As Christmas approaches, you might be thinking of buying a pocket sized video recorder for your loved one. But which one should you get? A Flip? An iPod Nano?
How about none of the above? When I asked my Twitter followers the same question, they were unanimous: “Get a Kodak Zi8“, they said.
So what’s so good about it?
We start the week with a grab-bag of gadgets, including more refurbished MacBook Pros from Apple. The computers, starting at $1,299, a 2.53 GHz processors and 13-inch screens. Next up is a Star Trek Internet Communicator that works with your iChat, Skype, MSN or AIM account. Finally, if you get chilly while using your MacBook and the mothership hasn’t beamed you up to somewhere warmer, slip on a pair of stylish gloves heated by the USB connection. Along the way, we also check out new iPhone software, earphones and iPod accessories.
For details on these and many other gadgets, check out CoM’s “Daily Deals” page after the jump.
Cult of Mac reader Tiago Piccini from Brazil wrote in with yet another idea — following our posts on cat beds and hackintosh holders — for recycling the shell of a dear, departed iMac.
He spent under an hour gutting his non-working iMac, then adding a lamp socket and switch device, powering it with a 40w bulb and adding a piece of fabric under the screen to soften the light.
Piccini, who by day works at an Apple Solution Expert, calls his creation the iAbat-jour…It’s an easy DIY project that gives off a nice glow, no?
Although officially tight-lipped on details, Apple may use recently-acquired music streaming company Lala to upgrade its iTunes service and potentially other applications, reports suggest Monday.
“Lala gives Apple browser/Web-based technology to access music anywhere,” financial analyst Maynard Um told UBS Investment Research clients. Um believes Apple will combine the Palo Alto, Calif. company with a planned $1 billion server farm to “provide seamless access & mobility of digital content across all of its products, including media-focused content of iTunes and user-generated content of MobileMe.”
It should be no surprise to anyone that the newest iMacs catapulted to the top of the sales charts when Apple released them in October. But just in case you have any bets going on the matter comes sweet analyst confirmation: Apple computers topped the list of the most popular machines sold at retail in October, according to the NPD Group. Gentlemen, collect your outstanding beers and pony rides.
As a sidebar to her mega-tribute to Apple’s mobile dominance, Jenna Wortham of the New York Times asked Phil Schiller about his favorite iPhone apps. And, quelle surprise, they’re all extremely popular, many of them having been featured in TV ads and Apple keynote events.
What do you reckon? Does your taste trend with Phil’s, or is he hopelessly vanilla in his picks?
Two weeks ago, we mentioned that the ALK’s CoPilot Live app, an already inexpensive iPhone GPS option, went on sale for $20 (from $35) during Thanksgiving.
Today, ALK announced they’re introducing a similar deal — now $25 — through the end of December.
To make the deal even more enticing, they’re making available a “Premium Live” package that includes live traffic info and routing (from the same source as the $80 Navigon app), a live Internet local search feature and something I haven’t seen before on a GPS app: A live gas-price feature that can route you to the cheapest gas near your location.
The Premium Live option runs an extra $20/year, but the savings from hassle-free routing to cheap gas might just make the package valuable enough to pay for itself.
Today’s top deals highlight Apple hardware. First up, a $350 iBook 1.33 GHz G4 with 12-inch screen and Mac OS 10.5. Next are MacBooks starting at $749 for 2.1 GHz models with 13-inch screens. Finally, there are several iMac desktops starting at $849. The computers include 20-inch screens and a Core 2 Duo processor running at 2.66 GHz. Also on tap is a MacBook Air for $1,399. The unit includes a 1.86 GHz processor and 13-inch screen.
As always, details on these bargains and more (such as 80 percent discounts on iPod touch cases) can be found at CoM’s “Daily Deals” page after the jump.
Yet another analyst Thursday joined the chorus of voices singing Apple’s praises in a sluggish PC market. Mac sales will grow 26 percent in 2010, far outstripping PCs forecast to grow just 16 percent year over year.
Looking forward, Robert Cichra, analyst with Caris & Company, predicted Apple will have 4 percent of the market share for 2010, providing what the analyst termed “considerable headroom” for more growth.
Apple’s App Store next year will reach the 300,000 mark, tripling the number of applications available for the iPhone and iPod touch, according to one analyst’s preview of 2010. The continued growth of the App Store is at the leading-edge of what analyst firm IDC sees as a ‘platform shift’ to mobile devices and away from the PC.
“We predict at least 300,000 iPhone applications by the end of 2010,” wrote analyst Frank Gens. Many of the new apps will come from businesses as consumers and companies pick the iPhone for their most commonly-used applications.
