18 months ago, Symantec, makers of the popular program suite Norton Utilities, had a scary prediction for Mac users. Symantec claimed that the Mac OS was "increasingly becoming a target for the malicious activity that is more commonly associated with Microsoft." That's quite an ominous prediction from a company that claims to be the "global leader in information security" on their website.

A lot of people look to companies like Symantec for information and guidance and I'm sure many Mac users purchased Symantec anti spyware and virus protection software based on this prediction.

So during the last 18 months how much "malicious activity" was targeted towards the Mac OS? Ummm...... basically none. This week Symantec admitted that their prediction last year about increasing Mac-targeted spyware was just plain wrong. Oops.

In addition to admitting their mistake about the Mac OS this week, Symantec also published a new Internet Threat Report. So what does Symantec have to say about the Mac OS this time? Nothing... The Mac OS isn't even mentioned in this years report. Why has Symantec gone silent when it comes to Apple? Munir Kotadia, a reporter for ZDNet Australia was wondering the same thing so he asked Symantec about the omission. It seems that Symantec hasn't seen any new Mac-related threats this year and doesn't want to cry wolf again. Good idea.

But just because there haven't been any Mac-related threats in years doesn't mean the Mac is totally safe from spyware and viruses. If you pay attention to the OS X Software Updates, you'll notice that Apple releases new security updates every few months. So there are holes in the system but according to Kotadia, the Mac OS was "designed with security in mind, so vulnerabilities are very difficult to exploit and most require socially engineered user interaction."

Besides a couple Trojan Horses, I can't remember the last time I saw a Mac virus. When was the last Mac OS virus anyway? 1987?

methodshop | digg story | flickr

With the premiere of season 3 of Battlestar Galactica just two weeks away (October 6th), the Sci Fi Channel (US) has released a free retrospective episode of the first two seasons of Battlestar Galactica on iTunes. They hope to entice new viewers to the show, as well as remind current fans just where the series left off.

I found this official press release on ScFi.com:

SCI FI Channel and its sister NBC Universal networks will air a one-hour recap special of the original series Battlestar Galactica in advance of the show's October third-season premiere. Battlestar Galactica: The Story So Far will incorporate footage from the original SCI FI miniseries and the previous two seasons of the Peabody Award-winning series. The special will be narrated from the point of view of Laura Roslin (Mary McDonnell), the resistance leader on Cylon-occupied New Caprica.

Throughout September, The Story So Far will also be made available for download via iTunes and XBox Live and will be distributed at Best Buy as a bonus DVD with the Battlestar Galactica season 2.5 DVD set and other genre titles from Universal Home Video. The DVD will also be distributed to visitors to the Universal Studios theme parks, and snippets of the special will be available on YouTube.com, Google Video and other video portal sites.

Here's the iTunes link for: Battlestar Galactica: The Story So Far

Why not? It's a great show and the price is right (free).

digg story | methodshop

Perhaps there should be a German version of the popular MTV show Pimp My Ride. German car customizer Mattes Interieurtechnik built a Mercedes CLS with an integrated backseat iMac. Mattes even carefully covered the outer edge of the iMac in leather to help it blend in with the cream colored interior.

Where are the cables? Mattes didn't want any wires to clutter up his masterpiece, so he made sure to get a wireless mouse and Bluetooth keyboard. I wonder if he integrated the iMac into the speaker system so his passengers can be backseat DJs.

You can check out some more pictures here.

digg story | methodshop

e-Fuze.com is now back online and better than ever! Now, you not only still get all those daily tech news at the blog found at e-Fuze.com/blog, but you can also submit and vote for your own stories!

The new site works like this: Stories you post get rated and those with the highest rating get promoted to the homepage. The press release can be found here. Please feel free to register (takes 30 seconds) and submit your own content. This can be especially important if you have a blog which can give you some exposure as well. Also, voting is open to everyone and you can customize the RSS sidebar on the left to your liking, and best of all, that doesn’t require registration!

Existing “established blogs mostly post content that is simply not as significant. At the e-Fuze tech blog, only relevant and important news will be published as they break in the most concise manner possible,” say Peggy, Chief Executive Officer at e-Fuze.

e-Fuze | digg it

When music is compressed to fit your iPod, it can lose a bit of its soul. But connect your iPod to a Yamaha RX-V659 Receiver with a Yamaha YDS-10 Universal iPod Dock, and your music will spring back to life.

Features:

• Universal iPod docking station custom designed for select Yamaha home theater receivers
• Plays your iPod's music and video clips through home theater speakers and attached monitor
• Uses receiver's remote control to operate iPod; charges your iPod while in the base
• Works with Yamaha HTR-5960, HTR-5950, RX-V659, and RX-V559 A/V receivers
• Compatible with 4th and 5th generation iPods, iPod minis, and iPod nanos

Yamaha's proprietary Compressed Music Enhancer will bring your stored music close to its original sound quality. And now that XM HD Surround is available on XM Satellite Radio, broadcast music will bring new dimension to your listening. Yamaha's powerful multi-channel surround sound for movies and unique YPAO system calibration means your home theatre will perform like never before. Set your sound free.


Conclusion: YDS-10 Advantages

• Easy connection by one cable
• No need for an additional adaptor
• Looking good and matching for either white and black iPod

read more | digg story | treblemaker.com

Got a broken iPod? If you can't fix it yourself or don't have the money to get it repaired by iPodMods, then you can always rip it apart and make an iPod dock like Andrew Monks. This photo montage on flickr shows how he teared apart his existing iPod dock and jammed it through the screen of his broken 3G iPod.


It's a very clever way to make something useful out of a busted iPod. The folks at Engadget think this might be the "start of a very wonderful, very cannibalistic trend in consumer electronics." It's always nice to breathe new life into an old gadget that you blew a couple hundred bucks on right?

digg story | methodshop

Apple has been selling movies in iTunes 7 for a full week now. How are sales? According to The Wall Street Journal, Walt Disney says they've sold 125,000 movie downloads totaling $1 million in revenue. Not bad for just 1 week.

"This is just the beginning," Disney CEO Robert Iger told Wall Street analysts at a conference Tuesday. "[iTunes] has proved [to be] a great business because there's no marketing or other expenses involved in selling digital downloads except the cost of encoding." Iger went on to predict that iTunes would help generate $50 million in additional revenue for Disney this year.

Walt Disney Pictures, which includes Pixar, Touchstone Pictures and Miramax Films, is currently the only major movie studio participating on iTunes.

75 Disney movies, including such hits as Pirates of the Caribbean, The Incredibles, Good Will Hunting and National Treasure, can currently be purchased on iTunes. The other major movie studios are exploring partnerships with iTunes competitors or have disagreements with Apple over licensing fees. Disney's success this week will probably help convince the other studios that participation on iTunes is probably a good idea.

Disney was also the first to offer TV shows on iTunes a year ago from their American broadcast network ABC.


digg story | methodshop

The rest of the team and I (all bar 1 I think(no pun intended)) do enjoy the odd tipple or two. We’ve had to suffer the hardship of testing the Guiness Surger and comparing the taste with all other types of Guinness. Then there was the time we crawled round London pubs looking for Sub Zero Beer, though unsuccessful this has now turned into another ongoing quest.

This latest drinking gadget is another one for the home drinker, Phillips HD3600 - PerfectDraft, pull the perfect pint of draught lager at home.

Read more about the Philips HD3600

Apple is riding high lately. Their transition to the Intel chip has been smooth and the popularity of both iTunes and the iPod has been translating into computer sales.

But according to the Net Applications newsletter I got in my inbox yesterday, the apocalypse is about strike at Apple. What are the signs of the Apple apocalypse? They cite accounting irregularities (Wall Street didn't care), the mass recall of notebook batteries (it was Sony's fault), and a 0.02% drop in OS usage. Yep, just a little 0.02% drop.

Here's a passage from their newsletter:

"Mac Intel OS usage is growing quickly, and currently has 0.62 percent usage market share, but overall Mac OS usage is slightly down.. Back in December 2005 total Mac OS usage market share was 4.35 percent, but August 2006 numbers show total Mac OS market share down to 4.33 percent."

So how did Net Applications measure this 0.02% drop? They have an expensive web traffic analyzing service for webmasters called HitsLink. I used to use HitsLink for MethodShop.com but have since switched to a less expensive service with more features. Hummm... could I be the source of the 0.02% drop? Because of all the iPod related articles on our website we tend to have a higher Mac user base. Maybe the 0.02% drop could be attributed to people going on vacation and not using their computer that month. Or what about the wave of blackouts in America this summer. Yes I'm being sarcastic, but can you blame me? It's only a 0.02% drop.


Besides the fact that Net Applications is all jacked up over a 0.02% drop, can you really match up marketshare (computer sales) with visitor statistics solely based on HitsLink subscribers? No. Web usage by only HitsLink subscribers is just a small random sampling and has nothing to do with overall market share. Maybe Net Applications should offer to share their data with some other web traffic analyzing services before they declare the next 0.02% apocalypse.

Also, how credible is Net Applications? In the same September 18th newsletter they mistakenly reported that "iPod sales peaked at over 12 million units for the 4th quarter of 2005, but have stumbled to 8.5 million and 8.1 million units the most recent two quarters..." 12 million is close, but wrong. In Q1 of 2006 Apple sold over 14 million iPods.

One last thing. The newsletter also reports that 1% of web users are still using Windows ME. Those crazy backwards bastards. God bless 'em.

digg story | methodshop

YouTube user Matt Coats has found the perfect toy for his pet cat named Robot... the only problem is it costs about $1000 and it's his MacBook laptop.

Not only is the MacBook very warm and the perfect place to take a little catnap, but it can also provide hours of entertainmnet thanks to Apple's media center application called Front Row.

Matt setup a camera and put his MacBook on the floor. You can check out the video here on YouTube.



Let's hope Matt got Robot declawed or invested in some scratch proof screen protectors.

youtube | digg story | methodshop

For a while, cell phones and computers got smaller and smaller. Much like Nicole Ritchie, they were whittled away until they were razor-thin and hardly larger than a book of matches. Soon, phones couldn't get any smaller without disappearing or getting lost in everyone's comparatively enormous pants pockets. So, instead of pushing the miniature envelope, cell companies began to make phones that fulfilled more functions. Hence, the birth of the superphone, like the brand spanking new Sidekick 3 and Blackberry Pearl 8100. Form, function, and a sizable price tag: these phones have everything, so how do you know which one to buy? Here at Pimpwiz, we took a closer look, so you don't have to.

Looks:
Both the Sidekick and the Blackberry Pearl are easy on the eyes, so you could proudly whip out either one in public without shame. The Sidekick features a twist-up viewing screen for easier viewing, much like a laptop, Blackberry's latest is oriented more like a phone; its website offered up the motto "Small, smart, and stylish". Hence, it is sleeker and darker than its boxy, sidekicking counterpart, and more attractive in the all-around.

Sidekick: 0 Blackberry: 1

Action:
All superphones may not be created equal, but a lot of them do similar stuff. The Sidekick and the Blackberry both do plenty, including phone, internet browser, text messaging, camera, and media player. Essentially, if your flight's been delayed for an hour or six, you won't be bored with a superphone as your travel companion. Looks like a toss-up.

Sidekick: 1 Blackberry: 2

Superfluous Perks:

In an attempt to differentiate themselves from the competition, both of our superphones in question advertise particular perks or features that are (allegedly) exclusive to that model. The Sidekick wants you to know that, in case your hands are too busy to hold your phone, they'll hook you up with a Bluetooth hands-free headset. Blackberry says that, if you're too busy to dial, you can use their voice-activated dialing (VAD) feature. Of course, the Blackberry also has includes a "helpful setup wizard" for the technologically clueless among us, as well as the nebulous "Blackberry maps". Hmmm, that's sounds pretty perked out.

Sidekick: 1 Blackberry: 3

For the look and feel we say it's all Sidekick3 but for function and "takin' care of business" the Blackberry Pearl 8100 takes the cake.

Source

read more | digg story | PimpWiz

After you download and install iTunes 7, you may be a little surprised at the new user interface. It doesn't even remotely resemble the standard Mac OS X Aqua theme set. iTunes 7 has a much flatter and darker appearance like a Windows or Java application.

The reaction to the new iTunes 7 interface is mixed at best. Most people feel iTunes 6 was prettier with its bright glossy controls gone. True. But the smoother and darker interface of iTunes 7 at least cleanly packs more features into the familiar iTunes interface. As a result, the new iTunes 7 interface makes it much easier to sort movies and TV shows from your music. Also iTunes now plays back video much better than it did before. Probably a good idea since they are selling movies now.

So why would Apple make such a drastic interface design change? Could this be a taste of things to come in Apple's next operating system - Leopard? Has Aqua been replaced by a flat, smooth, darker appearance? If you think hard enough, you might remember that iTunes got the new improved Aqua interface before the rest of the iLife 06 apps.

digg story | methodshop

Apple saved the music business with the iPod. Can they do the same for Hollywood?

In the five years since the iPod's rollout, Apple has locked down the online music business. 1 in 5 Americans owns or has owned an iPod and consumers have downloaded more than 1 billion songs from Apple's iTunes music store. Riding on the heels of that success, yesterday, Apple founder Steve Jobs fired his first shots in the battle to revolutionize the movie industry. In a special event called "It's Showtime," Apple unloaded new gadgets like it was Christmas morning.

In this single event, Steve Jobs announced the following new products and preannounced a new wireless video router called the iTV:

• new versions of both iTunes 7 and QuickTime 7.1.3
  
• bigger Video iPods including an 80GB iPod
  
• new multi-colored iPod Nanos that go up to 8 GB and don't scratch
  
• a matchbook-sized iPod shuffle
  

The new version of iTunes (iTunes 7) sells more than just music and TV shows. iTunes now sells movies and games. The movies are priced starting at $9.99 and include new releases such as Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, as well as older classics. If you were disappointed at the quality of some of the iTunes videos you've downloaded in the past, then you will be happy to know that the video quality has also gotten an upgrade. Any movie you buy is at "near" DVD-quality, 640-by-480-pixel video, and in Dolby Surround sound.

WARNING: While I was writing this blog post, 4 MethodShop.com readers reported that iTunes 7 erased their iPod. So you might want to wait and backup your iPod before you upgrade to iTunes 7.

When you're not watching movies on your iPod, you can always check out some of the new games Apple is selling in iTunes 7. Each game is in full color and uses the Click Wheel as a controller. The selection of games include addictive classics from Tetris and PAC-MAN to a few newer games like Vortex and Texas Hold'Em.

Games, movies and new iPods are nice, but what is going on with the iTV? In a major break in Apple tradition, Steve Jobs only preannounced a new wireless router product called iTV (screenshots). Apple usually likes to have products ready to buy the day they announce them, so this preannouncement caught everyone off guard. According to CBS MarketWatch, the iTV can attach to a television and wirelessly receive and play digital content from any computer (Mac or PC) running iTunes software. The iTV will also feature a HDMI port for high-definition digital televisions. You can expect to see the iTV sometime during the first quarter of 2007 for around US$299.

digg story | methodshop

Pierre Bernard from Late Night with Conan O'Brien is comfortable and furious about the cancellation of Stargate SG-1!

Last Friday, Conan aired another installment of "Pierre Bernard's Recliner of Rage" where Pierre verbally thrashed SCI-FI executive vice president of programming Mark Stern and asked him to reverse the show's cancellation (story). Pierre calls the Sc-Fi Friday night lineup of Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis, and Battlestar Galactica his "holy trinity" because of their female cast members.

Pierre, has gained notoriety among Stargate fans for repeatedly defending the Sci-Fi series on Late Night with Conan O'Brien as well as appearing in several episodes of Stargate SG-1 including the 200th episode as a zombie.



Check out the Save Stargate SG-1 installment of "Pierre Bernard's Recliner of Rage" on YouTube. When you are done please head over to SaveStargateSG1.com and help keep Pierre's "Friday night fantasy threesome" alive!

Here's the transcript of Pierre's rant:

“Recently I’ve been spending even more time than usual online. Partly because I’ve been collecting anime action figures by Monsieur-Bome on eBay, but mostly because of all the opinions I’ve been posting in the SG1 newsgroup on Yahoo.

Stargate is by far my favourite TV show, so you can imagine how stunned I was when I discovered on August 19th at 10.23am that SCI FI network was cancelling it.

The news was so devastating that I became light-headed and I prayed that it was all just a horrible night’s dream. I even took one of the vicodin’s I had been prescribed after my recent kidney stone surgery, but even that couldn’t ease my pain.

I soon found out that a SCI FI Channel executive named MARK STERN was largely responsible for cancelling Stargate. He immediately went to the top of my enemies list.

You see, Stargate SG-1 had been my favourite television show. It also served as the crown jewel in my Friday night SCI FI Channel lineup, which also included Stargate Atlantis and Battlestar Galactica.

The glorious lineup was made all the more compelling by the presence of actresses Amanda Tapping, Grace Park, Rachel Luttrell, who together form my holy trinity of fantasy females.

Now my Friday night SCI FI fantasy threesome has been completely destroyed.

Bottom line, America! Mark Stern should reverse his decision on cancelling Stargate SG-1 so I can continue to enjoy my Friday night fantasy threesome!”

[Hat Tip to GateWorld.net]


digg story | youtube | flickr | methodshop

Klipsch's snazzy new iPod speaker, the Klipsch iGroove, has a couple of tricks yet to appear on other brands' compact power speaker systems. First off, it comes with a pair of two-way speakers (woofer and tweeter), whereas most iPod-inspired alternatives rely on a single, small woofer per channel. Within the Klipsch iGroove's compact dimensions, Klipsch engineers installed a stereo pair of 2.5-inch woofers and 1-inch horn-loaded tweeters that focus the treble sound up toward the listening position. A set of volume up/down buttons and an on/off switch are the unit's only controls. The Klipsch iGroove is available in both matte-silver finish and high-gloss black, called the Klipsch iGroove HG.

The Klipsch iGroove comes with a handy mini-remote that adjusts the volume and your iPod's play/pause functions, as well as changes tracks on your playlists. Like the Bose SoundDock, the Klipsch iGroove can accept any iPod with a dock connector. Full-size iPods, including the video-enabled fifth-generation iPod, fit snugly, thanks to an adjustable backrest. An adapter is included for older iPod Mini models, and Klipsch has begun bundling adapters for the iPod Nano as well. If you bought the early versions of the Klipsch iGroove that lack the Nano adapter, just call Klipsch's customer support, who'll ship one to you for free. Don't own an iPod?

No problem--other similar-size MP3 players can use the included J-Cup cradle and loop the provided cable into the headphone jack. In fact, you can plug anything with a headphone or line-out jack into the Klipsch iGroove, even if it doesn't fit the cradle. The speaker runs off the included AC power supply and charges docked iPods as well.

We started our evaluations in earnest with some Simon and Garfunkel's tunes, and the Klipsch iGroove sounded pleasantly natural. Their soaring vocals, the guitars, and the band on the Bridge over Troubled Water album sounded great. The Klipsch iGroove is just 15 inches wide, so stereo separation isn't its strong suit. In small bedrooms or kitchens, the Klipsch iGroove will play reasonably loud, but it's not exactly a party animal. That said, considering its modest dimensions, the Klipsch iGroove generates surprisingly satisfying bass without exaggerated boominess or thickening.

We noted that some tunes elicited a mild buzzing sound between our iPod and the Klipsch iGroove. Most of the time, we were unaware of the noise--it happened on only a limited range of bass notes. After adjusting the Klipsch iGroove's backrest, the buzz disappeared, and the bass noticeably improved. In other words, make sure the iPod has a solid connection with the Klipsch iGroove's dock.

We liked the Klipsch iGroove, but it's nowhere as impressive as the company's three-piece iPod speaker system, the Klipsch iFi Speaker System for iPod . That set features a hunky 8-inch, 200-watt, powered subwoofer and a set of Klipsch's superb two-way, RSX-3 satellite speakers. It takes up a lot more space than the Klipsch iGroove, but it's far and away the best iPod speaker on the market.

Source: CNET

read more | digg story | treblemaker