[MyAppleMenu] Oct 15, 2008

[applesurf at myapplemenu.com]

MyAppleMenu
====================================

**** Apple Quietly Kills FireWire 400 <http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2008/10/apple-quietly-k.html>
by Charlie Sorrel, Wired

**** Gaming Finally Comes To The MacBook <http://www.macworld.com/article/136070/2008/10/nvidia9400m.html?lsrc=rss_main>
by Peter Cohen, Macworld

**** Glossy Screens <http://ignorethecode.net/blog/2008/10/15/glossy-screens/>
by Lukas Mathis, Ignore The Code
Selling anti-glare screen protector in MacBook Pro sizes will soon be a viable business.

**** Making MacBooks Similar, Yet Different <http://www.macworld.com/article/136064/2008/10/macbooksandpros.html?lsrc=rss_main>
by Dan Frakes, Macworld
Apple has made its professional and consumer laptop lines more similar than they've ever been. At the same time, the company has tried to differentiate the two lines by giving the MacBook Pro a few new features of its own, as well as by /removing/ a popular feature from the MacBook.

**** MacBook Pros: Are They Really 'Pro' Notebooks? <http://www.notebooks.com/2008/10/14/macbook-pros-are-they-really-pro-notebooks/>
by Noetbooks.com
Users should get at least some of the following features or the option to add them on for an additional charge.

**** ooVoo 1.5 Brings Video Call Recording, More <http://www.macnn.com/articles/08/10/15/oovoo.15.video.chat/>
by MacNN
ooVoo on Wednesday announced its high quality video chat software for Mac.

**** Adobe Ships Creative Suite 4 <http://www.macworld.com/article/136066/2008/10/cs4ships.html?lsrc=rss_main>
by Jim Dalrymple, Macworld

**** Apple MacBook 13-Inch (Aluminum) <http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2332519,00.asp>
by Cisco Cheng, PC Magazine
The Apple MacBook 13-inch (Aluminum) couldn't be more glamorous, glorious and magnificent&mdash;from a design standpoint. Performance, meanwhile, gets a necessary lift from the Intel Centrino 2 platform and nVidia graphics.

**** Apple Price Gouge In Oz <http://www.smarthouse.com.au/Home_Office/Notebooks_And_Tablets/A6S8F5Q4>
by Mendelson Tiu, Smarthouse
Despite Apple dropping its prices in the US, Australians would have to pay more just to get hold of the newly released notebooks.

**** Is It Time To Switch To An Apple Laptop? <http://www.pcworld.com/article/152226/is_it_time_to_switch_to_an_apple_laptop.html>
by Darren Gladstone, PC World
Intel's integrated GPU, which most Windows-based laptops use, is about as elegant as a mouse in a tutu. With today's Apple announcement, a reasonably powerful integrated graphics system is available for laptop motherboards: nVidia's new GeForce 9400M. And the Apple MacBooks have it.

**** How Green Is Apple Now? <http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-10066521-37.html?part=rss&tag=feed&subj=News-Apple>
by Elinor Mills, CNET News.com

**** How To Use Dropbox As The Ultimate Password Syncer <http://lifehacker.com/5063176/how-to-use-dropbox-as-the-ultimate-password-syncer>
by Lifehacker

**** Is Steve Jobs Preparing His Farewell? <http://gizmodo.com/5063281/is-steve-jobs-preparing-his-farewell>
by Gizmodo
Since the very first minute, when he immediately sat down to let Tim Cook talk, he was saying: "Hey, look, Apple is more thna Steve."

**** Some Of The Silly Things Apple Said During Its MacBook Unveiling <http://techblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2008/10/some-of-the-silly-things-apple.html>
by Victor Godinez, The Dallas Morning News
Sure, Display Port will eventually become a standard, but everyone has HDMI right now, and it's silly for Apple to spurn that market.

**** The Key To Apple's Future: Multi-Touch <http://news.cnet.com/8301-13506_3-10065920-17.html>
by Don Reisinger, CNET News.com
Apple's decision to let multi-touch technology lead it into the future is a smart one. It will set the company apart in the notebook market and put its competitors on notice: Apple is willing to take chnaces to beat them.

**** Is Apple's New MacBook Pro A Gaming Machine? <http://news.cnet.com/8301-13772_3-10066047-52.html>
by Daniel Terdiman, CNET News.com
The upshot seems to be that for the first time, Macs will be able to hold their own as gaming machines, even if they are not quite at the elite level.

**** First Look: MacBook And MacBook Pro <http://www.macworld.com/article/136063/2008/10/macbook_first_look.html>
by Jason Snell, Macworld
You can program either the bottom right or left corner of the trackpad to act as a secondary mouse button. So the no-button laptop can act as a two-button laptop after all.
These new MacBooks work with your iPhone headphones.

**** HybridSLI A Pain No Matter The OS <http://blogs.zdnet.com/hardware/?p=2776>
by Adrian Kingsley-Hughes, ZDNet.com

**** Matte Matters <http://www.macworld.com/article/136061/2008/10/matte_laptops.html?lsrc=rss_main>
by Rob Griffiths, Macworld
While Apple sees only the upside of glossy screens&mdash;bright and vivid colors&mdash;I see only the negative&mdash;myself.

**** Analysts: New MacBooks Priced Too High To Compete <http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2008/10/analysts-cheape.html>
by Brian X. Chen, Wired
Despite a raft load of nifty new features, Apple's new Mac notebooks will have a hard time moving off store shelves during the economic crisis, industry analysts say.

**** How Big Is Apple? Depends <http://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/14/how-big-is-apple-depends/>
by David Pogue, New York Times
Therei's a difference between U.S. sales and global sales. There's also a difference between retail sales and corporate sales.

**** More On Apple's New Mini DisplayPort <http://blogs.zdnet.com/Apple/?p=2391>
by Jason D. O'Grady, ZDNet.com
DisplayPort has an advantage over HDMI in that it is royalty free which makes it cheaper to implement.

**** MacBook Ho-Hum <http://earthlingsoft.net/ssp/blog/2008/10/macbook_hohum>
by Sven-S. Prost, Quarter Life Crisis
What I find disappointing is that Apple aren't bolder when it comes to optical media. Many people simply won't use their optical drive much and that simply kicking those out of the normal notebooks would have been a bold but reasonable step.

**** New Notebooks: What Apple Didn't Announce <http://blogs.zdnet.com/Apple/?p=2389>
by Jason D. O'Grady, ZDNet.com
On Blu-Ray, Jobs said: "It's grat to watch the movies, but the licensing of the tech is so complex, we're waiting till things settle down."

**** Which New MacBook Is Right For You? <http://arstechnica.com/journals/apple.ars/2008/10/14/which-new-macbook-is-right-for-you>
by Erica Sadun, Ars Technica

**** Hands On With The MacBook/Pro's Removable Hard Drive <http://arstechnica.com/journals/apple.ars/2008/10/14/hands-on-with-the-macbookpros-removable-hard-drive>
by Clint Ecker, Ars Technica

**** Answers About The New Buttonless MacBook Trackpad <http://arstechnica.com/journals/apple.ars/2008/10/14/answers-about-the-new-buttonless-macbook-trackpad>
by Jacqui Cheng, Ars Technica
The entire trackpad gives tactile feedback when clicking, so when you use your thumb to click anywhere in the bottom half of the trackpad, it clicks just like a button would. The trackpad also knows when you are holding onto something, like a Window or a folder.

**** New MacBook Adds Backlight Display, Nvidia Graphics <http://www.macworld.com/article/136055/2008/10/macbook.html?lsrc=rss_main>
by Jim Dalrymple, Macworld
Calling the MacBook an "amazing product," Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiled the latest generation consumer notebooks at the company's headquarters on Tuesday.
Jobs said that people wanted a MacBook with a metal enclosure, faster  graphics, and LED backlit displays, and Apple delivered on all of those counts.
One of the most touted new features of the updated MacBook line is the glass multi-touch trackpad, which supports gestures of anywhere between one and four fingers. The trackpad also eschews a separate trackpad button: instead, the whole trackpad acts as a physical button that you can click.

**** Apple Unveils New MacBook Pro <http://www.macworld.com/article/136053/2008/10/macbookpro.html?lsrc=rss_main>
by Jim Dalrymle, Macworld
The new MacBook Pro will feature wo graphic chipsets, the Nvidia GeForce 9400M embedded on the motherboard and the Nvidia GeForce 9600M as a discret part. The graphics deliver 32 parallel graphics cores and 125 gigaflops of graphics performance, Jobs said tath using the 9400M you get five hours of battery life and four hours with the 9600M.

**** Apple Unveils New 24-Inch LED Cinema Display <http://www.macworld.com/article/136052/2008/10/24inchcinemadisplay.html?lsrc=rss_main>
by Philip Michaels, Macworld
The 24-inch LED Cinema Display offers 1,920-by-1,200-pixel resolution, along with a built-in iSight camera and microphone, stereo speakers, and three-port USB 2.0 hub.

**** MacBook Air Gets Faster Graphics, More Storage <http://www.macworld.com/article/136051/2008/10/macbookair.html?lsrc=rss_main>
by Peter Cohen, Macworld
The MacBook Air will feature more storage capacity and faster graphics, Apple announced Tuesday during a press event at its headquarters. The revamped versions of the smallest and thinnest laptop in Apple's portable product line will ship in early November at the same $1,799 and $2,499 prices as the current systems.

**** Apple's Cook Details Mac Momentum <http://www.macworld.com/article/136050/2008/10/macmomentum.html?lsrc=rss_main>
by Peter Cohen, Macworld
Apple chief operating Officer Tim Cook said that Apple's most recently reported quarter showed sales of 2.5 million Mac systems &mdash; a new company record. "If you look at the history, what you would see that the Mac has outgrown the market for 14 of the last 15 quarters. That's almost four years. That's phenomenal."

**** Microsoft Turns Up Anti-Apple Dial, Ballmer Slams Mac Office <http://arstechnica.com/journals/apple.ars/2008/10/14/microsoft-turns-up-anti-apple-dial-ballmer-slams-mac-office>
by David Chartier, Ars Technica
Microsoft primarily beats the "PC are cheaper and have more features!" dead horse that Apple customers clearly don't care about.

**** MacPractice 3.5 Designed For Leopard <http://www.macworld.com/article/136045/2008/10/macpractice.html?lsrc=rss_main>
by Peter Cohen, Macworld
The software features patient and insurance billing and reporting, eligibility verification, e-statements, scheuling, prescription tracking, insurance estimation and other features.

**** GrandTotal Adds Recurring Invoices <http://www.macworld.com/article/136043/2008/10/grandtotal.html?lsrc=rss_main>
by Peter Cohen, Macworld

**** Speed Download Adds AFP Integration <http://www.macworld.com/article/136042/2008/10/speeddownload.html?lsrc=rss_main>
by Peter Cohen, Macworld
Speed DOwnload helps users with download tasks and can do auto-resuming downloads.

MyAppleMenu Reader
====================================

**** Years Lost To Drinking, And Fits And Starts Of Recovery <http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/15/books/15gust.html>
by George Gene Gustines, New York Times
If endign up in a station wagon with a pudgy, dwarflike hag doesn't make you want to quit drinking, what will? That is the kind of question, along with wondering how often a man can sink and rebound, that is raised by "The Alcoholic," an engaging graphic novel written by Jonathan Ames and illustrated by Dean Haspiel.

**** As Checks Shrink, Restaurants Stretch Hours <http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/15/dining/15hour.html?_r=1&oref=slogin>
by Florence Fabricant, New York Times
Restaurants that once served two distinct meals a day, lunch and dinner, are acting more like diners, opening early in the morning and keeping their kitchens busy late into the night, and serving in the traditonally slow times between meals.

**** Hubris Inc. <http://nymag.com/movies/profiles/51160/>
by John Homans, New York Magazine
Oliver Stone's new film, /W./, is about a man many would sooner forget &mdash; which didn't stop him from making it.

SingaporeSurf
====================================

**** Why Fined For Sleeping? <http://blogs.straitstimes.com/2008/10/15/why-fined-for-sleeping>
by Lim Wui Liang, Straits Times
It is a sad allegory of a society that has become obsessed with rules and image, at the expense of compassion and flexibility.

**** Singapore's Banking System Not In Trouble, Assures Tharman <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporebusinessnews/view/382963/1/.html>
by S Ramesh, Channel NewsAsia
Singapore's banking system is not in trouble and the Monetary Authority of Singapore's response to the current financial crisis has been a measured one. Finance minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam also says there is no need to provide guarantees for local lenders.

**** Singapore's Expatriates Relinquish Perks As Banks Pare Costs <http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601080&sid=auCmn492dWq0&refer=asia>
by Jason Gale, Bloomberg

**** Li Jiawei Is Leaving - And There's Nothing The STTA And SSC Can Do About It <http://redsports.sg/2008/10/15/jiawei-leaving-there&iacute;s/>
by Red Sports
The sweet euphoria of winning that Olympic silver medal in Beijing is starting to levae a bitter aftertaste in the mouth. The sense of national pride in that achievement is starting to deflate and the win is now increasingly looking like a hollow victory.

**** SBS Transit And SMRT Buses Fined For Lapses In Service <http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/382912/1/.html>
by Channel NewsAsia
The Public Transport Counci has fined SBS Transit S$9,300 and SMRT Buses S$1,000 for lapses in service standards in the six months from December 2007 to May 2008.

**** Singapore C.Bank May Guarantee Deposits - Report <http://www.reuters.com/article/usDollarRpt/idUSSP35473920081015>
by Kevin Lim, Reuters
The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) may guarantee all Singapore deposits to ensure local banks are not disadvantaged by similar moves in other countries, the Straits Times reported on Wednesday quoting banking sources.

**** Yes, Your Number Should Be Private <http://www.todayonline.com/articles/281520.asp>
by Tammy Tan, ComfrotDelGro Corporation Limited, Today
As the privacy of a passenger has been compromised, we are now relooking our booking system to ensure that such incidents do not recur.

**** Food Prices Dropping <http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_290649.html>
by Lim Wei Chean and Jessica Lim, Straits Times
A lone bright spot shines amid the gloom of a worsening economy: The prices of food commodities will soon fall.

**** 'I Didn't Know It Was An Offence' <http://tnp.sg/news/story/0,4136,180092,00.html?>
by Lediati Tan, New Paper

**** Sleep On Road Instead, The Fine Is Lower <http://tnp.sg/news/story/0,4136,180093,00.html?>
by S. Murali, New Paper
Consider: Drivers who park along double yellow lines are hit with $70 fines. So perhaps Mr Kassim should have slept on the road instead.

**** Protests Do Not Lead To Anarchy <http://www.sgpolitics.net/?p=883>
by Ng E-Jay, Sgpolitics.net
Why must closed minds conjure images of pandemonium and anarchy when we talk about protests?