Win an iPhone in the Great Mac Chick Casting Call!
Posted by Dr. Macenstein
Macenstein, in association with Incipio Technologies, Inc., makers of Incipio Cases and Accessories for iPhone, have teamed up to bring you The Great Mac Chick Casting Call!
Between now and October 31st, 2007, all entries received for Macenstein’s Mac Chick of the Month will be automatically entered into our grand prize drawing. One lucky winner will receive their choice of either an 8 GB iPhone or the newly announced 16 GB iPod touch, as well as an Incipio iPhone BIKINI case. Runner up will receive an iPod shuffle in their choice of color. (Click here for official rules).
To enter, all you need to do is send in a minimum of 4 pictures (but more is always better) of you with your Macs and Apple gear to plotsuggestion@macenstein.com, along with a few paragraphs about yourself and what makes you a such Mac Chick. We want to know how you use your Mac, what your first Apple product was, and how Macs have changed your life.
Please also include as much (or as little) of the following info as you’d like to help our readers (and judges) get to know you better.
• Name (can be just first name or nickname)
• Age
• Location (can be vague)
• Occupation
• First Apple product you bought
• Favorite Apple Gear
• Favorite non-Apple Gear
• Favorite TV Shows
• Favorite Movies
• Favorite Books
• Favorite Bands
• Hobbies
• Pets
Click here to view samples of past Mac Chicks’ entries.
Entries will be judged by an impartial but demanding panel of die hard Mac fans who will be looking for the entrant who they consider to be the quintessential Mac Chick.
Entry Guidelines
Please read official rules before entering.
Feel free to get creative with your entries, as you will want your entry to stand out from the pack. Also, please only send in well lit shots at a decent resolution. Dark, grainy webcam shots will not be considered, as we want to be able see both you and your gear clearly. We always suggest enlisting the help of a photographer friend with a decent camera and an idea of how to use it, and we have no problem promoting a photographer’s website in your feature if it will help you convince them to help you out.
Whether or not you are chosen as the winner of The Great Mac Chick Casting Call, you will still be eligible to be our Mac Chick of the Month. If your entry is chosen, it could be seen by hundreds of thousands of people, so take it seriously! Months are dolled out on a first come, first serve basis, so get your entry in today!
iTunes Store Tops Three Billion Songs
Filed under: Apple Fanboyism, Apple TV, News, iPhone, iPod, iTunes
Posted by Dr. Macenstein
Apple today announced that more than three billion songs have been purchased and downloaded from the iTunes Store, presumably 2 billion of which are from Fergie.
“We’d like to thank all of our customers who have contributed to this incredible milestone,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s vice president of iTunes. iTunes features a catalog of more than five million songs, 550 TV shows, and 500 movies, and it recently surpassed both Amazon and Target to become the third largest music retailer in the US
If these numbers continue to hold up, Apple’s iTunes sales will surpass the number of chickens on the planet (currently estimated to be 8 billion) by 2010. Amazing.
Samba bug in OS X allows hackers root access
Posted by Lab Rat
According to PC World, Symantec has upped the warning level to Mac users this week on a Samba exploit first discovered in May of this year after discovering the exploit has been uploaded to the Metasploit hacking framework. Despite Samba’s developers having released a fix a day after the discovery, Apple has yet to patch the hole.
The exploit can allegedly allow a hacker to gain root access to a Mac which is running Samba. Samba is turned on in Macs when a user checks the “Windows File Sharing” checkbox in the System Preferences’ “Sharing” panel. Symantec suggests Mac users uncheck that box until Apple releases a patch (not exactly the solution many of us on mixed networks would like to hear).
Thanks to faithful Macenstein reader Walter for the tip!
Review: NewerTech miniStack V2 and V3
Posted by Dr. Macenstein
Above: The miniStack V2 (left) and V3 (right)
I bought our Mac mini last year to serve as our kids’ computer, and at the time, it seemed the mini’s specs would suit their needs fine. They had no need for peripherals outside of a keyboard, and how were they going to fill up a 80GB hard drive, I thought?
Well, they didn’t. But I did. In attempting to be a responsible parent, I placed the Mac mini in the living room so we could easily monitor our kids’ computer use. However, upon seeing that mini positioned so close to the family TV, the inner Mac Geek in me quickly got to thinking of other uses for the”kid’s” computer. Long story short, the mini is now set up as a home DVR (digital video recorder) thanks to an Elgato Eye TV 250, and hard drive space (as well as expansion ports) is now at a premium.
Enter NewerTech’s miniStack V2 and V3. The miniStacks are designed to meet the needs of shortsighted mini owners like myself who loved the compact size and look of the Mac mini, but underestimated the eventual need for additional hard drive space as well as expansion ports. The miniStacks come in 8 capacities, ranging from 0GB (as in, bring your own drive) all the way up to 750GB (1TB for the V3). The units I tested were both 500GB models. The V2’s come with “regular” ATA (IDE ) drives, the V3 comes with the newer SATA spec. All models 250GB and up have a 16MB cache (the 1TB V3 sports a massive 32MB cache), lower capacities have an 8MB cache. All drives run at a fast 7200 rpm, compared to the 5400 rpm drive found in the Mac mini.
Expand your mini
Soon after buying our Mac mini I realized the need for extra USB and FireWire ports. The mini ships with four USB 2 and one FireWire 400 port. We have a FireWire iSight hooked to the mini, which meant I could no longer use the FireWire chord I had for my 4th Gen iPod. One USB port goes to the keyboard, one goes to the EyeTV unit, one goes to a Wacom tablet the kids like to draw on, and one goes to a pair of USB Powered Speakers. Add to that a whole slew of USB-powered eye candy the kids love, and it makes for not only a tangled mess of wires, but also a frustrating exercise of plugging and unplugging chords into the back of the Mac mini, which (as any Mac mini owner will tell you) invariably leads to accidentally pulling out the mini’s power plug.
Above: the only physical difference between the V2 and the V3 (besides the V3’s label) is number/arrangement of ports on the back.
Both the V2 and V3 share the same form factor and design. While both can be used with any computer sporting FireWire or USB connections, they are geared in both design and name to be used with the Mac mini. The miniStack is designed to sit directly under the Mac mini, and shares its 6.5-inch x 6.5-inch form factor. NewerTech includes a short 7-inch FireWire and USB cable to make the connection between the two devices, without adding unnecesarily to cable-clutter. From the front, the two devices look almost identical (although the miniStack is about half an inch shorter, and missing the optical drive slot, of course). Newertech did a great job designing the miniStack, and both the the V2 and V3’s materials and coloring appear to be a perfect match to the mini. A slight lip protrudes around the top of the miniStack and is designed to hold the Mac mini in place above it.
The V2 vs the V3
The main difference between the V2 and V3 miniStack is the type and number of extra ports they deliver. On the back of the V2 you will see two FireWire 400 ports and two USB 2 ports, with an additional FireWire and USB 2 port on the left side. However, unlike the USB (which provides a separate USB 2 uplink port) you must use one of the 3 FireWire 400 ports to connect the miniStack to your computer, meaning you actually have two FireWire 400 ports available. Rounding out the back there is also a micro security slot, power chord, power switch, connections switch (more on that in a second) and exhaust fan.
Above: A slight bezel holds your Mac mini firmly in place on the minStack.
On the V3, you will find 3 USB 2 ports, and only 1 FireWire 400 port (located on the side of the miniStack). However, you will find some additional “higher end” (and more expensive) connections not found on the V2. There are 2 FireWire 800 ports, as well an eSATA port, which is something usually still found only on high end drives. Their inclusion seems a bit odd, however, as neither FireWire 800 or eSATA ports can be found on the current Mac mini. (Note: There is an included FW 800 to FW 400 cable included with the V3, so in theory you can use an FW 800 connection with your Mac mini and still have an open FW 400 port.)
Daily Operation
I’ve used the miniStacks every day for about 3 weeks now, and I am happy to report I am thrilled with both of them. The design, materials, and performance of the units are all top notch, and operation is almost identical, save for the connection ports. The one issue I was worried most about, fan noise, proved to not be much of an issue. When in use, the miniStack’s fan is certainly audible, however it is not overly loud, and shuts itself off when not needed. Both the V2 and V3 have a smart power on/off feature as well, which will turn your miniStack on and off with the computer, saving you the trouble of reaching behind the unit and feeling around for the power switch each night, a big plus.
As I mentioned, I use the Mac mini as a DVR, and frequently found the need to delete shows without ever having watched them in order to make room for more important “must-see” shows. Jumping from the 40GB or so I had free on the Mac mini’s internal drive to the 500GB of the miniStack was like a breath of fresh air. Now, not only do I not have to worry about making room for new recordings, but I can also now record at the highest quality setting allowed by EyeTV (2.7GB per hour as opposed to 1.3GB per hour). The quality difference is amazing, and to me, more than justifies the miniStack’s price.
The previous iteration of the miniStack (the V1) has all 3 of its USB and FireWire Ports located on the back of the unit. The V2 and V3 have one of each port moved to the back left corner, and this is a welcome addition. While it may mean potentially you might see a little more plug than you might like, it also means you can now more quickly plug in removable devices, such as the iPod shuffle, without needing to fish around in the back of the unit and risk unplugging something. In my case, I found it was great for plugging in an Elgato Turbo.264 unit we were also testing between multiple machines.
Issues
There is not much bad to say about either miniStack, performance-wise. The only thing I find a little confusing about the V2 model is the included “connection switch”. This switch allows you to choose between “1394A connection”, and an “Auto” setting. NewerTech recommends you select the 1394A setting if you plan to access the hard drive via FireWire, but doesn’t really say why it’s better. In my own personal tests, I found attempting to record shows (via EyeTV) with the switch set to “auto” resulted in a slight “pulse” through the image that was barley perceptible, but noticeable on shots with a stationary graphic. I feel this may have something to do with the miniStack using the USB to access the hard drive and the fact that the Elgato EyeTV unit I use is also USB based. Perhaps this causes a little interference or taxes the USB 2 chips on the Mac mini. Whatever the reason, I kept the switch set to “1394A”, and all was good.
Above: The miniStack V2’s port layout.
As far as the V3 is concerned, the V2’s “1394A connection” switch is gone, so the only real question is whether the V3 offers anything over the V2 that you would find particularly necessary. As I said, the V3 gives up two of its FireWire 400 ports, but adds two FireWire 800 ports and an eSATA port. However, neither FW800 or eSATA will work with the Mac mini, and eSATA won’t work on ANY Mac at the moment without first buying an additional eSATA card. There have been rumors that perhaps the Mac mini, long overdue for an update, may be being discontinued. Perhaps NewerTech is hedging its bets in making the V3 less Mac mini-specific, but whatever the reason, for my personal use, I find the V2 is actually better suited. As I mentioned, I found that when using the miniStack with EyeTV as a DVR, the FireWire connection worked better than the USB 2, and I enjoyed having the addition two FW 400 ports available even when connected via FireWire. The V3 would really offer no benefit for me, as a Mac mini owner.
Above: The miniStack V3’s port layout.
Because of the more high-end ports, the miniStack V3 is more suited to MacBook Pro or Mac Pro owners, although the styling (and name) is still very “Mac mini”-like.
Conclusion
The NewerTech miniStack V2 is the must-have accessory for any Mac mini owner who is using their mini as a digital video recorder. The design nicely compliment’s the Mac mini, and does not take up much additional space nor add much additional noise to an entertainment center setting. The price is quite reasonable when you consider you are not only getting a large external hard drive, but also a USB and a FireWire hub, all wrapped up in a quiet, sleek package that nicely compliments your mini.
The V3 is a less clear choice. The hgher-end connection options seem geared for non-mini use, however the form factor remains the same as the V2. The added cost of these ports may put off mini users who cannot benefit from their increased speed.
Price: $69.99 (no hard drive kit) up to $329.99 (750GB)
Pros: Beautiful Design, quiet operation, provides much needed storage and expansion lacking from the Mac mini
Cons: non significant
Price: $119.99 (no hard drive kit) up to $549.99 (1.0TB )
Pros: Provides extra storage and “high-end” ports, quiet operation
Cons: New features are not designed to work with the Mac mini, although it retains the same Mac mini styling as its predecessor; Offers 2 less FireWire 400 ports than the V2; Is more expensive due to the inclusion of the FW 800 and eSATA ports.
Apple TV “Holy Grail” discovered – You can now use an external USB drive
Posted by Dr. Macenstein
Tom Anthony, one of the daring tech-”crusaders” over at Apple TV Hacks apparently remembered that in the Latin alphabet, Jehovah starts with an ‘I’, and has now discovered the Holy Grail of Apple TV Geeks – namely, the ability to not only use an external USB hard drive as the primary storage for Apple TV media, but also the ability to retain full syncing capabilities as well. That’s right, you can now have terabytes of (reasonably) cheap external storage for your Apple TV.
As far as Apple TV hacks go, this is in our mind not only the most useful, but perhaps also one of the more straight forward and do-able hacks out there. In order to complete the hack, you will need to have enabled ssh on your Apple TV, plus an Intel Mac running 10.4. (and an external USB hard drive, of course).
So kudos to Tom. We are now slightly closer to actually buying one of those wacky little machines. Check out the instructions here.
No iPhone AppleCare for AL, CT, NV, or WY residents
Posted by Dr. Macenstein
You better not drop your iPhone if you are a Connecticut resident. Or Nevada. Or Alabama or Wyoming for that matter.
Faithful Macenstein reader hmmm alerts us that those 4 states have apparently joined together to form the new “AppleCare Axis of Evil“, refusing to allow Apple to offer the new iPhone AppleCare plan to their residents.
From the iPhone AppleCare disclaimer:
Apple is not authorized to sell the AppleCare Protection Plan for iPhone to residents of Alabama, Connecticut, Nevada, or Wyoming. If you are a resident of Alabama, Connecticut, Nevada, or Wyoming, please do not order the AppleCare Protection Plan for iPhone. If you submit an order that includes the AppleCare Protection Plan for iPhone, Apple will remove the item from your order, notify you about the removal, and process the remaining items on your order.
About 3 years ago, Apple and Florida had a little AppleCare spat, resulting in Apple’s inability to sell the plan for its prodcuts in that state. That issue has since been resolved, and currently there seems to be no other states restricting the sale of AppleCare on any other Apple product.
ShieldZone changes name, goes public
Posted by Helper Monkey
Fans of the protective iPod sticker the invisibleSHIELD may be interested to know they now have an opportunity to own a piece of the company.
ZAGG Inc., owners of ShieldZone Coporation, announced yesterday that its common shares have been approved for trading in the Over-The-Counter Bulletin Board Market, which is sponsored by the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD). Shares of the company’s common stock began trading yesteray, July 25, 2007, with the new company symbol ZAGG. Additionally, ShieldZone will now officially be known as ZAGG Inc.
Why iPhone users should WANT the iPhone to tank
Posted by Dr. Macenstein
During today’s Q3 financial conference call, Jobs and Co. painted a slightly more optimistic picture of iPhone sales than AT&T had alluded to yesterday. While still shy of the 700,000 some demented analysts had predicted, 275,000 was a far cry better then the 146,000 figure AT&T had thrown about and which had sent Apple’s stock tumbling in after hours trading. And while as an Apple stockholder I was happy to see this news (coupled with record profits) has today caused Apple to more than regain any losses the AT&T news may have caused, I let out a small cheer when I heard that Apple had still missed iPhone sales predictions by a factor of 2 or more.
Why?
Well, I am an iPhone user. I love my iPhone. I love everything it does. The problem? I want it to do more. And I want it to do it yesterday. And apparently, so do a lot of people who are holding off buying one.
Bad sales are good
I look at poor initial iPhone sales as a good thing. While a couple hundred thousand phones sold in 30 hours is still an amazing feat, the iPhone would have set unbreakable sales records if Apple had been able to deliver the iPhone with all of the “must-have” features most $600 phone buyers are looking for.
By seeing that media hype and faithful Mac allegiance alone is not enough to move product, Apple will now (hopefully) be forced to do 2 of 3 things:
A) Add new features quickly via a software update,
B) Increase advertising, and
C) Lower the price of the iPhone about $100.
I have no delusions about “C” happening in the next 6 months, but “A” and “B” are both likely to happen, and happen soon. Apple needs to quickly begin the process of updating the iPhone with new functionality in order to prove to folks who may be intrigued by the gadget’s sleek design, but are worried about giving up current functionality, that the iPhone’s potential is limitless. Apple needs to assure the public (and perhaps more importantly, the media) that it is not only committed to adding requested features/functionality, but that it can do so on a regular basis. Prove to them that the iPhone is not the locked down, “read the features on the back of the box before buying” mobile phone they are used to purchasing. It is an expandable platform capable of doing almost anything a full-fledged computer can.
The solution
While the news of AT&T’s lower-than-expected iPhone activations may have sent Apple’s stock plummeting last night, I found the news sent my spirit soaring. I have no doubts that Apple’s programmers were already hard at work adding new features and ironing out the iPhone’s current set of bugs before the news, but I do think that disappointing iPhone sales may be the eye-opener for Apple that all current iPhone users have been waiting for. Showing Apple that they can’t hype a perfect product and then deliver a 90% perfect product without a backlash is a good thing for us early adopters.
I would like to see Apple begin releasing the first round of iPhone bugs fixes/feature requests this week, and then continue to do so on a monthly basis from there on out. It is almost as important for Apple to release frequent updates as it is to release feature-packed ones. If all they have ready so far is “copy and paste” and “a widescreen keyboard throughout all apps”, then release that update TODAY. We can wait a month for iChat if we know you guys are going to be releasing steady updates.
Why is a set monthly update schedule important?
Apple is traditionally a very secretive company, and with the exception of big events such as Macworld and WWDC, one rarely knows when to expect a product refresh or software update. However, I argue that setting a known monthly iPhone update cycle is one of the smartest things Apple can do.
In addition to keeping current iPhone users happy, a steady stream of monthly updates will help take care of option “B” above, to a degree. There will not be nearly as pressing a need for Apple to start shelling out big bucks for a media campaign if every month it makes the front page by releasing a new iPhone update. In between updates, the tech rumor blogosphere will be a veritable Apple publicity machine (even more so than it already is, if that’s possible). In the days and weeks leading up to each month’s update, speculation on what that month’s features might be will keep a steady buzz going, and keep drawing in new users as each new feature appears.
I have no real delusions that Apple would ever hold itself to a set update schedule, but as an iPhone user, this is what I want to see. The reality is, no matter how large a list of iPhone feature requests we compile, or how much feedback we send to Apple, there is somewhat of a feeling amongst the tech world that Apple has become as successful as it has by actually ignoring user input – that the reason Apple is looked at as such an innovative company is that they decide what features they think people need. Unfortunately, when it comes to entering an established market, such as the cellular phone/smart phone market, there is certain basic functionality you cannot just leave out of a current device and expect it to sell. And the iPhone is supposed to be more than current. Leaving out “copy and paste” is not going to be looked back at by tech historians as as innovative and forward-thinking a move as when Apple killed off the floppy drive.
Speeding up the evolutionary process
So yes, I view poor initial iPhones sales as actually the best thing that could happen to a device as hyped up as the iPhone. I’m not saying if Apple had sold 700,000 iPhones that first day they would have been content to sit back and let the iPhone platform stagnate. However, I do think that poor sales might cause Apple to hire a few more programmers to the iPhone division, and help speed up process of the iPhone becoming the iPhone we all want it to be.
Looks like Apple may have backed the right HD format after all
Posted by Dr. Macenstein
Despite recent reports that HD DVD sales are growing at a rate almost as fast as the Apple-backed Blu-Ray format’s are shrinking, it seems the criminal underworld may be providing a ray of hope for Blu-ray fans.
According to the DVD Dossier, 3 days ago thieves broke into Silver Platters, a Seattle-based chain of video stores, and stole their entire selection of Blu-ray DVDs (about $7000 worth). Why is this telling? Well, apparently the thieves left the entire inventory of HD DVDs untouched.
“They basically took our whole Blu-ray section… genre didn’t matter to them,” said Mike Batt, VP of Silver Platters.
Michael, from DVD Dossier sums it up best, “…when a thief thinks he won’t be able to sell your product for pennies on the dollar, you may have a problem convincing ordinary consumers to fork over their hard earned cash at something close to retail price.”
Apple, along with Sony, is backing the Blu-ray format for HD, and is expected to release Blu-ray Macs in the coming months.
Thanks to faithful Macenstein reader frank for the tip!
iPhone Street Magic
Posted by Dr. Macenstein
Faithful Macenstein reader Mark sent us a link to this awesome clip showing “virtual magician” Marco Tempest demonstrating some amazing iPhone features we were unaware of. I’ll have to try some of these out when I get my iPhone back from ColorWare. (Oh, did I mention I am getting my iPhone painted by ColorWare?)
Perhaps the most impressive thing about this video is it was apparently shot just 30 minutes after Marco bought the iPhone. This is impressive not simply because he was able to work out the timings so well and so quickly, but because he was actually able to activate the darn thing in 30 minutes. To me, that’s the real wizardry going on here. It took me 5 days to get mine going!
