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  • Boot Camp From Apple Runs Windows XP on Intel Macs

    Boot Camp Runs Windows XP on Intel MacsAfter hackers successfully managed to get an Intel-powered Mac running Windows XP operating system last month, Apple has come up with its own, simplified solution.

    Now available as a 83 meg free beta download from Apple’s Website, the new Boot Camp application makes it possible for users with a Microsoft installation disc to install Windows XP on an Intel-based Mac.

    Once loaded, Mac users simply have to hold down the option key at startup to choose between Mac OS X and Windows.

    If they choose to run Windows, the Mac will run the OS natively, with just a restart needed to return terrified Mac users back to the Apple OS.


    How it works
    Intel Mac users must first ensure that they’re running the latest version of Mac OS X and that it’s loaded with the latest firmware updates.

    After it’s been installed, the Boot Camp software then burns a CD containing drivers necessary for Windows to recognise Mac-specific hardware, before handholding users through the process of setting aside a section of the hard drive for the Windows installation.

    The machine is then ready for the Windows installation disc (users will have to buy that separately) – the only tricky part here is manually making sure that XP installs on the Mac’s C drive (otherwie it might overwrite programs and files).

    Boot Camp Runs Windows XP on Intel MacsOnce the installation process has done its thing and the Mac booted into Windows, users must then slam in their Drivers CD and sit back while it does it thing.

    And then – bingo – Mac users are free to wander about in the wonderful world of Windows, with the comfort blanket of the Mac OS just a reboot away,

    Release date
    Boot Camp will be included in Apple’s next major Mac OSX release (Leopard) which will be previewed at Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference in August.

    “Apple has no desire or plan to sell or support Windows, but many customers have expressed their interest to run Windows on Apple’s superior hardware now that we use Intel processors,” explained Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing.

    “We think Boot Camp makes the Mac even more appealing to Windows users considering making the switch,” he added.

    More information can be found at www.apple.com/macosx/bootcamp

  • Microsoft ‘World’s Most Valuable Brand’

    Microsoft 'World's Most Valuable Brand'Two new studies into branding have produced two very different results, with a UK study declaring Microsoft the strongest brand in the known universe, while research in the US saw consumers slapping Microsoft down to near-bottom of their ‘most trusted’ list.

    Brand consultancy Millward Brown Optimor (MBO) rated companies by calculating the value their brand was expected to generate in the future.

    Microsoft topped the list, with the study showing most consumers held positive feelings about the brand. Andy Farr, executive director at MBO commented, “When you look at what customers and consumers say to us, they do hold Microsoft in high regard.”

    “They don’t love [Microsoft] like they love Google but they respect it,” he added just before his laptop crashed.

    The survey results were based on a load of marketing guff that involved measuring buzzword-laded criteria like ‘brand momentum,’ ‘intangible earnings’ and ‘brand contribution,’ whatever all that means.

    Tech companies hogged four of the top 10 global brand places with Vodafone grabbing the number one UK slot, while Google came in seventh overall for global brands and second for the tech sector,

    Big-boy retailers also figured prominently, with Wal-Mart coming in at number six and Tesco notching up 30th place overall and number two in the UK).

    According to the study, these are the top ten global brands (rated in $millions):
    Microsoft Corporation ($62,039)
    GE ($55,834)
    Coca-Cola ($41.406)
    China Mobile ($39,168)
    Marlboro cigarettes ($38,510)
    Wal-Mart ($37,567)
    Google ($37,445)
    IBM ($38,084)
    Citigroup ($31.028)

    Microsoft 'World's Most Valuable Brand'Bose, Dell, and Apple Score High On Trust
    Across the pond, a brand study by Forrester Research saw Bose, Dell and Apple Computer being declared as technology brands trusted by U.S. consumers, with users warily eying the likes of Toshiba, Hitachi, Microsoft, Gateway and LG.

    Forrester surveyed 4,700 US households between September and October last year to find out how much they trusted 48 technology brands.

    The results weren’t too encouraging for the industry, with the survey showing an across-the-board drop in trust in consumer computer and electronics brands – a trend continuing from 2003.

    In the survey, only Apple and TiVo managed to register an increase in consumer trust between 2003 and 2005.

    With Microsoft’s brand scraping in at a lowly 20th spot out of the 22 companies included in the poll, Forrester’s warned that Microsoft faces big a consumer defection risk.

    With a deft turn of marketing-speak, Forrester analyst Ted Schadler observed that, “A decline in trust causes brand erosion and price-driven purchase decisions, which in turn correlates with low market growth.”

    “Trust is a powerful way to measure a brand’s value and its ability to command a premium price or drive consumers into a higher-profit direct channel,” concluded Ted Schadler.

  • Sony Hi-Fi EX90SL In-Ear Headphones

    Sony Hi-Fi EX90SL In-Ear HeadphonesFans of Star Trek keen to feel like their communicating with the Xyrillians when they’re hoverbooting walking down the street may be interested in Sony’s new EX90SL in-ear headphones.

    Looking like a slimmed down version of the shiny chunk of metal that resided in Lieutenant Uhura’s lughole, the ‘bud’ style phones have encapsulated, inner-ear-speakers attached to a space-age shiny metal casing.

    To ensure that the sound gets right down yer earhole, the EX90 sports an articulated design that swivels to get in deep and dirty amongst the ear wax.

    Sony Hi-Fi EX90SL In-Ear HeadphonesThe high quality ‘phones sport a pair of large, 16 Ohm, 13.5mm (CCAW) speakers serving up 106dB/mW on a wide 5 to 25kHz frequency response (not that any human is likely to hear the extremes of that quoted range. Unless you’re an owl or something). Output is rated at 200mW (IEC).

    Aimed at the mobile MP3 listening market, the Sony’s look to offer a real improvement on the standard cheapo headphones that get bundled with players, but we strongly recommend users give this style of headphones a try out first before whipping out their wedge.

    Sony Hi-Fi EX90SL In-Ear HeadphonesWhen we reviewed the MDR-EX71SL Sony Fontopia in-ear headphones we found that the air-tight seal made us go over a bit funny – although we were wowed by the sound quality. And if you’re listening to music and eating at the same time, the sensation can be distinctly odd!

    The EX90SL’s appear to be only available in Japan at the moment, retailing for around 10,000 Yen (£48). We’ve no idea when they’ll be beaming units into the UK.

    Sony Japan

  • Gold! Sony Ericsson W700 WALKMAN Phone Launched

    Gold! Sony Ericsson W700 WALKMAN Phone LaunchedRolling off Sony Ericsson’s well-furrowed product slipway this morning is the W700i Walkman Phone, the company’s eighth addition to their Walkman range.

    Looking almost identical to its big brothers in the W800 range, the W700 is designed to tempt the pockets of punters looking to play a bit of music but not needing a “full blown music phone.”

    “The W700i builds on the legacy of the first Walkman phone, the W800i. This phone will appeal to anyone who wants a quality music player in their phone for occasional listening,” commented Jan Wäreby, Corporate Executive Vice President, Head of Sale and Marketing, Sony Ericsson.

    Sporting a natty Titanium Gold finish, the W700 comes with a Memory Stick in the retail box, although punters will only get a measly 256MB PRO Duo card instead of the 512Mb card bundled with the W800i.

    The phone can, however, accept cards up to 2GB, providing storage for up to 47 CDs – long enough to see you through even the longest of tube delays.

    To save battery life (and keep flight attendants happy), the music player works when the phone is turned off.

    Gold! Sony Ericsson W700 WALKMAN Phone LaunchedLike the W800, the W700 comes with a full complement of onboard gizmos, including a two megapixel camera, 1.8 inch 262k 176×220 colour TFT display, dedicated music buttons and Bluetooth and Tri-band connectivity.

    Battery life is claimed at up to 30-hours of music playback time, 9 hours talk time and 400 hours standby time.

    The W700i will ship globally during Q2 2006, with a ‘Smooth White’ colour option available in some markets.

    Sony Ericsson W700 specs
    Band GSM 900/1800/1900MHz
    Data GPRS
    Size 100mm x 46mm x 20.5mm (3.9″ x 1.8″ x 0.8″)
    Weight 99g (3.5oz)
    Battery Life 9 hours talk time, 400 hours standby time
    Main Display 1.8″ 262k color TFT LCD, 176×220 pixel resolution
    Sub-Display N/A
    Camera Yes, 2.0 megapixel
    Video Video capture/playback
    Messaging MMS/EMS/SMS
    Email Yes
    Bluetooth Yes
    Infrared Yes
    Java Yes, MIDP v2.0
    Polyphonics Yes
    Memory 256MB on board memory, Memory Stick PRO Duo expansion

    Sony Ericsson

  • Sony China Announces CE-P MP3/FM Players

    Sony China Announces CE-P MP3/FM PlayersDetails of a snazzy new range of Sony flash memory MP3 player/FM radios with a colour display have appeared on Sony’s Chinese site.

    As our Chinese translation skills are up there with our ability to understand advanced quantum physics explained in Latin, we may not be 100% accurate here, but it appears that Sony China is introducing a new range of flash memory multimedia players, under the name of the CE-P series.

    Sony China Announces CE-P MP3/FM PlayersSporting attractively bijou dimensions of 75.5mm x 45.5mm, the CE-P is smaller than a credit card (but not as thin, natch) and is designed for carrying around your neck, gangsta-stylee.

    The first model to be designed by the Sony China Creative Centre in Shanghai, the front of the display is dominated by a 1.5″ 260K color OLED display.

    Sony’s designers have turned up the feature set to eleven, with the unit ramming in MP3/WMA playback, a built-in 87.5-108MHz FM tuner and FM radio recording, voice recording, BMP/JPEG picture display and USB 2.0 for file transfer.

    Sony China Announces CE-P MP3/FM PlayersThe CE-P series will come in three flavours, offering storage capacity from 256MB to a 1GB.

    We’ve no idea about availability in Europe and America, but pricing should be somewhere in the region of $150 (E124, £86) for the 1GB model, $125 (E103, £72)for the 512MB and $100 for the bottom-of-the-range 256MB unit.

    Sony China

  • Google Increases US Search Dominance

    Google Increases US Search DominanceAfter reporting Google’s huge dominance of the UK search market, new figures reveal that it also looks set to grab a gorilla-sized chunk of the US search market.

    According to the latest statistics from ComScore Networks, Google is increasing its lead over rivals Yahoo and Microsoft, with its US domestic market share soaring to 42.3 percent in February, up from 36.3 percent in the same period last year.

    While the vintage champagne corks popped (or water, if we know Google’s public modesty) in Google’s San Francisco’s offices, it was Woodpecker cider for the fading stars at Yahoo who saw their market share slump to 27.6 percent from 31.1 percent a year ago.

    Elsewhere, Microsoft’s MSN share of the search market tumbled down to 13.5 percent from 16.3 percent , while Time Warner’s America Online saw their popularity ebb in a downwards direction, falling to 8 percent from 8.9 percent.

    Only the newly rebranded Ask.com could muster any cheer, with the Jeeves-less company seeing their share rising to 6 percent from 5.3 percent.

    Analysts reckon that that Google could be on an unstoppable roll, with RBC Capital Markets analyst Jordan Rohan commenting, “We see little to stop Google from reaching 70 percent market share eventually; the question, really, comes down to, ‘How long could it take?”

    Google Increases US Search DominanceMerrill Lynch analyst Lauren Fine predicted that, “Google’s increased market share and better monetisation of queries will lead to an increased share of ad dollars relative to competitors in the first half of this year.”

    Fine also said that Google’s clear strategic focus on search will continue to give the company a competitive edge in the coming months as leading competitors “struggle” to improve their search platforms.

    Microsoft fightback
    Although Google looks to be running away with the search market, things may get interesting later in the year when Microsoft roll out their new Live.com search and Windows Vista and IE7 packages.

    “Microsoft is making a business and technology transition that could affect search in the short term. The company has placed its bets on long-term gains,” commented Jupiter Research senior analyst Joe Wilcox.

    “Strangely, Microsoft seems to deliver best when the pressure is greatest. So, Google gains might actually benefit Microsoft over the long haul,” he added.

  • eBay Opens Doors To Blue Peter Badge Cheats

    eBay Opens Doors To Blue Peter Badge CheatsThe BBC are reporting that they are suspending a Blue Peter badge scheme. Why? Cheeky blighters are buying them on eBay and presenting them as if they ‘earned’ them and claiming the benefits.

    Non-BBC readers may be confused as to the relevance of the Blue Peter badge. Blue Peter is a British institution. The late afternoon TV show for children, which every child in the UK has watched, awarded badges to children who hard work and appeared on the show. Back in the 70’s they were highly prized items – the sort of thing that people would place under their pillow when they slept.

    In the thirty or so years since then they may have got a little slack with their distribution because people are now selling them on eBay. Heresy in the old days. It’s be like chucking out your Jim’ll Fix It badge.

    This may not be news to owners of the hallowed Badge, but apparently Blue Peter has a deal with over 100 venues around the UK that gives free entry.

    Some rotters have clearly come to learn this and have been pursuing on eBay. The £30-odd that they are paying for them more than balance the amounts of money they have saving by getting in free to the locations.

    Having become aware of this, the BBC say that they have been forced in to reconsidering if the free access to venues will continue.

    A spokesman said: “The BBC investigations unit has been monitoring eBay over the past few months and has noticed badges being sold in large numbers by individual sellers.”

    Blue Peter

  • Intel Mac Photoshop Users Face Long Wait

    Intel Mac Photoshop Users Face Long WaitFrappuccino-supping designers desperate to run Adobe’s high-end Photoshop graphics suite on their shiny new Intel-powered Mac computers are going to be in for a long wait, according to Adobe engineer Scott Byer.

    Writing in a company blog, Byer said that the costs of updating the latest version to run on Intel-powered Mac computers would prove too high, adding, “There’s no limited-cost option for getting most of the performance available on the platform for Photoshop in a short amount of time.”

    Byer went on to say that that building a ‘universal binary’ version of Photoshop for OS X on Intel would be “no small task” because Apple’s XCode development tool wasn’t up to the job.

    “Apple is doing an amazing job at catching up rapidly, but the truth is we don’t yet have a shipping XCode in hand that handles a large application well,” he said.

    Intel Mac Photoshop Users Face Long WaitApple’s switch from PowerPC to Intel chips has forced software vendors to rewrite their code to accommodate the different architecture as the chips don’t share the same ‘language.’

    To bridge the gap, Apple created the Rosetta technology to translate PowerPC instructions into Intel code, but this interpreter can heavily impact on calculation speeds, with Vnunet claiming that tests running Photoshop on the new Intel Macs have shown the program running at only half the speed of a previous generation PowerPC machine.

    With the graphic design sector making up a large chunk of Apple’s user base, the absence of a fully optimised version of the numero uno design application may prove a barrier to professional users switching to Intel Macs.

    Intel Mac Photoshop Users Face Long WaitCurrently, only Apple’s iMac, MacBook Pro and Mac Mini machines are powered by Intel chips, with the iBook and PowerMac machines still using IBM PowerPC chips.

    With the current version of Photoshop CS2 being released last April, Intel Macheads may be in for a long wait for CS3, with Adobe’s usual timetable suggesting a projected release date some nine months away.

    Finishing on a high note, Byer commented, that it would be “far better to focus on making sure Photoshop CS3 is able to absolutely squeeze every ounce of power out of what I’m sure will be pretty spankin’ Intel-based towers by that point than to do tons of work moving an old code base to new tools”

    Scott Byer’s blog

  • Google Grabs 75 Percent In UK

    Google Grabs 75 Percent In UKWith a leather-gloved stroke of the company white cat, Google’s mastermind cackled loudly as new figures revealed that their plans for UK domination are nearly complete, with almost three out of every four searches in the UK using their search engine.

    During February, 2006, Google referred a whopping average of 74.67 percent of all U.K. visitors to other sites on the web – streets ahead of their nearest competitor Yahoo, who could only muster a comparatively feeble 9.3 per cent.

    The figures were released by analysis company WebSideStory, who used a fancypants-sounding “statistical barometer” featuring “techno-graphic trends” (weren’t we dancing to that last night?) to reveal Google’s near-total domination of the UK search market.

    Google Grabs 75 Percent In UKIt looks like the Brits have taken a particular shine to the San Francisco-based search giant, with February’s search referral stats outperforming Google’s US average for the the month (55.39 percent) and their global average (62.4 percent).

    “Even more so in the U.K. than in the U.S., when people think of search, they think of Google,” commented Rand Schulman, Chief Marketing Officer for WebSideStory.

    “This has large implications for U.K. marketers, whose search engine marketing and optimization strategies should be Google-centric,” he added.

    Looking down to the sorry gang of search engines trailing several laps behind, we can see Yahoo at 9.30 percent, MSN at 5.46 percent, AOL with 4.21 and a coughing, spluttering Ask (Jeeves) with just 2.28 percent.

  • Max-Joy MP3 Player For Kids

    Max-Joy MP3 Player For KidsBack in our day, the only round thing that kids had in their pockets were marbles, conkers and gobstoppers, but German MP3 player maker Maxfield wants kids to shell out for their Max-Joy digital music player.

    Targeted at pocket-money-rich young ‘uns between six and twelve years old, the Max-Joy offers comes in a playground tough, water-resistant shell.

    Resplendent in two-tone red and yellow, the 50g, 8 x 5.6 x 2.6cm device sports chunky operation buttons and an “extra-luminous” two-colour OLED screen.

    To protect the delicate ears of schoolkids from repeated plays of Sludgefeast, the Max-Joy limits the audio output to 60dB through the supplied Koss-designed earphones.

    Max-Joy MP3 Player For KidsThere’s 256MB of on-board storage, with the option to add more song space via a SD memory card slot.

    In line with its kid-friendly aspirations, Maxfield is lobbing in a free 128MB MMC along with some music and audio books (which will no doubt be promptly deleted and replaced by death metal favourites like Decapitated, Devourment, Vomit Remnants, Cannibal Corpse and Gorguts).

    The player supports MP3, WMA and WMA DRM with six EQ pre-sets allowing for some sonic adjustments.

    Max-Joy MP3 Player For KidsThe Max-Joy runs off a single AAA battery, which the makers claim will give up to 19 hours’ playback time, offering plenty of potential for parents to get a bit of peace.

    The only thing that worries us is that the unit’s pebble shape just asks, nay begs, for it to be launched skywards. Or maybe that’s just us.

    The Max-Joy is expected to appear on Amazon.co.uk soon for around sixty quid (~$105, ~€87).