I’m always telling people, “It’s the little things that makes Apple stand far and wide beyond the competition.” From the way it packages its product to the ability to make any of its computers an external hard drive with a press of a key. Man, I wish all the time that I could put Windows-dead PCs into Target Mode instead of having to physically take apart the PC to gain access to the hard drive with my IDE-to-USB connector. Dell, are you reading?
Today I found another sweet “little thing”. Many Apple users know that if they have more than one bootable partition on their hard drive, they can select which on to boot from at power-up. By holding the OPTION (or ALT) key down after the Mac tone plays, a screen will appear with the various boot up options (including bootable CD or DVDs if present in the drives.) Well, what’s one to do when they purchase a non-Apple keyboard that doesn’t respond in time or the Bluetooth keyboard hasn’t yet bonded? Dig out the original keyboard? Nope, find their remote!
If you are unable to select your bootable partition with a keyboard, then simply press and hold the Menu key on your Apple Remote after the boot tone. Within seconds, you’ll see that familiar boot manager and then you’ll be able to use the volume up (+) key to make your selection and then the Play/Pause to accept that choice. Presto! Up starts your Mac in your selected drive.
Knowing that there had to be further goodies with the remote, I searched and found Wikipedia is there to give you all the delicious things you can do with your Apple Remote. Enjoy!
When I purchased my MacBook Pro the day it came out, I was really excited to try out Front Row and use the remote. The remote was the sum of all things Apple: simple. Any boy was it simple to use. No manual needed, just press and enjoy. Of course, I was bummed when we would watch movies on my wife’s Mac mini (PowerPC) due to the lack of the Apple Remote on it. While nearly every new Mac for over a year have come with an Apple Remote, the Mac Pro still doesn’t. For those with older models, like my wife’s Mac mini or my TiBook, we were pretty much out of luck.
Now you can use an Apple Remote on any Mac, past or present, with the help of one Twisted Melon. The Toronto-based company makes an infrared receiver called the Manta TR1. The receiver not only allows one to use third-party remotes with their Macs, but it also works with the Apple Remote right of the box! With links to certain sites that get you certain Front Row downloads, you can make any Mac feel like a special new Mac with that white candy-bar remote with its chocolate tip. For about $20, my wife’s Mac mini, my TiBook, or your Mac Pro will now be accepting commands from an Apple Remote!
Now that all the game consoles play DVD or Bluray discs, it seems funny that there isn’t a stream of universal remotes out there that support the PlayStations, Xboxs, and Media Center. Well there is at least one that does and its name makes sure you understand its intention: GAMER.
UR7-G2 Universal GAMER is the first universal remote control that not only works with many audio and video components in your home but also comes with keys specific to game consoles such as Xbox 360, PlayStation, PS2 & media center PCs. To be announced tomorrow in Las Vegas at CES, Universal Remote Control, Inc. will finally give gamers and audiophiles alike to use one remote. Isn’t that what a universal remote is for anyway? The GAMER will let you play, pause, and commit other movie functions as well as play a video game. Since the remote is well thought out, both lefties and righties will be able to use the remote without issue.
The Universal GAMER also packs two new features, MacroPower and SimpleSound. MacroPower ignites (or extinguish) your A/V components with a single button along with switching sources and inputs. SimpleSound gives you the “one-touch” control over volume including devices that do not have volume control natively such as TiVos, DVD players, and VCRs.
For just $49.95, this universal remote with 64 KB of non-volatile Flash memory, that’ll give you 9 dedicated macro buttons (supporting 20 commands each) that will work from 30 to 50 feet away seems mighty nice. Game on.
RICAVISION International, Inc., a leading provider of home digital entertainment solutions, announced the launch of the RICAVISION Microsoft Windows Vista SideShow Media Center Remote Control early this month, which makes use of the Vista SideShow auxiliary display platform to allow convenient access to information received from a Windows Vista-based PC. The Vista SideShow Remote Control has a built-in 2.5 inch color QVGA LCD display that features Class 1 (100-meter) Bluetooth capability. Using Windows SideShow, applications can send data to an ecosystem of devices that can then send control commands back to the application on the PC. For example, an e-mail application can send the last 10 received e-mail messages to one of the devices, or the user can schedule a TV program to record on a Media Center PC.
RICAVISION Vista SideShow Remote Control package is also the only one that comes with an external USB RC6 receiver and with a Class 1 Bluetooth receiver. It turns the Vista PC into a Bluetooth computer capable of receiving data from any other Bluetooth device within a 100-meter range.
The RICAVISION Vista SideShow Remote Control provides a set of four Gadgets that will be an extension of the Media Center for Windows Vista:
• TV
• Music
• Pictures and Videos
• Now Playing
RICAVISION SideShow Remote offers more extensive Gadgets than ever, to enable the user to extract data from the Media Center in Windows SideShow XML format and send it through Windows SideShow to compatible devices, such as a remote control device, an LCD display panel, etc. It will also accept incoming navigation commands from the various devices and send them back to the Media Center. Read the rest of this entry »
We here at SvenOnTech love, love, our Sonos. We can listen to our vast music library and change tracks, volume, and so forth, from anywhere in the house. But there’s one thing the Sonos can’t do and that’s play Apple FairPlay music, or, music downloaded from the iTunes Store. But that problem is about to be amended.
Today Keyspan announced its TuneView a unique dock that connects to any stereo or to powered speakers via a line-out connector. It also will bring the video of the iPod to a TV through an S-Video jack. Charging and syncing to iTunes is handled through the high-speed USB connector. And oh yes, don’t forget the 2-way RF remote with an LCD screen.
“TuneView is unique. It’s unlike any iPod remote that you’ve used before,” explained Keyspan president Mike Ridenhour. “TuneView features a color LCD screen that lets you remotely view the contents of your iPod and control playback — allowing you to manage the iPod as if it were in your hands.”
The TuneView will be equipped for the future with the ability to update itself via upgradeable firmware. “Both the TuneView dock and TuneView remote are USB devices that can be updated via a firmware download, just like an iPod,” noted Ridenhour. “Over time, Keyspan will release firmware updates that will add new capabilities to TuneView.”
So like the Sonos, the Keyspans TuneView will let you rule your music collection, only limited by the size of your iPod, from a little hand-held remote that will never leave your side. From the kitchen or from the backyard, it really won’t matter where you are, you will be able to control your iPod from just about anywhere. And, you’ll be able to finally enjoy your iTunes Store music without being chained to your computer or iPod.
You can grab your own TuneView for an MSRP of $179. The Keyspan store has it all ready for you to snap up in addition to being able to find it at Amazon.com, PC Connection, TigerDirect, Buy.com, MicroCenter and other leading computer products resellers. Those outside the US will be able to enjoy the TuneView for purchase in January 2007.
The wonderful key fob. Yes, fob. So many in my family crack up when I tell them the correct name of that black thing attached to their key that locks and unlocks there door as well as create the all ignored “panic” alert.
Reports are, GM will be bringing even a better fob in April to rappers and gang bangers around our great nation with the next model of the Cadillac Escalade. The new fob will notify G-Kill-C3P-Oh when his tires need some air and his tank some fuel. Homie will be able to start his car from inside the crib as well as lock it from six times the distance he can today on his bunk ‘07 Caddy. If he’s interested in how many miles his ride has, he’ll be able to get the 411 on dat as well as change XM to RAW all from the new fob. Now homie ain’t trippin’ that this will cost him $150 more since that’s only a few more dime bags and not a whole rock to sale. GM is also saying that if our beloved capitalist losses his fob, it’ll cost less than $100 to replace.
For all us real world folk and law abiding citizens, you’ll be able to pick this up in one of the other great GM SUV offerings as well as other models soon after the release in April, 2008. Until then, keep cool.
[Via Autoblog]
Wow, the kids growing up on the farm never really had toys like this. Sure, Pops had the actual full sized version that could crush any toy…or car in the yard but come on, a John Deere RC (Remote Control) tractor? Dude, you know you want one!
RC2 has brought all eight massive tires on this John Deere to a 1/16 scale to scare all the little critters on the front lawn with while plastering smiles across kids (and adults) faces across the Great Heart Land. Nothing is more American than a John Deere and this RC is seeping all American. The Ertl John Deere 9420 Radio Control Articulated Tractor will impressive any farmer as well as any one with two hands to control this beast on some real dirt. RC hopes to put a lot of these under some Christmas trees this December, but man, you better have a large tree to fit this puppy under it! This thing measures 33cm tall, 39cm wide and 61cm long.
Our contact told SvenOnTech that this thing is, “Detailed and durable. Operators can power backwards and forwards in three speeds and enjoy the manoeuvrability provided by articulated steering. Realistic engine sounds, horn and a reversing bleeper are complimented by working headlights and cab lights.” When you open the cab door, you’ll find even more detail sitting along side the chair. Pop the grill open and you’ll feel like you’re looking at the real thing.
So Johnny, go tell Pops you want one of these for Christmas now, ’cause at about $200, this thing replicates the heavy cost of the real thing, too!
We just plopped the down the review for Equinux’s MediaCentral and if you’re interested in taking your Mac to the next level beyond Front Row, then you’ll want to take a read of our review. Filled with details of what’s new from version one to what doesn’t really work, we think you’ll learn from our difficult and tasking labors of watching hours of video!
We really loved playing with it for the last six weeks and we’re sure that you will love playing with it, too. Oops, did we just give it all away? No, not quite. Now go read!
I stumbled over MacScan last week looking for a port scanner with an UI for OS X. I never found it (though SAINT, a web based UI, would have worked) but I did find MacScan which I thought was interesting. Interesting because it’s a spyware scanner and removal tool. Even more interesting is that it’s trailware. Now, where on the Windows operating system, which is the birthplace of spyware, you can find at least two excellent spyware tools (Ad-Aware and Search and Destroy) for free, here is a tool for OS X that’ll cost some money. Is the threat that great that the price is even justified? Any price?
Since MacScan is a try-before-you-buy software product, I did just that. I went and dowloaded the product after filling out my life story and installed it. I did a full system scan and as you can see from the screen shot, I’m clean. While SecureMac’s screenshot shows some files that are spyware, I have a feeling most other Mac users will see the same thing I did. Nothing.
But MacScan isn’t all about spyware, thankfully for them. If it were, talk about the wrong program for the wrong operating system. But SecureMac does do a bit more looking under the hood than just for spyware. It also looks for trojans (another no-issue on Macs) as well as for keyloggers and remote administration software. Aaah, now we’re talking. The later two items are things Macs can get just as easy as PCs. Well, not just as easy, but Macs can get them. For certain people, this software scanner may be a good thing to have after all.
First, keyloggers are programs that run silentily in the background collecting and saving every key you type into a file for later retreival. A hacker could use this file to get your passwords, credit card numbers, and such, from when you enter this information into web sites, accounting software, or other software on your Mac. Keyloggers have been known to do some heavy damage in peoples lives.
The otehr item is remote administation. Apple’s own Remote Desktop is such a program. In a nutshell, remote administration allows someone else to log into your computer and see the screens contents, control the mouse, and type key strokes into it as if they were sitting in the chair in front of your Mac. They have complete control. Thus, like a keylogger, they have a mightily powerful tool of destruction. Remote administration can also be a simple program that punches a hole in your firewall and allows command line access to your Mac. Remember, OS X is UNIX and UNIX is all about CLI (command line interface.)
So, maybe MacScan is useful, for some. Most probably won’t have to worry about keyloggers or remote administation programs running on their Mac, but there are security professionals that will definetily find this piece of software as a great tool. At any price.