Apple on Wednesday released a pair of updates to exterminate lingering bugs: one for Boot Camp, and one for the firmware in iMacs’ graphics processors.
Boot Camp—OS X’s utility that allows users to install Windows on their Macs—received an update that brings critical bug fixes and hardware support. Boot Camp 3.3 is a 199.75 MB download that requires Windows 7 and Boot Camp 3.2; it’s recommended for all Bootcamp 3.2 users.
We all have our little workflow dependencies—me, I find it hard to do my job without a full mug of tea, some familiar music, and the ability to make Web searches from my browser’s address bar. While Firefox and Chrome both support this functionality out of the box, Safari users have long had to turn to add-ons. We’ve covered several such in the past, but Arne Martin Aurlien’s Safari Keyword Search stands apart, for one simple—albeit technical—reason.
Like many of those other utilities, Safari Keyword Search lets you define certain keywords to quickly search a variety of sources right from Safari’s address bar. So, for example, I might want to look up a particular historical figure on Wikipedia; to do so, I just type “w Napoleon” into the location bar. Immediately, I’m taken to a list of results on Wikipedia.
Autodesk on Wednesday launched a new video-effects application for Macs, one that uses the face-tracking technology of OS X Lion to create exotic images using your computer’s camera.
Motion FX uses Autodesk’s Maya animation software to offer 80 visual effect filters—including smoke, fire, and “rainbow plasma”—all designed to react in real time to your on-camera movements. Users can set the application to apply the effects using motion, face, or color detection. Animated thumbnails allow you to preview effects before using them. (See the video below for a demonstration.)
Next-generation iPhone rumors are back: It’ll run on Sprint! It’ll have a cheaper version for the developing markets! Meanwhile, if you’re reading this on your iPad in the bathroom, I just want to caution you to watch out for, uh, malware. And Samsung takes aim at one of Apple’s most ardent defenders with its latest legal filing. The remainders for Tuesday, August 23, 2011 are sorry, Dave—they’re afraid they can’t do that.
Don’t walk, run to your new rumored iPhone carrier. Pointing to unnamed sources, the Wall Street Journal says that when Apple releases a new iPhone this fall, it (as well as any older iPhone model that’s left on the market) will also be available on Sprint. That would open the iPhone up to three of the U.S.’s four major carriers (the fourth, T-Mobile, would fall in line if the government approves its acquisition by AT&T).
If you have a Mac Pro (which have yet to be updated with Thunderbolt) and a USB 3.0 hard drive, you can take advantage of USB 3.0 speeds by installing HighPoint’s new RocketU Quad USB 3.0 PCI-E card. The RocketU features four USB 3.0 ports, with each port rated at 5Gbps (USB 2.0 is rated at 480Mbps). The RocketU can be used with USB 2.0 drives, but there isn’t any added speed benefit.
You can connect four different hard drives to each port of the RocketU, and each drive will appear on your desktop. But the RocketU also has a RAID controller, and you can configure up to four devices as a RAID 0, 1, 5, or 10 array. HighPoint includes web-based RAID management software.
iFixit’s teardowns are always a fun read—not just for the sometimes-gory shots of computer innards, but also for the little tidbits discovered along the way. Case in point: The company’s Mac Mini teardown revealed space and a cable port for an additional hard drive. Now, if you have a brand new Mac Mini and are wondering “Why, I’d love to add an additional hard drive to my Mac Mini without paying $750 for a solid-state drive addition or $999 for a Mini with Lion Server,” never fear: iFixit has the $70 kit for you.
While the company’s Mac Mini Dual Hard Drive Kit doesn’t come with an additional hard drive, it provides you with everything else you’ll need to stick that Mac Mini on your operating table and get to work, including a proprietary SATA hard drive cable, four shock-absorbing mounting grommets, four mounting screws, a Mac Mini Logic Board Removal Tool, a 26-Piece Bit Driver Kit, and the ever-handy spudger (a long black plastic stick).
Michael Dell and HP go head-to-head on the PC industry, Lenovo throws down the gauntlet in the tablet space, and it’s The People vs. Apple on censorship. The remainders for Monday, August 22, 2011 talk the talk and walk the walk.
After news broke last week of HP selling off its PC division, Dell CEO Michael Dell traded barbs with HP via Twitter. This is like watching two dinosaurs argue about what to have for dinner while a giant meteorite is hurtling towards the Earth. If, you know, the dinosaurs had had a social-networking site.
