Intel To Embrace Mobile Space with Silvermont, Airmont Atom Chip Architectures

By Cody Fink

Given the fierce competition in the mobile space and the increasing availability of smartphones and lightweight, low-power mobile devices, Intel currently doesn’t offer the mobile chips needed to compete with AMD. With the desktop being ousted for laptops, eventual chromebooks, and tablets, Intel wants to embrace a new strategy to take on the mobile space. CEO Paul Otellini said today,

“We’re shifting from 35-watt to 15-watt…the center is increasingly about ultramobility,” said Otellini. “Every device has to be always on and always connected,” he said. Today, a device with a 15-watt processor is typically an ultrathin laptop like the MacBook Air.

Intel specifically wants to shift company focus onto always-on and always-connected devices by revamping their product line with a series of new Atom chip architectures fit for low-power, constant draw devices. Silvermont, a 22-nanometer Atom chip, and Airmont, a 14-nanometer Atom chip, are currently under development and are to be included in future Android and MeeGo devices. As Intel “scales down” their current offerings to fit the tablet space, Otellini notes,

“No big announcement from Intel on smartphones today. Phones in first part of next year…an area of intense focus for us.”

It’s going to be a while before we start seeing a score of Intel powered smartphones on the market, but does this mean anything for Apple? With Intel somewhat inexperienced and still young in comparison to competitors, I don’t know if we’d see an Intel powered iPhone or iPad in the near future, or even in later revisions of the MacBook Air. I think Intel has a long lifespan when it comes to laptops and desktops, but Apple is intent on centralizing their products on their own technologies: if Apple is going so far as to include a proprietary SSD format in the MacBook Air, I’ll bet you’ll see the MacBook Air to be the first Mac in Apple’s lineup to include a future iteration of Apple’s A5 chip. Unless of course, Intel is successful and quick to iterate on their upcoming low-power offerings, there may not be much of a reason to make that jump.

According to Otellini, Intel is currently “on track” for 35 designs in the tablet space, but whether this includes Apple remains to be seen.

[via CNET]

Our Choice, Proving Push Pop Press Will Revolutionize Digital Publishing

By Cody Fink

When Co-Founders Mike Matas and Kimon Tsinteris set out to change the world of digital publishing, not many would have guessed that Al Gore would be at the forefront of their first title until Our Choice was demoed as a TED Talk, where the workings and interactions of the first title built using the new platform were revealed. Today, Our Choice is available at an introductory $4.99 on the App Store for the iPhone and the iPad, delivering rich interactive content via a completely custom app built on a native backbone. The Push Pop Press platform is seeking to revolutionize how content is published and made interactive, and my initial impressions with Our Choice can validate that cause. What’s at stake isn’t just the future of the new digital platform, but a complete rethinking of the traditional digital magazine or newspaper. The App Store is flooded with projects traditionally based on Adobe technologies, and while it was a good first attempt, the content we view needs to be intuitive, interactive, but most importantly fluid and un-static. Push Pop Press is the ideal platform to revolutionize how we think of traditional media, and Our Choice is the launch title proving that this new vision for content is a clear winner.

Office for Mac’s SP1 Update Bringing iCal, Tasks, and Notes Syncing

By Cody Fink

When I wrote the tutorial on how to get Gmail working inside Microsoft Outlook for the Mac, one of the things they didn’t include was Google Calendar syncing (even after a quick stability update). To be frank, they didn’t include any kind of syncing outside of the mail services provided by Exchange or IMAP. While the first service pack (arriving next week) will not be brining Google Calendar syncing to Outlook, Microsoft will be delivering a substantial update that will tie into your Mac’s Sync Services, meaning iCal calendars, tasks, and mail notes should be fair game. While it isn’t supported directly, you should be able to sync your Google Calendars with iCal, then to Microsoft Outlook. It’s a busy solution, but that’s not to say we’re out of options. For those asking (begging) me about writing something up about Google Calendar support, you’ll have the option to do it through iCal as of the SP1 update. In other words: bananas.

I also wanted to note a couple of the other new features coming with SP1: Outlook support for Exchange based server-side rules; Outlook Redirect button (you can redirect the message to the intended recipient and the replies will go to the original sender); Outlook Resend button; Outlook edit of existing messages; and Solver integration support in Excel.

MobileMe syncing has be axed unfortunately, as MobileMe will no longer require Sync Services to communicate with your Mac. However, you will be able to sync notes down from MobileMe if anyone uses those.

[Office for Mac Blog via The Loop]

MacStories Product Review: JOBY GorillaMobile Ori for iPad

By Cody Fink

For those still holding onto the original iPad, have you ever thought about stepping your game up when it comes watching a family movie or utilizing the iPad as a bookstand? That folio case you have isn’t going to elevate the iPad above those popcorn jaws, and you certainly aren’t going to get a stable viewing angle on a leather cover as you tap through a recipe book. Even with a slew of gadgets and arms, the iPad is only as flat as its case. JOBY will help your iPad avoid disaster with a product that’s quite transformative.

iPad 2 Camera Examples & iMovie

By Cody Fink

The iPad 2 is outfitted with a pair of cameras that allow for intimate FaceTime and HD recording sessions, but how do these cameras rank on the still photo front? Several blogs have posted some pics already, but I wanted to do a few examples of my own (including a homemade movie) that really shows off what you can expect to do with your new tablet.

Your Verizon iPhone Won’t Send iMovies To Your Apple TV Just Yet

By Cody Fink

The Verizon iPhone might lessen dropped calls, but it’s getting the short end of the stick thanks to the lack of Apple’s latest iOS 4.3 update. Heads up: a note in the iMovie support documents indicate that the Verizon iPhone isn’t compatible with the Apple TV just yet, as sending a movie from iMovie to the Apple TV requires the iOS 4.3 update for your iPhone, as well as the Apple TV Software 4.2. AirPlay has recently been vastly expanded in the iOS 4.3 update, adding support from Photos to other supporting apps, and you’ll need to hold on a little longer if the movie buff in you can’t wait to share home movies on the big screen.

http://support.apple.com/kb/TS3686

Roxio Toast 11, Record & Convert Anything

By Cody Fink

Given all of the digital media you work with, shouldn’t there be a suite of tools that enable you to covert those old DVDs to your iPad, to record anything currently playing on your Mac, or to grab the latest shows from your TiVo? I don’t know… maybe something like Roxio’s Toast 11 Titanium and Titanium Pro? Fans of Roxio rely on Toast as their primary video conversion tool, or may have found it to be their lifesaving application that was able to rip proprietary disks from old camcorders into something iMovie can work with. In Toast 11, a brand new user interface is accompanied by a slew of new features making it the most friendly iteration yet for users of all kinds looking to convert family video and share projects with friends online.

Here Come The AirPlay Systems: Phillips, Pioneer, and JBL Announce New Products

By Cody Fink

2011 won’t be a year just about the iPad. Apple’s AirPlay will be saturating the market this summer with dozens of speakers, docks, and receivers designed to wirelessly stream your tunes in lossless glory. Today, Philips, Pioneer, and JBL have all announced speakers and receivers that all support Apple’s wireless sharing capabilities, and we’ve got press releases, prices, and more after the break.

Google Chrome 10 Release Brings Tabbed Settings, Flash Sandboxing

By Cody Fink

Google Chrome

Google Chrome has a new stable release you can download today (which should arrive automatically or manually via the ‘About Google Chrome’ pane), which offers a couple new features for faster & more secure Internet browsing, and a significant update to Google Chrome settings. Google Chrome’s new settings interface has been overhauled, placing your settings in a new open tab while enabling a new search box so you can find settings (like bookmarks) quickly and easily. Settings have also been extended to the Omnibox, where you can share direct URLs to jump to a specific settings page so you can quickly help mom & dad enable or disable browser options. You can preview the new features via a video after the break.

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