Macenstein

Reuters “confirms� iPhone rumors

Posted by Helper Monkey Reuters has picked up on a story by Nikkei which claims the Japanese telecom giant Softbank Corp. is working with Apple to develop an iTunes phone set to be released in Japan later this year. The device, dubbed by many as the “iPhoneâ€? is rumored to combine to same music and video playback functions as today’s iPods with standard cel phone features, plus the possibility of Wi-Fi connectivity. Users will allegedly be able to download songs... Read More

Review: E2c Sound Isolating Earphones by Shure

Posted by Brain in a Jar Audiophiles have oft lamented about the quality of the standard ear buds Apple ships alongside its über-popular iPods. This has always been somewhat baffling to me, as I would think a true audiophile wouldn’t settle for MP3 level quality to begin with (although, maybe these people are ripping direct to WAVs, who knows?). Personally, I had no problem with the stock iPod earbuds. While they certainly never blew me away, I never thought they sucked.... Read More

Apple’s sexist marketing campaign

Posted by iGor Well, Mother’s Day is just 3 days away, but you wouldn’t know it from Apple’s website. Nope, instead of ads touting how mom would love a new iPod or Mac mini, Apple has instead chosen to tell people that DAD is the one who should be in their hearts (and wallets). Despite Mother’s Day being this Sunday and Father’s day being over a full month away, the Apple store has a large banner up suggesting that we start shopping for Dad. Sure... Read More

Samsung “borrows” Apple’s OS X icons for use use on mobile handset

Posted by Helper Monkey “There were a few mistakes while we were developing the new product,” said Chung Kook-hyun, chief of Samsung’s corporate design center. Those “mistakesâ€? include lifting icons from both Apple’s and Microsoft’s operating systems, and incorporating them into their new mobile phones. Icons for Apple’s Text Edit and Stickies applications were among those Samsung admitted pilfering. Hmmm… that pencil and... Read More

UPDATE: Benchmarks on the over-clocked 3.8GHz Core Duo

Posted by Dr. Macenstein Many people have asked about seeing some real world benchmarks on the over-clocked 2.16 GHz Intel Core Duo chip we reported on earlier. Well, the first set has arrived. Apparently this system has earned a score of 20,797 in the 3DMark test. The current world record is around 16,363. These are scores earned by PCs, so I am not sure how they translate to Macs, nor do I know how the systems are configured outside of the former world record holder was running... Read More

Core Duo successfully over-clocked to 3.8GHz

Faithful Macenstein reader rico has turned us on to a posting over at Cooling Masters which claims to have successfully over-clocked a Core Duo (T2600) chip to as high as 3.8GHz. (Or at least we think that’s what it says…it’s in French, and we have enough trouble reading benchmarks in English.) The T2600 is the current top of the line 2.16GHz chip Intel ships. Yet one user has gotten the chip to run as high as 3.21 GHz using air-cooling, and up to 3.8GHz using... Read More

Intel re-branding hints at the end of “Single CPU� Macs

Posted by Helper Monkey What’s in a name? Would a Conroe chip by any other name not run as hot? Well, we are about to find out. This morning Intel announced a new name for its upcoming round of processors. The chips, formerly known as Conroe (for desktops) and Merom (for notebooks) have now been re-branded under the single family name of “Core 2 Duoâ€? chips. Despite this streamlined naming scheme, Intel still plans to confuse us with the chip’s REAL names.... Read More

Rumor: The new “Pro Mac� to sport 4 PCI Express Expansion slots?

Posted by Helper Monkey Macenstein reader Squeaky Wheel sends in a report that at least one model in Apple’s upcoming PowerMac revision (dubbed by him the ProMac) with boast one extra PCI-Express expansion slot, bringing the total number up to 4. Additionally, he claims there will be one additional FireWire 800 port (for a total of 2) located on the front of the unit. Now, we don’t know Squeaky Wheel from Adam, and we have never gotten an anonymous e-mail tip that... Read More

Review: Stowaway Bluetooth Travel Mouse by Think Outside

Posted by Lab Rat As much as I love my 17-inch Powerbook, I am one of those people who was never really able to make the jump to mastering the trackpad. Somehow when using the trackpad, I suddenly feel like my mom when stuck in front of a computer. It takes forever to click on anything, and forget “Drag and dropâ€?. It just isn’t going to happen. I need a mouse, end of story. This has never been a problem for me, since once I made the move to lugging around a... Read More

Apple’s “new” GET A MAC campaign a blatant rip-off?

Posted by Dr. Macenstein Yesterday Apple unveiled its new marketing campaign title “Get A Mac“. The campaign consists of a number of humorous TV and print ads showcasing the benefits to using a Mac. In addition, there is now a dedicated GET A MAC button on the top of Apple’s webpage. Now, I have been saying for years that Apple should create ads showcasing what you can actually DO with a Mac, not just what they look like, so I am thrilled with this new advertising... Read More