New and Noteworthy: Second Apple Dashboard Widget contest; Toshiba preps 80 GB iPod-able drive; more

Second Apple Dashboard Widget contest Apple has announced a second Apple Dashboard Widget Contest that runs through January 5th. The winner will receive a 40GB iPod and receive public recognition for their work. Dashboard is a new component of Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger) that runs lightweight applications called widgets. A statement from Apple reads "Entries will be judged on technical excellence, innovation, and ease of use. The contest is open exclusively to Apple Developer Connection members whose memberships include access to pre-release versions of Mac OS X v10.4 Tiger." More.

Toshiba preps 80 GB iPod-able drive Macworld UK reports that Toshiba is close to commercializing new data storage technology that could significantly increase the capacity of the hard-disk drives currently used inside iPods. "The company will make the new drives - which could boost iPod capacity to 80GB or more - available in the middle of 2005. Toshiba is developing two 1.8-inch hard-disk drives that use the technology, called perpendicular recording." More.

A blogger's switch to the Mac The "Invent Blog" has posted another update to the author's on-going experience switching to the Mac platform, finding the myth that most Windows applications don't have Mac OS X counterparts false: "There appear to be Mac OS versions of about every program I need...MS Word (I haven't sprung for it yet...but could), Skype (I'm 'jurisnipper'), Capture Me (a program for grabbing screen shots...every blogger needs pics), Fire (the Mac rendition of "Trillian"), FireFox, etc." More.

Previously on MacFixIt

• Odds and Ends: TaxCut rebate not available for Mac version; New/updated Knowledge Base articles
• PowerBook/iBook stays unresponsive after attempted wake-from-sleep (#4): New workarounds, confirmation for others
• Blurry DVD playback under Mac OS X 10.3.6?
• PowerLogix complaints (#3): Turning point?

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