Apple Special Event September 12th… New iPods, Movie Store, and Core 2 Duo Macs
Posted by Dr. Macenstein
Well, we just received our invitation to Apple’s September 12th super secret “special event�, and…
…um, ok, so we don’t actually rate high enough to get an Apple invite. BUT we DO waste most of the day reading other sites that DO, and from those we have discovered two things.
First, the date is indeed September 12th, which is also the date that Mac Expo Paris begins. There will not be an official keynote in Paris this year, but apparently whatever the special announcement is, it is big enough to be streamed to London. Why London and not Paris? Well, that’s where Apple’s European headquarters are located. According to MacBidouille, the European press has already been invited to cover the event. Plus, Apple might still be mad over that whole “France vs. iTunes� debacle.
Secondly, there have been reports that the Core 2 Duo chips that have recently turned up in other PC manufacturer’s laptops will find their way into Apple’s MacBook Pros (if not MacBooks) and perhaps even an updated Mac mini or iMac. On top of that, reports of new iPods and the debut of an iTunes movie download store have combined to make this potentially one of Apple’s bigger announcements.
For what it’s worth (nothing), our 2 cents say that all three possible announcements will indeed occur. On September 12th, it will have been 336 days since the last iPod revision back in October of last year. Even if Apple can’t deliver a radically new touch-screen design, they have to at least include a larger drive and Bluetooth connectivity (and/or drop the price a couple bucks) to compete with the latest batch of portable players.
We have faith that Apple will also somehow include a larger screen for playing those downloadable movies we are also betting will be announced. The infamous Lion’s Gate conference call in which the President let slip Apple’s intentions to debut an iTunes movie service before the end of the year, plus a new BusinessWeek article citing info from “unnamed sources� (always the most knowledgeable) pretty much sealed the deal.
As for the Core 2 Duo chips arriving in new Macs, Apple really doesn’t have much choice. As far as new hardware goes, Apple pretty much lost their coveted “element of surprise� the day they decided to use the same chips as 80% of the PC market. Apple can’t really hold off updating hardware by more than a week or two after any other PC manufacturer has incorporated Intel’s latest technology, and all reports indicate slapping a Core 2 Duo into an existing Core Duo motherboard involves all of 5 minutes of effort.
In fact, we’re pretty sure Apple would have already announced the new lap/desktops if it wasn’t for the fact that this year’s Paris Expo fell so close to Intel’s delivery of the Core 2 Duo. Apple is just so used to announcing things at planned events to help build hype and speculation, they figured, “Why pay to cater TWO events?�.
We’re sure Apple will be sending us a special press invitation to their NEXT special event, but in the meantime, we will pretend we don’t know what they are announcing on the 12th and do our best to look surprised, just to make them feel better.
Free on iTunes: “Covert”, Animated short film
Posted by Helper Monkey
After months of free, full-length television pilots of debatable quality, comes a nice change of pace. Apple has posted a free, 3-minute animated short called Covert, from Short Films International.
“The world of espionage and counter-espionage is alive and well today, as this animated thriller so aptly coveys. Surprising and intelligent. A demonstration of short animations at their most excellent.�
The film manages to cram a good deal of suspense into its 3-minute run time. I’m no film critic, but I give it an 8 out of 10. Get it here.
Get Bryce 5.0 FREE – for a Limited time
Posted by Dr. Macenstein
Faithful Macenstein reader rico has alerted us that DAZ Productions is making its Bryce 5 3D landscape modeling and animation software available for FREE for a limited time. Now through September 6th, you can download the full version of Bryce 5 from downloads.com. Upon registration, you will be sent your serial number and link to download Bryce presets.
The current shipping version of Bryce is 5.5.
NOTE: Bryce 5.0 does not run under Mac OS X Tiger (Mac OS 10.4 and above).
Review: The Marine Aquarium 2.6 screen saver by Serene Screen
Posted by Lab Rat
Thanks to some of Mac OSX’s core imaging effects, there has been an explosion recently of very cool free OS X screensavers on the net (none cooler, of course, than the awesome Mr. Sparkle 1.5). However, the majority of these are one-trick ponies consisting of swirling multicolored Quartz Composer-based effects. While they are often very beautiful, inevitably after about 2 days I am bored and begin my web search anew.
My search for a screensaver “with a soul� led me back to an old favorite, the Marine Aquarium screensaver by SereneScreen. For those unfamiliar with the Marine Aquarium, (as you can probably guess by the name) it is a saltwater fish tank simulation screensaver, but the beautiful visuals elevate it out of the mere screensaver category, and push it towards digital art. The Marine Aquarium holds the distinction of being the only screensaver I have ever paid money for, although that was many years ago. Over the years I had failed to keep current with the app as I switched and upgraded Macs along the way, and I was looking forward to seeing what was new.
You can adjust the lighting in your tank from day to night, or leave it set to automatically cycle.
The Marine Aquarium is now up to version 2.6, and no, my old key code was not accepted (I apparently last purchased version 1.1.2). Upon upgrading, I was pleased to see that Serene Screen made a number of modifications to the app, including a redesigned interface and a number of display options; but more importantly, they added an additional 7 fish from my previous version, for a whopping total of 28!
I must admit upfront that I am a bit biased towards Marine Aquarium. At my house I have a 120 gallon fish tank, and here at the Lab the good Doctor was nice enough to put in a 50 gallon tank, so I often like to waste time staring at fish. However, neither of those tanks looks half as good as the Marine Aquarium does on a 23 inch Apple display.
Choose from 28 diffferent fish, or let the computer choose randomly for you for a unique look each time.
The Marine Aquarium is designed to mimic an actual saltwater fish tank, and does so via beautifully textured and animated fish, a total of 28 in all. You can choose to have up to 7 on the screen at a time, and there is support for dual monitors (although the fish will not swim from one monitor to the next). You can customize your tank’s look to some degree by controlling the lighting, the bubbles, the shimmer of the water, and whether or not the time and date are displayed. This last feature is very nice. Serene Screen chose to add an optional crystal clock to the tank that can display the time and date in either analog or digital formats. The transparent crystal design allows fish to be seen when swimming behind it, adding to the 3D feel of the screensaver.
And actually, the reason the Marine Aquarium fish look so 3 dimensional is that they are. By hitting the “w� key, you can toggle off the textures on both the fish and the coral background, and see a 3D wireframe rendering of the fish as they swim by.
Pressing “w” brings up wireframe mode, allowing you to see the 3D geometry behind the scenes.
Issues
The only issue I have with the Marine Aquarium is that (as far as I can tell) the background rocks and coral, while very nice looking, are the same background I saw 3 years ago when running version 1.1. The part of me that still can’t believe I am paying for a screensaver feels that I should have a couple more environments or customization options for the background.
Conclusion
The Marine Aquarium is one of those apps that truly needs to be seen in person to be appreciated. Luckily you can download a free demo from SereneScreen’s site, including a standalone version you can launch as an application. While paying for a screensaver goes against every freeware-loving bone in my body, I have no problem paying for an app that is the result of real effort and skill. I think anyone who owns a high quality LCD display owes it to themselves to at least download the demo and give it a try. Three years later, I am happy to say the Marine Aquarium still elicits “oohs� and “ahhs� from clients as they pass sby.
The Marine Aquarium 2.6 screen saver by Serene Screen
Price: $19.95
Pros: Beautifully rendered fish and environment, can choose from 28 different fish, new date and time feature is a great idea
Cons: Some different background options would make a great app an amazing one.
ABC News Video Collection on the iTunes Music Store
Posted by Helper Monkey
Disney-ABC Television Group announced today that originally-produced ABC News videos including exclusive interviews and raw footage will be available for purchase on the iTunes Music Store.
“We are committed to making news available to our audience whenever they want it, however they want it, and we are always looking at new ways we can better educate, inform and empower customers on a variety of platforms,� said David Westin, president, ABC News. “We’ve had a tremendous response to our “World News� podcasts, and with this new iTunes offering, we continue to provide what content consumers want and have grown to expect from ABC News.�
Tailored specifically for the iTunes consumer, the series offer a wide selection of videos in the categories of “ABC News Specials,� “The Day It Happened,� and “Celebrity Flashback.� With material available for the first time since broadcast on network TV, individual videos can be purchased on the iTunes Music Store (www.itunes.com) for $1.99 each.
“We are pleased to make ABC News content available to iTunes customers alongside our current array of entertainment programming from ABC, ABC Family, Disney Channel, Jetix and SOAPnet,� said Albert Cheng, executive vice president, digital media, Disney-ABC Television Group. “As we continue to provide consumers with quality programming across all digital platforms, we drive incremental viewing opportunities, further awareness of our programs and deepen consumers’ relationships with our brands.�
Contest
Advertisement
Product Reviews
Our Finest Moments
Where are they now? Interview with Switcher Girl Ellen Feiss Review: The iCar by Corgi - Possibly the worst iPod accessory EVER Apple blames iPod nano screen defects on obese Americans/tight pants Using Safari can slow your system down as much as 76% vs FirefoxDonate Now
iPhone Feature Request
