Hasta La Gadget!

The good folks over at Skype have been mighty busy recently. In the last month (give or take a day) the company has announced integration with Facebook, launched a new version of its Windows client to support the social network, released an iPad-optimized version, and expanded Android support to an additional 17 handsets. Now the video-chat stalwart has update its Mac app with support for Lion and HD video calls — something Microsoft fans have been enjoying since 2010. You can check out the full announcement and download Skype 5.3 for Max OS X at the source link.

Skype for Mac updates to 5.3, adds Lion and HD video call support originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Aug 2011 12:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple clearly considers its new App Store-based distribution model one of the biggest advances in Lion, and to the company’s credit, we found the whole thing to be quite painless. But physical media devotees needn’t worry too much — the company quietly announced at launch that the latest version of OS X will also be available on a USB key, for the lofty price of $69 — which, incidentally, still requires Snow Leopard, unlike what has been previously reported. Word hit today that the company has finally issued the flash drive version of the software, information gleaned from an internal document reportedly leaked by AppleCare. We have it on good authority, however, that the drives mentioned in the document are not, in fact, the aforementioned sticks. Rather, the “recovery media” discussed is actually a restoration tool for AppleCare employees, used to fix faulty systems. We hate to be the burster of bubbles, but it seems that the App Store-impaired will still have to wait until later this month to get their hands on the $70 Apple dongle.

Debunk: Lion USB sticks are not yet available originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Aug 2011 15:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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When you head to Apple’s online store to configure your MacBook Air, you’ll find options to increase processor speed or SSD capacity — depending on the model you select, of course. There’s no mention of flash drive speed, however, though it’s now clear that not all SSDs are created equal at Apple — not only when it comes to capacity, but also performance. Jonathan over at TLD discovered a fairly significant discrepancy when benchmarking both MacBook Air models over the weekend. The 128GB Samsung SSD in his 11-inch Air was able to achieve 246 MB/s write and 264 MB/s read speeds. When he switched to the 13-inch model, however, speeds dropped to 156 MB/s and 208 MB/s, respectively, using that notebook’s 128GB Toshiba SSD. We compared speeds on two generations of 13-inch models, and confirmed Jonathan’s findings. During our tests, the 256GB Samsung drive in our older model achieved 214 MB/s write and 251 MB/s read speeds, while the 128GB Toshiba drive in the new MacBook Air scored 184 MB/s and 203 MB/s during write and read tests, respectively. Overall, you’re not likely to notice a significant difference during normal usage, though it’s certainly an interesting find, nonetheless.

[Thanks, Larry]

Continue reading PSA: Apple using slower SSDs in some MacBook Air models (video)

PSA: Apple using slower SSDs in some MacBook Air models (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 Jul 2011 13:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We know what you’re thinking: Mac OS X Lion (10.7) has been out for nearly a week, so why have we yet to hear anything about Snow Lion? Patience friends, Apple will roar soon enough — but for now, 10.7.2 will have to do. Apple released the beta update to developers over the weekend, eschewing any acknowledgment of 10.7.1, or correcting any of the bugs that have popped up over the last week. Instead, Lion’s pending second update (build 11C26) is required for testing the operating system with iCloud — a feature notably absent in the public version of the OS released last week. The new System Preferences iCloud module enables granular management of select features, letting you choose which accounts and services to sync. Full iCloud support is coming in the fall with the release of iOS 5, so it’s probably safe to assume that Apple plans to patch some of those bugs in the meantime — any day now, we hope.

Mac OS X Lion 10.7.2 beta brings iCloud support, no bug fixes originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 Jul 2011 08:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Here at Engadget, and here on the Engadget Podcast in particular, we’re all about customer service. OK, maybe not all about customer service, but on this episode we’ve dedicated twenty percent of our breath to answering your questions! If you happen to enjoy a bunch of Apple news too — which we heard you do you — then we’re at about fifty percent on-track to serving you completely. If you like Apple news, having your questions answered, and a healthy dose of other up-to-the-minute information in the spacecraft, e-reader, and digital camera realms…well, let’s just say we got this.

Host: Tim Stevens, Brian Heater
Guests: Dana Wollman
Producer: Trent Wolbe
Music: Paradise City

02:44 – Apple Mac OS X Lion available now in the App Store
06:00 – Apple refreshes MacBook Air with Sandy Bridge, Thunderbolt, and backlit keyboards
08:35 – Apple OS X Lion (10.7) review
17:32 – The MacBook drops from Apple’s Store (update: confirmed)
22:37 – Apple updates Mac mini: Core i5 and i7, Thunderbolt, AMD Radeon HD, no SuperDrive
22:55 – Apple rolls out 27-inch Thunderbolt Display with FaceTime HD camera, built-in speakers
23:45 – Apple’s Q3 earnings exceed estimates: $28.57 billion revenue, $7.31 billion profit, 20 million iPhones sold
25:13 – Apple outpaces Nokia in global smartphone shipments
28:00 – Nokia Q2 2011: ‘clearly disappointing’ results as challenges prove ‘greater than expected’
32:35 – Motorola Droid 3 review
37:35 – Sony Alpha NEX-C3 review
42:55 – iRiver Story HD review
49:51 – Space Shuttle Atlantis touches down in Florida, won’t be going back up again
50:44 – Google ‘winding down’ Labs, likely due to meddling older sister
51:40 – Listener questions

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Engadget Podcast 249 – 07.22.2011 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 22 Jul 2011 17:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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