Appletell

Now that the much anticipated Apple Let’s Rock event is only two days off, let’s talk Let’s Rock rumors. There are lots of possible goodies for the event, so let’s hope that Apple is up for the challenge and fulfills everyone’s hopes.

Read on for the full list of possibilities.

MORE »

I really enjoy the two finger scrolling gesture on the Apple laptop trackpads. It’s smooth, and it works exactly how you would expect, unlike some of those other built in scroll bars.  However, this technology is only available from Apple on newer models; so, what about the older ones? Enter iScroll2. This preference pane software is “...a modified trackpad driver that adds two-finger scrolling capabilities to supported pre-2005 PowerBooks and iBooks on OS X 10.3 and up.” It looks great.

Simply download and install this program, tweak the settings to your liking, then put those fingers to work.

However, if linear scrolling isn’t your style, iScroll2 also supports a circular scrolling option. This option is just like the scroll wheel on an iPod, except you use two fingers in a circular motion instead of one.  That’s a pretty neat idea, if you ask me. It’s nice to see someone cared enough to make this product, because I’m sure a lot of people are benefiting from it.

Product [iScroll2]

Apple may well be one of the top IT companies producing top-selling and cool products here and there, but this success doesn’t render the company immune to various lawsuits. Like any other big IT companies, Apple is hounded by several lawsuits caused by product-related issues which the company needs to settle financially.

One of these lawsuits is the case filed by some Canadian residents who purchase the Apple iPod player before June 24, 2004. Those iPod buyers filed a class-action lawsuit against Apple for misrepresenting the actual battery life of its iPod players. Apple claimed eight hours before charging, but the plaintiff found it to last for only three hours. The legal dispute was won by the plaintiff and Apple would have to give them $45 credit which they can use on Canadian Apple retail or online stores. This is reported to cost Apple around $36 million in settlement.

A similar case is facing Apple in San Jose California. This time involving the power adapters of Apple’s PowerBook and iBook computers. A class-action suit was also filed against Apple for failing to correct the problems encountered by users of the said adapters. In 2001, Apple had to recall around 570,000 power adapters due to overheating and sparking. If approved the U.S. District Attorney of San Jose, Apple will have to pay each owners of the iBook and PowerBook $79 each. This would amount to around 2.3 million total settlement damages for Apple.

Read [The Wall Street Journal]

In what is perhaps the coolest thing I have ever seen, Troika has created a “virus” for Mac, though its status as a virus is debatable. It lives on a USB key, and you have to have physical access to the computer to install it. The virus was created in an attempt to get back to the tme when viruses were just amusing little programs run to make the user chuckle. Nowadays, viruses are used for malicious intent, but back in the advent of the personal computer, “viruses [were] born out of the wit of early computer adopters, viruses whose sole purpose was to surprise and amuse.”

Troika says that they “chose to do it for mac as the platform is still a virgin territory.” If this is what Mac viruses will look like, I will download and install every suspicious looking thing that comes my way. The “virus” causes the menu bar to crack in half and fall, along with all desktop icons, to the bottom of the screen. Then, by turning the computer around, the icons and menu bar halves respond just as they would if they were really in a box.

The only problem? You can’t actually get it. If anyone can figure out how to get this, please comment. I want it really badly. Now, to see it in action, look after the break.

MORE »

When I signed up to write at Appletell nearly two months ago, I had planned to write frequently, but soon after I began writing, things took a turn for the worst. The problem was that my 15” powerbook G4 kept randomly shutting down about every 9 or 10 hours. Because I had purchased the AppleCare extended warranty, I was eligible to receive repairs free of charge. I called up AppleCare (1-800-APL-CARE) and explained the situation to a representative.

They decided to send me a box which I would send the computer back to them in to get it repaired. After a couple of days, I got the box in the mail, and after about 2 weeks I got the computer back from the repair center. I eagerly fired it up, and everything seemed fine, but I would soon find that instead of every 9 or 10 hours, it was now shutting down every 2-3 hours. I called up AppleCare again and I was shortly transferred to a senior repair representative. He was very nice, and said that he would be happy to set me up for a second, expedited repair. This time, after only 1 week, I got my computer back, but only to find out that my computer was now shutting down every 40 minutes. I called my representative at his direct number and spoke to him about the situation.

MORE »

The folks here at Appletell are really environmentally friendly; or at least we try to be. We either sell our old PowerBooks, recycle our old iBooks or reuse our dated iPods. So naturally when we stumbled upon this set of great earrings, we were totally thrilled.

These earrings use the power button from an old PowerBook (or two), coupled with a little hook. I’m not sure if it’d look good on me, but it certainly makes a great gift for that significant female in your life. Greenpeace must be jumping for joy right now.

Via [Make Magazine]