New MacBook and MacBook Pro

Thanks for the heads up by MacRumors, as reported Apple has released their latest updates to the MacBook and MacBook Pros with the new Intel Penryn Chip. These new models include the Multi-Touch technology featured in the iPhone, Touch and the new MacAir.

MacBook:



$1099. Macbook 13" 2.1GHz / 1GB / 120GB / Combo / White
$1299. Macbook 13" 2.4GHz / 2GB / 160GB / Super / White
$1499. Macbook 13" 2.4GHz / 2GB / 250GB / Super / Black


MacBook Pro


$1999. Macbook Pro 15" 2.4GHz / 2GB / 200GB 5400RPM / 256MB Vram
$2499. Macbook Pro 15" 2.5GHz / 2GB / 250GB 5400RPM / 512MB Vram
$2799. Macbook Pro 17" 2.5GHz / 2GB / 250GB 5400RPM / 512MB Vram

The new models are now available at the Apple Store.

Format War is Over: Blu-ray Triumphs

According to an article from Mac Rumors - Toshiba To Stop HD DVD Player - citing Reuters, HD-DVD has stopped production of their HD-DVD player, symbolizing their throwing in their towel in the battle of formats.

As most of us have suspected - it's Blu-ray!



With announcements by Warner, support by Wal-Mart and Netflix for Blu-Ray means that that format has effectively garnered enough support to make them the dominate format. And with the porn industry going for blu-ray over HD the winner seemed obvious from then.

In addition, "Apple has been a member of the Blu-ray consortium's board of directors since 2005, but has not publicly announced their Blu-ray plans." Silently throwing its support behind Blu-ray and with the war practically over, we can expect to see Blu-ray players in future Mac products.

Apple outdoes Phone operators

"...the best recent advance in the mobile telecommunications user space came not from a mobile telecom company but from Apple Inc. — the iPhone."



EETimes.Com

Once again we see that where-ever the genius of Apple Inc. decides to tread they will do much better than those who have been there for years. Can you imagine the millions in R&D those other guys have spent in that area already? And Apple just entered the arena and have in the first move, out done them. Leads me to question, what the hell have those guys been doing?

Be careful that Apple does not enter the dating scene as well 'cause there will be a sudden surge in demand for singles bars. I'm telling you...

MacBook Air Ad

My Highlights from MacWorld '08

*Airport Extreme with Hard Drive
- 500GB: $299
- 1TB: $499
- ships in February
- works with Time Capsule: the cousin to Time Machine
- can be used to back up all macs in the househol ... wirelessly

*New Apps added to the iPod Touch:


Maps, Mails, Notes, Stock and Weather. These are cool apps that take the Touch steps closer to being an iPhone. I'd definitely consider getting an Touch now and keeping my Blackberry iPearl.

*iTunes Movie Rentals
Steve announced iTunes movie rentals, confirming the many rumours. Touchstone, Miramax, MGM, Lionsgate, Newline, FOx, WB, Disney, Paramount, Universal, Sony all on board. All of the major studies seem to be onboard which is great news.



Movie rentals can be played back anywhere - PCs, Mac, Ipods as well as the iPhone - within 30 seconds for those with broadband connections. That's remarkably fast.

New movie releases cost $3.99 while existing library titles cost $1 less ($2.99). Over 600 TV shows at $1.99. The renter has 30 days to start viewing a movie, once started, it can be viewed for up to 24 hours.

iPhone Updates
Customizable screens
GPS location
Support for lyrics
Multiple SMS
Chapters, subtitles, Languages


iTunes Movie Rentals launces today




*Apple TV Take 2
The latest version of Apple TV - dubbed Apple TV TAke 2 - does not require a computer. Movies are rented straight from the unit and are all DVD quality and HD + Dolby 5.1



Apple TV Take 2 features
- no computer required
- DVD quality and HD + Dolby 5.1
- Podcasts (audio and video)
- photos
- syncs with iTunes
- HD rentals: $4.99
- movies can be previewed
- mild social aspect where you can view the rentals of other persons who have rented that movie.
- Allows purchasing of music
- You can watch YouTube Videos directly on your widescreen
- Price drop from $299 to $229


*4th Thing: There's something in the air
MacBook Air - "The World's Thinnest Notebook"
So thin it fits in a manila envelop.



Some Features:
- only 3lbs
- 0.16"
- 13.3" widescreen
- Multi-Touch trackpad
- backlit LED display
- built-in isight
- macbook like keyboard with ambient light sensor
- standard 80 GB HD
- 2 GB Memory
- 1.8"Hard DRive
- 1.6 GHz standard: 1.8 GHz optional
- Intel Core 2 Duo
- 1 USB 2.0 port
- Micro-DVI
- 45 Watt MagSafe
- 802.11N + Bluetooth 2.1/EDR
- 5 hours of battery life
- Price $1799

...ships in two weeks.

Bill Gates' Last Day at Microsoft

Stock markets almost crash on news that Bill Gates was stepping down from day -to-day operations as chairman of Microsoft.

Check out the vid.

Mac Ad: Time Machine

UN praises Cuba's ability to feed people

In an article by By WILL WEISSERT, Associated Press Writer, dated Wed Nov 7, 12:14 AM ET, the author brings to our attention the facts found by Jean Ziegler, the UN's Independent Investigator on the right-to-food.


photo taken from news.yahoo.com

Cuba is one of 32 countries that include the "right to food" in their constitutions, and fewer still — including Brazil, Latin America's largest economy — meet pledges to provide food to all their citizens, he said.

Read the full article here --> UN praises Cuba's ability to feed people

Mac OSX Leopard Tour Guide

Apple has posted a video tour guide to the soon-to-be-releazed Mas OS X 10.5 aka Leopard on their website.

Check it out - tour guide.

With only 6 days left till official launch, you can pre-order yours today.

Watch the latest videos on YouTube.com

New Mac Book Pro on Friday?

Rumour on The Street is that Apple will be releasing a newer, sleeker version of the 15" MacBook Pro along side the launch of the new OSX - Leopard on Friday, October 26th.

Check out the video clip.

You heard it here second.

New Yahoo Mail

I logged in tonight, like I do every night, to check my mail. When I got to my Yahoo mail, I was surprised. Yahoo has updated their mail program and it looks really good.

From initial preview it seems more organized and looks better than the previous mail that they offered. One of the new features in this upgraded mail program is the ability to chat with windows (msn) users right from within your mail window. This feature can be seen to be similar with Google's chat program except that Google chat only allows you to chat with Google chat users.

Bringing the founder back was indeed a good move by Yahoo. Not only has the mail been improved, but so has their aggression towards paid ads on their site. This means that their earnings will only go up.

In a BBCNews article "Google dominates world search" shows Yahoo in a distant second place at 8.5 billion searches behind Google's 37 billion. Expect these numbers to be closer together at the next posting of these search results.

There is life yet in Yahoo.

Remembering Che, 40 years gone and still lives on...

Video originally posted on Guerrilla News Network. Thanks.

Check This

Watch the latest videos on YouTube.com

Ernesto "Che" Guevara

Valued Exposure: Argentinean born Cuban revolutionary Ernesto Che Guevara during the battle of Santa Clara. 8th October marks the 40th anniversary of execution in the Bolivian village of La Higuera. Photo: Keystone/Getty Images

Image taken from BBCNews.com

Tribute to Che

The memory of Latin American Marxist revolutionary Ernesto Che Guevara is being honoured in Cuba 40 years after his capture and summary execution."



This is how the BBC article opened, reporting on the ceremony celebrating the life of the Argentine-born, honorary Cuban Revolutionary Hero. His face is the most widely and easily recognizable face on print and is able to sell anything from buttons, to mugs to t-shirts.

The ideals and the fantasy of Che has indeed captured and inspired the hearts and minds of many people, both young and old, for many years now and continue to do so even to this very day. An ideal of standing up against oppressors in a fight for the common man.



Some of the countries celebrating Che Guevara are Cuba, Bolivia and Venezuela. The Venezuelan leader, Hugo Chavez referred to Che as an "infinite revolutionary" while in a message from Fidel Castro he was described as an "exceptional soldier."


The revolutionary hero / freedom fighter was killed in Bolivia during an attempt to liberate that country. His death marked the end of a brand of being that is yet to be seen today. His body may have been stopped short, but his ideals and image lives on. I am reminded by the line "a missile is not invented that can kill an ideal" ... neither is a bullet.

Che Guevara

Blu-Ray inside...Really?!?!

9 to 5 Mac reports that blu-ray discs are finally available for Macs. The lines supported include MacBook Pros, iMac Intel, iMac G5, Mac Mini, PowerBook line iMacs among others.



However, this does come with a $1000 pricetag attached...chi-ching. A disc almost the price of the the 15" iMac. I don't know. But we'll see how desperate consumers are to have blu-rays units to cough out that price.




The units are being offered by Fastmac, who are offering options of 50GB discs, and not by Apple themselves. This leaves questions of warranty issues up the air, for now.

New iPhone Ads

Click on the links below to see the three new iPhone ads posted today by Apple.

Doug "Mankind"

Elliot "Meredith

Stephano "One Thing"

Hacking the iPhone

My hacked iPhone doesn't work anymore

Well, you were warned. The latest iPhone update 1.1.1 to iTunes release has indeed rendered the many hacked iPhones unusable, as reported by BBC News



The resultant in-operability of your iPhone thus voids the warranty under which it exists. However...there is a way. As reported by 9to5Mac, a loop exists for you to get Apple themselves to fix your iPhone. All you have to do is lie! Lie? But we were always told that was wrong. According to 9to5Mac there is a flaw in the IMEI destruction software that destroys AT&T's GoSIM's IMEIs as well.

Read the article: You've Bricked your Hacked iPhone and Want to Start Over? for more information.

Mac Office '08 Unveiled by Microsoft

The latest version of Office for the Mac was unveiled today by Microsoft.

The software comes in three versions:
1. Home & Student Edition Price: $149.95 (Full version)
2. Standard Edition Price: $399.95
3. Special Media Edition Price: $499.95

Check out the article at MacRumors.