Isaiah's Tech

Well, this is short notice. Apparently, Apple could be looking to refresh their MacBook Pro line-up sometime tomorrow. Over the weekend we did see a GeekBench of a Core i7-equipped MacBook Pro so the refresh shouldn't be that far off. And yes, there should be Core i5 models as well, the Core i7 will, of course, be for the high-end models.

[9 to 5 Mac]

These iTablet rumours are definitely getting out of hand and honestly I'm getting tired of reporting them day after day, but I'll do it anyway. Let's just hope I don't get upset since most of the Apple rumours are too good to be true. MacWorld was boring and the iPhone 3GS wasn't as good as the rumours said it would be. Anyways, let's get back on track.

In a possibly fake rumour, apparently Apple may also be working /testing out 13-inch and 15-inch models of their 10-inch tablet as well; these larger models were running Mac OS X 10.5, which is interesting. Steve Jobs is definitely working hard here, since y'know he's putting his soul into this. The source mentioned that these tablets were made of aluminum, which is a traditional Apple-like thing to do.

Apple testing out prototypes is not anything new, so these models could be for testing purposes only. Apple tends to test out a lot of models and choose the ones that work. A 15-inch tablet would be pretty hard to use, so I doubt it'll hit the markets.

So, about that 6-inch tablet...

[Gizmodo, Mac Rumors]

I just finished talking about how Apple is looking to hold an event on either September 7th or September 8th. According to the latest murmurs though, this event will not include the Apple iTablet. So what could it be for? I guess it'll be a perfect time to announce and release their new iPod Touch. That would be right before Microsoft's Zune HD hits the shelves. Let's just hope it's not another upsetting event like MacWorld 2009 was. Oh yeah, I should probably mention that numerous sites are saying that the iTablet will not come out next month - it will actually be hitting shelves early next year.

[The Loop, 9 to 5 Mac]

Looks like MacWorld Expo 2009 wasn't Apple's last MacWorld. There will be a MacWorld Expo 2010 and it will be held on February 9-13, 2010. It will be held at the Moscone Center in San Franciso. An e-mail has been circulating to previous attendees recently confirming MacWorld 2010.

[Mac Rumors]

At MacWorld, Apple announced that they would be launching new prices on their iTunes Store tracks. You will be able to buy popular tracks for $1.29 and less popular tracks for $0.69. These tracks will be DRM-free and Apple did point out that there will be more tracks for sale at $0.69 than at the $1.29 price. But, that's probably because the tracks that people actually want to buy (popular tracks) will be going for $1.29 and all the unknown artists' tracks will be going for $0.69. Have fun getting legal music, I'll be busy illegally downloading off of LimeWire / FrostWire. This new pricing will start on April 7 - missing the expected April 1 launch date.

[Gizmodo]

Let's start off the news with PC World's 5 best Macworld Rumours.

Numero Uno on the list is the talk of the iPhone Nano (see left side). Will Apple talk about the new iPhone Nano tomorrow at Macworld? I don't know, but, first of all, would it be a good idea? Everyone has their own opinion and i'm going to have to say that, hopefully, they don't announce an iPhone Nano. Why? Because i don't want to use a smaller version of the iPhone, i feel that the screen really sets it apart from it's competitors. If the iPhone had a smaller screen it would be harder to play games via application and it would be strenuous on your eyes trying to browse the Internet. Moving along.

Number 2 is the iMac Upgrades (see left side). A new rumour surfaced today about a new iMac with a "magnesium-aluminum alloy chassis, a new cooling system and a 65W, quad-core chip set ... with Snow Leopard-the next version of OSX-in mind. The new OS is supposed to optimize multi-processor cores." Wow, that was a lot of information. But, it does sound very good for the Mac. If this does end up being released, i expect that Mac's market share will increase even more then it has. Personally, i do not like the Mac's, but some people do and i'll respect that.

Number 3. Talks of a 32GB iPhone. It's self-explanatory what this is and it sounds good. More space for apps, but will cost more.

Number 4. This is regarding Picasa for the Mac. Talks about Google finally releasing Picasa for Mac's are stirring up. Picasa is a place where you can store a bunch of photos. Hey, i love Google, so why not do this? [Edited on Monday at 7:20 p.m.: Looks like Google didn't even wait until Macworld. Google has just released a beta version of Picasa on the Macs, courtesy of ZDnet.com. (link here)]

Last, but not least, number 5. An iPhone Elite or Pro. PC World mentions that this actually isn't a rumour and that it is a "fantasy." I blogged about it a couple of days ago (link). The iPhone Pro (concept) has a slide-out QWERTY keyboard that also has a D-pad and 2 buttons, A and B. Lots of GB's of space for apps and such, a better camera and a bunch of other stuff to make the ultimate iPhone. This most likely won't get announced tomorrow. But, it's a good idea and maybe one day, we'll see something like it unfold before our eyes. Maybe even literally.

I've already talked about Samsung's new LCD TV's that they are going to be unveiling at this year's CES. But, to add to that, it looks like they'll also be showing a new Blu-ray player that is only 1.5 inches thick (39 mm). This year's CES looks to be an exciting one and, like i've said many times before, i hope i'll be able to watch some live streaming of the event. I think that G4 TV will be showing CES 2009 on their channel. Unfortunately, i don't have satellite and i don't have it on Rogers... so i can't watch it. I'm hoping it's on the Internet somewhere, cross your fingers. If i do get to watch it, be prepared for a bombardment of blog posts, just like a bunch of other websites will be doing.

The Dell Inspiron 15 notebook is scheduled to be released for the end of this month starting at $600 USD. Finally, something affordable that i'm actually talking about. This notebook will have a 15.6 inch screen, will have up to 4 GB of RAM and up to 320 GB of hard drive space. It will sport Intel's Core 2 Duo and has an integrated webcam. Unforutnately though, it's Blu-ray drive is optional, meaning that if you want that on your Inspiron, you'll have to pay extra. I feel that this is a pretty good 'bang for your buck.'

Some new news regarding the brand MSI. This is actually the first day i've looked into exactly what MSI is all about. It turns out that MSI stands for Micro-Star International and is a brand, just like HP, Sony or Dell. I don't if it's just me or maybe i've been living under a rock for a while, but it was the first time i've actually heard of this company. Anyways, MSI is working on 2 different notebooks / netbooks. One being the MSI Wind U-Series and the MSI X-Slim 320. They are showing both of these models at this week's CES. "Their U-Series Netbooks include the U115 that will be capable of running both a SSD (Solid State Drive) and HDD (Hard Drisk Drive) at the same time using hybrid storage technology." The netbook itself will sport a 10 inch screen and will have a battery life of 12 hours. The other netbook, the U120, "will feature Intel WiMAX (which, i think, is faster than Wi-Fi) or 3.5G wireless solutions for mobile connectivity." The top picture on the left is the MSI Wind U115. The picture underneath the U115 is a side view of the MSI X-Slim 320. As you can see, it is really thin. At it's thickest point it is 1.98 cm and weighs about 2.87 pounds. It is very light, but still manages to pull off a 13.4 inch display. The MSI netbooks / notebooks seem to be consistent in keeping the battery life high, as this laptop will have a battery life of up to 10 hours. There are no official specs for this laptop, but it is rumoured to have "a 1.6GHz Intel Atom Z530 processor, 1366 x 768 resolution, up to 2GB DDR2 RAM, Bluetooth, [and a] 3.5G network card," just to name a few things. "It's coming second quarter of 2009 for about $800," of course, USD. I'll get you some more information about this on the weekend, if i can.

That was a pretty long post, it should keep you occupied for a bit. CES in a couple of days and Macworld tomorrow. How sweet is this week?

5 Best Macworld Rumours (and pictures): http://www.pcworld.com/article/156328/macworld_expo_preview.html?tk=rss_news
Samsung Blu-ray Player (and picture): http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/05/samsung-to-launch-1-5-inch-thin-blu-ray-player-at-ces/
Dell 15.6 inch Inspiron 15: http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/05/dell-introduces-15-6-inch-inspiron-15-notebook-starts-at-600/
MSI Wind: http://blogs.zdnet.com/mobile-gadgeteer/?p=1567
MSI X-Slim 320: http://www.engadget.com/tag/msi/

We are going to see a new JVC LCD protoype at this year's CES. JVC is claiming this 32 inch LCD TV to be the lightest and will only weigh 11 pounds. It looks to me that it has a weird stand and looks better without the stand, mounted on the wall. They reportedly used "50% less materials and 10% fewer LCD module parts" and they also used a "new optical system." JVC explained how they made the LCD so thin and light, but i don't really understand it too well, so you can read about it in the article below, if you want.

Some more news regarding the LG LH9500. I think i talked about this a couple of posts ago, but i don't remember. What i do know, is that we will see this at this year's CES. And, it has a wireless HD box included and has DivX HD support. It will use 240Hz and has a contrast ratio of 2,000,000:1. It's pretty slim and really good looking. Nice to see LG starting off the year pretty good. We'll see it at CES.

The upcoming phone by Palm will be shown at CES, just like everything else i've talked about today. So, this Palm phone will sport the new Nova OS, which some people are claiming to be "amazing." This Palm phone has no official design, but it will, reportedly, be a slider phone, with a large screen. HTC will be designing the phone, so it should look decent. HTC designs all different kind of phones, besides their own. Notably, the T-Mobile G1 and now this Palm slider. We may not see the phone's design at this year's CES, but we will, most likely, see the Nova OS do some work. Be ready.

Apple's Macworld is tomorrow (Tuesday), January 6, 2009. It will be Apple's last Macworld and will be showing at 12:00 p.m. This means that i'll miss most of it, if not, all of it. I don't know how long it will be, so yeah. Anyways, until later, i'm out, maybe even another blog before i leave the library. We'll see

JVC LCD Prototype (and picture): http://gizmodo.com/5123427/jvc-32+inch-lcd-prototypes-11+pount-weight-and-7mm-thickness-to-be-ogled-at-ces
LG's Super Slim LCD (and picture): http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/05/lgs-super-slim-led-backlit-lcd-packing-wireless-hd-divx-hd/
Palm's Nova-powered Slider Phone (and picture): http://gizmodo.com/5123361/palms-nova+powered-last-stand-a-slider-with-large-touchscreen
Apple's Last Macworld: http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/05/apples-final-macworld-keynote-is-tuesday-and-well-be-there-li/

Last night, i slept at around 4 or 5 a.m. and i woke up this morning / afternoon at 1:30 p.m. I woke up because my mom needed to go to do the groceries early. We needed to go early because my uncle was going to take our table, since me and my mom got a new table in the summertime. Well, we did the groceries and we went to No Frills and Price Chopper. We got home and my uncle called and told me that he's picking the table up tomorrow instead. After that, i slept again when my girlfriend went out to dinner with her family. So that was around 7 p.m. and i just woke up about 10 minutes ago (11:30 p.m.). I've been sleeping so much lately, it's bad. It's bad because i am not going to be used to sleeping 3 hours every night when school-time comes around. Argh, but it's okay, my body will get used to it again. Anyways, about my tech news that's actually been slowing down a bit. Just bare with me because this week will be a big week, especially the weekend. I believe it is Macworld this week and then on the weekend it's CES. Hopefully, i'll be able to watch some live stream on the Internet somewhere. Let's just hope i can.

I have no tech news for you all today, maybe i will later tonight, before i sleep. I'll blog again if i find something good to talk about. Anyways, my girlfriend woke me up about 10 - 15 minutes ago because she told me that some Israel people are now attacking Gaza. I would give you background information on why they are attacking Gaza, but i don't want to get any information wrong. So, i'll just leave that up to you to find out.