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DARPA's new division takes biotechnology to the battlefield
DARPA knows that soldiers need more than the latest gadgets to fight effectively -- they need to stay healthy, too. Accordingly, it just launched a Biological Technologies Office (BTO) to study how organics can help national defense. The division is working on projects that will keep troops in top shape, monitor large-scale biological patterns (such as viruses) and understand how natural processes can be put to work in both materials and machines. The agency doesn't yet know when the BTO will bear fruit, but it plans to minimize ethical concerns by speaking to academic experts on a regular basis. [Image credit: Spc. Coltin Heller / DVIDS, Flickr]
Macworld benchmarks: Mac mini BTO can match iMac performance
As the closest Apple comes to a "budget model" Mac, the Mac mini usually turns out to be substantially less powerful than the larger, more expensive iMac. However, Macworld discovered via recent benchmarks that a build-to-order current-generation Mac mini can meet or exceed many performance marks of a stock configuration iMac. The tale of the tape: 2011 Mac mini 2.7 GHz Core i7 256 GB SSD 4 GB RAM US$1499 versus 2011 21.5-inch iMac 2.5 GHz Core i5 Standard HDD 4 GB RAM $1199 Unsurprisingly, the Mac mini trounced the iMac at disk-intensive I/O tasks thanks to its speedy SSD. I've seen for myself the huge performance gains that can come from putting an SSD into an otherwise lackluster machine, but it comes at a significant cost; Macworld paid an additional $600 for an Apple-sourced SSD on top of the Mac mini's original $799 price. Processor-intensive tasks showed remarkable gains for the Mac mini, with several tasks completing at almost the same time as the iMac. However, the iMac's far better graphics hardware handily bested the Mac mini's performance. By now you're probably wondering why anyone would bother tricking out a Mac mini at a cost $300 higher than the iMac when the Mac mini doesn't come with a display, keyboard, and so forth. Macworld addresses this by correctly pointing out that the iMac's glossy glass display isn't everyone's cup of tea. The BTO Mac mini they tested also turns in similar performance in a far smaller form factor, which could be an important consideration if your workspace is too cramped for an iMac or Mac Pro.
Online Apple Store adds one-click "popular configurations" option
Just in time for those holiday orders, there's been a small change in the online Apple Store's build-to-order pages for the MacBook, MacBook Pro and MacBook Air. Dave "Eagle-Eye" Caolo spotted the addition of new one-click BTO configurations, which include free express shipping. The new one-click buttons let you prefill the most popular options for your custom config, including such favorites as "more RAM," "faster hard drive," the matte screen for the 15" MBP and pre-installed versions of iWork or Microsoft Office. Of course, you can still custom-configure from all the available options if you prefer. You'll see the new options in the US store after clicking Select on the laptop product page of your choice.
BTO's PlusDeck EX could save your marriage
Nothing sets an aging geek's pulse to pounding like the marriage of old and new with lots of buttons and a big ol' knob. Korea's BTO knows this, and offers up their PlusDeck EX as followup to their PlusDeck 2. They share the ability to convert your digital MP3s to cassette tape (and visa versa) while tossing in some crazy-luxurious 7.1ch surround, LCD control, 3.5-mm and RCA inputs (among others), AM/FM tuner and remote on top of the USB interface. Announced a few weeks ago, shipping now in Korea for ???319,000 or about $340. Yeah, we know, but just think of the points you'll score from your gen-x or boomer-spouse when you present them with a mix-tape, 21st century style. Crazy... like a fox.[via Akihabara News]
Logitec gets into the PC game with its new LN-14W lappy
It might look pretty OEM-a-riffic, and Logitec seems pretty branding shy on this thing as well, but all the same we're kind of intrigued by this departure from the usual peripheral fare for Logitec. The new Core 2 Duo LN-14W laptop from Logitec is a BTO number, even down to your choice of six different languages. There's a 14.1-inch 1280 x 800 LCD, ExpressCard slot, dual-layer DVD burner, 40-100GB HDD, and three different colors to choose from. The base configuration will run you 211,000 yen, about $1,736 US, and while Vista doesn't come pre-loaded, the laptop includes a coupon for a free copy of Vista Business for pepping up your OS when January 30th rolls around.[Via Akihabara]
