It’s been a long time, but the Mac Mini just got an update. It now has Intel’s Haswell processor which brings more computing power, better integrated graphics, and improved power efficiency. And now it starts at just $500. Read more…
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The Mac Mini Is Back with Speedy New Guts
Aurich Lawson / Thinkstock When the book is finally closed on the product line known as OS X, last year’s release of OS X 10.9 Mavericks may end up getting short shrift. Sure, it brought tangible energy saving benefits to Mac laptop owners, but such gains are quickly taken for granted; internal changes and new frameworks are not as memorable to customers as they may be to developers and technophiles. And while Mavericks included many new user-visible features , and even new bundled applications , the cumulative effect was that of a pleasant upgrade, not a blockbuster. But for all its timidity and awkwardness , Mavericks marked a turning point for OS X—and in more than just naming scheme . It was the first OS X release from the newly unified, post-Forstall Apple. If iOS 7 was the explosive release of Jony Ive’s pent-up software design ethos, then Mavericks was the embodiment of Craig Federighi’s patient engineering discipline. Or maybe Mavericks was just a victim of time constraints and priorities. Either way, in last year’s OS X release, Apple tore down the old . This year, finally, Apple is ready with the new. To signal the Mac’s newfound confidence, Apple has traded 10.9’s obscure surfing location for one of the best known and most beautiful national parks: Yosemite . The new OS’s headline feature is one that’s sure to make for a noteworthy chapter in the annals of OS X: an all-new user interface appearance. Of course, this change comes a year after iOS got its extreme makeover . Read 405 remaining paragraphs | Comments
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OS X 10.10 Yosemite: The Ars Technica Review
Whoaaa — here’s an interesting bit that went unmentioned in today’s Apple announcement: Apple has seemingly built a SIM card that lets you swap between AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile without having to swap it out (or, more likely, track down/purchase a new SIM card when you want to switch carriers). Read More
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Apple Built A SIM Card That Lets You Switch Between AT&T, Sprint, And T-Mobile
We’re creeping up to the PlayStation 4’s one year anniversary and the system is finally getting its 2.0 firmware update . Even better, there are a bunch of surprises; let’s dive in. First up we have the expected: SharePlay which lets you virtually pass the controller for help, YouTube exports and themes . A post PlayStation Blog notes that in addition to those, a USB music player, the ability to change colors of the PS4 dashboard (if custom themes aren’t your thing), as well as improvements to streaming are en route. There’s content organization, voice commands and, last but not least, a new backup feature that lets you archive all your settings, media and data to a USB device coming too. Like the Xbox One patch that hit this week , this adds a whole slew of features that ideally would have been available when the system launched last year. Join us after the jump for a breakdown, yeah? PS4 System Software 2.00 new features: http://t.co/sjlyHsde67 USB Music Player, broadcasting enhancements, more pic.twitter.com/ZwFbiJRKlN – PlayStation (@PlayStation) October 16, 2014 Sony came under some fire from fans when it was announced that the only way to listen to music on the PS4 was with a Music Unlimited subscription . That changes with this patch, though, and soon you’ll be able to plug in a USB device full of MP3, MP4, MP4A and 3GP files and listen to your heart’s content. The PS Blog says that music can’t be copied to the system’s hard drive, nor can it be used in conjunction with Music Unlimited. When we’ll see CD support is anyone’s guess, however. We’re betting that custom playlists won’t be available in-game either. Not happy with the theme pictured below? Well, you can opt for a handful of solid colors for the system UI like those at the bottom of this post. The patch also addresses a major gripe many have had with the system since launch: decluttering the system dashboard. Now the dashboard will only show the 15 most-used games and apps, with the rest going into the Library, which also is getting some new sorting options. What’s more, lets say you’ve been stocking up on the pretty great, free releases each month that are a part of your PS Plus subscription but you’re running out of storage on your console. Well, from the PlayStation Store you’ll be able to add them to your Library without downloading — perfect for grabbing stuff before it’s no longer free and saving for later, or once you install a bigger hard drive. Speaking of which, the 2.0 patch also adds the ability to back your system data, media and settings to a USB device. This should make transferring all the stuff you’ve accumulated over the past year to a roomier HDD a while lot faster and much more convenient if you’re living under a data cap. There’s a ton more than that, though! For the rest of the patch notes be sure to hit the PS Blog — sadly, however, it’s missing a release date. Filed under: Gaming , Home Entertainment , HD , Sony Comments Via: PlayStation (Twitter) Source: PlayStation Blog
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PS4 2.0: MP3s, themes and better dashboard organization
After a lengthy beta, OS X 10.10 Yosemite is finally ready for prime time. It’s the 11th version of Apple’s OS X, and represents the biggest overhaul of the operating system’s visuals since its introduction in 2001. While you’re waiting for the update to download , let’s take the opportunity to see exactly what’s changed over the past 13 years. Filed under: Desktops , Laptops , Software , Apple Comments
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A visual history of OS X
Quick-snap! Now, Kinect-less Xbox One owners can do a few more cool system functions on the fly. Microsoft’s near-monthly streak of Xbox One updates continued on Wednesday with a substantial October update . The console maker had already teased the update’s most intriguing feature in August when it announced a media-player app set to handle a staggering number of codecs—particularly the MKV container—and DLNA streaming from other devices on a home network. XB1’s new media player, like the system’s Blu-ray player, must be loaded as a separate app. We were able to test it during a beta period, and it worked as advertised, meaning it allowed us to watch all of our favorite, legitimately acquired TV shows and films in crisp MKV format. The update’s other major addition, a quick-snap menu, can be accessed with a double-tap of the controller’s home button. It focuses largely on functions that were formerly locked to voice control, including quick loads of previous games and apps and the ability to record your last 30 seconds of gameplay—which should make it easier for players who snapped up a cheaper, Kinect-less XB1 to multitask with the system. Read 1 remaining paragraphs | Comments
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Latest Xbox One update adds MKV support, quicker voiceless commands
Even in the download-only era, it’s easy to make yourself offline OS X install media. Andrew Cunningham It was 2009 when Apple last released a new operating system on physical media . Things have proceeded remarkably smoothly since version 10.7 switched to download-only installers, but there are still good reasons to want an old, reliable USB stick. For instance, if you find yourself doing multiple installs, a USB drive may be faster than multiple downloads (especially if you use a USB 3.0 drive). Or maybe you need a recovery disk for older Macs that don’t support the Internet Recovery feature. Whatever the reason, you’re in luck, because it’s not hard to make one. As with last year , there are two ways to get it done. There’s the super easy way with the graphical user interface and the only slightly less easy way that requires some light Terminal use. Here’s what you need to get started. A Mac, duh. We’ve created Yosemite USB from both Mavericks and Yosemite, but your experience with other versions may vary. An 8GB or larger USB flash drive or an 8GB or larger partition on some other kind of external drive. For newer Macs, use a USB 3.0 drive—it makes things significantly faster. The OS X 10.10 Yosemite installer from the Mac App Store in your Applications folder. The installer will delete itself when you install the operating system, but it can be re-downloaded if necessary. If you want a GUI, you need the latest version of Diskmaker X app—we wrote this article based on version 4 beta 2, but if a “final” version is released alongside Yosemite we’ll update the article. This app is free to download, but the creator accepts donations if you want to support his efforts. An administrator account on the Mac you’re using to create the disk. The easy way Diskmaker X remains the easiest, most user-friendly way to get this done. Andrew Cunningham Once you’ve obtained all of the necessary materials, connect the USB drive to your Mac and run the Diskmaker X app. The app will offer to make installers for OS X 10.8, 10.9, and 10.10, but we’re only interested in Yosemite today. Read 6 remaining paragraphs | Comments
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How to make your own bootable OS X 10.10 Yosemite USB install drive
There was a time when it was hard to find someone who would argue with Apple’s claim that the iPad was heavyweight tablet champ. But now Android slates like the Galaxy Tab Pro 10.1 , the Xperia Tablet Z2 and the recently-announced Nexus 9 are making a run at the title. Sure, the iPad still has some great apps, but how does the latest iPad Air compare to the competition under the hood? Check out the tale of the tape below, and decide for yourself if the iPad Air 2 has what it takes to stay on top. iPad Air 2 Nexus 9 Galaxy Tab Pro 10.1 Xperia Tablet Z2 Price $499 and up (WiFi), $629 and up (Cellular) $399 and up $499 $499 or $549 Thickness 6.1mm (0.24 inches) 7.95mm (0.31 inches) 7.37mm (0.29 inches) 6.4mm (0.25 inches) Weight 437g or 444g (0.96 or 0.98 pounds) 425g or 436g (0.93 or 0.96 pounds) 469g (1.03 pounds) 439g (0.96 pounds) OS iOS 8 Android 5.0 Android 4.4 Android 4.4 Display 9.7-inch IPS LCD Retina display 8.9-inch IPS LCD 10.1-inch WQXGA scLCD 10.1 inch TFT LCD Resolution 2, 048 x 1, 536 (264 ppi) 2, 048 x 1, 536 (288 ppi) 2, 560 x 1, 600 (299 ppi) 1, 920 x 1, 200 (224 ppi) Processor 64-bit Apple A8X 64-bit, 2.3 GHz NVIDIA Tegra K1 32-bit Exynos 5 Octa (1.9GHz + 1.3 GHz quad-core) 32-bit, 2.3 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 (MSM8974AB quad-core) Memory NA 2GB 2GB 3GB Storage 16 / 64 / 128GB 16 / 32GB 16GB 16 / 32GB Ports Lightning micro USB 2.0 microSD, HDMI microSD, MHL 3.0 Front camera 1.2MP FaceTime, f/2.2 1.6MP, f/2.4 2MP 2.2MP, 1080p Rear camera 8MP iSight, f/2.4, 1.5µm pixel size, 1080p 8MP, f/2.4 8MP 8.1MP Cellular radio Optional GSM/EDGE CDMA UMTS/HSPA/ HSPA+/DC‑HSDPA LTE Optional GSM/CDMA/ HSPA/LTE Optional LTE Optional HSPA+/GPRS/ EDGE/LTE WiFi Dual-band 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Dual band 802.11 a/c/g/n/ac Dual-band 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Dual-band 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Bluetooth v4.0 v4.1 v4.0 LE v4.0 Accelerometer Yes Yes Yes Yes Gyroscope Yes Yes Yes Yes Battery 10 hours 6, 700mAh 8, 220mAh Li-ion 6, 000mAh Li-ion Filed under: Tablets , Apple Comments
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iPad Air 2 vs. the competition: Is it the tablet to beat?
A few hours after announcing that it would soon be available, Apple has finally released OS X Yosemite to the public. Download it here right now . Read more…
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Go Download OS X Yosemite Right Now
Hot on the heels of HBO announcing a standalone streaming option , CBS just debuted its own subscription streaming service… and it is possibly the worst streaming TV deal out there. Read more…
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CBS Thinks People Will Pay $6 a Month to Stream Just CBS Shows