Applelinks Tech Web Reader - Thursday, August 14, 2008
Are "Instant On" Notebooks The Future?
SSD Drive Finally Coming To MacBook/MacBook Pros?
Future Mac Laptop Range To Sport SSD drives?
World Shocked (Shocked!) By Legal P2P
Apple dIrector To Host iTunes Radio Show
The Connected Car is now a Wi-Fi hotspot
Got Any Old iMacs Laying Around? - Install Ubuntu Linux
The Apple of hackers' eyes
Use OS X 10.4 on a MacBook that came with 10.5
2 Things We Hate About PC World
Simple Mac Security in the Age of Malware
Toshiba And Wave Systems Partner To Develop Full Disk Encryption Solution For Mobile PCS
Are "Instant On" Notebooks The Future?
ZNet blogger Adrian Kingsley-Hughes says:
Dell has previewed a new instant on technology that allows users to carry out basic tasks on their notebooks without having to boot up into Windows. Is this the future for notebooks?
The technology, called Dell Latitude ON, will feature on the Latitude E4200 and E4300 in the next few months. It will allow users to have near-instant access to a Linux-based environment that offers email, calendar, attachments, contacts.... and a web browser, all without ever needing to boot into the main operating system. An added advantage of Dell Latitude ON its that it extends the battery life from hours to days. Sweet.....
Instant on technologies have a number of potential upsides for the end user. Speed of boot-up (near instant) and increased battery life are two obvious benefits, but there are others....
If I think about my normal notebook usage patterns, I'm pretty sure I could spend a good 80 - 90% of my time in the instant on environment and only boot into Windows when I needed to do something specifically Windows-centric....
[Editor's note: And on a Windows machine I can understand why you would wan to.....
]For the full commentary visit here:
http://blogs.zdnet.com/hardware/?p=2400
SSD Drive Finally Coming To MacBook/MacBook Pros?
Computerworld's Seth Weintraub says:
Just about everyone (including me) is saying that new MacBooks will be landing in about a month. Unlike the past few updates, this one (by most accounts) will be a total redesign.
Besides glass trackpads, and a thinner, full aluminum shell, what other fun stuff could be thrown in?.....
SSD Storage. I thought Apple was ready last time around but it now seems the numbers weren't there.... Well, Dell just made an announcement. The Latitude series comes with an add on 128GB SSD option for only $450..... That is a price point that MacBook (especially Pro) customers can really sink their teeth into.
But why does Apple have to stop there? Can't we have the best of both worlds? Why can't Apple ship a laptop with two forms of storage?....
With twice the SSD space (128Gb) costing roughly half the cost of the SSD option of January, will Apple take the plunge and give its users the option for an SSD powered MacBook?
For the full commentary visit here:
http://blogs.computerworld.com/ssd_drive_finally_coming_to_macbook_macbook_pros
Future Mac Laptop Range To Sport SSD drives?
Macworld UK's Jonny Evans says:
Apple seems set to make solid state flash drives available as an option across its laptop range, according to sundry reports....
Many predict new laptops, iPods and potentially more news on the iPhone at a special event the company is rumoured to have planned for next month.....
For the full commentary visit here:
http://www.macworld.co.uk/mac/news/index.cfm?RSS&NewsID=22399
World Shocked (Shocked!) By Legal P2P
The Register's Andrew Orlowski reports:
Why does the idea of legal P2P - something music fans have been clamouring for since the original Napster - still cause so much confusion?
Britain is set to be the first country outside Korea where punters will be offered such services (as we revealed back in June), but the idea still seems too incredible for many journalists and bloggers to comprehend.
Yesterday the Washington Post reprinted a garbled story from PaidContent which reports that Virgin is launching an unlimited music service that will "pay record labels for songs illegally downloaded by its customers" - a quite shocking idea!....
But this is exactly the idea behind legal P2P - a pool of money that's raised through subscription (or raised through advertising, or donated by a sugar daddy, such as Nokia) is simply divided up according to music exchanges over the network.....
As many as six such services will launch, we gather, with the first to appear before Christmas.
For the full report visit here:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/08/13/legal_p2p_shocker/
Apple dIrector To Host iTunes Radio Show
MacNN reports:
Premiere Radio Networks has announced that this weekend, a new, three-hour music countdown show backed by Apple will launch, titled The iTunes Download (link not yet functional). The show will be hosted by iTunes' Director of Music Programming, Alex Luke, and be broadcast from Los Angeles to a number of Top 40-format radio stations.....
For the full report visit here:
http://www.macnn.com/articles/08/08/13/the.itunes.download/
The Connected Car is now a Wi-Fi hotspot
The Detroit Free Press's Mike Wendland reports:
Starting Aug. 25, Chrysler will offer an option that will turn 2009 Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge vehicles into mobile Wi-Fi hotspots, a move we can soon expect to see copied by other carmakers.
Now, everyone in the car can be equally distracted.
Think of this: Around the country safety experts have been alarmed by rising accident rates from drivers who are using handheld phones to text and check e-mail. Some states and municipalities are even passing laws prohibiting use of handheld phones.
Will they do the same with laptops?
Do we really want our cars to be turned into the living room?
No matter how you answer, it's coming.
Chrysler is about to launch the latest and perhaps most advanced new automotive Internet service with its Uconnect Web system......
For the full report visit here:
http://tinyurl.com/5loucq
Got Any Old iMacs Laying Around? - Install Ubuntu Linux
ZNet Education blogger Christopher Dawson says:
You know the ones I'm talking about. The candy-colored ones that live forever, even as you're hoping they'll die so you can replace them with something that will run OS X? A few can be upgraded, but OS X is really made for something a bit, well, snappier. Instead of wishing for them to die, though, why not just install Ubuntu on them?
Ubuntu 8.04.1 is the latest and greatest from Canonical and isn't officially supported on older PowerPC hardware (Canonical has moved to AMD and Intel architectures exclusively). However, a community-supported version is available......
For the full report visit here:
http://education.zdnet.com/?p=1806
The Apple of hackers' eyes
mg.co.za reports: :
Security specialists said on the weekend that hackers are taking increasing aim at iPhones and Macintosh computers as the hot-selling Apple devices gain popularity worldwide.
Hackers have historically focused devious efforts on computers using Windows operating systems because the Microsoft software has more than 90% of the global market, promising evil-doers a wealth of targets.
Macintosh computers have been gaining market share and catching the interest of hackers, according to Zero Day Initiative (ZDI) security vulnerability analyst Cameron Hotchkies.
For the full report visit here:
http://www.mg.co.za/article/2008-08-13-the-apple-of-hackers-eyes
Use OS X 10.4 on a MacBook that came with 10.5
An anonymous Mac OS Hints contributor says:
I was able to get Mac OS X 10.4 to run on a new OS X 10.5-based Intel MacBook. To make this work, you need to own an intel iMac or Mac mini that runs on 10.4, as well as a USB hard drive. Here's how I got it working.....
[Editor's note: the process sounds time-consuming and convoluted, and I'm curious as to why someone with a machine that runs Leopard well would bother.]
You can check it out at:
http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20080731124318425
2 Things We Hate About PC World
Cult of Mac's Craig Grannell says:
We all read PC World. It's our gateway to millions of articles, thousands of reviews, that killer red masthead banner, and a terrific selection of opinions on various techie things. Without it, our lives would be empty, lonely and sad.
But, oh, does PC Word drive us crazy sometimes. It lacks obvious research, hobbles truth, and says things that are just plain dumb. In some cases, PC World's writers are to blame, not PC World itself, but the latter is the conduit through which those bad articles trickle.
We've rounded up 2 of these annoyances, all of which PC World could fix in about five minutes. In the meantime, we've listed workarounds for them - because, let's face it, much as we hate PC World sometimes, we're stuck with it.
For the full commentary visit here:
http://cultofmac.com/2-things-we-hate-about-pc-world/2520
Simple Mac Security in the Age of Malware
Low End Mac's Kev Kitchens says:
A few weeks ago, it was reported that the total count of known malware for Mac OS X had reached 3.
While some may be worried that the number of malicious programs aimed at the Mac is rising, I'm not concerned. Coming from years on Windows, I can assure you that I don't take a cavalier attitude towards security. Rather, I simply realized that all three viruses could only infect a system if the user willingly downloaded and opened them.
On Windows, a computer is vulnerable to a virus simply by being connected to the Internet.....
For the full commentary visit here:
http://lowendmac.com/ed/kitchens/08kk/mac-malware-security.html
Toshiba And Wave Systems Partner To Develop Full Disk Encryption Solution For Mobile PCS
[Press Release]
Toshiba Storage Device Division (SDD), an industry pioneer in small form factor hard disk drives (HDDs), and Wave Systems Corp. (NASDAQ:WAVX), a leader in trusted computing applications and services, today announced an alliance to develop a robust standards-based solution for the secure encryption of data on mobile computing platforms, such as laptop PCs.
The full disk encryption solution integrates Toshiba’s HDD encryption technology and an enhanced version of Wave’s EMBASSY Trusted Drive Manager and Remote Administration Server products for the management and administration of encrypting hard drives. Toshiba and Wave will demonstrate development versions of these products at the Intel Developer Forum (IDF) in San Francisco, August 19-21.
Wave has extended its client software, EMBASSY Trust Suite (ETS), which includes the Trusted Drive Manager, and the EMBASSY Remote Administration Server, to provide cross-vendor support for encrypting HDDs from multiple disk drive OEMs, including Toshiba's HDD encryption technology. ETS also manages other PC trusted computing hardware components such as Trusted Platform Modules (TPM), biometric finger print sensors and smart card readers. ETS is an industry-leading trusted computing software, with more than 30 million copies shipped via Wave’s major PC OEM partners.
Toshiba's HDD encryption technology uses design principles from the evolving draft specifications for trusted storage devices. The solution provides high-performance data encryption integrated into the drive hardware, with strong protection of the encryption keys and secure authentication as integral elements of the HDD design. Availability of Toshiba HDD models incorporating the encrypting technology will be announced at a later date.
"Stronger security for information on mobile PCs is becoming a high-demand feature as customers look for solutions to protect sensitive personal and business data," said Maciek Brzeski, vice president of marketing at Toshiba Storage Device Division. "Building on our legacy of HDD innovation and technology leadership, our partnership with Wave Systems enhances our current encryption technology platform and provides mobile PC manufacturers with advanced security features to deliver the data protection mobile users require."
When combined, Toshiba and Wave's state-of-the-art components provide a highly secure, easy-to-use and remotely manageable data protection solution for mobile PCs. Wave’s solution also assists enterprises with the compliance assertion tools required by many stringent data protection laws and regulations worldwide.
“As trusted computing hardware, including encrypting HDDs, becomes integrated into more mobile PCs, having components and software designed with common principles centered on strong access and data security becomes important for interoperability and cross platform management,” said Lark Allen, executive vice president, Wave Systems. “Wave Systems is committed to being an industry leader in implementing existing and developing trusted computing standards. Toshiba’s HDD encryption technology represents an important step toward delivering strong access security to enhance the protection of data - particularly data on mobile PCs.”
Toshiba and Wave Systems will demonstrate this solution in the Wave meeting room located on the third floor of Moscone Center West in San Francisco, August 19-21, 2008. For demonstration and meeting appointments contact Wave’s executive vice president Lark Allen at
For more information, visit:
http://www.toshibastorage.com
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