Macenstein

Review: Logitech does the portable iPod speaker right with the Pure-Fi Anywhere

Logitech has finally come out with a portable speaker system we can all get behind with their Pure-Fi Anywhere Compact Speakers for iPod. Available in black or white, the Pure-Fi delivers exceptional sound given its size, and addresses pretty much all the complaints we’ve had with other portable speakers. Styling First off, the Pure-Fi looks great. The design is a somewhat revamped version of their mm50 iPod speakers, but they look much sleeker and feel a bit more solid.... Read More

Apple fixes iPod touch screen issue – you may now resume spending

According to users on the MacRumors forums, the “negative” screen issue that plagued early models of Apple’s new iPod touch seems to have been fixed, starting with “Week 38″ models. To tell if your iPod touch is one of the good ones, simply check the serial number on the back. If yours contains “9C738″, you’re golden. A “36″ or “37″, however, and odds are you’ll want to bring it back for an exchange. Original... Read More

Let’s bring back “Command-Y”

Is it too late to request a feature for Leopard? Probably. But here’s one for the 10.5.1 release. Let’s bring back Command-Y. Those of you who have never known a Mac Pre-OS X likely do not remember Command-Y, but it performed a pretty cool trick. In earlier Mac OS’s, that keyboard shortcut combination invoked the “Put Away” function, which did 2 things. First, if an optical disk (CD, ZIP, JAZ – anyone remember Iomega?) were selected and Command-Y... Read More

Free Stuff: SendStation iPod FW adapters

If you’re like us (God help you) you can’t resist free stuff, whether you need it or not (we still have every free, unlistenable song from the iTunes Store, for example). Well, lovers of free stuff rejoice! SendStation Systems is giving away 1,000 of its PocketDock FW iPod adapters, which allow you to charge the iPod or iPhone using any standard 6-pin FireWire cable. Offer available while supplies last or until October 1, 2007, limited to one PocketDock per person... Read More

iEye, Cap’n!

What better day to write about an invention called the iEye than on National Talk Like a Pirate Day?! Faithful Macenstein reader Tom Miller sent us a link to his entry into the NASA Tech Briefs “Create the Future” contest which we thought was pretty cool. Tom’s idea (patent pending) is an add-on for the iPod/iPhone/iPod touch (basically anything with an “i” in the front of it) that would add high-quality still and video optics to any of Apple’s... Read More

How much money is there in the “Mac news” game?

My good friend Michael Johnston over at iPhoneAlley turned me on to a website that has me contemplating quitting my day job. CyberWyre is a site that can estimate the approximate value of your website by analyzing a number of factors – such as traffic levels and sources of potential income– and then spits out the approximate market value your site may be worth. Well, needless to say, when I saw that Macenstein is now valued at $117,105, I nearly spilled my Doritos... Read More

NBC who? FOX, CBS show iTunes support

NBC may have decided it can launch its new Fall seasons without the help of the iTunes store, but it appears the other networks are lining up for some free publicity. This week no fewer than 3 high-profile shows are offering their season premieres on iTunes for free. FOX is leading the way with 2 shows. First up is the season premiere of Prison Break, their popular prison drama which managed to find a way to get Michael Scofield back behind bars for a 3rd season. Next up is the... Read More

“Video out” coming to iPhone!

We’re not sure why no one is making a bigger deal about this, but it appears that one of the major omissions from Apple’s iPhone may be getting rectified in an upcoming firmware release – namely, video out! While browsing Engadget’s O2 event gallery, faithful Macenstein reader Wemberly noticed that the UK iPhone’s “iPod” settings list a host of new video preferences, such as support for closed captioning and setting whether a video resumes... Read More

Obama Girl disses the iPhone – Is the iPhone becoming the new symbol for wussiness?

Flavor of last month The Obama Girl has released a new video in which she, Leah, and Mims (man do I feel out of it) dis the iPhone. The new video, for their song “I Like a Boy“, centers around the girls’ love of a man in uniform. In the video, when approached poolside by 3 “yuppie” boys, the bikini clad girls sing (and I use the term loosely): “He whipped out his iPhone and started to play, I told him I don’t really get down that way, I... Read More

Apple Chooses O2 as Exclusive Carrier for iPhone in UK

Boy, the more partners Apple gets, the harder it is for them to keep any secrets. As expected, Apple and O2 announced today that O2 will be the exclusive UK carrier for Apple’s iPhone when it makes its debut in the UK on November 9. It will be interesting to see just how much Apple learned from the US iTunes launch, as Apple is sticking with the iTunes activation that caused a number of headaches for some US customers (myself among them – nearly 5 days to activate!).... Read More