MacExpo
Apple unveiled a new object of lust for techno-fetishists this week - but you'll have to wait until April to see the new iPod Mini in this country. Chief executive Steve Jobs unveiled the new devices in San Francisco this week, during his announcement-packed keynote speech to the MacExpo show.
The iPod is massively important for Apple. Since its launch two years ago, it has sold more than 2m units and - more importantly - become the kind of must-have gadget that has catapulted Apple's image to new highs, and provided a useful diversion from the becalmed personal computer industry.
But Apple also showed off plenty of innovations for its core business. Most impressive was a revamp of the iLife digital media software suite, which Jobs branded "like Microsoft Office - for the rest of your life". The suite, which already had packages to organise and edit music, video, photographs and DVD productions, now sports a fifth element - Garageband.
Garageband is an easy-to-use music sequencer, with a surprising amount of power under its user-friendly interface. It is possible to mix audio loops, tracks from 50 "software instruments" and live audio - up to 64 tracks - and then export the finished production to iTunes and your iPod.
The software allows guitarists to plug in their instruments and put their music through one of several classic amplifiers, all imitated by the machine, or add the sound of a £50,000 Yamaha grand piano.
Guitarist and songwriter John Mayer came on stage during Jobs' keynote to demonstrate the package, and eulogise about its power. "If I had this when I was 13," he said, "I'd have locked myself in my room for ever."
The rest of the $49 (£27) iLife package has also been updated. It includes:
· iTunes - the music management package that gives access to your music library on your computer, and on your iPod, and a way in to the Apple Music Store - if you live in the US. A European version of the store is expected this spring.
· iPhoto - a digital photo management package which, after criticism of its speed with large numbers of images, can now cope with 25,000 images with "zero waiting", says Jobs. iPhoto can also share its library with other Macs via a wired or wireless network through Apple's Rendezvous technology.
· iMovie - Apple's stalwart movie-editing package has received a minor makeover, and can now import directly from Apple's iSight digital camera.
· iDVD - the DVD production package has new themes, enhanced menus and, perhaps most importantly, "pro-quality" DVD encoding. which should give a sharper picture. It can fit two hours of video on to one disc.
During the keynote, Jobs also announced a new version of Final Cut Express 2, Apple's mid-range video editing package, which will sell for £299, or a $99 upgrade from the current version, and a new G5 version of the company's Xserve file server.
Satellite car navigation system
Navman's new satellite navigation systems for cars, the iCN620, is a big improvement on its clunky predecessors and is almost plug-and-play. You put the connector into the cigarette lighter in your car and stick the unit on your windscreen with a suction clamp. All you need do is type in your destination (from an easy-to-use panel with navi-bar on the right) and the system automatically picks up your starting point after taking a few minutes to find its bearings. You are then guided by voice instructions to your destination.
At least that's the theory. In practice, it took time to master the idiosyncratic instructions, such as having to press an unlisted button to unravel details of the streets of London. And since there is no confirmation of the chosen destina tion on the screen, you can sometimes drive for a while before realising you are on the wrong route. Like similar systems, it operates better in the country than on complicated routes in the inner city (for example, where there is a left turn and a left filter close together). I didn't have the bottle to do a "legal U turn" as instructed by the computer in the middle of Victoria Street in London - but at least it recognised my predicament. Once you have got over the quirks, it is impressive and compact. Prices are coming down fast for positioning systems, but at £820 to £850, the iCN620 is still mainly for the enthusiast. Navman has also announced the iCN630 V2 (£1,000), which has a 3D map view and postcode search.
Victor Keegan
Portable video
Media on the go
Fancy a portable video version of the iPod music player? Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates was expected to an nounce further details of the company's Media2Go PVP (portable video player) project during his opening keynote speech at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas last night, after Online went to press. What is surprising is that devices are not already on sale. Gates demonstrated Media2Go with a fanfare at last year's CES, when Samsung, iRiver, ViewSonic and Sanyo were named as hardware partners. Why didn't they have products on the market this Christmas, to compete with the now long-established Archos Jukebox Multimedia 20?
Although it remains to be seen what kind of form factors the Media2Go hardware partners have fashioned, there is probably not much that is new about the software. Media2Go is based on Windows CE (Consumer Electronics), which is well known in handheld computers and other devices, including smart wristwatches, sewing machines and mobile phones. Given that a CE-based Pocket PC handheld like the Compaq iPaq has been able to play video files for several years, it can't have been that hard to convert it for a PVP. It did need a simplified user interface, but Microsoft developed one successfully for the Windows XP Media Center home entertainment PC.
Other parts of the specification are up to the manufacturers, but typical machines should have an Intel XScale (Arm-compatible) processor, 4in or larger colour LCD screens, and 5GB or larger hard drivers. Creative said its Media2Go system would provide continuous video playback for up to six hours, and continuous music playback for up to 12 hours. Price and weight will also be significant considerations. And someone might even think of offering a video download service similar to Apple's iTunes.
Stat of the week: US ethnic net access
The digital divide exists - but the gap is closing. By 2007, African-Americans could overtake Hispanics in net penetration and narrow the gap with Caucasians. African-American surfers use broadband at a higher rate than the general online population, according to AOL.
