June 24, 2007

Mega Leopard Update, Not To Be Missed

Posted by Seamus Byrne at 11:00 PM on June 24, 2007

leopardog.jpgThere's been a lot of OSX Leopard news hitting this weekend. From video tours to embedded jokes at the expense of Microsoft, if you are interested in anything Leopard you've just gotta hit the jump. To those who don't care at all, we tried to save your eyes from a couple more Apple posts (that we'll later cash in for more iPhone coverage).

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Frankenreview: 7 Takes on Santa Rosa MacBook Pros

Posted by Seamus Byrne at 3:02 PM on June 24, 2007

macbookpro03_20060109wtmk.jpgWe're yet to see benchmarks for the new Santa Rosa MacBook Pros (these are the Macworld marks from the Core 2 Duo updates back in November). The odds are good they'll show respectable improvements over the old model, not just because of the new Santa Rosa chipset, but Nvidia's new monster 8600M makes short work of 3D gaming. But what about the other features? How's the battery life? What's the deal on those LED screens? Is the MBP still hot enough to sterilize me if actually left on the lap? Hit the jump to see what they reviewers have to say on the new 15-inch laptops beyond the benchmarks.

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OS 10.4.10 Snap, Crackle, Pop

Posted by Seamus Byrne at 8:50 AM on June 24, 2007

kelloggs.jpg To Mac owners who have yet to upgrade to OS 10.4.10, you may want to wait a bit before slapping on the double digits. A huge thread worth of upgraders found themselves subjected to what has now been coined as "snap, crackle and pop" during audio playback. The problem seems to occur on multiple systems through built-in speakers and output jacks alike. So unless you enjoy eating Rice Krispies via inner ear ingestion, we'd recommend you hold out on the update. And now we're hungry. Apple Discussions [via digg]

Rockband Drums Revealed (Kind of...)

Posted by Seamus Byrne at 7:56 AM on June 24, 2007

rockband-drums.jpg Some of you may not know about Rockband—but it's the follow up to the Guitar Hero series in which instead of only playing guitar/bass tracks, a whole band of otaku can join forces to virtually rock. MTV believes it may be the new paradigm in experiencing music, just as their own product was 20 some years ago. Here are the drums, as presented for the first time. It looks like red, yellow green and blue rims will define the various drum types in a marching band quad drums layout. So there's potential. We'll see how they play.

AU: The image actually says that this ISN'T what the drums will look like, but rather a recreation of the prototype kit the guys at Game Informer saw.
Rock Band DRUMS! [via digg]

PSP Update, Faster Processing

Posted by Seamus Byrne at 6:30 AM on June 24, 2007

psp_3pt50_275.jpgIt's been so long that we'd completely forgotten that the PSP was underclocked at release. With Sony's 3.50 firmware update, the PSP's processor will be upgraded from 266 to 333 MHz. This slight boost in processing power will offer developers a bit more power to design for, though as most of our readers know, that's not a massive speed bump. Originally, most speculated that the system was clocked down for battery life. Kotaku speculates that the processor bump supports the prospect of a bigger battery and/or the rumored new PSP system. And we'd have to agree. PSP Speedboost with 3.50 Firmware [kotaku]

Robotic Venus Flytrap

Posted by Seamus Byrne at 5:47 AM on June 24, 2007

fly1.jpgThe Fly Catcher is an automated fly killer modeled after the Venus Fly Trap...or that plant from Little Shop of Horrors...we can't be certain. The mouth is filled with a non-toxic substance that is irresistible to flies. When these flies/sometimes Jeff Goldblum creep in for their fix, one of two sensors is tripped and jaws slam shut. After a moment, the jaws reopen to a loud, AAA-powered electronic belch sure to entertain your friends (for 2 minutes before you annoy the hell out of them when you won't stop playing with it). The vendor calls the trap a "frivolous, yet somewhat practical solution to the summer fly problem," and we can't agree more. About $30. Product Page [via coolestgadgets]

A Car That's a Grill

Australian Post Posted by Seamus Byrne at 5:00 AM on June 24, 2007

medium_580642351_2af6373b79_o.jpgThis Holden Monaro GTS is a classic car that's been sacrificed for the greater good: the burning of animal flesh (and some corn). Our buddies at Jalopnik received some shots of this VBQ from its Australian home. The product is DIY work for the time being, but anyone who starts a business of quasi-mass production will get a nice plug from yours truly. We love this idea of supporting recycling, filling our bellies and pissing off our wives—all in one glorious CarBQ. Hit up the link for a full gallery. Holden Monaro [jalopnik]

Men Talk More Than Women (on Phones)

Posted by Seamus Byrne at 4:15 AM on June 24, 2007

245556sdc.jpgFor whatever stereotypes may have existed about women talking on the phone (which, incidentally, were always true in my household, growing up with an older sister while doing my best to phone-mac on the ladies myself)—are untrue as applied to cellphones. According to a recent Father's Day survey by AT&T of 1,000 people, men are using an average of 458 minutes a month, while women are consuming a mere 453 minutes during the same time. Of course, the finding also imply that men are talking more to other men during this time, because otherwise the numbers would be equal—which just further asserts stereotypes that women hate other women. Men Chat on Mobiles More Than Women [via mobilemag]

Finger Folder USB

Posted by Seamus Byrne at 3:30 AM on June 24, 2007

artlebedevfingerfolder.jpgWhat happens when Art Lebedev Studios puts a real folder on a device that holds virtual folders? You get a grade A Gizmodo post, that's what. Well, that, and you get our minds started on philosophical topics like the nature of existence, the authenticity of a copied product and the relative timespan in which we will maintain interest in USB storage when compared to the age of the Universe. No word on pricing yet, but hopefully it's cheaper than their Optimus Maximus Keyboard. Designer Page [via newlaunches]

Black iPod Shuffle?

Posted by Seamus Byrne at 2:00 AM on June 24, 2007

fake_ipodshuffle_8.jpgIs Apple releasing a new black iPod Shuffle?? In one word, no. While this black iPod Shuffle is a real product, it's "assombled" in China by an unlicensed OEM. Still, we appreciate the fine attention to detail in the packaging (minus spelling) and the $14 price. Is it possible that Apple is charging a ridiculous surplus on their products? Nah. fake_ipodshuffle_2.jpg Anyone see the episode of The Office when Michael Scott gives away an iPod during the dirty Santa gift exchange? Let's just say that our Christmas budget is looking awfully big this year. A Black iPod Shuffle [le journal du geek]

Animated Transformers Tees

Posted by Seamus Byrne at 1:05 AM on June 24, 2007

transformersTs.gifNot all of us can turn into Optimus Prime like our fearless editor Brian Lam, so we generally settle for animated Transformers t-shirts. Coming in Autobot and Decepticon styles, you'll need to stay powered up with 2 AAA batteries to keep your stream of geek photons steady—but let's admit it—that's way less power than your lightsaber requires. At $34.99, your allegiance to your new robots overlords will cost you, but making that career leap from organic robot toilet paper to the kid who gets to drive around the Mustang until it transforms and crushes him to death is important in our new society fraught with lug nut shortage. Product Page [via shinyshiny]