Apple’s third retail store in Manhattan appears set to open on December 7, just in time for the shopping season. The new store is located on West 14th Street and Ninth Avenue, a two-story corner space in the city’s Meatpacking District.

The new store is said to feature a large glass circular staircase. Although, Apple will neither confirm or deny this.

Skype has released Skype for Mac 2.7.0.195 beta, an update of its Internet telephony application for VoIP (voice over IP) communication with Skype-to-Skype voice calls, instant messaging, and file transfers. This beta release adds Leopard compatibility and 640×480 resolution for video conversations at up to 25 frames per second. Skype is free (except for SkypeOut service) and is available for Mac OS X 10.3.9 and up (Universal Binary) with versions for Linux, Windows, and PocketPC also. Skype for Mac 2.7.0.195 beta is a beta version that may still contain some bugs, if you want to use a more stable version download Skype 2.6.

Google announced today that it will apply to bid on Monday for 700 MHz wireless spectrum in the FCC auction that begins on January 24, 2008 and will end when there are no new bids. Some experts believe that will be sometime in March 2008. This is the spectrum that the TV broadcasters will leave on February 19, 2009 due to the mandated switch to digital TV.

With Google’s approximately $13 billion in cash-on-hand they are in a good position to bid in what could easily exceed the potential $4.6 billion bid on the airwaves. Of course Google can enlist partners and a variety of financing mechanisms.

Continue reading Google To Bid on 700 MHz Wireless Spectrum…

Microspot has introduced a new version of DWG Viewer 1.6.6, ($55, free upgrade to registered users) their 2D AutoCAD file viewer for the Mac users.

DWG Viewer allows Mac users view 2D design files created using Autodesk’s popular AutoCAD drafting software, which is Windows only. You can show and hide individual layers, zoom in and pan around the document, use markup tools and add textual annotations, You can also print and save files as PDFs. DWG Viewer has been updated to support AutoCAD 2007.

DWG Viewer 1.6.6 is now Universal binary so it runs natively on both Intel and PowerPC-based Macs. System requirements are Mac OS X v10.3.9 or later, G4/700MHz or faster, 250MB RAM and 100MB HD space.

Panic the makers of two of my most used Mac apps Transmit and Coda have brought Mac users CandyBar 3. CandyBar 3 – $29 (free 15-day/250-icon limit trial) is new for Leopard and allows for easy customization of your Mac’s icons and Dock. The new version has a new interface and now has the “pixadex” built right into the application taping the power of Leopard’s Quick Look feature.

Continue reading OS X Leopard Tip #21: View Contents of Folders and Zip Files with Quick Look Plugins…

Quay 1.0 is a utility that brings back hierarchical popup menus for folders and hard drives to the Dock in Leopard to make it more like Tiger’s Dock.

In addition to hierarchical menus, it adds sorting of menus by name, date modified, data created, or kind, along with options to show small or large icons, see invisible items, or browse into packages and bundles. Quay is 7 Euros or about $10 US for Mac OS X 10.5 (Universal Binary).

Continue reading OS X Leopard Tip #20: Use iChat to Remote Control Your Mac Across the Internet…

Continue reading OS X Leopard Tip #19: Turn Off Countdown and Flash in Photo Booth…

Continue reading OS X Leopard Tip #18: Running Internet Explorer in OS X without Windows…

DEVONtechnologies released updates for DEVONthink, DEVONagent, and DEVONnote adding compatibility for Mac OS X 10.5 and also improve application functionality.

Google released an updated version of Google Desktop for the Mac that now includes support for Google Gadgets, which are cross-platform, widget-like, mini applications with dynamic content.

According to Google, Mac users can now run Google Gadgets side by side with Apple Widgets in Dashboard and have the same gadgets on their Mac, iGoogle page and Google Desktop Sidebar.

Google also allows you to just install the Gadget manager without the desktop search component. Just click on “Choose your own features” and uncheck “Fast and easy Search.”

Verizon has announced it will use Long-Term Evolution [LTE] a new standard that promises 100 megabits per second downloads and 50 megabits uploads with lowering latency to 20 milliseconds. This would make online games, high-quality two-way video, and other time-sensitive features more practical. Speeds of course vary in the real world. Trials are expected to start sometime in 2008.

Continue reading Verizon To Migrate 4G LTE with Trials Starting Next Year…

AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson claims that a HSDPA version of the iPhone is coming.

“You’ll have it next year,” Stephenson said in response to a question about when the 3G iPhone would debut.

He said he didn’t know how much more the new version will cost than the existing model, which sells for $399. Apple Chief Executive Officer Steve Jobs “will dictate what the price of the phone is,” he said.

Stephenson also chimed in on Verizon’s announcement this week that they’d be opening their network to a degree, calling the announcement “overblown.” “The industry’s headed that way,” he said. “We are probably one of the most open networks in the world, not just the U.S.”

Apple has announced they will be discontinuing support for Tiger Boot Camp Beta (as of December 31) introduced in April 2006. The Boot Camp beta allows Tiger users to install Windows on their Intel-based Macs, making it easier for Windows users to switch to a Mac.

Existing Boot Camp beta participants can keep their Windows partitions, but the software that manages installations will be deactivated, and Apple will no longer provide updates, requiring users to upgrade to OS 10.5 Leopard if they wish to add to or modify the Boot Camp partition.

I have been using Verizon Wireless’ BroadbandAccess/NationalAccess service for a the last few years. This service allows road warriors to connect to the Internet where no “hotspot” exists. This is a real connivence that allows me to get email, surf the web, remote desktop to my home or office from almost anywhere.

With my recent purchase of a new Apple Intel MacBook Pro I needed to upgrade my older Verizon Wireless PC card. The new MacBook Pro has a different PC slot than my older PowerBook had. The MacBook Pro uses an ExpressCard/34 slot which is narrower than the PowerBook and PC laptops I have.

So I opted to get a USB727 that Verizon is now offering so I could use it on all my computers. This is especially a good choice for MacBook owners that lack any PC slot or even desktop computers.

Continue reading USB727: Broadband Anywhere for My MacBook Pro…

MYOB has introduces AccountEdge 2008 its premiere small business accounting package. Besides being Leopard compatible the cross-platform application has a bit of a new look plus improved and new features that include tighter integration with OS X apps.

I have been a long time user of AccountEdge and I upgraded yesterday without any issues. This was the last application I needed updated to complete my transition to Leopard only.

Continue reading MYOB Releases AccountEdge 2008…

Continue reading OS X Leopard Tip #17: Make Your Dock 2D Without the Glass…

Zoho has released an update to their online word processor that allows multiple users to work on documents online and offline at the same time.

When offline users go back online, the changes they made offline sync with the online document. This is a useful feature for people who need to create and edit documents on planes and trains, or print from offices without wireless access. Maybe just another reason for some users to forego an that expensive upgrade to Microsoft Office.

Continue reading Zoho Writer Now Allows Offline Document Editing…

A story according to Data Center Knowledge has Microsoft planning to build a data center in Irkutsk, one of the largest cities in Siberia.

I guess that can save a lot on cooling as they can just open the window!