Apple Boot Camp updated with Windows 7 support
Tom on January 20, 2010
Apple’s Boot Camp software, which has been included with Macs since the debut of Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard, and allows users to run a native copy of Windows alongside their Mac OS install, has finally been updated to officially support Microsoft’s latest-and-greatest operating system, Windows 7.
Of course, the software has unofficially supported version 7 of the Windows system for quite a while, but it always feels better to do things by the book – and we all know Apple’s a stickler for voiding warranties for hacked, or, shall we say, tweaked setups.
Although it’s taken Apple more than quite a while to release support for 7, it’s no surprise – Apple has been more than content to let users suffer through the pain of the previous iteration of Windows, ‘Vista’, which was mocked by the Cupertino Mac-maker through its three years of existence.
Time moves on, though, so Boot Camp as of today has been updated to version 3.1, and can be found through Software Update on a Mac.
Users of the latest 27-inch iMac, though, will benefit from downloading an extra utility from Apple directly. The 27-inch desktop variant, which has been plagued by display problems since its launch a few months ago, is suffering from Windows 7 install problems caused by the ATi video drivers. You can find that extra software here.
LG gets a little cheeky with new X300 ad
Tom on January 20, 2010
Apple’s ultrathin-and-light notebook, the MacBook Air, is a real love-hate device. It’s conservative on port selection, but you can’t argue that it is in fact darned thin. A novel advertisement featuring the Air being removed from a manila folder, teamed with a catchy jingle, remains memorable, even two years after that launch.
LG’s new offering to this competitive prosumer category, the Xnote X300 notebook, is aiming to catch a free ride on the dying embers of the memory of that advertisement – or perhaps, to wake people up to the fact this type of laptop does still exist.
Anyway, as you’ll see below, LG’s ad is not dissimilar to Apple’s original creation – right down to a ‘la la’ jingle. You’ll see, though, that the critical YouTube community isn’t amused, rating the LG version a paltry one star. Further down, we’ve included that first-time ad for the MacBook Air just for kicks – and of course, comparison.
Toshiba’s new Satellite T135D: your average Tosh, but finally thin
Tom on January 08, 2010
While Toshiba is a respected member of the corporate laptop industry with their inexpensive, no-nonsense business models, Toshiba’s corporate notebook division has been on a mission for a very, very long time, to figure out the right formula on how to design a laptop. A laptop that people would actually want, that is.
Today at CES Toshiba have unveiled their new Satellite T135D, a 13.3-inch, glossy white middle-of-the-road laptop that usually, you wouldn’t take a second look at. However, it looks like Toshiba’s quest for weight loss has finally paid off with this model. Finally, we have a thin Toshiba laptop. Hurrah! This model weighs in at 1.75 kg (3.88 lb).
Apart from this new-found form for the company, the T135D actually includes some decent specs as well. Toshiba are bundling an LED-backlit 13.3-inch glossy display, a 320 GB hard drive, 4 GB of RAM, and ATI Radeon 3200 graphics (on selected models, of course).
Connectivity comes in the form of Wireless-N WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, and Megabit Ethernet (no Gigabit, Toshiba?). It’s looking like Toshiba are finally ditching the 56k modem port to free up some side space. Good move. It’s also looking like HDMI may be the only video-out option here – we’ll clarify when more details emerge.
Other creature comforts include a webcam with facial recognition, hard drive impact sensors, a multi-touch trackpad, a memory card reader, and a 6-cell battery that affords up to 6 hours of use away from the mains. The USB ports also work as Sleep-and-Charge outlets so your gadgets will stay powered even when in sleep or turned off.
The Toshiba Satellite T135D will be on sale starting January 17, starting at US$599 Stateside. No word for Australians as yet.
TB Tech RSS subscribers – this one’s for you!
Tom on January 08, 2010
A short admin post here to our RSS subscribers. We’ve recently moved from one platform to another for RSS, and we’d like you to update your feed to the new URL – just so we can find out a little more about our reader base to write more, and better, posts.
Please update your feed readers with this new URL for the TB Tech Feed:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/tbtech
Thanks so much!
Google’s Nexus One smartphone coming to Vodafone, including Australia?
Tom on January 08, 2010
At the introduction of the Google Nexus One on January 6, it was mentioned that the Nexus will be headed not only to T-Mobile USA, but also to Vodafone in Europe in the coming months. This is great for European customers, a continent where Vodafone’s service stretches far, and wide.
However, Vodafone does not operate solely in Europe. It also has bases in Asia, and a significant market in Australia. The 3G network bands in Asia and Australia match those in Europe, too – making network compatibility a non-issue.
While Google did announce the US, Britain, and Hong Kong as the test markets for this device, launch dates for anywhere outside the US were not announced, and any future plans – in terms of getting the Nexus One further into the world – were not detailed.
What is very encouraging is that the deal made between Vodafone and Google includes the international Vodafone partnership – which clearly includes our Australian market. And while Vodafone bosses are only saying that the Nexus One will be launching for Vodafone Europe this year, Australians should expect to see the Nexus One appearing on our shores in Q3 or Q4 2010, subsidised with Vodafone Australia.
[Photos courtesy of Gizmodo]
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