Our new blog will feature news, tips and products from the world of technology, as well as highlights from some our clients endeavors. Plus we'll add a few of our favorite picks from YouTube that arrive in our Inbox each month!
Feel free to comment on any of the featured entries.
Everyone’s computer is plugged into his or her home power. Not all home power is the same. Some are clean, some are dirty, some are noisy, and all are potentially problematic.
Ever turn on an appliance only to have the lights dim? If you do not have an uninterruptible power supply (UPS), you are sending those power fluctuations down to your computer, and all the parts inside it.
There are full blown power outages, where power is abruptly removed from your computer. Probably the worst, is a brown out, where about half the power is supplied to your computer.
A UPS is a small battery. Once plugged into your power outlet, it will charge like any other battery. You then plug your computer into the UPS. From that point forward, your computer will run off of the battery.
You can even pull the plug from the wall, and your computer will still run, albeit for a short time. Long enough to allow you to save your work and gracefully shut down.
In addition, this battery will protect you from any surges and drops in power. In our opinion, this is a mandatory item to have. Data is just too important; computers are too expensive to repair. The chances of power fluctuations are too high to risk not spending a relatively small amount of money to protect yourself.
The nice thing about Apple's OS X, and the USB based UPS units, is they can communicate with each other. No need to install any additional software. Just plug the UPS into your wall, your computer into the UPS, and a USB cable from the computer to the UPS, and you are set. You will have new options in your Energy Saver Preferences that allow you to define what your computer does when there is a power outage.
Amazon has good deals on them, here's one that works well. The unit is small, silent, and just works!
Another client, Jeff Kollman, also performed at NAMM 2008, with two of his ongoing projects, Cosmosquad, as well as his latest one, which also features drummer, Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
The video features the new band, "The Bombastic Meatbats" making their live debut appearance!
Video of one of our clients, GLENN HUGHES, performing live at NAMM 2008 in Anaheim, Calfornia on January 18th, 2008.
He also recently announced some of his upcoming tour dates...in support of his new album, "First Underground Nuclear Kitchen" (FUNK) which is scheduled for a release in May.
February 2008
18 House of Blues, Hollywood, CA. USA (with the Rock'n'Roll Fantasy Camp)
March 2008
4 Emerald Theater, Mt. Clemens, MI. USA (Rescheduled date)
28 Boathouse Theatre, Fredrikstad, Norway
29 Namsos Rockfestival, Norway
May 2008
09 Lillehammer, Norway
10 Smuget, Oslo, Norway
11 Smuget, Oslo, Norway
13 Spectrum, Augsburg, Germany
15 Zeche, Bochum, Germany
16 Musiktheater Rex, Lorsch, Germany
17 Stadthalle, Metzingen, Germany
19 Retro Music Hall, Prague, Czech Republic
20 Masters Of Rock Cafe, Zlin, Czech Republic
22 A38, Budapest, Hungary
23 Divadlo Arena, Bratislava, Slovakia
24 Media Park, Ljubljana, Slovenia
26 Teatro Fanin, Bologna, Italy
27 Music Drome, Milan, Italy
28 TBC
30 Spirit of 66, Verviers, Belgium
31 De Boerderij, Zoetermeer, Netherlands
June 2008
01 Plato, Helmond, Netherlands
July 2008
25 Catton Hall, Walton On Trent, Derbyshire, UK
Apple announced a new line of portable computers during Steve Jobs' keynote speech at MacWorld San Fransisco today, the MacBook Air. The new line is a complement to the existing MacBook and MacBook Pro lines.
Features of the new portable include being "the world's thinnest notebook," at 0.16" to 0.76" - thinner than the the thinnest part of a Sony TZ series laptop. Screen size is an LED backlit 13.3" widescreen with a magnetic latch. The MacBook Air keyboard is MacBook-like, but with an ambient light sensor. The new machines feature a multi-touch trackpad, allowing the user to double-tap and move. Rotate a photo by pivoting your index finger around your thumb, as well as pinch & zoom.
Additionally there's a 45 Watt MagSafe power adapter, a Micro-DVI out as well as Audio Out, 802.11n + Bluetooth 2.1/EDR. There's a 1.8" hard drive for storage - either 80GB standard, or a 64GB SSD as an option. Intel shrunk the size of the Core 2 Duo chip by 60% to fit in the new machine.
Battery life is approximately 5 hours. No optical drive is on the MacBook Air, but a SuperDrive accessory is available for $99. There's also new software being released that allows the portable to "borrow" a Mac or PC's optical drive. All models feature 2GB of memory standard.
The case is fully aluminum (good for recycling), the first fully mercury and lead free display, circuit boards are BFR free, and retail packaging are 56% less volume than a MacBook.
The new MacBook Air starts at $1799 is available for pre-order today, and is expected to be shipping in two weeks.
Now there's no computer required - you can now rent movies directly on the Apple TV in your choice of DVD quality or HD + Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound. Podcasts are available in audio and video format, as well as photos from Flikr and .Mac and sync with iTunes. AppleTV allows you to preview movies from the interface, and see what other users who have rented that movie have rented. Photo screensavers can be retrieved from .Mac web galleries. Music can be purchased from the iTunes Store from within the Apple TV.
The update is available as a free software update that should be available in two weeks for current AppleTV owners. Entry price for the AppleTV also drops from $299 to $229.
HD rentals are $4.99, with 100 titles available today.
Apple announced a number of updates to the iPhone platform today. The iPhone has sold over 4 million units since going on sale 200 days ago.
That averages 20,000 iPhones sold per day. In its first quarter shipping, the iPhone garnered 19.5% of the US Smartphone market (2nd, behind only RIM's BlackBerry).
iPhone SDK Release scheduled for February
New Software today
Google Maps with Location
Webclips - website bookmarks on your home screen. Clips will remember where you zoomed/panned to, and you are able to create up to 9 of them.
Chapter Options & Language Capability - now available in iPod mode.
Multiple-Contact SMS
Available today as a free update to all existing iPhone users.
In their quest to find the world's best driving road, our favorite TV auto show, Top Gear races a Lamborghini, a Porsche and an Aston Martin in the Italian Alps.
