ports

Bad news: the new MacBook Pros still lack HDMI, a very convenient and increasingly ubiquitous way for any laptop to output its audio and video on to an HDTV or receiver.

Good news: it's slightly easier to connect your MacBook Pro to a TV than it was before.

MacBook Pros now support an audio signal over the Mini DisplayPort jack. Believe it or not, the old MacBooks could only output video through that port, and audio had to be output via a separate audio cable connected to the audio-out jack. We can say from experience that connecting previous MacBooks … Read more

Following numerous other updates from Apple this week, the company has released a firmware update for AirPort Extreme Base Stations and Time Capsule devices. This update addresses wireless performance issues and problems with creating Guest networks when using the 5GHz band. In addition, Apple has released an update to the AirPort Utility for both Mac and Windows machines.… Read more

Today's video isn't new, but I thought since we were on the subject of electric cars this past week I'd present this Web clip about an all-electric heavy-duty truck--a project vehicle commissioned by the Port of Los Angeles and the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD).

This project was put together to make a prototype of the world's strongest, most heavy-duty truck that could run for short hauls exclusively on electricity. Reportedly it was the first heavy-duty electric cargo truck from any port in the world, and statistically it could haul over 50,000 lbs. … Read more

The EconoDriver and SafeDriver by Lemur are wireless vehicle monitors that record driving performance to a key fob display to help drivers be more efficient and safe.

The key fob displays are battery powered and can be mounted on the dashboard for continuous monitoring of reports. Both units ship with a sensor that plugs into your vehicle's OBD-II port to wirelessly transmit information from your vehicle's sensors to the key fob.

The SafeDriver displays the maximum speed, distance traveled, and sudden braking incidents to help parents keep tabs on new drivers. The device locks with a PIN to … Read more

Normally you can access your Airport card settings and turn the device on or off, either in the System Preferences or in the system menu. Upon updating to Snow Leopard, however, a number of users have noticed a problem where their Airport cards will not turn off if they're on, and others will not turn on if they're off.… Read more

Many users have been finding that under Snow Leopard they are having dropouts while using wireless internet via AirPort. Most users report that other non-Mac machines on the same network have no issues connecting using wireless and all wired connections are fine.… Read more

Seafuture's Netpas Estimator is a powerful but easy-to-use tool for estimating and calculating just about everything needed in the ocean shipping business. It estimates voyage distance, distance between individual ports, charter base, cargo, operating and labor expenses, bunker (fuel) costs, and other information essential to ship owners, sea captains, charterers, and brokers. It greatly simplifies both planning and record keeping, and it even makes it easy to keep charter customers informed. Its analytical features can help trim costs and grow your business.

The program's primary interface resembles a page full of various spreadsheets, which seems complex at first … Read more

Ashampoo FireWall Free is an easy-to-use program that lets users to their computers from unwanted connections to the Internet. Though it may not be the most robust firewall available, it's a great choice for novice users who know they want protection but aren't sure how a firewall should be configured.

The program's interface is sleek and intuitive, with its functions neatly organized in tabs. Users don't have to do much to configure the program initially; it will automatically notify users when an application attempts to connect to the Internet and ask whether users want to allow … Read more

Apple has released a couple of knowledge base articles that offer information about the new AirPort menu as well as cover a problem people are having in which OS X 10.6 does not recognize iPhones or iPod Touches.… Read more