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9to5mac is reporting that Apple is going to announce a 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro alongside the iPad Mini at a forthcoming product announcement event. More »

For all of the many directions Ubuntu One’s cloud storage has gone, it hasn’t headed the Mac’s way. Official clients have been the province of Linux devotees (naturally, Ubuntu is recommended) and their Windows friends across the aisle. A newly available Mac beta puts all three major desktop platforms on an even keel, very literally — the OS X port is almost identical to what you’d get in Linux or Windows, including a few rough points where other interface concepts clash. Still, the Ubuntu One test build has a handy Mac-specific menu bar item, and it’s one of the few cloud options that will natively support both the Ubuntu box in your den and the MacBook Pro in your bag. Grab your copy at the source link if you can deal with a few unfinished elements.

Filed under: Internet, Software

Ubuntu One reaches Mac in beta, completes the cloud storage circle originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Oct 2012 23:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pioneer has enjoyed a fairly tight grip on the upper-end of the DJ market, but if you step out of the professional DJ booth, and into the bars and bedrooms, the competition starts to heat up. So when we heard about the XDJ-Aero and its curious new WiFi functionality, we were interested to see how this $1,399 controller would be received. That’s not to say the DJ mainstay doesn’t hold its ground in this busier market — it does — but as the far more frequent product release schedule will attest, the industry standard crown is still up for grabs. There’s the other issue of software to consider, also. Pioneer has remained fairly neutral so far, releasing controllers for the big two platforms already, with the paint barely dry on its latest addition.

The XDJ-Aero, however, hints at a new approach. One where you don’t need to choose your software gang colors to be involved. This isn’t the first bit of kit that lets you play direct from USB drives or skip the laptop, but it’s the first from Pioneer that clearly heads out in its own direction. Ditch the Traktor, wean yourself of Serato, even forget CDs and just get on with the mixing. That seems to be what the XDJ-Aero is about, but does it hold its own? We popped a few of our favorite ditties on to find out.

Continue reading Pioneer XDJ-Aero review: a DJ controller that loves music, hates physical formats

Filed under: Misc

Pioneer XDJ-Aero review: a DJ controller that loves music, hates physical formats originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Oct 2012 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Last month, it was rumored that Apple put in a huge order for various carbon fiber parts from a Japanese carbon fiber manufacturer. Of course, we weren’t really sure exactly what Apple had in mind with these carbon fiber components, other than they’ll probably be used for upcoming mobile devices. More news about the relationship today says that Apple and the carbon fiber manufacturer have actually been in a partnership for several years already.

This probably means that Apple is really interested in carbon fiber, and it’s likely we’ll see some of their future products bear the ultra-lightweight material at some point. Apple already has a carbon fiber patent that they filed in 2007, which details a different weave pattern than traditional carbon fiber.

Of course, this isn’t the first time we’ve heard about carbon fiber being used on mobile products. Motorola has been doing it with their DROID RAZR series, which features an iconic weave pattern on the back of their devices. While Apple probably won’t use the same pattern, we’re interested as to how it’ll look on future Apple products.

If Apple does end up implementing carbon fiber in its products, it’s guaranteed that it will bring a completely new level of quality to the iPhone, iPad, and MacBook lineup. Not only will they be lighter, but they’ll be more durable and rugid than ever before, which would be a much-welcomed change from the glass structure of the iPhone.

[via MacRumors]

Apple rumored to be in long-standing partnership with carbon fiber manufacturer is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Apple co-founder Steve Jobs was a special person. He was able to combine some of the finer elements of the industry into products that made users worldwide drool. And along the way, he established himself as one of the most important figures in the technology industry. To say his contributions to the industry were significant would perhaps be too simple a summation of such an important figure.

A year after his death, Jobs was celebrated by consumers worldwide, giving a clear indication that although his company is now under the leadership of someone else, he will never be forgotten.

But all of the remembrances and tributes make me wonder how other prominent technology giants will be remembered. More specifically, I’m wondering if Bill Gates, a technology icon in his own right, will be remembered in the same way as Steve Jobs.

At first glance, there should be no reason Gates doesn’t earn the same respect and idolatry of Jobs. After all, without Bill’s decisions, we might not have Windows, the PC market wouldn’t be as advanced as it is today, and it’s hard to say how the corporate world would be operating. It’s easy to say that someone else could have come up with everything Gates did, but they didn’t. And his position as a tech icon has been cemented because of that.
“Without Bill’s decisions … it’s hard to say how the corporate world would be operating.”
But Gates wasn’t always as beloved as Steve Jobs. For a long time, Gates was viewed unfavorably because he was the richest person in the world. And in the late 1990s when Microsoft was at the height of its power, Gates was viewed as the evil leader that dominated other companies.

Now, though, things have changed a bit. Microsoft is no longer the big, brooding company that it once was. And although it’s still generating billions of dollars in revenue each quarter, it’s largely an afterthought in an industry dominated by Apple and Google.

Moreover, Gates is no longer running Microsoft, and long ago left day-to-day operations at the company. Gates is now a full-time philanthropist. And his contributions to the world and the people who are in need of help is nothing but commendable.

Still, I can’t help but wonder how Gates will be remembered. On one hand, I think that he might finally get his due as a technology icon after his death when people take an honest look at his contributions and the economic activity they spurred.
“Gates was great and all… but he wasn’t Steve Jobs.”
At the same time, I can’t help but shake the feeling that Gates inspired enough distaste among critics over the years that even over time, he won’t be viewed on the same level as Steve Jobs. Gates was great and all, those critics might say, but he wasn’t Steve Jobs.

Of course, the debate over whether that’s true or not will last forever. And chances are, no one will be able to arrive at a consensus. But if we can agree on anything, it’s that Gates did contribute quite a bit to the industry. And if nothing else, he should be remembered for that a long ways from now when the old guard gives way to the new upstarts.

How Will Bill Gates Be Remembered? is written by Don Reisinger & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.