OCZ Summit SSD Available by the end of April

OCZ Summit SSD Available by the end of April

OCZ is currently offering 3 types of SSD:
- Value: the entry level model, cheap model but based on JMicron controller known to be saturated easily by multiple requests due of the lack of memory cache.
- Apex: while based on the same JMicron controller, it uses 2 of them in a RAID 0 setting to provide higher performance level and avoid being affected to quickly by multiple requests.
- Vertex: more interesting model as they feature a controller with a large cache memory offering respectively around 200 MB/S and 160 MB/S in reading and writing modes..

OCZ will add a fourth types of SDD, becoming he flagship of hte company, the Summit series:

Those disks are in fact clones of the latest SSD announced by Samsung, offering transfer speed about 25% higher than the Vertex models: 250 MB/S and 200 MB/S in reading and writing mode respectively. This is a good news for customers. Indeed, if Samsung is present in several news about such products, its SSD are very difficult to find in shops, whereas OCZ products are quite popular in consumer electronics shops.

Blockbuster to offer movies, TV over TiVo
Blockbuster today said it would start delivering movies and TV shows over TiVo's DVRs. The tie-in will give users about 10,000 combined movies and TV shows that can be purchased or rented from any Series 2, Series 3 or HD series device. The company is offering movie rentals for between $2 and $4 and permanent movie purchases between $15 and $20. As part of the deal, Blockbuster says it will als...



New Mac Pro: "Do It Yourself" Is BACK

Many mac users remember that Apple launched a Do It Yourself program with the launch of the iMac G5. It was intended to allow customers to exchange some faulty parts by themselves. this program was quickly dropped as only a minority of customers might really be able to open an iMacG5 case without creating any new additional damage. The program seems to be back with the release of the new Mac Pro. Apple is currently offering many TechNotes describing how to change some components and parts found in the new Mac Pro:
- Mac Pro (Early 2009) - Bluetooth Cable Replacement Instructions 
- Mac Pro (Early 2009) - Mac Pro RAID Card and Battery Replacement Instructions 
- Mac Pro (Early 2009) - PCIe Fan Replacement Instructions 
- Mac Pro (Early 2009) - Optical Drive Replacement Instructions 
- Mac Pro (Early 2009) - Speaker Replacement Instructions 
- Mac Pro (Early 2009) - Front Panel Board Cable Replacement Instructions 
- Mac Pro (Early 2009) - Processor Cage Fans Replacement Instructions 
- Mac Pro (Early 2009) - Processor Cage and Clips Replacement Instructions 
- Mac Pro (Early 2009) - ATI Radeon HD 4870 Card Cable Replacement Instructions 
- Mac Pro (Early 2009) - PCIe/Graphics Card Replacement Instructions 
- Mac Pro (Early 2009) - ATI Radeon HD 4870 Graphics Card Replacement Instructions 
- Mac Pro (Early 2009) - Memory DIMMs Replacement Instructions 

It is still not explain how to change the motherboard, but as most of the critical component are now located on the daughter card, some users might be able to change some parts without needing the service of a APR or certified Apple service center.

 

iPhone Game Masters Get $10M VC Power-Up
The iPhone is no stranger to competition. Just like its Mac cousins, it's constantly in a market share race against a wide-open field of contenders, and it knows its way around a courtroom, where Apple's lawyers have a habit of schooling the opposition. However, it might be games of a more casual nature that will really make or break the platform. iPhone and iPod touch games have been a breakout category in the iTunes App Store. Case in point: Just this week, Ngmoco got $10 million in its Series B round of funding.

The Little Brother of NVidia GeForce 9400M

According to VR-Zone, NVidia will launch a new version of its popular GeForce 9400M.

This chips will be a cheaper version, with less features:
- Support for the DDR3 only 
- 8 PCI Express lines instead of 20 for the GF 9400M, so one can not add a second GPU on the board.
- 4 SATA ports instead of 6.
- 1 analog and 2 digital display interfaces.

This chips will of course have a lower clock speed than the GF 9400M, so it will also drain less energy. We are currently thinking that this chip might already be in some Apple products, such as he Mac mini as it features 2 digital display interfaces (HDMI + DisplayPort) while the G9400M does not offer 2 digital interfaces. So it might have been developed for the Mac mini, and only becomes available for all PC integrators now.
In addition, we would not be surprised that Apple use such chip in future entry-level MacBook or iMac as it is pin compatible with the current GF 9400M while being cheaper and most probably not affecting seriously the video performance of such models. 

O2 offers iPhone free on £35, new Apple phone imminent?
O2, Apple's mobile phone partner in the UK, is to offer the iPhone 3G for free as part of a new contract deal available from next month.

TUAW review and giveaway: Polaroid PoGo Instant Mobile Printer

Filed under: Accessories, Analysis / Opinion, Hardware, Peripherals, Reviews

This review has an interesting history. Back at the end of January, Polaroid sent a note to TUAW requesting that we ask our readers to join in asking Apple to support Bluetooth printing from the iPhone. Polaroid had a very good reason for doing this, since the iPhone is a phenomenally successful smartphone. Those millions of iPhone users would make a very good market for Polaroid's new PoGo Instant Mobile Printer, a tiny pocket-sized photo printer that prints out 2" x 3" borderless prints.

I asked Polaroid if we could test a PoGo for our readers who don't own iPhones, and also to see how it works with the Mac. The results of our tests follow, along with details of a giveaway where two lucky TUAW readers can win a PoGo and a 30-pack of the special paper that it uses.

Continue reading TUAW review and giveaway: Polaroid PoGo Instant Mobile Printer

TUAWTUAW review and giveaway: Polaroid PoGo Instant Mobile Printer originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 25 Mar 2009 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Commander: Napoleon at War comes to Mac OS X
Freeverse has launched the war-based game Commander: Napoleon at War for the Mac, after being previously announced in January. The latest instalment in the Commander series is a high-level turn-based strategy game that provides the same gameplay mechanics as its predecessor, and takes place in the Napoleonic era. In addition to the mechanics, Napoleon at War offers several new features such as a m...



EA Scrabble for iPhone connects with Facebook
EA Mobile has announced its Scrabble game for the iPhone and iPod touch now connects to the Facebook Scrabble application. By offering a connected version of the game, users can play head-to-head against anyone accessing the game on either Facebook or the iPhone/iPod touch. Players also receive scores and statistics which displays their rank against other players, and a built-in chat function that...



Boxee updates alpha, adds another Hulu workaround
The international team of developers working on Boxee are gathered in New York and to celebrate, a new version of the Boxee alpha has been released with additional content. The move also brings another round in Boxee's battle with Hulu. Boxee's new XUL-based browser framework imitates Mozilla's Firefox and makes it harder for Hulu to block access to Boxee users by preventing a simple ban; any bl...



OCZ Summit SSD Available by the end of April

OCZ is currently offering 3 types of SSD:
- Value: the entry level model, cheap model but based on JMicron controller known to be saturated easily by multiple requests due of the lack of memory cache.
- Apex: while based on the same JMicron controller, it uses 2 of them in a RAID 0 setting to provide higher performance level and avoid being affected to quickly by multiple requests.
- Vertex: more interesting model as they feature a controller with a large cache memory offering respectively around 200 MB/S and 160 MB/S in reading and writing modes..

OCZ will add a fourth types of SDD, becoming he flagship of hte company, the Summit series:

Those disks are in fact clones of the latest SSD announced by Samsung, offering transfer speed about 25% higher than the Vertex models: 250 MB/S and 200 MB/S in reading and writing mode respectively. This is a good news for customers. Indeed, if Samsung is present in several news about such products, its SSD are very difficult to find in shops, whereas OCZ products are quite popular in consumer electronics shops.

Blockbuster to offer movies, TV over TiVo
Blockbuster today said it would start delivering movies and TV shows over TiVo's DVRs. The tie-in will give users about 10,000 combined movies and TV shows that can be purchased or rented from any Series 2, Series 3 or HD series device. The company is offering movie rentals for between $2 and $4 and permanent movie purchases between $15 and $20. As part of the deal, Blockbuster says it will als...



New Mac Pro: "Do It Yourself" Is BACK

Many mac users remember that Apple launched a Do It Yourself program with the launch of the iMac G5. It was intended to allow customers to exchange some faulty parts by themselves. this program was quickly dropped as only a minority of customers might really be able to open an iMacG5 case without creating any new additional damage. The program seems to be back with the release of the new Mac Pro. Apple is currently offering many TechNotes describing how to change some components and parts found in the new Mac Pro:
- Mac Pro (Early 2009) - Bluetooth Cable Replacement Instructions 
- Mac Pro (Early 2009) - Mac Pro RAID Card and Battery Replacement Instructions 
- Mac Pro (Early 2009) - PCIe Fan Replacement Instructions 
- Mac Pro (Early 2009) - Optical Drive Replacement Instructions 
- Mac Pro (Early 2009) - Speaker Replacement Instructions 
- Mac Pro (Early 2009) - Front Panel Board Cable Replacement Instructions 
- Mac Pro (Early 2009) - Processor Cage Fans Replacement Instructions 
- Mac Pro (Early 2009) - Processor Cage and Clips Replacement Instructions 
- Mac Pro (Early 2009) - ATI Radeon HD 4870 Card Cable Replacement Instructions 
- Mac Pro (Early 2009) - PCIe/Graphics Card Replacement Instructions 
- Mac Pro (Early 2009) - ATI Radeon HD 4870 Graphics Card Replacement Instructions 
- Mac Pro (Early 2009) - Memory DIMMs Replacement Instructions 

It is still not explain how to change the motherboard, but as most of the critical component are now located on the daughter card, some users might be able to change some parts without needing the service of a APR or certified Apple service center.

 

iPhone Game Masters Get $10M VC Power-Up
The iPhone is no stranger to competition. Just like its Mac cousins, it's constantly in a market share race against a wide-open field of contenders, and it knows its way around a courtroom, where Apple's lawyers have a habit of schooling the opposition. However, it might be games of a more casual nature that will really make or break the platform. iPhone and iPod touch games have been a breakout category in the iTunes App Store. Case in point: Just this week, Ngmoco got $10 million in its Series B round of funding.

The Little Brother of NVidia GeForce 9400M

According to VR-Zone, NVidia will launch a new version of its popular GeForce 9400M.

This chips will be a cheaper version, with less features:
- Support for the DDR3 only 
- 8 PCI Express lines instead of 20 for the GF 9400M, so one can not add a second GPU on the board.
- 4 SATA ports instead of 6.
- 1 analog and 2 digital display interfaces.

This chips will of course have a lower clock speed than the GF 9400M, so it will also drain less energy. We are currently thinking that this chip might already be in some Apple products, such as he Mac mini as it features 2 digital display interfaces (HDMI + DisplayPort) while the G9400M does not offer 2 digital interfaces. So it might have been developed for the Mac mini, and only becomes available for all PC integrators now.
In addition, we would not be surprised that Apple use such chip in future entry-level MacBook or iMac as it is pin compatible with the current GF 9400M while being cheaper and most probably not affecting seriously the video performance of such models. 

O2 offers iPhone free on £35, new Apple phone imminent?
O2, Apple's mobile phone partner in the UK, is to offer the iPhone 3G for free as part of a new contract deal available from next month.

TUAW review and giveaway: Polaroid PoGo Instant Mobile Printer

Filed under: Accessories, Analysis / Opinion, Hardware, Peripherals, Reviews

This review has an interesting history. Back at the end of January, Polaroid sent a note to TUAW requesting that we ask our readers to join in asking Apple to support Bluetooth printing from the iPhone. Polaroid had a very good reason for doing this, since the iPhone is a phenomenally successful smartphone. Those millions of iPhone users would make a very good market for Polaroid's new PoGo Instant Mobile Printer, a tiny pocket-sized photo printer that prints out 2" x 3" borderless prints.

I asked Polaroid if we could test a PoGo for our readers who don't own iPhones, and also to see how it works with the Mac. The results of our tests follow, along with details of a giveaway where two lucky TUAW readers can win a PoGo and a 30-pack of the special paper that it uses.

Continue reading TUAW review and giveaway: Polaroid PoGo Instant Mobile Printer

TUAWTUAW review and giveaway: Polaroid PoGo Instant Mobile Printer originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 25 Mar 2009 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Commander: Napoleon at War comes to Mac OS X
Freeverse has launched the war-based game Commander: Napoleon at War for the Mac, after being previously announced in January. The latest instalment in the Commander series is a high-level turn-based strategy game that provides the same gameplay mechanics as its predecessor, and takes place in the Napoleonic era. In addition to the mechanics, Napoleon at War offers several new features such as a m...



EA Scrabble for iPhone connects with Facebook
EA Mobile has announced its Scrabble game for the iPhone and iPod touch now connects to the Facebook Scrabble application. By offering a connected version of the game, users can play head-to-head against anyone accessing the game on either Facebook or the iPhone/iPod touch. Players also receive scores and statistics which displays their rank against other players, and a built-in chat function that...



Boxee updates alpha, adds another Hulu workaround
The international team of developers working on Boxee are gathered in New York and to celebrate, a new version of the Boxee alpha has been released with additional content. The move also brings another round in Boxee's battle with Hulu. Boxee's new XUL-based browser framework imitates Mozilla's Firefox and makes it harder for Hulu to block access to Boxee users by preventing a simple ban; any bl...