Hasta La Gadget!

This article was written on April 15, 2008 by CyberNet.

I don’t know whether this was exactly a smart move, but Psystar has begun selling a PC dubbed the Open Computer. It rolls in at a budget-priced $399, but what really makes it unique is that fact that you can have Leopard preinstalled on it for an additional $155. So for about $550 you can get a PC with decent specs that also runs Mac OS X Leopard. They’re claiming that you can “run Mac Pro equivalent hardware at Mac Mini prices.”

There is also the OpenPro Computer that comes in with much higher specs and a $999 price tag, but how are they able to offer computers with Mac OS X Leopard? Interestingly enough Psystar has decided to ignore Apple’s EULA and install the operating system on non-Apple hardware. Their website says that they are able to do this using an EFI emulator:

With the EFI V8 emulator it is possible to install Leopard’s kernel straight from the DVD that you purchased at the Apple store barring the addition of a few drivers to ensure that everything boots and runs smoothly.

They aren’t stopping there either. InformationWeek posted an article today stating that Psystar is calling out Apple as being a monopoly. They say that it would be similar to Microsoft only allowing Dell to install Windows on their computers, or Honda telling you what roads you can drive on with your car. I’m all about Apple letting third-party vendors create Leopard-compatible PC’s, but are those comparisons really accurate?

In the end Apple’s computers are really just consumer devices with an operating system, and are people going to force Apple to offer the iPod/iPhone OS for other devices as well? You might be thinking that Mac OS X is different since Apple sells it separately from the computers, but what if they didn’t? They are really only offering the OS separately so that existing Mac users can easily (and cheaply) upgrade without having to purchase a new computer. Don’t give Apple a reason to stop selling standalone copies of OS X.

I would love to see Mac OS X running on nearly any PC, but I think Apple has found value in selling computers that they can ensure work flawlessly with their operating system. This will definitely be a story to follow, and I wonder whether Psystar will be able to hold their own against Apple’s big-shot lawyers?

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Related Posts:

• Psystar’s Mac Clones Merely a Scam?
• Mossberg Calls Leopard Evolutionary not Revolutionary
• Psystar Computers Exist, but have lots of Quirks
• The New Monopoly: Electronic Banking With Visa Debit Cards
• Apple Boot Camp Expiration Coming Soon

It’s been five months since we first heard about the convertible Classmate PC, and now we’ve finally gotten a chance to get our hands on it at the Intel booth. It feels pretty durable — especially that kind of important display swivel — but we take issue with how lopsided the weight is towards the back. The Quick Launcher Windows XP shell lives up to the name and is indeed very fast and easy to navigate. When we rotated the tablet on its side, however, the interface awkwardly fills in only the top half. According to the rep, there’s no US distributor yet for retail. Glamor shots in the gallery, or check out video after the break. Is it too much to ask for capacitive multitouch next time?

Continue reading Video: Intel’s convertible Classmate PC hands-on

Filed under: CES, Laptops, Tablet PCs

Video: Intel’s convertible Classmate PC hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 10 Jan 2009 18:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ll be honest — we’re totally in love with Gibson’s Dark Fire guitar. The $3,499 update to the Robot guitar we played with at CES last year is lighter, faster, easier to use and features new Chameleon Tone technology that actually reconfigures the individual pickups to deliver different sounds. The FireWire / MIDI breakout box enables you to record directly to a computer, but you can also tweak presets and control the guitar from the included Ableton Live / Guitar Rig bundle. It’s seriously hot — and it’s even hotter when it’s being demoed by German inventor Chris Adams, who might be the single coolest dude at CES. Check it out after the break!

Gallery: Gibson Dark Fire hands-on

Continue reading Video: Gibson Dark Fire guitar hands-on

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Video: Gibson Dark Fire guitar hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 10 Jan 2009 17:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The iBooster’s cradle securely holds your iPhone.

(Credit: Kent German/CBS Interactive)

Wilson Electronics may not have the flashiest products or the glitziest booth at CES, but it does offer some of the best cell phone signal amplifiers around. At the show the company announced the iBooster, a new …

Originally posted at CES 2009

The W508 has a flip phone design.

(Credit: Kent German/CBS Interactive)

Sony Ericsson’s new C510 Cyber-shot and W508 Walkman phone don’t break a lot of new ground, but they’re certainly worthy of attention. In many ways they resemble other Sony Ericssons that came before them–the W508 …

Originally posted at CES 2009