Hasta La Gadget!

It would appear that the biggest-name biography movie surrounding the life and times of Steve Jobs, that being the one penned by Aaron Sorkin, will be played out in three 30-minute segments, each of them working as one single shot each. Each of these segments will work inside time behind the scenes right before the launches of the original Mac, the original iPod, and NeXT. This information was revealed this week at the Summit conference with Newsweek and The Daily Beast, Sorkin himself noting the format with little else for details.

What’s known thus far – per Sorkin – is that they plan on filming the movie in three shots. These shots will be continuous, not unlike the film Children of Men – though with far fewer deaths involved, of course. The movie will be backed by Sony and for those of you that don’t know him at the moment, Aaron Sorkin is best known for being a writer for “The West Wing”, a show of some note, and movies like The Social Network and A Few Good Men.

For those of you wondering if this is or is not the Steve Jobs biopic with Ashton Kutcher in it – it’s certainly not. That movie goes by the name “Jobs” and was written by a man named Matt Whiteley. This version has Sorkin speaking on the life of Steve Jobs years before the iPhone and iPad launched. It’s the Mac, here, that he wants to capture.

Speaking about the iconic Mac advertisement “here’s to the crazy ones”, Sorkin said thusly: “if I can live up to that ending, I will have won.” The version of the ad spot you’re seeing here has Jobs himself doing the voice-over rather than the more popular version with Richard Dryfuss doing the audio.

As for the segments this movie is going to come up on, you’ll want to begin with the Mac. This is the Apple Macintosh keynote by Steve Jobs all the way back in 1984. Have a peek and be utterly amazed.

Next you’ll see NeXT – it’s not clear at the moment if this will be the presentation they’ll be speaking about in the movie now or not, but still – interesting stuff! This is Steve Jobs speaking about NeXT OS. Very simple stuff, very visionary.

Then it’s time for the original iPod. This device appears to be a beast compared to the devices we use today, but back then it was an industry-changer. We’ll be getting an interpretation of the action behind the stage before this event started in the movie – can’t wait! Also – please excuse Comic Sans – Apple wasn’t part of the graphic design and typography modernism at the time.

Steve Jobs biopic to be three one-scene pre-keynotes is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Most software has to be designed around a presumed viewing distance, whether it’s up close for a smartphone or the 10-foot interface of a home theater hub. Apple has been imagining a day when the exact distance could be irrelevant: it’s applying for a patent that would automatically resize any content based on viewing distance. By using a camera, infrared or other sensors to detect face proximity through facial recognition or pure range, the technique could dynamically resize a map or website to keep it legible at varying ranges. Although the trick could work with most any device, the company sees that flexibility as most relevant for a tablet, and it’s easy to understand why — iPad owners could read on the couch without needing to manually zoom in as they settle into a more relaxed position. There’s no knowing the likelihood that Apple will implement an automatic scaling feature in iOS or OS X, let alone make it the default setting. If the Cupertino team ever goes that far, though, we’ll only have our own eyesight to blame if we can’t read what’s on screen.

Filed under: Cellphones, Laptops, Tablets, Mobile, Apple

Apple applies for patent that scales content to match face distance, save us from squinting originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Nov 2012 11:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Western Digital has announced a new version of its My Book Studio line of external hard drives. The new line has been updated to USB 3.0, which is three times faster than previous offerings. In addition, a 4TB model has been added to the device line, giving you ample room to store your music, TV shows, and movies.

The My Book Studio line is composed of four models: 1TB, 2TB, 3TB, and now 4TB. The drives are enclosed in a “premium aluminum enclosure,” and are a single-drive configuration. All four drives feature WD Security, allowing users to apply a password and 256-bit encryption to keep private data away from peeking eyes. The My Studio Line “works seamlessly” with Apple Time Machine.

WD’s Executive Vice President and General Manager Jim Welsh offered this statement. “WD’s My Book Studio with USB 3.0 delivers extreme transfer speeds while maintaining the standard USB and FireWire connections computer users prefer. Its large capacity, combined with a premium aluminum enclosure, hardware-based encryption, and compatibility with Apple Time Machine, provide Mac users with a fast, secure and complete system for preserving their valuable content.”

Each My Book Studio model includes a 3 year limited warranty. The first 1TB model is priced at $159.99, the 2TB model is priced at $189.99, the 3TB model is priced at $239.99, and the 4TB model is priced at $299.99. For those who need it, the line will also be available with USB 2.0 instead of the updated 3.0, as well as FireWire 800.

Western Digital announces updated My Book Studio line is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Logitech’s Alert camera system has given security to Android, BlackBerry, iOS and Windows users alike, yet there’s been a conspicuously Mac-shaped void in support. Logitech is plugging that hole with a native OS X version of its Alert Commander app. So long as Alert system owners are running Snow Leopard or later, they’ll have an Orwellian view of live and pre-recorded video feeds from as many as six of the HomePlug-connected cameras. The control extends to 16 motion-sensitive zones, digital zoom, backups and desktop notifications for when an intruder disturbs the peace. As the app itself is a free Mac App Store download, the only cost left is a recent camera array like the Alert 750n to keep track of home from a MacBook Air.

Continue reading Logitech Alert security cameras get OS X support for mindful MacBook owners

Filed under: Household, Software

Logitech Alert security cameras get OS X support for mindful MacBook owners originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Nov 2012 04:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple‘s line up of Mac computers and laptops are certainly cool, but some of them like the MacBook Air and iMac don’t provide as much power as some users need. This is where mLogic has decided to step in, introducing a new mLink PCIe expansion chassis that comes with support for Thunderbolt. This means that you can hook the mLink up to any Thunderbolt-enabled Mac and open up a ton of new possibilities with your computer.

mLogic’s listing has no problem at all touting the transfer speeds with the mLink Thunderbolt. According to the site, the mLink Thunderbolt can transfer data at up 10Gbps, and since it comes with two Thunderbolt ports, it can support daisy-chain of up to six Thunderbolt devices. The listing also says that the mLink Thunderbolt is compatible with “just about any half-length PCIe card.”

The mLink Thunderbolt is also relatively small, standing 5.86-inches tall, 2.75-inches wide, and 8.1-inches tall. It sounds like a handy little product, but if you want one, be prepared to hand over some cash. The mLink Thunderbolt costs a hefty $400, though we’re sure that there are some media creators and high-performance lovers who will find value in the device despite its price tag.

At the moment, the mLink Thunderbolt is only available for pre-order. The listing says that orders will begin shipping out in 3-4 weeks, though we don’t have an exact date from mLogic just yet. We’ll be keeping out for a solid will release and will update you if we hear anything new, so keep it tuned here to SlashGear for more info!

[via mLogic]

mLogic introduces new mLink Thunderbolt PCIe expansion chassis is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.