British Mac Show Notes

Episode BritishMac025

			NEWS

			Headlines

			Apple hears the MacBook Pro whining sound Apple Computer this week acknowledged that some of its 15-inch MacBook Pro notebooks may emit an irritable whining sound and said affected customers should contact the company. In a rather curt statement on its support site, the Mac maker wrote: "If your 15-inch MacBook Pro emits a high-pitched buzzing sound, please contact AppleCare for service." Apple offered no other details. The Cupertino, Calif.-based company has been scurrying to mend a handful of minor issues reported with its new MacBook product lines, the the first of its consumer and professional notebooks to use chips and underlying technology from Intel Corp. Despite the minor hiccups, Apple last quarter generated $1.16B in notebook sales, shipping nearly 800,000 units. The company said the notebook unit total consisted of a primary mix of MacBook and MacBook Pro models, and too a lesser extent, PowerBook G4s that remained in inventory. Of all the models, Apple's consumer oriented Intel MacBook has emerged as a top seller. Although the company said it shipped a "significant number" of MacBooks in June, it still exited its recent fiscal quarter without enough supply to meet demand. Earlier this week, the Mac maker admitted there is a problem with some of its white MacBooks where the computer casing may exhibit signs of premature discoloration.

			Apple in MacBook Pro battery recall By Jonny Evans Apple has initiated a worldwide battery exchange program for certain rechargeable batteries that were sold for use with 15-inch MacBook Pro computer systems from February 2006 through May 2006. A technical support document reveals that Apple "recently discovered that some 15-inch MacBook Pro batteries supplied to Apple do not meet our high standards for battery performance. To give our users the best experience possible, we will replace these batteries for customers free of charge." The company notes that the affected batteries aren't unsafe, saying users can continue to use their current battery "until a replacement arrives". Affected batteries have model number A1175 and a 12-digit serial number that ends with U7SA, U7SB or U7SC. These numbers are located on the bottom of the battery, which means you need to remove the battery from the Mac before checking for them. The battery serial number is located above the barcode. Only batteries within the noted serial number ranges need to be exchanged. No other MacBook Pro or MacBook batteries are part of this program. More information is available on the Apple website.

			Apple pips its rivals with the iPod that talks The Scotsman. FROM Walkman to Talkman. Not content with changing the world's music-listening habits, Apple has come up with another innovation: the talking iPod. A new generation of machines will use sophisticated software to convert the names of bands, albums and individual tracks into recognisable speech. The new iPod will tell you what it is about to play, removing the need for users to look at the screen while selecting music, and making the device safer and easier to use while driving, cycling or in badly-lit locations. Crucially, the talking machines could give the iPod a badly-needed new competitive edge in the hotly-contested digital music player market. The iconic machines were last week reported to have lost some of their sheen, with consumers following a series of technical problems and controversy surrounding the working conditions of those who make them. To make matters worse, software giant Microsoft is said to be working on its own iPod-bashing digital music player. Apple has flatly refused to comment on the design, but a patent lodged by the company in the United States makes clear the sixth generation of iPods will be able to convert those famous text menus into speech. The ingenious system will rely on home PC processing power and clever software. The computer being used to download tracks will analyse each album title, song name and artist and convert them into sound files. These will be loaded into the iPod, along with the song files. Users of the music players will still operate the Clickwheel as normal, but hear the names of songs and bands through their headphones. The patent reveals the idea is driven largely by safety considerations. It states: "A user will have difficulty navigating the interface in 'eyes-busy' situations. "Such activities include, for example, driving an automobile, exercising and crossing the street." The patent also makes clear that text-to-speech technology is likely to spread to other hand-held electronic devices such as mobile phones and palm-top computers. The move is expected to spark a new digital player war as competing manufacturers attempt to cram more and more features into their digital music players in a bid to keep up. iPods have recently begun losing favour with consumers, amid claims of poor working conditions at a Chinese factory where the devices are made. Microsoft is reported to be planning a digital music player with wireless internet capabilities, removing the need for a PC to download music. The firm is believed to be keen to break Apple's stranglehold on the download market with its iTunes software. The iPod and iTunes enjoy market share of about 80% in the US and the UK, as well as more than half the online music market in Europe as a whole. Sony is also believed to be working on a wireless product that can download music and video broadcasts in venues such as concert halls and even shops. The firm filed a patent in 2004 which states that compressed files could be sent to concert-goers with footage from the concert they had just seen. Converting text into speech has been a major goal of the computer industry for decades, but early versions of the technology struggled with difficult words and names. It also requires formidable computer processing power to carry out the difficult conversion. But Apple says its system will break down words in a new way that makes it possible to pronounce perfectly even the most obscure song titles and artist names. It also proposes using "voice talent" - such as famous actors - to make the speech more human and add in the celebrity factor. The patent also proposes using different voice "characteristics", such as gender, for different sections of the iPod menus. Professor Steve Renals, a speech technology expert at Edinburgh University, said: "It is possible to create very high quality text-to-voices these days. "We have seen some already used in mobile phones, but it has struggled in the past with difficult words and names. The technology is much better now and can cope with most things." Safety experts have raised concerns over cyclists, pedestrians and motorists being involved in accidents when they are distracted by their digital music devices. Last month, a teenager from Preston was killed while listening to his iPod on his bike when he collided with a tractor. Another teenager, Kathryn Thomas, caused a fatal road accident last year when she took her eyes off the road to show a friend how to use her iPod. Roger Vincent, spokesman for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, said: "If people don't need to take their eyes off the road and hands off the wheel then there are clear benefits to that. "Provided there is a sensible approach and the technology is used in a way that it is intended, it could make using such devices far safer. "There are concerns, though, about the isolation from surroundings that wearing earphones creates, and this can cause serious accidents, particularly among cyclists."

			Quick But Dull

			And finally

			Apple Newton wins against Samsung Q1.

			http://digitalliving.cnet.co.uk/specials/0,39030785,49282099,00.htm

			Let the battle begin We've all dreamed of owning a portable device that can organise, entertain and enrich our lives. Over the years, we've seen dozens of contenders for this role, but the vast majority of them fall into the same category as the Hindenburg: miserable failures. Two of the most high-profile devices in this category are the Apple Newton and the Samsung Q1. Though separated by over a decade, they share a form factor, work in a similar way and were designed with the intention of redefining how users interact with computers. The Apple Newton was spawned in 1993, years before the Palm Pilot was a twinkle in Palm's eye. The project was as ambitious as they come. The Newton team not only created a new breed of portable computer, but combined several early technologies, such as PC Card slots, advanced handwriting recognition, a touch-screen display and a stylus. The model we're pitting against the Q1 is the 1997 Newton MessagePad 2000. This was a later revision of the MessagePad line and represents the Newton at its strongest. The Samsung Q1 is also a pioneer. It could be viewed as a Tablet PC that's fallen into a hot washing cycle, but the vision of the ultra-mobile PC is just as maverick as that of the Newton. A joint development between Microsoft and Intel, the UMPC project was aimed at providing all the functionality of a full-blown desktop PC, in a device about the size of a paperback book. We're regular users of the Q1 and being massive hoarders, we've just rediscovered a Newton stashed under a mountain of dust beneath the bed. We happen to think they're both amazing, but opinion in the CNET.co.uk office is divided as to which of these portable gizmos is superior. Having nothing better to do with our time, we've decided to throw them into the ring for a head-to-head comparison. In this feature we'll take an in-depth look at their design, usability, reliability, input, output and synchronisation capabilities, and any special powers that help them stand out as the best-ever handheld. So whether you're a 1337 Windows haxx0r or a Mac fanboy, sit back, squeeze some extra butter on your popcorn and let battle commence!

			Uncle Mac's Mac Moment

			Dave's Tip on Speech.

			St. British Mac

			iTunes Tutorial - Part 3. An apologee!

			Ye Olde Mac & Mouse

			New Frappr Members

			Dave's K800i review

			Brad Smith asks... I'm a recent Mac switcher (intel Mac Mini) and so far the experience is excellent. The only trouble I'm having is in trying to find an alternative to Photoshop. Back in the PC days I picked up a copy of Paintshop Pro quite cheaply and it did everything I needed but I can't find anything similar on the Mac. Ideally I want something that is a Universal Binary as I don't like running PowerPC code on my intel Mac. I wondered if you or any of your listeners might be able to point me in the right direction?

			Great Mac software site.. I've been using this website for a couple of weeks now. It is excellent as you can put on it the apps you use and it can show you what other people with similar tastes to you are using on their machines. Why not give it a look at: http://osx.iusethis.com/ and my list is on:- http://osx.iusethis.com/user/mabsey

			Dave's Pub Joke

			British Icon & Item

			Item - The Gentleman's Club

			The original gentlemen's clubs were established in the West End of London and the area of St. James's is still sometimes referred to as 'clubland', though not so often as in the past. Clubs took over the role occupied by coffee houses in 18th century London to some degree and reached the height of their influence in the late 19th century. They were formed by groups of acquaintances who shared some interest or pursuit.

			In the U.S. today, the meaning of term "gentlemen's club" is shifting to denote a drinking establishment featuring nude or nearly nude female entertainers.

			Icon - Yes Minister/Prime Minister