Awww! Apple's wee new Mac
Mini for desktops
To
capitalize on all the buzz surrounding Apple’s iPod device, the computer
giant is hitting consumers with another cute little gadget, the Mac
Mini, a small but powerful desktop computer. It is 2
inches
tall and weighs only 2.9 pounds.
The teeny computer is priced between $499 and $599, depending on processor
size, and will be available Jan. 29. The
two choices of models both have a slot-load combo drive and an 80 GB hard
drive.
Every Mac mini comes with iLife '05, which includes digital lifestyle
applications with new versions of iPhoto, iMovie, iTunes, iDVD and
GarageBand.
West Hollywood jumps on the wireless wagon
Hollywood
likes to think of itself as a trendsetter, but in this case it's more of a
follower. West
Hollywood will join several U.S. cities that have wired their areas with
free broadband service. The city
will launch a test program that offers free
outdoor high-speed wireless internet access on Santa Monica Boulevard
between La Brea Avenue and Fairfax Avenue. The city
plans to choose an equipment supplier by late February and possibly expand
the service to the entire city in about two years. West
Hollywood is 1.9 square miles and could easily become the first
totally wireless city, claims West Hollywood City Manager Paul Arevalo.
New: Cell phone that responds to your moves
Samsung
Electronics has developed new technology that allows a cell phone to sense
the movement of a user and respond accordingly. The SCH-S310,
to be introduced in Korea in March, only needs a couple of shakes to know
to end a call or delete spam. The device's accelerometer detects,
calculates and responds to three-dimensional movement. The ultra-sensitive
phone will pick up on a
person writing numbers in the air with the phone and dial those numbers.
Forget about scrolling through play lists on the MP3 player installed on
this phone. Moving it sharply to the right or left makes the phone play
the next or previous song.
Boeing
fights terrorists with online alert system
Passengers
may soon have a reason to feel a little safer when boarding an airplane.
Boeing, the U.S. aircraft company, has
patented a system that uses broadband satellite connections to allow
signals to be sent online in the event of a hijacking. The system is being
installed on planes. The patent involves hiding tiny microchip-based
cameras and microphones around the cockpit and passenger cabin. To
activate the system, a crewmember would inconspicuously hit a button
that sets the cameras and mikes into record mode, picking up all the
events on the plane and sending them to control towers.
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