Filed under: Hardware, iPod Family, Apple, iPhone, Apple TV

This is very interesting — while investors and consumers alike are panicking every time someone says “Jobs” and “sick” in the same sentence, MacLife has decided to take a more optimistic view of the prospect of His Steveness leaving the company, by compiling a nice list of ten Apple products they state Jobs had nothing at all to do with. As you probably already know, Steve left the company once before, from 1985 to 1996, and during that time, while Steve was working on NeXTstep (which would eventually become OS X), Apple didn’t exactly sit on its laurels.

The Newton is first and foremost, and while some might laugh at the handwriting recognition, let’s not forget that it can still do things the iPhone can’t. And while many of Apple’s products were finalized under Jobs’ watch, their beginnings come from before his return: the Powerbook, Macintosh TV (which could definitely be seen as a precursor for the AppleTV), and the Power Macintosh were all released without Jobs. Even among the most faithful Apple fans, you’ve to concur that Apple is willing to get wacky without Jobs to squelch some really crazy ideas: the Twentieth Anniversary Mac, the eMate, and the adjustable keyboard are all examples of that.

Of course, you could definitely argue that Apple’s most popular products (iPods, the iPhone, the MacBook lines) wouldn’t have happened without Jobs. But there’s something to be stated for Apple sans Jobs, too. “The Power to Be Your Best” might not be quite as memorable as “Think Different,” but it’s got its own charm.

Ten Apple products Jobs had nothing to do with originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 31 Dec 2008 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Ten Apple products Jobs had nothing to do with originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 31 Dec 2008 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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So as you might remember, back in May Monster Cable pulled one of its sad bully tactics and sued a company called Monster Mini Golf, claiming that the glow-in-the-dark putt-putt outfit was somehow harming its trademarks — a nonsensical brand of idiotic evil we were so tired of implicitly condoning that we held a vote on whether or not we’d even continue to cover Monster at all. Not surprisingly, 60 percent of you responded in the negative, and we’ve dutifully ignored the company, its ridiculous cables and overblown power strips ever since — and, to be honest, we’ve been fine with it.

Well, it looks like Monster’s trying to rehab its image: the company’s put up a site this day called “Monster Mini Golf Truth” that apparently makes public a proposed settlement agreement between Monster Cable and Monster Mini Golf. As you’d expect from a company as ham-fisted and reflexively nasty as Monster Cable, it’s basically another attempt to exert a death grip on the word “Monster.” Monster Cable says it’s dropping the lawsuit and that the mini golf people can still be called “Monster Mini Golf,” but only if they pay a $100 / month license fee and agree that Monster Cable owns the mark outright. In turn, Monster Cable will donate $100 each month to two different charities, including one that gives Segways to disabled veterans. Sure, it sounds nice, but it’s notable that Monster Cable is trying to settle this in public rather than in the conference room of a law firm — Monster Mini Golf stands a fair shot of winning this one in court, and we’d bet they’ve already turned this offer down privately. We don’t know how this one will end, but we do know you probably shouldn’t have the CEO of your company saying things like “We’re not some massive corporate Mongols” in a video designed to sway public thought. It’s after the break, in case you were wondering why the ban on Monster still stands.

Update: As one astute reader’s pointed out, Monster Cable is asking for $100 per month, per franchise. With twenty-two franchises, that adds up to $2,200 a month.

Continue reading Monster Cable still evil, will allow Monster Mini Golf to exist for just $100/month (per franchise)

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Monster Cable still evil, will grant Monster Mini Golf to exist for just $100/month (per franchise) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Dec 2008 17:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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El Segundo (CA) – Sony’s PS3 trails its rivals in shipments and remains a financial disaster for the company, as market experts believe that Sony will never be able to entirely recoup an estimated $2.5 – $3.0 billion in losses the system has More

We’ve insisted Sony (SNE) needs to cut prices on its PS3 game console, and now Sony can afford to do so: Over the past year, Sony has dramatically reduced its manufacturing costs. It costs Sony $448.73 to build a PS3, says a teardown analysis by More

Joboshare PS3 Video Converter is the powerful video converter software to turn your videos into high quality movies playable on Sony PS3 (PlayStation3). It can both convert video to PS3 video formats as MPEG-1, MPEG-2 and MP4 and PSP Video formats More

Each $399 80GB console now only costs $449 to make, reports iSuppli; Sony could break even on production after next hardware revision. In November 2006, computer hardware research firm iSuppli initially estimated the production launch-day cost of More

In a report that could send shock waves through the video game industry, market research firm iSuppli has detailed the real cost and new savings found in Sony’s second-generation Playstation 3. iSuppli’s report, issued Monday, states that the current More

Sony’s PS3 game console is popular among many gamers, but faces significant competition from the Xbox 360 and the Nintendo Wii. Much of the pressure put on the PS3 by the other two major game consoles is one of price. One of the reasons that the More

Sony has reduced the manufacturing cost of its PlayStation 3 video-game console from $690.23 to $448.73, according to iSuppli. The teardown study found key component changes, bringing Sony closer to breaking even on the PS3. An analyst said Sony More

Sony Corp. (SNE) is closer to breaking even on its new-generation PlayStation 3 videogame console because it costs 35% less to make than the previous model, according to technology-research firm iSuppli Corp. The electronics giant is locked in a More

TOKYO — For most of this year, Sony Corp.’s PlayStation 3 videogame console seemed finally to be taking off after a slow start. The PS3, trailing Nintendo Co.’s Wii and Microsoft Corp.’s Xbox 360 consoles, was closing in on the No. 2 Xbox 360, with More

According to iSuppli, Sony’s (NYSE: SNE ) new-generation PlayStation 3 will cost 35% less to make. The firm stated, based on pricing from October 2008, the latest version of the PS3 carries a combined Bill of Materials (BOM), manufacturing and box More

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Ah, dear old father. Chances are, this is the guy who got you interested in gadgets in the first place, so what better time to repay the favor? Now, shopping for the old man isn’t quite what it used to be — you can’t just get away with a few power tools or some Stones tickets (well, actually, those probably still work). Your dad is a pretty savvy dude, and even though he’s set in his ways, we’re pretty sure he’d like some new tech to toy with this holiday season. That’s where we come in. Engadget makes buying a gift for your dad less of a chore and more of a pleasure, so you can leave time for the important things… like mixing that next drink. Read on for our picks, and be sure to check out all the guides right here!

Continue reading Engadget’s Holiday Gift Guide: for dad

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Engadget’s Holiday Gift Guide: for father originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Dec 2008 17:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Is Sony’s PS3 Really a Sinking Ship? - Personal computer World
CNN has declared Sony’s PS3 “a sinking ship” riffing off last Thursday’s “plummeting” NPD sales results . CNN bases its gloomy diagnosis on Sony’s sales plunge of 19 points, compared to sales in November 2007. That’s a fair criticism, but it isolates

Sony reduces PS3 manufacturing cost by 35 percent - The Money Times
California, United States, December 30: According to a teardown analysis by market research firm iSuppli Corp., Sony Computer Entertainment has cut the cost of manufacturing PlayStation 3 (PS3) game console by 35 percent. Analysis reveals that Sony

iSuppli teardown report shows PS3 is much cheaper to build today than - DailyTech
Sony’s PS3 game console is popular among many gamers, but faces significant competition from the Xbox 360 and the Nintendo Wii. Much of the pressure placed on the PS3 by the other two major game consoles is one of price. One of the reasons that the

Games that rocked our world - Star Online
THE year 2008 will always be ­remembered as the year many blockbuster titles were released for all platforms, be it Computer or console. There was no shortage of good titles to play. In fact, we spent most of our waking moments playing one game or another

PS3 sales slump 19% in US - Digital Spy
Sales of Sony’s PlayStation 3 console have fallen by 19% in the US during November, reports the Wall Street Journal . In the same period, Microsoft had an 8% increase in Xbox 360 sales while Nintendo doubled the number of Wii consoles being purchased

PS3 Production Costs Have Dropped By 35 Percent - Kotaku.com
Do something long enough and you get superior at it. Manufacture something long enough, and it gets cheaper. No surprise that Sony has cut the PS3’s component cost by 35 percent. According to research firm iSuppli, the first generation PS3 cost a hefty

How Sony Can Boost PS3 Sales - Gigaom.com
As this holiday’s video game sales are tallied up, one thing is already clear: Sony’s PlayStation 3 remains in a fairly distant third place, still eclipsed by Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and Nintendo’s Wii. While it’s probably too drastic for Sony

Burglary victim takes law into own hands - Eastern Arizona Courier
A burglary victim who felt the police investigation of his case was insufficient allegedly forced the burglar to show where he’d fenced the property and might face criminal charges of his own. According to Safford Police reports, Jared Roberts, 21

Sony still losing on PS3 - Itwire.com
Costs are way down on what they were when the PS3 was first released, but Sony, two years later, are still losing money on each PS3 sold. It is a little short sited to say that the PS3 is costing Sony money on each sale. The PS3 and its integrated

Joboshare PS3 Video Converter 2.2.9.1224 - CNET Asia
Joboshare PS3 Video Converter is the powerful video converter software to turn your videos into high quality movies playable on Sony PS3 (PlayStation3). It can both convert video to PS3 video formats as MPEG-1, MPEG-2 and MP4 and PSP Video formats

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A new study in the Journal of Consumer Research has confirmed something we suspected all along: consumers love specs, even vague ones, and when deciding between two products people will gravitate towards the one for which more specifications were given. According to the journal, the research sheds light on both how preferences are formed in theory, and on how marketers can sell you more crapgadgets and KIRFs. Of course, if you’ve begun your holiday shopping only to find yourself frightened and confused by all of the meaningless data floating around, you might want to take a peek at our Holiday Gift Guide. One hundred percent of Engadget editors concur that it’s the ideal Holiday Gift Guide on the site, this year.

[Via Physorg]

Read - The Blissful Ignorance Effect: Pre- versus Post-action Effects on Outcome Expectancies Arising from Precise and Vague Information (Warning: subscription required)

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Journal finds that consumers prefer vague product specs to utter ignorance originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Dec 2008 13:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony losing less money on the PS3, could turn a profit soon - Crunchgear.com
We told you back in May that Sony could be losing around $260 per PS3 sold . Well, according to iSuppli, the device now uses considerably less parts and costs much less to build than when it was first released in 2006; the unit could be nearing break

White Knight Chronicles Sells 130,000 In Debut Week - Kotaku.com
While we won’t get the official figures until later this week, the early word is that Level 5’s PS3 exclusive White Knight Chronicles has sold 130,000 copies in its first week. The game went on sale Christmas Day in Japan. Granted, this isn’t

iSuppli teardown report shows PS3 is much cheaper to build today than - DailyTech
Sony’s PS3 game console is popular among many gamers, but faces significant competition from the Xbox 360 and the Nintendo Wii. Much of the pressure placed on the PS3 by the other two major game consoles is one of price. One of the reasons that the

PS3 to turn 3D in 2009? - T3.com
At last year’s CES, 3D HD displays and projectors were making their grand debut. At this year’s event, we’re expecting even more impressive hardware and a lot more content to take advantage of it. Even so, 3D runs the danger of remaining a niche

Killzone 2 Cosplay Comes Home - Kotaku.com
Sick of the bog-standard avatar outfits for Home on the PS3? You could always preorder Killzone 2, and do it through Amazon, because doing that will get you some new, free kit. Customers taking Amazon up on the offer will receive enough Home clothing

Hope Fades for PS3 as a Comeback Player - Wall Street Journal
TOKYO — For most of this year, Sony Corp.’s PlayStation 3 videogame console seemed finally to be taking off after a slow begin. The PS3, trailing Nintendo Co.’s Wii and Microsoft Corp.’s Xbox 360 consoles, was closing in on the No. 2 Xbox 360, with

How Sony Can Boost PS3 Sales - Gigaom.com
As this holiday’s video game sales are tallied up, one thing is already clear: As an article in the Wall Street Journal makes clear , Sony’s PlayStation 3 remains in a fairly distant third place, still eclipsed by Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and

Sony still losing on PS3 - Itwire.com
Costs are way down on what they were when the PS3 was first released, but Sony, two years later, are still losing money on each PS3 sold. It is a tiny short sited to state that the PS3 is costing Sony money on each sale. The PS3 and its integrated

MLB 09 The Show Arriving For PS3 In Spring 2009 - Cinema Blend
Fan-favorite baseball game, MLB The Show , is making its annual debut in 2009 during the Spring. Sony made the recent announcement and showed off a couple of screenshots in the process. The game has undergone some improvements and had some subtle but

Sony PS3 ‘Home’ Virtual Goods Booming (SNE) - Alleyinsider.com
Virtual goods are selling like hotcakes in Sony’s new PS3-based virtual world ‘Home,’ says Susan Panico, Sr. Director of the Playstation Network at Sony (SNE) in an exclusive interview with SAI. When everyone has the same tools to create a virtual

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Filed under: Accessories, iPod Family, TUAW Business, iPhone, iPod nano, iPod touch, iPod classic

Plenty of folks are probably getting iPhone gift cards this season, and for anyone who wants to make their iPhone the hit of the celebration (later, once you’ve actually purchased and activated the thing) here’s a lineup for you: some speakers (which fit just about every iPod ever made plus the iPhone), a stylus to keep grubby fingers of your precious, and a case.

I tested the JBL speakers and the stylus. The JBL speakers provide an extraordinary amount of sound in such a small package. We turned it up as far as felt safe, and the children had their fingers in their ears. Plus, at either loud or soft volume the audio was always very clear, not muddled with bass or too tinny on the high end (this was from the iPhone with no EQ).

The Pogo stylus does what it says: provides a poking stick for the iPhone’s surface that works. It’s a stick, and it pokes — that’s about as good a recommendation as you’ll get from a stylus. The thing was just a short piece of aluminum too, so there’s no heft at all. If you’re used to a Mont Blanc in your hand you may be disappointed, I guess.

Thanks to Dr. Bott for the JBL On Stage 200iD Speakers, iSkin Revo2 iPhone 3G case (in red and black) and a Pogo iPhone stylus.

• Open to legal residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 18 and older.
• To enter leave a comment telling us what music you would play on some really loud speakers.
• The comment must be left before December 31, 11:59PM Eastern Time.
• You might enter only once.
• One winner will be selected in a random drawing.
• Prize: JBL On Stage 200iD Speakers ($149.95), iSkin Revo2 iPhone 3G case ($39.99), Pogo iPhone stylus ($19.95)
• Click Here for complete Official Rules.

TUAW Holiday Giveaway-tacular Part Four: iPhone celebration originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 27 Dec 2008 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

TUAW Holiday Giveaway-tacular Part Four: iPhone party originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 27 Dec 2008 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sure, there are plenty of wacky and awesome UAVs out there, but this one, the Blade CX2, or “Wash UAV” is quite charming in all of its wires-hanging-out glory. It’s a complex tiny machine, too. Built using an Arduino Mini, ultrasonic sensors, and a compass module, the car is able to fly autonomously and sense things like walls and the floor. Its flight is short-lived — just six seconds — but the video is rife with riveting commentary explaining how various parts of the Blade function, so check it out after the break.

Continue reading Blade CX2 UAV flies for six glorious seconds, crashes

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Blade CX2 UAV flies for six glorious seconds, crashes originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Dec 2008 00:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony States It Is Committed to Releasing Quality Hardware - Softpedia
Sony is definitely an optimistic company, as the Japanese console maker has some very high financial expectations in the upcoming year. Although sales charts for 2008 haven’t really showed good results for the PlayStation 3 console, having lost to

Sony losing less money on the PS3, could turn a profit soon - Crunchgear.com
We told you back in Might that Sony could be losing around $260 per PS3 sold . Well, according to iSuppli, the device now uses considerably less parts and costs much less to build than when it was first released in 2006; the unit could be nearing break

MLB 09 The Show Arriving For PS3 In Spring 2009 - Cinema Blend
Fan-favorite baseball game, MLB The Show , is making its annual debut in 2009 during the Spring. Sony made the recent announcement and showed off a couple of screenshots in the process. The game has undergone some improvements and had some subtle but

Sony PS3 ‘Home’ Virtual Goods Booming (SNE) - Alleyinsider.com
Virtual goods are selling like hotcakes in Sony’s new PS3-based virtual world ‘Home,’ states Susan Panico, Sr. Director of the Playstation Network at Sony (SNE) in an exclusive interview with SAI. When everyone has the same tools to create a virtual

Lay Offs Will Not Affect Sony’s Gaming Business - Softpedia
David Reeves, the president of Sony Personal Entertainment Europe, stated that the recently announced staff cuts at Sony wouldn’t in any way affect the PlayStation division, either in the hardware or in the software divisions. Sony announced that 8

PlayStation 3 console sales lag behind the gaming competition - Vindicator
The Nintendo Wii is leading the pack, and the Xbox 360 has a solid following. Three’s a crowd in the video game industry. And it looks like the third wheel this time around is Sony. Going back several console generations, there have always been one

Is Sony’s PS3 Really a Sinking Ship? - PC World
CNN has declared Sony’s PS3 “a sinking ship” riffing off last Thursday’s “plummeting” NPD sales results . CNN bases its gloomy diagnosis on Sony’s sales plunge of 19 points, compared to sales in November 2007. That’s a fair criticism, but it isolates

Feature: What’s To Come In 2009 - Digital Spy
With 2008 almost over and our thumbs still aching from playing the year’s finest games , we at DS feel that now is the time to look ahead and see what titles 2009 has to offer. As well as the year’s multiformat releases, we’ll also single out some

iSuppli teardown report shows PS3 is much cheaper to build today than - DailyTech
Sony’s PS3 game console is popular among many gamers, but faces significant competition from the Xbox 360 and the Nintendo Wii. Much of the pressure placed on the PS3 by the other two major game consoles is one of price. One of the reasons that the

Sony still losing on PS3 - Itwire.com
Costs are way down on what they were when the PS3 was first released, but Sony, two years later, are still losing money on each PS3 sold. It is a little short sited to say that the PS3 is costing Sony money on each sale. The PS3 and its integrated

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