Macenstein

Is the Intel iMac’s CPU upgradeable?

Posted by Helper Monkey Macenstein reader F_Windows sent us a blurb on xlr8yourmac which claims the CPUs on the new Intel iMacs may in fact be upgradeable. An unconfirmed story in a Japanese magazine claims that one industrious fella not only successfully replaced the 1.8 GHz CPU his iMac shipped with with a 2GHz chip, but that the iMac’s CPU is not soldered on to the motherboard! Now, we eye unconfirmed articles in Japanese Magazines with somewhat the same degree of suspicion... Read More

OS X 10.4.4 for Intel on Torrent hacker site

Posted by Helper Monkey A report on hackinthebox.com claims that someone has uploaded their Intel iMac’s restore disk to the hacking community on Piratebay. This is not an cracked version, however, so it is not as though anyone who downloads this will be able to run OS X on their generic PCs. However, it DOES put a working copy of OS X for Intel into the hands of a much wider circulation, so it could be only a matter of time before we start seeing some successful cracks. The... Read More

Review: Snapz Pro X 2.0.2

Posted by Lab Rat One of the more rewarding aspects of reviewing software is the rare occurrence when you come across an application that you know will change the way you use your computer. I had of course heard of Ambrosia Software’s Snapz Pro X 2.0.2 screen capturing software, but I had never really thought of it as a “must-haveâ€? application. After all, OS X comes with its own screen capturing utility “Grabâ€?, as well as the keyboard shortcuts of... Read More

How much do you love you iPod? The Negligee Costume for iPod

Posted by Igor It would not be an understatement to say that millions of people across the globe are having a love affair with the iPod. It would also not be an understatement to say that millions of people across the globe are insane. To that end, we present you with the Negligee Costume for iPod. There is no denying that the iPod is the sexiest music player out there. With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, now is the perfect time to surprise your iPod with a romantic... Read More

Norton AntiVirus now MacIntel compatible… but should we care?

Posted by Helper Monkey Symantec, makers of the (formerly) popular Norton Systemworks suite have released an update to their Norton AntiVirus for Macintosh 10 software, making it compatible with the newly released Intel Macs. From the release: “If you have a new Intel-based Macintosh computer, install Norton AntiVirus for Macintosh 10.0 and run LiveUpdate to update to the latest version.â€? This news comes just as a new eWeek article attempts to stir up the hornet’s... Read More

Microsoft to mount challenge to iPod with new MBox music player?

Posted by Lab Rat BusinessWeek is reporting that Microsoft is considering plans for an iPod-esque music player of its own. This represents a huge change in Microsoft’s thinking as they now have to admit that their relying on a dozen or so manufacturers to provide media players to compete with the iPod is just not working. Combined sales of all other media players accounts for only 33% of the total Market. While BusinessWeek claims Microsoft is merely in the theoretical... Read More

Viacom joins the iTunes family

Posted by Dr. Macenstein Viacom has jumped on board the iTunes bandwagon, and has made select programming from some of its channels available for download from the iTunes store. Last month Viacom-owned MTV announced its own download service called URGE in conjunction with Microsoft (although not officially active yet), so this comes as a little bit of a surprise. Notable programs include: From Comedy Central - South Park (First 2 seasons), Drawn Together (First 2 seasons), Best... Read More

Intel produces 45nm chip

Posted by Helper Monkey Only 1 month after it began shipping its latest 65nm processors, Intel has announced it has successfully manufactured a chip at 45nm. This makes Intel the first chip company to successfully showcase a working 45nm chip. The chips are said to provide a 5x decrease in transistor leakage over 65nm chips, and a 20% improvement in switching speed. While these chips will not be shipping until mid-2007, the speed at which Intel cranks out faster chips is something... Read More

Intel Core Duo Chips full of flaws?

Posted by Lab Rat Geek.com has an article which claims numerous flaws are being identified in Intel’s newly released Core Duo and Core Solo family of chips at the alarming rate of 1.5 per day since their January 3rd unveiling. Currently 34 known issues have surfaced, and while some are more serious than others, only one is slated to be fixed by Intel at this time. While the speed at which these problems are being spotted may not bode well for Apple (and PC makers in general),... Read More

Review: DISH Network’s PocketDISH AV700E

Posted by Dr. Macenstein There can be no argument that in the portable media player arena the iPod is the undisputed heavyweight champ. Both Mac and Windows users have time and again chosen the iPod over rivals that have often offered more features and lower prices. With the latest generation of iPod, Apple has expanded on the audio-only roots that made the iPod such a huge hit, and added the ability to play back videos on the iPod, thus eliminating one of the last justifiable... Read More