Starting in 1996, Alexa Internet has been donating their crawl data to the Internet Archive. Flowing in every day, these data are added to the Wayback Machine after an embargo period.
Macenstein's got the tip on the Army using iPods in Iraq to speak Arabic. Vcommunicator Mobile is a hardware/software setup (the iPod straps to your arm, and gets a small speaker hooked up to it) that allows soldiers in Iraq to "speak" Arabic by choosing and playing certain phrases through an iPod-like interface. Very interesting-- the Arabic text even shows up on the screen as the sound clip is being played, and phonetic translations and simulated graphics of suggested gestures for each phrase are included in the browser.
A new Nano version is planned (having the whole thing in a Flash drive will probably make it a little more sturdy), but for now Mac says the 10th Mountain Division will be hauling around 160 iPods to speak phrases like "Please get out of the car," and "may I see your ID?"
Here's hoping the whole thing is working as well as Vcom3D is saying that it does-- clear communication is invaluable, especially in an environment as volatile as Iraq. Just another great use for Apple's little mp3 player.
Remote Buddy, the do-it-all remote program for OS X, has reached version 1.7.1. I haven't taken a look at this app in a long time, but they've come a long way, baby-- a few months ago they added support (via AJAX) for the iPhone, and that has added a whole new universe of functionality to controlling your computer via a remote unit. If you haven't seen it lately, check it out.
The 1.7.1 update fixes a few bugs in the AJAX module, adds a warning if you don't have an Airport Express setting correct, and adds a newly rewritten driver for Front Row control. And this is all in addition to last week's big release (1.7), which added a ton of new stuff-- almost a complete rewrite of the AJAX remote, and compatibility with a ton of new programs, everything from ComicBookLover to VoodooPad.
Very impressive. Applications like this are what make it so great to be a Mac user. Remote Buddy is available for 19.99 € or as a free 30 day trial version over on their website. Thanks to everyone who sent this in!
"I installed [NewtSMS+ 1.10a beta] on my Newton MP 2100. I put the SIM card into my Nokia Card Phone. Plugged the card phone into my Newt. Let NewtSMS+ know the PIN of my SIM card, and was ready to go...For my money (exactly 35 euros / about 48 USD in this case), the Newton does a brilliant job."
He goes on to note that the Phone Card also works with his eMate and old Compaq laptop, plus the SIM card works with his Nokia 6310i. Nicely done!
Thinking about recovering your laptop in case of theft? Undercover from Orbicule (we've mentioned it beforeonce or twice) sports a nice additional "feature" in terms of a money-back guarantee. If your Mac is reported stolen Undercover will monitor and report IP addresses that should narrow down the search, as well as take both screenshots and iSight snapshots at regular intervals and send them back.
Finally, it will mimic a hardware problem presumably prompting the thief to take it in for repair or sell it, in which case it will display a message indicating that the computer has been stolen, etc. Orbicule is apparently so confident that Undercover will allow you to recover your machine that they're offering a money-back guarantee for the cost of the software if you do not. They have an interesting account of the recovery process in an actual case.
Undercover is $49 ($39 for students; education site licenses are available).
Several of the TUAW bloggers are fans of David Allen's Getting Things Done. There are also a couple of Newton fans among our numbers (myself included), so it's inevitable that the two would come together.
The big news was the announcement that the Einstein Project - which brings the Newton OS to current hardware - has gone open source. It's now known as Open Einstein, and can be found here.
This is great news, as more collaborators means the more handhelds that can "go green" (and I'm not talking about environmentalism).
There's more of course, and you can get the full run-down at the link above. Here's to WWNC '08. Might I suggest the east coast of the US? Thanks, Grant!
If you've configured your dual-wield gadget skill for both Newtons and iPhones (as I have), you may want to check out this Newton 2100/iPhone photo gallery at Flickr. The images are beautifully lit and composed, and provide a nice comparison of the two devices.
It makes us happy to know that we aren't the only ones who love our toys this much.
As a bag geek, I'm always excited to see something new and novel kinds of cases. While walking around the show floor at Macworld back in January, I was delighted to come across something I've been looking for as long as I can remember– a soft sleeve with rigid protection. The case in question turned out to be the Shuttle from Higher Ground, and I've had the chance to use and review it for the past month or so.
Here at TUAW, we welcome all those yearning to breathe free of Windows, especially high-profile technology columnists like ComputerWorld's Scot Finnie. Longtime PC writer Finnie made a public switch to the Mac in February after a 3-month trial, and he's not looking back. This week, in an article posted on his site and adapted in ComputerWorld, he takes on the accepted wisdom that Macs are more expensive than PCs. Guess what he discovered?
Feature for feature, if you match up Apple's constrained model selections with mainstream/premium vendors like Dell or Sony, the MacBook Pro and iMac come out ahead on pricing. In fact, getting a Dell laptop to match the 17" MBP config resulted in a laptop $650 more expensive and almost two pounds heavier. Finnie's original analysis came out before this week's revisions to the MBPs, so it's worth checking for yourself to see that it's hard to get laptops with the latest Intel chips anywhere near Apple's price/spec lineup.
In light of Apple's record results over the past couple of quarters, it's worth reading Finnie's March 28 Computerworld essay, "Why Microsoft Should Fear Apple." Marketing mojo and technical sophistication aside, Finnie zeroes in on the real competitive advantage Apple is gaining: public buzz. (We're doing what we can to help. :-)
For all the wonders of the MagSafe connector -- scores of marriages saved and pets kept from the pound, as laptops that would have otherwise experienced impromptu gravity testing remained happily on stable surfaces -- there's been a remarkable gap in the charger offerings for Apple laptops since its introduction: no sanctioned car chargers. This is a point of contention for those of us who use our laptops as DIY entertainment centers on long trips, and has led to some family tensions in my household ("Why do the kids have to watch DVDs on MY machine?!?").
MCT does offer a homebrew solution that grafts a MagSafe connector onto a Kensington AC/DC adapter for universal chargeability, but at a fairly steep price; the basic conversion of a MacBook or MBP adapter to work with a DC transformer is cheaper, but still a little scary. With these limitations in mind, I went for a somewhat more traditional solution: an inexpensive, 96-watt inverter (DC to AC converter; I got mine for $10 on woot.com but there are other models and other deals) coupled with the lowest-wattage adapter available that would still run my MacBook Pro. In this instance, that's the 60-watt MacBook adapter, which runs and charges the MBP under all but the heaviest load and also is substantially smaller than the 'big brick' MBP adapter; works like a charm in my car. If you get a second charger for home use, might as well make it the MB adapter and add the inverter for mobile fun.
DISCLAIMER: Any use of an inverter, off-spec or off-brand power adapter, or other unofficial charger is at your own risk. I Am Not An Electrical Engineer.
Registration is now open for ¥3500 (this includes a 2-day passport to the conference, lunch and drinks). While you're waiting, check out these highlights from previous years' conferences.
Someday I'll attend one of these. But for this year...Tokyo is quite a ways away.
As surmised among the rumorscenti, this morning's Apple Store outage was the preshow for a MacBook Pro speed bump. The new units ship with either 2.2 GHz or 2.4 GHz Core 2 Duo (Santa Rosa) processors, upgraded NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT video cards (with either 128 MB or 256 MB of VRAM), new mercury-free LED displays, and a minimum of 2 GB of RAM (yay!) with support for 4 GB (YAY!). The slot-loading optical drive has also been updated to 8x, in line with the MacBook configs. Apple also notes that the 17-inch model "offers a new optional 1920-by-1200 high-resolution display, providing over 30 percent more screen real estate than the standard 1680-by-1050 display." Does it come with a set of magnifying glasses too? The 802.11n version of the Airport Extreme card rounds out the feature package. For a handy spec list, check the end of the Apple press release.
Ladies and gentlemen, start your credit cards... prices start at $1999 for the 15" 2.2 GHz config and go to $2799 for the 17" kit.
I won't go into all of the great Newt functionality that I enjoy in this post (look here for some of that), but I do agree with dougj when he says, "The address book and calendar/to-do lists are more than adequate...and the Assistant that correctly interprets 'Remind me to take out the garbage' or 'Lunch with Mary at the club' allows me to manage my time and tasks no matter where I am in any program."
Welcome to the club, dougj! I'm sure you'll enjoy your stay.
The guys over at EVDOinfo.com have discovered that current Intel Macs already support 3G EVDO cards. Basically what they did is rip the PCI Express Mini Airport wireless card out of a Mac mini and replace it with a previously activated EVDO PCI Express Mini card taken from a Novatel U720 USB EVDO modem. After installing the recent WWAN update (by bypassing the hardware check), the Mac mini recognized the card and established a connection to the Sprint network. They note that this makes the Mac mini an absolutely perfect carputer (except for some antenna issues).
They speculate that this should work on the MacBook (Pro) as well, but obviously nobody wants to lose Airport connectivity to gain WWAN support. However, this does seem to show that there's no technical limitation to adding EVDO connectivity to next generation Mac portables.
Ah, the Friday software update... how it brightens up the weekend. Just off the bench, Battery Update 1.2 is currently downloadable in Software Update. The firmware update is for all Intel laptops and promises better performance. Reuters is now reporting that Apple has acknowledged issues with some MacBook and MacBook Pro batteries, and Apple has posted an extended support page for battery replacements.
After Battery Update has been installed, the battery firmware will be updated for each battery you place in your laptop (either at startup, wake from sleep, or when you put the battery in). Hopefully this will improve battery life and reduce swelling...
Macenstein's got the tip on the Army using iPods in Iraq to speak Arabic. Vcommunicator Mobile is a hardware/software setup (the iPod straps to your arm, and gets a small speaker hooked up to it) that allows soldiers in Iraq to "speak" Arabic by choosing and playing certain phrases through an iPod-like interface. Very interesting-- the Arabic text even shows up on the screen as the sound clip is being played, and phonetic translations and simulated graphics of suggested gestures for each phrase are included in the browser.
Remote Buddy
Who needs an 
Thinking about recovering your laptop in case of theft? 
Several of the TUAW bloggers are fans of David Allen's Getting Things Done. There are also a couple of Newton fans among our numbers (myself included), so it's inevitable that the two would come together.
The 
If you've configured your dual-wield gadget skill for both Newtons and iPhones (as I have), you may want to check out 
Here at TUAW, we welcome all those yearning to breathe free of Windows, especially high-profile technology columnists like ComputerWorld's Scot Finnie. Longtime PC writer Finnie made a 
For all the wonders of the 
As surmised among the rumorscenti, this morning's Apple Store outage was the preshow for a 
I'm a huge fan of the Apple Newton, and I've 
The guys over at EVDOinfo.com have 
Ah, the Friday software update... how it brightens up the weekend. Just off the bench, 
