Developages - Development and Technology Blog

Filed under: Laptops

digg_url = ‘http://digg.com/apple/Latest_Breaking_Macbook_Pro_Pic_for_October_Release’; Well, maybe — we’re not calling it official until Steve pulls the cloth off himself tomorrow morning . Still, there’s no denying the similarities between this image and all those other case leaks we’ve seen, and the list of specs we’ve been given matches up as well — that “metal and glass” enclosure now houses an NVIDIA GPU, but no FireWire 400, and video-out is apparently through a connector “more compact” than MicroDVI. We’ll find out soon enough — oh, and just to amp up expectations, Boy Genius says he’s confirmed the existence of an $899 part number in Apple’s retail systems. Counting down…

Update: Our source just hit us with another pic, this time from the side — it’s after the break. We’re also told that there’s not one, but two NVIDIA GPUs inside — we’re guessing an integrated / discrete setup like in the VAIO Z, but we’ll find out for sure tomorrow.

Update 2: Our source just hit us again to say that it’s two full-on NVIDIA GPUs — wild. Wilder still, they say the MacBook and 17-inch MacBook Pro aren’t getting refreshed tomorrow, which we find hard to believe, but we’ll see when we see.

Continue reading Mr. Blurrycam reveals the updated MacBook Pro, $899 laptop model shows up in Apple inventory systems

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Original post by Nilay Patel

Filed under: Laptops

Well the rumoratti has certainly been working overtime today when it comes to Apple, so we’ve decided to bundle all the news that’s currently doing the rounds into one tasty and nutritious post.

First up, there are new — and quite detailed — pictures out of what appears to be those MacBook and MacBook Pro casings we saw during the week. Again, we can’t 100 percent confirm that these are the real deal, but they certainly have that Air-meets-MacBook hybrid quality to them that would suggest we’re looking at the next iteration of the line.

Secondly, Apple has gone and published a support document for the “MacBook/MacBook Pro (Late 2008)” — which suggests (gasp!) that there might be some late 2008 refreshes in our future. Oh really? Weird.

Rounding out the excitement, AppleInsider “confirms” the rumor that the new MacBooks will jettison the integrated Intel graphics which previous models have used in favor of NVIDIA’s MCP79 platform. The new GPUs apparently use a new set of GeForce 9300 and 9400 chips that will make previous performance look archaic by comparison. Additionally, according to hotshot Mac rumor specialist Kevin Rose, the new systems will support Blu-ray drives, thus finally allowing you to watch season 4 of Lost the way the lord intended it.

As with all rumors, you can never really know which one of these is going to stick, but luckily we won’t have to wait very long to get to the bottom of it. In the meantime, feel free to peruse the various links below and soak in the sweet, sweet gossip.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Read - Leaked MacBook / MacBook Pro casing photos
Read - Apple Document Confirms MacBook/MacBook Pro (Late 2008)
Read - Apple dumping Intel chipsets for NVIDIA’s in new MacBooks
Read - Kevin Rose drops MacBook Blu-Ray Rumor at Live Diggnation event

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Original post by Joshua Topolsky

Filed under: Cellphones

So the BlackBerry Storm hasn’t even made it onto Verizon yet, and in flies word that RIM is actually doing something other than resting on its laurels (and contemplating buyout offers from Microsoft). The Boy Genius has it from two independent sources that RIM is currently hard at work on a “super-phone” of sorts, complete with a 5-megapixel auto-focus camera, 1GB of memory and a “near-HD quality screen.” In all seriousness, it’s not too shocking to hear that the outfit is working up a formidable opponent to go against HTC’s Touch HD / T8290, but it’s not stopping there. We’re also told that a second and third-generation Storm are already being whipped up in the design room, but it’s pretty safe to say you won’t be seeing those in the flesh for a good while. Regrettably, that’s it for the details, but you can rest assured that we’ll be keeping an ear to the ground for more.

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Cellphones

Funny story — we pretty much heard this exact same rumor floating around last August, but given the current economic situation, we’re inclined to believe this one a good bit more. A recent Reuters report is pointing out that RIM (like practically every other company right about now) is ripe for the picking, and any outfit with a serious load of cash reserves could get themselves quite a bargain. Given that the Redmond mega-corp has shown interest before (and clearly has plenty of Greenbacks), we were particularly interested in Canaccord Adams analyst Peter Misek’s quote: “I’m fairly certain [Microsoft] has a standing offer to buy [RIM] at $50 a share.” If you’ll recall, RIM’s stock sat at $148 per share just four months ago, and now, it’s hovering around $60. As expected, Microsoft had no comment on the report, but don’t be surprised to see something go down if Wall Street keeps hemorrhaging.

[Via Electronista]

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Laptops

Oh Apple — release some new laptops so this madness can end. The forums at MacRumors are abuzz over a Taiwanese site that’s showing off pictures of what appears to be a very close cousin of that MacBook Pro-esque casing we saw earlier. This isn’t the same model, surely, but it does bear a striking similarity in both design and materials — and after lots of deliberation and comparisons, we’re fairly sure this isn’t the Air either (the hinge ends in a totally different spot in relation to the keys). That machined quality we noted in the earlier post is present, though as we said previously, the sides of these housings do look like separate pieces. Regardless, if any of this is even remotely true (and not another Photoshop from someone’s mother’s basement), Apple is indeed taking its laptops in an Air direction, which isn’t surprising — but signs of these being the end-result of new manufacturing process? The jury’s still way out. One more pic after the break of that controversial side piece.

[Via MacRumors]

Continue reading More pics of Apple’s supposed new laptops surface

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Original post by Joshua Topolsky

I was in Pearle Vision today looking to buy some new glasses with my new prescription, when I overheard two female customers asking about Sarah Palin’s trendy eyewear. The lightweight, titanium, rimless rectangular frames were made for her by Home Optics, a retailer in Chugiak, Alaska. Sarah Palin’s eyeglasses are custom made, but based on the Kawasaki 704 series and the color is 34 gray, if you’re interested in owning your own pair.

I asked the Pearle Vision employee if they get a lot of requests for Sarah Palin glasses and she said, “Yes, quite a bit, but most aren’t serious once they hear the sticker shock of $400.”

Say what you will about Sarah Palin, but it appears Palinmania is live and well, even here in Connecticut, which is solid Blue Democrat territory. Of course, women buying the designer glasses could just as easily be huge SNL Tina Fey fans (anti-Palin) as well. So the trendy glasses could be a political statement for either side of the political fence. Or they could just be nice looking glasses is all — and the customer could careless one way or the other the political leanings of Sarah Palin.

Tags: designer glasses, eyewear, glasses, Pearle Vision, Sarah Palin, SNL, Tina Fey, vice president, VP

Related Entries
• Sarah Palin email hacked, posted to Wikileaks & Wikileaks goes down -
  Sep 17, 2008

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Original post by nafiz

In case you haven’t heard, some hackers hacked into Governor Sarah Palin’s Yahoo! email account. Some of the emails were posted to Wikileaks.org, a site that posts leaked information. Well, apparently the popularity of Sarah Palin must have brought down Wikileaks, since I can’t get to their website.

I’m guessing all the media coverage and pointing to the Wikileaks site must have overwhelmed their website with too much traffic. The Palin Phenomenon continues! Whether you love or hate Sarah, there is no doubt that she has changed the political landscape for this election cycle and perhaps forever. It’s quite apparent that conservative women can now also make the national spotlight previously held only by moderate to liberal women (aka Democrats).

here’s the URL if you want to be a voyeur and read Sarah’s emails. (when the site comes back up that is)

http://wikileaks.org/wiki/Sarah_Palin_Yahoo_account_2008

Of course, if you’re a conspiracy theorist then President George Bush, the CIA, or the FBI shut down Wikileaks.

Tags: conservatives, Democrats, email, hacked, liberals, Palin Phenomenon, Sarah Palin, Wikileaks

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Comments on this Entry:

(foo bard on
Sep 18, 2008 12:02 AM)

gawker.com has the pix still. was also on 4chan for a bit. numerous private mirrors of the emails still abound.

yahoo deleted the emails for her upon request, which may be destruction of evidence in the current ongoing investigations into her actions as governor. pretty convenient!

the CIA requested copies of the emails from Associated Press, and they declined (like, duh? get your own copies off the internets?)

madprops to Anonymous.

(Anonymous on
Sep 18, 2008 6:36 AM)

Anonymous is not a group of hackers - it’s a leaderless collective of like-minded individuals, from all walks of life.

http://www.enturbulation.org/press-media/faq

(soma451 on
Sep 18, 2008 7:46 AM)

wikileaks has been taken down according to wikipedia.

(http://openid.aol.com/Reedie591 on
Sep 18, 2008 2:15 PM)

This is Bull SH_T, What happen to Freedom of Speech. This is what we will get if the McCain and Palin WIN on Nov 4, censorship……………… Wake up America

Palin tried to censor the book in the library of her hometown. What will be censor next

(anon i mouse on
Sep 18, 2008 3:57 PM)

You can get a zip file here
http://cryptome.org/

or if you’re in the US, the wikileaks site is blocked but this will work instead.
http://www.wikileaks.org.nyud.net/wiki/Wikileaks

(david on
Sep 18, 2008 4:31 PM)

You can get to the wikileaks page (and documents) here:

http://www.wikileaks.org.nyud.net/wiki/Sarah_Palin_Yahoo_inbox_2008

(John H on
Sep 18, 2008 5:59 PM)

>This is Bull SH_T, What happen to Freedom of Speech.

Yeah, free to steal people’s emails and post them online. Why not copy/paste Harry Potter books online? Freedom of speech my ass!

>This is what we will get if the McCain and Palin WIN on Nov 4, censorship……………… Wake up America

Better than a tax-increasing, flip-flopping, anti-American, anti-military, terrorist-associating, Black theology toting, sitting 20 years in a racist church, and being the most left-wing member of the U.S. Senate! Screw NObama! I have more experience that he does.

Obama is an empty suit. All talk and no experience.

>Palin tried to censor the book in the library of her hometown. What will be censor next

Wrong on the facts idiot. It’s been proven Palin did NOT censor books. Gets your facts straight!

read this:
http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/sliming_palin.html

Original post by nafiz

If you’re into your motors and concept vehicles that may or may not see the light of day then you’ll love this little number from Gibbs Technologies. It is the world’s only HSA (High Speed Amphibian) company, which doesn’t really surprise us, and recently demoed its new amphibious all terrain vehicle - the Quadski. As you might guess it’s a cross between a quad-bike and a jetski, is capable of travelling up to 50mph on both land and water and neatly switches between the two thanks to four retractable ruggedised wheels. This particular model is only a prototype but from the image above (more from the link below, along with a bunch of other crazy car/boat hybrids) it seems to be working pretty well. This is the sort of thing we’d love to see in production and can imagine it’d be a big hit on Stag Dos and adventure days out. - Paul Lester [Gibbs] quad bike jet ski extreme

Original post by nafiz

If you’re into your motors and concept vehicles that may or may not see the light of day then you’ll love this little number from Gibbs Technologies. It is the world’s only HSA (High Speed Amphibian) company, which doesn’t really surprise us, and recently demoed its new amphibious all terrain vehicle - the Quadski. As you might guess it’s a cross between a quad-bike and a jetski, is capable of travelling up to 50mph on both land and water and neatly switches between the two thanks to four retractable ruggedised wheels. This particular model is only a prototype but from the image above (more from the link below, along with a bunch of other crazy car/boat hybrids) it seems to be working pretty well. This is the sort of thing we’d love to see in production and can imagine it’d be a big hit on Stag Dos and adventure days out. - Paul Lester [Gibbs] quad bike jet ski extreme

Original post by nafiz

With green motoring all the rage, there’s always interest when a new non-fossil fuel method of getting from A-to-B crops up. This time it’s air, or compressed air to be precise, which the Taiwanese are hoping will help it deal with its chronic pollution problems. Researchers Yu-Ta Shen and Yean-Ren Hwang of the National Central University in Taiwan have developed an air-powered motorcycle, which swaps gas for compressed air. Around 20% of the air pollution in Taiwan is caused by motorcycles, the most popular form of transportation. Hwang explained: “In Taiwan, air pollution is a very serious problem in the cities.” He added that the carbon monoxide and unburned hydrocarbons emissions are worse from motorcycles and scooters than from cars. So just how does the air-powered bike work out then? Ah, with limitations actually. Right now, the tank in the prototype can hold a little more than two and a half gallons of compressed air, which is good for just three-quarters of a mile. They are working on a larger tank size though which will also be cabable of dealing with higher levels of pressure that would allow for 20 miles without a refill. Of course the bikes will also need an alternative energy source to compress the air and a network of refilling stations but it’s a step in the right direction. When you look at congestion in Taiwanese cities, London’s roads look almost empty.-Martin Lynch [Discovery] news motorbike energy

Original post by nafiz

Anyone remember that episode of The Simpsons when Homer buys an oven for his car so he can cook hot’n tasty snacks when he’s on the go? We all chuckled and moved on with our lives, it’s The Simpsons, right? It’s supposed to be stupid. Unfortunately that particular episode seems to have had a lasting effect on some old Joe who has gone and taken things a bit too far. Maplin, of all people, has recently released a 12V microwave specifically designed for in-car use. It’s made of steel and comes with all the leads needed to either wire it directly to your car’s battery or hook it up via the cigarette lighter charger. It even goes so far as to tell you that you can warm up cold pizza in two minutes or heat up a cup of coffee in three. No joke, it’s available now on Maplin’s website for an introductory offer of £89.98 (so get it while it’s hot) rising to £129.99 on September 2nd. We’ve seen some half-baked ideas in our time but whoever cooked up this particular monstrosity needs a good Beeton (sorry). - Paul Lester [Maplin] [CarKeys] microwave car gadget

Original post by nafiz

Remote control (RC) cars are dime a dozen these days so it’s nice to see a nice RC motorbike crop up, like this 1:12 scale Ducati from Silverlit. What’s really cool is that thanks to an in-built gyro, the rider can lean from from side to side when cornering fast, just like those lunatics at Donnington. The throttle response can be adjusted to allow for fast, middling and gentle acceleration, which is handy if you’re a beginner and you don’t want to send your £50 investment hurtling out into traffic. There are spring suspensions too, allowing you get all Evel Knievel with some jumps. The key features are: * 1:12 scale licensed vehicle * Digital Proportional control * 27MHz FM modulation radio control * Steering trim system * Brake endpoint adjustment * Throttle rate selector * Battery low detection * Support PPM coding method * Available in two frequencies You can find more on the bike here and see a video of it in action [without sound though] below.-Martin Lynch [Geek Alerts] gadget motorbike fun

Original post by nafiz

It’s a little publicised fact that extended periods sitting in an office chair or car is going to make certain parts of your anatomy soar to critical temperatures. Short of flashing your colleagues or, giving your gran a stroke, as you attempt to ventilate your privates, you may need some technology to help you out. OK, a brief stroll outside at regular intervals might do the same trick but then you wouldn’t be able to spend £42 on another gadget. This is the Suzukaze (a.k.a.”Cool Breeze”) air-conditioned cushion that keeps you elevated and your underpass cool in the summer months of hard work and even harder online gaming. It runs off rechargeable batteries which the company says would only cost an average of 3p per month - don’t ask me how they figure that out. The company selling them, Kuchofuku, also sells a luxury version with a dual layer of Super Spacer material and touch-sensitive switch while there’s also a car version. Perfect for those M1 tailbacks. Watch the video below and find out more here.-Martin Lynch [Gearlog] gadget news fun

Original post by nafiz

Most sensible people will agree that in the case of motorway driving in particular, it’s not speed that kills but overanxious and careless changing of lanes. New developments from Nissan are set to improve road safety in these sorts of situations by expanding on the warning beep found on modern cars if you’re veering into the path of danger by physically discouraging you from turning. If a car is advancing particularly quickly in the lane you’re trying to move into from a blind-spot, for example, a steering wheel resistance device will try and deter you from changing lanes. This is one of a number of new measures being investigated that also includes side-collision prevention and the ‘virtual bumper’. Ultimately the driver will still have full control over the vehicle and the systems will likely work by simply making it clear that you shouldn’t be doing what you’re trying to do. Pedestrians aren’t being left out either, with the company also working on an anonymous GPS system, detected via people’s mobile phones, to alert motorists of other potential danger. Nissan aims to halve fatalities and serious injury resulting from collisions by 2015 with an ultimate aim to prevent them altogether. - Paul Lester [Networksworld] Nissan cars road safety

Original post by nafiz

When it comes to talking cars, that smug KITT from Knight Rider comes to mind but the European Union has just reserved a chunk of the communications spectrum because we could all soon have talking cars. The EU has reserved 30MHz of spectrum to allow cars to talk to each other about road conditions in an effort to reduce road deaths. The thinking is that cars will be equipped with technology - yet to be decided on and standardised - that can detect poor road conditions and then wirelessly alert other cars and drivers via wireless communications. The system would also allow traffic management systems to alert drivers to dangerous roads, accidents and traffic delays via transmitters placed along roadsides. Special roadside warning signs would also be able to communicate with cars. Over 42,000 people died on European roads in 2006 - with 1.6 million injured - and the EU believes that talking cars could help reduce that figure. There’s also a little matter of traffic jams going to cost the EU up to €80 billion a year in lost revenue by 2010, something a new wireless traffic alert system could help offset. Viviane Reding, the European Union’s telecoms commissioner, commented: “Today’s Commission decision is a decisive step towards meeting the European goal of reducing road accidents. Getting critical messages through quickly and accurately is a must for road safety.” With so much going on in the car, couldn’t things get a little distracting? After all, GPS is already a growing danger for some drivers. So, EU genius at work or would the money be better spent forcing everyone in certain European countries to wear seat belts?-Martin Lynch car driving news

Original post by nafiz