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TUAW TV Live: EyeTV HD, MacBook Air, and a Newton for the 21st Century
Good afternoon, everyone, and welcome to another episode of TUAW TV Live! This should prove to be a lively and fun episode of the show, since I have a review of the Elgato EyeTV HD "Mac DVR" queued up to show you. This is a great idea if you have a traditional cable or satellite TV box and you wish to view or record TV shows in full HD on your Mac. I'll have a full review of the EyeTV HD soon, along with a giveaway, but you can get a preview of the device today. In addition, I'll entertain questions about the 11" MacBook Air. I've had it for a week now, and find it to be a very fast, capable and compact Mac. Finally, I'll show a video and demo of a new iPad app that brings back memories of the Apple Newton MessagePad. How can you join in on the fun? From your Mac or PC, go to the next page by clicking the Read More link at the bottom of this post, and you'll find a livestream viewer and a chat tool. The chat tool allows you to participate by asking questions or making comments. If you're driving somewhere and would like to watch TUAW TV Live while you're stuck in traffic, please don't -- keep your eyes on the road! However, if someone else is doing the driving, you can watch the show on your iPhone by downloading the free Ustream Viewing Application. We haven't neglected our iPad users, since you can tune in to TUAW TV Live on your iPad! That link will send you to a non-Flash page, although you won't have access to our chat tool. And one final note -- if the show has started and you're seeing a previously recorded show instead of the livestream, you can always pop on over to ustream.tv/tuaw to join the show in progress. See you there!
Macworld reveals Editors' Choice Award winners
For the 26th consecutive year, Macworld has announced the winners of the Editors' Choice Awards. While the online article announcing the winners makes it sound like the awards are for Mac hardware and software only, it's open to just about any product that works with Macs or other Apple devices. While we won't list all of the winners here, some of the standout items on the list are very popular with TUAW bloggers. The only Mac to win an Eddy was the new 11-inch MacBook Air. Macworld gave the diminutive MacBook Air a 4.5 rating out of 5 possible points, and touted the design as proving that "Apple is still dedicated to the Mac." The iPad and fourth-generation iPod touch both received awards, which isn't surprising given that both devices are top sellers for Apple and that the iPad is quickly defining a new genre of tablets. In the software awards, 1Password 3, Evernote 1.11, Excel for Mac 2011, iMovie '11, Instapaper, Scrivener, Steam and TextExpander 3 all won top honors. Although you may not agree with all of the picks -- the third-generation Amazon Kindle baffled me, for example -- it's a fascinating read and points out some of the shining stars of the Apple ecosystem for well-deserved praise.
Toshiba introduces MacBook Air-type solid-state drives
One of the key elements that allowed Apple to make the new MacBook Air so slim was the elimination of traditional drive packaging for the solid-state drive (SSD). Rather than installing the flash memory in a case that could be installed in place of a spinning drive, the SSD looks like an old-school DRAM stick with exposed chips and the interface contacts along one end. Toshiba is now offering these blade-type SSDs in the aftermarket in the same 64, 128, and 256GB sizes found in the 11- and 13-inch Airs. They even have the same part number as the originals, indicating that Toshiba may be the OEM supplier. Apple has designed the Air to try and prevent end-user serviceability, but if you can find a five-point Torx screwdriver, you can perform a drive upgrade. It's not yet known if the 256GB drive will fit into the 11-inch Air (a combination not offered by Apple) since the largest stick is marginally thicker than the other two parts. There's no word on pricing or availability, but it seems likely that we'll soon see computers from other manufacturers using these parts as well. In the meantime, PhotoFast has also produced a SSD upgrade kit for the MacBook Air that boosts internal storage to 256GB and turns the machine's original 64GB drive into a USB 3.0 device.
TechRestore takes some of the gloss off of new MacBook Air with matte screen option
While there is generally no arguing with the aesthetic qualities of products that come from Apple, that beauty does sometimes come at the expense of functionality. A case in point is the unfortunate trend to glossy screens on Apple's portable computing devices. If all you do is gaze at your MacBook in a darkened space to watch movies, the shiny black screens look great. If on the other hand, like us, you need to actually get work done in a diverse range of environments, a matte screen that doesn't constantly display your own mug is preferred. While Apple offers optional matte screen on the larger 15 and 17-inch MacBook Pro, no such option is available on the new 11 and 13-inch Air models. Thankfully, the talented folks at TechRestore have come to the rescue with a retrofit. For US$249, TechRestore will replace the mirror on your slim new MacBook Air with a matte display that otherwise matches the specifications of the original. The display replacement service will be available soon, and TechRestore promises a 24-hour turnaround once they receive your machine.
