party

Feb 5 2007

Apple and the Beatles make nice

I’ll attempt to avoid the gratuitous referencing of song titles and lyrics as I relay to you that Apple Inc. and The Beatles’ company Apple Corps Ltd. have announced that they have entered into a new agreement concerning the use of the name “Apple” and apple logos which replaces their 1991 Agreement. Under this new agreement, Apple Inc. will own all of the trademarks related to “Apple” and will license certain of those trademarks back to Apple Corps for their continued use. In addition, the ongoing trademark lawsuit between the companies will end, with each party bearing its own legal costs, and Apple Inc. will continue using its name and logos on iTunes. The terms of settlement are confidential.

Commenting on the settlement, Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO said, “We love the Beatles, and it has been painful being at odds with them over these trademarks. It feels great to resolve this in a positive manner, and in a way that should remove the potential of further disagreements in the future.”

Commenting on the settlement on behalf of the shareholders of Apple Corps, Neil Aspinall, manager of Apple Corps said, “It is great to put this dispute behind us and move on. The years ahead are going to be very exciting times for us. We wish Apple Inc. every success and look forward to many years of peaceful co-operation with them.”

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Jan 11 2007

DLO unveils new iPod Homedock with video nav and album art

353508108 4208da2e83 m DLO unveils new iPod Homedock with video nav and album artDigital Lifestyle Outfitters (DLO) has unveiled the second generation of its HomeDock Deluxe — an enhanced home solution that uses a docked iPod to play a users iTunes music, TV shows and movies on any home entertainment system or big screen TV.

“Instead of linking back to your computer, HomeDock Deluxe accesses the files stored right on your iPod — so you can easily take it with you and reconnect to any TV or stereo system,” said DLO Creative Director Andrew Green.

Second-generation HomeDock Deluxe upgrades include complete iPod video navigation with customizable themes and screen savers, multi-language support including Spanish and Chinese, a convenient auxiliary port for plugging in a ‘visiting’ MP3 player, a new ‘My Jukebox’ feature that lets users select songs to build a party playlist on the fly, and, most notably, on-screen album art.

The enhanced DLO HomeDock Deluxe for iPod, priced at USD$149.99, will begin shipping this March. It will be available from iPod retailers worldwide and via the DLO web site.

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Nov 19 2006

ecamm iMage webcam

Not much new has come to the Web Cam scene in recent years. Companies like Logitech have introduced exciting new features like face-tracking that don’t work on Macs. Aside from the expensive-but-nice iSight, getting a webcam to work on a Mac usually involves old or third-party drivers that work, mostly.

No one knows the pain of webcaming Mac users like ecamm network. With their iChatUSB solution they’ve been allowing Mac users to enjoy inexpensive USB webcams with iChat. Now ecamm is going a step further with the first driver-less USB webcam for Macs. Before we get ahead of ourselves, let’s take some time out to get put this webcam through its paces.

The iMage is unique in its lack of required driver. This is a bigger deal than it sounds. While there is a plugin that introduces additional configuration and functionality, this webcam works out of the box. You are not at the mercy of third party or no-longer-maintained drivers.

That is not all. Alternative drivers like the excellent macam project work only if the webcam is plugged in to a built-in USB port. While I can’t guarantee this on your system, I found that the iMage webcam worked excellently plugged in to a hub or an add-on USB 2.0 card. This benefit alone will make the camera worth it for some.

The iMage sells for less than half the cost of an iSight, and does not require Firewire. The iMage is a little clunky in its styling, but is smaller than I expected. It also has a magnetic mount and integrated clip to fit on the top of your MacBook. You might not think of a webcam as portable – but since the iMage runs driverless on Macs and PCs, taking it with you could make sense. It comes with a soft case too.

But what about the picture? After all, this is a camera, right? It is a camera, but under poor or artificial lighting the picture is a little soft and grainy. The camera does support 640×480 and 320×240 resolutions, but falls short of a slightly more expensive Logitech in clarity.

And while we’re on the subject of money, I should note that there are cheaper webcams of similar resolution and quality – but none of them support OS X out of the box. While third party (free) drivers will work with these, they don’t come withthe out-of-the-box assurance the iMage does.

There’s no doubt your Mac will love the iMage webcam – with its iChat support and flexible driverless operation. But, with a bit of a compromise on image quality you might not be as happy. For Mac users who want a simple webcam, and are sick and tired of poorly supported USB cams, this might be your camera.

Brian

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