AppleTell » Macintosh/Apple Hardware

Blue Microphones discovers Nessie, releases audio proof

Kirk Hiner — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 23:31:47 +0000

“No Fear” is a popular slogan to put on the back of your pickup truck. It’s also entirely meaningless, and an outright lie. It’s important to fear things; that’s how we, as a civilization, stay alive. One thing we shouldn’t have to fear, however, is poor audio quality when recording podcasts, music and whatnot. That’s why Blue Microphones has released Nessie.

Nessie is billed as “… the solution for fearless recording that instantly delivers studio-enhanced sound for desktop recording of vocals, instruments, voiceovers and more.” It does…

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Tell + SMS Audio STREET by 50 on-ear headphones giveaway

Kirk Hiner — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 01:00:47 +0000

It’s a big week for iDevice owners. Between WWDC in San Francisco and E3 in Los Angeles, we’ll be getting plenty of news regarding how we entertain ourselves with your iPhones, iPads and iPod touches. iRadio? Maybe. All kinds of new games? Definitely. To make sure you hear all of this with great audio, we’re teaming up with SMS Audio to give away a pair of STREET by 50 on-ear…

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Epson introduces Expression XP-410 Small-in-One AirPrint printer

Aaron Kraus — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 01:23:36 +0000

Epson, bucking the trend of ever-bigger devices, has announced a newcomer to their printer family. The Expression XP-410 features a printer, scanner, and copier, but crams it all into a space that’s only as big as two pieces of standard computer paper laid side by side. For small desks, apartments, or just anybody looking to conserve space, this focus on compactness is sure to be appreciated.

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New Mac Pro proves Apple’s innovative edge still sharp

Charles Moore — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 18:30:51 +0000

My immediate initial impression upon viewing publicity photos and animations previewing Apple’s forthcoming replacement for its long-in-the-tooth (and then some) Mac Pro desktop models was that this would be what the Mac Pro Cube could have evolved into had it survived.

Obviously, the New Pro has a cylindrical rather than cubic form factor, and its enclosure of midnight black instead of the Cube’s crystal-clear polycarbonate, but the simple, elemental shape, amazingly compact dimensions, and “thermal core” design for efficient, convection aided, vertical stack cooling all hark back to the general concept pioneered by the Cube 13 years ago.

I bought a Cube back in 2001, just before the model was terminated having been on the market for less than a year. I was smitten by the Cube’s spectacular design, as I am by the 2013 Mac Pro’s. However, my brief romance with the Cube (which I kept only six months before swapping it for a contemporaneous Pismo PowerBook) underscored…

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Apple releases redesigned AirPort Time Capsule and AirPort Extreme base stations

Kaled Ali — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 04:30:44 +0000

During the WWDC 2013 keynote, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing, Phil Schiller, took the stage to introduce the all new Airport Time Capsule and Extreme base stations. These have an all new design with a white tube structure and a silver Apple logo on top, and take advantage of the faster 802.11ac Wi-Fi…

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Apple releases MacBook Air with better battery life

Erica Marceau — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 18:58:10 +0000

At WWDC 2013, Apple released updated MacBook Air laptops with a vastly improved battery life. The battery life has increased from 5 hours on the 11-inch MacBook Air to 9 hours. The 13-inch MacBook Air has 7 hours of battery life currently, and it will have 12 hours of life with the new model. They use the Haswell ULT processor for lower-power consumption with improved graphics.

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Apple introduces a new Mac Pro with a radical new design

Kaled Ali — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 18:30:02 +0000

As WWDC 2013 continues, Apple has introduced a new line of the Mac Pro with Haswell processors. The new Mac Pro appears to be about half the size of the current generation of the Mac Pro and moves away from a tower shape. Instead, Apple appears to be moving towards a more roundish and slicker design. The Mac Pro now also allows users to lift off the top of the Mac and access all of the I/O underneath. This will allow for easier customization of the device and give users more control over their Macs.

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BOOM Movement Spooners headphones review

Aaron Kraus — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 12:11:16 +0000

Want to take your tunes outside with you, but don’t feel like sharing? While BOOM’s excellent Urchin speaker provides water- and shock-resistant music for groups, their Spooners headphones let you keep the party solo while still shaking off dust, water, and a pretty bruising amount of abuse.

Part of the Ready 4 Anything (R4A) collection, these earbuds offer a crucial blend of function, form, and a great visual pun just for good measure.

What’s in a Name?

BOOM is on to something with their naming scheme (that, or I’m just really easily amused), as the moniker for these earbuds comes quite literally from their magnetic nesting design. The earbud posts form complementary convex/concave spoon shapes which you just stick together together to form a spindle around which the cable wraps, though you’ll never get it looking quite as neat as the product photos. A handy clip lets you secure the end of the cable, so you can easily avoid tangled and damaged cords—great for throwing them in a bag or pocket when you’re running out the door. With water, dust, and shock protection, you can take these running, biking, skateboarding, or, as pictured below, hiking (the outdoors really seems to be a…

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Intel shows 128GB Thunderbolt thumb drive prototype at trade show

Kaled Ali — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 02:26:30 +0000

At the Computex trade show in Taipei, Intel showed off a new 128GB thumb drive that uses Thunderbolt technology. Intel mentioned that this thumb drive was the “world’s fastest thumb drive,” and they may be right. Thunderbolt technology was developed by Apple in tandem with Intel and was introduced on the 2011 Macbook Pro. The technology is known for its speed capabilities, as it allows data transfer at speeds of up to 10Gbps.

This makes this new thumb…

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Apple has reportedly filed for an “iWatch” trademark in Russia

Kaled Ali — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 12:05:04 +0000

Apple may be moving forward with its rumored iWatch. The Cupertino company is rumored to have filed a trademark application in Russia earlier this week, suggesting perhaps they’re already working on completing the device and prepping it for release. It is also possible the iWatch is still in progress or is just a prototype and Apple is a long ways off from an official announcement.

The report comes from Russian…

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