BT-1 Bluetooth webcam for Mac finally shipping

To think, we’ve been waiting on the edge of our seats since January to get our hands on Ecamm’s BT-1 wireless, Bluetooth-enabled webcam for OS X. Sure, 640 x 480 / 15fps H.264 video quality is comparable to what our MacBooks get anyway, but hey, at least you can be a little more artsy on your Skype calls without losing that prime display viewing angle. All that waiting doesn’t matter now, anyway, since it’s finally shipping out. Price is $150 and it includes a mini-tripod and USB charger cable — can’t seem to get rid of wires entirely just yet. As for Windows support, it’s still not there officially, but we’ve no doubt some intrepid young coder with an afternoon to spare will fix that.

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BT-1 Bluetooth webcam for Mac finally shipping originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Jun 2009 20:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Snow Leopard officially puts PowerPC Macs on endangered species list

Snow Leopard officially puts PowerPC Macs on endangered species list

It was just a day short of a year ago that we first got a bad feeling Snow Leopard was going to be end of the road for the PowerPC crowd. Now we know the truth, with Apple confirming Mac OS X version 10.6 will require Intel processors, cutting the cord on that rich lineage of alternative CPU support. From here on out it’s Intel or bust — until Apple finds a new silicon suitor it prefers, anyway.

[Via MacRumors]

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Snow Leopard officially puts PowerPC Macs on endangered species list originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Jun 2009 07:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dell’s Mini 10v gets unboxed, cracked wide open, fitted with OS X

Not that Dell’s other Mini machines aren’t perfect candidates for creating your own hackintosh, but it’s stellar to know that the outfit’s newest member is as well. After going on sale earlier this month, the Mini 10v has been procured, unboxed and dissected, all in the name of unabashed discovery. Interestingly, it seems as if the RAM slot requires that the keyboard and motherboard be lifted for access, but for even the mildly seasoned computer user, that’s absolutely nothing they can’t handle. If you’re into hardcore, uncensored splayings of newfangled netbooks, the read link is where you need to be, holmes.

[Via MyDellMini, thanks Erik]

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Dell’s Mini 10v gets unboxed, cracked wide open, fitted with OS X originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 31 May 2009 02:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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How would you change Apple’s Nehalem-based Mac Pro?

Apple’s freshest Mac Pro, which was the first machine of any kind to ship with Intel’s newest Nehalem-based Xeon processors, has been on the block for a few months now. By our estimation, that’s plenty of time for the pros (and “prosumers,” if you will) to get a good feel of their new workstation. Design wise, not a lot has changed in the machine, but we’re anxious to know how you feel about the more subtle changes as well as the internal overhauling. Apple’s charging a small fortune for this bad boy, so we fully expect you to be critical here. What’s it missing? What should’ve been included? Are you still bitter that WiFi is a $50 option on a multi-thousand dollar machine? Sound off below!

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How would you change Apple’s Nehalem-based Mac Pro? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 09 May 2009 00:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New Snow Leopard beta build includes screen recording capabilities, a certain je ne sais quoi

If you’re keeping track of Snow Leopard’s progress, you’ll be pleased to know that a new build (10A335) has been released into the hands of devs (and consequently, the world). Most interestingly, however, is that it seem this new iteration has a handy screen grab feature that hasn’t made an appearance until now — namely, the native ability (under QuickTime) to “record” your on-screen activities. There are other third-party apps that handle this duty, like the classily-named Snapz Pro X, but the inclusion in this latest beta will almost certainly mainstream the function. It should come in handy if you’re constantly trying to tell you parents how to change their network settings, or if you’re thinking about producing your own version of You Suck at Photoshop.

[Via Mac Rumors]

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New Snow Leopard beta build includes screen recording capabilities, a certain je ne sais quoi originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 25 Apr 2009 17:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Psystar Open(3) manages to ship, gets unboxed by lucky customer

Take a good look at the box above, folks — it just might be the first, the last and the only Open(3) you ever see. Psystar‘s latest Mac clone, which was launched right around a month ago, has miraculously managed to ship out (or, at least one has). If you’ll recall, the company has been battling with Apple for months on end for selling OS X-equipped machines without Cupertino’s blessing, but apparently it’s still doing at least a bit of business under the table. Hit up the read link for a Flickr gallery full of this here slap in the face. It’s good stuff, trust us.

[Thanks, Mike]

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Psystar Open(3) manages to ship, gets unboxed by lucky customer originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Apr 2009 13:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Skype for iPhone goes live in Japan

When they said “Tuesday,” they meant it. Not long ago, the clock struck midnight in the Land of the Rising Sun, and sure enough, the bona fide Skype application (v1.0.0.63) for Apple’s iPhone has gone live. It’s absolutely free to download, and early reports from Japan have been pretty stellar in regard to sound quality. We’re fully expecting it to roll out elsewhere as Tuesday (March 31st) arrives in various time zones, so make sure you (and at least one Skype buddy) stay up late to try ‘er out. [Warning: iTunes read link may not work for all time zones yet.]

[Via Engadget Japanese]

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Skype for iPhone goes live in Japan originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Mar 2009 12:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mac-friendly Houseport USB To Z-Wave adapter shipping soon en masse

For those that don’t visit Fry’s Electronics on any regular basis, you probably reckoned that Wayne Dalton’s totally promising USB To Z-Wave adapter had simply failed to ever make it onto store shelves after being launched 14 months ago. Turns out, the device (and the OS X-friendly Houseport software) has just been loosed from its limiting “Fry’s exclusive” agreement, and it’s about to ship out to anyone who desires it starting June 1st. We’re told that the hardware and software hasn’t changed since CES 2008, and even the retail price ($87) will remain the same. Of note, eager beavers can snag a limited number of upgradeable pre-production units today for $79, but then again, you never really know what you’re going to get. Hang tight, Mac-owing home automators — your long-awaited solution is nearly here.

Mac-friendly Houseport USB To Z-Wave adapter shipping soon en masse originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 29 Mar 2009 18:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gartner posts worldwide mobile OS numbers for 2008

This table pretty much speaks for itself as a snapshot of the year in smartphones that was 2008 (according to Gartner) — a breakout year for the category particularly in the US. As you’d expect from the smartphone device tallies we saw yesterday, RIM and Apple have the momentum largely at the expense of Symbian’s declining market share and the stagnation of Windows Mobile in an otherwise growing market segment. Palm’s also a bit of a surprise showing 42.2% growth for the year. With any luck, Palm could turn this table upside down in 2009 with a successful global launch of WebOS. Regardless, you can bet that developers are paying particularly close attention to these numbers as they decide where to best align their resources for maximum financial gain.

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Gartner posts worldwide mobile OS numbers for 2008 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Mar 2009 06:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone prototype surfaces on eBay, aims to fetch a pretty penny

Okay, so we’ll go ahead and crush a few dreams up front — there’s nothing here that proves this isn’t some funky KIRF iPhone or just an ad hoc or jailbroken app making things look completely funkadelic. Now that our skepticism is out in the open, we’ll be honest and say we really, really hope this is legitimate. According to the eBay description, this here iPhone prototype was constructed a few months prior to the real iPhone’s release, and it actually powers on, makes calls and receives SMSs. It sports a totally beta plastic matte screen, and the software is obviously pre-release. Oh, and the best part? The auction winner also scores a second beta phone that won’t turn on (yet), but we’re sure the right tweaker could fix it up into the most amazing secondary phone the world has ever seen. Forget all that bad economic news you’ve been hearing — you best bring the bring the bank if you’re thinking seriously about claiming this.

[Via iLounge]

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iPhone prototype surfaces on eBay, aims to fetch a pretty penny originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 09 Mar 2009 19:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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