Hardware

Our utilities update report is a column on updates for Mac utilities that have been released in the past week. Though a utility can be any tool that helps you perform a routine task (including image manipulation and synchronization), our focus in this column is on bringing you those tools that help in troubleshooting Mac hardware and software problems. This week there were updates for maintenance utilities, file recovery and filesystem management tools, and a couple of disk hardware utilities.

Maintenance The first update this week is to the popular freeware utility OnyX, which interfaces with a number of the … Read more

Apple may soon be launching a new AirPort Extreme Base Station.

The Federal Communications Commission today posted its test report on a new version of Apple's wireless hardware. Dubbed model A1408, the device is a 3x3 wireless access point operating on both the 2.4GHz and 5.8GHz bands, according to the FCC filing.

Rumors that Apple is planning to launch new wireless hardware have been cropping up for weeks. Leading up to Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference earlier this month, reports surfaced claiming Apple would be updating its AirPort Extreme Base Station, along with its Time Capsule--the company'… Read more

OK, honestly, this is my last post on E3. While this year's show is over and we've seen both surprises and disappointments, another year looms: and with it, we hold out hope that next year's show can deliver on some unanswerables that this year's show conveniently skipped. At least, that's the way I feel. No show can ever hope to bring everything we expect--mainly, because E3 is only a collection of demonstrations from an industry that's constantly evolving--but as I peer into next year's crystal ball, this is what I hope we find.

Games and reasons to buy the Wii U Nintendo's next console, the Wii U, remains shrouded in mystery, in the middle of a year where Nintendo remains in a larger cloud of uncertainty. The Nintendo 3DS feels like a disappointment, and the Wii is in decline. That touch-screen tablet-of-wonders that Nintendo's hawking is a project with no definitive must-have games or applications, and that will need to change next year.… Read more

Sure, you know about the Wii U. You know about the PlayStation Vita. But do you know about the jDome immersive game screen? How about a device that takes physical game pieces and puts them in games? Or, what about a triple-mount TV stand for all your motion-control camera gear?

The E3 Expo is always known for its explosively loud gaming demos and endless play kiosks (not to mention costumed absurdity), but tucked away in the corners are lesser-known companies hawking peripherals and technology that ranges from the intriguing to the absurd. In years past, these odd bits of gaming … Read more

Our utilities update report is a column on updates for Mac utilities that have been released in the past week. Though a utility can be any tool that helps you perform a routine task (including image manipulation and synchronization), our focus in this column is on bringing you those tools that help in troubleshooting Mac hardware and software problems. This week there were updates to maintenance utilities and one hardware management tool.

Maintenance Most of the updates this week are for maintenance utilities, some of which can be used for running general maintenance routines in OS X, and also for … Read more

Supply of Apple's Time Capsule hardware is reportedly becoming scarce in the days ahead of the company's Worldwide Developers Conference, a sign that a new version of the product could be just around the corner.

Time Capsule, which was released at the beginning of 2008, combines a wireless router with a hard drive, giving users a way to store files on the device. It's also tied to Apple's built-in Time Machine backup software, which made its debut as a part of Leopard. That software is able to tap into the Time Capsule to wirelessly store backups … Read more

Our utilities update report is a column on updates for Mac utilities that have been released in the past week. Though a utility can be any tool that helps you perform a routine task (including image manipulation and synchronization), our focus in this column is on bringing you those tools that help in troubleshooting Mac hardware and software problems. This week there were updates to maintenance programs, a number of filesystem and file management tools, and one hardware utility for managing battery calibrations.

Maintenance The popular maintenance tool Snow Leopard Cache Cleaner was updated in this past week. There is … Read more

Our utilities update report is a column on updates for Mac utilities that have been released in the past week. Though a utility can be any tool that helps you perform a routine task (including image manipulation and synchronization), our focus in this column is on bringing you those tools that help in troubleshooting Mac hardware and software problems. This week there were updates to file recovery software, some drive monitoring utilities, and duplicate file management tools.

Maintenance

Cocktail is a good option to use as part of a general maintenance routine and also has options to allow for adjusting … Read more

Only a week after Google upgraded the stable version of Chrome to 11, the company bumped its beta users to version 12 beta last night. Google Chrome 12 beta (download for Windows | Mac | Linux) pushed a moderate range of under-the-hood improvements to Chrome beta users, including better hardware acceleration, stronger privacy controls, and slightly safer file downloads. It also killed support for Google Gears, a move the company announced back in March.

The new beta includes two security improvements. Flash-based local shared objects, which are bits of Web sites stored locally on your computer, can now be deleted from within … Read more