, maybe not those last two). If you do plan on attending, start saving now for those expensive-ass tickets. [WWDC Sessions]

hacker superbowl

Who Will Get Hacked First: Vista, OSX or Linux? Place Your Bets Here

Organizers behind the CanSecWest security conference in Vancouver are putting together a "hacker superbowl" of sorts, pitting attendees' skills against Vista, Mac OS X and Linux. Dubbed PWN 2 OWN (ewwww), the objective is to develop a brand-new "zero day" attack to take control of one of the three operating systems loaded onto laptops. There's a grand prize of $20,000, and the hacked laptop will go to the first contestant to pull it off. So, the question is—which OS do you think will go down first? UPDATE: A winner has been announced! Vote and then hit the jump to see if you were correct.

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More »

question of the day

Question of the Day: Do Hourly Time Machine Backups Piss You Off?

Lately I've been getting really annoyed at Time Machine. It's running over the network to a Time Capsule, so it's basically got free rein to backup whenever it damn well pleases, or specifically once per hour, at a time of its own choosing. The result is a sudden system and network slowdown when I'm in the middle of doing stuff. Yesterday, Time Machine caused me to perform a forced reboot—in the middle of a conference call. More »

osx

How to Get Back to Your Mac For Free

Being able to access your Mac remotely from anywhere in the world would certainly be useful—but I'll be dammed if I am going to fork over $100 to the .Mac service for the privilege. Fortunately, cheapskates like myself don't have to spend a dime on Back to Your Mac thanks to a simple how-to guide from our friends at Lifehacker. More »

diy

Mac Pro...Mini?

The steampunk mac mini mod was great, but even it can't compare to the awesome powers of this Mac Mini Pro design by Hideo Takano. On the surface, he managed to hack a mini to look like a Mac Pro that measures only 3.28" wide by 7.8" tall by 6.5" deep. However, the upgrades don't stop there.


More »

apple

Time Capsule Initial Verdict: Smooth Sailing, No Surprises

We've been fiddling with Time Capsule since it arrived this AM, and so far it works as billed, clean and easy. The star of the show is really the new AirPort Utility software, which now comes with some neat tricks for the network-phobic. Most of all, we're learning the ins and outs of adding external drives, using networked printers, and setting up that potentially nasty initial data dump. More »

vista redux

Windows Vista SP1 and Windows Server 2008 Released To Manufacturing

After nearly a year of waiting, that master Vista fix known as Service Pack 1 has been released to manufacturing, meaning it will make it to you sometime this month, perhaps on that February 15 date that had been bandied about. More »

iphone madness

10 Examples of the iPhone Making People Crazy


The iPhone is a popular gadget, there is no doubt about it. As with all popular gadgets, people tend to get a little overenthusiastic. This enthusiasm can take multiple forms—like waiting in line for days to get the product, dressing up like the gadget for Halloween, selling cheap knockoffs or completely ridiculous accessories, or even building their own from scratch. The 10 images featured after the jump illustrate this phenomenon as it relates to the iPhone, and the video above shows just how much the new fangled iPhone technology can piss off a strung out old hippie.
More »

software

Install OS X on a PC With No Hacking Required

Adam of Lifehacker showed you how to install OS X on a home-built PC, but now he's got a walkthrough that lets you do the same thing but with much, much less hacking involved. Convenience for the lazy or the uninspired (like us). [Lifehacker]

uh oh

Microsoft Says Vista More Secure Than XP, OSX and Linux

Uh oh. You've done it this time, Jeff Jones. As the security strategy director in Microsoft's Trustworthy Computing group, you've just made the bold claim that Vista, from a first year on the market comparison, has been more secure than Windows XP, Red Hat rhel4ws, Ubuntu 6.06 LTS, and Apple Mac OS X 10.4. More »

Skype 2.7 Beta is now available for Mac OS 10.5 Leopard users, delivering 25fps at VGA resolution. No R2D2 hologram effect on that, either, but at least you can once again videochat with non-Mac users. [Skype via BGR]

software

Google Gadgets Getting OS X Dashboard Compatibility Tomorrow

Google Gadgets, the widget-like plug-ins for your Google start page, is getting a huge port onto the Apple Dashboard platform starting tomorrow. G-Gadgets are nice, and actually have been port-able onto the Dashboard using another widget for a while now, but official support is always welcome. Google slobberers will definitely be happy, but Apple slobberers will probably just throw up a collective "meh." [MacWorld]

leopard stacks

Make Your Leopard Stacks Purdy With Some Fancy Icon Overlays

If you are a Leopard owner that felt stack icons were a tad un-sexy or unclear, help is on the way in the form of overlays that place your stacks into clean looking "bins." A simple terminal command will allow you implement the 18 custom icons in the original downloadable pack. However, if you want to make your own custom stack icons, it can be achieved fairly easily using a image editing program like Preview. Hit the links for a full tutorial on making your own icons and a link to the original download pack with instructions. [Download via TUAW and Tutorial]