10.4

Testing T-Mobile's 4G LTE

T-Mobile just took a bold, new step by shredding the contracts for its plans plus launching its new 4G LTE data network. But what kind of speeds can you really expect to see on the carrier's hot, new devices? Judging from what I observed at T-Mobile's splashy press event in New York, apparently quite a bit. … Read more

BlackBerry 10 touch-screen phone could debut next year

RIM is looking to a host of new products to help it recover in 2013, according to details reportedly found in a leaked product road map.

The company is set to kick off the year by launching both touch-screen and traditional QWERTY keyboard phones in the first quarter, according to enthusiast site BlackBerryOS.com. The BlackBerry London will be RIM's first touch-screen phone, the site says, while the BlackBerry Nevada will carry on with a physical keyboard.

Both phones will sport the BlackBerry 10 OS, which is finally slated to debut in the first quarter of 2013 following a … Read more

Q&A: MacFixIt Answers

MacFixIt Answers is a feature in which we answer e-mailed questions from our readers. This week there were questions about burned discs no longer being recognized, upgrading from OS X 10.4 Tiger, using a third-party PDF printer in OS X, and CPU temperatures spiking in MacBook Pro systems. We continually answer e-mail questions, and though we present a few answers here, we certainly welcome alternative approaches and views from readers and encourage you to post your suggestions in the comments.

Question: Burned CDs not being recognized anymore MacFixIt reader "Russell" asks:

When I insert a CD, which … Read more

Browser powers and video tools

Three things are on the tips of our tongues lately: Internet browsers, security suites, and video-editing apps. Let's start with the first. NetApplications' browser usage statistics for September provide a look at who's gaining clout on the Web: Google's Chrome, twin mobile powerhouses Apple iOS and Google Android, and Microsoft's IE9. In other browser news, Chrome enjoyed an update that added activation by default of the WebGL 3D graphics technology, an option for built-in Google Instant search results, and some hardware acceleration for some CSS transformations--to the dev version, at least.

On the security side of … Read more

Open up Windows

Recent editions of Windows offer a lot more in the way of desktop customization and interface enhancement options than was once the case, but for some PC users, especially those used to relying on third-party apps to deliver what Microsoft doesn't, even Windows 7's much-touted improvements are behind the curve. For them, desktop slideshows are so Win95; they need more features and control in their computing experience.

Nimi Visuals offers both. It's a free, compact, standalone Windows effects and customization engine that bundles together more than 59 different customization effects like transparent windows, snow, jelly windows, window … Read more

Mozilla plans to drop Mac OS X 10.4 support

Mozilla wants its Firefox browser to drop support for Mac OS X 10.4--the operating system also known as Tiger that was released in 2005--but the plan is running into some resistance.

If support is indeed removed, then Firefox 3.6--the current version of the browser--would be the last one to support Mac OS X 10.4, although Mozilla would still issue updates for several months after the succeeding version of Firefox is released.

"We would like to take advantage of more modern technologies on Mac OS X, and 10.4 support has been a hindrance," Josh … Read more