News for Wednesday, 25 June 2008

Apple is recognized to lock its products to a specific use, the last act of meanness is the SuperDrive sold for MacBook Air. This is just a simple DVD USB2 auto-powered external engraver, however Apple could not stop themselves from restricting its use to only the MacBook Air.
A few months ago (cf news of the 15-02-2008), we dismounted SuperDrive in order to know the references of the mechanics. Our doubts are now confirmed, the problem is not a specific firmware of the Optiarc engraver, but bridge PATA to USB2. It is thus a dedicated do-it-yourselfer to make her external SuperDrive universal by replacing this bridge by another, even though this replacement bridge costs only $9.-....


The method to do this can be found HERE.

Apple has fitted on all the mother boards of Mac Pro,s two additional SATA connectors intended to connect optical peripherals to this standard the day when they will have the need.
We have more than once used these to connect a SATA engraver or more recently two Velociraptors.
In the PC world, there exist adaptors (that fit into the PCI-Express) with two SATA cables. But one could not install them on Mac Pro, the SATA cables are too short.
Last year, Newer produced a product compatible with our machines which was relatively unnoticed. Very recently, Sonnet announced a product more or less identical, marketed at $29,95. Newer thus relaunched their product but now priced at $24,95.
They will still have margin in their battle, an adapter of this kind (certainly equipped with shorter cables) is sold in PC world for less than5€, which puts a very high price for two 10 cm lengths of additional cable.

Microsoft business Unit, aka Mactopia, released three important updates dedicated to Mac Office 2004 and 2008:
• Office 2004 11.5.0 :

This update contains several improvements to enhance stability and compatibility with documents that were created in Office 2008 for Mac and Office 2007 for Windows. If the Open XML File Format Converter for Mac is installed, this update enables Office 2004 for Mac to read and write Office documents that are in the Open XML Format. For more information about this update, please visit: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=119962

• Office 2008 12.1.1 :

This update contains several improvements to enhance stability and performance. For more information about this update, please visit: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=119963

• Open XML File Format Converter for Mac 1.0

Open XML Converter allows you to convert Open XML files that were created in Office 2008 for Mac or Office 2007 for Windows so that you can open, edit, and save them in earlier versions of Office for Mac. Open XML Converter can convert Word documents, Excel workbooks, and PowerPoint presentations that are in the Open XML Format so that you can open and edit the files in Office 2004 for Mac and Office v. X for Mac. You can choose to convert and open one file, or convert a large number of files. For more information about this update, please visit: http://www.microsoft.com/mac/downloads.mspx

Corsair, the well-known RAM module company, launched a FB-DIMM kit made especially for the newest Mac Pro Rev2. The new Corsair Mac Memory kits are fully-buffered 800MHz DIMM of 4GB composed of 2 x 2GB modules. All Corsair Mac memory modules are qualified at Apple Test Labs in California and are 100% compatibility-guaranteed with a lifetime warranty.

The kit is priced 250 USD, so around 200 €, and immediately available through Corsair’s authorized distributors and resellers. This is of course way cheaper than the Apple RAM available from the apple Store, but slightly more expensive than similar FB-DIMM modules from other RAM companies (Dane-Elec, etc.)

Mtron announced a new 260 MB/s controller technology at “World IT Show 2008”. Mtron improved the current 4-channel system allowing a maximum read/write speed of 130/120MB/s, its next generation controller technology will be based on an 8-channel system with the maximum read/write speed of 260/240MB/s (based on SLC chips); twice faster than current controllers and the fastest speed in the current SSD market by far.
In addition, Mtron announced that it will offer SSD models with the new controller technology in early 2009, the price is currently unknown.
As usual with the current SSD market, this is mostly fight of Press Releases, based on marketing points and claims, as most of all announced products are still not available...

In a short press release, Nokia announced to have acquired Symbian Limited for 264 millions Euros (400 millions USD). Symbian Limited is the software company that develops and licenses Symbian OS, the open operating system for mobile devices. User interfaces designed for Symbian OS include S60 from Nokia, MOAP for the 3G network and UIQ, designed by UIQ Technology, a joint venture between Motorola and Sony Ericsson. Mobile devices based on Symbian OS account for 60% of the converged mobile device segment. Symbian OS represented approximately 7% of all mobile device sales in 2007, up from 5% in 2006.
Nokia expect to strengthen the Open source platform for mobile device to be able to fight against the recent challenger Apple OS X and the iPhone, as well as Google and its Android OS, and leader Microsoft Windows Mobile.
It also illustrates the future war, not only based on the device and its functions, but rather on the associated contents, available on-line via dedicated stores, such as the AppStore.