Video Preview – Microsoft Courier

Coming from a tablet user for the past 10+ years, I can tell you that this Microsoft Courier idea, if it works, would surely be one of the hottest thing to come but given Microsoft’s past track record, especially with their half heart support for OneNote and other Tablet devices and associated softwares…… I don’t know.  I surely hope it will be different this time around. Guess only time will tell.

Source – Gizmodo via myblogiphone

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2.5 Update Released

New in Lightroom 2.5

The goal of this release is to address bugs that were introduced in previous releases of Lightroom 2 and provide additional camera raw support. A comprehensive list of issues fixed in this release is included below:

Lightroom 2 Bugs – Fixed

• Lightroom 2.4 on Windows continued to display the import dialog when a memory card was detected regardless of the preference setting “Show import dialog when a memory card is detected.”
• Lightroom 2.5 includes a correction to the demosaic algorithms for Bayer sensor cameras with unequal green response.

Newly Supported Cameras:

• Nikon D300s
• Nikon D3000
• Olympus E-P1
• Panasonic DMC-FZ35
• Panasonic DMC-GF1

Get your update here.

Source – Adobe

Apple to Launch Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard on 28 August 2009

[Update: 26 August 2009] You can order it at Apple Online Store now.

[25 August 2009] It’s official, Apple announced that the Mac OS X 10.6 will be available on 28 August 2009.  According to Macworld, “Snow Leopard will be available at the price of $29 for those customers upgrading from Leopard; a family pack of five licenses is available for $49. Users upgrading from earlier versions can buy the $169 Mac Box Set which also includes iLife ’09 and iWork ’09 or the five-user family pack for $229. Those who purchased a qualifying Mac on or after June 8, 2009 can take advantage of Apple’s $10 Snow Leopard Up-to-Date Program. All versions of Mac OS X Snow Leopard require an Intel processor, 1GB of memory, and 5GB of free disk space.”

[20 August 2009] According to an article on Macworld today, Apple might ship the new Mac OS X 10.6 code-named Snow Leopard as early as 28 August 2009.  Hopefully this is true as I’ve been waiting for this since it was announced.  Stay tuned.

Source – Macworld

Next Mac OS X Version – Snow Leopard Close to Release

Image from Apple

With the release of the Developer Preview seed, build 10A432, as well known as the Golden Master for 10.6 today, we can expect the release of the newest version of the Mac OS X Snow Leopard sometime next month.  Stay tuned.

Source – GearLive

Apple Released MacBook Air SMC Firmware Update

On Monday, Apple released the new MacBook Air SMC Firmware Update which adds compatibility for the latest service replacement batteries.

For more information, please visit http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2368.

Source – Apple

Adobe Releases Photoshop Lightroom v2.4 and Camera RAW 5.4

According to Adobe, the following were updated for Lightroom 2.4

• Additional camera support for several new camera models including the Nikon D5000 and Canon EOS 500D (Digital Rebel T1i)
• Several corrections for issues introduced by previous Lightroom 2 releases which includes the following -

1. Web galleries with a Collection Title of six characters would not export or upload
2. The crop aspect ratio could revert to the last selected ratio even when reset to original
3. The crop aspect ratio in Quick Develop could be lost after a crop adjustment
4. The crop aspect ratio lock could be lost after an orientation switch
5. Images could preview incorrectly when imported using the MTP/PTP USB protocol
6. Sony .ARW files may not have been recognized by Lightroom’s import dialog
7. The Japanese language configuration of Lightroom on Mac OS X 10.5 could fail to switch to the print module if the HP B9180 was set as the default printer
8. Metadata options that are intended for use were dimmed incorrectly when exporting DNG files
9. The Japanese language configuration of Lightroom on Mac OS X was missing a shortcut for “Zoom Out”
10. Several translation and shortcut corrections were made for the eight additional languages introduced with Lightroom 2.3

For details and download link, go to Adobe’s download page, link here.

As for Camera RAW 5.4, a number of new cameras were added to the update. One thing to note though is that the Camera Raw 5.4 plug-in is not compatible with versions of Photoshop earlier than Photoshop CS4. Hmm…..

For the full read on the Camera RAW 5.4, check out the readme link here.

Hong Kong – Mac OS X Snow Leopard Up-to-Date Program

Image from Apple

This from Apple Hong Hong,

Mac OS X Snow Leopard refines the elegant Mac OS X user experience with lots of little touches and performance improvements that will make using your Mac even more enjoyable. It also includes a few big foundation technologies designed to tap the power of today’s computer hardware and provide a strong base for innovation. If you’ve purchased a qualifying computer or Xserve on or after June 8, 2009 that does not include Mac OS X Snow Leopard, you can upgrade to Mac OS X Snow Leopard for HK$80.*

This program ends December 26, 2009. Your completed order form must be postmarked or faxed within 90 days of the date of your purchase of a qualifying computer or Xserve (described in this offer) or by December 26, 2009, whichever is earlier.

Expected Product Availability: September 2009

Source - Apple Hong Hong

Three Hong Kong is Updating all iPhones 3G with MMS

Just received a SMS from Three Hong Kong saying that they will activate my MMS account before 26 June.  The SMS also stated that iPhone 3.0 OS will be ready for download for locals in Hong Kong from 1am onwards on 18 June 2009.  WOOT.

Are We Ready for iPhone 3.0? Two More Days to Go

Extracted from my CNET Asia Blog.

Mark your calendar if you haven’t , two more days to go before the launch of iPhone 3.0 OS.  If you don’t own an iPhone, quit reading.  If you do, apart from just sitting here waiting, start wondering what the new OS would do good for you.

What’s good? well…. maybe

• cut, copy and paste;
• MMS (hmm… can your carrier handle that?);
• tethering – act as modem to your Mac or PC so to be able to share internet connection (only if you’re that mobile);
• find my phone (gee, this is a joke…. only if you’re subscribed to MobileMe);
• HTTP-based streaming audio and video (isn’t your iPhone slow enough?);
• full GPS (again, we hit the speed issue here); and
• Bluetooth muti-player gaming capabilities (no comment on that one).

As for what’s bad….. my only concern is how the laggy would the iPhone 3G be with the new 3.0 OS.  Guess we will find out in two days.

Google Sync Beta for iPhone, WinMo and SyncML Phones is Out

The beta version of Google Sync for the iPhone and Windows Mobile phones as well as a contacts-only version for phones that support SyncML is launched by Google this week.

According to Google Mobile Blog, “Google Sync allows you to get your Gmail Contacts and Google Calendar events to your phone. Once you set up Sync on your phone, it will automatically begin synchronizing your address book and calendar in the background, over-the-air, so you can attend to other tasks. Sync uses push technology so any changes or additions to your calendar or contacts are reflected on your device in minutes. The connection is always on so you don’t have to manually sync your phone after Sync has been set up….

For devices that support the open SyncML protocol, Google Sync will allow for two-way contacts synchronization. If you’re a BlackBerry user, a version of Google Sync is already available.”

Sounds neat, who needs MobileMe now I wonder.

Source – Google Mobile Blog

Google Latitude Privacy Tips

Privacy, are there any left?  Who are we kidding.

Source – Google

Apple iPhone = Air Mouse / Remote Control?

Yup, now you can turn your iPhone into an air mouse or remote control.  You heard me right.  According to the guys at RPA Technology -

Air Mouse instantly transforms your iPhone or iPod touch into an in air, wireless remote for your computer! Sit back and surf the web, browse your photo library or control your music player from the comfort of your couch. Air Mouse uses the built in accelerometer to translate your hand motions into mouse movements on your screen. It can also operate as a trackpad, allowing you to control your computer with a single finger. Air Mouse is an essential part of any home theater PC and a presenter’s best friend. Air Mouse uses an innovative application notification system to let the iPhone know what program you are running at any time and show the appropriate keys for that program. This allows Air Mouse to provide a single screen for controlling ALL your media and web applications.

Features:
- Motion sensing air mouse
- Trackpad (full screen vertical and landscape modes)
- Media keys
- Web keys
- Application notifications – Remote keyboard with function and arrow keys
- Programable hotkeys (can be set to run a program or keyboard combination)
- Scroll pad
- Left and Right mouse buttons
- Multitouch gestures (scroll & right click)
- Modifier Keys
- On screen typing
- Password protection
- Custom sensitivity settings
- Foreign language keyboards
- Supports Bonjour or static IP
- No screen size limitation. Works with multiple monitors.
- And much, much more. View their demo video to see all that Air Mouse can do for you

Source – Air Mouse via Jay Oatway from Charged

What’s In The Wire – 29 January 2009

Skype coming to iPhone? and Windows Mobile?

Skype will introduce new applications for its VoIP software at next month’s Mobile World Congress in Spain…..
Next Generation iPhone Model Revealed in Firmware

Apple uses these models numbers to distinguish between different hardware models. The original iPhone carries the model number of “iPhone 1,1″ while the 3G iPhone is labeled “iPhone 1,2″. These numbers do not change for simple storage increases and instead represent functionally different devices. Similarly, the iPod Touch was originally introduced as the “iPod 1,1″ and the most recent hardware revision was labeled “iPod2,1″. The 2,1 iPod Touch added a speaker, volume controls, microphone support and a much faster processor than the 1st generation model…..

Source – Electronista, MacRumors

CNET Asia Community Blog Entry – I Officially Quit Twitter

My new entry over at CNET Asia Community Blog is up. This week’s entry, “I Officially Quit Twitter”. Click here for the read.

The above vid from MegaWhatTV talks about why people hates Twitter, do you agree?

Source – MegaWhatTV