|
Dual monitors on a MacMini |
|
Written by Chris Tangora
|
|
Friday, 06 June 2008 |
 We talked about the beta release of Dynadock drivers for the Mac back in March, but haven't heard much since. While surfing the web I noticed Matt Stook had written a blog post about how his MacMini is pushing two monitors. The drivers haven't been updated since the beta released in March of this year, but Matt goes into a few details about his system.
The dual monitors work fine, especially when the second monitor is used for text based applications. He is even able to watch YouTube videos without any problem. The problem of no 2D acceleration or Open GL affect programs that require Quartz Extreme. If you've been thinking about grabbing a second monitor but don't have a PCI card, consider what you're trying to do. I'm sure Matt will answer any questions you have on how his system works.
There is also the option of going with DualHead2Go from Matrox Graphics. The DualHead2Go splits the horizontal lines in half and sends one half to one monitor and the other half to the other. While this doesn't give you independent control, you do get to keep the full graphics card accelerators & compatibility. You may need to use some extra software to manually adjust the resolution of the combined monitors. Both of these solutions are viable for the MacMini and all the non PCI Macs (MacBook, MacBook Pro & iMac).
Read more about the Dynadock at Matt Stook's Blog
Check prices here for Dynadock
Read more about a DualHead2Go install
 Comments (1)
|
|
|
Burning Hot NeXT AA001032 |
|
Written by Chris Tangora
|
|
Wednesday, 04 June 2008 |
 As WWDC approaches I've decided to turn back the books to a story about the early years of Steve Jobs. Oh, the good old days of NeXT, when Steve Jobs thought all computers would be boxes in the future (i.e. the Cube). The NeXT cube (and system) was revolutionary, while the contents might have been outdated the case was magnesium alloy, a light weight flame resistant metal.
As NeXT was halting it's hardware production in 1993 Simson Gafinkel of NeXTWORLD decided to see what it would take to make a NeXT cube burst into flames. They secured an empty NeXT case in 1991 for this purpose, but never got around to it. A year or two passed and NeXT hardware was closing shop. When they publicly announced the halt of the hardware production the editors at NeXTWORLD knew it was time to burn a box. They then went in search of a suitable location for burning a magnesium alloy case.
Skip the background, show me the pictures.
Be first to comment this article |
|
Read more...
|
|
|
Flash Memory to reach $1/Gig |
|
Written by Chris Tangora
|
|
Sunday, 01 June 2008 |
One of the most handy every day pieces of technology is the flash drive, made with NAND technology. The MacBook Air was recently introduced with a flash drive option, and flash drives seem like a great option for modders due to their small foot print.
A lot of that is going to change with SSD (Solid State Drives) in the next few months. Currently it cost the NAND manufacturers about $2.5/GB or $10 for a 4GB flash memory chip . Intel and Micron (known as Crucial to you and me) have partnered up to make IM Flash Technologies, LLC . IM Flash is focused on making NAND memory and has plans to change everything. Intel/IM Flash was a late comer to the NAND market, but they have quickly caught up.
While NAND might get cheaper for IM Flash, it won't help with the boutique feeling of flash memory until larger hard drives are available. Multilevel Cell (MLC) technology will help there. Essentially think of it as adding more chips connected to the same controller. 256GB Flash drives should be rolling out by the end of 2008 or early 2009. Expect to see
The final problem with NAND memory is it's life cycle. While most people believe that because there are no moving parts, the drives will last longer. That isn't necessarily true. MLC required for higher densities also generate more heat and thus have a higher data loss. MLC chips also require more advanced data loss management, since there are far more addresses to manage and more data loss overall.
So when you start seeing the flash memory start dropping in price and the disk drives getting bigger and bigger, be cautious. It isn't the same as the flash memory on the market now.
From news.com via codehound
Comments (14) |
|
|
VIA Nano challenges Intel Atom |
|
Written by Chris Tangora
|
|
Thursday, 29 May 2008 |
VIA Technologies is a microprocessor company from Taipei and they are turning out to be major competitors to the Intel Atom chips. The VIA Nano chip, originally called the "Issiah" processor, is running fast and running cool. It was completely redesigned from the ground up over the past four years. It is a 64-bit x86 CPU that can run up to 1.8 GHz while consuming 25 watts. It can also be scaled back to run at 1 GHz and sip only 5 watts. Intel's Atom chips are spec'd right now to run between 800 MHz and 1.8GHz taking up on .65 & 2.4 Watts.
While the VIA chips seem like they might be a little outclassed, they do have a few advantages. Their pins are compatible with the current VIA C7 processors for many devices. This means that they can be used in current designs and be used as upgrades. They also run at a faster front side bus and have twice the amount of L2 cache as the Atom Z. I'm sure Intel is taking notice of this and is readying the final release of the Diamondville version of Atom chip, reported to run at 2.2 GHz and take up either 4W or 8W, depending on the number of cores.
From Wired.com
Read more at PC Mag.com
Be first to comment this article |
|
|
Written by Chris Tangora
|
|
Wednesday, 28 May 2008 |
 Looks like Psystar will be here for a while. They have gone through the first rounds of doubts and have delivered. More important is that Apple hasn't really tried to stop them.
With the first round of Open Computers out the door, they have taken the base model they started with and have upgraded the case on it. This is not an upgrade to the components, but rather an upgrade to the casing. It used to be available in the beige or black, but the new case sports a black/silver option only. It still has the 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processors and the 256MB video RAM, but they now offer a plethora of operating systems. You can get Ubuntu 8, CentOS, or Fedora installed for free. Windows XP or Vista is available as well as "running unmodified OS X Leopard kernels" for an additional charge.
The Open Computer stays at the $399.99 price and the Open Computer Lite is still at $299.99. The Open Computer Pro does not share the same case, but it looks like it has a new case as well and is still $999.99.
See more at psystar.com
Comments (1) |
|
|
Apple Cube as Art (via LED's) |
|
Written by Chris Tangora
|
|
Tuesday, 27 May 2008 |
 Apple products have often been called pieces of art, their design and functionality have been trend setters in the industry. The Apple Cube was a product of Steve that never really got off the ground, but it laid the groundwork for the MacMini.
Now that the Cubes are all but retired they have become a recent favorite for modders. While this isn't a functioning mod, it is an artistic mod. Lumonics has taken a Mac Cube and made it a piece of art, really. The insides were removed and it was placed on a large black box filled with high intensity LEDs to light up the Cube in different ways. This is the first of what could be a series of Mac based art coming out, especially with Apple's popularity growing.
Watch the video on YouTube
Be first to comment this article |
|
|
Arduino, the electronic hobbyist playground |
|
Written by Chris Tangora
|
|
Wednesday, 21 May 2008 |
 If you like tinkering with electronics, resistors, LED's and other small wired electronics, you should check out Arduino. Arduino is the open source electronics prototyping platform. Say what? I know, I didn't know about it either until Jacob showed me this. So, what does electronics prototyping do? It allows you to create unique circuits based off of the computer or external events.
You can pick up an USB Arduino Diecimila for under $40 from Fun Gizmos or get a starter package from Adafruit for about $65. Then download the open source Arduino platform and start making some simple programs. There are programs already written you can copy to do simple things like blink a light, and then it goes up from there. There are example programs on the web to make a light sensor, play music and even control appliances via X10.
If you like tinkering, then take a look.
Arduino platform
Example code and tutorials
Arduino Diecimila board
Arduino startup package
Be first to comment this article |
|
|
Netflix challenges AppleTV |
|
Written by Chris Tangora
|
|
Wednesday, 21 May 2008 |
 Netflix sent out it's first contender against the Apple TV yesterday with the Roku Netflix Player. The book sized device cost $99 and hooks directly up to your television. It streams available movies from your NetFlix account to your TV, no computer needed (except to make your queue).
The Netflix Player and the AppleTV are aiming at different markets, but they are both forerunners in the digital media delivery field. The AppleTV allows you to stream recent releases, while the NetFlix Player allows you to stream movies and shows that have been out on DVD for a while. The NetFlix Player requires a NetFlix account with unlimited playback, starting at $8.99 for the one movie plans. The NetFlix Players can also be stacked, so if you have a three movie plan you can have three separate NetFlix Players going at the same time in the house, all watching different movies.
While the Roku is the first of the NetFlix Players, it won't be the last. NetFlix's site clearly states that this is the first of the devices to come to market. Some rumors point to a co-op with LG for a high def version. Roku's version currently gives DVD quality if your bandwidth allows it. It is also rumored that the Roku device will be upgradable (it can use HDMI connections) in the future with a software upgrade.
If you were looking at an AppleTV for your streaming media, it's worth a look at the Roku NetFlix Player as a viable alternative. I know I am.
Roku NetFlix Player site
NetFlix site with details on how it works
Comments (1) |
|
|
