New Final Cut Studio /Logic Studio Quietly Released

This was very unexpected. As I was roaming Apple's site, new Apple Software suites were being shown off in the "Mac" section. Two Apple Production suites, Final Cut Studio and Logic Studio, were majorly upgraded. These new versions of the popular production software of course claim to make your creation look better, through new features; most notably the use of the ProRes codec, which allows you to save HD video content in SD video file sizes. For more info, you can check Apple's pages here (FCS) and here (LS). Final Cut Studio (3) retails now for $999.00 USD, while Logic Studio will set you back $499.00 USD.

Kingston 256GB Thumb Drive

So Netbook and Notebook users with a limited amount of space, you'll be happy to hear what Kingston did. The Kingston DataTraveler 300 will be available to you. This bulky Thumb drive can do 20MB/Sec. read and 10MB/Sec. write, store 256GB of storage, has 24/7 Tech support, Supports Windows Vista ReadyBoost, and comes with a five year guarantee. This is the ideal storage for anyone who travels and users with limited space on their PC. But unfortunately this will only be available in Europe and the UK (for now). Anyone who can fish out $924.00 can place an order at several resellers and e-tailers.



DataTraveler 300 Product Features and Specifications:
Capacity***— 256 GB
Speed****— Data transfer rates of up to 20 MB/sec. read and 10 MB/sec. write
Safeguarded — includes Password Traveler security software for Windows
Convenient — does not require Administrator rights to access the Privacy Zone
Dimensions — 2.78” x 0.67” x 0.87” (70.68 mm x 16.90 mm x 21.99 mm)
Operating Temperature — 32° to 140° F (0° to 60° C)
Storage Temperature — -4° to 185° F (-20° to 85° C)
Simple — just plug into a USB port
Practical — durable, capless design
Guaranteed — five-year warranty
Enhanced — for Windows ReadyBoost™ on Vista-based systems******


Via TBreak

Universal BD Live Bridging to iPhone

Although Apple still hasn't managed to achieve feature parity with any of its competitors by enabling Blu-ray playback in OS X, it looks like Universal's bringing the mountain to the Mac -- or at least the iPhone. At first, the upcoming special edition of Fast and Furious will feature integration with a special iPhone / iPod touch app that'll allow viewers to control 360-degree models of the cars in the "Virtual Car Garage," but later Universal releases will feature the ability to control movie playback, read annotations while watching your flick, and even download ancillary video content for later playback on the go. Sounds like pretty nifty stuff -- let's hope El Steve reconsiders his whole "bag of hurt" stance when he gets the demo.

Via Engadget

Text to Speech: A great proofreading tool

If you are like me, you make common grammar and spelling mistakes in your writing, which sometimes can hinder with the message or story you are trying to get out. Also, most of the time, you miss those mistakes when proofreading. Well, a good tool that I use is my Mac’s “Text to Speech” feature, and I use it to read back what I wrote, and to check if what I wrote made sense. I do this with most of my writing (with the exception of Tweets, Facebook statuses, AIM conversations, etc.), and while it is a little time consuming, it helps me feel more confident and “sure” when publishing, or handing in work.

Note: Text to Speech will work in all applications that allow text highlighting. The text-to-speech will basically speak any text you highlight.

1. In order to allow easy access to text to speech, first, you have to go to the System Preferences ( > System Preferences), and go to the “Speech” pane, which is under the “System” category.

2. Then, once the Speech pane is open, go open up the “Text to Speech” tab. The window should be similar to the screenshot above.

3. To make the “Text to Speech” easier to access, go check the box next to the “Speak selected text when the key is pressed”. A locked button saying, “Set key…” should, now, be click-able. Click it, then a little dropdown window should appear, asking you to make a hotkey, that will enable text to speech on a highlighted text, with one or more modifier keys (Shift, control, command, etc.) and another key.

Press the keys that you want in your hotkey “key-combo”, and it will be recorded. Then to confirm the hotkey, click “OK”.

4. Now, you can test it out. Go to any software on your Mac that allows texts highlighting, and then highlight all, some, or a portion of a text, then use the hotkey you created. You should, then hear the computer talk. If it does, congratulations, you have successfully made this feature easily accessible. If it did not work, you will have to repeat this tutorial.

Now that the tutorial is completed, you can customize the speaking rate of the computer’s voice, change the person (voice) that is talking, and more. All the features can be seen in the “Text to Speech” tab in the “Speech” System Preferences pane.

Review: Incase Neoprene Case for 13-inch MacBooks

I recently bought a new 13-inch MacBook Pro with the intention of using it for my last 3 years of high school, and possibly into my first 1-2 years of college. In order to do that, I figured I had to buy a case in order to protect it from damage, specifically scratches and dents, dust, and dirt. I decided to pick the “Incase Neoprene sleeve for 13 inch MacBooks” in hopes that it would provide the protection that I need.

The Incase Neoprene sleeve, itself, is a very simple, minimal, and common design. The weight of the sleeve is only about a half a pound, and that is mostly contributed to the materials they used in making it.

The exterior is black neoprene, protecting the MacBook from condensation, and possibly a light liquid spill. Because the neoprene is “spongy”, it allows protection for your computer from small and minor drops.

As for the interior, it is faux fur, which is very soft and smooth-feeling. It will protect your baby from scratches, and it also adds to the padding and insulation as well. The faux fur is very smooth, allowing a really easy slip in/out. The only problem with putting it in the case is that you might want to be careful with the zipper, because the computer may make contact with the zipper track as you are slipping it in.

As some may know, seams and zippers on some laptop cases may cause scratches on your computer, and can also serve as weak spots, which can open up your computer to dings and dents. Well, in the Incase Neoprene sleeve, all the seams are blocked with cushions, which go around the whole sleeve, even right below the zipper. The cushions below the zipper are spaced enough so the cushioning does not get caught in it. The cushion also prevents the computer from contact with the metal zipper when its closed. Despite this, I am still careful in zipping up this case, often pulling the zipper toward me while closing it to prevent contact with the computer itself.

Overall, this sleeve does a really good job with protecting your MacBook, though since it’s soft, don’t expect it to be totally safe. While it may protect it from minor falls, don’t expect it to protect your computer that great from really strong impacts. Despite this, the Incase Neoprene sleeve is perfect for taking my laptop to school. I can simply put my MacBook Pro in the sleeve, zip it up, throw it in my backpack, and go on my way.

The Incase Neoprene sleeve for 13 inch MacBooks (as well as for the 15 inch MacBook Pros) is sold for $29.99 – $34.99 USD (depending on where you shop), and is available on some online and offline electronic retailers, and at most Apple stores and Mac resellers. This Incase sleeve comes in 5 colors:Black, Red, Grey, Sky Blue, and Pink.

Apple iTunes Update 8.2.1 stops music syncing with Pre

Well, we can't say that we did not see this coming, in fact Palm even said that the Pre's days of iTunes syncing capabilities may be numbered, but we did not expect it to happen so soon. In the software update note, Apple says the update "addresses an issue with verification of Apple devices". In other words, they weren't being verified before, and now they are, thank goodness. Peaceful sleep is once again within our reach. Of course, you will now have to literally upload the music files manually to add music to the Pre itself.

[Via Engadget]

What? 1.5 Billion already

Yes readers, you heard right, remember 3 months ago when Apple announced that they have near 1 Billion apps downloaded from the app store? Well, now they're at it again. In 3 months another .5 Bilion apps have been download and Apple announced it today. Can we expect to see another give away and can that same kid win twice? In one year 65,000 Apps from 100,000 iPhone App Developers have been made. Tough for other company to catch up.. Jobs had this to say.

“The App Store is like nothing the industry has ever seen before in both scale and quality,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “With 1.5 billion apps downloaded, it is going to be very hard for others to catch up."

http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2009/07/14apps.html

Black Wii looks fantastic

Ok, well we all know that this is just a black version of the original packaging of the Wii but it still looks incredible. And with that Aug 1st release date in Japan who can not wonder when this fantastic looking piece of cardboard will be in the states. It makes the Wii even more irresistible. Now only if the Wii 2 would be black, we would be in business.

Google Chrome OS

If you guys love Google products and software, you will love their latest official announcement. Google had announced the Google Chrome OS, yes you read right. Well, apparently it is slated to targeted to, and to be sold with netbooks sometime in 2010. The Linux based OS will be compatible with most x86 and ARM chips meaning that you can put it on to any basic computer. While there were no pics, or anything to show off the OS, there were some fakes posted at Engadget (via an external source).

This whole concept is totally outside Android, Google's mobile platform, and while we did see Android running on a few netbooks, this is just taking it to another level. This was also bound to happen, because anything is possible with Google. Not only do they run the most popular web browser, they bought the world's most popular video site (Youtube), they made a very edgy browser (Google Chrome), and they made a very successful mobile platform (Android). I feel that because the name, Google, is on the OS, it may automatically launch itself to popularity. As I always say, we'll have to wait to see what happens.

[Read]

Hey guys, follow me on Twitter!

Hey, I am starting to get more involved on Twitter. Find me @boly on Twitter. What do you get when you follow me? Well you will get heads up on articles, Youtube vids, and more. Go check it out, and if you lose this post, it is on the sidebar under my name on the "The DiTechite Team" portion of the sidebar.

Sony Ericsson Rachel Android device leaked - so is a video of its UI

The video above is [supposedly] for the previously leaked Rachel Android phone by Sony Ericsson. It appears [obviously] to be a custom Android build, similar in concept to the HTC Hero's Android build, as opposed to than the "Google Experience" shown in the G1 and MyTouch3G. The UI does look incredibly sweet, with its 3D effects and "somewhat" easy functionality. The phone itself, shown below, does not feature a physical keyboard, meaning that it relies on a virtual one. We did get a glimpse at the keyboard in the above video, and it does look a little cramped. Hopefully its not as small as it looks in the video.

As for the looks of the phone, Rachel is probably the best looking Android phone we've seen. Not only does it not have big clunky buttons in the front, but this also allows a large screen to occupy the face of the phone. I wish we had more for specs, but we will have to wait for the official PR in order to see what Sony has in store for us.

[Via Engadget]

Palm Pre heads to O2 and Movistar this holiday season

Palm officially announced they are releasing the Palm Pre across the pond to carrier O2 and Movistar, or UK, Ireland, Spain, and Germany by the holiday season.

What's even better news? O2 Germany is slated to "officially" release the GSM version of the Pre in the fall. No word on GSM Pre pricing yet.

PR:

PRESS RELEASE: Palm Pre to Launch in Europe with O2 and Movistar
Palm webOS Phone to Arrive in UK, Ireland, Germany and Spain on Local Telefonica Networks

WINDSOR, England--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 07, 2009--
Palm, Inc. (Nasdaq:PALM) today announced that the Palm(R) Pre(TM) phone is scheduled to be available initially in the UK, Ireland and Germany exclusively on the O2 network, and in Spain exclusively on the Movistar network, in time for the holidays. Palm Pre, the first phone based on the new Palm webOS(TM) mobile platform, brings your information from the many places it resides -- on your phone, at work or on the web -- into one simple, integrated view.(1)

"Europe continues to be an important region for Palm, and we're proud to work with O2 and Movistar to spread the excitement Palm Pre has already ignited in North America," said Jon Rubinstein, Palm chairman and chief executive officer. "Since we showed Palm Pre at Mobile World Congress in February, there's been a great deal of anticipation for an announcement about European availability, and that day is here."

"We are fast becoming the home of the smartphone with the addition of the hotly-anticipated Palm Pre to our already extensive portfolio," said Matthew Key, chairman and chief executive officer, Telefonica Europe. "Our customers will be the first outside of North America to experience one of the most successful mobile devices of the year."

In its first weekend of availability in the United States, Palm Pre broke Sprint's previous first-weekend sales records. Palm Pre also is scheduled to debut in Canada with Bell Mobility in the second half of 2009.

Palm Pre introduces a breakthrough user interface and hardware design that makes it one of the most integrated and user-friendly mobile phones on the market. Featuring a smooth, elegantly rounded ergonomic design and a physical keyboard that slides out only when needed, Palm Pre is engineered to feel natural in your hand and comfortably small in your pocket. When closed, Palm Pre is ideal for phone calls, web browsing, music, photos and videos; when open, Palm Pre is optimized for email and text messaging. It provides an exceptional experience for phone calls, whether held to your ear, over speakerphone or via Bluetooth.

With its curved slider and gesture-controlled touch interface, Palm Pre fuses exquisite design with the revolutionary webOS software for fast access to content on the device or web. Invented exclusively for mobile use, webOS offers an instinctive user experience that seems to anticipate your needs.

Key Features and Benefits of Palm webOS

Palm Synergy(TM), a key feature of the new webOS, brings your information from all the places it resides into one logical view. You don't have to worry about tracking multiple calendars, contacts and messaging applications -- Synergy seems to think ahead to bring you a more comprehensive and truly representative view of your life.

-- Linked contacts -- With Synergy, you have a single view that links your
contacts from a variety of sources, so accessing them is easier than
ever. For example, if you have the same contact listed in your
Outlook(2), Google and Facebook accounts, Synergy recognizes that
they're the same person and links the information, presenting it to you
as one listing.

-- Layered calendars -- Your calendars can be seen on their own or layered
together in a single view, combining work, family, friends, sports teams
or other interests. You can toggle to look at one calendar at a time, or
see them all at a glance.

-- Combined messaging -- Synergy lets you see all your conversations with
the same person in a chat-style view, even if it started in IM and you
want to reply with text messaging. You can also see who's active in a
buddy list right from contacts or email, and start a new conversation
with just one touch.
By smartly integrating your information, webOS seems to think ahead for you to keep you on top of the things that happen in your life, but that's just the first step. The platform's unique interface brings your information to you with the ease that only Palm can offer.

-- Run multiple applications at the same time -- Palm's revolutionary webOS
lets you manage multiple activities more effectively than any other
mobile platform today. It lets you keep multiple activities open and
move easily between them like flipping through a deck of cards. You can
rearrange items simply by dragging them; when you are done with
something, just throw it away by flicking it off the top of the
screen.(3)

-- Information at your fingertips -- Finding what you need is easy with
universal search -- as you type what you're looking for, webOS narrows
your search and offers results from both your device and the web.(4)

-- Intuitive and unobtrusive notifications -- When important things come up
or new updates arrive, you'll receive notifications with a diplomacy
that's a radical departure from other mobile platforms. For example, if
you receive a text message or email, a scrolling notifications bar at
the bottom of your screen lets you address it right away or leave until
later. webOS alerts are one step ahead, ensuring that you never miss a
thing, but never lose your place or train of thought.
Palm Pre Specifications

-- HSDPA/UMTS with EDGE/GSM

-- Integrated GPS(5)

-- Large 3.1-inch touch screen with a vibrant 24-bit color 320x480
resolution HVGA display

-- Gesture area, which enables simple, intuitive gestures for navigation

-- Slide-out keyboard (QWERTY in UK, Ireland and Spain, QWERTZ in Germany)

-- Email, including support for corporate servers with Microsoft Exchange(2)
as well as personal email support (POP3, IMAP)

-- Robust messaging support (IM, SMS and MMS capabilities) (3)

-- High-performance, desktop-class web browser

-- Great multimedia experience and performance (pictures, video playback,
music), featuring a 3-megapixel camera with LED flash and extended depth
of field, and a standard 3.5mm headset jack

-- Bluetooth(R) 2.1 + EDR with A2DP stereo Bluetooth support

-- 8GB internal memory (7GB user available)(6)

-- USB mass storage mode

-- MicroUSB connector with USB 2.0 Hi-Speed

-- Proximity sensor, which automatically disables the touch screen and
turns off the display whenever you put the phone up to your ear

-- Light sensor, which dims the display if the ambient light is dark, such
as at night or in a movie theater, to reduce power usage

-- Accelerometer, which automatically orients web pages and photos to your
perspective

-- Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g(7)

-- Ringer switch, which easily silences the device with one touch

-- Removable, rechargeable battery

-- Dimensions: 59.57mm (W) x 100.53mm (L, closed) x 16.95mm (D)

-- Weight: 135 grams
An array of compelling accessories also will be available for Palm Pre, including the first inductive charging solution for phones (sold separately). Simply set Palm Pre down on top of the elegantly designed Palm Touchstone(TM) charging dock without worrying about connection, orientation or fit. Palm Pre is active while charging, so you can access the touch screen, watch movies or video, or use the speakerphone.

Availability and Pricing

Palm Pre is scheduled to be available initially in the UK, Ireland and Germany exclusively on the O2 network, and in Spain exclusively on the Movistar network, in time for the holidays. Pricing for the phone has not yet been determined.

Customers who would like to register to receive additional information about Palm Pre and be notified when it's available can register at:

-- UK and Ireland: http://www.palm.com/uk-pre-notify

-- Germany: http://www.palm.com/de-pre-notify

-- Spain: http://www.palm.com/es-pre-notify

[Via Engadget]

LG reveals next-gen Chocolate - sorta

The very popular LG Chocolate was very known for its design, ease of use, and mass popularity. Well LG just teased the second generation LG Chocolate. Seen above, it supposedly has a screen with a revolutionary [about] 3 inch, with a 21:9 aspect ratio (like the one seen in the 56 inch Philips Cinema HDTV), and a 800 x 345 resolution. We'll find out more in August when LG will officially announce the phone.

[Read]

Vaio W - Sony's second netbook now official in the US

Seeing how much the Vaio P costs, and how crappy the specs were, this release does not come at a surprise. The new Vaio W [which is officially called a netbook] features 1.6GHz Atom processor, 160GB HDD, 1GB RAM, Windows XP, Bluetooth, 802.11b/g/n, VGA out, two USB ports, Ethernet, webcam, and MemoryStick / SD card readers. It also features software that streams your media to your PC and PS3. These specs don't come as a surprise to us, because it features the typical netbook features. It seems that Sony may market this netbook as an "in-home" product, seeing how there is no solid state drive option or 3G.

The price may not be amusing, because it is going to be available for $499, which is very pricy considering how much competing netbooks cost.

Mass order of cameras/iPod cases with camera hole hint at iPod cameras

This morning TechCrunch is claiming that a "massive number of camera modules" have been ordered per information provided by a source in Asia.

One of our sources in Asia say that Apple has placed an order for a massive number of camera modules of the type that they include in the iPhone. These are inexpensive cameras, in the $10 range. And the size of the order, our source says, means they can only be used for one thing - the iPods.

If thats not enough evidence for you, TheAppleLounge shows proof of a third-gen iPod Touch case with a hole for a center mounted camera (shown above). You can also [probably] expect a large hardware upgrade, similar to what was done with the iPhone 3GS, specifically a processor bump and graphics upgrade.

Prototype iPhone 3GS ends up being found at airport, going on ebay...

As some may recall, some people had gotten a hold of prototype iPhones (seen above) with early prototype versions of iPhone OS. Well, apparently someone got a hold of a prototype iPhone 3GS, and if some of you question the legitimacy of this rare find, an Apple Genius confirmed that it is an iPhone 3GS. Unfortunately, it is locked to the "Connect to iTunes" screen, and the Apple Genius was not able to unlock it (because of its prototype nature).
[Via Engadget]
[Read]

Speech Recognition

Enjoy, System Preferences< Speech< Speech Recognition

Star Wars Flash Drives

--Star Wars USB Drive--

Finally, a Star Wars flash drive! These cool drives will be available in October 2009, with 2GB (Not much) and a steep tag of $25.00. Expensive for the size, but really? Who can resist Yoda, Darth Vader, Boba Fett and Storm Troopers? Not the first time we the public have seen Star Wars flash drives, but now we can add 4 to our secret collection. Now the only question is, wheres the X-Wing drive?

Sony placing manufacturing orders for Slim PS3?

We haven't heard much about the PS3 slim since E3, but that doesn't mean it's been entirely quiet out there -- the hot rumor today is that Sony's signed manufacturing agreements with both Foxconn and Pegatron to build the revised model in time for July delivery. That much we believe, since it's been backed up by a couple different credible reports, but here's where it gets totally insane: there's a suggestion that the slim will be the last PS3 model of this generation, and that a next-gen console based on Sony's motion controller is due in spring 2010. We don't buy that at all, since the PS3 is just entering its prime and Sony was clear that the motion controller was for the existing console, so we think this rumor is getting garbled down the wire -- it's far more likely that the slim is being prepped for an August launch to coincide with those rumored price cuts, and that new PS3 bundles that include the motion controller are set to drop next year. That's just our take on the matter, though -- we'll see how things shake out.