MC207LL/A - K84 BEST BTR- USA
MC238LL/A - MAC MINI 2.26/2x1GB/160/SD/AP/BT-USA
MC239LL/A- MAC MINI 2.53/2x2GB/320GB/SD/AP/BT-USA
MC340LL/A - AIRPORT EXTREME (SIM DUALBAND) - USA
MC343LL/A - TIME CAPSULE 1TB (SIM DUALBAND) -USA
MC344LL/A - TIME CAPSULE 2TB (SIM DUALBAND) - USA
MC408LL/A - MAC MINI 2.53/2x2GB/1TB/NO ODD/AP-BT-USA
MC413LL/A - IMAC 21.5"/3.06/2x2GB/1TB/4670-256MB-USA
MC434LL/A - APPLE VESA MOUNT ADAPTER
MC461LL/A - MACBOOK 60W MAGSAFE POWER ADAPTER - USA

K84 Best BTR? Sounds like a new Bluetooth Keyboard. SIM dualband? Are the AirPort and Time Capsules tying in with cellphones? Apple VESA mount adapter? Since when Apple does that kind of accessory?

The new products will not be earth-shattering material—Apple won't announce anything wowiezowie without an event—but I'm curious about the whole SIM dualband thing.

Update: MacRumors claims that the ""MC207LL/A" product is a MacBook running at 2.26 GHz with a 250 GB hard drive and 2 GB of 1066 MHz DDR3 RAM." They say this is unconfirmed, though. [AppleInsider and MacRumors]

That's the average life span of the 125—and counting—dead Apple Time Capsules at The Apple Time Capsule Memorial Register. And all the users who registered those dead pieces of plastic and metal are saying that's not enough. I agree that the figure seems too low. But then again, like Matt Buchanan just said when he heard about it: "They're all using shitty Hitachi hard drives that aren't actually server grade, so color me less than surprised."

I say they all have a point. [Time Capsule Memorial via TUAW]

LG's N2R1, available this fall in 1TB ($299) and 2TB ($399) configurations, is an interesting alternative to Apple's infamous Time Capsule. Starting at the same price for the same amount of storage, the N2R1 doesn't claim to be Time Machine compliant, but it does offer Windows, Linux and Mac compatibility, an easy drive swapping option and what looks to be a DLNA-compliant, network-sharable DVD player/RW.
Our only point of contention is that the N2R1 supports only 802.11g, eschewing faster 802.11n—that's valuable bandwidth lost for media streaming and quicker backups. Other than that quibble, the N2R1 looks like a reasonably priced, easily integrated, expandable NAS that could make a fine addition to a wireless home network.

LG ELECTRONICS HELPS PROTECT CONSUMERS' DIGITAL MEMORIES WITH NETWORK ATTACHED STORAGE

Provides Easy-to-use, Secure Storage of Personal Multimedia Entertainment Files

ATLANTA, Sept. 10, 2009 – LG Electronics introduced a new Network Attached Storage option for consumers looking to protect their multimedia entertainment files, this week at Custom Electronic Design & Installation Association (CEDIA) EXPO 2009 (Booth #2623).

To help safeguard treasured family memories, photos and music, LG's Network Attached Storage (NAS) model N2R1 uses a proven system of multiple hard drives used for sharing and replicating data to prevent possible damage or loss. Called RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Discs), this system automatically backs up and restores files for added security in the event of a hardware failure.

With up to two Tera-bytes (TB) of storage, the N2R1 provides a wealth of storage capabilities, allowing consumers to continue building their digital libraries of music, movies and other multimedia files. For an enhanced level of convenience, the N2R1 includes a DVD Re-Writer and Playback feature for additional back up or file sharing options.

"Consumers continue to create digital memories, from photos to family videos and it's important that these irreplaceable moments are saved in a secure place," said Peter Reiner, senior vice president, marketing, LG Electronics USA, Inc. "With LG's Network Attached Storage, consumers now have a virtual ‘Library on Command' that allows them unlimited access to their favorite memories, whether at home or on the road."

Connectivity and Compatibility

For consumers who cannot be tied down by wires, the N2R1 has integrated WiFi connectivity for easy connection to any 802.11g wireless home network. The MyMedia feature allows consumers access to videos, photos and music through a DLNA-certified media player, placing digital entertainment libraries within easy reach of the big-screen. For music aficionados, the N2R1 also has iTunes™ connectivity for a networked music option.

The Network Attached Storage is compatible with a variety of operating systems such as Windows, Linux and Mac operating systems, allowing for installation in any home entertainment environment. It also provides remote support with easy access to files from anywhere an Internet connection is available, allowing consumers to show off their favorite pictures or movies even when they are away from home.

The N2R1 will be available online and at national retailers early this Fall for the manufacturers suggested retail price of $299 for 1TB of storage and $399 for 2TB of storage.

Brent Freidman lays out exactly how to get Time Machine backups to work with any Windows Home Server machine in a point-by-point method that's pretty easy, despite some Terminal tinkering to make it work—follow that here.

If you wanna use just a generic NAS, you can do that too. Personally, I followed this guide by Adam Cohen-Rose—though there are others—to get it going on a 4TB WD ShareSpace several months ago, though WD now has a much cheaper consumer version. It's a hack that also takes a little bit of work, but ditching the USB cable is totally worth it.

If you're in the market for a NAS (if you don't have one, you are, even if you don't know it yet) check out our guide to finding the perfect networked storage.

Definitely a good weekend project, so let us know how it goes or if you have any tips in our fancy new comments if make the the attempt. [CompuGeek via MS Windows Home Server]

(Steve Jobs' disdain for the whirring of cooling fans is pretty good at creating devices that felines enjoy parking themselves on.)

" Snow Leopard is due out soon, so Apple needs to clear out Leopard inventory via a $30 discount
" 2TB hard drives just hit the market relatively recently, so NASes and other storage devices using 2TB are the next logical step
" ClubMac and MacMall both showed rendered box shots of a 2TB Time Capsule drive

So with the above points, it seems likely to conclude that Apple's either phasing out the 500GB Time Capsule units in order to make room for the 2TB ones, or just want to reward the people who have been MobileMe customers for a while.

Before I start explaining little things like speed, it's important to understand that the main reason why Time Capsule is cool is that it's the most easy to use device lazy Mactards like myself can back up their machine to. To do so, you just run a OS X Leopard program called Time Machine, which finds your Time Capsuleor any locally connected hard driveand uses it as a backup HDD. Every day, more or less, by wireless or wired network, Time Machine (the software) and Time Capsule (the Wi-Fi router with a HDD in it) will continue to log changes you've made to your data. The physical drive inside comes in 1TB or 500GB capacities, and is a server drive rated for continous 24/7 use for quite awhile. [UPDATE: Jason just reminded me that last year, some people found the drives in the old Time Capsule to be rated for as a network server drive, but also, for consumer machines. So it's not as robust as some drives you'd find in, say, a data center.] Last fall, the Time Capsule saved my butt when my laptop's drive died overnight. Miraculously, after dropping in a new HDD, the OS X install discs asked me if I wanted to restore from a previous Time Capsule/Machine backup, and ended up losing only 2 hours of data. Two hours!

There's more on the Time Machine and Capsule relationship in our intial walkthrough review.

So, if you want Mac backup in one simple unit, there is no better solution than a Time Capsule. And this one is slightly improved over the last. But unlike a year ago when the first generation drive came out, there are other options that are slightly cheaper. More on these later, after the TC performance tests.

First, let's look at the improvements Apple has made in this hardware and to the previous generation's via firmware.

" Dual Band: Two radios instead of one so you can run in 802.11n on both the 5GHz frequency (very fast, although not as interference or wall/door resistant as 2.4GHz) and on 2.4GHz, while older devices with 802.11b or g simply run on the 2.4 band. The last generation of Time Capsule had both band options, but you had to choose one, and that meant almost always choosing 2.4GHz for max compatibility. Having dual channelswhich show up as separate Wi-Fi access points but are on the same networkgives you another lane to drive in while the one is saturated with media streaming, a backup or giant file transfers. Somehow, the new antennas are 6DB stronger than the previous antennas, according to the AP Grapher program.

This resulted in an outdoor walking test of about 100 feet of usable range vs 70 for the old unit, about 30% in a sparse area with few other Wi-Fi signals around. (I tested using the 5GHz N mode on both Time Capsules, and 2.4GHz mode on the second band on the new Time Capsule. In the above chart, you can see the DB ratings, with closer to zero being stronger. In the chart, the SSID "APL-N" is the old Time Cap, and "Network" is the old WRT54AG Linksys router.)

The computers connected to the Time Capsule's N network at between 300 and 270mbits per second. I sent some a filea 150MB 1080p quicktime trailer to JJ Abram's new Star Trek movieover the network to a computer on the same type of wi-fi connection and found the new Time Capsule to be slightly faster than the old one and even faster than a top-line Linksys router.

*Shorter times are better.

*One caveat on the newer Linksys WRT610N resultsJason Chen helped me test the new Linksys which he has at his house: The wi-fi congestion in his area is undoubtedly greater in his urban living space, compared to the cabin in the woods where I tested. I'd expect the score to be closer if not on par with the Time Capsule in the woods.

" Remote Disk: If you've got Apple's useful $100 per year Mobile Me service, you can access the data on your Time Capsule's drive from anywhere you've got an internet connection, without knowing your IP address.

Mobile Me's service keeps track of the Time Capsule's address and passes it onto your machines that are registered with the service. It shows up as a drive on your Finder's side bar. Handy! But testing showed that the drive did not always show up on remote machines, and there's no clear way to force the remote drive to mount.

" Guest Mode: Guest mode is extremely simple, creating a different network SSID and security key (optional) on the 2.4GHz band, while keeping the other two access points for your personal use. It separates the network from all your private network's disks, computers, and shared resources by using a different subnet. Guest mode does not include things we'd like to see, like a way to throttle guest bandwidth. It's not an important or useful feature, unless you're making a habit of letting people you don't trust use your internet. Unlike the Mobile Me remote disk function, guest mode is not a feature available to the old Time Machine by software update.

As before, the Time Capsule also has a USB port which can be used to plug in a second disk or printer, which can be shared on the network. I did not test the USB port with a printer, but our previous tests showed this function to be buggy at times. Using Time Capsule with a secondary storage device is not a bad idea, because Time Machine backups cannot be size limited; they'll use whatever disk space you have available to store the incremental changes in case you want to restore a file's version from a specific date in history. Time Machine backup software can also bog down the network when doing a backup, saturating the airwaves. Other machines in the house can now use the second SSID in such a case, but we also recommend Time Machine Editor, a third-party program that allows you to schedule backups whenever you want them. I use it to schedule backups at 1am when I'm usually not working. (These are annoying shortcomings of Time Machine software, and so not something we can blame the Time Capsule hardware entirely for. Not entirely.)

As before, Time Capsule has one ethernet port for your internet connection, and three gigabit ethernet jacks. That's one too few, in my book.

The unit runs very quietly, and sometimes you can hear the disks spinning up or seeking data, but its quiet enough for the notoriously anti-cooling-fan Steve Jobs. The unit's top runs, according to my heat sensor gun, between 100 and 120 degrees. It's warm, so I wouldn't rest anything on it, which would exasperate the heat build up.

Time Capsule is $500 for a 1TB and $300 for 500GB of storage. That's not a ton of storage for high-end machines these days, and multiple machines will almost certainly require the 1TB setup if you want to keep a moderately detailed history of your computers' data changes. As you'd expect from Apple, that's more than the cost of a 1TB external drive and a nice Wi-Fi router. Unlike when Time Capsule's first-generation box was released, you have options now.

If you have an AirPort Extreme, you can plug in a USB disk to the port on it for Time Capsule backups. If you want a NAS that can do Time Machine backups but also act as an iTunes music server, this HP media box will do the trick (although won't act as a Wi-Fi router). Since the new Time Capsule gets a bit more speed and distance out of it radios, and gets the useless guest mode, a refurbished Time Capsule could be a smart budget buy if those things aren't on your "must have" list. If you're a PC user, there's no Windows equivalent of Time Machine back up software included, nor is there a way to use Time Capsule as a remote disk from across the internet, so this product is not for you.

Regardless of my caveats, I just prefer the Time Capsule to these options as it fits a lot of back up functionality and network performance in one box.

Top wireless performance

Server grade hard drive...maybe

Quiet

Easiest backup hardware ever for lazy mac users

Mobile Me remote disk function

Costs a bit more than separate Wi-Fi routers with a USB drive plugged in

Guest mode can't throttle down bandwidth

Remote disk doesn't always mount

PC Support is non existent for back up and remote disk

UPDATE: After a month of use, the Time Capsule unit I received has died. I've also had the radios seize up and stop working entirely, twice. It's less stable than the first generation unit. I also would like to see a quality of service feature for prioritizing bandwidth to apps, as well as a way to decide which machines/ports get higher priority traffic on the network. These things are standard on Linksys routers.

Mac Mini
The new Mac Mini, available now, is heavily redesigned inside and in the rear, though its body is pretty much identical to the old ones. It comes in two configs ($600 and $800), both based on the 2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo with Nvidia GeForce 9400M integrated graphics. Adam wants you to note that the $200 step up might not be worth it. [MORE]

iMac
The 24-Inch iMac comes down from $1800 to $1500, pushing the 20-Inch iMac down $300 itself to $1200. Despite having the same look they've had since August 2007 (not a problem for me but some people want new freshness), they also have better specs: The super-sick $2,200 iMac has a 3.06 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor and a 7200rpm 1TB drive (though you still have to pay extra to max out RAM at 8GB). [MORE]

Mac Pro
The new Mac Pro now starts at $2500, down from $2800, but has Intel's Xeon "Nehalem" quad-core chipset and 1066MHz DDR3 RAM for superfast memory access. It comes standard with the fast Nvidia GeForce GT 120, but you can choose an ATI Radeon HD 4870 for even more graphical juice. It's coming March 9. [MORE]

Jesus points out that Apple's keyboard just got smallerall except the price that is. The larger one will still sell, for now, too.

Time Capsule
The new Time Capsule also looks the same on the outside, but inside it's doubled up its Wi-Fi router power with dual-channel 2.4GHz and 5GHz 802.11n for managing more network traffic. The cooler innovation is "guest networking," which lets you create a virtual Wi-Fi hotspot for guests that is walled off from the rest of your network. [MORE]

For the end user, this means a few things. As expected, the dual-band feature broadcasts on both 2.4GHz (802.11b/g/n) and 5GHz (802.11a/n) frequencies, allowing client devices to connect to whichever standard suits them without forcing the whole access point one way or the other. In other words, different devices could be connected to both g and n network simultaneously.

Guest Networking is a clever feature that essentially sets up a walled, parallel hotspot that provides only internet access, keeping the rest of your network private from connected usersperfect if you share your wi-fi with neighbors, or just run a particularly promiscuous access point.

Otherwise, the AirPort Extreme and Time Capsule are almost exactly the sameTime Capsule storage options remain at 500GB and 1TB, for which the prices stay at $300 and $500, respectively. The AirPort Extreme still hovers at a lofty $180, a blow only slightly mitigated by the new features. Both are shipping right now, to the rich. [Apple]

Rumors of new, extra-wireless Time Capsule and Airport units popped onto our radar earlier this morning, following a serious markdown of the existing Time Capsule model. This came just after a picture of the purported new Mac Mini's packaginga product update that is not only long-overdue, but that has been the subject of a veritable slew of leaks in the last few weeks. All this comes on the heals of a weakly-sourced (but tantalizingly plausible) rumor of a March product update.

Moving on the the heftier products, MacRumors posted a "last minute" spec leak a few hours ago, which details incremental upgrades and price adjustments for the Mac Mini, iMac and Mac Pro. None of purported upgrades are going to blow your socks off, but a Nehalem-based Mac Pro and $100-cheaper, better-equipped Mac Mini would be more than welcome. At posting time the store is still down, but we'll let you know if any of this materializes. Thanks, Chang (and the other 235 of you, too)!

Currently, existing models can only run in b/g support mode at 2.4GHz or n wide signal mode (5GHz) at one time, providing either a large range of compatibility or high network performance. But FCC filings seem to suggest that the new Apple products will have a "combined mode" for running both. This probably means they'll do what makers like Linksys have been doing for a long time, that is use two antennas. [Apple Insider]

That discount is huge. The Apple refurb store is also selling them for the cheap, but the ones at Amazon are completely new. Does this mean we will have new Time Capsules soon, with more storage space and Mac OS X Server-derived Software Update caching, like 9to5mac speculates?

Who knows. For those of you who find this as exciting as me, here's a video about how to make perfect pancakes.

[Amazon ia 9to5macPancakes from the Daily Telegraph]

It's really a neat idea. You bury the $20ish capsule, then an artificial rock hides a tube that reaches the surface. Whenever a child wishes to add more objects (baseball cards, LEGO minifigs, dead pets) they simply drop them down a hole.

Unfortunately, Joel from Boing Boing Gadgets observes that the container doesn't appear to be waterproof. In other words, the aliens who dig up your kid's capsule a thousand years from now will assume we lived in a time of floods, or at least that humans were very bad at keeping their dead hamsters dry. [bbGadgets]

Here's the full list of features 9to5Mac has heard will make it to Apple's SpaceTime Thing:

" The device will tie in MobileMe with an Apple built-in Dynamic DNS system. For instance, if your MobileMe account was "9to5mac", your domain name would be "9to5mac.me.com". This is how you'd reach your filesystem throughout the Internet. Your media would also reside here.
" Built in AFP filesharing for Time Machine backups and centralized file stores.
" iTunes shared Library Database for not just music, but also video. Access over the Internet to all of your media.
" Photo database and tie in with with MobileMe.
" Sharing media with iPod Touch and iPhones both over the Internet and while at home. AppleTV as well.
" The box will be based on the Time Machine platform (ARM), not a more expensive Intel/Leopard Server configuration.
" Lots of power saving features like turning off hard drives when not in use.
" Multiple hard drive configurations would be made available with RAID 5 redundancy.

Essentially, easy centralized media sharing and accessincluding videonot just over your home network, but over the internet, for all of your computers and iThings, plus a multi-drive backup server. Interestingly, it'll be running on the Time Machine platform, not as a Leopard server. Questions left to answer: How will it interface with Windows boxes? Will you need a MobileMe account? (Seems so. It would make the service a much better value proposition, and perhaps a must-buy.)

The larger picture makes sense to us, even if some of the details don't turn out quite right: Apple (main)streamlined backups and media streaming over the home network, this seems like a logical step from its Time Capsule, especially since they've got a bunch of the infrastructure in place. Constant access to your stuff from anywhere, like Apple's version of Windows Home Server. What would you want to see in an Apple SpaceTime Capsule media server thinger? [9to5Mac via MacRumors]

Noah is going to work for Fast Company, Lisa went to Tokyo for NPR work and left me to watch the new puppy, go to puppy school and get him neutered and pick up poo and pee at all hours of the day/night. In the middle of the night, he was trying to take his cone thing off to lick his stitches and realized I had to go get a bigger one from the vet at 2am. (I call him captain radar when he wears it.) Doesn't sound that bad a few days later, but then the Mac fried its HDD with no warning or clicking. Probably the logic board. One HDD swap and Time Machine/Capsule restore later and I've got zero data loss. (I set mine to back up at 1am every night, using Time Machine Editor.) I consider that my lucky break of the week. Lisa's RAM fried too, when she got back, the symptom being repeat kernel panics. Maybe it was the full moon.

Here are my favorite posts from this week so far:

• 10 Gadgets That Have No Business Using a Jet Engine
• What it Feels Like to Drive a Tesla Roadster
• At Gizmodo Gallery: Ancient Apple Phone Prototypes From Frog Design
• Google's iPhone Voice Search Mobile App Now Available
• 30 Mars Phoenix Discoveries NASA Will Never Show the World

"We started working together at the end of June to track down any Apollo-era heat shields that they had in storage," said Elizabeth (Betsy) Pugel of the Detector Systems Branch at NASA Goddard. "We located one and opened it. It was like a nerd Christmas for us!"

Specifically, the team is hoping to gather information on how to build next gen shields by examining the design of the carrier structure that connected the shield to an Apollo capsule that flew in Low Earth Orbit. They are also interested in the shields thermal response.

Honestly, every time I watch a documentary, read an article or visit a museum dealing with early spaceflight I am reminded of how brilliant the engineers behind these accomplishments really were. This is yet another example. [NASA and Science Daily]