What ongoing legal battle? Psystar is pumping out a brand-new hackintosh, running Mac OS X Leopard for considerably less money than the real deal. Open(3) features a minimum 2.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2 GB of RAM, a 500 GB hard drive and a GeForce 8400GS 256 MB graphics card. With those minimum specs, sans keyboard, mouse and monitor, the machine sells for $599. It’s more like $1,050 to deck it out with twice the RAM and storage, a Core2Quad processor and a top-tier graphics card, but that’s still about $1,000 less than Apple’s offerings. They must be fuming in Cuptertino, so order now before all hell breaks lose. [Psystar via Engadget]
iPhone 3.0 has been officially revealed to the public. The new iPhone 3.0 operating system will include some basic (and some highly demanded) updates that will make using an iPhone easier and more immersive. Here are a few of the changes that the new iPhone 3.0 will feature:
- Cut, Copy and Paste. It’s about time! You can now cut/copy/paste between applications on the iPhone OS version 3.0.
- Global Search Functionality – allowing you to search your iPhone and all of its apps in one single query bar.
- Landscape View Composition – you can now compose emails, text messages and notes while in landscape mode, allowing for a wider keyboard.
- Peer-to-Peer Bluetooth – want to share files, contacts and more with your friends? You can now do so via Bluetooth. Welcome to the social.
As more news hits, we’ll post it here. For now, we welcome the new functionality to our iPhones– its about damn time!
This St. Paddy’s day you may want to avoid swigging back those Guinesses, at least until you’ve gotten the scoop on iPhone 3.0. Apple will be previewing its new iPhone OS and a new version of its software development kit at a media event for reporters and bloggers at 10AM. That’s next Tuesday, March 17 for all you non-drinkers. Given that Apple has made recent introductions of new Mac hardware and a new Shuffle via press release, analysts are expecting this event to unveil some exciting and concrete iPhone updates. Some of the new features being speculated include universal search, updated user interface and multimedia messaging. Could this be an indicator that the new iPhone is on its way for June? [Wired]
Apple’s newest iPod shuffle doesn’t just play your tunes, it also talks to you. The device has a new “VoiceOver” function that will tell you the name of the song you’re listening to as well as the artist name. You can also get it to read you what tracks are coming up in your playlist (since the shuffle doesn’t have a display screen). The 4GB music player is so small now that all its controls are located in the earbud cord (which will definitely create an issue if you like to rock other headphones or lose yours). At $80, the player is pretty reasonably priced; we’re definitely thinking about picking one up- what do you think about the new shuffles? [via Wired]
If you’re looking for an iPod speaker system for your girlfriend or child, this one might be a winner. This cute and cuddly teddy bear is actually an iPod speaker system in disguise. The system in concealed in the plush bear (so you don’t see ugly speakers) and you can connect your iPod to it via a USB cord, much like when you connect your phone to your computer. The bear runs on batteries (that hopefully aren’t charging your iPod) and runs $38, which could make it a reasonably affordable gift option. What animals would you like to see a speaker system built in? We’re thinking a dragon or snake option might be pretty cool. [via DVICE]
With the economy in upheaval, it’s getting more and more difficult to establish a reliable investment, or indicator for that matter. To illustrate, two longtime blue chips are currently teetering on the Dow Jones industrial average fence. With stocks dropping below the $2 mark, GM and Citigroup are in peril of getting pushed straight out of the index. Who’s going to replace these economic powerhouses? It looks like it could very well be a player from the tech sector as names like Google, Cisco and Apple have been floating around as possible candidates. While the index is simply a “broad-based but investable measure of the U.S. stock market, intended for use as the basis of investment products”, it’s a step in a prestigious direction for those name brands that we all lust for here at Gear Crave. [Electronista]
It’s a great day for unverafiable information, with a double dose of Apple rumors. Let’s start with the juicy one: Digitimes reports that Wintek, a Taiwan-based manufacturer, is working with Apple on some new products, including a touch screen “for Apple’s new netbook.” This product would be larger than an iPod Touch but smaller than the 13-inch MacBook, and is said to launch in the third quarter of this year. Mark your calendars and see if the report comes true.
The second rumor is more of a prediction. Apple’s next OS, called Snow Leopard, will launch on June 8, Baltimore Sun reporter David Zeider believes. There are a lot of Apple books coming out that month, and last June Steve Jobs said the next OS would come out in about a year. To firm up the date, Zeider looked at the likely window for Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference. A generic “Corporate Meeting” is scheduled at the usual venue, at about the usual time of year, starting June 6, and he figures it’ll take a couple of days for Apple’s announcement. True or not, Zeider suggests holding off on a new MacBook until Snow Leopard arrives. [Digitimes and Baltimore Sun via Wired, fake tablet from Frato]
Am I the only one who doesn’t really want this? The alleged iPhone prototype is cool and all, but it’s a prototype because the real thing is better. Still, the plastic matte screen and old-school user interface are neat enough, and it must be fun to mess around with accelerometer options, as suggested in the photo above. Best of all, it turns on, makes calls and receives SMSs, though it’s not clear who the service provider would be. To sweeten the deal, the seller is throwing in a second prototype that doesn’t work at all. That’s something I definitely don’t want. Let the biggest Apple fanboy pay a boatload for the pair. [eBay via Engadget]
This morning, Apple revealed their new, updated Mac Mini along with other announcements about the Mac Pro and iMac systems. The new Mac Mini will feature an Intel Core 2 Duo processer running at 2.0 GHz, will feature NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics, and is available in a 2GB RAM / 320GB HDD system for $799, or 1G RAM / 120GB HDD for $599. In addition to the Mac Mini, Apple has revealed a new Nehalem-based Mac Pro, featuring Intel Quad Core processors and a starting price of $2,499. Last, Apple has also revealed some new iMacs with some updated specs. Check out the news below, both direct at Apple and around the web…
- Apple News and Press Releases
- Gadget Blog Coverage
