Tech Digest

Apple debuts new iMac

As expected Apple has unveiled the latest version of iMac computer at its Apple Expo show in Paris.

Dubbed the iMac G5 the new computer features Apple’s high-performance G5 processor and a new design that integrates the entire computer into the flat panel display.

Apple is also claiming the system's depth of just two inches makes the iMac G5 the world’s thinnest desktop.

The new line up offers 17- or 20-inch active matrix widescreen LCDs and G5 processors running up to 1.8 GHz starting at just £919 (inc. VAT).

In the typical Apple style Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing claimed that "Just like the iPod redefined portable digital music players, the new iMac G5 redefines what users expect from a consumer desktop. With the entire system, including a gorgeous 17- or 20-inch display, just two inches thin, and a lot of people will be wondering 'where did the computer go?'

Whether the computer re-ignites sales of the iMac, which has been a weak area for Apple in recent years remains to be seen.

Apple Unveils the New iMac G5

World's Thinnest Desktop Computer Features High-Performance G5
Processors

APPLE EXPO, PARIS—August 31, 2004—Apple® today unveiled the new iMac®
G5, featuring the high-performance G5 processor and a stunning new
design that integrates the entire computer right into the flat panel
display. The iMac G5 packs a complete computer system into a mere two
inches of depth—the world's thinnest desktop computer. The new line
offers 17- or 20-inch active matrix widescreen LCDs and G5 processors
running up to 1.8 GHz starting at just £919 (inc. VAT).

"Just like the iPod redefined portable digital music players, the new
iMac G5 redefines what users expect from a consumer desktop," said
Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Product
Marketing. "With the entire system, including a gorgeous 17- or 20-inch
display, just two inches thin, a lot of people will be wondering 'where
did the computer go?' "

The new iMac G5 makes the ultimate statement in design simplicity. The
entire computer, including the power supply and slot-load optical
drive, is built right into the display and rests on a sleek aluminium
foot. All the I/O ports line up neatly along the rear right side for
easy access, and with optional AirPort® Extreme and Bluetooth wireless
modules, there's no more cable clutter. With its elegantly thin
profile, compact footprint and whisper-quiet operation (less than 25
dB), the new iMac G5 is the perfect fit for any room in the home or
office.

The new iMac G5 features the breakthrough performance of the PowerPC G5
processor, as well as numerous system performance improvements designed
to help consumers turbocharge their digital lifestyle applications. The
17-inch models come with either a 1.8 GHz PowerPC G5 processor and a
SuperDrive™ for burning professional-quality DVDs, or a 1.6 GHz PowerPC
G5 processor and a Combo drive for watching DVD movies and burning CDs.
The 20-inch model has a 1.8 GHz PowerPC G5 processor and a SuperDrive.
With a completely redesigned system architecture, the new iMac G5 now
offers up to a 600 MHz front-side bus, 400 MHz DDR memory expandable to
2GB, AGP 8X graphics and 7200 rpm Serial ATA drives up to 250GB. The
new iMac G5 comes standard with high-performance NVIDIA graphics with
dedicated video memory for outstanding graphics performance and
realistic game play.

The new iMac G5 was designed to be the perfect computer for iLife® '04,
Apple's award-winning suite of digital lifestyle applications. iLife
'04, which comes with every new iMac G5, includes iTunes® for managing
and buying digital music, iPhoto® for organising and sharing digital
photos, iMovie™ for digital movie-making, iDVD™ for creating and
burning Hollywood-style DVDs and GarageBand™, a revolutionary music
application that turns the iMac G5 into a professional-quality musical
instrument and recording studio.

The new iMac G5 desktops offer a total of five USB ports (three USB
2.0) and two FireWire® 400 ports for easy plug-and-play connections to
popular peripherals such as Apple's market-leading iPod® digital music
player, digital video camcorders, digital still cameras and printers.
Providing the latest in wireless communications, the new iMac G5 offers
an optional internal Bluetooth module and includes a built-in antenna
and card slot to support an optional AirPort Extreme Card for 54 Mbps
802.11g fast wireless networking*. The new iMac G5 also includes
built-in 10/100BASE-T Ethernet and a 56K V.92 modem for fast Internet
access.

Mac OS® X version 10.3 "Panther" is pre-installed and delivers
breakthrough features including iChat AV, an easy to use desktop video
conferencing solution; FileVault, which uses the latest security
standards and 128-bit encryption technology to ensure that data in the
home directory is kept secure; Exposé™, a revolutionary new way to
instantly view all open windows; Instant On, which wakes the computer
from sleep in just one second; and Automatic Networking, which
automatically switches the network connections between Ethernet, 802.11
wireless and modem. The new iMac G5 also comes with a collection of
productivity, learning and entertainment titles including AppleWorks,
Nanosaur 2 and MarbleBlast Gold. Everything you need for your digital
lifestyle is included right out of the box.

Pricing & Availability
The new iMac G5 line will begin shipping worldwide in mid-September
through the Apple Store® (www.apple.com/uk) and Apple Authorised
Resellers.

The new iMac G5, for a suggested retail price of £919 (inc. VAT),
includes:
• 17-inch widescreen LCD with 1440-by-900 pixels;
• 1.6 GHz 64-bit PowerPC G5 processor;
• 256MB of 400 MHz DDR SDRAM;
• Combo (DVD-ROM/CD-RW) optical drive;
• NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 Ultra graphics processor with 64MB video
memory;
• Two FireWire 400, three USB 2.0, two USB 1.1 ports;
• 10/100 BASE-T Ethernet networking, 56K V.92 Modem;
• Internal support for AirPort Extreme wireless networking and
Bluetooth;
• 80GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 7200 rpm; and
• Built-in stereo speakers and microphone.

The new iMac G5, for a suggested retail price of £1049 (inc. VAT),
includes:
• 17-inch widescreen LCD with 1440-by-900 pixels;
• 1.8 GHz 64-bit PowerPC G5 processor;
• 256MB of 400 MHz DDR SDRAM;
• SuperDrive (DVD-R/CD-RW) optical drive;
• NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 Ultra graphics processor with 64MB video
memory;
• Two FireWire 400, three USB 2.0, two USB 1.1 ports;
• 10/100 BASE-T Ethernet networking, 56K V.92 Modem;
• Internal support for AirPort Extreme wireless networking and
Bluetooth;
• 80GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 7200 rpm; and
• Built-in stereo speakers and microphone.

The new iMac G5, for a suggested retail price of £1349 (inc. VAT),
includes:
• 20-inch widescreen LCD with 1680-by-1050 pixels;
• 1.8 GHz 64-bit PowerPC G5 processor;
• 256MB of 400 MHz DDR SDRAM;
• SuperDrive (DVD-R/CD-RW) optical drive;
• NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 Ultra graphics processor with 64MB video
memory;
• Two FireWire 400, three USB 2.0, two USB 1.1 ports;
• 10/100 BASE-T Ethernet networking, 56K V.92 Modem;
• Internal support for AirPort Extreme wireless networking and
Bluetooth;
• 160GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 7200 rpm; and
• Built-in stereo speakers and microphone.

Build-to-order options and accessories include up to 2GB of RAM, 160GB
and 250GB hard drives, AirPort Extreme Card, AirPort Express™ and
AirPort Extreme Base Station, internal Bluetooth module, Apple Wireless
Keyboard and Apple Wireless Mouse, and the AppleCare Protection Plan.

The new iMac G5 systems, including a new configuration without an
optical drive, are also available to education customers.

*Actual speed will vary based on range from the base station,
environmental conditions and other factors.

Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the
Apple II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the
Macintosh. Apple is widely recognised for its innovative and
award-winning Mac desktop and notebook computers, OS X operating
system, and iLife digital lifestyle and professional applications.
Apple is also leading the digital music revolution with its
market-leading iPod line of portable music players and iTunes online
music store.

3 makes a deal with Emap

Here's one for the kids. 3's just made a deal with Emap that means customers can download ringtones and pictures from Emap's most popular titles. Brands such as FHM, Kiss, Kerrang!, Smash Hits!, Q, Empire, Heat, New Woman, Mojo and Mixmag.

For £2.50, you can download a selection of tunes and pictures, with 75 new selections added every week. Music from Smash Hits! and Kiss should appeal to the youth market - the ones who are responsible for keeping the ringtones and wallpapers market alive - but we're not entirely sure how popular the Mojo offerings are going to be. What are they going to come up with? Jimi Hendrix ringtones and a Fab Four picture for wallpaper? Not exactly target audience is it?

World's largest hard drive

By which we don't mean that it's large size-wise, but that, at 400GB, it's the biggest capacity hard drive out there at the moment. Hitachi is the company responsible, producing the 3.5-inch DeskStar (!) 400P for all you data hungry users out there.

In the words of Group Executive, Mark Wilkin: “the growth of broadband internet access and home networking is helping to fuel the demand for more data storage and higher transfer rates. With 400GB of storage capacity at your disposal you can download several full length feature movies, store up to 100,000 high quality 4 minute MP3 files or hold the equivalent data of 40,000 typical library books on disk.”

More details from the press release follow:

Bundled with all the software, cables and accessories needed for computer users to easily upgrade their computer systems, the Hitachi DeskStar™ 400P offers an easy way to boost storage capacity and improve system performance. By combining Hitachi’s enterprise-class hard disk drive technologies with an excellent software and accessories pack, consumers get a impressive disk drive that is easy and simple to install.
The DeskStar™ 400P is ideal for high performance multimedia playback and recording. A high rotational speed (7,200 rpm for the DeskStar™ 400P whilst the previously largest disk drives typically operate at 5,400 rpm) combined with an 8 MB data buffer ensures excellent performance and data transfer rates. This also allows users to benefit from faster system boot ups, quicker screen refreshes and quicker access to information.

The complete DeskStar™ 400P kit includes an Easy-Setup guide, high speed cable and mounting screws plus installation utilities and Hitachi Data Fitness Test software. Free on-line and telephone support is also available for customers.

It will be on sale in September.

HP iPod pics

It seems that the blue iPod we were all epecting from HP isn't going to happen after all. The company has released details of its iPod over in America, giving the 20GB version an estimated street price of $299 and the 40GB version a street price of $399.

While the pictures of HP's branded Apple iPod may look pretty bright and colourful, they're actually just bog standard white like the normal ones. The colours are courtesy of some bright stickers - or tattoos - that users can print off from HP's website. The tattoos are removable so you can change the colour of your iPod whenever the mood takes you.

No news as yet on when the music player will be out over here.

Read the press release here.

World's slimmest Optical Zoom Digital Camera

Casio over in America has announced the launch of what it claims to be the world’s smallest optical zoom digital camera. We’re certainly not going to dispute that, the Casio Exilm Card EX-S100 looks tiny. Available in October for $399.99, the 3.2MP camera uses Casio’s innovative transparent ceramic lens technology in a 2.8X optical zoom lens unit.

Just like all the Exilms, the EX-S100 is made entirely from stainless steel and there’s a 2-inch preview screen on the back of the casing. It measures 3.46 x 2.24 inches (88 x 57mm), is .66 inches (17mm) thick and .56 inches (14mm) at its thinnest point.

Read the full press release here.

First Treo 650 pictures appear

First pics of the Treo 650 (not the 610 as rumoured) have emerged. A poster on the Treo Central forums has come up with the goods, and it looks like the Palm smartphone has a removable battery, new backlit keyboard and Bluetooth. There's also a 1.3-megapixel camera and a high resolution screen.

Apparently none of the 600 peripherals will work with the new handset.

Read [Via Gizmodo]

USB Desk fan with a difference

A couple of nice gadgets have appeared on Japanese website, Rare Mono Shop, which no doubt one of the gadget e-tailers will import at some stage. The two USB desk fans provide a nice cooling flow of air in your direction, but also double up as more sensible USB peripherals. One of them comes with a 7-in-1 Card Reader, capable of reading CF, MD, SM, MS, SD, MMC, MS-PRO memory cards. The other is a USB Hub providing 4 extra USB 2.0 ports.

Both fans use USB 2.0 connection. The fan head can be angled up and down on its base and you can switch the fan speeds up and down, which is pretty impressive as far as we're concerned.

Read

Griffin EarJams for iPods

Griffin has been at it again producing add-ons for the iPod you didn't know you needed. This time it's snap on EarJams, designed to attach to your iPod earphones. The idea is that they will improve the sound quality as well as the comfort of the earbuds, supplying "massive bass" and raising the volume by up to 10 decibels.

Three different sizes are supplied in the pack so you can find a set that fit comfortably into your ears. Because they wedge inside your ears, they also help to reduce outside noise. If they reduce noise leakage you owe it to your fellow commuters to buy a set. People with noisy headphones always have terrible taste in music. It's a fact.

Griffin

MPx220 to include Blackberry service

It has come to our attention that Motorola’s new smartphone, the MPx220, is going to come with Blackberry push emails. The quad band MS Smartphone-based handset is definitely due out later this year (despite rumours to the contrary, Motorola in the UK has just confirmed this.) It’s already a pretty appealing phone, including features such as a 1.2-megapixel camera with flash and a mini-SD card, but the Blackberry functionality will add that little bit extra.

Since the lovely MPx handset appears to have been delayed indefinitely for the time being, we’ll have to content ourselves with getting excited about the 220 – no great difficulty. We’re easily excitable.

Moto

Vieta adds DivX to its in-car DVD

In car DVD players are the perfect way to avoid ever having to communicate with members of your family. Stick on a DVD and everyone can stare slack-jawed at the TV for the entirety of the journey. What could be better?

Vieta’s CDV-50D adds an extra twist to the in-dash DVD player. The box includes DivX compression, which means you’ll be able to squeeze a whole load more films onto one disc or burn films to CD-R. The player, which should cost around £150, also supports MP3, WMA, VCD, SVCD and MPEG-4 file formats.

There’s three outputs, so you can have up to three LCD screens set up in the car. Inputs for games consoles and rear-view cameras, along with both optical digital audio output and analogue stereo audio output are all on board.

Vieta