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Microsoft’s Virtual Earth blows Google Earth with this new feature…

[tags]Virtual Earth, Google Earth[/tags]

I’m following Steve Jobs Keynote from Engadget, so far we have a Mac Mini based on Intel’s Core Solo processor.

First Model is 1.5GHz Intel Core Solo, 512MB RAM, 60GB hard drive, Combo Drive. $599.
Second model is 1.67GHz Core Duo, 512MB RAM, 80GB drive Super Drive. $799

Now for the iPod Stuff

• iPod leather cases. They will sell these for $99, they go on sale in mid March.
• iPod BoomBox. Will cost $349 and it’s available from today.

I’m updating this post as the news come up. All the main Mac related websites seem to be down.

Well, looks like the Keynote is over. In a nutshell:

A new Mac mini that runs 5x faster. Front Row with Bonjour (update will go out later this week), iPod leather cases, and the iPod HiFi BoomBox.

[tags]Apple, Mac, Mac Mini, iPod, iPod BoomBox[/tags]

I just have a question: Why there’s no camera included?

(If you’re reading this post in Planeta Asterisco, you won’t be able to see the video embeded)

[tags]Microsoft, Project Origami, Origami[/tags]

I’m probably one of the few persons on this planet who has no clue about one of the most talked TV series of our times: Lost.
This happens because I don’t watch TV. Ok, I watch 15 min of national newscasts a day when I’m having dinner, but besides that I watch no TV at all. I read my news online, I watch my movies at the cinema or on DVD, I have no need to spend my time in front of the box.
But, going back to “Lost”, today I took a glimpse at RTP1 second season promotion of the series and the first season compact being broadcasted Tuesday. This will be a very good oportunity to check if the series is worthy of spending a few hours being a coutch potato… and buying the 1st season DVD’s 😉

[tags]Lost, TV[/tags]

Well, after being 2 days far from tech world, I see I have to catch up on some news.
So far being worth of further reading for the next days:

• Google’s take on online payments. Google might was well be PayPal’s next competition in the near future.
• Microsoft’s Origami Project is buzzing the net, but all the hype is just about a few photos of what looks like a portable media player device / tablet pocket pc.
• The 28th is approaching, and the Mac hype is growing more each day, but here’s something that might cool off the rumors.

[tags]Google, Microsoft, Project Origami, Mac, Apple, Hype[/tags]

Want to create a web page online? Google new webapp the Google Page Creator allows you to create / edit webpages and host them in their servers. Your site will have a url like google_username.googlepages.com. The editor has the basic editing functions of a regular rich text editor plus a few inline options and templates to change the pages layout. Simple and easy to use. The Google way. The use for this? Well, it’s one step into the integration of Google services. If these Google home pages catch on it might just be the next Geocities.

[tags]Google, Google Page Creator, HTML, web pages, hosting, Geocities[/tags]

Secunia – Mac OS X Command Execution Vulnerability Test

[tags]Apple, Mac OS X, Mac OS X Command Execution Vulnerability[/tags]

Think Secret – Apple Event Set for February 28

[tags]Apple, Macintosh[/tags]

I’m a Windows / Linux user. I use x86 PCs since I was 9 years old and my experience with a Mac is almost null. I’ve spent a few hours fiddling with a friend’s iBook, but that’s it, I possess no product built by Apple. I almost bought an iPod, but the PSP was a better choice for what I was looking for. But let’s go back to the main subject: Mac computers.

I was having a nice geek chat with a good friend of mine, with a similar background in what concerns computer experience, and I told him about Macbooks and Mac computers in general and how they could change the market in the near future. He asked me joking “Why a Mac? Macs are for designers and metrosexuals!” I told him about all the advantages of MacOSX over Windows, that Mac OSX it’s based on FreeBSD, yada yada yada, the full works. “Then if it’s so good why don’t you switch to Mac? Ouch! $2000?!” he said, while looking at the Apple Store website. “You can get a powerful laptop for $1000 / $1500 and run all the apps you are used to run on your PC. Plus games!”

But the price is only one of the many turnoffs when you’re thinking about buying a Mac, or any other Apple product for what it matters.

With the newly arrived Macbooks, the prices of the old Macs are dropping but still not near the prices of Intel / AMD laptops. And as for the Macbooks, there’s a pretty good inconsistency concerning the specs. In Portugal, Fnac is announcing they will be selling Macbooks at 1.67 Ghz and 1.83 Ghz costing 2.176€ and 2.711€. If you go to the Apple Store website you get 1.83Ghz and 2Ghz Macbooks for $1.999 and $2.499.

ThinkSecret reports:

Apple announced Tuesday that the first shipments of the MacBook Pro will ship this week and quietly updated the speed of the laptop before the first systems had even arrived in customer hands. The low-end 1.67GHz Core Duo model has been replaced with a 1.83GHz system for the price of $1,999, while the higher end $2,499 model now packs a 2.0GHz Core Duo processor, up from 1.83GHz.

Additionally, a $300 build-to-order option on the high-end system boosts the processor speed to 2.16GHz.

And these are only 15 inch models, how about when the 17 inch models are announced? This isn’t good for users who are thinking about upgrading their Macs, much more for users who are thinking about switching to Mac. Apple only bets in its, lets call it, legion of fans, and since the “Switch” campaign there’s no interest from Apple to lure the PC user to the “dark side”.

Nowadays, Apple is working like Nintendo, releasing each year a new substitution product for the one you have, turning its commercial value almost null and this is happening with computers as well with the iPods. Rumor has it that a new video iPod with a bigger screen and sensible to touch will be available soon, the true Video iPod. I can almost imagine Steve Jobs holding it on his hands and saying “This is the true video iPod! Forget all the other iPods, this one has (insert new features here)!” And the 400€ you spent on your video iPod suddenly seem like the worst spent money in your entire life.

But still, I want a Mac. Why? Because I believe that soon something will change about Windows. People are buying more and more consoles, PC gaming will be dead in the next years if the GPUs prices don’t drop. People won’t continue to spend 500€ in a GPU just to play the latest Doom or Quake iteration, after spending 1000€ or more in a PC when they can buy a console for 300€ or less. Strip a windows PC from the ability to play decent games and the Mac wins, fair and square. Vista won’t change this. Vista’s new features are mostly ripped off from the Mac OSX and other available software and I don’t believe that Microsoft can make a product without security flaws or without being intrusive on my privacy.

So, it’s this the right time to buy a Mac? No. I but still want one.

[tags]Apple, Windows, PC, x86, Intel, Machintosh, Macbook, iPod, Switch[/tags]